Chapter 18: God Path

Everyone shook their heads.

"Enforcer and Enforcer Officer—a difference of one word, but a world of difference... This isn't a difference in rank, but a difference in power. Enforcers are just ordinary people with the power to enforce the law, while Enforcer Officers... possess a path to godhood of their own."

"It is rumored that before the Great Catastrophe, there were eighteen great paths to godhood in the world, each different. But as times changed and civilization withered, only fourteen of the eighteen great paths remain."

"These fourteen great paths are—"

"Book, Doctor, Soldier, Yellow, Azure, Craft, Chess; Theater, Puppet, Witch, Power, Divination, Thief, Prostitute;"

"It is rumored that every great path leads to a 'God Position.' If one walks them all to the end, one can transcend the mortal world and ascend to godhood..."

"And what we enforcers of the Aurora Domain hold is one of the fourteen great paths—the 'Soldier God Path'."

"According to the regulations for enforcers in Aurora City, every enforcer who has been officially appointed for three years is eligible to enter the 'Soldier Path Ancient Treasury' once. If one passes the trials in the 'Ancient Treasury,' one has the chance to be chosen by the 'Soldier God Path' and officially step onto this path to godhood."

"Once you step onto the path to godhood, Aurora City will change your status, promoting you from an enforcer to an Enforcer Officer."

After hearing Han Meng's explanation, light shone in everyone's eyes...

Walk the great path, and you can ascend to godhood!

For a group of youths who had just come of age, this was a huge attraction!

In Chen Ling's mind, the image of the red-paper monster fighting Han Meng last night automatically surfaced... Han Meng seemed to have opened some mysterious domain, and then he became exceptionally fierce. So that was the power of the "Soldier God Path"?

"Excuse me, is entering the 'Ancient Treasury' the only way to obtain a path to godhood?" Someone in the crowd asked cautiously.

"Theoretically, no."

Han Meng shook his head. "The key to stepping onto the path to godhood lies in obtaining the recognition of the 'God Path.' If you possess extremely strong talent in a certain god path, or if the god path believes you were born to walk this road, it will naturally lead you... We call such people [God-Favored]."

"I once saw a youth from the South Sea Domain who studied painting at three, self-taught, and at five, used rice porridge to draw a 'Hundred Boats Racing' on the ground, gaining the favor of the 'Azure God Path' and becoming the youngest possessor of a god path in history."

The whole room was in an uproar.

"But people who can be chosen by a god path are rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Most people who want to walk a god path can only rely on entering the 'Ancient Treasury'... Of course, not all ancient treasuries are within human territory. There are a few located at the intersection of the Gray Realm and reality, which are extremely difficult for ordinary humans to reach.

This leads to very few people being able to enter and pass the trials. The only way to step onto these god paths is to obtain 'God's Favor,' so the number of people on these paths is extremely small.

For example, the Yellow God Path, Theater God Path, Thief God Path, and Prostitute God Path."

"In short, these fourteen god paths are the only supernatural paths recognized by human territory, and in the Aurora Domain, the choice for the vast majority of people is only the 'Soldier God Path'."

"The only ones recognized by human territory?" Chen Ling asked. "So, there are paths that aren't recognized?"

Han Meng glanced at him and remained silent for a moment before answering:

"Yes... and quite a few. For example, the 'Fusion Faction' that tries to abandon human identity and actively fuse with Calamities; the cultists who worship the disaster red star, the 'Jiangtian Sect'... But you must never touch these paths.

Once someone walks these paths, there is only one outcome: being wanted by all human territories, and then...

Exterminated."

Hearing the word "exterminated," Chen Ling's heart jumped.

If he wasn't mistaken, the "audience" in his body should be a "Calamity." Did that mean he had fused with a Calamity?

Chen Ling didn't know, and didn't dare to ask. He suddenly felt that his previous decision not to seek help from the enforcers was a very correct one... If he really counted as a Fuser, the enforcers' first reaction upon knowing would likely be to kill him along with the Calamity inside him.

