Inside the Astronomical Society's inner space, within a secluded dimensional pocket, streaks of color appeared out of nowhere and gradually outlined a familiar figure—that of Luo Shu.
Already accustomed to this illusory body, Luo Shu casually reached out with a gesture. Instantly, a rhombus-shaped blue gemstone spun into existence before him, glimmering faintly as it hovered in the air. This gemstone was none other than the fragment of power left behind by the demon god Vassago, forcefully severed and captured by Luo Shu through the authority of the Astronomical Society's domain—the so-called "divine realm."
Being cautious, Luo Shu didn't return with his real body. Instead, he chose to create a fake projection to study this artifact. This caution stemmed from his own clear self-awareness.
Although in the divine space of the Astronomical Society, Vassago's will had been reduced to a sorry state and forced to flee in desperation, Luo Shu knew better than to let it inflate his ego. Without the System's immense assistance, facing Vassago directly would have meant his brain exploding from an overload of forbidden knowledge in mere seconds—definitely not the kind of epic battle where a god flees in terror at his casual taunts.
"I could directly understand the demonic incantations Ishaha used to summon Vassago just now, but Mira couldn't. That probably has to be thanks to the System, right?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu played with the blue gemstone in his hand and gave a light laugh toward the empty space around him. "Not planning to come out and give me a little lecture, my loyal divine servant?"
[Ding!]
A system chime rang out like the end of a download, and immediately afterward, a mechanical voice echoed crisply in Luo Shu's mind.
[Your loyal servant has sensed your call. Does the great Lord of the Pantheon have any questions for your humble servant?]
Faced with the system's reverent tone, Luo Shu remained on guard. Instead of immediately asking about the properties of the crystal left behind by Vashak, he asked bluntly, "What are you?"
[I am an auxiliary tool created by the Pantheon Reconstruction System, my sole mission is to assist you in returning to the exalted throne.]
"The exalted throne?" Luo Shu sneered, chuckling. "And in the end, who gets to sit on that throne? Me—or you?"
[You.] The system replied without the slightest hesitation.
Still not lowering his guard, Luo Shu pressed on. "Then what exactly is the Pantheon Reconstruction System?"
[It is an extension of the Exalted Spirit.]
"And the Exalted Spirit is?" Luo Shu asked again.
[It is you.]
That response made Luo Shu's heart skip a beat.
"You mean... I created the system? To help myself return to some so-called exalted throne? To become one among the pantheon?"
"Is this one of those storylines where my future self sent the system back in time to aid my past self?"
"In that case, can I just command you—since you're a tool—to destroy your own intelligence core?"
His tone was full of probing intent, but this time, the system did not respond as quickly as before.
[This question cannot be answered. Matters concerning the Exalted Spirit fall under classified information at this stage and are forbidden to be revealed.]
Luo Shu frowned. "Then how do I access that kind of restricted information?"
[Ignite divine fire, condense authority, and ascend to godhood—this is the sole requirement for decryption.]
The system's reply was once again swift.
"Well, that's basically saying nothing," Luo Shu muttered, shaking his head and shelving further questioning for now. After all, he figured the more he asked, the more he'd hear things like "requires this" or "requires that." A waste of breath.
Still, there was one thing he couldn't resist asking, "So after becoming a Demigod, the next stage is becoming a full God, right?"
[Correct.] The system's reply came instantly, and this time it included more detailed information:
[Following the three ranks of Common, Advanced, and Elite, comes the Heroic Domain. Once you surpass the Heroic Domain, you begin to transcend ordinary lifeforms, and upon forming divinity, you become a Demigod. After that, by igniting divine fire and condensing your Authority, you reach godhood—also known as the Divine Domain rank.]
[Reaching either the Demigod or God stage will grant the host permission to perform basic modifications to the system. Matters concerning the Exalted Spirit are restricted to Divine Domain-level clearance.]
[The host's prior inquiry about destroying the system's intelligence requires Demigod-level authority. Without it, such an operation cannot be initiated.]
[When the host reaches the Heroic Domain, your mind will be strong enough to observe the system's core logic. For editing privileges—such as adding or removing components—Demigod authority is required. Please take note.]
Reading that last bit, Luo Shu was stunned. He hadn't expected the system's intelligence to actually be something he could destroy. So, it really is possible to shut off this shady, obviously-hiding-something AI?
In that instant, a part of Luo Shu's lingering suspicion—that the system might eventually betray or manipulate him—lightened, if only a little. Of course, only a little.
As someone who, in his previous life, had watched his own father sink the family into millions of debt through obsessive reading, Luo Shu wouldn't even trust his biological parent—let alone something like a system. But even so, this session of questioning had made him feel slightly more grounded. Thinking about his urgent need for more power, he asked:
"So then, system, do you know how I can quickly increase my strength?"
[Apologies. The system does not possess omniscient capabilities.]
That response left Luo Shu momentarily speechless. Then, with a complicated tone, he muttered:
"So you don't even know how I'm supposed to get stronger? Don't you have a whole bunch of features to help me advance?"
[Apologies. The system is only capable of enhancing or granting abilities. It cannot provide personalized growth paths. Additionally, internal data is only 60% complete. The system can offer broad suggestions but lacks concrete operational data.]
Luo Shu's face twitched. "Useless..."
"Forget it. Does the system have any class recommendations then? Like those overpowered professions, something like Sharon's?"
[The system lacks sufficient knowledge in that domain and cannot provide useful suggestions.]
[Ding!]
[Host possesses a crystallized shard of the Authority of Knowledge. Would you like to hand it over to the system for analysis?]
"Crystallized shard of the Authority of Knowledge?" Luo Shu repeated, looking down at the rhombus-shaped blue gem in his hand. His eyelid twitched slightly.
"…Well. That's quite the coincidence, huh?"