He was imprisoned in Nibelungen for a thousand years, only to find out upon his release that he was

"Francesca, your approach is good. You should despise your opponent tactically, but you should also take them seriously strategically. You've performed very well lately, and you've learned a lot from me."

"If you simply imitate, you will not gain anything that belongs to you."

Those who learn from me live, those who resemble me die.

Even he is constantly trying and learning new things, and he will continue to innovate and bring forth new ideas based on existing knowledge.

After referencing the Nibelungen Project of the Night's Watch, he independently developed and modified it. Inspired by the Blood Transfusion Ritual and the Path to Godhood, he reached new heights. Even in battles against enemies, Lu Ming's learning and progress never ceased.

As the saying goes, one should learn until old age and live to the end.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching!"

Francesca noticed that Lu Ming's arm hadn't broken free, and smiled brightly. Her nose twitched, as if trying to smell the unique scent of this body.

'Hmph!' The juvenile Tiamat poked its head out from the other side, seemingly wanting to make a mischievous face at the smug Francesca, but ultimately restrained by its upbringing and feeling it was too improper, it merely pursed its lips.

The group bypassed the area still under renovation and the workshop area where weapons and equipment were being manufactured, and headed towards the main hall, which looked to be in the best condition and most magnificent.

This main hall boasts the best defensive capabilities in the entire city, making it the obvious choice as the office and residence for Lu Ming, Ai Lei, and other core members of the team.

As Lu Ming and Francesca passed through an archway with gilded pillars, a patrol of knights slowly approached. Upon noticing Lu Ming, they stopped abruptly, each placing a fist on their chest in unison as a salute.

These knights are, in essence, the Pale Knights. They are a force of heroic spirits that Lu Ming seized from Odin's legions on the day he fought Odin, after severing a certain "thread" of contract.

The Pale Knight, this heroic spirit, seems to have been inspired by the scriptures of the Book of Revelation and attracted by Lu Ming's ritual, spontaneously guarding the main hall and the ritual site set up here.

Some passing deities or magicians commented that the Pale Knight's behavior seemed more like lingering or waiting for something to arrive than a guard.

Some believers from various sects who frequently visited the area privately referred to them as the "Knights of the Apocalypse".

"Huh... Lu Ming, what brings you here?" Ai Lei's puzzled voice drifted over. "I thought you were busy cultivating."

Lu Ming didn't see Ishtar, who should have been busy, but Ereshkigal was stationed here... She was practically the queen of overtime, working two or three times as long as others.

"I have made a tiny, insignificant improvement in my cultivation."

Lu Ming held up a fingertip.

Suddenly, his eye twitched.

Tiamat started acting like a pendant again, touching and moving her hands and feet, climbing up his arms and shoulders.

"what happened?"

Ai Lei looked around and saw that Lu Ming and Francesca did not make any extra moves in front of her, maintaining a safe distance from each other, and there was no one else present.

But she just... inexplicably felt her head was heavy, a feeling somewhat similar to when Lu Ming mentioned going to cultivate.

Could it be... that you've been working too much overtime and not getting enough rest?

"nothing."

Lu Ming glanced at Francesca. "I don't think I saw Ishtar at her office. I was thinking of talking to her about something."

“Oh! Her,” Ereshkigal exclaimed, her face full of surprise as she spoke of Ishtar.

"That troublemaker has been acting strangely lately, like he's on the wrong medicine or something. He's been working even harder than I have."

"Can you believe it? She didn't even stay at her office, saying she was worried about things, and went straight to the front-line supervision and implementation level."

"Of course I believe you!"

Lu Ming nodded in satisfaction; Ishtar was the job he had personally assigned.

The fact that Commissioner Ishtar is doing such a great job now is a testament to his exceptional ability to recognize and appoint talented individuals.

“Ishtar, she has grasped my sincere spirit, been deeply moved, and reflected on her own shallow understanding!”

"Therefore, she must have been determined to do this, to keep in mind the mass line and grassroots development, and to contribute to our team through glorious labor and profound practice."

What a magnificent spirit this is!

"??"

Ai Lei's lips twitched.

Based on her own stereotypes, she couldn't imagine that her adversary would have any self-awareness of suddenly realizing his mistakes and turning back from the wrong path.

...On the contrary, her arrogant behavior when she gained power was more in line with Ishtar's true nature.

"Really? That's for the best. So what brings you here? I remember... she works on matters related to people's livelihood—"

“Yes, many new faces have entered the city recently. My original intention was to get Ishtar to pay more attention to them, but I didn’t expect her to go directly to the grassroots level.”

Lu Ming was inexplicably moved.

Finally, I don't have to pull it myself anymore.

There's a sense of accomplishment in seeing a 'useless goddess grow up'.

"A new face?" Ai Lei asked blankly.

Clearly, she did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

“That’s right! It was only after Francesca’s reminder that I suddenly realized that I, and everyone else, almost overlooked the deadly trap that Odin had laid because of our victory in capturing the city!”

"What!" Ellie exclaimed in surprise.

Could it be that Odin has a more powerful backup plan, ready to come back at any time?

How can He have so many hidden tricks? There's always another layer after you've uncovered one.

A mille-feuille?

"Yes, it's too sinister!"

As Lu Ming sighed and tried to shake his head, his neck suddenly got stuck—Tiamat climbed up and pressed her long horns against half of Lu Ming's cheek.

