I Don't Agree to the Terms

"You see," Gu Shanhai sighed with a helpless gesture, "I'd like to help too, but with my size, I can't really contribute anything."

This matter wasn't an end-of-the-world crisis, so there was no need for Gu Shanhai to get involved.

"But wait, why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Gu Shanhai suddenly realized that Rein wouldn't normally seek him out for such matters, he could handle them himself.

"The will of Human Dao seems to have changed its approach; it looks like it wants to merge with me, even if I'm the dominant one. Nowadays, I feel like I'm evolving toward the most rational state, which is what you, Teacher, call 'Abnormal Destiny,'" Rein didn't withhold anything.

"So you thought that 'Abnormal Destiny' is something specifically out to get you, or perhaps the last straw that breaks the camel's back?" Gu Shanhai hadn't expected such a thing to happen to Rein.

"Yes, the will of Human Dao is likely at a disadvantage in the sea of information and needs external help," Rein shared his speculation.

"And this help shouldn't have conflicting intentions with it. Even if you don't merge with it, you still have to become the most rational being, devoid of emotions," Gu Shanhai continued on Rein's reasoning.

Although Rein was 'Abnormal,' his mind and self were fundamentally still human.

"This multiple backup plan of Human Dao's will seems a bit schizophrenic," Gu Shanhai chuckled, aiming it partly at Rein's situation, and preparing to merge with him if necessary, even if it meant Rein leading, and even prepared another plan to support a human civilization agency without the leadership of the Human Emperor.

The three plans could not be said to be unrelated, rather, they contradicted each other.

However, precisely because of this, it showcased that Human Dao's will hadn't put all its eggs in one basket, suggesting only differing political views between them.

Even Rein was supporting part of Human Dao's plan, which made Gu Shanhai think something was off with him.

"That's why I only trust you, Teacher, to handle this. Otherwise, sooner or later, this agency will become a tool for Human Dao's will to interfere with human civilization," Rein trusted Gu Shanhai the most, entrusting the entire future of human civilization to him.

Although he trusted Human Dao's will, he didn't trust its methods.

To him, human civilization centered around humans, whereas Human Dao's will aimed overall at evolutionary progress, indifferent to the loss of lives at the bottom, seeing it as collateral for the greater good.

That was something Rein couldn't accept; he couldn't allow everyone to just become numbers and a percentage in a plan.

With someone as influential as Gu Shanhai holding the reins, only then could he truly be at ease.

Gu Shanhai also fell silent, feeling as if Rein was setting out his last will.

Well, maybe it wasn't just an impression. After preparing this agency, he was likely ready to make a decisive stand with Human Dao's will.

With Gu Shanhai's support, he dared to be so assertive. Otherwise, he might not lose from a protracted war of attrition, but it would certainly be costly, potentially losing his human side and becoming a true Human Emperor.

"I'll have a charter ready in five months; I'm too occupied now," Gu Shanhai finally spoke up.

This task wasn't difficult for him; what was truly challenging was figuring out how to help Rein win.

He also didn't expect things to progress so rapidly.

"Thank you, Teacher," Rein genuinely expressed his gratitude. Initially, he thought Gu Shanhai would oppose and even join him in combating Human Dao's will, serving as a temporary fix that wouldn't solve the underlying issue.

Moreover, if they really harmed Human Dao's will, they would be the losers.

Gu Shanhai did not see that while Human Dao was acting against Rein, an "Abnormal Destiny" had also been prepared. If anything went wrong during their confrontation, someone would be ready to step out immediately to stabilize the entirety of human civilization.

Were it not for the lack of a substitute for Human Dao's will, Rein's action against Human Dao's will wouldn't have been weaker.

"It's not about whether it's troublesome or not, I need to supervise your conflict with Human Dao's will from beginning to end," Gu Shanhai stated his conditions.

On one hand, Gu Shanhai intended to help Rein; on the other hand, he naturally wanted to gather further data, not just from Human Dao's will but also from Rein.

As the second and third "Abnormal" entities in the world, with Gu Shanhai being the fourth, they might allow Gu Shanhai to glimpse more data related to the sea of information.

"Master, thank you. With your help, my chances of success will increase significantly," Rein said, naturally thrilled by the offer.

"Alright, now tell me, how do you plan to contend with Human Dao's will?" Gu Shanhai noted that both parties were immortal beings. The difference was, it didn't matter if Human Dao's will died; if Rein died, what revived would not be him but the Abnormal Human Emperor.

So in this respect, Rein was at a disadvantage.

"Using this," Rein took out the seal forged from Gu Shanhai's own life-force essence.

"To suppress it?" Gu Shanhai asked dubiously. A mere seal would definitely not suffice to suppress Human Dao's will; even Rein himself couldn't manage it, let alone a derivative seal.

"No, to merge. I plan to use the seal to forcefully converge Human Dao's will into it and then merge with it. At that moment, I and Human Dao's will would co-exist as dual souls," Rein's response somewhat surprised Gu Shanhai.

This approach was equivalent to turning an enemy with the same convictions into oneself, which would make both forces work in the same direction. If Human Dao's will learned of Rein's plan, it might willingly cooperate.

"There are many risks. How can you ensure that you are in control?" Gu Shanhai inquired.

Human Dao's will, unlike humans with various emotions and desires, resembled artificial intelligence more—capable of doing anything to advance human society, an entity of absolute rationality.

"A self-regulating system. After merging with it, as long as It agrees to reside in the system, I will be able to govern the world together with It," Rein had been prepared.

When Gu Shanhai heard this, he also noticed a blind spot—Rein's humanity seemed to be gradually changing.

Had it been the previous Rein, he wouldn't have spoken of governing the world.

The Human Emperor's influence on him was evident, just showing that anomalies formed by rules were far beyond any one person's resistance.

"If you are confident, then that's good," Gu Shanhai didn't stop him. Seeing how Rein hadn't followed his advice before and became a god, Rein was very opinionated, especially on significant matters.

It could be said that having been with Gu Shanhai for so long, Rein had also adopted some of Gu Shanhai's characteristics: he was casual about minor matters, but incredibly stubborn about major ones, never giving up once he set his mind on something.

Thus, even if Gu Shanhai tried to persuade him, Rein would likely agree superficially but continue to act independently in private—an adaptable character.

In fact, this could also be seen as a good thing. Should they manage to negotiate successfully, Gu Shanhai might even persuade Rein to add a condition to protect his self-identity with Human Dao's will, preventing further influence by the Human Emperor.

"You actually support this?!" Rein was surprised, having expected Gu Shanhai to object or oppose when he first spoke out, but this was an unexpected response: "That's as unbelievable as the sun rising from the west."

"I'm very reasonable when it comes to being reasonable," Gu Shanhai bluntly stated, which was practically nonsense.

"That's the same as when you're strong, you're strong, right..." Rein also remarked sarcastically, mocking the pointless statement.