"This is... the new home?"

Standing by the riverside near the junction of the Seventh and Eighth Rings, Chen Xiang gazed at the five-story villa.

From the outside, the villa was spacious, with a 200-square-meter garden in both the front and back. While 200 square meters doesn't sound very large, in this area where skyscrapers housed nearly ten thousand people, and narrow squares, malls, and schools were crammed into the Eighth Ring, that amount of land was incredibly valuable.

"The benefits of the police department are really great."A bright, ringing voice sounded. Chen Xiang turned to see Wei Qingqiu stepping out from the shadows, grinning widely.

"Little Wei? You haven't left yet?"

"Aren't I here to give you something? As soon as I got the news about your transfer to the Secret Adjustment Department, I rushed over."

"Huh?"Chen Xiang was a bit surprised."You're that well-informed? You even know about what's happening in the Fourth Ring?"

"Of course!"

Wei Qingqiu tossed her silky silver hair and whispered,"I'll let you in on a secret—there are old flames within the Secret Adjustment Department, and they're directly under my command."

"Really?"

"Just kidding."

The silver-haired Wei Qingqiu covered her mouth and giggled as she handed a tote bag to Chen Xiang.

"In this bag is your welfare package: an extraordinary item, a Divine Blood Stone, and a set of imprints depicting a pseudo-god level visualization."

Curiously, Chen Xiang opened the tote bag to find a scroll, a red crystal, and a... hood?

He first picked up the Divine Blood Stone, and his expression changed slightly as he immediately sensed the astonishing amount of [True God Factors] contained within it!

Wei Qingqiu smiled as she explained,"True God Factors are extracted from the corpses of deities. The Divine Blood Stone is condensed from divine blood. A single drop of divine blood can typically produce about a hundred Divine Blood Stones, making them extremely precious!"

Pausing for a moment, she continued,"The Divine Blood Stone has a unique feature: there's no speed limit when absorbing the True God Factors within it. As long as you can handle it, you can absorb all of them at once without issue... This is a True God level Divine Blood Stone, which contains about one hundred thousand True God Factors."

Chen Xiang examined the crystal, marveling,"Is this from the blood of a divine corpse? Are the bodies of the nine Outer Gods also left in the human world...?"

"Exactly. Since there are True God level Divine Blood Stones, there must be Outer God level ones as well, but those are beyond our reach. I've also heard..."

Wei Qingqiu chuckled,"I once heard there are Divine Blood Stones at the level of the [Greatest Ones]."

Chen Xiang shivered slightly,"What do you mean?"

"Literally, it's just a vague rumor. The Outer Gods are the [Great Ones], and the three pillar gods above them are the [Greatest Ones]."

As she spoke, Wei Qingqiu yawned,"And there are rumors that the bodies of the three pillar gods also remain in the human world."

Chen Xiang couldn't help but ask,"How does our revered Creator Titan compare to the three pillar gods...?"

"Of course, the Great Master is stronger."Wei Qingqiu pouted."Even among the Greatest Ones, there are differences... Anyway, take this file too."

She handed another folder to Chen Xiang,"Inside are some materials about the Old Path, along with information on an old flame you know. I'm passing him to your command; remember, don't reveal your true identity in front of the old flames to avoid unnecessary risks."

Chen Xiang accepted the folder, and Wei Qingqiu smiled,"You can look over the files later."

Chen Xiang nodded,"What about this hood?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"The Shadow Hat—an excellent extraordinary item. When you wear it, you can manipulate shadows simply, and each day you can slip into the shadows for ten minutes. It's a life-saving tool!"

With that, Wei Qingqiu waved her hand,"Alright, I have to go... Chen Warrior, see you tomorrow!"

As her voice faded, the silver-haired girl had already floated away.

Chen Xiang watched her departure, shaking his head as he carried the tote bag and folder through the fence and garden toward the villa, knocking on the door.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

Inside, there was a sound of collision, followed by hurried footsteps. The door swung open.

The eldest sister and second brother looked at Chen Xiang with worry, their faces lighting up with surprise as they exclaimed in unison,"Little Brother!!"

Chen Shaoyan rushed forward, inspecting Chen Xiang anxiously for any injuries.

Chen Xiang couldn't help but laugh,"Sister, I'm fine. I just cooperated with an investigation..."

Chen Shaoyan let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Second brother Chen Xin wiped the sweat from his brow, smiling as he led Chen Xiang inside."Your sister was really anxious. She paced back and forth all night, making who knows how many phone calls..."

"You really can't keep your mouth shut!"Chen Shaoyan glared at Chen Xin, who shrank back with an awkward smile.

