Chapter 69: The Blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess

Not long after Lei Kedun returned home with Tu Ba Ge, Wu Sai Er arrived bearing a wagonload of documents to visit.

Mother Yi Sha Bei Er, seeing Wu Sai Er dressed in the Earth Church clergy robes, thought the visitor was looking for Lei Kedun's father.

"Sir, are you looking for Pa Qi? He won't return to Ma Dan for another two days," Yi Sha Bei Er said.

"Good afternoon, madam. I'm here to see Mr. Lei Kedun; I've brought the documents he needs," Wu Sai Er explained.

Yi Sha Bei Er's expression grew strange; wasn't her son supposed to have joined the Knowledge Church? Why would someone from the Earth Church bring him documents?

Yi Sha Bei Er restrained her doubt, smiled, and said, "Alright, please wait a moment; I'll have Lei Kedun come down."

Yi Sha Bei Er went to Lei Kedun's second‑floor room and saw her son staring intently at the rabbit perched on the table.

She knocked twice on the open door and said, "Little Lei Kedun, a clergy member from the Earth Church is outside; he says he's here to deliver documents. Aren't you a member of the Knowledge Church? Since when are the Earth and Knowledge Churches on such good terms?"

"So quickly? Fine, I'll go down right away," Lei Kedun replied.

He rose immediately and headed downstairs, explaining to his mother, "It's nothing; I've reached a cooperation with the Earth Church, so they're sending the documents."

By the time he finished speaking, Lei Kedun had reached the ground floor; at the main door he saw Wu Sai Er already waiting.

"Wu Sai Er, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly," Lei Kedun said with a light laugh.

"Most of the Church's documents don't need much sorting; I'll just bring them all over. Where do you want them placed? I'll help you move them," Wu Sai Er said politely, with a hint of respect.

"Just put them in my study. Are there many documents?" Lei Kedun asked, looking at the wagon behind Wu Sai Er.

"Hmm, the wagon behind me is full, and some wagons can't hold any more; I'll deliver the rest later," Wu Sai Er nodded honestly.

"Not even one wagon can hold them?" Lei Kedun's mouth twitched; he already regretted it. The Knowledge Church's books are already abundant and hard to read, and now there's even more material.

Lei Kedun regretted having succumbed to the Earth Church's temptation. He thought the documents were enough for him to digest multiple times, even enough for a reader's elixir.

At that moment Lei Kedun could only sigh, "Study makes one decadent!"

"Some of these are classified Earth Church files; please don't disclose them," Wu Sai Er added.

"Fine, I'll be careful," Lei Kedun said expressionlessly, nodding.

Lei Kedun summoned his male servant Luo Bo Te and, together with Wu Sai Er, moved the documents to his second‑floor bedroom; looking at his room, now both a rabbit's nest and a storage of documents, he felt it was getting cramped.

"I'll need another room for my study," Lei Kedun thought to himself.

After finishing the move, Wu Sai Er took his leave, saying he'd go back and bring the remaining documents himself.

Lei Kedun told him not to rush; the pile of documents in his bedroom could wait indefinitely.

"The recruitment of Fu Lan Ke is imminent, and this rabbit can't be ignored; I'll have the Hidden Sage impart knowledge to it, then let it help me go through that stack of documents," Lei Kedun planned.

Tu Ba Ge, perched on the nearby desk fiddling with a great magician's top hat and performing tricks, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if a terrifying hunter were eyeing him.

Tu Ba Ge, cautious yet sly, only saw Lei Kedun fretting over the stack of documents. He patted his own rabbit head, turned around, thinking it was just his imagination.

"What did you do? Why do you now have the Earth Mother Goddess's blessing on you?" a sudden voice echoed in the room.

A crow materialized beside Tu Ba Ge, startling him; he leapt back, slipped, and fell to the ground.

"Whoa~ there's a ghost!" Tu Ba Ge shouted while lying on the floor.

"Stop shouting; there's no ghost, only a crow scarier than any ghost," Lei Kedun warned Tu Ba Ge.

Tu Ba Ge ignored the 'scarier than a ghost' remark, wobbling to his feet and hopping back onto the desk. He'd seen crows before; aside from its odd appearance, there was nothing unusual.

"What Earth Mother Goddess's blessing?" Lei Kedun asked curiously of the angelic embodiment.

"The blessing the Earth Mother Goddess bestowed upon you," the crow replied briefly.

"Huh? I have the Earth Mother Goddess's blessing? No wonder the Earth Church is so proactive and generous," Lei Kedun mused.

"A word of warning: the New Year is approaching, and these days mark the Knowledge Church's year‑end exams. You've risen too quickly, skipping the promotion exams from Sequence Nine to Sequence Seven, which you'll need to make up," the crow, in its plain tone, warned ominously.

