The Contract

Kevin had a dream.

He hoped to become a knight-errant, wielding powers beyond the reach of ordinary people, wandering the world, eliminating evil and protecting the good, standing fearlessly against tyrants to safeguard all four directions, and being gratefully remembered by countless people. He wanted to be a great hero in the world.

Oh, that was when he was nine years old - a long time ago. And at that time, his concept of "all four directions" was limited to the scope of two blocks around Nanjiao Primary School, with the most powerful tyrant being his class teacher.

In the past two years, Kevin's ambitions had become as realistic as most people's: striving for an income above average each month, marrying a wife above average, having one or two children above average, and not having to worry about a house since he already had one. That was all there was to life - up until now.

Now, the turning point in his life was within reach. Kevin felt like he could almost see a completely different future lying ahead of him. He looked at the woman in front of him who claimed to be a god but didn't seem quite normal, and nodded vigorously: "Okay, I agree to you."

Raven 12345's face showed no surprise, as if she was used to such scenes and already knew how Kevin would respond. She simply nodded: "Well, from today onward, you are a junior trainee inspector for the Temporal Administration Bureau. Until you become permanent, you will be treated as an apprentice-level temporary worker outside the establishment..."

Kevin: "...Please don't go into such detail. It took me a lot of courage to agree!"

Raven 12345 seemed to smile. She could see that Kevin was still a bit nervous and confused: "Don't worry, we're not some evil force. Maintaining world peace - listen to how noble a cause that is. If I were to look for an assistant in another world, the locals would practically swarm over me. But here on Earth, you've already embarked on a path of atheistic development, and it seems to be progressing quite rapidly. That's why I haven't interfered. Now, even if I'm looking for an assistant, I have to keep a low profile. Don't think your work is something to be ashamed of because of this..."

Kevin muttered: "I don't know, you don't seem like a god to me. Is this what gods are like?"

"Hey, don't mention it. I'm not used to it either," Raven 12345 waved her hand, her casual tone surprising Kevin. "We only changed our status to gods a few years ago. We didn't go by that name before. By the way, if you're not comfortable with that term, you can call us Xiring Apostles. That's our racial name. Gods are just our job."

"Xiring Apostles?" Kevin pondered the strange-sounding term. "It doesn't sound human... So how should I usually address you? Your Highness, Goddess?"

Kevin suddenly felt a mix of amusement and frustration. This woman claimed to be a member of the gods, so he probably had to call her Your Highness, Goddess. But why couldn't he feel it at all? Kevin felt that the atmosphere when chatting with Raven 12345 was almost the same as when he chatted with the big sister at the corner store. Was this really Your Highness, Goddess?

You don't have to glow with a halo behind you, but could you at least stop picking your fingers while talking?

Raven 12345 seemed even less concerned about this question. She nodded to Kevin while playing with her fingers: "I'm not used to being called that way. You can just call me by my name, or call me 12345."

Kevin: "...It feels even less like a real name..."

Next, Raven 12345 began to explain the details of Kevin's future "work" to him. Actually, there wasn't much to say. It was just about continuing to host those strange tenants. Since there was already a werewolf and a vampire at home, Kevin thought he could handle more abnormal creatures as long as the new ones were as easygoing as the current two.

"Don't worry about that," Raven 12345 patted her chest and guaranteed, "We are quite concerned about the lives of our employees. We won't let you fall into dangerous situations. The people we send to you have all passed a certain 'test' and are guaranteed to be safe and reliable. You just need to make sure they eat well, drink well, and live well, without affecting the lives of normal people. That's your current job. Other matters are handled by others, and you don't have to worry about them for now. As for other situations... we'll deal with them when they come up. Do you have any other questions?"

Kevin hesitated for a moment before asking about what he was most concerned about: "Uh... what's going on with Lily? Did you really not arrange it?"

"No, I've already said that only the new tenants who will come to your house in the future are arranged by the organization. That werewolf... you can see it as fate. It's also because she came to you, and you seem to be quite adaptable to it, that I chose you. Ordinary people don't have such strong acceptance ability, and I happen to need an assistant with a relatively firm set of values who can withstand this kind of impact."

"I just need to arrange for the lives of those 'clients' in the future. But how do I judge if I've 'arranged well'? Do I have to treat them like ancestors?"

"Not quite. As long as they don't cause trouble, it's fine. The ultimate goal of all tasks is to allow human civilization to develop normally. Humans don't need to come into contact with things that don't align with their current development direction, because these things can cause them to have false cognitions about their own universal laws. Human life is short, and this short lifespan means that the false cognitions of one or two generations could potentially destroy their centuries-long development achievements and have equally far-reaching future impacts. Judging by your expression, I can tell that you're probably already confused, so I'll skip the next part of the explanation," Raven 12345 said as she pulled out a stack of papers from the desk drawer, "In short, you're just a grassroots employee right now, and you're still a temporary worker. You can't know too complicated things yet, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to handle them. I'll tell you more when the time is right. Please rest assured, I have no malice, because there's no need for it. Now, come over and sign the contract..."

Kevin felt that the other party was hiding many things from him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Although Raven 12345 was easy to talk to, she seemed to have strong principles and would never say what shouldn't be said. Kevin himself also knew that some things couldn't be rushed, and it was better to be cautious when nothing was clear.

Kevin had a vague feeling that he had somehow gotten onto a pirate ship, but he lacked the courage to jump ship. He was sure that he couldn't defeat any creature in this place, including that mist-like being from earlier.

Now Kevin was staring at the contract in front of him, stunned. The words on the contract were easy to understand, but the content was overwhelming. The title was in large letters: "Hiring Agreement for Intern Reviewers of the Xiling Empire Temporal-Spatial Administration Bureau." Below it was a subtitle: "Affiliation Agreement of the Xiling Deity System." Underneath that was another subtitle: "Temporary Worker-Related Documents of the Civilian Sector of the Empire." Further down, in tiny script, was a line that was barely recognizable as a title: "The 106th Revised Edition, Revised Again, Revised Once More, Final Edition, Absolutely No More Changes, Not Even if Ordered by the Empress of the Empire." An imperial decree from the head of the empire, to be strictly followed by all offices.

Below that was the main body of the contract, which clearly and concisely outlined employee instructions and attendance policies, among other things. It stated that new employees, upon joining, would be equivalent to regional-level saints/candidates for regional-level bishops/regional-level prophets/regional-level street cadres/regional-level neighborhood police officers, among many other identities. A note explained that these were determined based on the civilization of the new employee and were noted for the convenience of accurate self-positioning.

Further down was an even more mind-blowing benefits system. The highest deity of the Xiling Deity System clearly stipulated that newly promoted reviewers who converted to local deities (which, in some civilizations, would be equivalent to prophets, the first enlightened ones of their race) were entitled to employee benefits, including rice, flour, oil, and other provisions for festivals, year-end gifts, and monthly consumption card subsidies. Depending on the civilization, the local deity in charge would arrange these benefits accordingly...

Kevin looked at the contract and felt like tears were welling up in his eyes. He had a vague feeling that this looked very familiar, incredibly familiar...

"So, how do you like our unit's benefits?" Raven 12345 leaned over nervously. "I know you didn't have the heart to ask about our unit's treatment earlier. I've met a lot of people over the years, and most newcomers are strange. It's like they think working for the gods should be unpaid labor or something. But our unit definitely doesn't do that. This contract was formulated by a few experienced leaders above and is said to be quite in line with the rules of the mortal world. If you have no objections, just sign it, okay?"

Kevin: "..."

He decided never to trust TV again in his life.