Chapter 1838: with translation of chapter title

NO. 453: Let's just cut the network for now.

Shixing Ling left.

There was no interception midway, nor any sudden accident.

Carrying the unique, ripple-like golden patterns of the Star-Eating Wings, after leaving the Holy Hall's field of view, it turned into a swift dash, heading straight for the Development Department's Beastification Tuning Section.

Although this base point has less than half its personnel, such key facilities still have shift workers ensuring normal operation.

One can imagine how smoothly it went for him.

Then he turned back.

The High Priest turned his head to look at the surrounding void; there, a brain that had surfaced first sighed:

"'Everyone'... that kid finally said that, huh."

"We've been discovered?"

Another brain surfaced, all in midair, all illusory. Rather than a soul lingering via some strange spell, it's more like a half-body image produced by an incomplete remote communication channel.

"Maybe it's just idle talk of pretending to be mystical."

"Rather than him being able to see us, I'm more inclined to think he guessed our existence—after all, our High Priest suddenly meeting a newcomer is against the rules no matter how you look at it."

One after another, some only showed half a big brain, while others truly exposed collarbones and even shoulders—indeed just like a standardized screen capturing different body types of users. They themselves didn't care about this, only caring about the newcomer who had just left.

"As expected, that's the saying, Shengliu Wu— as a newcomer, his quality is excessively high."

"But if it weren't for his high quality, he'd probably have been done in from the start."

"Must we scheme on the premise that he has a problem? This has put us in a bind where even if his future is truly limitless, we ought to have objections."

"What objections? Didn't you understand the earlier conversation? I see that kid taking to this environment like a fish to water—applying ordinary human notions here, aren't you just hallucinating from doing business?"

"Alright, be quiet, you guys are just idle with nothing to do? I just want to hear the High Priest say dismiss the meeting—how much time are we wasting gathering for a newcomer who's bound to be done in sooner or later?"

""

In a moment, the priests' gazes also gathered on the High Priest who was quietly looking up at the statue of the Beast King.

"Everyone, don't you want to leave yet?"

"What?" someone exclaimed.

And the High Priest who had just asked turned his head, meeting everyone's gaze: "I should have said this last week—that you all ought to wrap up all your busyness."

"I also indeed want to wrap things up, but I need at least ten days."

"I've finished the big order here, but Heaven Gate City has plenty of encounters too; I'm reluctant to let go of some small jobs—ah, of course, if you say you want to leave, I can put them down and return them anytime."

The summoning rights for the universe-hopping bubbles ultimately still lie with the High Priest. Although staying here isn't impossible, the environment is truly enchanting, but whether living alone here could be better than staying with the group… this priest obviously still believes the latter.

The overly vibrant city rhythm of Heaven Gate City left a deep impression on her; as for the federal city zones beyond Heaven Gate City—she had only stayed briefly in the Gate District when she heard that the previous High Priest had gone mad and collided with that person's counterpart in this world, and she immediately left Heaven Gate City with other eager colleagues, having no time to personally investigate.

All she remembered was everyone saying that monster resources were scarce in all city zones, with the most developed points either being that person's counterpart in this world or this Heaven Gate City. But Heaven Gate City's situation is even more sinister than back home—not only more chaotic and intense, but there are also Ultraman from the Land of Light permanently stationed, and rumors say Noah has manifested; who knows if locals might be dreaming of grinding relics in their sleep.

Such an environment can't be said to be unlivable, but at the very least it's highly likely to cause an accident.

After all, everyone has the awareness of being a criminal; staying in such a place, you never know when you'll be swept up in some case and investigated en masse.

So an excellent team is necessary.

Perhaps some colleagues could have the confidence to pull together a professional organization here.

Or perhaps some colleagues have already connected with some organizations here, confident they can smoothly shift allegiance.

But she does not.

She has none of those confidences, only a simple affinity and understanding of the monster concept.

