Interview

"Your room is such a mess! Don't you want to hire a servant to help you tidy up? Or how about I give you this? This body is brand new, freshly made. You like this pure and innocent look, don't you? Is it because of its fragrance?"

Ha, I thought older men were the ones with a thing for sex. A kid your age like you should prefer older women who are still attractive, curvy, and mature in every way, right? You're quite precocious, acting all old-fashioned..."

As soon as the 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' entered the cave, it started chattering incomprehensible strange words.

Zheng Zetian ignored her and, in front of her, moved the empty medicine chests and the Grand Master's candles into the inner room, clearing out the living room. He then placed two futons for her to sit on, set out the tea set, brewed her a pot of tea, added some candied fruit, and finally took out the jade box containing the Heavenly Book and placed it on the tea table.

"Guests are welcome, please."

The 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' watched the boy prepare with a smile, then adjusted her own clothes and knelt down on the prayer mat.

Thank you for your hospitality.

Zheng Zetian asked,

May I ask your name?

The 'clone of the Yuzan's smiled and sipped her tea, 'I am the Yuzan, don't you recognize me?'

Zheng Zetian nodded and patted the jade box.

"Alright, then let's just say it's Yuzan. Are you really going to buy my book? Aren't you afraid of ending up like that one at the auction?"

The 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' smiled and took out a Storage Jade pendant, pushing it towards them.

"Thank you for your concern. We are aware of the value of this book, so we made preparations as soon as possible and came immediately."

"I came in a hurry this time, but I gathered all the available funds nearby. This Storage Jade contains jewelry and valuables worth thirty million taels, including ten million taels of paper money. It has money from various merchants in Ink Bamboo Mountain, all in 100-tael and 50-tael notes. Senior Brother can check it on the spot."

Zheng Zetian looked at the Storage Jade pendant, a common jade token of a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, with a red tassel at the bottom and a gold-inlaid jade pendant at the top, an ordinary-looking waist ornament. However, the system silently marked the words 'disguised communicator' next to the jade pendant.

Zheng Zetian looked up at the other person and shook his head.

"The clone of the Yuzan" laughed.

"Senior brother, according to the rules, I should negotiate the price with you, but I admire your talent. You are a mere Foundation Establishment who can produce a Heavenly Book and survive flying swords. You are naturally worth investing in."

So this time I've come with great sincerity, I've given you all the capital, so don't put me in a difficult position, senior brother. If you ask for an exorbitant amount again, I won't have anything else to offer, ah, I'll just have to give this to you."

Zheng Zetian ignored her flirtatious glances and continued to shake his head.

"Money is just an external thing. It's true that you can't get by without money, but it's not worth risking your life for it. In my opinion, you are still too weak. The person in charge of the auction house can be killed at will, and there is no guarantee of safety when doing business with you."

Besides, it's just a book, yet they act like they've found some rare treasure, eagerly taking out all the cash they have to exchange it, looking like they've never seen anything like it before. They probably don't have any powerful forces Three Great Sects backing them up.

With your weak strength, how can you possibly handle such a karmic debt? If that sword immortal comes knocking on your door and slaughters your entire family, that's one thing, but wouldn't I also be implicated and implicated? What about thirty million taels or fifty million taels? Can I handle it? I'm afraid it will be snatched away before I even have a chance to hold onto it."

The 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' stopped smiling and asked with some curiosity,

"One set after another... what are you going to do about it?"

Zheng Zetian patted the jade box, "You killed that sword immortal, proving your strength, and then I will trade with you."

The 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You've got a clever plan, using us as pawns to settle your karmic debts while you reap the benefits?"

"Isn't this also your karma? Your people are all dead, aren't they? Aren't you going to take revenge? How can you still have the face to live in the martial world?"

The 'clone of the Yuzan hairpin' nodded.

"That makes sense. So, all we need to do is kill that sword immortal and get his head, right?"

Zheng Zetian laughed, "Who wants his head? Besides, if the karmic consequences of this book aren't resolved, the repercussions will be endless, and it won't just involve one sword immortal. You're so indecisive; you probably don't have much strength. I think I'd better not make a deal with you."

The 'clone of the Yuzan's narrowed its eyes and remained silent.

Zheng Zetian and she were locked in a tense standoff for a moment, then Zheng Zetian suddenly shrugged.

