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Although it's summer vacation, there are hardly any people in the cemetery.

The sudden holiday left Ji Mo with nothing to do. She had no books she wanted to read and no idea where to go. Jiu Chonglou also sneakily said that he would make a decision soon and that they could talk about it later that night before disappearing.

With nothing else to do, he decided to visit the graves.

Ji Mo stood quietly in front of her parents' graves, holding an umbrella, with a bouquet of flowers placed in front of the graves.

Ji Mo's memories of her parents are vague; she only knows that her mother was a primary school teacher and her father was a policeman, both of whom were very gentle people.

By ordinary standards, his mother was 41 years old when she gave birth to him, which could be considered late childbirth.

The official accident report stated that the father was driving while fatigued, and eventually veered off the road with the car, crashing into an obstacle. Because the area was an unmonitored zone on a rural road, he bled to death without anyone noticing for a long time.

No one knows why they went to the countryside.

Fortunately, Ji Mo was attending a boarding school at noon, and his parents probably thought that since he would go in the morning and come back in the afternoon, they could take him home from school. In the end, they did not take him with them.

The sudden death of his parents shocked Ji Mo, and he immediately developed a high fever that lasted for several days. It was only thanks to the care of his mother's colleague from the same school that he was able to pull through.

Perhaps it was to escape her thoughts, or perhaps it was due to the high fever at the time, but Ji Mo's memories were all very vague.

It is said that children who lose their parents often see them in their dreams, but Ji Mo rarely dreams of his parents, let alone does so.

Sometimes Ji Mo also gets annoyed by the effect of being immune to all magic, as there is currently no skill or item that can help him clearly remember that memory.

The only thing Ji Mo remembered was that his parents had argued about what kind of person they hoped he would become.

"A person who is useful to society." These were the words of my father.

"Don't you know how tough it is to be a policeman? I don't care if the child is willing, but if you force him, I'll make you pay first," the mother said with dissatisfaction.

"Forget it, as long as you stay true to yourself and protect yourself, that's enough." This was the final consensus reached by the parents.

Now he should be considered to have fulfilled his parents' expectations, right?

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Ji Mo bowed to the tombstone. He had been there long enough, and his parents probably didn't want him to linger in the past for too long.

"I can take good care of myself now, so you don't need to worry anymore."

……

Ji Mo returned home just in time for dinner. As soon as he entered the house, he smelled the aroma of dishes: stir-fried and spicy, rich chicken soup, and a sweet smell coming from the kitchen. There was quite a variety of dishes.

Jiu Chonglou, wearing a floral apron, poked half her body out of the kitchen. There wasn't a speck of sweat on her forehead. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was cosplaying a cook instead of actually cooking.

For high-level superhumans, cooking a meal requires them to sweat profusely; that's what makes a true cosplay chef.

"You're back?" Jiu Chonglou's tone was as casual as if it were a daily conversation. "The candied apples will be ready soon. Go wash the dishes first."

These dishes are best eaten while they're hot. The Nine-Layered Tower was placed on the dining table, and Ji Mo knew without even looking that she must have cast a time-freezing spell, which would be more effective than any insulated box.

Why do those who master time-manipulation skills seem to prefer using this precious power for everyday life? Ji Mo thought to himself.

After the dishes and chopsticks were washed, the two sat down at the table.

Jiu Chonglou didn't have the habit of not speaking while eating or sleeping, and said directly, "I have some leads regarding that cult."

Ji Mo put down her chopsticks.

"You eat yours, I'll talk about mine." Jiu Chonglou also picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, already a veteran at talking while eating: "It's a niche sect in the realm of rules. The sect has changed its name many times, but the meaning is roughly the same, all similar to death. You can call it the Church of Death without any problem."

"It's strange, really. All the followers of the Death Cult are weird, and the higher-ups were among the first humans to be transformed into weird."

The earliest batch of strange beings in the world of rules, some of whom, like the dragons, were summoned, were called the Original Strange Beings.

Another part involves humans actively acquiring methods to transform into the supernatural through information provided by the Void Erosion, or turning against the original supernatural and devouring its power, thus actively assimilating into it.

Regardless of the type or level, it can guarantee a clear sense of self.

The realm of the supernatural and the realm of rules are complementary. As long as a large number of lives die within the influence range of the realm of rules, there is a chance that a low-level supernatural will be born, while simultaneously enhancing the original supernatural in this area.

It sounds powerful, but given the circumstances back then, the trouble caused by the strangeness was negligible.

The frequency of spawning members of the same race is too low, the scope of the rules is limited, and upgrading requires a large number of lives.

In that era, everyone, human and god, was scrambling to kill people, accumulate luck, and secure a big reward. Weird, a weakling like him, lost 70-80% of his power once he left that small place, so he couldn't kill many living people.

Everyone else is trying to occupy a planet as a supply point, and you're still guarding a school with a thousand students, hoping some idiot will break in and break the rules so you can kill them.

The strange thing at the time, in gaming terms, was a version trap.

"The supernatural is neither inorganic nor organic life, and it transcends life and death. Rather than being the controller of the rules, it is more accurate to say that it is a plaything of the rules."

Jiu Chonglou's cheeks were puffed out, and he spoke clearly:

"Those who initially transformed into bizarre humans quickly regretted it, feeling it would have been better to remain human."

"This thought is even stronger when the world has a cycle of reincarnation, but the supernatural is excluded."

"But unfortunately, there is still no way to turn the monster back into a human."

"They felt they were alive, but after becoming monsters, they lost 'death' and allowed the rules to revive them, which is a manifestation of abandoning 'death'."

"Perhaps by facing true death, I can enter the cycle of reincarnation and continue to be a human in the next life."

"This is the origin of the Church of Death; they yearn for the glimpse of the pillar god [Death] and to reclaim this power."

"But it is clear that in the age of the gods, [Death] never heeded the requests of the Church of Death."

Ji Mo pondered, "Perhaps it's true, as the Church of Death guessed, that because the rules allow the supernatural to manipulate death at will, [Death] has become angry?"

Jiu Chonglou remained noncommittal, "Clearly, Mara's world is an attempt by the Church of Death to gain a glimpse into it."

Because 80% of the supernatural beings are mindless, low-level supernatural beings, and not all supernatural beings want to return to the embrace of death, the Church of Death remains a niche faction within the realm of rules.

It's not even as large as the Holy Ghost Cult established by the surrender faction on the human side of the rules realm.

Oh, it's possible that the number of living sacrifices offered by the Holy Ghost Cult each year exceeds the total number of members of the Death Cult.