Although relying on these two points to climb to the priest position should bring some pride, in front of the helmsman she is always humble and obedient, after all she is precisely the sort unfit to steer yet needing someone to steer.

Also precisely because her attitude is always like this, whether it's the previous helmsman's gaze or the current one's, they will directly skip over her: "Once half the people are ready, we will leave."

"It's not a prophecy but a strong premonition, a very bad premonition."

"I can understand." a priest nodded slightly.

"Rather, a premonition is far more effective than a prophecy." another priest also agreed.

Just as a beast's instinct can always be described as keen in a positive sense, the monsters' intuition is even more strongly trusted by sect members; the positions of Bishop and above have always been regarded by members as beings extremely close to the monsters' ultimate end, and even the Bishops and priests themselves have no doubt about this.

"If so… dismissed!"

——

Meanwhile, the Beast Sect's Development Department. Beastification Tuning Lab.

"You remember to bear with it, huh—I'm handling this level of beastification erosion for the first time; you should know what that means, right?"

The man in a white coat, while covering him with something like electrode patches, chattered on, making Aomo nostalgic for the priest codenamed Shengliu Wu.

Although not a good person, he was at least steady, unlike the guy in front who kept muttering, his actions furtive—so much that even sticking on an electrode patch made Aomo feel his puppet-like body was being molested.

That's naturally an illusion; this body's outline was molded after an already incarcerated prototype, the details he guessed at—whether muscle mass or physique, all simulated after the circumstance of 'often forced to exercise strenuously but never having time to work out and stay fit,' so it can be said to be somewhat worse than a standard federal person.

Standard federal person: has a bit of leisure mind and money spent on appearance and body optimization, but fishing two days and drying nets three days, the effect usually doesn't last long. Yet occasionally they'll summon motivation, the body retaining a bit of inertia from multiple adjustments——

——This body doesn't even measure up to such people; although it lacks no basic strength, its physique and muscle distribution aren't handsome, so Aomo clearly sees this person as simply rather abnormal.

It's the type especially common in the sect, where chasing monsters has made both body and mind deviate greatly from normal standards; and the similarly sect-affiliated Shixing Ling should understand and focus on the key point: "This is merely a fragment of information, far less than one ten-thousandth of the whole, after all."

Then the other side got annoyed.

"Are you the doctor or am I the doctor?"

It's hard to say whether this is his natural temperament or just the resentment of a worker forced to take shifts.

"You are."

"Then stop chattering! Just listen to me! This is a fragment of the Golden Void—can a shard of higher-dimensional life be endured by ordinary carbon-based life? Are you a hero?"

"Still on the way to becoming."

"You really like to joke— in our sect, you don't even count as a Hei'an hero."

At first glance the question seems somewhat abrupt, but it's actually proof of a true industry insider.

After all, the data on the Star-Eater Ghidorah includes not only many titles but also a complete set of religious summoning rituals—ritual implements, offerings, and chants are all present. Moreover, if the offering is ordinary, Ghidorah will be incomplete even if it descends. But if the offering is one that harbors intense hatred for monsters, called a 'Hero,' then it can descend with its full body into the universe and devour that planet in a short time.

Therefore, in a cult where no Hero can possibly appear, nobody can become a suitable vessel; as soon as one knows that Star-Eater Zero has been endowed with this thing, everyone will think he has fallen into a countdown to death.

Even the Beast Harmonizer who ought to be in charge of rescue is also pessimistic.

Normal beastification caused by a monster's power, genes, and information can be partially restored through bidirectional regulation of mind and cells, but the information affecting you is of a higher dimension, so you'd better not hope too much.

But can it still be accessed while it's in the container? Isn't there any technology for applying it to living beings?

If it's only for compressing corpses, do we still need to hide with that kind of thing?

That's also true.

All right, all right! Stop nagging! From now on, endure any pain! Don't worry about forgetting anything! This is the inevitable price of not having to undergo a psychological test!!

(End of chapter)