No strange things are allowed to evolve!

"That's it."

Jiang Shu shrugged:

"They begged to get in, while I was invited by you. If I don't receive some special treatment, then there's no difference between getting in on my own and being invited by you. I don't care, but in the end, it's you who loses face, isn't it?"

So this isn't about negotiating terms; I'm doing this for your benefit. You have to show me something in return so that people know how good the Bureau of Different Systems is to promising evolved individuals, and so that people know you, Team Leader Shen, are a good leader like Liu Bei, who treated talent with respect. That's how we attract more capable people, isn't it?"

After hearing this, Shen Mo sat up straighter.

"That makes some sense."

He has always been quite clear-headed about matters concerning the Bureau of Unification and his own reputation.

Seeing that Shen Mo was confused, Jiang Shu returned to the original topic: "So, what benefits can I get?"

This time, Shen Mo didn't feel anything was wrong.

That makes sense. If you don't show any appreciation for the people you've recruited, how can you demonstrate your generosity, your status, or your unique insight?

If outsiders saw him, they would think he was stingy and indifferent, which would be incredibly embarrassing.

So he began listing: "First, let's talk about the basic benefits everyone receives. The operators in the execution department receive a basic salary and mission bonuses every month, and the bureau also helps with social insurance and housing fund contributions..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Shu couldn't help but ask, "If you pay social insurance and housing fund contributions for evolved individuals, wouldn't the insurance companies go bankrupt?"

"It must be a contract opened by an evolved being specifically for evolved beings. Are you going to let me finish or not?" Shen Mo asked, somewhat annoyed.

"You said."

"These can guarantee the livelihood of the operators. The monthly salary of ordinary operators ranges from 50,000 to 100,000."

"So many!" Even Jiang Shu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

How much would it cost for entry-level and customized items?

"Why do you think so many people are desperate to get in?" Shen Mo said smugly. "This is just the basic level; the higher you go, the higher your monthly salary will be."

"I'll eat this pancake." Jiang Shu nodded. "But the problem is, money isn't very useful to evolved humans, is it?"

"That's why I said this is just basic welfare," Shen Mo explained. "Besides, evolved beings aren't gods. Does that mean they can live without human needs? Can't they eat, can't they have housing, can't they have hobbies that cost money? Can't they achieve financial freedom and have no worries before they can wholeheartedly do good deeds?"

"Too."

"In addition to the money to ensure the quality of life of the operators, they can also get performance points after completing each mission. If they have enough performance points, they can exchange them for useful items internally, such as props, specific incubation farm strategy information, conditions for unlocking a certain skill, from the Real level to the Catastrophe level. There is nothing we cannot provide, only things you can't think of."

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow:

"In short, apart from not being able to directly give you evolution points, spiritual root points, and experience points, the Bureau of Different Systems can give you whatever you want as long as your performance is good enough. You can even have the director personally teach you."

Not only will it teach you and answer your questions, but it will also clearly guide you through the path from level one to level twelve. Isn't that much better than those other evolvers outside struggling like headless flies?

You could say that once you join us, you'll be on a much higher starting line than others. As long as you're hardworking and perform well, your potential will be much higher than what you could have achieved before.

In addition to these, there are also some hidden benefits.

At this point, Shen Mo's voice tinged with pride:

"With this status, people will look up to you wherever you go. As long as you don't mess with any big shots or desperate criminals, you can walk around like a madman without any problems."

As long as you act within the rules, someone will cover for you if something goes wrong. If you can't handle it, I will; if I can't, the minister will; if the minister can't, the bureau chief will. As for the bureau chief, well, there's nothing he can't handle.

I'm not bragging, but go ask around and see what other organizations can go to this extent. Let me be blunt, if you went anywhere else, you might be helping your superiors one minute, and then getting into trouble the next and having to take the blame yourself. Forget about relying on any chairman or leader; you can't even count on your direct superior.

"This...the benefits are so good, the conditions to meet must be quite high, right?" Jiang Shu was genuinely tempted. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or what, but Shen Mo really did say exactly what he wanted.

"All I can say is that compared to other organizations that prioritize ability, the requirements for recruiting people by the Bureau of Different Principles are indeed quite high, and ability is only the most basic requirement."

Shen Mo answered seriously:

"However, regarding this point, you have the strategy record of the disaster-level incubator and survived from the abbot of Yunfu Temple, so there is no need to verify anything anymore. Just go through the motions."

Then there's character. I can judge that. Since I invited you, it means I approve of your character.

