Lord of Scales and Feathers' Foresight

"... The Lord of Scales and Feathers?"

Pure White was clearly surprised by this answer.

She hadn't thought of that name at all.

In her view, it was normal for Iver to choose the Silver Crowned Dragon, after all, he was the future Prince of Avalon; it was also normal for him to choose the Candlekeeper, after all, he was a chosen one of the Dedication Path whose speed in mastering divine magic was nothing short of miraculous; even choosing the Twin Mirrors was normal, after all, as Saintess, she could see the blessing given to Iver by the Twin Mirrors branded on his body.

But the Lord of Scales and Feathers —she had absolutely no idea where His connection to Iver could be.

However, since Iver has already made up his mind, she will not presume to try to change Iver suggestions.

Although the biggest hurdle to Advanced Divine Arts is mastering the skill itself, drilling holes in the soul and leaving space for one's will to hide is also a craft.

The former is like acquiring a high-quality piece of Jade Stone, while the latter is like cutting that Jade Stone and carving it into different ornaments. The former is something you can do or not, while the latter depends on your skill level—and even the most skilled masters have their limits when it comes to Jade Stone of different materials and sizes.

Take Pure White herself as an example... If she had signed a contract with any other Celestial or Apostle along the way, then given her aptitude, it would have been impossible for her to achieve the connection with the Nine Pillar Gods. Some Cardinal also exhausted their potential after completing two or three or four contracts, so every choice is important, and it's not just a matter of different orders.

This is something only I can decide—and only I can take responsibility for it.

So Pure White simply reiterated the risks of Advanced Divine Arts to Iver. After Iver confirmed this again, Iver began to teach him the ceremony of signing a contract with the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

After explaining the general process, Pure White simply took Iver to the Ninth Layer.

She led Iver to another Cardinal Bishop in a room deep within the Ninth Ring—

When they found him, he was sitting cross-legged inside a complex Ritual Array.

Iver had never seen such a complex Ritual Array before—the shimmering Ritual Array, like a starry sky, covered the entire twenty-square-meter room. The floor, walls, ceiling... apart from the parts that looked like they were painted on, there were also metal and Jade Stone embedded in the walls.

The Ritual Array hummed and surged, and the visible Path Power transformed into rainbow-colored fragments of light, overflowing the space.

When Iver saw the other person, he was startled.

Because the other party simply didn't seem like a living person—

It was an old elf.

Even on his aged and withered face, one could still clearly see the handsome features he had in his youth. His amber eyes were bright and piercing, as if a flame was burning within them.

He had two long strands of hair hanging down from his sideburns, and a long goatee on his chin. He sat cross-legged in the center of the Ritual Array, his hands clasped together in front of him, hanging naturally as if he were meditating.

If it weren't for his silver Cardinal Bishop robes, Iver would have thought he resembled an old Daoist priest.

But contrary to this feeling of bright eyes and vitality.

The old elf stretched out his two intertwined hands; one was completely withered and blackened, clearly woody; while the other had transformed into a beautiful gemstone that gradually changed from deep red to amber.

—Fallen wood and solidified amber.

The two incurable diseases of elves have appeared in one person at the same time.

"This is Cyril Cardinal."

Pure White introduced Iver to him, "The Cardinal Bishop who governs the Ninth Ring."

"Actually, generally speaking... if you wait for all the other bishops to arrive before learning Advanced Divine Arts, you should come to the Ninth Ring to receive instruction from Cyril Cardinal."

"I know."

Iver nodded. "Cardinal Matilda told me that although our lodging is in the Fifth Ring, our study area is in the Ninth Ring."

"You know that's good, Iver."

Pure White nodded with satisfaction. "Cyril Cardinal is one of the very few elves who has mastered ritual magic. It would be safer for him to preside over your first ritual."

Upon hearing the name "Iver," the old man, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke slowly, "It's been a long time. Or should I say, nice to meet you for the first time?"

Iver was taken aback by what he heard.

These words inexplicably reminded Iver of the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

The other person said this when they saw me in my dream. Almost word for word.

... Could he be the incarnation of the Lord of Scales and Feathers?

Seeing Iver freeze in surprise, the old man's lips curled into a slight, pleased smile.

He laughed heartily and said, "Or rather, I've long admired your name... Mr. [Fox]."

"—I am Huoyin. We've met before... I knew then that you were a genius and would definitely come to the Theocracy. But I didn't expect you to master Advanced Divine Arts so quickly. You've only been in the Theocracy for two or three months at most."

"... Mr. Living Silver!"

Upon hearing the name, Iver immediately remembered it, and his anxious heart calmed down.

He bowed politely. "Long time no see, Mr. Living Silver."

