Chapter 768: Three Souls (6)

The inside of the Ziwei Palace had fallen silent after the bell’s reverberations faded into the void.

Then the single sentence that dropped from Gungbong’s mouth slammed the entire palace into shock.

They said there was only a sheet of paper’s difference between a genius and a fool. That even a cow backing up could accidentally step on a rat. That even the Ministry of National Defense’s broken clock was right once a day.

The Ziwei North Pole Emperor of the Middle Heavens tightened the hand resting against his chin and slowly nodded.

Those eyes that overlooked the constellations briefly turned toward us, and soon a small exclamation escaped him.

“Ohhh...”

The Sonyeo, who had been temporarily supporting the Ziwei Palace as well, stared at us with widened eyes.

Her gaze was mixed with astonishment and admiration.

Soon, words of praise burst from both of them in succession.

“Oho! So there was a method like that!”

“That child is usually so quiet I barely noticed she was even there, but what incredible cunning! So-ryong, is that child another one blessed with exceptional insight? There truly are many remarkable women around you.”

One voice thundered with amazement while the other rang bright and lively.

At first glance, it sounded like an utterly absurd idea.

But if one simply thought about it a little, anyone could realize this was the most realistic and immediate method of escaping their current predicament.

In truth, the problem crushing down on this Ziwei Palace was simple.

The divine generals and immortals were being worn down because the work never stopped.

Every piece of heavenly administration, every report, every processing task and inspection required to keep the order of heaven from collapsing was handled here, and the workload had already far surpassed its limits.

Documents and incidents poured in day and night without distinction, while petitions and reports arriving from every realm and region mercilessly crushed the shoulders of the divine generals and immortals responsible for governance.

And then there appeared a divine treasure known as the White Lotus Finger Needle.

A bizarre object that reversed the sensations of pleasure and pain when applied to the body.

When I first heard about it, I had simply assumed it was some strange tool created to satisfy the twisted tastes of a perverted immortal.

'Ah, no. It belongs to the Sonyeo...'

Pleasure and pain reversing when used on the body. It really did sound like some kind of divine artifact for recruiting like-minded degenerates.

But viewed from a slightly different angle, the story changed completely.

The instant they were struck with it, everyone would experience pain as pleasure and work enthusiastically.

The hands clearing away piles of documents would move faster, and the eyelids that had struggled against sleeplessness would instead shine brightly.

If the aching exhaustion running down one’s spine transformed into pleasant thrills instead, then naturally nobody would want to stop working.

If labor itself produced pleasure, then anyone would move their hands like mad due to reward psychology alone.

Even insignificant humans bowed before sweet rewards, and divine generals and immortals living in heaven were ultimately nothing more than evolved humans, so there was no reason they would be different.

From the perspective of pure efficiency, it was practically a perfect solution.

There were even very few side effects.

If the pain people normally felt while working were too severe, then once it transformed into pleasure, the intensity would likewise become unbearably overwhelming.

And if that happened, everyone would simply throw aside their work, roll across the floor moaning, and turn the entire Ziwei Palace into utter chaos.

If pleasure became too intense, there would only be one outcome.

This vast hall would fill with nothing but the moans of divine generals and immortals and the thick, intoxicating atmosphere of lust.

The greatest administrative office in the heavens would instantly devolve into a den of debauchery.

Fortunately, however, the pain produced by work was not actually that great.

Their legs might tremble after carrying documents all day, and their eyes might redden after staring at writing until dawn, but that pain ultimately remained at the level of mild suffering.

People always said they were dying, dying, but in reality very few actually collapsed and died from work.

It was neither torture nor mental persecution.

Not the agony of hopeless despair that felt like death was imminent, but rather the kind of suffering people somehow endured while complaining all the while.

Work was precisely that.

And if that perfectly moderate level of pain were transformed through the White Lotus Finger Needle into a gentle pleasure, then it would become a delightful, addictive stimulus more suited than anything else for increasing work efficiency.

