"What exactly is this Malaise Energy? It sounds extremely powerful," Haoyun asked curiously once again.
"The matter regarding Malaise Energy is very complicated. For now, you just need to know that Malaise Energy is a unique form of energy that originates from beyond the Multitude Divine Realm and hides within it. It constantly seeks opportunities within the Multitude Divine Realm to spread misfortune and disrupt its stability, aiming to do evil," Daolao explained briefly.
"So, Malaise Energy is just a form of energy, not some kind of life?" Haoyun asked again.
"No. Malaise Energy is a unique form of life that exists in the form of energy. It is relatively fragile on its own, and although it possesses a certain degree of power, it is nowhere near as terrifying as when it attaches itself to other life forms. In simple terms, the stronger the target that Malaise Energy attaches to, the more formidable its power becomes," Daolao elaborated.
"That's one of the reasons why I can't directly capture that ghost doll. Because I'm not clear about the extent of power it can unleash after being attached by Malaise Energy. If I were to act rashly, it might bring unnecessary disaster to this world. And that's another reason why I can't directly capture it," Daolao continued.
"What's the other reason?" Haoyun asked.
"The Multitude Divine Realm is divided into upper and lower realms. The world where we priests reside is the upper realm, while the place you're currently in belongs to the lower realm. Everything in the lower realm is relatively fragile, so when we priests intervene forcibly in matters occurring in the lower realm, it's easy to cause damage to it. Believe me, damaging the framework or operating rules of a world is not a good thing. Therefore, when we priests carry out tasks in the lower realm, we must be extremely careful and ensure to minimize the damage that may be caused to the lower realm while completing the task as quickly as possible," Daolao explained.
"So, you plan to understand the ghost doll's power fully and then try to defeat it with a single blow to minimize the damage to Earth," Haoyun finally understood Daolao's plan.
"Exactly," Daolao nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, the young can indeed be taught. It seems that after awakening some of your latent brain potential, you are not completely useless. At the very least, your understanding has improved."
Haoyun expressed his speechlessness. He still possessed basic logical thinking skills.
After thinking for a moment, Haoyun asked again, "Since that's the case, why doesn't the Multitude Divine Realm prevent those Malaise Energies from entering this world in advance?"
After some thought, Daolao answered, "In a sense, the 'world' I mentioned and the 'world' you know are two different concepts. The world I mentioned is far larger and more complex than the entire Multitude Divine Realm."
"In this world, there are countless timelines. The Multitude Divine Realm generally believes that we only manage a part of the entire world, and it may be only a very small part. However, even this small part has expanded to the point where it has no boundaries."
"In this situation, it's natural that some extraordinary life forms will find loopholes and take the opportunity to enter the Multitude Divine Realm. Malaise Energy is the most active and threatening type among them, posing the greatest threat to the Multitude Divine Realm. And that's the significance of our role as Malaise Energy Tracking Priests. We constantly shuttle through the Multitude Divine Realm, randomly inspecting different jurisdictions to find Malaise Energies that may be hidden somewhere in the Multitude Divine Realm and dealing with them promptly."
"Of course, if Malaise Energies exist in their original form of energy, they have the ability to hide themselves and evade our pursuit. But once Malaise Energies invade the bodies of spirits, they will have nowhere to hide under the close monitoring of the Malaise Energy Tracking System."
Daolao paused before continuing, "My task is to patrol within the Thirteenth Realm of the Earth Yin Spirit Realm and search for the whereabouts of Malaise Energies, then capture them. Alas! Due to the special circumstances now, our manpower is extremely tight. Therefore, so far, the entire Thirteenth Realm has been under my sole responsibility. It's also because of this that I have the authority to appoint someone else as a Malaise Energy Tracking Priest."
At this point, Daolao couldn't help but sigh, "You, ah! You don't know how much merit your ancestors have accumulated to be lucky enough to seize this one-in-a-billion chance and become the lucky one who can break through the dimensional barrier and ascend in place! So, you must cherish this opportunity that comes so rarely, and don't let me down!"