This was the person I met from Chunbai when I first saw her in my dream.

Jacaranda should be Cardinal Matilda, while Living Silver is Cyril Cardinal. That is, Topaz has not yet been seen in reality.

However... even the last sentence was exactly the same as what the Lord of Scales and Feathers had said when he greeted him.

... Is it a prophecy? Iver thought back to what he had seen and heard after the Promotion Ritual.

Although the memories from his dream have become much more blurred now, and he can't even clearly remember what the Lord of Scales and Feathers looks like... those words, and the feeling of shaking hands, are still very clearly etched in Iver's mind.

He chose the Lord of Scales and Feathers not just because the other party was the "God of Light-Speed Final Payments and the God of Generous Spending."

One major reason for this was that Iver felt respected and valued by the other party.

This is also why Iver subconsciously referred to the Lord of Scales and Feathers as "boss"... He had a sense of déjà vu when he, as a worker, met his boss.

Although strictly speaking, this relationship cannot be considered equal from a social perspective... but from a higher perspective, it is at least like two human beings having a conversation.

Whether it was the Candle Master, the Silver Crowned Dragon, or the Twin Mirrors, they all treated Iver with friendliness. But the feeling was one of superiority, undoubtedly a difference in status between humans and gods—it was compassion, curiosity, and pity. Of course, since they were indeed immortal gods, Iver never sensed anything amiss.

However, the Lord of Scales and Feathers is an anomaly.

Perhaps it was due to "adaptation" that made Him exceptionally adept at speaking to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language... but at least He was willing to adapt to "humanity" for Iver! When talking to the Lord of Scales and Feathers, Iver felt as if he were chatting with a person... just like when he met Heaven Rakshasa and Candle Heaven Holder, the conversation was much more relaxed. There was no element of riddles, the conversation was clear and efficient.

And the last sentence.

"I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future."

cooperate.

Iver liked the word.

In his Previous Life, he resigned because he disliked his boss's arrogant attitude. That guy treated Iver like a tool, arbitrarily getting rid of unwanted people, and then making Iver find talent when needed. In the end, he was the one bragging, but he was the one taking the blame... ultimately, he was caught in the middle.

It was less of a tool and more of a dog. You'd give it a bone to train it occasionally, let it out to bite when it was ready, and take it for a walk when you were in a good mood... Although the pay was good, and it was clear that Iver could reach a high-level position before he was thirty-five, he still gave up that job.

He later applied for a screenwriter position at Nameless God Studio because he had a very pleasant conversation with the famous game producer, who was also the owner of Nameless God Studio. Through his roommate's introduction, the owner looked at his resume, added him on the phone, and had a long chat with Iver for an afternoon.

Although he ultimately persuaded Iver to come work for him as an HR, based on issues of salary and work experience, he did not agree.

But the feeling was completely different from the previous boss—even if it was just an act, Iver genuinely felt sincerity and respect. Even though he would never ultimately join the writing department, when he offered suggestions on the game's plot and mechanics to the boss, the other party gave very serious feedback, and they talked for a full eight hours... and were extremely earnest and enthusiastic, while also being very tactful.

It's an incredibly strong, infectious optimism and cheerfulness. It's as if simply chatting with the other person can dispel any feelings of depression; as if you can become friends with anyone, and be a powerful force for cohesion and an absolute leader in any environment.

At the time, Iver even had the illusion that "I might be able to become friends with my boss"—of course, he knew it was an illusion. After all, he had never even met the man.

This may be what we call personal charisma, or leadership.

That boss treated Iver with the utmost respect, much like the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

... It was precisely because they were having such a pleasant conversation that Iver was hit by a dump truck while crossing the street because he was looking down at the news and ended up in this world.

Even if it's just acting skills from "Path of Adaptation," at least the other party is willing to perform seriously, so Iver is willing to choose them.

Perhaps the Lord of Scales and Feathers understood Iver's true nature, which is why he said those incoherent things at that time.

The first three sentences were the greetings given by the other party when they met.

"—During a job interview, if both parties reach an agreement... what should you say? Congratulations?"

"—Congratulations then. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future."

The following two sentences are about Iver eventually learning "Advanced Divine Arts" and choosing Him as the first one.

Only rituals performed in Advanced Divine Arts can be considered a "job application".

The attitude of the Lord of Scales and Feathers was also very clear—He had already agreed in advance.

When He said "May our cooperation be pleasant in the future," He was referring to Iver's use of Advanced Divine Arts to establish a pact with Him.

—All of this happened within the foresight of the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

He openly presented his prophecy to Iver.

He laughed and flaunted his power in a way that wouldn't hurt Iver's pride or make him feel threatened.

From the past, we answer the questions from the future.