The eldest sister turned to Chen Xiang,"Little Brother, what are you holding?"

Chen Xiang felt warmth in his heart,"It's nothing, just some things from the academy..."

After a pause, he changed the subject,"What about Silly Girl and that kid?"

"The girl you brought back from the orphanage is Silly Girl?"

Chen Shaoyan pondered for a moment,"I've heard you mention her a few times. That girl is quite well-behaved, but she doesn't really connect with people... I set up her bed early so she could sleep. As for Lu Saleng..."

As Chen Xiang walked into the living room behind his sister and second brother, he immediately spotted the boy with mismatched eyes sitting in a wheelchair, quietly gazing at the double moons outside.

Lu Saleng turned his head and politely said,"Hello, brother."

"Hello."Chen Xiang nodded gently."No need to be formal; just treat this place like your own home."

Lu Saleng nodded slightly but didn't speak.

Beside them, Chen Xin laughed,"This kid is shy and doesn't talk much, so don't bother him too much... Want me to show you around the new house?"

"What time is it?"Chen Shaoyan interjected, sounding a bit annoyed."Let's talk about it tomorrow... By the way, little brother, how do you plan to arrange for Silly Girl? I contacted a high school for Lu Saleng; should we get Silly Girl enrolled too?"

Chen Xiang shook his head,"Silly Girl has a congenital intellectual disability and is prone to being bullied. I think it's better if Lu Saleng doesn't go to school either; let's hire a tutor instead. After all, we're financially stable now..."

"That's not a bad idea."Chen Shaoyan nodded."Since you plan to take care of Silly Girl, we'll be one family. Tomorrow, I'll take her to the hospital to see if she can be treated."

Chen Xiang gently nodded,"It would be great if she could be treated, but I think we shouldn't get our hopes up; congenital intellectual disabilities can sometimes..."

Before he could finish, the previously silent Lu Saleng suddenly spoke up with a cryptic remark:"Being foolish isn't necessarily a disease; it could also mean being too smart and knowing too much."

"What?"The three siblings looked at him in surprise. The aloof Lu Saleng simply shook his head and fell silent again.

Chen Xiang didn't dwell on that puzzling statement and chatted casually with his sister and second brother for a while.

Chen Shaoyan then rose gracefully,"Alright, it's getting late. You two go to bed now. Little brother, your room is on the second floor... and you!"

She turned to the boy with mismatched eyes, chiding,"You should go to bed too. At your age, it's crucial for growth; don't end up like me, a little shorty!"

Lu Saleng remained cold, shaking his head gently,"I'm not tired; I don't need to sleep for now..."

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Shaoyan had approached and, with one hand on her hip and the other twisting his ear, said,"Sleep or not? Are you going to sleep?"

Lu Saleng's mouth twitched in surprise, clearly flustered as if he had never—or in a long time—been treated this way.

After a moment of silence, he replied coldly,"I'll sleep."

"Hmph!"

Chen Shaoyan released him, saying,"Just like the younger brother and second brother, you won't listen unless you're prodded!"

Chen Xiang and Chen Xin couldn't help but chuckle. Their older sister, having grown up on the streets, was straightforward and a bit too familiar...

But that was a good thing; it would help the little guy integrate faster and feel less restrained.

Returning to his brand new room, Chen Xiang glanced at the pseudo-god visualization and didn't think too much about it... he had better options.

He opened the folder and first skimmed through the materials on the Old Path before turning to the information about the old flame.

It was indeed someone familiar.

Looking at the first line of the file, the name Li Dongyun made him chuckle and shake his head.

As expected.

Chen Xiang quietly reviewed Li Dongyun's file. A seasoned old messenger of the Old Path, he had taken his first step into the extraordinary, and was already close to the second step of sagehood.

However, his path wasn't the Old Path but the"Angry Ones"who worshipped the"Lord of the Sun and War"...

This was also why, despite being extraordinary, Li Dongyun hadn't advanced to become an old messenger of the Old Path.

According to the materials Little Wei provided, the Old Path was the Titan Path, focusing on embodying authority through physical strength. In contrast, the path of the Outer Gods was entirely opposite, holding authority through the soul.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room.

Lu Saleng muttered to himself,"The new old messenger? How coincidental, but..."

"It doesn't seem like a dweller of the Abyss."

"But if he's not a dweller of the Abyss, how can he command black flames?"

He smiled slightly, his thoughts drifting to Silly Girl, his gaze becoming profoundly deep:"And then there's her—she actually became a person and is close to a mortal... Things are getting interesting."