Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

And before the eternal night, had no one else ever attempted divine enthronement?

With this thought, Zhou Baiyu looked towards the massive statue:

"Is this the statue of God?"

The huge statue depicted a humanoid creature garbed in a cloak, wrapped tight like some mystic cult follower or an ancient sorcerer.

It stretched out its arms, embracing humanity, but even its face was obscured, with only the eyes visible.

The statue was carved with lifelike detail.

When Jiang Lu gazed upon the divine image, a look of reverence appeared on her face:

"Yes, this is the great statue of the God of Joy and Laughter."

"The God of Joy and Laughter, the kindest god to mankind in this world!"

"Ah, the first time I came here, I was also received by someone. By then, I hadn't eaten for two days. My first thought upon tasting bread was how delicious it was... what if I couldn't eat it again? I wanted to hide the food away."

Those who have experienced the apocalypse all knew that feeling of having to restrain themselves, spreading a single piece of food over several meals.

"But then I discovered that I didn't need to squirrel away food anymore, ha ha. The one thing we have plenty of here is food!"

"The grace of the God of Joy and Laughter has freed people from strife and hunger!"

As she spoke, Jiang Lu almost wanted to kneel down and kiss the toes of the statue.

Zhou Baiyu nodded, a feigned look of veneration on his face:

"I didn't expect such a god to exist in this world, but what's the deal with that staircase beside the statue?"

Upon hearing the question about the staircase, Jiang Lu's smile suddenly stiffened, though just for a brief moment, after which she quickly adjusted her demeanor:

"Ha ha ha, at the top, there's a huge bell, but no one knows what it's for."

"We don't know who built the staircase, why they built it beside the statue, or why there's a bell at the top of the staircase, ha ha ha... ha ha."

"No one knows the purpose of that bell, it's best not to ask about it. Some people have asked the dignitaries, whether it was Boluke or Luo Zan... they all said it's not a happy topic."

Jiang Lu's expression was a bit strange.

All of a sudden, Zhou Baiyu patted Jiang Lu on the shoulder, giving three solid pats:

"Don't be nervous, we really like it here."

He put on a standard, insincere smile. The service industry sort of smile, combined with Zhou Shou's brother's stunning visage, momentarily bewildered Jiang Lu.

"Do we need to register for anything? Oh right, how should we leave this place?"

Zhou Baiyu asked both how to stay and how to leave in one breath.

Jiang Lu was a very competent novice receptionist.

"I will take you to register and handle all the procedures for you. As I said before, just enjoy life happily here. Everything in this place exists solely for joy!"

"After the registration, you'll be given accommodations. Don't worry, it'll definitely be a spacious, bright, dry, and warm place to stay!"

"Oh right, newcomers just need to rest for the first few days, there's no need to work here. Anywhere in the Land of Joy, wherever you want to go, anything you want to experience, go ahead."

"But—do not climb the stairs, do not climb the stairs, do not climb the stairs."

"Hee hee hee, I'm so happy, oh Jiang Xianwu, I'm so glad to meet you!"

Jiang Lu pranced about.

In the eyes of Guang Tongchen and others like Waking Dream, the girl seemed as joyful as if she had met childhood friends.

But Zhou Baiyu always felt, was this truly something to be so happy about?

He looked around and saw that everyone indeed seemed joyful. However, humans are creatures who are hard to satisfy.

If a happy life becomes the norm, can one really remain happy all the time?

He felt something was off. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"How do we leave this place?" Zhou Baiyu asked again.

Jiang Lu's smile faded somewhat, and her eyes dimmed a bit; however, she still appeared happy overall:

"Why keep thinking about leaving, oh Jiang Xianwu, just stay awhile, hee hee, after a few days, you won't want to leave. This is the only sanctuary left in the post-apocalyptic world."

"But if you really want to leave, Jiang Xianwu, it's not impossible. You'll need to contact Aiou."

Zhou Baiyu asked:

"Who is that?"

"Luo Zan is in charge of managing food, Boluke arranges work, and Aiou is responsible for promotions."

"They also oversee the matters of leaving. But for safety reasons, those who come to the Land of Joy, if they wish to leave, will have their memories of the time spent in the Land of Joy erased."

"If you accept these terms, you can leave through Aiou."

Zhou Baiyu finally got a lead.

"Thank you, Jiang Lu, you've done a great job. When I see Boluke, I will definitely sing your praises."

"Ah... ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha, well... you really don't need to, I'm just doing my job, how could that be great, ha ha ha ha, it feels so good to be praised like this, but please don't, ha ha ha ha ha, please don't do that."

Jiang Lu laughed extravagantly.

Zhou Baiyu always felt that the girl seemed a bit frightened.

In fact, he had sensed something off when they were discussing the staircase.

What was odd, though, was that he couldn't see any sign of fear.