Contract

Hao Ren had a dream.

He wanted to be a hero, wielding power beyond the reach of ordinary men, traveling the world to punish the wicked and aid the good. He wanted to fear no powerful foe, guard the four corners of the land, be thanked and praised by countless people, and stand as a great hero in the world.

Oh, he was nine years old that year—a long, long time ago. And back then, the "four corners" in his mind were limited to the two blocks around South Suburbs Elementary School, with his homeroom teacher being the highest authority he could imagine.

In the past two years, Hao Ren's ambitions had become much more realistic, like most people's: strive for an income above the average each month, marry a wife above the average, have one or two children above the average. He already had a house, so that worry was gone. That was his entire life—up to this point.

Now, life's turning point was within reach. Hao Ren felt he could almost see a completely different future laid out before him. He looked at the woman before him, who claimed to be a god but didn't look quite right in any way, and nodded firmly, "Okay, I promise."

Raven 12345 showed no surprise on her face, as if she had seen this scene many times and already knew how Hao Ren would answer. She simply nodded, "Mm, then starting today, you are a probationary junior reviewer for the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Before you're officially hired, you'll be treated as an extra-staff temporary worker at the apprentice level..."

Hao Ren: "...Please don't go into such detail. I finally mustered up the courage, okay!"

Raven 12345 seemed to smile. She could tell Hao Ren was still a bit nervous and confused. "Don't worry, we're not some evil force. We maintain world peace. Doesn't that sound like a noble cause? If I were looking for an assistant in other worlds, people would flock to me in droves. It's just that here on Earth, you've already entered a phase of atheistic development, and it's progressing quite rapidly, so I haven't interfered. Even now, when I need an assistant, I have to act discreetly. Don't think your job is something to be ashamed of just because of that..."

Hao Ren mumbled, "I don't think you sound like a god at all. Is this what gods are like?"

"Hey, don't just talk about yourself, I'm not used to it either," Raven 12345 waved her hand, her tone so casual it startled Hao Ren. "We also updated our residency permits a few years ago. We weren't called gods before. By the way, if you're not comfortable with that term, you can call us Xiling Apostles; that's our racial name. 'God' is just our job."

"Xiling Apostles?" Hao Ren chewed on the strange-sounding term. "That doesn't sound human either... So, what should I call you normally? Your Highness Goddess?"

Hao Ren suddenly felt a bit like crying and laughing. This woman claimed to be one of the gods, so he probably really should call her Your Highness Goddess. But why couldn't he feel any reverence at all? Hao Ren felt that the atmosphere when chatting with Raven 12345 was almost the same as chatting with the older sister at the convenience store on the corner. This was Your Highness Goddess?

You don't need to have a halo behind you, but at least could you stop fiddling with your fingers when you talk?

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

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

Next, Raven 12345 began to explain the details of Hao Ren's future "job." In reality, there wasn't much to say; it was just about continuing to receive those strange tenants. Since his home already had a werewolf and a vampire, Hao Ren believed he could handle more abnormal creatures—as long as the new arrivals were as easy to get along with as the current two.

"You can rest assured about that," Raven 12345 patted her chest and guaranteed, "We care a lot about our employees' lives and won't send you into dangerous environments. Those we send to you have all passed some kind of 'test,' guaranteeing their safety and reliability. All you need to do is ensure they eat well, live well, and don't disrupt the lives of normal people. That's your current job; others are responsible for other matters, and you don't need to worry about them for now. As for other situations... we'll talk about them when you encounter them. Do you have any other questions?"

Hao Ren hesitated before asking the question that concerned him the most, "Um... what's the deal with Lily? She's really not someone you arranged, is she?"

"No, I told you, only the new tenants who will come to your home in the future are arranged by the organization. That werewolf... you can consider it fate. It was precisely because she found you, and you seemed to adapt well to it, that I chose you. Most people don't have such strong acceptance abilities, and I happen to need an assistant with a firm worldview who can withstand such shocks."

"I just need to arrange the lives of those future 'clients' well. So, what exactly does 'arrange well' mean? Should I treat them like royalty?"

"Not to that extent. As long as they don't cause trouble, that's fine. The ultimate goal of all tasks is to allow human civilization to develop normally. Humans don't need to come into contact with things that are inconsistent with their current development direction, because these things will cause them to have a mistaken understanding of their own universal laws. Human lifespans are short, and such a short lifespan can lead to a mistaken understanding in one or two generations that could ruin hundreds of years of their development achievements and have equally profound future impacts—Judging by your expression, I can tell you're already confused, so I'll skip the explanation." As Raven 12345 spoke, she pulled out a stack of papers from a desk drawer. "In short, you are currently just a grassroots employee, and a temporary one at that. You can't know anything too complex, and even if you did, you couldn't handle it. I will tell you more when the time is right. Please rest assured, I have no ill intentions, as there's no need for them. Now, come over and sign the contract..."

Hao Ren felt that the other party was hiding many things from him, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Although Raven 12345 was easy to talk to, she seemed to have principles and absolutely wouldn't say what she shouldn't. Hao Ren also knew that some things couldn't be rushed, and it was better to be cautious when he didn't understand anything.

Hao Ren vaguely felt like he had boarded a pirate ship, but he didn't have the courage to jump off—he was sure he couldn't defeat any creature in this place, including that misty thing from earlier.

Now, Hao Ren stared blankly at the contract before him. The text on the contract was easy to understand, but the content was bewildering. The title in large print was "Xiling Empire Time-Space Administration Bureau Probationary Reviewer Employment Agreement," with the subtitle "Xiling Pantheon Affiliation Agreement." Below that was the real subtitle, "Temporary Staff Documents for the Imperial Civil Affairs Department." Further down, in tiny script, was a line that could no longer be considered a title: "106th Revision, Re-edition, Further Edition, Final Edition, Absolutely Unchangeable Edition, Not to be Modified Even by Imperial Matriarch's Order—Imperial Head's Decree, All Offices Comply."

Below that was the main body of the contract, which clearly and concisely stated some employee notices and attendance regulations. It stated that upon joining, new employees would be equivalent to regional Holy Sons/regional Bishop candidates/regional Prophets/regional Street Cadres/regional Beat Cops, and a long list of other titles. The remarks explained that this was based on the civilization form of the employee's location, noted to help new employees accurately position themselves.

Further on were even more mind-boggling welfare provisions. The highest Sovereign of the Xiling Pantheon clearly stipulated that newly appointed reviewers who converted to a local Sovereign (equivalent to Prophets in some civilization systems, the first awakened summoners in their race) would enjoy employee benefits, including staples like rice, flour, oil during festivals, New Year's goods, monthly consumption subsidies, and local responsible gods would arrange these benefits according to the employee's civilization environment.

Hao Ren looked at the contract and felt tears streaming down his face. He vaguely felt that this thing looked very familiar, extremely familiar...

"How is it? Our company's benefits are pretty good, right?" Raven 12345 leaned in conspiratorially. "I know you were too shy to ask about our company's treatment. I've met so many people over the years, and most newcomers are strange, as if they always think working for gods means doing volunteer work. But our company definitely doesn't do that. This contract was drafted by a few experienced leaders above. They said it's more in line with the rules of the mortal world. If you have no objections, just sign it, okay?"

Hao Ren: "..."

He decided he would never believe television or novels again for the rest of his life!