Chapter 44: The Music Goddess Aphnora

Chapter 44: The Music Goddess Aphnora

"Did I... really pass?"

Pus stared blankly at the national goddess Eileen, his voice stammering, his demeanor utterly awestruck.

The anticipated cross-examination never came.

The secret "life-devotion test" his mother had taught him—the one noble lords used to examine their servants—went unused.

The entire interview consisted of simple questions like: Where do you live? Why do you want to be a research assistant? What are your thoughts on crops?

Pus hardly dared to lie, answering everything truthfully.

Some of his replies left him regretting his words immediately after speaking.

For example, when Eileen asked why he had taken the exam, he answered honestly: "I want to rise above my station and give my mother a better life."

Who would have thought that such a terrible answer would ultimately secure his success?

It was simply unbelievable.

Could it be that the Internet God was silently watching over him?

"Is there a problem? Are you dissatisfied with the salary, or do you find the contract duration too long?" Eileen sat calmly in the interviewer's seat, though inwardly, she felt a hint of nervousness.

After all, this was her first time serving as the chief examiner.

Most importantly, the content of the interview was... indescribable.

She still remembered asking Mr. Ajef what topics the interview should cover.

His reply had left her deeply moved:

"Just ask whatever comes to mind. If they seem agreeable to you, that’s enough. They’ll be your assistants in the future—if you can’t stand the sight of them, nothing else matters."

Those words, absurd as they sounded, filled Eileen with profound gratitude.

A sense of loyalty—the kind where one would die for a true friend—took root and flourished in her heart.

Mr. Ajef was a once-in-a-millennium genius. Not only had his mastery of Wood Spirit Magic stunned the Empire, but he had also recently confirmed the historical conjecture that "Thunder Magic can be converted into Light Magic," sending shockwaves through the magical world.

Such a man was never meant to be bogged down in the tedium of crop cultivation.

His creative mind belonged in uncharted territories, where it could contribute most to the magical community.

That was why Eileen was willing to hold down the fort at the Magic Forest for Mr. Ajef—and why she took such joy in it. After all, this was the very reason she had begun studying magic in the first place.

"N-no problem at all! Lady Eileen, when... when do I start?"

Pus waved his hands hastily, his voice trembling with excitement and nervousness.

"You can begin tomorrow. Someone will brief you on the details later. Alright, you may leave now. Send in the next candidate."

"Yes, Lady Eileen!"

Pus bowed respectfully as he exited the interview room. The moment the door closed behind him, unrestrained delight burst across his face.

The sheer joy in his expression made the waiting candidates outside burn with envy—and unease.

On his way home, Pus practically floated on air. Passing by the Hall of Fame, he finally had the leisure to admire the bronze statues lining its halls.

He had long heard that Felix boasted a famous landmark—the Hall of Fame.

Situated along the main thoroughfare leading in and out of Felix, its towering, majestic arcade structure made visitors feel as though they were stepping into a divine sanctuary.

Along the arcade, bronze statues were placed at regular intervals on both sides, each representing a mage who had made outstanding contributions to Felix Magic Academy and the magical world as a whole.

Currently, the Hall of Fame housed only seventeen statues—a testament to the stringent criteria for entry.

Rumor had it that even the Empire's three Gods of Magic had failed to qualify.

Pus observed these statues with a mix of curiosity and reverence, his eyes widening at the unfamiliar names and the descriptions beneath them, which often included phrases like "pioneer of Mind Magic" or "founder of Curse Magic." Though he had only taught himself magic through the internet and had barely mastered the Burning Hands spell, he could still grasp the magnitude of their contributions.

Perhaps they weren’t the most powerful.

Perhaps the magical subclasses they pioneered only extended to first or second-tier spells—yet they remained the pride of the magical world.

"Ajef?"

As he walked, a newly erected bronze statue at the end of the Hall of Fame abruptly halted Pus in his tracks.

The statue was tall, standing at two zhang (approx. 6.6 meters), with an inscription on the green stone beneath its feet:

Ajef, alumnus of Felix Magic Academy, confirmed the conjecture that Thunder Magic could be converted into Light Magic and established the life gene theory, stepping into the domain of Divine Authority.

Those two brief lines sent Pus’s pupils contracting, his heart pounding, and his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Starting tomorrow, he would be working under such a legendary figure—how could he not be thrilled?

