Chapter 17

Hao Ren had a dream.

He hoped to become a hero, wielding powers beyond the reach of ordinary people, traveling the world, fighting evil, and protecting the innocent, unafraid of any powerful forces, guarding all directions, and being revered by countless people as a great hero.

Oh, he was nine years old back then—long ago, and at that time, his concept of "all directions" was limited to the two blocks around Nanjiao Elementary School, and the most powerful force he could imagine was his homeroom teacher.

In recent years, Hao Ren's grand ambitions, like those of most people, had become very practical: striving for an above-average income each month, marrying a wife above average, having one or two children above average, and not worrying about housing since he already had a place. That was his entire life—up until now.

Now, a turning point in his life was just around the corner. Hao Ren felt he could almost see a completely different future before him. He looked at the woman in front of him, who claimed to be a god but seemed anything but, and nodded firmly: "Alright, I agree."

Raven 12345's face showed no surprise, as if she had seen this scene many times before and already knew how Hao Ren would respond. She simply nodded: "Okay, starting today, you are a probationary inspector for the Temporal Administration Bureau. Before you are officially hired, you will be treated as a temporary apprentice."

Hao Ren: "...Please don't be so specific, I'm barely mustering up the courage here!"

Raven 12345 seemed to smile, noticing that Hao Ren was still a bit nervous and confused: "Don't worry, we're not some evil force. We're here to maintain world peace. Listen, what a noble cause! In other worlds, when I need an assistant, the locals practically flood in, but on Earth, you've already embarked on a godless development path, and it's progressing quite fast, so I've stayed out of it. Now, even if I need an assistant, I have to be low-key. Don't think your job is something to be ashamed of..."

Hao Ren mumbled: "How come you don't seem like a god either? Is this what gods are like?"

"Hey, don't say that, I'm not used to it either," Raven 12345 waved her hand, her tone so casual that it made Hao Ren pause. "We changed our title a few years ago; we weren't called gods before. By the way, if you're not comfortable with the term, you can call us Hieyin Apostles. That's our race name; 'god' is just our job."

"Hieyin Apostles?" Hao Ren pondered this strange-sounding term. "It doesn't sound human... How should I address you? Your Majesty?"

Hao Ren suddenly felt a bit amused and frustrated. This woman claimed to be a god, so he probably should call her Your Majesty, but why couldn't he feel it? Talking to Raven 12345 felt almost the same as chatting with the sister at the corner convenience store. Is this what a goddess is like?

Could you at least show a halo behind your back, or at least stop picking your fingernails when you talk?

Raven 12345 seemed even less concerned about this. She played with her fingers while nodding at Hao Ren: "I'm not used to that. Just call me by my name, or 12345."

Hao Ren: "...It sounds even less like a name..."

Next, Raven 12345 began to explain the details of Hao Ren's future "job." Actually, there wasn't much to say; it was just about continuing to host those strange tenants. Since he already had a werewolf and a vampire at home, Hao Ren believed he could handle more unusual beings—provided the new ones were as easy to deal with as the current two.

"Don't worry about that," Raven 12345 patted her chest, assuring him. "We are very concerned about our employees' lives and won't put you in dangerous situations. The people we send to you have passed certain 'tests' and are guaranteed to be safe and reliable. You just need to make sure they are well-fed, well-housed, and don't interfere with the lives of ordinary people. That's your current job. Other matters will be handled by others, so you don't need to worry about them for now. As for other situations... we'll deal with them when they arise. Any other questions?"

Hao Ren hesitated but finally asked about what he was most concerned about: "So... what's the deal with Lili? You didn't arrange for her to be here, right?"

"No, I've already said that only the new tenants coming to your home in the future will be arranged by the organization. The werewolf... you can consider her fate. It's precisely because she found you and you seem to have adapted well that I chose you. Most people don't have such strong adaptability, and I need someone with a solid set of values who can handle this kind of shock as an assistant."

"All I need to do is take care of the future 'clients.' How do I determine if I've done a good job? Do I treat them like ancestors?"

"Not that extreme. As long as they don't cause trouble, the ultimate goal of all missions is to ensure the normal development of human civilization. Humans don't need to encounter things that don't align with their current development path, as these things can lead to incorrect perceptions of the universe. Humans have short lifespans, and a few generations of incorrect perceptions can potentially destroy centuries of development and have a profound impact on the future. Based on your expression, I can tell you're starting to get confused, so I'll skip the detailed explanation," Raven 12345 said, pulling out a stack of papers from the drawer. "In short, you're just a low-level employee, and a temporary one at that. You can't handle complex matters yet, and even if you knew about them, you couldn't deal with them. I'll tell you more when the time is right. Don't worry, I have no ill intentions; there's no need. Now, come over and sign the contract..."

Hao Ren felt that there were many things the other party was still hiding from him, but he had no way to deal with it. Although Raven 12345 was easy to talk to, she seemed to have principles and wouldn't say anything she shouldn't. Hao Ren himself knew that some things couldn't be rushed, and it was better to be cautious when he knew nothing.

Hao Ren vaguely felt that he had boarded a pirate ship, but he lacked the courage to jump off—definitely not strong enough to fight any of the creatures here, including that fog-like thing earlier.

Now, Hao Ren stared blankly at the contract in front of him. The text was easy to understand, but the content was bewildering. The title read: "Hieyin Empire Temporal Administration Bureau Probationary Inspector Employment Agreement." Below it, the subtitle read: "Hieyin Pantheon Alliance Agreement." Below that, the real subtitle read: "Imperial Civil Department Temporary Employee Related Documents." Further down, in tiny print, it read: "106th Revision, Re-revised, Final Version, Absolutely No Revisions, Even if Ordered by the Imperial Matriarch—Imperial Decree, All Branches Must Adhere."

Below that was the main body of the contract, written in simple and understandable language, detailing employee guidelines and attendance policies. It stated that new employees would be equivalent to regional saints, regional bishops, regional prophets, regional community leaders, regional police officers, and a host of other titles, with a note explaining that these were based on the civilization in which the new employee was located to help them accurately position themselves.

Further down were even more mind-blowing welfare policies. The highest deity of the Hieyin Pantheon clearly stipulated that new inspectors who converted to local deities (equivalent to prophets or the first enlightened individuals in certain civilizations) would enjoy employee benefits, including rice, flour, oil, and other necessities during holidays, New Year's gifts, monthly consumption card subsidies, and other benefits, which would be arranged by the local responsible deity based on the civilization's environment...

Hao Ren looked at the contract and felt tears welling up in his eyes. He vaguely felt that this document looked very familiar, extremely familiar...

"How about it? Our organization's benefits are pretty good, right?" Raven 12345 leaned in nervously. "I know you didn't ask about our benefits earlier. I've seen many people over the years, and most new employees are quite strange, as if they think working for a god should be voluntary. But our organization wouldn't do that. This contract was formulated by experienced leaders to align with the rules of the mortal world. If you have no objections, just sign it, okay?"

Hao Ren: "..."

He decided never to believe TV shows or novels again!

(First update =.= More recommendation votes, please! I feel like I have a chance to reach second place on the new book chart! Also, everyone, go to the Hieyin Empire and vote for the completed books, it's free voting anyway.)

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