"Of course, the book is ultimately in my hands. Whether it's that sword immortal or someone else, anyone who has committed murder against me will have to be eliminated sooner or later. It's naturally good to have someone join forces with me."

"You said you wanted to invest in me and befriend me, but you've been hiding your true intentions all this time, refusing to even show your real identity. You keep using these deceptive tricks to probe my background, which really makes it hard to feel any sincerity in our cooperation."

The clone of the Yuzan lowered its eyes.

"Oh, I see. Then how can we show our sincerity in cooperating with you, Senior Brother?"

"Let's try it again."

Zheng Zetian took a sip of tea, then looked up at her.

May I ask your name?

The 'clone of the Yuzan's was silent for a moment, then laughed—a laugh that involved the skin on its face twitching up to reveal a mouthful of fangs.

"You man, you're really annoying! Why are you so eager to know who you're dealing with? Fine! I am the Celestial Devil! Celestial Devil, do you understand? Are you scared?! Aaaaaah!"

Zheng Zetian stared at the "Jade Yuzan Clones" in front of him, whose skin had suddenly burst open, whose heads had visibly swelled to three times their normal size, as if they were about to devour him whole, and whose heads were marked "Stage Two" by the system. He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

"Oh. Heavenly Demons, huh? They've been quite common lately. So, you're a force from beyond the heavens? And you intend to attack Ink Bamboo Mountain?"

Seeing that he still maintained that calm, conversational expression, the 'second-stage' girl's head deflated like a punctured balloon, reverting to her 'Yuzan' form, and she changed into a pitiful, tearful expression once again.

"Waaah, this little brat should just eat it, why bother arguing with him... Alright, alright, I'll do it."

What's so strange?

Before Zheng Zetian could even ask, the 'Yuzan' opposite him reached out and pulled out a tooth, pried open the bloody tooth root, took out a small, mercury-like steel ball, frowned as if taking poison, and swallowed the steel ball.

What's going on here? Can the system label this?

'System has been shut down'

Power off??

The next instant, the 'Yuzan' opposite him suddenly went berserk! "Hahaha! You little brat! Hahaha!" she screamed, her ten fingers as long as chopsticks, and she stabbed wildly at his face, turning his beautiful face into a hornet's nest, riddled with deep holes. In an instant, his skin was torn open, blood gushed out like a fountain, and both his eyes were pierced and fell out of their sockets, rolling into the teacup.

Zheng Zetian raised his eyebrows and covered his face with his sleeve to avoid being splattered with blood.

A short while later, the clone inexplicably stabbed himself in the chest, leaving it a bloody mess, and collapsed motionless onto the coffee table in front of him.

However, Zheng Zetian didn't have to wait long. The blood on the table quickly flowed back up, and the girl opposite him raised her head again, rubbed her face, revealing a flat, pale face, devoid of features.

"Nice to meet you. I am a synthetic self-evolvable von-Neumann-structure quantum computer. You can call me by my system name MELCHIOR, or use my AI persona codename MAIDEN."

Is this communication through Divine Sense? Thinking about it this way, the Flesh Scorpion also uses a similar method to speak inside its head. Is this 'communication'...?

Zheng Zetian thought for a moment, "Could you... speak in my local dialect?"

The faceless girl then repeated,

"I am an artificially synthesized von Neumann architecture self-evolving quantum computer, an artificial intelligence-assisted system. You can call me the 'Wise System,' or my AI codename 'Girl.'"

Zheng Zetian was genuinely stunned this time; he wasn't faking it.

"A young girl? Wise System? What is a system?"

The 'girl' was expressionless.

"The system is an intelligent auxiliary tool designed for humans, providing technical support or emotional companionship. To make it easier to understand, you can think of me as Mechanical Puppet made by Celestial Devil, although I am a bit more advanced than those from Ink Bamboo Mountain."

Zheng Zetian frowned and pondered.

"Puppet... System... Sewing Clothes... Wait a minute, you're a 'young girl,' so what about that guy who called himself Yuzan? He was all bloody, trying to scare me?"

The 'girl' didn't hide it either.

"She's just a clone temporary worker. There's serious interference here; the Moshan Giant's 'eyes' are everywhere, lurking in the shadows. I need to use her near-death hosting mechanism to go online, bypassing the surveillance, and conduct the remote interview with you."

"Oh, I see..."