Lei Kedun froze for a moment before processing it.

"Are you a devil?" Lei Kedun, truly regretting his choice of the Knowledge Church over the Earth Church, asked.

"I'm no low‑level creature like a devil!" the crow scoffed.

Lei Kedun was momentarily stumped, unable to retort.

"Why does the Knowledge Church even have exams!" Lei Kedun could only vent bitterly.

"The Earth Mother Goddess has already left her blessing on you; whatever you promised the Earth Church, you cannot renege," the crow replied, missing the point.

After saying that, the crow instantly lost its color and vanished on the spot.

Lei Kedun stared at the spot where the crow vanished, silently rolling his eyes; he felt the crow was there to remind him not to forget that he belongs to the Knowledge Church, not the Earth Church.

"Boss, you still have exams!" Tu Ba Ge asked curiously after the crow left.

"It seems so, indeed. Therefore, the documents the Earth Church sent can only be given to you—no, to a rabbit—to review," Lei Kedun said, flashing a devilish grin at the plump rabbit.

Tu Ba Ge widened his blood‑red eyes, staring at his boss in disbelief.

"I'm just a rabbit! I don't even recognize that many characters, nor can I understand those documents!" Tu Ba Ge defended himself.

"That's not a problem; I'll have the Hidden Sage inject the appropriate knowledge into you," Lei Kedun explained.

"Wuwa~" Tu Ba Ge cried out loudly.

He rolled on the desk, acting cute, then pretended to be dead again.

Lei Kedun poked the theatrical rabbit's belly and said, "Lie still for now; when the Hidden Sage imparts knowledge later, you won't have to flop over again."

"Wuwa~ Boss, you're abusing a small animal," Tu Ba Ge shouted in accusation.

"You're not an ordinary creature but an extraordinary one; don't forget the Earth Church promised you a follow‑up promotion elixir. If the experiment succeeds, even a Sequence Four demigod‑level elixir won't be spared by the Earth Church," Lei Kedun offered a highly tempting persuasion.

"No, that many documents will kill the rabbit!" Tu Ba Ge didn't fall for it.

"Don't worry! I'm not handing everything to a single rabbit; you're just an assistant. I already have someone else for the real work," Lei Kedun reassured the rabbit.

"Who?" Tu Ba Ge asked.

"A very distinctive pirate; after the New Year we'll set sail to find him," Lei Kedun said.

"Really? You're not tricking a rabbit?" Tu Ba Ge doubted Lei Kedun's words.

"You're just a rabbit; even if I were to deceive you, a single rabbit can't accomplish this huge project!" Lei Kedun explained patiently.

Tu Ba Ge finally believed Lei Ke Dun's words. But seeing the huge pile of Earth Church materials stacked to one side, Tu Ba Ge still felt this was too difficult for it, a rabbit.

Lei Ke Dun felt it was still more important to find the Hidden Sage to impart knowledge to himself and Tu Ba Ge, altering the pact ritual he knew that was aimed at the Fool so that the ritual now pointed to the Hidden Sage.

"Based on the information currently known, the Hidden Sage bears me no ill will, and is even my most useful thigh." Lei Ke Dun muttered to himself.

Afterwards Lei Ke Dun began preparing the pact ritual, hoping the Hidden Sage would give him more useful knowledge.

"The sage who perceives the world, the eye that probes truth, the embodiment of endless knowledge and mystical numbers!"

The connection of the pact ritual is two-way; the knowledge and information Lei Ke Dun possesses will also be known to the Hidden Sage, but Lei Ke Dun does not see this as a problem. From his own sage trait he can tell that he has no secrets before the Hidden Sage.

Lei Ke Dun repeatedly thought to himself, "I'll give my rabbit some basic knowledge so it can understand the materials."

He didn't dwell on that thought for long. The Hidden Sage's knowledge infusion made Lei Ke Dun's head swell with pain, as if countless tiny worms were boring into his skull.

Fortunately, the Keeper of Knowledge's magic potion greatly enhanced Lei Ke Dun's memory and comprehension, giving him a much greater capacity to absorb knowledge infusion than ordinary seekers.

Enduring the headache, Lei Ke Dun entered quick-thinking mode, swiftly organizing and categorizing the excess information in his mind.

The headache lasted about three to five minutes before gradually subsiding, but soon Lei Ke Dun heard his rabbit's anguished cries.

"Waaah~ Save me! Boss, I'm going to die, rabbit!" Tu Ba Ge's anguished cries echoed in Lei Ke Dun's ears.

Only after his headache eased did Lei Ke Dun have the energy to attend to his fat rabbit; Tu Ba Ge lay on the table, rolling back and forth, wailing continuously.

(End of chapter)