If efficiency rose by only ten percent, then ten percent of the people in this space could be removed from the workload. If it rose by thirty percent, the work could be rotated in three shifts.

It meant escaping the hellish schedule where everyone functioned as a single body, endlessly running without rest, and finally becoming able to breathe again.

The Ziwei Palace would finally gain some room to breathe.

“Mmhm.”

Receiving the praise and gazes of those two, Gungbong proudly raised her chin.

It was no longer the timid posture she always carried. Her shoulders straightened, and her back stood upright like bamboo.

Normally Gungbong would have awkwardly laughed while nervously reading the room, but at this moment she almost looked faintly intoxicated with herself.

In a calm yet slightly arrogant voice, Gungbong replied,

“You flatter me.”

An arrogant Gungbong. I had never seen such a thing before.

At that moment, I felt my cheeks turning red.

It was because of Soto and me.

This body was currently in a mixed state, so each of us possessed 33.33% ownership. Since Soto and I were embarrassed, that meant 66.66% of the body was currently embarrassed.

The majority opinion had been reflected directly onto our face.

Such blatant arrogance.

And in front of the immensely exalted Ziwei North Pole Emperor of the Middle Heavens, the Chaenyeo, and the Sonyeo no less.

There was no way it wouldn’t feel embarrassing.

Then Gungbong’s sulky voice sounded through our connection.

‘W-what? Why are our cheeks red?’

‘Gungbong, humility. Humility. These are important people.’

I tried speaking to her about humility, but what came back instead sounded oddly hurt.

‘But... this is the first time I’ve ever been praised.’

‘Ah...’

‘Eh...’

At the words that she had never once been praised in her life, both Soto and I froze for a moment.

Because we felt terribly sorry.

It felt like this might have been the greatest moment of her life, and we had just ruined it.

‘Good grief...’

‘S-sorry, Lady Gungbong.’

‘M-my apologies, Gungbong. I simply assumed someone as talented as you must have received plenty of praise already.’

While Soto and I hurriedly apologized, the Sonyeo’s voice rang out.

“Once work resumes, I’ll personally go around applying the White Lotus Finger Needle.”

“Very well. We’ll finally be able to breathe a little.”

Relaxed smiles appeared on both of their faces.

It looked as though they had already finished calculating everything in their minds.

But in contrast, the expressions of the divine generals standing behind them looked deeply uncomfortable.

No, rather than uncomfortable, they were glaring at us with outright resentment.

The eyes that had been half-unfocused with exhaustion moments earlier had now regained sharp clarity as they stared directly at the three of us responsible for this catastrophe.

This method would certainly increase efficiency, but it did not fundamentally solve the problem by increasing manpower or reducing the work itself.

All it did was force even greater burdens onto the workers in exchange for making the future easier.

That was why the divine generals and immortals were making those expressions.

Receiving their stares, I began feeling slightly uneasy.

‘Feels like they’re going to resent us later...’

According to the Nine Heavens Hyeonnyeo, we were supposed to be placed under the protection of the Ziwei North Pole Emperor of the Middle Heavens.

If the Hyeonnyeo, Sonyeo, and Chaenyeo ruled the Nine Heavens, then the ruler of the Middle Heavens was naturally the Ziwei North Pole Emperor.

Even if the dragons ran wild, they would not dare act recklessly against the one overseeing the workings of heaven in place of the Jade Emperor.

That was the calculation behind it all.

But even if he protected me, there was no way he would personally move around doing it himself.

The Ziwei North Pole Emperor was, quite literally, the emperor of the stars.

His violet robes scattered like starlight, while the golden imperial crown worn only by emperors emitted a soft radiance above his head.

In his eyes, even the gathered divine generals and immortals of this Ziwei Palace likely looked no different from grains of stardust.

Would such an existence personally run around caring for a brat like me?

An emperor was one who determined direction and issued commands.

The actual work was always handled by the officials beneath them.

