Chapter 7
The reception hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop.
The golden radiance had already faded. A thick metallic stench hung in the air. Blood soaked the carpets and splattered across the chairs, while chunks of flesh and shattered bone lay scattered everywhere.
The younger students who had accompanied the delegation were either unconscious or barely managing to stay upright. None of them had ever witnessed anything like this before. Several doubled over, retching uncontrollably.
Su Cheng: “…”
She was fighting the same violent nausea.
She had killed Lin Yun with her own hands before, but a wind blade slicing someone’s throat was nothing compared to this.
More than disgust, though, she felt shock.
Real fear had appeared on the academy elders’ faces.
“…A god’s favored?”
The way they looked at her now was filled with horror.
Every day, countless merchants raised contracts skyward, praying for the protection of the God of Contracts.
Countless criminals and judicial officials swore oaths before the courts, hoping to prove their sincerity and faith to the God of Law.
But how many people’s prayers could truly draw a god’s response? How many could summon even a fragment of divine manifestation?
Only those favored by the gods could call upon them in this way.
No wonder.
Offering tribute to the Church had only been an excuse from the start. What treasure could the insignificant Lin family possibly present? Enough to warrant the personal arrival of a legion commander?
There could only be one explanation.
A god’s favored.
People chosen by the gods because of some aspect of their character, temperament, or conduct.
Everyone knew that all humans could cultivate battle qi and become warriors. Even the least talented could do it eventually, provided they invested enough time.
Some humans could also resonate with elemental spirits and become elemental mages.
These were ordinary paths to power.
Common ones.
But beyond them existed mysterious domains inaccessible to normal people, realms that either required special guidance… or the blessing of a god before mortals could even touch them.
Among the gods of the Divine Realm, there were two Supreme Gods, over a dozen Major Gods, and dozens of Minor Gods. Each possessed a clearly defined divinity and ruled over a specific authority.
They could choose favored followers and bestow blessings within the scope of their authority.
Races like demons, for instance, were born as the favored kin of the Dark God. Every demon naturally received blessings aligned with darkness.
That was why high-ranking demons were masters of dark magic.
But humans were different.
Humanity belonged to no god.
Which meant those chosen as god’s favored were extraordinarily rare.
Yet once someone became one, the upper limit of the power they wielded often surpassed anything achievable through hard work alone.
Elder Li’s death was proof enough.
He had been a seventh-rank Battle Sovereign. But even an eleventh-rank Battle Saint would have met the same fate.
Within the domain governed by a god’s authority, the power a favored could invoke was not something any mortal race on the continent could endure.
As for why he died…
He had most likely harbored blasphemous thoughts. Others might not have noticed, but gods certainly would.
“You’re actually a god’s favored?!” another elder muttered blankly. “Why didn’t you say so earlier…?”
If they had known sooner, who would’ve insisted on breaking off the engagement?!
A god’s favored held transcendent status. That title alone was enough to earn nobility. Most simply refused imperial ranks, either because they wandered freely or because the Church drew them into its fold.
No wonder.
Everyone suddenly understood.
So that was her connection to the Church.
And she was favored by two Major Gods.
The elder didn’t dare complain to Su Cheng, but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing toward Murong Yue.
Murong Yue frowned deeply.
He understood what the elders were thinking.
Some of them had wanted to arrange a political marriage with him, so naturally they had hoped he would cancel the engagement.
Others had genuinely believed Su Cheng was unworthy of him. Too weak. Too lowborn. And now they regretted it after discovering her identity.
But he didn’t think that way.
He had broken off the engagement because he wanted to devote himself entirely to cultivation, not because he wanted a different fiancée.
Even if someone equal to him in strength, or even stronger, proposed to him now, he still wouldn’t agree.
Knowing Su Cheng was a god’s favored changed nothing.
He didn’t regret it.
And yet…
His gaze drifted toward the blood and remains on the floor.
Elder Li had always been like this. Proud. Hot-tempered. Even while instructing Murong Yue in martial arts, he had often spoken harshly.
Murong Yue had never liked the man, but he still hadn’t expected this outcome.
Yet this was divine punishment.
Even the emperor himself would kneel in gratitude before it.
If he hadn’t come here to break off the engagement…
If he had insisted the others not accompany him to the Lin residence…
Then Elder Li wouldn’t have died.
Murong Yue abruptly rose to his feet, his expression icy.
“…In that case, we’ll take our leave.”
Su Cheng remained seated. Her voice was equally cold.
“I won’t see you out.”
The academy elders hurriedly stood up, waking those who had fainted. Not one of them dared criticize her attitude. If anything, they seemed terrified of looking at her any longer.
The accompanying students fled with their mouths covered.
