185 Transition (3)
Song Jia pursed her lips, and looked at the date picker widget. She changed the date into the 12th century, which she thought to be the era that had the most number of similarities with the quasi-Middle Ages on her second transmigration.
12th century was the period of intellectual renaissance, and also the time period when an explosion of stone castle-building and the construction of some of the most magnificent cathedrals in Europe happened. In terms of material culture and political structure, it was where medievalism or the medieval culture was at its peak. This was the time period before historical cataclysmic events happened, like the Hundred Years War and Black Death.
As the date above the revolving planet changed, the small scale replica of the modern buildings in the 21st century began to deconstruct, becoming shorter and wider. Cement dissolved into bricks and timber, while glass became straw and clay. Trees sprouted all over the land, and highways disappeared. Cars turned into horse carriages.
Just as she predicted, even though it wasn't supposed to be there, Song Jia saw a replica of the abandoned castle where Jin Jia used to live. She even saw the clothes line where she once hung Xiang Feng and Nian Shou's clothes to dry.
Song Jia, "..."
She waved her hand and the hologram of the sales attendant instantly appeared.
"Hello once again, customer #99013148875! What can we do for you today?"
Song Jia pointed at the small planet. "Can you tell me who designed this?"
The sales attendant turned her attention towards it, scanning the small planet with her eyes. "I'm sorry, customer #99013148875, but that information is classified. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"
Song Jia hesitated and asked, "How much is this?"
A few minutes later, Song Jia left the mall.
Her face was blank, as if she had been struck by lightning.
As expected...
She really shouldn't have asked, ah. That price could directly kill people.
Her soul nearly did an astral projection all on its own.
...
The seminar was held early in the morning, and the speaker was a professional transmigrator who had been in the industry for years. The conference theater was only halfway full. It was because the seminar was going to be held twice, with one in the real world and one in virtual reality using their online avatars.
It was done so that professional transmigrators from other far off star systems could also participate.
"886!" The senior transmigrator that had invited Song Jia to the seminar patted the seat next to her.
As soon as Song Jia sat down, she gave her a thin tablet. "The speaker for today's seminar distributed this a while earlier. Take a look at it."
Song Jia glanced down. The head title, which was in bold letters, instantly caught her eye.
"Male God Ranking?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. Don't bother to look at the ranks from C to F, they're usually harmless to us transmigrators. It's the ones ranked B and above that we should pay attention to. The seminar's topic for today is about them."
Song Jia nodded. She was also interested in the existence of this so-called 'male gods.' Even though her missions didn't directly involve them, they were usually integral to the mission's success.
"Can you send it to me later? I don't have the time to read it now."
"No problem."
They didn't wait long for the speaker to arrive. Song Jia was surprised to see that she looked younger than she thought she would be, only a few years older than her. She gave her audience a simple greeting before going straight into her presentation.
"During our transmigration training, we have heard the terms 'male god' quite frequently. But, let me ask you. Do you really know what the term 'male god' means?"
There was ping, and a message appeared on the hologram presentation behind her. The speaker turned her head to read it with a smile. "Transmigrator 291 says that a 'male god' means a child of fate. Who else agrees with this statement?"
Instantly, the message was bombarded with likes.
"It seems that half of you agrees with transmigrator 291. However, let me tell you this. A male god could also be a child of fate, but this doesn't mean every child of fate has to be the male god."
The presentation behind her changed into a new slide, and Song Jia saw that it was a copy of the Male God ranking her senior had given her earlier.
"To be honest, I don't know why or how a male god could possibly exist. Someone who could call the wind and summon the rain, their existence even defies the natural order. There are some theories that they have evolved faster than the rest of the species, or like in Plato's Allegory of the Cave, all of us are merely imperfect shadows while the male god is a perfect form. In history, these existences we call as 'male gods' have also been called 'destined heroes' by the Greeks and 'God's chosen people' in Jewish liturgy."
The speaker laughed and shook her head. "But, I won't go deep into that. Just like how we can only theorize on why a 'soul' could possibly exist, we'll only end up inside a rabbit hole if we continue this line of conversation."
The speaker proceeded to talk about the ranks of the male god. Like her senior had told Song Jia earlier, those from C to F could only be called as talented people but not a threat to their mission. It was when they got to the Rank B that the speaker's voice became serious.
"A male god categorized as a Rank B would have a good physique, and outstanding abilities. He could be the genius Prime Minister, or the wealthy CEO of an international company. In short, someone who stands above the masses. Who among here have run into that type during their transmigration mission?"
Song Jia nodded her head. Remembering the male gods she encountered, all of them were highly intelligent and couldn't be underestimated. So they were Rank B?
The poll behind the speaker told them that nearly half of them had seen this type of male god.
"Meanwhile, a male god categorized as Rank A would have an oustanding physique, supreme abilities that have not been seen in a hundred years, and—this is the most important part—he would be able to rule the world for a short period of time. Some examples would be...hmm, the Prime Minister who could make the Emperor a puppet, or the CEO who could directly control the economic market for at least half a decade. Who among you here have encountered this type?"
The poll immediately decreased, showing only a quarter of the audience have encountered this type.
Song Jia frowned. She felt that the male gods she had encountered could also be Rank A?
"Now, we'll get to the male gods who have been ranked as S. Throughout my transmigration career, I have only seen this type once, and it was a very unforgettable encounter. They had the same characteristics as Rank A, only much better, and they are able to rule for a long period of time. These male gods give a lasting mark in history, changing the world they live in. Sometimes they are even regarded as gods by their people. Tell me, have any of you met this type?"
This time, the poll was zero. Song Jia also didn't vote for herself. She was feeling a bit speechless. So, she had met a Rank S straight from the bat during her first and second transmigration? Thankfully, Lin Yitian seemed like a Rank A...
"Don't worry, Rank S are rare, and also very dangerous, so it's good that you haven't met any of the male gods categorized under that rank. But, the truly dangerous ones..." The speaker changed the slide again, and this time, the word [Dangerous] was highlighted in red on the screen.
"If you see this type, I will warn you to run as far away as you can. Male gods under this rank can be called as a child of fate, and how much suffering they have received in the past will be how much suffering they'll give back. Death is a very vague concept for them, except if they do it with their own hands. In literature terms...they could be called as the main protagonist. They have the Rank SS."
The slide changed again, and this time, the words [Warning: Extremely Dangerous] were written on the screen.
"Male gods with the Rank SSS have the same characteristics as Rank SS, but they have one ability that differentiates them. Do you want to guess on what it could be?"
More comments from the audience appeared on the screen. Some speculated that they might have superpowers, while others think that maybe the male god turned into a super villain.
"Some of your guesses are close, but not close enough. Rank SSS male gods..."
The speaker looked at them solemnly.
"They could directly destroy a world."
The transmigrators in the audience gasped.
Song Jia, "..."
She really wished she could gasp in surprise too, ah~
