Chapter 534: Contract
"The watch on your hand, take it off and give it to me."
"Yes, Young Miss." Without a trace of hesitation, nor raising any questions, the maid behind her knelt, offering her watch with both hands, before slowly retreating to her original position.
Through their long years of service, they had more or less figured out their mistress's temperament. As long as they obeyed all her commands like automatons, without question, Fa Lei Er would generously reward them whenever she was in a good mood.
"As expected, he reset all the date and time records on the entire planet.
But what was the point of going to all this trouble?"
Before her reincarnation, she naturally possessed such an ability, but she wouldn't have been so idle as to cause herself unnecessary trouble.
Information restructuring could only alter data on inanimate carriers; it couldn't modify anyone's memories. Therefore, something like changing the calendar seemed utterly meaningless.
"The demarcation line for the year zero in this world is based on the birth of a Luminous Holy Church saint. Could it be that he intends to liken himself to a saint? But what's the point of such a trivial matter? The so-called saints born in the mundane world are all cannon fodder, easily taken down with a single punch."
A string of questions formed in Fa Lei Er's mind. Unfortunately, while she now possessed the experience and insight of a seven-stage entity, her physical strength was only at the 2-7 tier. If she were to truly seek answers at the heart of the storm, she would likely be instantly annihilated, unable to even withstand the aftershocks.
To completely break free from the constraints of that individual from the Tianxuan Continent, she had relinquished everything she once possessed.
The power of a seven-stage entity, the immortality of an information lifeform—all were painfully cast aside.
She no longer wished for any connection to those cultivation methods that had "fattened her up" only to ultimately transform her into food.
Now, Fa Lei Er had completely transformed into a pure Moon native through reincarnation, subject to birth, aging, illness, and death. Her sole remaining link to her past was a terribly long memory.
As an ascetic, she didn't even care about her appearance or gender, as such concerns had long been eroded during her thousands of years as an information lifeform.
"Never mind," Fa Lei Er finally decided to stop thinking. She understood that curiosity unsupported by power could easily lead to one's demise.
The physical structure of Earth humans was completely different from that of humans in her original world, rendering many cultivation experiences non-transferable. She could only grope her way forward, learning the new world's system bit by bit.
...
Fa Lei Er was naturally not the only one with such questions. The various council members directly facing Bai Mo at the scene had even more thoughts, with many recalling the information catastrophe more than a decade ago that had nearly destroyed the global financial system.
Many details of that disaster remained an unsolved mystery to this day.
"I wish to establish a contract with you."
As everyone fell silent, Gang Duo, the Pope of the Luminous Holy Church, who was seated directly opposite Bai Mo, suddenly propped himself up with his staff and walked to the front of their group.
The Luminous Holy Church was also the most significantly affected by the calendar reform, as the very concept of the Common Era originated from their history.
"A contract?" Bai Mo looked at the old man with a hint of confusion.
He was somewhat curious what scheme this old man, known for his kindness and piety, was brewing.
After all, from all the information Bai Mo possessed, Gang Duo could undeniably be called a good person.
Of course, he was even more curious about how Gang Duo intended to guarantee his compliance with the contract.
"People lack faith because a breach of faith incurs no penalty."
His very first sentence left many bewildered.
"You wish for my assistance to become the God of Justice and Contracts?" With the aid of his Heavenly Net, Gang Duo hadn't deliberately concealed information. Bai Mo perceived his preparations and easily got on the same wavelength with him.
"It is my Lord."
"Indeed, without personality or emotion, absolute impartiality can be achieved."
Upon hearing this, Gang Duo cast a deep gaze at Bai Mo, as if discerning something profound.
The existence of the non-personified god within the Luminous Holy Church's divine kingdom was no secret to the high-ranking officials present. Each of them was, according to their faction's strengths, creating trump cards capable of rivaling the power of a seven-stage entity.
...
"We know that you have uncovered an unprecedented multi-dimensional layer, and within it, a layer representing the abyss, where several passages have appeared, connecting to the divine kingdom and ceaselessly eroding the Lord's radiance," the old man said unhurriedly.
At the time, Bai Mo, in order to curb the continued expansion of the Luminous Holy Church's non-personified god, had actively connected their divine kingdom with the abyss layer of the Nine Netherworlds, causing them to consume each other.
As a result, the Luminous Holy Church's impersonal divine power had struggled to grow over the years, preventing Gang Duo from completing his plans alone.
After nearly twenty years of investigation and evidence gathering, the Presiding Council had largely unified its opinion: the fundamental reason behind Bai Mo's rapid rise was his accidental discovery of an unimaginably vast new world.
He had found a way to traverse between Earth and this new world, and by monopolizing the unimaginable profits from interplanar trade, he had gained the opportunity for his power to grow exponentially.
The "ancient texts" unearthed initially, the Red World Scourges that plagued Earth, the "gates" appearing in the sky—all originated from the otherworld he had discovered.
All available evidence pointed to this possibility, and the investigation team could only secretly marvel at his luck, that he could actually encounter such a heaven-sent serendipity.
Everyone regarded the Nine Netherworlds as another multi-dimensional layer discovered by Bai Mo, external to Earth.
And the stone tablet Bai Mo had sent out this time was an even more typical example of him having too much from his planar trade—he could casually give away seven-stage inheritances; only someone with so many opportunities they no longer cared could do such a thing.
...
"If you can seal all the passages, the Luminous Holy Church is willing to fully support this calendar reform," Gang Duo declared, propping himself with his staff, his voice firm and resonant.
Changing the Common Era calendar fundamentally required a shift in mindset across several generations. Simply modifying the data on all carriers could easily be reversed; it was people's hearts and habits that were the hardest to alter.
Bai Mo, who was unwilling to appear in public anymore, would likely find it difficult to accomplish this.
Even if he truly intended to brainwash the entire Moon, the Human Federation's preparations over the past decade were by no means insignificant. Even if they ultimately proved no match for him, they could still buy enough time to pilot the Moon God fortress and escape Earth.
"Three hundred years. At most, my power can only prevent the invasion for three hundred years. The abyss world also has seven-stage entities," Bai Mo said. He had no intention of dispelling their misunderstandings and illusions; instead, he decided to play along with their narrative.
Giving them a fabricated story of their own imagining as the reason for everything seemed much more amusing.
PS: Lately, when revisiting the Land of White's setting in the novel, I inexplicably keep thinking of *Cells at Work!*... The sense of déjà vu is strong.
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