Enforcer Manual
Chapter 1048 - 921: 1 in 150 (Part 3)_2

Song Lan finally realized the problem, "What on earth is ’wonderful Sachila’?"

"You don’t know Sachila? It’s the most common local seasoning in the Oasis."

"Show it to me."

After careful study and tasting, Song Lan made an important scientific discovery that morning—Old Void’s dishes always had a sandy taste, which actually had nothing to do with any ’rules’ or anything; it was purely because he always added some ’wonderful Sachila’ to his cooking.

As for what exactly Sachila was...

Song Lan had never seen this kind of seasoning before; he could only tell that it tasted like very finely ground sand.

This proved that Old Void’s situation was different from Old Lu’s; his poor cooking skills had a scientific basis, while Old Lu could still produce dishes that even Yeying wouldn’t eat, even when Song Lan had watched over him completing every step. That obviously touched upon the power of some unknown ’rules’.

"No need for further words, I know where the problem lies now," said "Nothingness," crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You said, the real secret to cooking is to find a woman to whom one can wholeheartedly dedicate all one’s dishes. I just haven’t met her yet."

"No, even if you meet her, if you don’t give up your ’wonderful Sachila,’ it will only escalate into a domestic dispute," Song Lan said, adopting a pragmatic attitude.

That reminded him of the first time Lu Xiang came to his rented apartment.

He was stewing ribs in the kitchen at the time, when the then naive manager hadn’t yet started reading books with misleading guidance like ’A Love Tip Every Day.’ She had tried every trick in the book just to successfully scrounge a meal standing at the door.

Compared to the current Old Lu, she was really much more innocent and clueless back then.

But if he had stewed ’wonderful Sachila’ instead of ribs, then it would have been very hard for things to develop further with his manager, and he might even have faced the consequence of being docked 2000 watts in salary for his attitude towards his work.

According to Lu Xiang, she secretly went to find Song Lan that day because she had discovered serious problems in the logistics department. These people had all been stuffed into the Law Enforcers’ team during the previous manager’s tenure, nominally as clerical staff, but in reality, they were petty thieves of salary.

This was a mess left behind by the previous manager, and she had seriously considered dissolving this idle department.

Song Lan’s stewed ribs that night changed her mind, letting her understand that even such a department might have a reason to continue existing.

Looking back, their first encounter taught the manager to "flexibly" apply the rules instead of being an uncompromising supervisor.

"Shredded potatoes!"

Customer Lu Xiang spoke up, "How dare your restaurant serve me this type of dish? You must compensate me with a serving of the hot and sour shredded potatoes made earlier, or else..."

She glanced at the time.

There were still 20 minutes until the Ceremony began, enough time for Song Lan to serve up one of his signature dishes.

She didn’t want to attend the Ceremony on an empty stomach.

"Or else what?"

"Nothingness" asked in confusion, "Or else what?"

"Or else I’ll use my authority to shut down your restaurant and then take your main chef for a serious re-education, to make him understand the consequences of treating a guest like this."

He couldn’t stay in this restaurant for another second!

"Nothingness" swept away in his robes. He needed to cool down outside now; he had to save room for the victory feast tonight and couldn’t let this ridiculous situation fill him up.

.....

"Hmm-hmm-hmm."

The conversation in the room was fully observed by a person shrouded in shadows, who revealed a grim smile.

Blending into the shadow once again, a bright red seal glowed faintly as he spoke in a lowered voice, "Everything is as You have foreseen. The separation of power seems to have damaged her memory; she has completely become another person."

The Ceremony was imminent, yet here she was, preoccupied with gastronomic desires.

How could such a person ever be worthy of the name of a Deity?

The power of the last fragment had clearly been abused as well.

The Deity had lost her Believers, and now only a young man and an old man remained by her side.

"...Yes, I understand. Just wait and enjoy this grand performance," said a man from the shadows, barely containing his excitement. After the Ceremony, they would have supreme status within the Church—as heroes who defeated a Deity, there could be no title more legendary, more resounding.

What could a young man and an old man do at this point?

............

Time ticked away, and when the high noon sun, Lieyang, hung in the sky, the conflicted survivors spontaneously gathered in the streets.

Ricochet had told them that a miracle would descend upon the land once the Ceremony was complete.

The Ceremony had the bell tower at its center and engulfed the entirety of Lute City within its range. Over the past several days, a messenger of the God of Life had personally selected people to help him complete this unprecedentedly complex Ceremony.

Carved with inscrutable symbols they had never seen before, monoliths similar in texture to giant trees were erected in every corner of the city—exactly where Oasis Peace Company’s statues had once been.

Each of the chosen had been assigned a task independently, and the whole process was highly confidential. Even those involved in setting up the Ceremony didn’t know the mission of others, to say nothing of the clueless onlookers.

"The time has come," someone said.

As if on cue, the people in the square all looked up at the bell tower.

Last time, many of them had witnessed Ricochet’s resurrection, and it was from that moment on that he became known as the messenger of the God of Life to the people.

Ricochet ascended to the bell tower alone.

His mood was complex.

The feeling of deceit was unpleasant. He had known from the start that the Ceremony could not truly dispel the plague, nor could it bring the dead back to life, but it was the most effective method to root out the members of the secret cult.

He must appease the disappointed people after identifying all the cult members.

But the struggle against "Corruption" and the plague was bound to be a protracted war. The Brotherhood and Oasis Peace Company had already infiltrated every corner of Oasis, and eradicating them would not be an overnight task.

The moment to initiate the Ceremony had arrived.

Suddenly, dark clouds obscured the sun, seemingly setting the stage for the miracle to come.

Even the cult members hidden amongst the crowd couldn’t help but look forward to what was about to happen because, according to what Ricochet had revealed, even for a Deity, resurrecting the dead was a forbidden Ceremony. This Ceremony would place a tremendous burden on the God of Life, and if anything went wrong with the setup, it would backfire on the person who performed it.

Every area that needed to be set up was imbued with religious significance.

Though they couldn’t understand those cryptic and incomprehensible symbols, they were undoubtedly texts from ancient times.

In Oasis, the faith in the God of Life mainly took root after the Third War, but many archaeologists argue that Her existence predates that by far, so ancient that the historical documents they currently possess are insufficient to measure the years of Her existence.

The cult members knew well that no miracle would grace this land, but everyone present would still witness a divine occurrence.

It would be the moment the God of Life fell.

The clouds overhead grew denser, and the heavy layers of darkness ushered Lute City into an early night.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the city finally underwent a change.

The tremors from beneath their feet caused unrest among the crowd, and before they could scatter, vines that burst from the earth swiftly ensnared their targets.

The cult members waiting for the spectacle had no time to react before their movements were restrained.

"I am very sorry, everyone," Ricochet’s voice rang out clear from atop the bell tower, reaching every survivor’s ears. "The true purpose of this Ceremony is not to dispel the plague or resurrect the dead but to root out all the cult members who have infiltrated our ranks—I am certain that these individuals are the spies hidden among us."