None of them knew Su Cheng herself was still mentally reeling. They all assumed she had done this deliberately. That the contract had merely been a ritual to invoke divine authority.
Not a single person suspected she had only just become a god’s favored herself.
How old was she?
If this had truly been her first time, shouldn’t she be ecstatic?
The group left in a hurry.
The Lin family patriarch had initially wanted to escort them out, but cold sweat drenched his back and his legs had gone weak. He collapsed back into his chair instead.
The rest of the Lin family looked equally terrified, pale-faced and trembling. Some had only just regained consciousness and still had no idea what was happening.
More than a few were desperately reviewing every interaction they’d ever had with their niece, wondering if they had ever offended her.
One after another, they made excuses and left.
Lin Zhen barely managed to steady himself. He opened his mouth to issue a warning, only to find the relatives already swearing frantically that they would never speak recklessly outside.
Watching them leave, he turned back toward his niece, bewildered and excited all at once.
“What… what exactly is going on here?”
Su Cheng didn’t answer immediately.
This bargain-bin uncle of hers was a stereotypical businessman. He did care about his younger sister’s child, just not that much.
In the original story, after the engagement cancellation drove Lin Yun and Murong Yue apart, Lin Zhen had scolded his nephew harshly and complained bitterly about the academy.
Because he had never wanted to offend those people.
And now?
Su Cheng looked at the utterly confused man before her.
“It’s exactly what you saw.”
In truth, she was filled with questions herself. But outwardly, she remained calm and composed, as though everything were under control.
And Lin Zhen genuinely fell for it.
Mostly because his niece suddenly becoming a god’s favored was simply too shocking.
Far more shocking than becoming a mage.
Elemental mages were rare because most people lacked elemental resonance.
But statistically speaking, out of every hundred people, at least three to five could resonate with some element, even if only weakly.
Anyone could technically learn magic. They just might spend their whole life stuck at first or second rank.
But a god’s favored?
An entire city might not produce even one.
These were people personally chosen by the gods.
“So…” Lin Zhen asked carefully, “does your magic have something to do with this too?”
Su Cheng gave a bitter smile.
“Please don’t ask. It’s… complicated.”
Lin Zhen immediately thought of divine blessings and similar mysteries. Suddenly, everything made sense.
“No need to explain!” He waved both hands hurriedly. “I won’t ask another thing!”
Anything involving gods came with countless taboos.
After years working in merchant associations, he’d heard all kinds of strange and terrifying stories.
But there was one truth everyone knew.
If it involved gods, don’t dig deeper.
Disaster had a habit of following curiosity.
Lin Zhen’s face broke into a grin.
“You were smart ever since you were little. I knew you’d amount to something someday! Honestly, it’s good this engagement was canceled. You’re a god’s favored now. What kind of man won’t you be able to find in the future? That boy’s talented, sure, but he’s hardly the best out there!”
“Mm. Right.” Su Cheng already had a headache from listening to him. “I was actually going to ask you to warn the rest of the family. Especially the ones who weren’t present today. Don’t let anyone bring up my engagement with Murong Yue outside again.”
Fear flickered across Lin Zhen’s eyes.
“The people who left just now will definitely warn their children too. As for everyone else, I’ll handle it personally.”
Su Cheng lowered her gaze toward the contract still in her hand, her emotions tangled beyond words.
Then she slowly rolled up her sleeve.
A golden gavel-shaped sigil shimmered into existence on her pale, slender arm before fading after a few seconds.
A moment later, a black set of scales appeared in her palm.
One symbolized the favor of the God of Law.
The other, the God of Contracts.
As long as she willed it, the marks would appear.
…Did losing the bracelet and one cheat ability somehow earn her compensation in return?
Some kind of protagonist-luck conservation law?
In the original story, Lin Yun didn’t become a god’s favored until hundreds of chapters later. And even then, it had been a deity aligned with the Dark God who chose him.
“…Uncle.” Su Cheng rose to her feet. “I want to go out for a while. I’ll also take a look at the academies recruiting students.”
Lin Zhen didn’t dare object anymore. He nodded reflexively, then fussed over her with concern, asking whether she wanted to rest first.
Su Cheng shook her head lightly.
“I’m not tired.”
A divine manifestation didn’t mean the gods themselves had truly descended.
They might merely be watching from the Divine Realm.
Or perhaps not watching at all.
Sometimes, an event simply happened to fall within the scope of their authority, allowing divine power to manifest naturally.
The God of Contracts could punish oathbreakers.
The God of Law could punish criminals.
But countless people violated laws and vows every day. The overwhelming majority were never punished by divine intervention.
As for Elder Li…
He had probably entertained blasphemous thoughts at the worst possible moment.