"Cough... Odin is really too insidious. While we were still enjoying the holiday relaxation after the victory, he immediately sent spies to infiltrate the newly appeared faces."

"Think about it, these spies might not cause any harm at first... However, when I'm engaged in a decisive battle with Tiamat outside, and everyone is stretched thin, the spies will take the opportunity to cause trouble..."

"Just how bad would the consequences be? A little thought will tell you it's simply unimaginable!"

"Just understanding this has kept me restless day and night, unable to eat or sleep!"

Lu Ming's tone was extremely intense, as if he were fighting against the dragon body of Ti Ma one second and the city would be destroyed by lightning speed in the next.

Ai Lei's gaze was blank.

Is it starting again?

"so?"

"so--"

Lu Ming paused for a moment, then said, "We should send all our troops to arrest all those unfamiliar faces. In that case, we can capture the so-called Odin spy in one fell swoop!"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" As the goddess of the underworld, Ai Lei would never indiscriminately judge and punish souls indiscriminately, regardless of the severity of their sins.

"We need to be fair, not arrest people indiscriminately."

“It’s alright, actually. It’s quite common here. Even if they know, they’ll get used to it,” Francesca shrugged. “At worst, we can just release them after they’re proven innocent.”

It's just police brutality; every police officer in America does the same thing.

Their priority is law enforcement, not protecting civilians. ...The Orlando police chief and his team are the exception.

“Yes, you two are both right. Arresting someone without cause is definitely not acceptable,” Lu Ming said, his expression turning distressed.

Unjustified use of privileges can easily lead to abuse, corrupt public power, breed corruption, expand the dark side, and exacerbate instability...

Wouldn't that be no different from the evil practices of the Odin Group?

Will the dragon slayer eventually become the dragon himself?

This is definitely not what he wanted.

—Just then.

What's bothering you?

If you feel uneasy, don't suppress it. Feel free to sit on Mom's shoulders and cuddle with her!

The juvenile Tiamat finally climbed onto Lu Ming's shoulder, stretched out her legs and sat on his neck, gently exhaling and speaking in a seemingly loving manner.

Lu Ming: "......"

This is outrageous!

Take a closer look and see who's on whose shoulder and who's being affectionate with whom!

How wicked! Using the guise of maternal love to manipulate my body and cloud my judgment—this is outrageous! She's a false mother goddess, a real beast! Tiamat, you are truly despicable now!

However, to be fair, her interruption actually made Lu Ming feel that the pressure was relieved and he felt a sense of release.

"Hey, I have an idea!"

Francesca rolled her eyes. "Since we can't just arrest them directly, wouldn't it be perfect to create a false impression and lure them out on their own?"

You mean...?

"Hehe, we'll ignite a decisive battle against the outside world ahead of time—of course, it's fake—as long as we mobilize most of our forces and create this illusion."

"And those with ulterior motives will immediately notice the weakness in our city's defenses! They will definitely want to take advantage of this opportunity to do something."

At this point, Francesca paused:

"However, the operation is quite difficult. After all, to deceive those people, it definitely means to deceive the entire city. The scene that needs to be created is exceptionally demanding."

She looked at Lu Ming, "You could even say... that the spectacle of Tiamat's final battle should ideally be replicated..."

But who is Ti Ma?

You expect her to act, so she just acts?

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Once the fighting starts, it won't stop. If the scenario becomes reality and Lu Ming is truly unable to extricate himself, giving the enemy an opportunity, that would be quite awkward!

“No problem!” Lu Ming glanced at the top of his head. The juvenile Tiamat was sitting on his shoulder, leaning down to look at him. The latter nodded with a smile.

"Is that so..." Francesca felt that there was something strange about Lu Ming, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"That makes things easier. I can accept this idea."

Ai Lei's expression was similar, but she also couldn't discern anything about Lu Ming.

"Is that settled? Is there anything else, Ereshkigal?"

“Oh... speaking of newcomers, I have two applications here. They were submitted through the collaborator channel, so they were sent directly here. One was submitted by Hierre, and the applicants consist of one priest and four nuns.”

Lu Ming said, "This is not a big deal. It still counts as part of their system. I only recognize Xier here. Let her manage the others."

Having more people like this would make it easier to manage the city's believers. This is a good thing.

"Well, the other one is more troublesome. This Hippolyta... hopes that we can spare some resources to rescue the group of people who are being held captive by Quetzalcoatl during the final battle."

"..."

Lu Ming rubbed his temples. "That's hard to say."

He didn't know what Quetzalcoatl was thinking after he caught Quetzalcoatl off guard and sent him flying with one blow. Why did Quetzalcoatl stop attacking afterward?

Perhaps the hostility isn't deep? But this is just speculation, and I can't guarantee it.

Let's put it on hold for now, and he'll try to communicate with Quetzalcoatl again when the opportunity arises.

Lu Ming believed that he would not offend others unless they offended him.

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He is actually a normal person who loves peace, is content with the status quo, and doesn't like to provoke trouble.

However, the Odin Group's pressure was too great, and he often had no choice but to passively retaliate.

It's always better to avoid trouble. Reaching peace with Quetzalcoatl and reducing conflict is a good thing.

"By the way, Ishtar recently went to the grassroots level. What exactly did she do?"

Ai Lei thought to herself, "It seems like they've set up some kind of mutual aid group, supposedly specifically to help newcomers."

"Not bad!"

Lu Ming's eyes lit up.

"They have not only become more serious and responsible at the work level, but also started to have a longer-term vision and perspective."