She can read my thoughts!
Zu An quickly stifled that thought. He didn’t dare to carelessly harbor any more thoughts lest he blaspheme the deity before him. “I am in awe of the exalted deity’s omniscience!”
He didn't try to explain himself, instead opting to shrug it off with bootlicking.
As he expected, Mi Li didn’t pursue this matter. “Not only are you a world's master, but you know how to read and navigate the situation, too. You have the talent to become a Time Scribe. Very well, from this day onward, you shall be a new Time Scribe.”
An old book and a disheveled brush appeared in front of Zu An. These two items looked extremely normal; no one would have taken a second look at them in a bookstore. But as a world's master, he could tell that something was special about them. They exuded a faint, ancient, desolate intent.
He took the book and flipped through it. The river of history seemed to flow through the book; different images flashed before his eyes, only to recede into the book the next second.
Zu An stared at the blank page before him in a daze. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had been hallucinating.
It was then that he received a series of messages from his Keyboard System.
Item: Time Annal
Ability: ???
Learnable: No.
Zu An was taken aback. After obtaining the Netherworld Book of Life and Death, he'd gained the ability to consume Rage points to learn abilities from items he came into contact with. The only reason he hadn’t used it more often was because of the astronomical Rage points required to invoke that ability, but never before had an item been unlearnable to him. It’s no wonder she’s an exalted deity of the myriad worlds.
All of a sudden, he trembled in shock. Ah, she can read my mind.
“You seem to have something interesting with you.” The starlight flickered with interest.
Zu An suppressed the thoughts in his mind and replied, “Nothing I have is worth a mention before an omniscient deity like yourself.”
The starlight formed two curved eyes. “That’s true.”
Zu An resisted the urge to retort about the other party’s little girl-like nature and hurriedly changed the topic. “I remember that the Time Scribe could alter everyone’s memories. Why don’t I have any ability at all?”
He had never considered rejecting Mi Li at all. You must be kidding me. I would be out of my mind to reject an entity as powerful as her. Besides, if I can obtain a universal deity’s protection as a Time Scribe, I might be able to march anywhere in the universe with my chest puffed out.
“Would you like to swap what you have for that ability if you like it that much?” The starlight flickered once more as she spoke with a teasing voice.
Zu An anxiously changed his tune and replied, “I’ll treasure whatever you bestowed upon me as a treasure, regardless of whether it is good or not.”
The starlight harrumphed. “You aren’t that good at fawning. How can something I bestow upon my worshiper be terrible? Hold the Spring Autumn Brush and the Time Annal at the same time.”
Zu An did as he was told, holding the brush in one hand and the book in the other. Enlightenment immediately came to him.
Spring Autumn Brush and Time Annal Combination Ability: Exists
As long as it is plausible and reasonable, whatever is written with the Spring Autumn Brush in the Time Annal will become reality.
Note: The content written must be reasonable. If it is too far-fetched or the narrative is too easily unraveled, the ability will be rendered ineffective.
Zu An’s breathing quickened. Isn’t this ability overpowered?
It was similar to his Keyboard Come ability, but the latter required too high a price. Each time he used that ability, he would be left on the verge of death. In comparison, this ability didn’t require him to pay a price. All he needed to do was ensure that the content he penned down was reasonable.
He couldn’t resist asking, “O great Deity of Chaos and Enigma, could I become a revered deity like you by writing it down in this book?”
“What do you think?” the starlight asked. Rather than being angry, she was amused by his boldness.
“Probably not,” Zu An replied sheepishly. “Will anything I write be realized as long as it is reasonable?”
“You can understand it that way, but you need to be careful when writing about certain entities. The stronger the target, the lower the chances of success. Know that you’ll suffer a backlash if you fail; it could range from severe injuries to instant disintegration. You need to be very prudent with what you write in the Time Annal,” the voice echoed.
Zu An nodded. If there were no restrictions to their abilities, Time Scribes would have ruled the world by now. The other deities’ worshipers had to have their overpowered abilities too.
A thought came to his mind and he said, “Let me give it a try.” He picked up the Spring Autumn Brush and quickly wrote a few words.
“You’re already using it now?” Mi Li, despite being a deity, was curious as to what he would write.
Zu An soon finished writing what he wanted.
“On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, Zu An was summoned by the exalted Deity of Chaos and Enigma and earned Her approval. She bestowed him with a standing and power unlike ordinary Time Scribes and conferred him as an Envoy of Chaos and Enigma.”
Other than their worshipers, deities also had envoys representing them, similar to how diplomats represented their respective nations. Needless to say, envoys wielded power and authority far superior to ordinary worshipers.𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
He was taking a gamble here. He sensed that the other party harbored some goodwill for him, so he pushed his luck a little. Most of what was written here was true anyway, and the fabricated portions, as long as she didn’t object to it, could become reality too. She had her pride to uphold, after all. It wouldn’t look good on her if the ability she had just bestowed failed on the first try... right?
Mi Li exclaimed, “...You sure are brazen!”
The starlight shook. For a moment there, it resembled a CPU burning out.
Zu An put on his most sincere smile and said, “O great Deity of Chaos and Enigma, I can feel your magnanimity and the favor you have shown me. Am I mistaken in my words?”
“You are much more interesting than those boring, inflexible fellows, but don’t you think you’re too bold to scheme against me?”
Starlight abruptly fell on the Time Annal, altering its contents. Zu An lowered his head and saw an additional ‘provisional’ word—'provisional envoy.'
Mi Li continued speaking, “How can becoming my envoy be that easy? But given the good work you have done in those worlds, I’ll let you enjoy being my provisional envoy for now. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to become a true envoy as long as you continue doing a good job.”
Zu An felt as if a rock had been lifted from his chest. “Thank you, exalted Deity of Chaos and Enigma!”