contract

Lin Feng harbored a dream: to become a knight-errant, wielding powers beyond mortal ken, traversing the world to vanquish evil and uphold justice, unafraid of the mighty and revered by the masses, to stand as a great hero among men.

Oh, when he was nine years old—long ago, his concept of the "four corners" was confined to the two streets around South Suburb Elementary School, and the limit of the mighty was his homeroom teacher.

In the past two years, Lin Feng's ambitions had, like those of most people, transformed into something quite mundane: striving for an income above the average each month, marrying a wife of above-average quality, having one or two children of above-average merit. With a house already in hand, there was no need for worry. This constituted the entirety of life—up until this moment.

Now, at the cusp of a pivotal moment in his life, Lin Feng felt he could almost see a completely different future before him. He gazed at the woman before him, who claimed to be a deity but seemed quite eccentric. With a firm nod, he said, "Very well, I agree to your terms."

Raven12345's face showed no surprise, as if she had witnessed such scenes many times before and knew how Lin Feng would respond. She simply nodded. "Very well, starting today, you are a junior probationary inspector for the Temporal Management Bureau. Before formalization, you will be treated as a temporary apprentice outside the establishment..."

Lin Feng interjected, "Please, don't be so detailed. It took me quite some courage to agree!"

Raven12345 seemed to chuckle. She noticed Lin Feng's nervousness and confusion. "Don't worry, we're not some evil force. We maintain world peace. Listen to the nobility of this cause. In other worlds, when I need an assistant, the locals flock to me in droves. However, Earth has already embarked on a godless development stage, and the progress seems quite rapid. So, I have refrained from intervening. Now, even if I seek an assistant, I must do so discreetly. Don't think your work is something to be hidden..."

Lin Feng muttered, "Why do I feel like you're not much like a god? Is this how gods behave?"

"Hey, it's not just you; I'm not used to it either." Raven12345 waved her hand casually, surprising Lin Feng. "A few years ago, we changed our identities. We weren't called gods before. By the way, if you're not comfortable with that term, you can call us Apostles of Hope, which is our racial name. 'God' is just our job title."

"Apostles of Hope?" Lin Feng mulled over the peculiar term. "It doesn't sound human... How should I address you normally? Your Highness Goddess?"

Lin Feng suddenly felt a bit incredulous. This woman claimed to be a member of the divine, yet he couldn't sense any divinity from her. Talking to Raven12345 felt almost like chatting with the elder sister at the corner store. Was this what a goddess was like? Please, no glowing halos behind your back. Can't you at least stop fidgeting with your fingers when you talk?

Raven12345 seemed even more indifferent to this question. While playing with her fingers, she nodded at Lin Feng. "I'm not used to being called that. Just call me by my name or 12345."

Lin Feng mused, "...That sounds even less like a name..."

Next, Raven12345 began to explain the details of his future "job." There wasn't much to say, just continuing to host those strange tenants. Since there was already a werewolf and a vampire in the house, Lin Feng believed he could handle more abnormal beings as long as the new arrivals were as amicable.

"Don't worry," Raven12345 assured, patting her chest. "We care about our employees' well-being. We won't put you in dangerous environments. Those sent to you have all passed some kind of 'test,' ensuring their reliability. Your job is to ensure they eat, drink, and live well, without disrupting the lives of normal people. That's your current role. Other matters are handled by others, so you don't need to worry about them. As for other situations... we'll address them when they arise. Any other questions?"

Lin Feng hesitated but asked the question that concerned him most, "What about Muyun? Is it really not arranged by you?"

"No, as I've said, only the new tenants coming to your house are arranged by the organization. That werewolf... you can consider it fate. It was because she sought you out, and you seemed to adapt well, that I chose you. Most people wouldn't have such a strong capacity to accept. I just happened to need someone with a strong moral compass and resilience to serve as my assistant."

"I just need to ensure the well-being of these 'clients' in the future. But how do I judge what constitutes 'well-being'? Do I treat them like ancestors, offering sacrifices?"

"Not quite. As long as they don't cause trouble, that's enough. The ultimate goal of all tasks is to ensure the normal development of human civilization. Humans do not need to encounter things that are incompatible with their current developmental direction, as these things would lead to incorrect perceptions of their universe's laws. Human life is short, and such mistaken perceptions over one or two generations could ruin hundreds of years of development and have equally profound future effects... judging by your expression, I see you're already lost, so I'll skip the rest of the explanation." Raven12345 continued, pulling out a stack of papers from a drawer, "In short, you are just a junior employee for now, and a temporary one at that. You cannot yet know too much complexity, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to handle it. I will tell you more when the time is right. Rest assured, I mean no harm, as there is no need for it. Now, come sign the contract..."

Lin Feng felt that there were many things Raven12345 was keeping from him, but he had no choice. Though Raven12345 was accommodating, she seemed principled and wouldn't say what shouldn't be said. Lin Feng also knew that some things couldn't be rushed, and it was better to be cautious when nothing was clear.

Lin Feng vaguely felt like he had boarded a pirate ship, but he didn't have the courage to jump off. He was sure he couldn't beat any creature in this place, including the misty figure from earlier.

Now, as Lin Feng looked at the contract before him, he was dumbfounded. The words on the contract were easy to understand, but the content left him at a loss. The headline read, "Junior Probationary Inspector Entry Agreement of the Temporal Management Bureau of the Xilin Empire," with the subtitle, "Joining Agreement of the Xilin Divine System," and the true subtitle below, "Temporary Staff Related Documents of the Imperial Civil Department," followed by a line of minuscule print that read, "106th Revised Edition, Revised Again, and Again, Final Edition, Absolutely Unalterable Edition, Even if the Empress Mother Orders, No Random Changes Allowed Edition—Imperial Decree, Adhered to by All Departments

."

Below was the main text of the contract, written in a straightforward manner, detailing some employee guidelines and attendance rules. It stated that after a new employee joined, they would be equivalent to a regional-level saint/contender for regional bishop/candidate for regional prophet/regional street cadre/regional constable, and so on, depending on the civilization form of the new employee's location. The note at the end explained that this was determined based on the new employee's current civilization form for the sake of their accurate self-positioning.

Following that were the benefits, which were even more mind-boggling. The highest god of the Xilin Divine System expressly stipulated that new inspectors who converted to the local main god (translated into some civilization systems as the first prophet, the first awakened, or the first called in the race) were entitled to employee benefits. These included grains, oils, and other necessities during festivals, receiving New Year goods during the New Year, and a monthly consumption card subsidy. According to the different civilization environments, these benefits would be arranged by the local responsible god...

Lin Feng looked at the contract and felt tears welling up. He vaguely felt that this thing looked very familiar, quite familiar indeed...

"How about it? Our unit's benefits are pretty good, right?" Raven12345 nervously leaned in. "I know you were embarrassed to ask about our benefits just now. Over the years, I've met many people, and most newcomers are very strange. It's as if they always feel that working for a god should be voluntary labor. But our unit definitely doesn't operate that way. This contract was formulated by several experienced leaders, who said it conforms to the norms of the mortal world. If you have no objections, you can sign it."

Lin Feng: "..."

He decided he would never believe in TV or novels again!