Chapter Thirty-Four: The God of Love

“Goddess Freya?”

Guo Songmin was slightly taken aback, then laughed, “What kind of thinking is that… She’s merely a local deity; how could she possibly influence the romantic fate of people from our Xia Nation?”

“In theory, that’s true… A local deity’s divine authority and power shouldn’t extend to us Xia people,” Ding Xuewen shook his head, “But don’t forget, whether Mr. Huang still counts as one of us is actually debatable!”

“What do you mean?” Guo Songmin’s expression changed, growing serious. “You’re still questioning Mr. Huang’s identity?”

“No… From what we know, the soul inside the Black Dragon is definitely that of a Xia person, there’s no doubt about it,” Ding Xuewen replied. “But Mr. Huang… after all, he inherited the Black Dragon’s flesh. Judging from the influence of the world’s laws upon him, he’s actually recognized as a native creature of this world.”

“In that case, whether Mr. Huang’s romantic fate falls under the jurisdiction of Goddess Freya’s divine authority becomes a rather intriguing question.”

“If it does… it means Freya’s divine authority is based on circumstances, not individuals; on flesh, not soul. Her recognition system is rigid but powerful, welcoming all and even arranging for the souls of Xia people.”

“If not… it means Freya’s divine authority is indeed limited and targeted, affecting only genuine native intelligent beings.”

“Researcher Yu Xiaomin from our Institute of Science strongly suggests that Mr. Huang should give it a try and seek a match from Goddess Freya.”

“Because not only might it solve his partner issue, it would also give us a more direct understanding of the deities of this world—how their divine authority and power actually operate.”

“Yu Xiaomin?” Guo Songmin asked, surprised, “I think I’ve heard of him!”

“Isn’t he the one who’s always pursuing that captured angel…”

“Guo Commander, where did you hear that?” Ding Xuewen was a bit embarrassed by this, defending, “Xiao Yu wasn’t really pursuing her. He merely wanted to study whether angels, being profoundly influenced by divine power, possess emotional modules or humanity. That’s why he tried to confess to that angel…”

“…Is that so?” Guo Songmin was half skeptical. “How’s his research going? Any progress?”

“From what we can see… it’s hopeless.” Ding Xuewen shook his head. “You know angels are actually sexless beings, mostly created directly by deities using their divine power, existing as propaganda and enforcement tools to maintain their rule. How could they possess the seven emotions and six desires?”

“Though they have male and female traits, it’s mainly to appeal to the world’s intelligent races—especially us humans—since it aids in spreading faith.”

“In reality, their bodily structure is entirely different from ours; they don’t produce sex hormones, adrenaline, dopamine, and so on, so they’re inherently immune to love and passion.”

“Moreover, we suspect that in angels’ brains, there may exist a mental lock that strictly restricts their thoughts and actions… How could human emotion ever move them?”

“So… Researcher Xiao Yu has already given up?” Guo Songmin asked, his tone tinged with regret. A human daring to pursue an angel was already a tale worth telling; if he succeeded, it would become a legendary story for the ages.

“…More or less.” Ding Xuewen lied, knowing full well Yu Xiaomin hadn’t given up, though the Institute had strictly forbidden him from further contact with the angel.

After all, a researcher and guard trying to romance his prisoner was a breach of professional ethics and had a terrible impact—it had to be nipped in the bud!

…

“Brother Liu, look at me! I cleared the second dungeon successfully and even brought back the gatekeeper boss!”

The Black Dragon, clutching the Immortal Bird, landed at the temporary base outside the border, swaggering as it greeted Liu Weihan.

“By the way, you all filmed my battle, right? Remember to show me later so I can review it, analyze, and summarize—looking back, I feel there were many places I didn’t perform well…”

“Also, are you planning to edit the video for TV or online broadcast? I’m fine with it in principle, but shouldn’t you pay me some copyright fees…”

“And, how do you plan to deal with this Immortal Bird? It’s quite fierce, after all—it’s a level six creature. If I let go, you might not be able to restrain it. Maybe I should break its wings and legs first to help you?”

Liu Weihan: “…”

After an exhilarating battle, the Black Dragon’s nerves were still on edge, making it more talkative than usual. Liu Weihan patiently waited for it to finish, then replied,

“Mr. Huang, first of all, congratulations on your triumphant return and for giving us a brilliant, thrilling battle. We’re all proud of your courage and strength!”

“The entire fight was recorded; whenever you wish to watch, we can arrange it for you.”

“Given your current special status and the high level of confidentiality, we can’t broadcast the video on TV or online for now, but it might be possible in the future. When the time comes, we’ll seek your permission and pay you the appropriate copyright fees.”

“As for the Immortal Bird…” Liu Weihan addressed each point, but paused here, a bitter smile on his face.

“There was really no need to bring it back… Though the Immortal Bird is a world-class protected animal, with our current capabilities, we can neither restrain nor protect it…”

“In fact, it would only expose your relationship with Xia Nation, which isn’t good for future plans and strategies.”

“…After all, your apparent identity is the Black Dragon, but in essence you’re a Xia person—this is a national secret, our trump card!”

“Ah… What should we do then?” The Black Dragon felt a bit embarrassed, but more excited. “I didn’t think it through. Now that it’s here, maybe we should kill the Immortal Bird to silence it!”

That way, I could eat its meat!

“…” Liu Weihan paused, mentally rating the Black Dragon’s psychological state, then said,

“That’s unnecessary… The Immortal Bird, though intelligent, isn’t an intelligent race. It hasn’t developed a complete civilization or language communication. Even if we release it, the chance of a leak is extremely small…”