Enforcer Manual
Chapter 1020 - 909: Demon_2

Chapter 1020: Chapter 909: Demon_2

If he had not become an Ascetic, he could have had a better life.

The Ascetic ultimately weathered the Devil’s temptation.

He couldn’t make it through that winter, however, at life’s end, this Ascetic, ravaged by hunger and pain, still knelt in the chapel.

His spirit was steadfast and pure, so much so that even his potential rivals had to admit he truly possessed a noble soul.

The Ascetic eventually received recognition from the Deity.

That night, after the Ascetic was buried, Archbishop Dargon Vida heard a Whisper from the upper world.

The Deities took notice of the Ascetic’s presence, proclaiming his soul would find rest in the upper world.

Guided by the Whisper, the Archbishop recorded this tale in the Church’s scriptures to inspire others and to let future generations know that there once was a devout believer who withstood all trials until his life extinguished, his will unshaken, and thus, he was summoned by the Deities to the upper world.

"But in reality, the Ascetic’s soul never reached there,"

Song Lan revealed the true ending of the story.

Because the path to the upper world was never about the steadfastness of faith—Spiritual Energy strength was the only metric for this boundary.

"It’s surprising that after all this time, you still dwell on it."

"Nothingness" had also read this story in the Church’s scriptures, although his reading had nothing to do with a wager, solely because his dear disciple also appeared in the scriptures.

In any belief system, there exists a counterpart to the merciful and holy Deity.

And among them, Song Lan best fit this definition.

The Devil that misleads the hearts of people.

During the Ascetic’s trial, whispering in his ear encouraging him to give up, attempting to make his conviction waver.

This was the first instance of Song Lan’s infamy recorded in the scriptures, but it was not the last.

In the time that followed, he always played the role of the misleading Devil.

His colleagues called it necessary propaganda, but "Nothingness" knew that in fact, this was how many regarded Song Lan behind his back.

"And yet you want to free them from this pointless consumption."

It was difficult.

The feeling of controlling fate was so delightful, representing the supreme power they held; no one wanted to relinquish it.

Even though they all knew that suffering and trials held no real significance, the passage to the upper world was firmly in their hands.

All the rules and ordinances they established held no real importance, yet the believers still had to abide by them.

"Nothingness" could only say that Song Lan’s initial wish was unrealistic, and many believed that Song Lan would sooner or later compromise, but nobody anticipated that before that day arrived, he would first drive everyone out of the upper world instead.

"No, she and I were simply engaged in scientific research,"

Song Lan said.

Even upon reaching the upper world, he never entertained the thought of altruistically aiding the world; it did not suit the life of a laid-back person.

However, he understood that controlling the passage to the upper world was akin to truly holding the power of speech, by then, whether he spent his days lying down, sleeping, or stealing someone else’s followers, nobody could do anything about it.

"Nothingness" paused, "Scientific research?"

"God of Life."

Song Lan mentioned the title once used among the followers for Lu Xiang, creator of life, nurturer of all things, and also one of the gentler Deities in power.

But what he really valued was her other identity.

She was the closest to the passage to the upper world, always among the first to know whenever a Consciousness Entity was strong enough to complete the Ascension Ceremony, thus she often also acted as the Guide for these Consciousness Entities.

"So a new problem arises: if the Ascension Ceremony and the pre-existing framework of the upper world are not connected, how did the initial Consciousness Entities find their way here without guidance?"

They unanimously believed that understanding this problem would unravel the true mystery of the Ascension Ceremony.

It turned out he wasn’t wrong about her.

Lu Xiang was exceptionally intelligent; after thorough research, although she didn’t completely decipher the secret linking the upper world and the "lower world," she made significant research breakthroughs, "Old Lu, she found a way to reversely open the upper world to humanity, though she couldn’t help them achieve ascension, she could allow them to briefly harness the omnipresent Spiritual Energy there."

Song Lan vaguely remembered that back when he was in the upper world, Lu Xiang was a trustworthy teammate.

So reliable that even if he slacked off for days on end, she could carry on with the scientific work independently.

"Such important news, and you never mentioned it to me? Aren’t we best friends?"

"Nothingness" looked at Song Lan in surprise.

He knew nothing about the research of the two and had even missed the war that had overturned the upper world.

"Although I never told you directly, I had hinted at it countless times," he said.

"When? I don’t remember."

"In the subsequent 35th Cricket Fighting Championships, the last one Old Lu demonstrated it to you."

"No wonder, no wonder!"

Only then did "Nothingness" realize, "No wonder you two could win the championship no matter what cricket you drew!"

When the gates of the upper world opened to independent individuals, they were no longer confined to the realm of crickets.

This belated truth stirred a mix of emotions in his heart.

He felt an uncomfortable stifled feeling yet oddly enough, there was also some indescribable joy—this at least proved that Song Lan and Lu Xiang had won the Cricket Fighting Championship through cheating, and him being diligent and straightforward in the competition, managing to take second and third place, was no small feat.

"You cheeky kids, colluding to cheat together!"

"Don’t slander us, this isn’t called cheating."

"Then what would you call it?"

"It’s called mastering core technology."

"Go to hell!"

"Nothingness" quickly adjusted his mood, after all, the upper world had already become history, and he was past the age of physically fighting with Song Lan over past grudges.

"But there’s one thing I don’t understand."

After thinking, he added, "Why did she help you to such an extent, what kind of love potion did you give her?"

This left "Nothingness" utterly baffled.

On the surface, Lu Xiang was the one least affected by Song Lan in the upper world.

Including him, everyone inevitably fell under his influence, thereby losing their autonomy, except for Lu Xiang who managed to maintain her self all along. He even thought at one time that Lu Xiang and Song Lan were entirely opposite entities.

But looking at it now, perhaps Lu Xiang was affected more deeply than anyone else.

So deep that for the sake of Song Lan and their research, she targeted the entire upper world.

"Am I that kind of person? Besides, love potions don’t work on her."

Whether it was Lu Xiang of the upper world or Law Enforcers chief Lu Xiang, both had ample experience in dealing with love potions, and unless she herself was willing, no love potion would have an effect on her.

Song Lan had to stress, "At that time, we were a very serious research group."

"Then explain to me, what reason did she have to burn down the entire upper world for the sake of your research results?"

"Because of destiny."

When Song Lan uttered these four words, the two of them fell into silence, a silence that stretched for dozens of seconds.

"You’re not going to tell me that you two were fated to be lovers, so you had to band together against a common enemy? Old man, I advise you to think thrice before acting. Though I have never been in love, I am not fooled by such pretty rhetoric."

"What are you even talking about?"

Song Lan doubted if the old man was desperate for love, "I’m referring to the question I raised earlier—how did the first Consciousness Entity arrive in the upper world without anyone to guide them?"

"Nothingness" stared at Song Lan blankly.

This question was profound and vague, and although it had been raised before, no one had ever obtained a definitive answer to it.

It was like asking a churchgoer how humanity came into being.

They would tell you that a deity created mankind and bestowed the spark of civilization upon them.

But in reality, everyone knows this theory doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

"It is destiny."

This was the final conclusion the research pointed to, "Destiny guided the arrival of the first Consciousness Entity, giving them the hope to control destiny."

As the fable widely circulated in the upper world goes.

The birth of the Saint Heir would help them achieve this great endeavor.