The moment the church was pulled away from time and space, all sounds vanished from Lin Shu’s ears.
A few seconds later, she groggily opened her eyes.
It wasn’t the carriage from that night before she’d traveled through time, as she’d expected.
She was floating in a void, with nothing around her.
Where is this?
As consciousness returned to her mind, Lin Shu’s body suddenly regained gravity and slowly descended to the ground.
She looked around. This was a pure white world, completely silent.
But hadn’t the system just said, [It’s time to take you back] ?
Lin Shu tentatively took a step forward.
Just then, the system panel suddenly popped up, showing only one emoticon:
[ ( W< ) ]
“Ciallo?” Lin Shu tried to respond.
“Hahaha~” A crisp laugh came from above her head.
Lin Shu looked up sharply and saw a little girl hanging upside down, her face directly across from Lin Shu’s.
Her figure was slightly translucent, as if she might disappear at any moment.
“Finally meeting you, Lin Shu.” The little girl flipped over and landed steadily.
“You are…” An answer had already formed in Lin Shu’s mind, but she didn’t say it.
“Didn’t you already guess?” The Creator God put her hands behind her back. “I am your system, and also the god of this world.” As she spoke, the same Creator God symbol as the key lit up on her chest, as if to confirm her words.
“Huh?!”
Even though she had already anticipated it, Lin Shu was still shocked.
“God is a little girl?”
“No, no, no. I only used this form to make you feel more at ease.” Lin Shu blinked, organizing the situation. “So, you brought me here? I thought… you were going to send me straight back to my original world.”
“Mm-hmm~ Since we rarely meet, don’t you want to have a good chat with me before you go back?”
The little girl sat down casually, as if there were an invisible chair beneath her, and her whole body floated in midair.
“Anyway, this space is exclusively mine; nothing will disturb us here.”
Lin Shu was taken aback.
Questions… there were far too many.
The time travel, her identity, and the key.
Too many doubts, and she didn’t know which to ask first.
Seeing Lin Shu silent, the little girl swung her legs and asked proactively, “You saw that child in the church, didn’t you?”
“That child?”
Lin Shu realized she was referring to the Sacred Race’s Pope.
“I saw her. Those chains on her body… were they your doing?”
“Of course they were mine.” She crossed her arms. “To make a long story short, here’s the whole story.”
“Initially, I planned to give her the power to control the Sacred Race, since her management of them was truly outstanding.”
“But I didn’t expect that child’s mind to go astray, becoming more and more extreme.”
“During the authorization ceremony, she teamed up with her sister, shouting things like ‘Sacred Race supremacy,’ and charged at me, trying to seize the power to control the entire world.”
“Even though she did snatch a part of it, my power became limited.”
The Creator God pursed her lips, her tone full of displeasure.
“But I also left her a big gift. Without unlocking the chains on her body, she can’t fully use the divine power she stole.”
Lin Shu was confused. “Huh? Then what is the key’s purpose?”
If she didn’t want the chains to be unlocked, why design a key that could open them?
“The key has two functions.” She held up two fingers. “First, to unlock her restraints so she can fully use that power. Second, to allow me to follow it and reclaim the original power.”
“That power is…”
Lin Shu recalled the Pope’s time-stopping ability. “Time?!”
“So, after reclaiming all the power through the key, I can open a passage to your original world. You can go back whenever you want.”
“Then, with the power you have left now, what can you do?” Lin Shu pressed.
“Maintain your system, grant you some abilities and magic permissions, simple time crossing—that’s about it~”
“Is magic also because of you?”
“Of course. When I heard your prayer, I directly contacted the subordinate Goddess of Magic and gave her a heads-up. No need to go through the godly OA approval; it went through directly.”
She lifted her chin proudly.
“With the remaining power, I can’t directly suppress that child.”
“In an emergency, I contacted the god in charge of Blue Star and chose you.”
So you’re staking everything on me?
“Why did you have to pick a human?” Lin Shu was puzzled. “There are clearly other powerful races.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Humans are a race that possesses love and hope!”
“Besides, that child looks down on humans the most. Isn’t it interesting to have a human familiar holding the tool that can determine her fate?”
Lin Shu was silent for a few seconds, then continued, “But the Pope mentioned divine revelations. Did you send those out too?”
“I did. I put out some harsh words: I would have a human slap them in the face!”
Lin Shu: “…”
“Then why didn’t you tell me all this from the beginning?”
When she had first traveled through time, the system had only mentioned the Familiar Contract.
She tilted her head. “I wanted you to fully experience the world I created and form bonds with the people in it.”
“Speaking of which, you were captivated by that blond vampire right after you arrived. I didn’t expect you’d spend so much time on her, and later on that purple-haired vampire too.”
“You people from Blue Star… what is it with your obsession with vampires? Hahaha!”
Seeing Lin Shu’s expression turn sour, she immediately cleared her throat. “Alright, back to the main topic!”
“Let’s make a deal. You defeat the Pope. I get my power back and send you home. How about that?”
Lin Shu’s mouth twitched.
So after all that, I have to fight!
Before she could speak, the Creator God floated up and drifted in front of her:
“Don’t say things like ‘Is it really me fighting the Pope?’ I wouldn’t misjudge someone. You possess the power of love!” She repeatedly tapped Lin Shu’s forehead with her finger.
Love?
Lin Shu touched her forehead.
Does she mean the power of the Familiar Contract?
The Creator God put on a serious expression. “Also, once you unlock the chains, just do your best to suppress her. Even if you only make her lose consciousness or fall into a deep sleep, leave the rest to me. I can handle it right away!”
Lose consciousness?
A sleep spell might be worth a try. But the spell requires close contact to cast.
Still… it’s not completely hopeless.
Lin Shu looked at the Creator God. “I can try, but I’m not doing it entirely for the sake of returning to my original world.”
“Huh?”
Starting from when she left Liya, Lin Shu’s original goal had indeed been to return to her original world.
But along the way, some of the people she’d met had become ties in this world that she couldn’t let go of.
If the Pope’s extremist ideology remained unchanged, if the monsters targeting mages really were their doing, then one day, the people she cared about might also face disaster.
“I’d rather give those I care about a good future.”
“Not bad, not bad.” The Creator God nodded approvingly.
The key seemed to be activated by her will and floated up.
Then the key drifted in front of Lin Shu and instantly melted into her chest.
“Huh?” Lin Shu looked down in surprise.
“From now on, this key is fused with you. Its authority is yours.” The Creator God smiled. “Unlocking those chains all depends on your will~”
“After hearing what you just said, I think it’s time.”
The Creator God raised her arm and pressed firmly with her fingertip on the mark on Lin Shu’s forehead.
“A little surprise for you.”
“What?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
“Hehe, I won’t tell you for now. Go explore and see—it’s definitely something you’ll find useful.”
She winked and added, “Just be careful not to get drained dry~”
Huh?!
Lin Shu was startled, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
The Creator God clapped her hands together, looking satisfied:
“Alright! Enough chatting. Time to go back to your original timeline.”
“After all, someone is already looking for you.” She grinned brightly.
As soon as the words fell, Lin Shu felt the mark burning hot.
This pure white world, along with the figure of the Creator God, blurred rapidly before her eyes.
“Lin Shu, good luck!”
Her lighthearted voice faded into silence at Lin Shu’s ear.