Right as she became a god’s favored.
Right as divine authority manifested around her.
If he had crossed some invisible boundary within that domain…
Then this punishment was inevitable.
Fortunately, divine punishment didn’t consume the favored’s own strength.
Which was why she felt no exhaustion at all.
Su Cheng glanced once more at the blood and ruined flesh on the floor.
It no longer resembled a human being.
Her uncle’s voice sounded beside her again, asking whether she wanted a carriage.
Servants hurried over from every direction. One handed her a sun hat. Another offered a pouch of coins.
Quietly, Su Cheng put on the hat and pocketed the money.
“Thank you. I’ll walk.”
In the garden outside, she ran into several young masters and ladies of the Lin family.
Their expressions were strange, as though they wanted to say something but were too wary to speak.
“Don’t start trouble,” Su Cheng said flatly, looking at them one by one. “I’d rather nobody else dies today. So stay away from me.”
They exchanged nervous glances.
Even if they didn’t know what had happened inside the reception hall, everyone had seen the people from South River Academy leave with dark expressions, practically fleeing.
After that, the family elders departed one after another, some dragging their children away from the spectacle with grim faces.
And by now, word had already spread through the estate.
The former waste had suddenly become a mage.
No one dared approach her anymore.
Su Cheng left the estate without obstruction.
The Lin residence occupied an enormous stretch of land in the upper district. Outside, clean streets stretched between elegant buildings, and in the distance, atop elevated ground, stood the sprawling cathedral complex of the Church.
At its center rose a snow-white spire piercing the clouds, haloed by refracted sunlight and radiating a sacred brilliance that felt almost oppressive.
As Su Cheng stepped through the estate gates, she couldn’t help glancing at it again.
In the Northern Continent, the Church of the God of Light had reached the height of its influence.
Every city possessed their cathedrals.
Every human settlement had believers.
Even the coronations of emperors and kings required clergy from the Church.
Leaving the quiet aristocratic district behind, Su Cheng entered the bustling commercial streets.
Pedestrians packed the roads shoulder to shoulder. Customers constantly flowed in and out of shops.
Ambergold City sat along a major southern trade route, so travelers, merchants, and mercenaries from every race could be found here.
Humans made up more than half the population. The rest were beastfolk and half-beast races of all kinds, along with dwarves.
Occasionally, elves appeared in the crowd as well.
Their builds resembled humans’, but their ears tapered elegantly, their features were strikingly beautiful, and even their footsteps seemed lighter.
Su Cheng followed the stream of people forward.
The Empire’s major academies recruited students during spring and autumn, and the spring recruitment period was held in the southern territories.
There was no fixed opening date. Around late spring and early summer, recruitment teams gathered in the prosperous city of Ambergold.
Students from every direction flocked here during this season, making it the busiest time of year.
But that wasn’t why Su Cheng had come out today.
Early in the novel, the protagonist joined a mercenary squad. Among them was a mysterious occult mage who discovered the curse on his body and offered to help suppress it.
The process required rare techniques and absurdly expensive materials.
Lin Yun, however, had refused Murong Yue’s compensation gift after the broken engagement and was perpetually broke. With money tight everywhere, he had shelved the matter entirely.
Su Cheng wanted to find that mage.
Timeline-wise, the mercenary squad should already have arrived in Ambergold City by now. They would be staying here for a while.
“Hunting mission! Starting reward three gold coins! Looking for fire-element mages!”
“D-rank escort mission! Base pay ten silver a day!”
At the intersection between the upper and middle districts stood the Mercenary Guild, facing a vast plaza already crowded with shouting recruiters.
Banners fluttered from the building above, representing famous mercenary groups. Some were permanent residents, others only temporarily stationed here.
Any banner hung there meant the group was accepting missions.
Only mercenary organizations ranked B-class or higher could display their flags in a major city like Ambergold.
And ordinary people couldn’t afford their fees anyway.
Most of the noisy mercenaries outside the guild were low-ranked.
Some shouted because they were desperate. Others simply wanted to save money since posting official notices inside the guild required paying advertisement fees.
Beside the guild entrance stood a fenced enclosure covered by a magical barrier. Several medium-sized magical beasts rested inside.
Winged deer. Pegasi. Giant-horned sheep.
All herbivores. All unusually docile.
Even when a passing little boy repeatedly smacked the barrier with his hands, the beasts didn’t react in the slightest. The ones eating grass continued eating. The ones napping kept napping.
When Su Cheng stepped into the guild hall, a wave of noise crashed over her.
Hundreds of people crowded the lobby, while long lines stretched before the service counters.
