"Tonghua, do you still remember our promise?" Chen Li suddenly asked.
"I remember, I remember! As an Evil God, I can't harm the world and I can't kill the innocent indiscriminately. Haven't I been doing that? Can you please stop worrying about whether I'm going to stir up some massive trouble? You know better than I do how deep the waters of this world run. So what if I'm an Evil God? Hasn't this world accepted me anyway?"
"Alright…" Chen Li nodded.
"But speaking of which… since your World Beacon is considered destroyed, what about your status as my guardian…?" Tonghua asked tentatively.
"Hold on, let me look for it," Chen Li said. As he spoke, The Guide to Forging Curios, which had been in Tonghua's hands, instantly appeared in his own.
Although the Fairy Tale Evil God had only been in this world for four years, she had started with an extremely high status and possessed a great deal of knowledge about the nature of different worlds.
It was from her that Chen Li had learned that every individual's Personal Profession Panel was a so-called "World Beacon."
It sounded a bit strange at first, but upon reflection, it made sense. After all, what was the one thing everyone in this world had? Their personal panel.
Identity is Profession, and Profession is Identity.
The personal panel recorded all of a person's information and came with many basic functions.
For instance, a person's identity was their profession. Fulfilling the duties of that profession would increase their experience, and reaching a certain level would grant a "Trait" slot (usually one every ten levels, though there were exceptions). Traits, in turn, helped the professional better perform their duties.
For example, a high-level teacher would gain the "Teach and Nurture" Trait, making students more obedient and allowing the teacher to level up even faster.
It was precisely because of the existence of the Personal Profession Panel that the increasingly bizarre main world could still maintain a sense of order, with everyone fulfilling their designated roles.
However, for ordinary professions, continuous leveling would at most lead to a long and healthy life, free from illness and disaster; it wouldn't turn everyone into a superman.
Of course, there were also inheritances of special profession cards. For example, Kang Feng, whose shield had been shattered by Chen Li's gunshot, was a Shield Warrior.
The methods for obtaining such special professions varied, from acquiring a special profession card to being promoted to a hidden class for excelling at one's main job.
Since the appearance of the personal panels, they had not only defined everyone's role in society but also provided a potential channel for anyone to advance.
Naturally, it wasn't without its side effects.
Lifespan, for instance, was now locked by the panel. It could only be increased by leveling up one's profession or by obtaining world rewards.
Therefore, the Personal Profession Panel was both a boon granted by the world and a form of restraint.
Just like on Chen Li's former Personal Profession Panel, there had been an additional privilege—Guardian.
And the one being guarded was, naturally, the Evil God right beside him!
It was bizarre, wasn't it? Chen Li was actually the Fairy Tale Evil God's guardian.
Even though, in terms of strength, Tonghua could kill Chen Li with a single punch, he was still her guardian.
After all, he was the sole survivor of the group that had brought the Evil God to this world.
And until the Evil God reached "adulthood" in this world's terms, she could not shake off the status of being under guardianship.
This, aside from her true name, was the reason Chen Li could restrain her.
However, no matter how hard Chen Li searched, he couldn't find any mention of the word "Guardian" within The Guide to Forging Curios.
Because of this, the smile on Tonghua's face grew wider and wider.
"It seems… I have one less restraint on me. My dear believer, let's see how you'll block my [Affection] this time."
Tonghua stood up, pinned Chen Li to the sofa, and her fingers traced a line across his chest.
Admittedly, Chen Li held the Fairy Tale Evil God's true name, but Tonghua was betting that he wouldn't dare use it.
It was like having the power to flip the table but not daring to do so lightly, because that was the final line you couldn't cross.
The Fairy Tale Evil God was clever, though. She never touched Chen Li's bottom line; she only prodded and tested the edges of it.
Therefore, when dealing with Tonghua normally, Chen Li could only barely use his guardian status to stop some of her actions.
And it was only "barely."
That was why, unless absolutely necessary, Chen Li preferred not to meet with her.
But now, things were bad. His guardian status was gone.
"There, there, don't resist. I watched you grow up, you know. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog," Tonghua cooed at Chen Li in a tone used to placate a small child.
"Stop," Chen Li said through gritted teeth.
Tonghua's movements froze.
"Hmm?" Chen Li, who had only been bluffing, saw Tonghua's pause and suddenly felt a spark of delight.
"Stand up. Sit properly. A child should have proper posture when sitting, and you are not to lay a hand on your guardian," Chen Li continued.
Immediately, he saw Tonghua, a look of deep dissatisfaction on her face, begrudgingly sit down properly beside him.
"Ah, sorry to disappoint you. Although I didn't see the word 'Guardian,' the status is still in effect," Chen Li said with a smile, holding up The Guide to Forging Curios.
"Tsk. Sooner or later, I'm going to shatter this personal panel," Tonghua said, annoyed.
In fact, the lower a person's power level, the more they felt the personal panel system was superior.
The higher their power level, the more they felt the panel's restraints outweighed its benefits.
"That's only if you're willing to give up the convenience it brings. Isn't your Fairy Tale Authority in the process of transforming into Story Authority? Are you willing to give that up?" Chen Li said dismissively.
Fairy tales are a type of story.
If she could transform her Fairy Tale Authority into Story Authority, the Fairy Tale Evil God's power would grow even stronger.
"Hmph, just you wait. As the world's largest book publisher, I'll succeed in my transformation in ten years, at most," Tonghua declared unwillingly.
This was the way of the Fairy Tale Evil God, the way she fulfilled the duties of her [Fairy Tale Evil God] profession.
When she first arrived in this world and was recognized by it, gaining a panel, she had three choices for her advancement.
One was to proceed from [Evil God], doing what an Evil God should do.
The second was to proceed from [Fairy Tale], spreading fairy tales.
The third was to proceed from [God], gathering more faith.
But Chen Li, who knew her true name, forbade her from spreading chaos. Besides, in a world with so many strange things, spreading chaos as an Evil God would easily attract the attention of a Relic-wielding Legendary Investigator, who would either seal her or swindle her until she was "bankrupt."
And since Chen Li, her only believer, never tried to spread her faith, the third path was also blocked.
Thus, Tonghua could only choose the second path.
First, she used less-than-conventional means to become the world's largest publisher of fairy tales, solidifying her identity as a [Fairy Tale] Evil God.
Then, using conventional methods, she would defeat other book publishers to seize control over the dissemination of [Stories], slowly realizing the transformation from [Fairy Tale] to [Story]. Add in a few minor tricks and rituals…
Although the process would be slow, in this world where identity is profession, this method was quite effective.
This… was a world perfectly suited for "Gods."
That was why the Fairy Tale Evil God never let her companions come to this world.
One law-abiding, rule-based Evil God was enough!
The local Evil Gods of this world walked a different path from her, so there was no need to worry about them.