Haoyun naturally understood how lucky he was to unexpectedly become a priest. Since he started his business right after graduation, he also knew how rare good luck and opportunities were. Moreover, with the frequent natural disasters during this period, his career had plummeted into a low point. Therefore, Haoyun naturally hoped to take advantage of this precious opportunity to demonstrate his talent and dispel the long-standing gloom in his heart.
Seeing Haoyun's positive attitude, Daolao nodded in satisfaction and, after learning how long it would take to return to Haoyun's home, volunteered to use the time on the way home to introduce Haoyun to some information about the Multitude Divine Realm.
Since Daolao had expressed it like this, Haoyun naturally didn't hesitate to ask again, "By the way, Daolao. You haven't told me yet, what do the Thirteenth Realm and the Earth Yin Spirit Realm mean? The Earth Yin Spirit Realm sounds creepy and scary. Is it the underworld we talk about?"
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Because the territory of the Multitude Divine Realm is extremely vast, it's divided for easy management. The Thirteenth Realm is the designation for this planet and the surrounding large starry region," Daolao explained.
"The Yin realm, is the place that humans often speak of where one goes after death, but it is different from what humans refer to as the underworld or Hades. In order to better manage each jurisdiction within the spirit world, each jurisdiction is equipped with its own exclusive Yin realm. These Yin realms are responsible not only for receiving, managing, and reconciling the souls of the deceased within their jurisdiction, but also for managing the daily operations of the upper and lower realms of their jurisdiction. Within each Yin realm's jurisdiction, there is a vast main city. These main cities serve as the direct subordinate executive agencies of the highest ruling class of the spirit world and are the most core components of each jurisdiction," Dao Lao continued to explain.
As the two walked and talked, they had already strolled through several blocks without realizing it. Just as Haoyun was about to ask a question, Dao Lao's stomach suddenly emitted a harmonious "gurgle, gurgle" sound. Dao Lao awkwardly rubbed his stomach and looked at Haoyun with a helpless expression, saying, "Oh my, ever since I arrived here, I haven't eaten anything apart from that spoiled spicy potato! And now, I'm penniless. Ah, life is so miserable!"
Haoyun rolled his eyes in exasperation and said, "Don't give me that. Aren't you a priest? How come a priest gets hungry? Aren't you supposed to generate energy from love and sustain yourself on the wind's breath?"
"Haha! My dear friend, you don't understand. While it's true that we priests can go without eating or drinking, it doesn't mean we don't enjoy indulging in good food when we encounter it!" Dao Lao said with a smile on his face.
"Then, after you eat, you won't have some adverse reaction and end up stuck in the toilet, will you? I still don't understand how a dignified priest like you could have an upset stomach," Haoyun asked.
"Haha, that was just an accident. Under normal circumstances, we priests can digest all the food we consume cleanly. However, if we happen to ingest something spoiled or dirty, in order to protect our sacred bodies, we promptly expel that garbage from our bodies. After all, nobody wants to keep anything unclean inside their bodies, right?" Dao Lao said with an embarrassed smile.
Although Haoyun felt that Dao Lao was trying to justify himself, he couldn't completely deny Dao Lao's explanation. Regardless, Haoyun knew that they couldn't avoid tonight's supper. Dao Lao really knew how to eat himself into trouble! Haoyun looked at Dao Lao's feigned pitiful expression and couldn't help but feel helpless.
"Alright! Let me treat you to some food first! I haven't had dinner yet either. After all this fuss, I'm starting to feel a bit hungry! So, tell me, what do you feel like eating? Consider this meal my way of welcoming you to Earth and giving you a taste of our hospitality," Haoyun said generously.
