National Departments

The city lights blazed brilliantly. Bands of light along both banks of the river cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the water, and the breeze sent ripples shimmering over its surface.

Ling Qing sat quietly on a bench by the riverbank, his thoughts churning as he took in the view.

He had been an ordinary person all his life, unremarkable for more than twenty years, until one day a surprise had fallen from the sky.

A strange-looking acorn had landed on his head, and that very night he had received an inheritance. It had felt like a dream when he became a Druid.

For half a month, he had cultivated with a mixture of hope and doubt. Only after choosing to believe and deciding on the path he would take from then on—

He had unexpectedly entered a miraculous Time Fragment and learned that a wondrous transformation was silently sweeping across the entire world.

Thinking of what Tian Yong had told him just before they left the instance, Ling Qing picked up the slightly battered Medical Chest beside him and headed back to his rented place. On the way, he took out his phone and called his boss to ask for leave.

Early the next morning, Ling Qing got up and tidied himself before heading to the roadside.

Before long, an off-road vehicle pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing Zhang Zhe smiling from the passenger seat.

"Ling Qing, hop in."

Ling Qing smiled, opened the door, and took the back seat. After greeting them, he chatted with Tian Yong and Zhang Zhe.

Though it was their first time meeting in the real world, they had shared a life together for ten days and had become friends. Having been apart for only one night, they didn't feel especially distant.

"What about Tian Ying and Uncle Li?"

"Uncle Li has a business to run, and Li Jun and Tian Ying still have school."

Tian Yong answered as he started the car.

"That's just..." Ling Qing said, at a loss for words.

But on second thought, it made sense. Even if they had learned martial arts, fought zombies, and studied magic—

The two of them were still students. And students had to go to class.

No problem there.

And Uncle Li had a family to support, so of course he had to run his business.

He wasn't some wandering hero from a novel who could toss silver around without a care.

As they chatted, the car headed straight for the city center's tallest building, Tianxin Building. They took the elevator to the top floor.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were met by a huge reception desk. Behind it, a sign read, "National Martial Arts Fitness Club—Peng City Branch."

Five or six beautiful young women in black business suits stood behind the counter.

One of them stood up and greeted them. "Brother Yong, Fourth Brother, what brings you here today?"

Then she looked at Ling Qing and asked politely, "And who is this?"

"We just finished an instance. This is a new friend we just made, Ling Qing. We brought him here to get some paperwork done."

Zhang Zhe waved and gestured toward Ling Qing as he introduced them to each other.

"This is my cousin, Zhang Rui."

"Hello!" "Hello, Mr. Ling!"

Ling Qing and Zhang Rui exchanged polite greetings, and then she continued.

"Big Brother happens to be here today. Would you like me to take you to him?"

"No need. We can take him there ourselves. You get back to work."

Tian Yong waved her off.

"Sure thing, Brother Yong. Mr. Ling, this way, please."

Ling Qing nodded to her, then followed Tian Yong farther inside.

Along the way, he saw plenty of people working out. Some were using the fitness equipment, while others sparred in pairs.

Everyone looked highly skilled, as if he had stepped into a world of martial heroes.

People would pause now and then to greet Tian Yong before returning to their training.

"Once you're done with the paperwork, you can get a membership here too. The facilities are pretty good for martial arts practice.

"They've got professional nutritionists and experts in medicine on hand, and you can exchange ideas with other people too."

Tian Yong explained as they walked.

Before long, they passed the training area and reached a quiet hallway. At the innermost door, they knocked.

"Come in."

At the steady reply, Tian Yong pushed the door open.

Ling Qing followed him inside. The moment he entered, he saw a middle-aged man who looked to be around thirty, with a square face and an air of righteousness, sitting on the sofa and brewing tea. He had the imposing calm of a mountain rising above the waters.

"Tian Yong, what brings you here? Come and try my tea.

"Zhang Zhe, and you too, young man. Have a seat."

"Yes, Company Commander." Tian Yong saluted the middle-aged man, then invited Ling Qing to sit.

"Company Commander..."

"Don't call me that. Call me Brother here—or Manager, if you prefer. I still hold the position of manager at this club, after all."

The middle-aged man poured a cup of tea for each of them, then waved at Tian Yong with a smile.

"Tsk, Brother, this manager gig of yours..." Zhang Zhe downed his tea in one gulp, then said dismissively.

"So you're the young Ling Qing."

Ignoring Zhang Zhe, the man turned to Ling Qing.

"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Zhang Zhenguo, deputy director of the First Operations Division of the Martial Arts Bureau at the Peng City branch of the National Special Affairs Department.

"Our division handles disputes and helps everyone coordinate and communicate.

"Tian Yong has probably already explained the general situation to you. Since you're willing to come, I take it you're willing to trust the country."

Division Chief Zhang took a sip of tea, then continued. "We're a state institution. Our basic duty is to protect our country and safeguard the lives and property of its people.

"No matter what special abilities you've gained, you're still citizens of our country.

"We don't impose any mandatory requirements. Our main concern is preventing you from acting on impulse and doing something irreversible.

"If you run into trouble in the future, you can come to us for help directly.

"As long as you haven't broken any relevant national laws, you can trust that the country won't let you be wronged."

"I understand." Ling Qing nodded to show he understood.

Tian Yong had already explained it to him in the instance.

When the Time Fragment phenomenon first appeared a year ago, the country had learned about it.

After determining that the phenomenon could not be controlled and was not an isolated occurrence, the country immediately established the Unified Management Department for Special Affairs to handle such incidents.

Its purpose was to manage and coordinate people who had gained special abilities from Time Fragments.

But this management wasn't compulsory. They only had to register and keep a record, and cooperate with investigations if a serious incident occurred.

At the same time, if they were treated unfairly in their daily lives, they could also seek help from the Special Affairs Department.

The Special Affairs Department was broadly divided into three bureaus: the Religious Affairs Bureau, the Martial Arts Bureau, and the External Liaison Bureau.

They respectively handled religious figures, ordinary citizens, and foreign nationals who entered Time Fragments.

In addition, the Special Affairs Department also served as a sort of guild. People could use points to exchange for cultivation techniques and weapons, or even access permits for Time Fragments controlled by the state.

Although most Time Fragments appeared at random and had no fixed locations,

some still opened repeatedly at fixed times and places.

Most of those were under state control, and anyone who wanted to enter had to exchange points for a permit.