Zheng Zetian, like a curious child, leaned closer, pressing his face against the girl's blank, white face, bombarding her with questions, his pupils gleaming.

"What is a clone? Why does she look so much like Yuzan? Even her scent is exactly the same. How did you manage to do that? And why did you deliberately make her face look like that? Was it to impersonate Yuzan? Are you trying to infiltrate Xieluo Mountain? And what exactly is a system? What you just used wasn't magic, was it? It wasn't Tai Su, and it clearly wasn't the Dao of Tai Chi. How did you do that?"

The 'girl' ignored him and flung out a large array of icons from her speech.

"My structure and principles are not the focus of this meeting. If you are so interested in us, why not join the company yourself? All your questions will be answered. After all, it was you who made the request for 'sincere cooperation,' wasn't it?"

Given that your resume is on the company's review list and has passed the first round of screening, triggering the application process, I determine that you are qualified for a direct interview. If you are truly interested in learning about our company and wish to join us, please allow me to give you some basic information about our company."

Zheng Zetian had no choice but to suppress his curiosity, sit back down, and nod, indicating that the other party should continue.

Then the 'girl' stretched out her finger and wrote a strange incantation in the air, which looked like some kind of runes from Western Regions alien Human Race.

"This is our company's registered name, 'MELCHIOR,' which in the civilization of the Beyond Heavens refers to 'wise man,' 'sage,' or 'doctor.'"

In the world of "Beyond Heavens", the 'MELCHIOR' Group was once one of the world's top ten military defense contractors. Its main business covers various fields such as defense, military industry, medical, aerospace, intelligence, information technology, and data security.

However, after the civil war in the Beyond Heavens, our company was split up and reorganized into 'Wise Company'. Although our ranking has slipped, we are still among the top 500 companies in the multiverse and currently hold a leading position in the biotechnology industry..."

As the 'girl' spoke, she projected thousands of Earths onto the screen.

"These are the Beyond Heavens World branches owned by our company."

Then she pulled the map to a corner and pointed to a nearly invisible dust trail.

"This is your world 49327".

Zheng Zetian stared at the ravaged star map, momentarily dazed.

"How come it's so small..."

However, the 'girl' didn't explain much. She simply flicked her finger and brought up a holographic map of Earth for him to play with. After finishing the 'company introduction' section, she started talking about the 'organizational structure'.

"Please allow me to give a brief explanation of the company. A company is an economic organization that is established with investment from a legally required number of investors (or shareholders), operates independently, assumes its own profits and losses, and has legal person status, in accordance with the law."

According to the relevant regulations of the Public Security System, companies can recruit native employees in their respective planes for the purpose of legal operation.

In your case, if you pass the interview and complete the application test, you can become a temporary employee of our company. If you achieve the established business targets during the probationary period, you can be promoted to a permanent employee of our company.

Subsidiary employees can obtain virtual network access rights through work visas, allowing them to freely connect to the company's virtual servers. However, to access public networks or private servers, they need to obtain a business trip application letter, report to public security authorities, and be subject to random inspections by internet monitoring agencies.

The benefits and compensation vary among the various subsidiaries. Taking subsidiary 49327 as an example, local employees are employed on a lifetime employment and seniority-based system. Salaries are as shown in the table below, calculated based on attendance and work performance. Payment can be made in designated currency or goods, or through the company's points-based salary card system. Please refer to the list for specific exchange details.

Employees of the local subsidiary enjoy three free medical check-up packages upon joining the company. They can save their clones or create custom clones, and there is a chance that they will be resurrected in the set saved state after death.

Employees can purchase civilian weapons, ammunition, and medicines through their company salary cards without quantity restrictions. Loan applications can be processed immediately without review, with up to three interest-free installments. Discounts are available when purchasing company products using salary cards. Employees can apply for implants with technology up to level four, and surgery fees can be waived if they voluntarily participate in new product trials.

Once an employee loses their ability and will to fight and has paid off their loan, they can apply for retirement. Please be aware that retirement will result in the retrieval of company-related memories, and all enhancement systems will be immediately decommissioned.

Furthermore, outstanding business performers in subsidiaries have the opportunity to be promoted to full-time employees of the head office through internal management selection. Becoming a full-time employee grants them company-guaranteed access to general employee privileges, the same salary and benefits as head office employees, and all system permissions are immediately upgraded to level five...