"Haha! My dear friend, I see smoke rising from across the street, with a lively atmosphere. Especially the wisps of blue smoke drifting in the air, they stimulate my taste buds, and my mouth is watering back and forth. It must be delicious earthly food!" Upon hearing that Haoyun was going to treat him to food, Dao Lao immediately stretched his neck and eagerly gestured towards the street ahead with his mouth.
Haoyun turned his head and saw that not far from them was a night market mainly focused on barbecue. At this moment, many people were drinking beer and eating barbecue, looking quite comfortable.
"So you've had your eye on that barbecue place for a while! You're really craving it! Alright! Let me, your esteemed friend, show you the night barbecue of Rongjin City! But listen, let's get one thing straight! If you end up with an upset stomach again after eating barbecue, you'll have to deal with it yourself outside. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite and not letting you sleep in my house later!" Haoyun agreed to treat Dao Lao to barbecue but also reminded him sternly.
"I got it, I got it! Why are you so naggy? Let's go quickly! I'm starving!" Dao Lao rolled his eyes and urged impatiently.
After the two of them had a satisfying barbecue meal, Haoyun simply called a ride-hailing service and took Dao Lao back to his own home. Since Haoyun's rented accommodation was a non-elevator flat in a building without any communal area, although it was just a standard two-bedroom apartment, it still seemed spacious inside. What's more, because Haoyun rented the top floor, there was also a rooftop balcony for his personal use, making the monthly rent of 3,000 soft sister coins seem quite worthwhile.
Since it was already past midnight, Haoyun didn't entertain Dao Lao much further. He quickly tidied up the guest room, gave Dao Lao a brief overview of the house, especially indicating where the toilet was and how to use the toilet, and then hastily washed up before going back to his room to sleep.
The next morning, accompanied by a slight chill, Haoyun woke up slightly groggy from his bed. Although he didn't want to leave the warm bed, the thought of having an unreliable priest at home immediately dispelled his drowsiness.
"Old Dao! Are you up?" Haoyun shouted loudly outside the room, but received no response.
"Could it be that Old Dao hasn't gotten up yet? Or did he wake up and go outside by himself?" Haoyun muttered, reluctantly climbing out of bed, preparing to go out and see what was going on.
Because Dao Lao had only arrived the night before, if he was seen by the neighbors wandering around and asking questions, it could lead to misunderstandings. What's more, what worried Haoyun even more was that Dao Lao might have upset his stomach again last night and had gone outside according to his request to relieve himself.
"Old Dao? Old Dao!" Thinking of this, Haoyun felt increasingly uneasy and immediately raised his voice to shout as he ran out of the room.
But as soon as he opened the door, Haoyun was immediately stunned. As mentioned earlier, the two-bedroom apartment Haoyun rented came with a rooftop garden. So, in the middle of the two bedrooms inside the apartment, there was a small staircase leading directly to the rooftop. At this moment, Dao Lao was standing at the staircase, rhythmically tapping on something as if typing on a keyboard. With each tap, a faint green dot would appear in front of him.
"Oh! I say, Old Dao, what are you up to here? It looks quite high-tech!" Haoyun curiously approached Dao Lao and asked, reaching out his hand to touch the flashing dots that appeared out of nowhere.
Dao Lao swatted Haoyun's hand away impatiently and said, "Go away! Can't you see I'm busy? Why do you dare to touch anything randomly? Aren't you afraid of being electrocuted?"
"Hmph, if you don't want me to touch it, I won't! Look at you being so stingy!" Haoyun responded unkindly, but his body instinctively stepped back half a step to avoid being accidentally shocked by the dots that appeared with Dao Lao's tapping.
Dao Lao swiftly tapped his fingers in the air for a while, then, accompanied by the same "beep" sound echoing from nowhere, the entire space around the staircase immediately rippled like water. At the same time, the faint green dots that had just been tapped by Dao Lao reappeared all at once, and began to rapidly spread outward from dots to surface, until they formed a barrier about the size of a door, intermittently flashing with a pale green light.