Finally, a background check was required, which has already been done. As far as I know, your family's ingredients are very good.

Your father is an engineer who has made significant contributions to infrastructure development; your mother is a teacher with countless students; and you have always been an outstanding student, even winning a national award in high school. These are all pluses.

Jiang Shu was taken aback.

Holy crap! Box!

All I can say is that I'm grateful to my parents, and also grateful that I didn't break the law for the sake of pleasure.

“I can tell you clearly that I made the decision to invite you after conducting thorough research, not on a whim.”

Shen Mo said seriously:

"This is the first lesson I'm teaching you. I hope you'll remember this. This is our motto: investigate first, then act. The Bureau of Different Affairs never fights a battle unprepared."

Jiang Shu opened her mouth, almost saying, "I agree to this marriage," but Shen Mo continued.

"Oh right, everyone has all of those. Besides these, I have a personal gift for you," Shen Mo said, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

Jiang Shu shut his mouth.

Luckily, I reacted a bit too slowly; otherwise, I would have lost 100 million.

What gift?

"I'll give you a nightmare-level weapon that you can use."

Chapter Fifty-Three: The So-Called Sublimation (Please Read On!)

As they left the office with Shen Mo, they bumped into Ba Wang, who was delivering food.

"Team leader, where are you going? Aren't you going to eat?"

"Let's leave it for now." Shen Mo waved his hand. "I'll take him to the strategy section."

"Strategy Zone?" Ba Wang realized something and asked Jiang Shu excitedly, "You're joining the Execution Department too?"

"Let's take a look first," Jiang Shu said, not giving a definitive answer.

Shen Mo, who was walking at the front, rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

Come on, we were all newbies once, do you think I don't know what you're lacking? Just keep pretending to be reserved.

Before Ba Wang could even put the two lunchboxes down, he jogged after him and asked, "Are you going to the strategy area to prepare for the assessment?"

“No need for the assessment, the Yunfu Temple incident already counts as an assessment.” Shen Mo shook his head: “I’m taking him to the prop incubation center to give him a little something to say goodbye.”

"A prop incubator?" Jiang Shu and Ba Wang exclaimed in unison, sounding puzzled.

"Oh, you only arrived today, so it's normal that you don't know."

Shen Mo explained:

"The Item Hatchery is a special type of hatchery. It is neither safe nor dead, and it does not give experience points or points. Instead, it continuously produces strategy rewards in the form of items. However, these items are bound and cannot be traded."

These incubation sites are usually planned by specialists who will first create a strategy guide, record the strategy and the effects of the items, and then manage the site. Once the performance of the members of the Bureau of Different Principles meets the requirements, they can exchange for entry qualifications as needed, and they can easily obtain the corresponding items by following the strategy guide.

There are many kinds of these items: armor, weapons, functional items, and even important items used for advancement.

"Sublimation..." Overlord's eyes shone brightly: "Team leader, can I go too?"

"If your performance meets the requirements, you can go." Shen Mo glanced at him: "However... with your current performance, you may need to accumulate some time."

"How long will it take to save up?"

"If we only count attendance..." Shen Mo calculated, "it should be enough to accumulate for another six months or so."

"Six months?!" Ba Wang said dejectedly, "I heard them say that a hundred points of performance bonus is already quite a lot."

"There are quite a few, more than enough to exchange for a few Real-grade items, but how often do you have the chance to encounter this kind of thing every day? Moreover, the upgraded items are all rare items. Although they are one-time use, everyone needs them. They are not widely circulated on the market and are in high demand but not available for sale. The value of some scraps is almost comparable to that of Real-grade items, not to mention important items. The value of the most common items is approaching that of Nightmare-grade items."

Is Nightmare difficulty already...? Jiang Shu suddenly realized that she seemed to have been given a false promise.

He asked Ba Wang, "How much performance bonus can you normally get in a day?"

"The attendance period is 10 AM a day. If it's fieldwork, the amount depends on the difficulty of the fieldwork," Ba Wang said with a wry smile.

At 10 a.m. a day, that's over a thousand points in half a year.

"That's really expensive..."

"Look on the bright side, if you make a great contribution, wouldn't you be rich?" Shen Mo said dismissively, "For example, if you personally capture the abbot of Yunfu Temple who has escaped, and he is a top-level level 6 evolver with a calamity-level skill and a half-sublimation, I estimate that you will be rewarded with at least three thousand points."

