Chapter 12: "Us

Zhou Baiyu had disappeared.

Midel suddenly felt somewhat melancholic.

But immediately, she adjusted her posture and became languid and graceful once more.

She actually hadn't planned to make use of the Advanced Beings' power for anything.

In the current world, humanity had already been reduced to slaves. The Advanced Beings indeed were a nuisance; she had killed quite a few and also encountered existences that were difficult to oppose.

But the Advanced Beings weren't sufficient to change anything anyway.

Midel carefully recalled Jiang Xianwu's performance these past days...

If what Jiang Xianwu said was true.

Then having one more human who was infatuated with her and could bring pleasure, that was quite interesting, wasn't it?

If this little man was pretending, that was also interesting, as this human was actually able to stir her emotions, willing to make such great sacrifices just to cling to life.

Such a person was even more worthy of being wooed and befriended. Of course, the value of killing such a person was also great.

But obviously, Midel was reluctant to do so.

Outside the building, on the tentacles that had sprouted due to corruption, many crimson eyes opened...

The moon was also stained red.

Looking at that red moon, Midel, with her graceful demeanor, yawned:

"I'm really looking forward to our next meeting, my little pet."

...

...

In the pitch-black world, light suddenly emerged.

The pink light imbued this space, smaller than eighty square meters, with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Below the chandelier was a liquor cabinet and a bar, where numerous colorful liquids were placed in a variety of exquisite bottles.

There were bottles that resembled Eastern porcelain as well as those that looked like crystal glass, each with a unique shape.

A woman with big, wavy curls, wearing crystal earrings, and possessing an extremely mature look, was puffing on a pipe, exhaling smoke.

The structure of the room, due to the bar forming a circle, presented a "回" shape.

The woman was on one side of the bar, and Zhou Baiyu was on the other.

Upon seeing Zhou Baiyu suddenly appear, the woman lifted her eyelids, scrutinizing him.

"Oh, a newcomer, that's rare; my place hasn't opened for business in a long time."

Zhou Baiyu was still in a state of confusion.

Suddenly disappearing and then flashing into such a strange... yet somewhat themed hotel-style room, looking at the facilities that seemed like a bar counter in front of him, he felt quite out of place for a moment.

This feeling of disorientation quickly dissipated.

The woman's words, the surrounding environment, the message he saw before leaving, and the earliest update announcement...

All the pieces came together in Zhou Baiyu's mind, and he began to grasp a bit of the puzzle.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your middleman."

"What the heck is that? Where's my Enchanting Demon? Where's my big Midel?"

"Tsk tsk, such a strong desire to stay in the Advanced World, you're the first I've seen, kid; I've got high hopes for you."

Zhou Baiyu sneered, looking disdainful as he said:

"Although you're good-looking and resemble Laisheng Lei from the Three Cat sisters, although you're seductive and full-bodied, a beauty to behold, capable of toppling cities and kingdoms, charming and enchanting, unparalleled in allure, enough to make fishes sink and birds fall..."

Zhou Baiyu had probably used up all of his life's vocabulary praising women, using dozens of words to flatter her, before slowly turning the conversation:

"But I still prefer that Enchanting Demon Midel who is just slightly less than you."

Midel was very enticing, so much so that Zhou Baiyu felt he might no longer be interested in ordinary women.

However, Zhou Baiyu had already sobered up. He must have completed the challenge and entered the next stage.

And this woman before him was likely the key to unraveling all the mysteries. That is to say—it was time to butter up another lady.

So, no matter what, flattery never goes out of style.

Especially since... Zhou Baiyu felt that he wasn't exactly flattering, this person who claimed to be the middleman was truly beautiful.

"Sweet talker, smooth talker, harboring ulterior motives, while internally lecherous as hell, you've chosen a job as a suicide interventionist. You're a truly interesting person indeed."

The woman exhaled a cloud of smoke and continued to speak:

"I'm your middleman, you can call me boss. Given that you're indeed interesting, you can also call me Sister Lin."

"Boss? What, am I working for you?" Zhou Baiyu didn't object to this beautiful female boss.

Sister Lin had the appearance of a mixed race of East and West, sporting a teardrop mole, which indeed resembled Laisheng Lei.

"I was talking about being the boss of this bar, and as you can see, this place is set up like a bar."

"Of course, all this is just a facade, what we're selling here isn't really alcohol."

"There are nine major professions, each backed by a god that provides power and a way to move up."

Sister Lin puffed out another cloud of smoke, and said:

"But most of them have turned into rules, to communicate with them, you can only go through us middlemen."

"You are a Mutator, and your patron deity is the God of Difference and Chaos. Among the nine gods, this one is known as the most unpredictable."

Zhou Baiyu said nothing.

Having lived through the apocalypse and heard about the "God of Corruption" from the Enchanting Demon Empress Reina himself, he found the existence of other gods quite acceptable.

He asked:

"Did you say you sell things here?"

"Complete specific challenges across versions, and you'll earn Advanced Points. With these points, you can buy a lot of things from me."

"Of course, unlike the other gods. The goods provided by the other eight gods are all fair and square. But the one we follow..."

Sister Lin gave a mysterious smile:

"Everything about it is unstable, filled with difference and chaos."

Baiyu had roughly figured things out.

"In terms of a game, you're the NPC who handles all my affairs?"

"You can understand it that way if you like. I am your middleman for the God of Difference and Chaos, as well as your career mentor. I am one of the few existing high-ranking Mutated Demon Masters."

"Come closer, little brother. This consultation is free."

Sister Lin hooked her finger, and although Zhou Baiyu was cautious, he still obliged.

The result was... a puff of smoke blown right in his face. This overly intimate act was not a tease.

In a moment, a small new memory embedded itself in Zhou Baiyu's mind—

Mutator. Different walker. Mutated demon.

Mutated Demon Master. Lord of Divine Abnormality. Chaotic Order.

Six tiers, with each new tier bringing new abilities and greatly enhancing the existing ones.

However, to advance in tier, one needs to acquire a massive amount of Advanced Points.

Even though Mutated Demon Master is only fourth tier, it is almost invincible among the other eight professions at the same level.

But the three tiers below the Mutated Demon Master are much weaker compared to the other eight professions.

Zhou Baiyu quickly absorbed the memory regarding the advancement of Mutators.

He also quickly understood why the first three tiers of this profession were so weak.

After all, this tricky mutation could potentially weaken its user.

Fortunately, he finally had some hope.

"As long as I reach the level of Mutated Demon Master, in theory, I should already be much stronger than the other eight professions."

"I think I've got it figured out, let me sort this out. You're my career mentor. But not only that, I can exchange various items with you, all of which require something, the Advanced Points."

"You're called the middleman, and this place is like a transfer station between the Advanced World and the original world?"

Zhou Baiyu's ability to extrapolate impressed Sister Lin, who smiled:

"In our line of work, although luck is most valued, I must say, I enjoy dealing with intelligent people. Luck also favors those who think, and your ability to adapt isn't bad either."

Of course, it wasn't bad; if a radish could get caught up in the tail of an Enchanting Demon and he could accept the darkness of night, what couldn't he accept?

After one has challenged a version, of course, there needed to be a safe area to catch one's breath, and someone to bring all kinds of information and channels for improvement.

This person is the middleman.

The middleman is also a high-tier Mutator, but seems... different from other Mutators, Sister Lin appears to be an intermediary form between gods and humans.

Zhou Baiyu posed his next question:

"'We'—who exactly are we? Will what I do truly affect the future? Since I've joined 'us,' do I have any new privileges?"