Legend Management Bureau Chapter 104

[ … words ]

“The second matter is to give me enough authority to publicly recruit capable individuals with unique talents to work for the Legend Management Bureau.”

“That is easy enough,” Zhang Jian replied. “I will just directly appoint you, my brother, as the Director of the Legend Management Bureau.”

“No, this third matter of mine is exactly that I need you, boss, to assign us a new Director.”

“Brother, I do not quite understand.” Zhang Jian pondered for a moment before saying, “Since you are doing your utmost for the Bureau, would it not be much more convenient to just act as the Director yourself?”

“I am just a mortal after all, boss,” Du Yu said, shaking his head. “If even the Director is a mere mortal, how can we protect the Bureau from things like what happened before? Moreover, it would be best if the Director had the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal to be able to seal legends. Otherwise, our current situation is just too passive.”

Zhang Jian fell silent for a moment, seemingly considering potential candidates.

“Boss, think about it. Is there anyone in the Heavenly Court who possesses profound cultivation but idles away all day with nothing to do? Someone who could drop by the Bureau to check on things whenever they are free, and preferably someone who hates dealing with administrative work?”

The Jade Emperor looked troubled as he replied, “There are indeed quite a few Great Luo Golden Immortals… but finding an immortal who does absolutely nothing all day is much too difficult.”

“Ah!” Zhang Jian suddenly thought of something, purposely lowering his voice to a whisper. “There is one person… who truly has heaven-defying magical powers and idles away the entire day…”

“It is just that this person’s realm is far higher than a Great Luo Golden Immortal… I really do not know if they would agree to this request…”

“Even higher than a Great Luo Golden Immortal? Wouldn’t that be a legendary powerhouse of the Immortal Realm?”

The Jade Emperor offered a bitter smile and said, “No, even higher.”

“Even higher?!”

“This person, much like the Three Pure Ones, has reached the level of a Heavenly Venerate…”

Du Yu grew increasingly curious. There was actually someone like this in the Heavenly Realm? Someone with such terrifyingly high cultivation who could afford to lounge around doing nothing all day?

The Jade Emperor pondered for a little longer before waving his hand. “Sigh, forget it, forget it. I must be out of my mind. How could I possibly ask this person to become the Director of the Legend Management Bureau? If they were to take offense and place the blame on me…”

“No, boss, at least tell me who this person is! If there’s a problem, I’ll go and talk to them myself!”

Zhang Jian let out a dry, awkward chuckle. “Brother… this person is the Queen Mother of the West…”

“The Big Cat?!” Du Yu paused in shock. “So that’s how it is… Is she usually this free?”

“Watch your words, brother!” Zhang Jian hastily covered Du Yu’s mouth. “If she hears the two of us talking about her like this, she would probably fly into a towering rage!”

“Ha, haha!” Du Yu was deeply amused by Zhang Jian’s reaction. “Boss, are you really that scared of your wife?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“Wife!? Mister! You must not speak such nonsense. The Queen Mother of the West and I are gods; how could we experience love, and how could we be married?!”

“Eh?” Du Yu blinked in confusion. “Aren’t the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother husband and wife?”

“Mister, you work in the Legend Management Bureau; how can you not even know such basic common sense? Long before I ascended to the throne, the Queen Mother of the West was already a True Immortal. Furthermore, when have you ever heard of a god having romantic love? Marshal Tianpeng was cast into the Animal Realm just for gazing upon Chang’e three times.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true…” Du Yu suddenly realized, but then a thought struck him. “Wait, that’s not right. You said earlier that the Weaver Girl is the daughter of the Haotian God. Doesn’t that mean she’s his actual daughter? If he couldn’t marry, how could he have a daughter?”

“The Weaver Girl was his daughter from before the Haotian God became an immortal. When he ascended, she ascended along with him. There is a common mortal saying: ‘When a man attains the Dao, even his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven.’ This is exactly what it means.”

“Uh, all right…” Du Yu collected his thoughts and asked again. “Then… would the Queen Mother of the West be willing to agree to this?”

“You would have to ask her yourself, but…” Zhang Jian offered Du Yu a wry smile. “Although she and I share the same status, her cultivation is far higher than mine. Under normal circumstances, I would not dare provoke her…”

“That’s fine, I’ll go ask her,” Du Yu volunteered.

“Uh…” Zhang Jian looked at Du Yu with genuine concern. “You certainly are quite bold, Mister…”

“As long as the Queen Mother of the West agrees, this whole crisis can be resolved effortlessly.”

While the two were deep in discussion, they suddenly noticed a fairy flying rapidly toward their location.

“Hmm?”

They both looked up and realized the newcomer was none other than Chang’e.

“Miss Heng’e?” Du Yu called out.

“I finally found you!” Chang’e landed, panting heavily as she spoke to the pair. “The Queen Mother of the West requests that the Operator head over immediately.”

“Head over?!” Zhang Jian hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, isn’t the Mini Peach Banquet going on right now? A male immortal entering will surely infuriate Her Majesty!”

“It is an emergency!” Chang’e insisted. “The Queen Mother of the West has run into a bit of ‘minor trouble’…”

“Boss, it’s fine.” Du Yu turned back to Zhang Jian. “You go ahead and help me sort out Zhan Qisheng’s situation first. Go ask that ‘Eighty-One Tribulations Arithmetic Heavenly Venerate’.”

“It is the ‘Nine Heavens Response Origin Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerate’…”

“Same difference… as long as you understand who I mean.” Du Yu patted Zhang Jian on the shoulder. “I’ll go check things out first. This is the perfect chance to discuss the ‘Director’ position with her.”

Du Yu bid farewell to Zhang Jian. Chang’e grabbed his arm and flew straight toward the Jade Pool. Du Yu had no idea when Chang’e had acquired such magical power. Did everyone’s cultivation experience a massive boost after undergoing deification?