"Speaking of which..." Hearing this, Jiang Shu finally asked curiously, "What exactly is sublimation?"

Shen Mo and Ba Wang stopped in their tracks at the same time.

"you do not know?!"

"I don't know," Jiang Shu said awkwardly. "I keep hearing you guys talk about sublimation, and I roughly know what stage it is, but I really don't know what it specifically represents."

"Well, you're so brave even though you know nothing." Shen Mo sighed. "Let's talk as we walk."

"Ah."

"Sublimation is an indispensable process for evolvers, referring to the process of awakening the spiritual root."

Shen Mo explained in detail:

"Once the spiritual root is awakened, it will endow the evolver with unique abilities."

Once an evolver reaches level six, they can undergo sublimation. Depending on the quality of their spiritual root and the sublimation, the amount of power an evolver can obtain will vary.

After a successful sublimation, the evolved being will be endowed with different characteristics based on the quality of their spiritual root, the quality of their sublimation, and the degree of completion of their sublimation. These characteristics will help the evolved being better control the power of their spiritual root and to bring out its full potential.

Explaining it in detail is complicated, but just know that sublimation is the true beginning of the evolutionary path, the time when the spiritual root begins to exert its power.

"I thought spiritual roots only meant what skills one could use..."

"Definitely not."

Shen Mo couldn't help but chuckle:

"Below level six, spiritual roots are still in a dormant state. Only after sublimation will spiritual roots begin to show their true function. If the quality of spiritual roots is high enough, the benefits they bring are unimaginable. They can not only improve current strength, but also greatly increase the upper limit of the evolver."

Take that weasel for example. Even though its ascension was interrupted halfway through and its characteristics are incomplete, and it looks like a mangy wild dog when it exerts its power, in my judgment, it is still among the top level of un-ascended level 6 evolvers.

It can be said that as long as the spiritual root can be awakened even a tiny bit, it's no longer a simple mathematical problem where "my strength is greater than yours, so I can definitely defeat you."

"I see." Jiang Shu suddenly realized, "So that's why you let him escape?"

"..."

Shen Mo's smile vanished abruptly, then he gritted his teeth and said:

"I already said it was because he had a calamity-level skill, and I was careless for a moment!"

Judging from his flawed characteristics, his spiritual root is definitely not anything good. Skills can only be used because of spiritual roots. If he hasn't undergone any refinement, even if he has a calamity-level skill, I could suppress him so much that he can't use it!

"Are the ranks really that distinct?"

Shen Mo snorted coldly: "High-quality spiritual roots can suppress low-quality ones. If there is a certain level difference, it can prevent you from using your skills. Otherwise, why do you think items that can improve and sublimate quality are so rare and precious? Good sublimation can unlock more potential of spiritual roots and obtain higher-level characteristics."

Jiang Shu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

It's fortunate that the Heart of the Great Wilderness is an item, not a skill; otherwise, wouldn't it be impossible to remove the negative status effect, and we wouldn't have been able to hold out until Shen Mo and Qin Lang arrived?

"Doesn't that mean... if my spiritual root quality is high enough, I might not be powerless against someone of a higher level than me?"

“That’s right.” Shen Mo nodded: “After sublimation, spiritual roots can make up for the gap in level and stats to a certain extent. Of course, the premise is that the other party’s spiritual root quality is lower than yours, and the level is not much higher than yours.”

Jiang Shu understood.

In terms of the quality of spiritual roots, the ancestral spiritual roots should be quite good, and we can assume that they are invincible among those of the same level.

He then asked, "Okay, I understand that. So what are the characteristics granted by spiritual roots?"

Shen Mo stopped again: "As your leader, I'll show you a little something."

When he turned to face Jiang Shu, his exposed skin was covered with black scales that shimmered and opened and closed with Shen Mo's movements, as if they were breathing.

Shen Mo's demeanor was completely different from before. Just by standing there, he exuded a sense of oppression that was even more terrifying than that of the abbot who had gone berserk in his beast form.

He was like a raging fire, and the air around him seemed to scorch because of his presence.

Looking at Jiang Shu and Ba Wang, who were staring wide-eyed, Shen Mo smiled with satisfaction.

He likes the way newlyweds are naive and inexperienced.

"Calamity-level characteristics, Dragon Knight."

The Overlord stared in disbelief: "Team Leader, your trial mission is...?"

“That’s definitely a catastrophic level,” Shen Mo said casually. “But I usually don’t talk about such trivial things, so it’s normal that you don’t know.”