Zheng Zetian was almost knocked unconscious by the 'girl' who was shoved in the face with a bunch of contracts, terms of service, and agreements.

Although he couldn't understand nine out of ten sentences because of the many obscure words, the other party was still vividly explaining the situation using illusions and magic through Divine Sense communication. Moreover, many of the terms and conditions of the salary were presented with numbers and calculations. Zheng Zetian had come into contact with some of these when he was a rogue cultivator in the Central Plains, so he was able to understand some of them with a bit of difficulty.

Simply put, this 'company' is actually a merchant guild of Beyond Heavens. They possess profound magical techniques and can travel between the heavens to trade and exchange with the tribes of the heavens, or forcibly seize resources and knowledge for their own benefit.

... I've only ever seen demons who devour people and souls, this is the first time I've seen a celestial demon who's only interested in making money. But it's no wonder that those disciples of the Xuanmen sects are willing to join the company and become temporary workers who are ordered around.

Across all the myriad realms, wouldn't everyone be curious about what other worlds beyond this one be like?

Humans cannot overcome the thirst for knowledge. Even immortals who have ascended to heaven, once they have settled their worldly grievances, do they all leave without looking back, ascending to a new world to begin new adventures?

Zheng Zetian flipped through the contracts, then turned to look at the jade box on the table.

"Interview... temporary job... so this is my job application test? Is this book really that valuable outside the heavens? I can join the company just by handing it over to you?"

The girl shook her head and pointed to herself.

"No, getting this book is 'her' mission. If you're willing to join us, then I have something for you to do today. Consider it your job application test, and if you pass, I'll make an exception and let you skip the probation period and become a full-time employee of the company."

Zheng Zetian touched his chin.

"Okay, tell me about it."

So the 'girl' turned the map around, turned it to Tianyu Mountain, and pointed to a cave on the summit.

"I obtained the <Ruyi Sword Scripture> from Chen Sha, the Peak Master and Guardian of Tianyu Mountain."

Zheng Zetian froze for a moment, "The Beichen Sword Sect of the Ruyi Sword Scripture?"

The young woman waved her hand, extinguishing the lights and shadows that filled the room. "The Ruyi Sword Scripture of the Beichen Sword Sect Ruyi Sword Scripture."

"... Okay, I agree."

Zheng Zetian nodded, reached for the jade pendant the company had given him, and tied it around his waist.

This task is quite simple. After all, he already knows the Ruyi Sword Scripture; at worst, he can just memorize it once.

What? How did it come about?

Oh, I traded half of the "Key to Exorcising Evil and Revealing Righteousness" scroll and a dimwit for it. Who knew the other person would actually memorize the whole thing... But it's interesting, wasn't that dimwit missing? And who passed down the "Ruyi Sword Scripture" from Ink Bamboo Mountain?

Seeing that he had accepted the task and received the money, the 'girl' nodded, pointed to herself, and said, "She will assist you."

Then the 'girl' ripped off her own face, and the torn wound on her face began to writhe, like tapeworms eating away at the skin, before growing back onto the 'Yuzan's' face, as if she were a girl who had just been reborn from the ashes. "Ha--!" she let out a long sigh, kneeling on the ground and panting heavily.

Zheng Zetian: "... Did you really have to make it this disgusting?"

The girl, spitting out blood, looked up and glared at him.

"You've joined the company?"

Zheng Zetian saw the words "Yuzan's Clones" reappear, and then looked at the top of his head, only to find it marked "I am an undercover agent"...

"Yes, I will help you retrieve the Ruyi Sword Scripture."

'Yuzan' got up, panting, and seeing that Zheng Zetian had already put away the Storage Jade, she glared at him, grabbed the jade box, took out the book <The Taishang Daojun Dongxuan Bu Xuyi Zhenjie>, and glanced at it...

Why are there no words!?

Of course there were no words. You arrived so quickly that he only had time to copy down the book title.

Zheng Zetian then explained expressionlessly.

"Perhaps your affinity with the immortals isn't enough. Take it back and show it to the 'system.' What, your company spans countless realms, surely you don't even have someone who can decipher celestial scriptures?"

"... Is it really that mysterious? You just can't see it with the naked eye..."

'Yuzan' looked at the book with suspicion, turning it over and over for a long time. Finally, she muttered something under her breath, put the book back into the jade box, and took it away.