The smile on that Interception Sect disciple's face was as standard as if it had been measured with a ruler.
He slowly put away the Notice of Consequences, which was enough to make even a Sage retreat, then picked up the household registration Jade Slip again, as though the Dragon King's fury that had nearly overturned the East Sea had merely been an insignificant accident in the Process.
He cleared his throat, his voice remaining steady and utterly without inflection.
"Very well, Your Majesty."
"Then let us continue."
"Regarding the declaration of your personal and Dragon Clan Fixed Assets, may I ask..."
"Will you voluntarily declare them, or shall our office directly access the Heavenly Dao Data Backend and conduct an On-site Asset Inventory?"
Ao Guang slumped on his throne, his eyes vacant.
His enormous dragon body seemed to have shrunk several sizes, making even the magnificent palace behind him appear empty.
Voluntary declaration?
That meant personally listing the Dragon Clan's amassed wealth of countless millennia, item by item, asset by asset, like some peddler.
Direct backend access, on-site inventory?
That would tear away the Dragon Palace's last shred of dignity and let others trample it beneath their feet.
His lips trembled, and an incoherent clicking sound came from his throat, like a fish thrown onto shore.
At last, he forced several words through clenched teeth.
"Vol... un... tary... de... claration."
"Received."
The disciple lightly tapped his jade brush against the Jade Slip and made a note before beginning the next round of questions.
"How many Innate Spiritual Treasures are registered under Your Majesty's name? What are their grades?"
"...One. Low-grade. The Sea-Calming Pearl."
Ao Guang's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"How many Houtian Spiritual Treasures are there in the Dragon Palace treasury? How many are high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade?"
"...Three thousand, six hundred and fifty-two in total. High-grade... one hundred and eight."
"Within the East Sea, how many identified Houtian Spiritual Roots are there? Of those, how many can be used for alchemy or artifact refinement?"
"..."
Question after question came, precise and cold, striking directly at the heart of the matter.
Ao Guang felt as though he was not declaring assets, but being slowly carved alive.
Every treasure he reported, every spiritual vein he revealed, was like a piece of flesh being cut from his body.
Behind him, the dragon descendants all lowered their heads, fists clenched so tightly that their nails dug into their palms, yet none dared make a sound.
The prosperity and heritage they had taken such pride in had, at this moment, become evidence for their public execution.
A full hour passed.
When the asset declaration finally ended, Ao Guang seemed to have had all his vitality drained away, as though he had aged a hundred thousand years.
But before he could even catch his breath,
the disciple had already turned to the next page of the Jade Slip.
"Very well, Your Majesty. The verification of basic asset information has been completed."
"Next, we will proceed to the registration of family members and social relations."
Ao Guang's eyelid twitched violently.
"May I ask how many wives and concubines you currently have? Of them, how many are principal wives, secondary wives, and concubines?"
"...One principal wife. Three hundred concubines."
Ao Guang's voice had already taken on a sobbing tone.
"Received."
The disciple continued recording without changing expression.
"Among your three hundred and one spouses, how many possess pure Dragon Clan bloodlines? How many have draconic bloodlines? How many have bloodlines from other Aquatic Clans?"
"Thud."
Behind Ao Guang, Third Prince Ao Bing's legs gave out, and he dropped straight to the ground, his face filled with disbelief.
A household registration check...
Could really go this far?!
Ao Guang's body began trembling violently beyond his control.
This question was no longer merely humiliating.
It was an attack on his very heart!
The continuation of the Dragon Clan bloodline was the final pride of their race—and also its deepest pain.
Yet now, it had to be recorded so nakedly, in numerical form, upon a cold, impersonal form!
"I... I don't remember!"
Ao Guang let out a desperate roar.
"It's all right, Your Majesty."
The disciple maintained his perfect smile as he drew another Jade Slip from his robes.
"This is the Primordial Bloodline Genealogy Identification Form. You need only provide a drop of essence blood, and our office can compare it through Heavenly Dao data. An accurate result can be obtained within three breaths."
"Would you require that service?"
"...N-no!"
Ao Guang practically roared it.
He shut his eyes, his face full of pain and humiliation, and recited a string of numbers that made his heart bleed.
The disciple recorded them swiftly, continuously confirming them aloud.
"Very well. Seventeen spouses of pure Dragon Clan bloodline."
"One hundred and twenty-three with draconic bloodlines."
"All the rest are from other Aquatic Clans."
"Next is the registration of your children's information."
"Your Majesty, how many dragon sons and dragon daughters do you have? Of them, how many possess a complete Dragon Clan inheritance?"
"..."
The entire Crystal Palace hall fell into an eerie silence.
Only the Interception Sect disciple's clear, calm questioning and the Dragon King's broken, pain-filled answers echoed through the empty hall.
This was no longer a census.
It was a public, procedural, bloodless... dissection.
Zhao Gongming stood at the front of the group with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
Yet his hands, hidden within his sleeves, had long since clenched into fists.
At last, he deeply understood the true terror behind Junior Brother Wuwei's Process.
It did not kill the flesh.
It destroyed the Dao heart!
It dismantled every bit of pride and dignity upon which a race, a powerful being, depended to survive!
Another hour passed.
When the final question regarding "the degree of bloodline dilution among distant Dragon Clan relatives" had been asked,
Ao Guang completely collapsed on the throne like a pile of mud.
He stared blankly at the Crystal Palace's ceiling, as if he could already see the Dragon Clan's bleak and lightless future.
At last, the disciple closed the Jade Slip in his hand.
He took out a specially made seal from the Calamity Aversion Department, engraved with the four large words "Information Verified," and stamped it down heavily.
A mysterious light flashed, and all the information on that Jade Slip was instantly locked by the power of the Heavenly Dao, never to be altered again.
"Dragon King."
The disciple respectfully bowed to Ao Guang.
"Your basic information registration has been fully completed. Thank you for your cooperation."
With that, he withdrew into the ranks.
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Ao Guang's vacant eyes.
It was over?
This nightmare... was finally over?
He struggled to rise from the throne, intending to immediately order these pests driven from the East Sea forever.
However, at that moment,
Zhao Gongming, who had remained silent all this time, slowly stepped forward.
A gentle, businesslike smile rested on his face.
"Dragon King, thank you for the effort."
Ao Guang's heart sank sharply.
"The registration of basic information is merely the first step of our census work."
Zhao Gongming leisurely pulled two more scrolls from his sleeve.
One was gold.
One was silver.
"To thank the Dragon Clan for its support of our work, and to better serve all living beings of the Three Realms."
"Our Immortal Official specifically instructed us that, after the census work concludes, every fellow cultivator who cooperates with the census is to be provided with two... value-added services."
He gently unfurled the silver scroll.
"This is the Three Realms Population Census Office Service Quality Feedback and Satisfaction Survey Questionnaire."
"You need only select one of the four options—'Very Satisfied,' 'Satisfied,' 'Average,' or 'Dissatisfied'—based on your experience this time."
"Every evaluation you provide is the driving force behind our improvements."
Ao Guang stared fixedly at the survey questionnaire, feeling sweetness rise in his throat as he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
A satisfaction survey?
Satisfied my—
Before he could finish cursing inwardly,
Zhao Gongming had already unfurled the golden scroll.
Golden light flowed across its surface, and line after line of large characters condensed from the power of Merit stabbed painfully at his dragon eyes.
"And this one..."
The smile on Zhao Gongming's face grew even gentler.
"...is the Service Fee Settlement List for this East Sea Dragon Clan Household Registration."
"The total Heavenly Dao Merit due is... one hundred thousand."
"Will you be paying by card or in cash?"
Before you continue