Bulletin boards covered the walls, displaying common regulations, local guild rules, and all kinds of bounty missions.
Wanted posters for criminals and cultists hung among them, some stamped with the Church’s golden sword insignia.
Another wall displayed recruitment notices from mercenary groups.
Some sought temporary partners for specific missions. Others wanted permanent members.
At a glance, mage recruitment notices outnumbered everything else.
In theory, anyone in this world could become a warrior.
Mages, however, were far rarer.
Which meant that in most teams, mages were precious minorities.
In the original story, Lin Yun had only qualified to join that mercenary squad because he was a mage.
Naturally, his magic had also been taught by the old-man cheat living inside him.
“…Black Flame Mercenary Group. Recruiting elemental mages with special abilities for mission cooperation. Requirements negotiable. Compensation negotiable. Location: Meeting Room 319.”
Among the sea of flashy notices, Su Cheng found the one she wanted.
Right.
Them.
The Black Flame Mercenary Group had indeed already arrived in Ambergold City.
Every member of Black Flame possessed an extraordinary background. Right now, they were merely disguising themselves as ordinary mercenaries.
Lin Yun joined them several days after the engagement cancellation. At the time, he had only come to the guild for unrelated business and stumbled into them by accident.
He had even face-planted straight into the captain’s chest.
Su Cheng straightened her clothes and revealed the glowing insignia of an apprentice mage.
She headed to the guild’s third floor and found Room 319 at the end of a corridor.
Many mercenaries rented guild rooms as temporary bases. It made things convenient. Anyone who saw a notice downstairs could immediately come upstairs to find them.
A black flame emblem was pasted onto the door.
The symbol of Black Flame.
In the original story, Lin Yun hadn’t met them today, so Su Cheng had no idea what would happen.
She vaguely recalled the squad composition.
The clingy white-haired vampire assassin.
The secretly horny mage obsessed with obscure spells.
The pure-hearted healing elf archer.
And the bold, alcohol-loving swordswoman captain who was surprisingly considerate underneath it all.
The last two were fairly easy to get along with.
Su Cheng desperately wanted to avoid any embarrassing incidents, and especially didn’t want to collide face-first into anyone’s chest, so she carefully pushed the door open without stepping inside immediately.
She peeked in first, confirmed no one stood near the entrance, then cautiously took a step forward.
“…Pfft.”
A laugh sounded from inside the room.
Su Cheng removed her hat and stepped in.
The first thing she saw was a circular conference table surrounded by scattered chairs, piles of messy documents stacked across its surface.
A silver-haired young man sat casually on the edge of the table. His pale, beautiful face carried a teasing smile.
“Miss, relax. We don’t bite.”
His skin was white as carved marble, but his vivid crimson eyes burned like living flames.
He wore fitted silver-gray leather armor that accentuated broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Tall boots reached just past his knees, outlining long, powerful legs.
One hand braced behind him while his legs swung lazily in the air. His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop, silver gauntlets gleaming with sharp lines like a bird’s hooked beak.
Su Cheng: “?”
She stared at the silver-haired youth’s Adam’s apple for several seconds.
“What do you want?”
Another voice spoke from inside the room.
That person stood leaning against the wall with folded arms, head tilted slightly as he looked toward her.
He wore a formal hat. Dark golden curls were tied into a low ponytail. His black-and-red mage robes were embroidered with gold thread along the cuffs and hem, and a scroll rested in his hand.
The fingers gripping the scroll were long and sharply defined, veins faintly visible beneath the skin.
The blond man casually tossed the scroll aside. It struck the wall with a crisp smack.
“Elemental mage?”
Half his face was hidden behind a raised collar. Only his prominent brow ridge, straight nose bridge, and deep blue eyes were visible beneath strands of golden hair.
Cold, sharp eyes.
Like a lone wolf beneath moonlight.
Su Cheng snapped back to herself.
“Yes…”
The blond man regarded her calmly.
“Your mercenary journal.”
That was standard procedure.
A mercenary journal functioned as a mercenary’s identity record. It documented every mission they had completed.
They assumed she had answered the recruitment notice and come to work as a temporary teammate, so naturally they wanted to review her history and make sure she had no suspicious background.
Su Cheng pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Sorry. This is actually my first time at the guild. I forgot… I don’t even have a journal yet. I need to register as a mercenary first.”
She hurriedly turned to leave, only for someone else to push the door open at that exact moment.
The collision was immediate.
Caught off guard, Su Cheng slammed straight into the newcomer’s chest.
Cool fabric brushed her face.
Then solid, powerful muscle crashed against her nose, firm and startlingly elastic beneath her cheek.
A leather strap buckle scraped lightly across her cheekbone, bringing with it a faint sting.
