"So that's how it is."
Su Wen came to a sudden realization, then asked, "What would have happened if I hadn't joined a state organization?"
The Star God replied, "We'd pay closer attention! Keep you under tighter supervision!"
"Of course, this sort of thing is entirely up to the individual. If a Heavenly Mandate Bearer doesn't want to join, we won't force them."
"After all, we also cooperate with individuals when surveying Arrow Realms!"
"Why push Heavenly Mandate Bearers who seek freedom into opposition when there's no conflict?"
Su Wen thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are there any God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers who haven't joined the state?"
"No."
"..."
"Why are you surprised? As a God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearer, think about your own innate divine ability. Do you think it would be appropriate to leave a God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearer out there to do as they please?"
The Star God said softly, "Besides, our organization was founded with the aim of looking after God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers, and we don't have overly strict rules and restrictions."
"The organization's movements and actions even serve the God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers within it. Isn't that good?"
"Under those circumstances, who would refuse?"
The Star God chuckled and said, "Only God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers can become members of our organization."
"That was decided from the very beginning."
"Of course, nothing is absolute. If a Heavenly Mandate Bearer truly plays an irreplaceable, important role and can stand alongside God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers in some sense, then it would be natural to admit them into the organization."
"For the sake of both the nation and the individual, I hope the number of God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers in Huaxia continues to grow."
"Unfortunately, more than twenty years have passed since the first recorded appearance of a Rule Arrow Realm, and in those twenty years... God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers have been exceedingly rare."
Su Wen said, "In twenty years, Huaxia has only had five God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers..."
For a moment, Su Wen fell silent.
By that calculation, was one God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearer born every four years on average?
A moment later, the Star God slowly rose to his feet.
"Oh, right, let me give you a word of advice. You can ignore what everyone else in the organization says."
"But you should listen carefully to what the Theater God says and give it some thought, especially when he talks about the field of theater."
"That old man has been a Heavenly Mandate Bearer for quite some time. Sometimes, something he says offhand might mean nothing to you when you first hear it, but when you experience a certain event in the future, it may suddenly all become clear."
"Of course, you don't need to put blind faith in authority. If you have a strong intuition, you should still follow what you feel in your heart."
With that, the Star God quickly left.
He had plenty to deal with. The three versions of the Basic Body Tempering Method alone would keep him busy for some time.
As for selling them?
He would leave that to the professionals!
"Theater God... huh?"
Su Wen frowned slightly. Hadn't the Theater God only told him that the Wind God was a good kid?
And as for the field of theater, hadn't they only chatted for a little while about Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion?
Most importantly, Su Wen had been the one to bring up The Peony Pavilion in the first place.
Theory of Supreme Emotion?
Thinking of that, Su Wen looked it up on his computer.
"Emotion is elevated to the status of the fundamental essence; the driving force behind all things is emotion."
"Emotion prevails over reason!"
"As for The Peony Pavilion, 'love arises from an unknown source, yet grows ever deeper.' That's roughly what it expresses, right?"
"Hmm... overall, isn't The Peony Pavilion just about how the male and female leads fall in love? The events are just a little surreal, and Du Liniang's resurrection is a little romantic."
"What does that mean? If what the Theater God said refers to something I'll experience in the future, does it mean I'll meet a woman and fall in love at first sight?"
"Uh..."
Su Wen shook his head slightly. He had no mind for romance right now.
The most important thing weighing on his head now was staying alive a little longer.
If things proceeded normally, he didn't have much time left to live.
No matter how romantic or beautiful the experience was, what was the point if he died?
Was the romance supposed to be for future generations to see?
"Divine artifact: Sycee."
[The God of Wealth's exclusive divine artifact, with marvelous effects.]
"Wealth Source Points: 12.4."
Looking at his Wealth Source Points, Su Wen suddenly remembered the destruction report displayed at the end of his trial.
If he had brought back all those gains, especially the Heavenly Mandate Coins dropped by the Gold Coin Monkeys and Purple Coin Monkeys, how much wealth source would that have been?
What a shame!
Still, it was a good thing he had killed quite a few Black Coin Monkeys and Silver Coin Monkeys on his way to Monkey King City. Otherwise, his Wealth Source Points would still have been in the single digits!
"Buff: gaze of the River of Time."
[Time remaining: 4 hours, 35 minutes.]
[Notice: The Sycee's power can be used to confound space-time and evade the gaze of the River of Space-Time.]
When Su Wen first saw the time remaining on the gaze of the River of Space-Time buff, he had been ready to find something to do while he waited out the four-plus hours.
But when he saw the notice below, his face lit up with surprise.
Could the Sycee's power counteract the gaze of the River of Space-Time?
That was incredible!
As expected of the God of Wealth's exclusive divine artifact!
With a thought, Su Wen turned his right hand over, and the divine artifact Sycee appeared in it.
"Buzz!"
"Buzz!"
"Buzz!"
"..."
The divine artifact Sycee began to tremble slightly, and a golden radiance flickered across its surface.
At the same time, the time remaining on the gaze of the River of Time began to drop at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"4 hours, 30 minutes..."
"3 hours, 48 minutes..."
"2 hours, 54 minutes..."
"..."
Finally, the time stopped at one minute and thirty seconds.
The divine artifact Sycee also lost its golden luster and grew dull.
"Divine artifact: Sycee."
[The God of Wealth's divine artifact. It can use the Sycee's power to confound space-time. Currently recovering...]
Seeing this, Su Wen breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a good thing the divine artifact Sycee wasn't a single-use item. When he had seen its glow fade, he had known it probably wouldn't be a problem, but he still couldn't help panicking.
If the God of Wealth's exclusive divine artifact were a single-use item, that would be too awkward.
Fortunately, the God of Wealth's exclusive divine artifact wasn't that unreliable.
"The Sycee really delivers!"
Su Wen exclaimed. The appearance of the divine artifact Sycee had greatly reduced his waiting time.
He had also more or less figured out the pattern. As long as he used Wealth Disrupts Space-Time a little too frequently, the gaze of the River of Space-Time would appear.
If he used Wealth Disrupts Space-Time during that period, the amount of wealth source he consumed would double.
In the end, he was very poor and didn't have much wealth source on hand.
So under normal circumstances, he had better wait!
"Now, let's go take a look at the future!"
The instant the gaze of the River of Space-Time buff disappeared, Su Wen activated his Wealth Disrupts Space-Time talent again.
His gains last time had been so great that he especially wanted to see the major changes in the future space-time.
[O first-tier God of Wealth who has only just entered the path! After countless trials and hardships, you have finally gone from a God of Wealth who had yet to enter the path to crossing its threshold.]
[The power of wealth source you can wield is now ten times greater than before.]
[Never having fought such a lavish battle before, you do not hesitate. You immediately unleash the power of wealth source under your control, using wealth source to disrupt space-time!]
Looking at the greatly changed text that appeared before him, Su Wen suddenly felt a surge of foreboding.
He immediately called up his status panel with a thought.
"Wealth Source Points: 11.4."
Su Wen: "..."