How Am I Still Alive?

"...I heard that you're going to work part-time as a gardener."

The voice on the other end of the line sounded somewhat exhausted.

It was already noon, and Xia Qin hadn't rested since her night shift the previous day.

After this major case, meetings, discussions, organizing pursuits, comforting the victims, everything was mentally and physically draining.

Brother Lei hadn't contacted Lu Ping'an for a BUFF because he was also working overtime... It's unnecessary to say who passed on the news.

Currently, Xia Qin was in a meeting and had taken a break to make this call.

"Yes, I think the gardener suits me quite well. As you know, I'm not good at combat and I don't have time to train. This path of sitting and waiting for growth, making money, it suits me, doesn't it?"

"....Indeed, logistics is the easiest to pass in Ancient City University."

Although saying this, Xia Qin seemed somewhat disappointed, but in the next moment, she seemed to unintentionally add another sentence.

"It's not because gardeners are also life system like the Mother Goddess, is it..."

"Mother Goddess? What's that? I didn't see it in the reference book."

"You sly guy, how could you not know? Never mind, whatever you want. Are you going to the Forest Secret Realm to confirm your profession? I'll grant you leave and approval of entry, be quick... Ah, you might even be safer there, you handle it yourself. Do you know the location? I don't have time to take you."

If there's no one to protect the three people she was responsible for, letting Lu Ping'an go out alone might be safer.

Thinking about the current situation, Xia Qin let out a helpless sigh, and no longer insisted.

The power used by the gardener profession came from the life system deity Lin Nu.

In a certain sense, she and Lu Ping'an still had some entanglements.

"Is it near Lin Ci Hospital? I know..."

The hospital where Lu Ping'an was treated, where Chris had infiltrated, was unofficially known as Lin Ci Hospital, formally named the Ancient City Third Hospital of the Forest Maiden's Love for All.

Similar to how the Chasers' Church invests in a large number of sports and health programs, Lin Nu's name appears in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

As a relatively friendly high-level existence, she can provide the Secret Keepers with a relatively mild starting point for the life system pathway through the professions of the gardener and healer, which is quite popular on some levels.

The ceremony for becoming a 0-tier profession isn't standardized, but there's a reference point. It often happens in places where they can easily establish contact (contact principle), doing things they like or have done before (similarity principle).

To become a gardener under the gaze of Lin Nu, the premise is to complete a specific ceremony - planting trees in her holy land.

".....A deity's secret realm? It should be different from wild secret realms."

Having interacted with Secret Keepers, Lu Ping'an naturally understood a phrase they often said.

"Pollution can only be covered by a higher level of pollution. Or, it can be diluted by a larger volume of pollution."

This seemed to be a truth of this world, it revealed a helpless reality: "Pollution" doesn't disappear.

It only moves from one place to another, from one individual to another.

This was the core of his surveillance treatment. After Chris's secret realm and her body "disappeared", even without evidence, he, as the winner, became the key surveillance target.

Since Chris was considered a ZZ (9-tier quasi-deity) level polluter, he, as per the rules, was lucky enough to get the legendary "Z (near-deity)" to "ZZZ (deity)" level polluter's observation treatment.

But this also led to another question.

"How are other pollution events above level four dealt with, the kind that involves secret realms?"

Since secret realms are hard, if not impossible, to eliminate, how are those that appear in urban areas dealt with?

Considering Xia Qin mentioned one every few months, all the manpower resources might not be enough to stop the endless expansion of those voids.

"In fact, the method of handling it is the same as a professional, borrowing the power of the 'Gods' to transform the Secret Realm."

"So, fight magic with magic and pollution with pollution?"

"...Although it's a strange metaphor, it's pretty much the same. Using the rules of pollution to erode and transform another type of pollution, making it go from chaotic and unorganized to orderly, stable, and safe."

Once the Secret Keeper has cleaned up deep corruption in many Secret Realms, they would invite the true gods' priests and use their power to transform the Secret Realm, making it less harmful or profitable.

Some small worlds become properties of companies or churches, while others become training grounds for the Secret Keepers, becoming a source of specific resources.

Pollution only accumulates and cannot be reduced or completely eliminated. To periodically clean/spread the accumulated pollution, Secret Keepers often visit these Secret Realms regularly.

Some say that relatively safe and controllable Secret Realms were privately created by relevant departments, manufacturing controllable "Polluters" in the earlier years.

But these "man-made Polluters," due to their low levels of talent pollution, are generally weaker in the early stages... but once they become professionals, as long as they grow, it seems not to be a big problem.

Secret Realms need Secret Keepers to deal with them regularly, and more Secret Keepers bring more pollution. Their behavior also accumulates more pollution, naturally leading to more Secret Realms."

"Fighting pollution with pollution is like cleaning a graffiti wall with ink. In the end, it will inevitably be a mess, and the whole world is drinking poison to quench thirst, right?"

No wonder people say that all Secret Keepers are patients with chronic terminal diseases, and the whole world is slipping into the abyss.

Cough, I'm off-topic. For current Lu Ping'an, he just needs to know that going to the Secret Realm is a must-do for him.

But he's not very confident about fighting, so he brought insurance.

"Meow, let's go!"

He hired a veteran to help with the instance! The kind that pays!

"Hehe, with your ability this time, and my excellent condition, we must make a fortune!! Meow roar! Even if you hadn't invited me, I was planning on going tomorrow."

Meow's radiant smile made Lu Ping'an feel a little uneasy, so he put the spray can deeper into his pocket.

"By the way, have you been to the Secret Realm in the hospital? What are the rules?"

The gods have their preferences. The Secret Realms transformed by their rules are diverse.

The rules themselves are orderly, so these Secret Realms are relatively safe.

Chris's (Quasi-God) Secret Realm is a one-on-one arena, where only the living can get out, and the dead are hung on the walls.

If you don't choose an opponent, she will maliciously arrange the opponent who is closest to you and has the best relationship with you.

Some Secret Realms are a dream, some are a piece of history that once happened, some are crazy sports events, some are beautiful garden holy places, and some are simple survival games."

In Lu Ping'an's view, Lin Nu's reputation seems to be pretty good, and her Secret Realm should be quite safe."

"Oh, it's a killing game. Kill pollution to kill Polluters. The more you kill, the more rewards you get. It's super straightforward, also the most common type of Secret Realm."

Lu Ping'an was taken aback. Isn't she a Life-system deity?

"Didn't you know? The Life-system is known to be the most brutal. But Lin Nu indeed has a good reputation, she hates death, so in her Secret Realm, no one will die... people that get killed, immediately respawn at the entrance of the Secret Realm, and can't re-enter in a short period."

In their own world, even the boundaries of life and death can be reversed? For the first time, Lu Ping'an felt the incredible power of a so-called deity.

At the same time, he understood why Xia Qin said, she should be safer in there than at home.

But looking from another perspective, doesn't that mean...

"So, inside you can kill as you like for practice?"

"Yes, but everyone's trial opportunities are precious resources. Messing around like that will offend people. You'll still have trouble getting out. Most people do their own things inside, and the target they kill is mostly the pollution monsters produced by the Secret Realm itself... Why are you laughing? It's a bit creepy meow."

"No, no, I'm just really happy. Come on, let's go, let's go."