This Is Not a Kind World

After the little interlude.

Su Bai began asking about what he truly cared about. "Captain Li, Gu Jiuge told me before that all Transcendent creatures followed nine specific laws. I'd like to know what those nine laws are."

Li Ming took a sip of tea and smiled enigmatically. "Have you heard of a knowledge blockade?"

"I have. A knowledge blockade is also called an information blockade. Its real purpose is to enforce class barriers, and it happens in every industry. In today's society, large corporations monopolize high-tech chips and new IE technologies, using information blockades to launch dimensionality-reduction strikes against small and medium-sized businesses. From a strategic and economic standpoint, it's a highly mature and excellent tactic."

Su Bai carefully recalled what he had read in books and continued methodically:

"However, as far as I know, this tactic is more common in the Western world. Whether in national defense strategy or economic strategy, Great Xia is open and inclusive. The sea embraces a hundred rivers; its capacity makes it great. That's why there are rarely class-based information gaps between large, medium, and small companies.

Captain, I understand what you mean. You mentioned a knowledge blockade offhand because you wanted to subtly clue me in: these nine Transcendent Laws were established by the Western world, and they've imposed a blockade on Great Xia. Is that right?"

"..."

Li Ming was utterly dumbfounded.

Yes, that's what I wanted to say, but I wasn't trying to subtly clue you in! I just wanted to show off and tell you slowly, to establish my authority as captain.

You've said all my lines for me. What am I supposed to say now? Act cute or something??

And all that stuff you just said about strategy and economics-I didn't understand a fucking word of it.

Is it really appropriate to say all that to someone like me, who can't even get his idioms straight?

Gu Jiuge's expression was grave. "That's right. That's exactly what Captain Li was going to say. Although the Western world has imposed a knowledge blockade on us, after ten years of trial and error, we've managed to figure out six of the laws."

Li Ming looked thoroughly fed up and thought to himself, The hell he was going to say that. I haven't even opened my mouth yet.

But since things had come to this, Li Ming had no choice but to pick up the thread. Putting on an air of breezy composure, he said calmly:

"There's no such thing as a knowledge blockade in Great Xia, but to prevent news of the Transcendent descent from leaking out, certain secrecy measures are in place regarding these six laws. As an intern, you can only know about three of them: 'Devouring, Conservation, and Dependents.' Qingxue has all the information. I'll have her organize it and send it to you later... Once you become a Gravekeeper with an official post, you can learn the other three laws."

"No need. I think I already know the first three laws." Su Bai shook his head.

Li Ming turned to look at Gu Jiuge.

Gu Jiuge spread his hands. "I didn't tell him."

Li Ming turned back and stared at Su Bai for a while. "Then tell me, what are the first three Transcendent Laws?"

Su Bai counted on his fingers and spoke unhurriedly:

"Transcendent Law One, Devouring: for Transcendent creatures to raise their bloodline rank, they must devour other Transcendent creatures. Transcendent Law Two, Conservation: when Transcendent creatures die, the Transcendent power within them doesn't disappear; it continues to exist in some special form. Transcendent Law Three, Dependents: Transcendent creatures whose bloodlines have reached the sixth tier can, with the consent of other Transcendent creatures, take away their free will and make them their own Dependents, who worship them as gods."

Li Ming looked astonished. "Where did you get that information?"

Su Bai poured himself a cup of hot tea and smiled.

"Seven or eight days ago, when the novelist came looking for me, Gu Jiuge told me that Transcendent creatures only acted in accordance with nine specific Transcendent Laws. Then he told me that the novelist only sought out Transcendents. That was when I realized there was some specific connection among Transcendent creatures, including Transcendents. Otherwise, I was hidden so well that she couldn't possibly have found me, and you couldn't possibly have found her, much less saved me.

Four days ago, I met a little girl who said she wanted to eat me. First, I had no personal grudge with her. Second, there were so many people there, but she only wanted to eat me. That was when I guessed that devouring Transcendent creatures was one way for Transcendent creatures to advance their bloodline rank.

With that information, and connecting it to what the novelist had let slip earlier, I worked out the two laws of 'Devouring' and 'Conservation.'

When I faced the little girl, I deliberately acted weak, hoping to find a sliver of a chance to survive. She then said that if I wanted to live, I had to pay the price of my body and soul and become her Dependent. I figured that if she could forcibly take my free will, she wouldn't have wasted words on me. So I worked out that becoming a Dependent had to be voluntary.

A Dependent loses control over their own body and soul, which means they lose their free will. Wouldn't that mean... they could only worship their master as a god?"

A dimensionality-reduction strike. This was what you called a dimensionality-reduction strike.

Only then did Li Ming realize what kind of monster Gu Jiuge had recruited into the team.

After a long silence.

Gu Jiuge glanced at Li Ming and let out a soft breath. "I told you, this kid is smart."

Li Ming gripped the rim of his porcelain cup. "Su Bai, from now on, no matter who asks about your Oracle, you must never say it's 'Wrath.'"

"Then what should I say?"

"Red Tassel." Gu Jiuge took out the Gravekeeper handbook he had prepared and handed it to Su Bai. "Ranked 138th in the sequence, Red Tassel."

Su Bai took the handbook, but as soon as he turned to the first page, his eyelids twitched wildly and a wave of emotion rose in his heart.

Oracle sequence rankings.

1: Lust

2: Gluttony

3: Greed

4: Sloth

5: Wrath

6: Envy

7: Pride

8: Bifang

9: Azure Luan

10: Zhulong

"The laws of Devouring and Conservation make it inevitable that Transcendent creatures eat or are eaten by one another. And if we Transcendents want to advance our bloodlines, we also have to follow those two laws. Fortunately, most Transcendents don't choose to eat their own kind. I said... most."

There was a chilling coldness in Gu Jiuge's voice. "To Transcendent creatures, Transcendents with Oracles are nothing more than dish after dish of brightly colored delicacies. The higher the bloodline rank, the more energy the dish can provide. The higher the Oracle's rank, the more exquisite the dish tastes.

"If your Oracle is exposed, never mind how human society might see you, Transcendent creatures from all over the world will go mad and come swarming after you at any cost... including those Transcendents who enjoy eating their own kind. If you don't want to become food one day, you'll have to eat them before they eat you-all of them."

Su Bai slowly closed the handbook and shut his eyes.

Many things he had been unable to understand before suddenly became clear after he saw the handbook.

At that moment, Su Bai suddenly realized that he seemed to have inadvertently opened a beautiful box, a box called Pandora.

The little girl's words still echoed in his ears: "Big brother, if you don't buy any matches, I'll have to eat you."

This wasn't a choice.

Because even if Su Bai bought the matches, the little girl would still eat him.

So, at no point had Su Bai ever had a way out.

Pushing open the door to the Transcendent, Su Bai saw a new world.

And this was not a kind world.

It never had been.