A Boat

"Lu PingAn, didn't you want to know which path suited you best? I can tell you."

Big Cat's sudden "yielding" was undoubtedly good news, but Lu PingAn could hear the unease behind it.

Before Lu PingAn could respond, Xia Qin, her face livid, sent him back home and sternly told him not to go out or open the door.

Judging by Captain Xia's anxious attitude, he probably would not be getting a share of the patrol money anytime soon.

"...What a pity. That's one source of income gone."

Lu PingAn returned to his temporary residence, locked the door, and activated his Silver Key.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice? Did that guy come looking for you?"

Looking at the blonde woman before him, Lu PingAn was unusually serious.

Her golden hair trailed down past her waist. The princess-style hairdo and spiral curls behind her head gave her the subtle air of a young heiress, while the moon-and-sun earrings dangling from both ears were a little over-the-top.

But her beauty carried it all.

Without exaggeration, purely in terms of appearance, Chris was the most beautiful woman Lu PingAn had ever seen.

Her doll-like features were exquisitely refined, her lake-colored eyes calm and elegant, and her smile carried an air of compassion and motherly love.

Her snow-white, silk-like nun's robe could not conceal her overflowing, perfect mature figure.

The emblem of the ancient cross-shaped tree on her chest was classical and steeped in history. With her hands clasped in prayer and that ever-present compassionate smile, she looked every bit like the perfect clergywoman—a living Holy Maiden.

Except her face was too young and outstanding compared to her aura, making it seem somewhat unreal.

But Lu PingAn knew that all of it was an illusion.

"Drop that fake smile. It's making me a little sick."

The woman smiled, and the compassion in it turned to mockery.

"Isn't this what you wanted to see? Isn't this what your short-lived race considers beautiful? I am merely a phantom, a concept. Everything you see now is simply the projection of I, the great Kerdales, within your mind."

Kerdales had not been born human. She had even discarded her so-called physical form long ago. Yet when humans faced the indescribable, they instinctively filled in the blanks, turning it into an image they could understand—something resembling their past notions.

Like the previous Great Cat Sacred Beast. Like the perfect beauty before him now. Like the Holy Images of countless righteous gods and evil gods.

Countless tentacles stirred beneath the nun's robe, while beneath her shadow lay twisted abominations filling the entire garden.

She smiled as endless evil and darkness spilled from beneath her feet, filling the entire world.

If not for the contract's restrictions, if not for the fact that they were now bound in a state of "live together, die together," she would have torn her "master" apart long ago.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Then if I used you to shoot porn, couldn't one person play several female roles?! Damn, how did I only think of such a profitable idea now?"

In an instant, her malicious smile froze.

Kerdales could tell that Lu PingAn was telling the truth!

Beneath that Young Man's innocent smile lay malice with no bottom line—far worse than her own!

"...No. Once I have been observed by you humans, my 'image' is fixed. This is my true human form, the incarnation most compatible with my Main Body."

The Sacred Beast had caved! She had truly caved! If he really did it, and her video series got distributed to several worlds she knew, she might as well die a dozen or twenty times.

Lu PingAn smiled. Having once more crushed her arrogance and established their master-servant hierarchy, he had no intention of continuing to humiliate Big Cat.

After all, if he had not misread the situation, they were partners now. Both had something they needed from the other.

"That case at the intersection—were they looking for you?"

"..."

Taking a deep breath, Chris closed her eyes, her expression calm.

Apparently, she had no intention of talking about that.

Lu PingAn nodded. "Silence" itself conveyed meaning. He could take it as confirmation that the trouble had been brought by Kerdales.

"Fine. If I'm discovered, will they kill me?"

"Do not underestimate my followers. Death is never the end."

Well, they were in the same boat. He would not even know how to jump ship if he wanted to.

"They'll save you?"

"Hehe."

That soft laugh was self-mocking, and it contained quite a lot.

"So, you don't want them to find you."

There was still only silence, but Lu PingAn understood everything.

Chris's utterly selfish "doctrine of evolution"—even if she was running an evil cult, it did not seem like something meant to cultivate loyal followers.

On the contrary, its openly stated principle of "survival of the fittest" seemed to encourage subordinates to overthrow their superiors.

But for Lu PingAn, that was good news.

They were now on the same side—the side that did not want to be found.

From the moment Chris noticed the crime scene and was willing to guide him, Lu PingAn had guessed that her attitude would change.

That Blood Case which had just occurred had left behind the evil cult's Holy Image. It was a means of seeking out their "god," but also a test.

"Why haven't you contacted us?" "Are you all right?" "Why has your channel of contact been closed?"

If Chris did not respond in time, then either she could not respond, or her condition was fragile enough that it would be best if she was not discovered.

"Then how do we avoid being found?"

"Before fate, hiding is meaningless."

Lu PingAn understood instantly. You can't hide, you bastard.

"So we have to strike first. They have a way of finding you?"

"My holy relics carry traces of my soul. There may be two of them locally."

Forced onto the same boat, the two of them were unusually honest for once.

It turned out Chris had left behind two holy relics, Holy Images for her followers to pray to. As long as they came close enough, they would naturally resonate with her.

And to block that resonance, physical distance was not reliable enough. The best option was to separate them with a Small World.

"Many high-end keeper training institutions are secret realms themselves, precisely to ensure safety."

Now Lu PingAn completely understood why Chris had taken the initiative to show him goodwill.

If he entered Gu University, it would be equivalent to entering a secret realm. Chris's safety would also rise dramatically. She hoped he could get in and was willing to guide him because—

"Since we'll be exposed sooner or later, the stronger I become, the safer you'll be. Helping me is helping yourself. So, can you guide me now?"

As fellow users of the Mother Goddess's powers, only Chris, who knew Lu PingAn's true nature, was capable of guiding him.

What Lu PingAn needed was not merely a side job that "wouldn't be a loss to take on," but the optimal starting point and main route after surveying the entire picture.

Only a high-level existence standing high enough could make that judgment.

Now that Lu PingAn's strength was tied to Chris's safety, he felt her opinion might be worth hearing.

"...You know nothing of the true nature of 'life,' nor do you know what your abilities signify. The way you use them is foolish and inefficient. You are practically using a brilliant sun as a matchstick. Most intolerable of all, you do not even know what you stole from me! How precious it was!"

The sourness in her words was overflowing. Whenever she thought of fate's favor toward him—of how the tower she had accumulated over centuries had been toppled by a single shove from a brat favored by fate, of how her centuries of savings had become his starting point—she could not suppress her anger.

"Enough nonsense. Tell me, which path suits me best?"

Lu PingAn had no interest in listening to a cultist explain her doctrine. He only wanted to know the answer from his tool cat.

As with every previous conversation, Chris, left speechless, exploded with rage.

Even her spiraling golden curls stood up in anger. Her former holiness and compassion vanished without a trace, and in the end, she squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth.

"Gardener."

Then she turned into a lump of black mud and disappeared without a trace.

Was that the end of their conversation? Lu PingAn smiled and returned to the real world.

He opened his materials and pulled out the reference book listing common paths.

Yes, that very book: "Runner? Watcher? Beast Tamer? Stop Fixating on Those Popular Choices! The Best One Is the One That Suits You! How to Choose the Most Suitable Starting Point from Fifty-Three Common Paths Based on Your Awakened Ability!"

"Good thing it's in here. Since it's a common path, I don't need to hesitate."

"Huh? Isn't this the weakest path—the Logistics Department path?"

Well, there's another update today.