“Miss Heng’e, what exactly happened?” Du Yu asked in confusion. “Is there actually something in the Heavenly Court that the Queen Mother of the West can’t handle herself?”

“This situation is simply too unique. If the Queen Mother of the West steps in personally, we would lose an immense amount of face,” Chang’e explained, looking slightly troubled. “Thank goodness you are here, Brother Pang Meng.”

Although Du Yu found it a bit strange, he figured that neither Chang’e nor the Queen Mother of the West meant him any harm. He could only let Chang’e drag him forward through the air, even managing to play around with the Moon Rabbit a few times along the way.

Before long, Du Yu spotted a massive plaza down below. In the center of the plaza sat a towering seven-tier cake, surrounded by numerous small tables laden with drinks and desserts. A large crowd of fairies had gathered around, watching something intently. From a distance, he could see four individuals standing directly in front of the Queen Mother of the West. Judging by their attire, they were clearly not immortals from the Heavenly Court.

“We have arrived, Brother Pang Meng. Please watch your words and actions carefully in a moment. Our great nation’s dignity is resting entirely on your shoulders to reclaim.”

“Our great nation’s dignity?”

Before Du Yu could even process those words, Chang’e pulled him down to the ground, landing squarely beside the Queen Mother of the West.

The Queen Mother of the West turned her head and saw Du Yu. Her slightly furious expression instantly softened a fraction.

Du Yu gave the Queen Mother of the West a subtle nod before turning around to inspect the four strangers in front of him, doubt blossoming in his heart.

Looking closely at the four—three women and one man—their clothing was remarkably bizarre. The petite girl standing in the middle wore a bat-sleeved kariginu-style kimono, a tall eboshi hat resting on her head, and a pair of crimson wooden geta sandals on her feet.

The woman to her left sported a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and wore a tight pinstripe suit, draped in a black trench coat over her shoulders.

Meanwhile, the woman on the right was dressed incredibly simply, with only two white cloth drapes wrapped around her body and a woven grass wreath resting on her head.

Du Yu then leaned over to look at the man standing behind the three women. He was dressed in coarse red robes, his eyes squeezed shut and his hands pressed together in prayer. His lips were moving slightly as if muttering something. From his appearance alone, he looked just like an ordinary monk.

“What’s the situation?” Du Yu asked the Queen Mother of the West.

“Ask them yourself,” the Queen Mother of the West replied coldly.

The moment her voice fell, the little girl in the kimono stepped forward and began jabbering away in the language of Fusang.

“Eh?” Du Yu paused. “Are they from Fusang? I’ve dabbled a bit in the Fusang language, but I definitely can’t hold a normal conversation.”

“I almost forgot that you are a mortal.” The Queen Mother of the West pulled out a small, triangular-folded paper talisman from her robes and handed it to Du Yu. “This is a Translation Talisman. Keep it on you. Any foreign languages you hear will automatically be translated into Chinese, and the words you speak will be converted into the corresponding language depending on your listener.”

Du Yu nodded, accepted the Translation Talisman, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Strange as it seemed, the very instant Du Yu took the talisman, the young girl’s words became perfectly clear to him.

“My name is Shiranui Asuka. I am a ‘Time Master’ from Fusang. It is a pleasure to meet you!” The girl smiled sweetly at Du Yu and offered a polite bow.

Du Yu felt overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information. He stood stunned for a moment before repeating, “A ‘Time Master’ from Fusang? Shiranui… Asuka?”

He turned his head to the Queen Mother of the West and asked quietly, “Big Cat, what on earth is going on?”

“A tiny, insignificant nation coming here to clamor and show off,” the Queen Mother of the West whispered back, leaning close to Du Yu’s ear. As she spoke, her breath carried a sweet fragrance, clearly indicating she had just eaten quite a few desserts. “Kid, these people are ‘Operators’ from various countries, and it looks like they came prepared. Given my status, it is wildly inappropriate for me to teach them a lesson. You are quite clever, so handle this for me. If you need anything, we will fully cooperate.”

“‘Operators’ from various countries?!” This was completely unheard of for Du Yu. Did every country in the world actually have its own legend management organization? But thinking about it carefully, it made sense—legends existed everywhere, after all.

The woman in the suit standing beside Shiranui Asuka placed a hand over her chest and offered a slight nod. “Hello, I am Chada from the British Empire of Great Britain. I am the ‘Controller’ of the British Empire. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Although the woman said it was a “pleasure,” her face remained entirely devoid of emotion.

“May Zeus bless you. My name is Lamura, and I am the ‘God of Legends’ from the Greek Divine Realm.” The woman wearing nothing but two white cloth drapes offered Du Yu a slight curtsy.

Du Yu shifted his gaze to the lone man in the group. Without opening his eyes, the man spoke in an indifferent tone.

“I am Vajaran, from Tianzhu. Merely a wandering ascetic on the path to Buddhahood.”

After finishing their introductions, all of them stared at Du Yu, as if waiting for him to say something.

Du Yu blanked for a second. What was this? Were they stating their titles?

Clearing his throat, he declared loudly:

“I am—of Heaven and Earth, Divine Spirits of the Nine Heavens, the Supreme Great Dao, Emulating Heaven’s Law, Illuminating Ten Thousand Generations, Immortal and Indestructible, the Primordial Universe, the Supreme Opener of the Heavens, Wielder of Talismans and Ruler of Eras, the Sovereign of the Profound Vault, the Inaction of Ten Thousand Paths… which are absolutely not me; High Immortal, True Immortal, Great Luo Golden Immortal, Heavenly Venerate of the Three Pure Ones… none of which apply to me! I am the Chief Operator Director of the Legend Management Bureau, Du Yu!”