Looking at the solemn and stern group of enforcers not far away, Chen Ling's palms began to sweat...

[Audience Anticipation +10]

[Current Anticipation: 33%]

Two lines of text flashed in the void before Chen Ling's eyes. He couldn't help but curse the perversion of the "audience" in his heart; their happiness was entirely built on his life-and-death crisis...

However, nervousness aside, Chen Ling wasn't that afraid.

After all, even Han Meng probably wouldn't imagine that a Fuser would not only not run when seeing enforcers but instead actively approach them, trying to blend in.

"Is it possible for the Fusion Faction and the Jiangtian Sect to master a path to godhood?" Someone asked again.

"Almost impossible." Han Meng said coldly. "No god path will bestow its favor upon monsters who embrace evil..."

A flash of disappointment crossed Chen Ling's eyes...

As a transmigrator, he naturally hoped to possess power beyond the mortal world. To be honest, when they talked about the paths to godhood, he had been moved... But if he really was a Fuser, then this path was not for him.

"Next, someone will assign tasks to each of you. In three days, whether you can stay... depends on yourselves."

Han Meng said the last sentence coldly and turned to leave.

The crowd began to whisper again.

Next, several enforcers stepped forward and began to announce everyone's next tasks.

"Jiang Lipeng, Nie Yining, responsible for assisting in patrolling the Hanyun Street of District 3; Deng Feiliang, Gong Heng, responsible for assisting in patrolling the Hanxue Street of District 3..."

Everyone present was a reserve and didn't have the ability to patrol alone, so they could only go to help formal enforcers with some trivial matters. The people read out at the beginning were fine, but the further down the list, the more remote the streets they were responsible for, and in the end, there were even personnel assigned to support District 2.

"...Wu Youdong, Chen Ling, responsible for assisting in patrolling the Bingquan Street of District 2..."

Hearing his name assigned to District 2, Chen Ling was slightly stunned. He clearly remembered that Frost Street in District 3 hadn't been assigned anyone yet, and he himself was from Frost Street. Why was he specifically transferred to District 2?

Although District 3 and District 2 weren't far apart, commuting every day would take at least four hours... In this way, all his own time would be squeezed out.

"The assessment starts today. Everyone now has three hours to prepare at home," and must be on duty in three hours.

After the enforcer finished reading the list, he dismissed the crowd. Chen Ling vaguely felt something was wrong, but couldn't put his finger on it.

"Brother, are you Chen Ling?" A small, thin youth cautiously approached Chen Ling.

"You are..."

"I'm Wu Youdong, here to support District 2 with you."

"Oh, hello."

Wu Youdong looked around and lowered his voice. "Did you pay them off?"

"Pay them off?" Chen Ling was stunned.

"The enforcer who read the list just now, named Ma Zhong... He's in charge of personnel transfers. Where we go and what we do is all up to him." Wu Youdong saw Chen Ling's reaction and sighed helplessly. "Looking at you, you didn't pay either... No wonder we're the most miserable."

Hearing this, Chen Ling finally understood.

He suddenly remembered what the rickshaw puller had said on the way here... "No money, why be an enforcer?"

"It seems enforcers aren't such good things either." Chen Ling sneered in his heart.

Even a laborer pulling a rickshaw on the side of the road knew what kind of people the enforcers were, which was enough to show how serious the problems within this organization were.

"Where do you live?"

"Frost Street, 128."

"What a coincidence, I'm on Frost Street too, but at the other end."

"Brother, we're in the same boat now. When we get to District 2, let's help each other out." Wu Youdong said a few words to Chen Ling and then hurried home to pack.

Chen Ling was the last to walk out of headquarters. As soon as he stepped out, a cold voice sounded from the side of the door.

"Stop."

Chen Ling's body stiffened.

He turned his head slowly to see Han Meng leaning against the wall, a cigarette in his mouth, his eyes staring at him like a viper.

"You're Chen Ling?"