Even if he resolved to look after me, the Ziwei North Pole Emperor would almost certainly stop at giving orders to his subordinates.

In other words, passing the work down the chain.

I had no intention of complaining about that.

He was someone of incredibly high status, so naturally that was how things worked.

And what we desired right now was not special treatment, but simply survival and a minimum level of safety.

As long as that was guaranteed, I had no complaints.

The problem was that the people who would receive those delegated orders were precisely the divine generals and immortals currently being struck with the White Lotus Finger Needle.

Yes. Those people would become the subordinates assigned to look after me.

The Ziwei North Pole Emperor had said all divine generals and immortals under his command worked here, meaning one of these people would inevitably end up responsible for me.

So if we squeezed them dry like this...

Things were going to feel very awkward later.

‘So it was you bastards grinding us into dust back then?’

—Deng deng!

While I was drowning in worry, the bell rang once more.

Apparently the half-geng rest period had already ended.

At the sound, divine generals and immortals all throughout the hall simultaneously began moving again.

I could see them casting glances toward us as they returned to their positions.

And just as the gears of labor were about to begin turning once more—

The waiting Sonyeo suddenly launched herself between the immortals and divine generals like an arrow.

“Alright then, here I go!”

There was an oddly excited tone mixed into her voice.

I could not tell whether she was happy the problem had been solved, or happy to gain more comrades who shared her tastes.

She darted through the immortals and divine generals, rapidly tapping the backs of their necks with lightning-fast fingers.

Tiny traces of the White Lotus Finger Needle’s aura seeped from her fingertips, and short moans escaped wherever her touch passed.

“Ugh.”

“Hhk...”

At first, the sudden reversal of sensation startled them, causing work to stop in places throughout the hall.

The arms of divine generals stiffened while brushes froze in midair.

Some immortals even curled inward momentarily as their backs trembled.

But it lasted only an instant.

After those brief moans, their expressions and auras gradually began changing in subtle ways.

The wrinkles gathered across their brows and the stiffness in their shoulders naturally relaxed.

Bundles of documents that once felt heavy now seemed to fit perfectly into their hands like entertaining toys, and their movements rapidly accelerated.

The speed of brushes sliding across paper visibly increased.

Divine generals carrying massive boxes suddenly walked with lighter steps, while the ragged breathing from earlier gradually settled into steady rhythms.

Instead of pained groans, strange restrained breaths began flowing throughout the hall, and after several more work cycles passed, just as expected, thirty percent of the workforce was finally able to step away from the grinding gears of labor.

After several work cycles ended and another rest period arrived, the Ziwei North Pole Emperor of the Middle Heavens spoke with deep satisfaction.

“You have my thanks. Only now does it feel as though I can finally breathe again. Once you arrive in the Middle Heavens, your protection will be my responsibility. And this is my gift. You accomplished something truly remarkable here. I cannot send you away empty-handed.”

Two streams of starlight burst from his hand.

They pierced directly into our chests.

“Ahhh.”

“Ah...”

Soft gasps escaped.

As the light sank into our hearts, both Gungbong and Soto let out voices filled with ecstasy.

Apparently the gift had been granted specifically to the two who helped solve this problem.

I cautiously asked,

“What is this?”

“It is the light of the stars. To the spirit-creature child, I have granted wisdom capable of glimpsing fragments of the stars’ secrets. To the human child, I have granted the fortune of the stars. I observed the two of them these past few days. The spirit-creature child possesses exceptional intelligence, while the human child possesses remarkable luck. So I merely allowed those qualities to develop further.”

It sounded as though he had completely assessed the two of them over the past few days.

I cupped my fist respectfully and thanked him.

“I am relieved my wives were able to assist the Ziwei North Pole Emperor of the Middle Heavens. Thank you for your generosity.”

Now it was time to return.

Cold sweat unconsciously trickled down my back.

The Hyeonnyeo had said she would handle the situation for me, but whether things had truly gone well remained unknown.

The moment to confirm it personally had finally arrived.