I Don't Agree to the Terms

As for what comes next, there was no need for Gu Shanhai to show up in person, as the Four Saints Beasts System together with the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers were essentially able to establish a framework.

He was just there to oversee things, to prevent any foul play when the time comes, such as issues with rules and regulations, which Rein had already established long ago.

Gu Shanhai casually entered various materials into the Four Saints Beasts System, then summoned the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers, who left on their own to carry out their tasks.

The control program was naturally the Four Saints Beasts System.

"You have involved matters concerning the entire world in these Twelve Divisions, named after the twelve zodiac signs, covering military, agriculture, ritual, and more, yet you've missed something crucial," Gu Shanhai said.

"Teacher, are you referring to counterbalance?" Rein understood.

"Exactly, without counterbalance, once you die, these Twelve Divisions will not only oversee governmental affairs but will also control various anomalies, and chaos will inevitably arise," Gu Shanhai didn't hold back at all, as Rein created these Twelve Divisions to prevent unchecked anomalies after his death.

And if Rein were alive, it would give the people of the Twelve Divisions a hundred reasons not to rebel.

"This is why we need you, Teacher," Rein explained that not organizing was simple, for he feared mishaps if handled by him alone; in fact, the prototype of the Twelve Divisions had already appeared under his preparations, and once the Twelve Divisions were successfully organized, Rein could relax significantly. At this stage, the Twelve Divisions were Rein's left and right hands in suppressing anomalies.

"So, are you asking me to establish a Thirteenth Division for you?" Gu Shanhai didn't expect this lad, now in power, to be so roundabout.

"The Thirteenth Division must have sufficient strength and ensure it does not use its power to influence the other Twelve Divisions. It should be a sword hanging over the heads of the Twelve Divisions!" Rein set forth his requirement.

"I know, the Eastern and Western Factories, the Jinyi Guard—yeah, I understand the process," Gu Shanhai implied he had trained both a public and a secret commander of the Jinyi Guard; the procedures were similar, the only difference being the circumstances in the two different worlds.

"It seems you are already prepared, Teacher."

"Yes, I just need someone capable of taking up the responsibility. This Thirteenth Division will be named after the cat, specifically to catch giant rats," Gu Shanhai didn't really intend to call this Thirteenth Division the Jinyi Guard or name it after the Eastern and Western Factories. Mainly because the style didn't match; since the first Twelve Divisions were all zodiac animals, the Thirteenth Division had to choose the cat, originally not selected.

"Excellent, 'Cat eats giant rat, the world stays peaceful,'" Rein agreed enthusiastically with Gu Shanhai naming the Thirteenth Division after the cat, especially since Gu Shanhai explained its role.

If the members of the Twelve Divisions didn't turn into giant rats, then the Thirteenth Division would merely be a pet cat.

Gu Shanhai then refrained from speaking further and began selecting suitable personnel to serve as the Master of the Thirteenth Division. Most of those listed were actually chosen for the Twelve Divisions and were no longer suitable for being transferred to the Thirteenth Division.

"What's up with this person?" Gu Shanhai pointed at a name on the list; this person wasn't serving any position.

Rein glanced at the person Gu Shanhai pointed to, whose name was Sun Taoli, and then said, "Capable, but already advanced in age and quite stubborn in character. After the Twelve Divisions were filled, he became an alternate."

This Sun Taoli was seventy years old, a very old age even in an era of adventurers, making him one of the few elderly people who had experienced two different eras.

After casting a divination, Gu Shanhai found that this person was stubborn and pedantic, as obstinate as a mule.

Yet, there was a advantage—he was immensely principled and fearless.

More bizarrely, his son and grandson had the same disposition, meaning that as long as one directed this knife properly, the three generations would all be valuable assets.

The strength of the Thirteenth Division wasn't the main concern; lack of strength could be cultivated, lack of ability could be trained, but this stubborn nature was tricky to handle.

"How's his loyalty?" Gu Shanhai inquired.

"Average, not too good, lacking a strong sense of belonging," Rein's thoughts were somewhat similar to Gu Shanhai's, but he valued capability more. He would accept someone with loyalty even if they lacked capability, yet since there were better candidates, Sun Taoli just didn't make the cut.

"Let's choose him. I'll handle the issue of belonging," Gu Shanhai calculated what to do.

The whole family had suitable personalities, and with the right cultivation, they could become upright and unyielding. The only problem was the need to ensure that the descendants were capable, loyal, and righteous. Indeed, Gu Shanhai planned to turn the position of Master of Thirteen Divisions into a hereditary role.

Otherwise, constantly changing people, how could quality be assured?

On the other hand, if things went smoothly for Gu Shanhai, by editing their genes, he could ensure their descendants remained the same over generations, thus preserving quality.

"I never saw such talent in this person? Teacher truly has a discerning eye," Rein also immediately flattered Gu Shanhai.

"When did you become so smooth? Planning to make a cameo at Yuan Haikong?" Gu Shanhai gave Rein a glance, noting that of all his disciples, Rein was the most flattering.

"I'm merely telling the truth," Rein said seriously, indicating he was speaking honestly.

"Come on, I don't buy your act," Gu Shanhai, in his previous life, had heard all sorts of flattering words and was thus immune.

He then left and headed to a location far from Sun Taoli's home.

From a distance, he saw the other man basking in the sun at the door.

He wore animal skins, and even his chair was crude, cobbled together with wooden joints.

With civilization in decline, many things had disappeared, and now the lower class mostly wore animal skins, and smelting was insufficient.

The emergence of the Thirteen Divisions was not only to suppress anomalies but also to redevelop and promote civilization.

The total population was sixty million, not spread very widely, primarily because, after the great ruins, Rein had gathered them all and divided them into six areas for resettlement, with ten million people in each area for better management.

However, even after two years of development, there were many limitations.

After all, aside from Rein and Gu Shanhai, everyone else was in a primitive state, and even the administrators of the six areas were all personally trained by Rein; otherwise, there would be no one to manage things.

And this Sun Taoli was one of the administrators, but due to his stubborn nature, he often clashed with others. Although he made it onto Rein's list, he was also dismissed because of it.

"It's in hand, now all that's needed is to find a way to change their characters and genes."

"But we can't be too harsh, once the Thirteen Divisions are destroyed, we'll lift the restrictions."

Gu Shanhai looked at the hair samples from three generations of the family in his hand. He did not eradicate this matter completely because he understood that nothing in the world is eternal; the Thirteen Divisions would also cease to exist someday, a fact he didn't care about as he focused on the present, not the future.

The future will die, so should he stop living now?

"Tsk, indeed, humans today are completely different from those in the age of adventure, having undergone major changes at the genetic level."

Gu Shanhai researched and found that the human genes of the two eras were completely different.

If adventurers from that era appeared now, the mildest outcome would be maladjustment to the environment, with a severe one being instant death.

Probably only the Saints could withstand it.

It was also fortunate that other adventurers had all devolved into ordinary people; otherwise, without this devolving process, the population might have halved again.

Gu Shanhai did not dwell on these matters; they had already been relegated to the past, it was better to focus on the present.

"It will take about half an hour to create the corresponding gene potion," Gu Shanhai looked at the data, made a quick estimate of the completion time, and then began to work.