Instinctively, he tilted his head to examine the statue’s face.

Boom!

The moment he saw the bronze visage, Pus felt as if struck by lightning, his eyes widening in utter shock.

"It’s him?!!!"

Pus had never forgotten that mysterious young man who had controlled a horde of demons to expose a scam that night.

He had even tried searching for traces of him on the internet but found nothing.

He never expected to encounter a statue so strikingly similar to him today.

Was that mysterious young man… Ajef?

In the end, Pus left Felix with his heart still racing. He wasn’t sure whether the Ajef who had shaken the Empire was the same person he had met that night.

But he had a strong premonition—they were one and the same.

Because that mysterious youth had once said: "The gods love mankind, and my Lord is merciful. As long as you spread His radiance, you shall be His Believer!"

Come to think of it, wasn’t Lord Ajef precisely embodying the benevolence of the Internet God?

"Whether he’s Lord Ajef or not, I’ll find out tomorrow." Pus thought excitedly, his anticipation for the next day growing even stronger.

……

Yu Sheng’an had no idea that a young man had taken such an interest in him.

At the moment, he was putting the finishing touches on the internet’s "flashlight" feature.

Inspired by the Joint Research Meeting, he had spent nearly all his time obsessively refining this illumination function.

As it turned out, the ability to cast magic without inscribing magic runes—something so fundamentally un-magical—could only be achieved through the authority of a Divine Spark.

Ding-dong!

A notification chime echoed in his soul, interrupting his work.

With a thought, the Virtual Scroll of the internet materialized before him. A message from Dandell read:

"Come to the Ringed Magic Tower at once. This concerns the Music Goddess Aphnora."

Yu Sheng'an raised an eyebrow. Even though the debugging of the lighting function was nearly complete, he immediately halted his work and headed for the short-distance teleportation magic inscribed in the Magic Forest, teleporting directly to the Ringed Magic Tower.

The next second, his figure appeared in the Forbidden Gods Meeting Room.

The empty meeting room already had three figures seated.

However, apart from Dandell himself, the other two—Qimoer and Beixi—were merely magical projections, as they were not currently in Willis City.

The three nodded in greeting to Yu Sheng'an, and Dandell cut straight to the point:

"The Music Goddess Aphnora has sent an envoy to purchase seeds—whether it's the non-toxic winter mallow or the cold-resistant black grain, both are your creations. You should understand their importance. The Empire's stance is to refuse, but Aphnora is, after all, a long-established neutral deity. Rejecting her outright might sour relations between our nations. Do you have any suggestions?"

"If I recall correctly, our contract includes a clause prohibiting me from participating in your nation's political affairs, doesn't it?" Yu Sheng'an sneered.

You’ve already decided to refuse, so why call me here? To use me as a shield?

Dandell and the two Gods of Magic exchanged glances, a trace of helplessness flashing in their eyes.

You’ve already stirred up such a commotion in the Empire, with influence rivaling ours. Do you really think you can just opt out of involvement? A single word from you could shift the Empire’s policies!

Dandell said, "You jest, sir. This matter concerns the Empire’s future and even the interests of your preaching zone. Your participation is only natural."

Yu Sheng'an had merely been mocking them. When they signed the contract, both sides knew the first clause was the most crucial—the other two were just tacked on.

Just as the third condition Yu Sheng'an had proposed was the most important.

"My suggestion is simple: seeds are out of the question. License plates... er, food, however, can be sold to them."

Yu Sheng'an and the others weren’t worried about Aphnora stealing some seeds and breeding high-yield crops herself.

The reason was simple: the seeds Yu Sheng'an cultivated were all homozygous. Even the mutation-induced plants hadn’t evolved into entirely new species with complete reproductive isolation.

So even if some seeds were stolen, after two or three generations of cultivation, hybridization would turn them heterozygous, leading to trait separation and a sharp drop in yield.

Dandell and the other two exchanged glances, their eyes brightening with delight. Their thoughts had been the same.

The only reason they’d called Yu Sheng'an over was to leverage his status as a deity to handle the negotiations.

After all, leaving such a powerful figure unused would be a waste.

But then, Yu Sheng'an’s next words left them utterly stunned.

"...And we can sell it to them below market price!"