I created the Bureau of Anomaly Control

The sun blazed overhead.

After confirming that his sister wasn't hurt, Xiao Lie looked at the figure that seemed to have come from mythology.

"Did you save us?" he asked, nervously and respectfully.

"Mortals," Ma En declared, "you belong to me."

His tone suggested that they were born to be his, but if the earlier promise held true, he did indeed possess ownership over the two mortals before him.

Mortals—that was how Ma En saw them at this moment.

As before, the arrogance that looked down upon all things flowed through every inch of his veins along with his divine power, granting him the grand perspective of a star overlooking these tiny creatures.

The difference was that this time, Ma En didn't try to resist this almost innate arrogance.

Even his every word carried a certain unreasonable domineering air.

This would be his image while operating in the Southern Federation for this period.

Obtaining the anti-divine medicine wasn't difficult; although there might be some twists and turns, in Ma En's view, it was by no means an extremely difficult challenge, nor did it pose any risk.

Since the Federation thought it could solve the problem of the gods by negotiating with Victor.

Then he just needed to shatter the Federation's illusions.

A brand new red sun would rise again in this land.

Under the scorching sun, Ma En gazed at the young brother and sister supporting each other; their dark skin and scars were symbols of their strong will, and their worried eyes were filled with intense hope and determination.

Numbness occupied their bodies but had not corroded their souls.

And without their will being completely worn down, what supported them in standing upright wasn't hatred, but a genuine hope for the future—a hope that didn't originate from this desolate land.

This hope came from their love for each other.

Both siblings hoped to escape from here with each other and live a happy life.

In addition, deep within Xiao Lie's heart lurked a kind of repressed anger; nourished by love, this anger hadn't turned into twisted hatred, but neither had it subsided.

It simply burned eternally.

If given the opportunity, he would not hesitate to unleash his anger.

If Ren Anqing hadn't been a believer of the gods, he would have killed him today and escaped from here with his sister, and in the process, he would have done whatever it took to survive.

He would not yield.

It was precisely this restrained and tenacious quality that had brought Ma En here.

All gods have the ability to sense their chosen ones.

And within this month, he had traveled almost the entire Southern Federation, searching for all the chosen ones who could accept Tier V divine power; in the process, he had encountered many promising candidates.

Assuming similar levels of potential, some chosen ones were like harsh suns, some were distant stars, and some were setting suns, while Xiao Lie was like the rising sun.

Gentle, warm, and tenacious.

But for Ma En's next goal, this trait wasn't the best choice.

He had other reasons for choosing Xiao Lie.

Xiao Lie, who had barely understood the scene before him, gritted his teeth and mustered his courage to say:

"Sir, you can take my soul and life, but I beg you..."

As he pleaded, Xiao Ying also opened her mouth, but Xiao Lie, anticipating this, raised his hand to cover her mouth, then continued to speak to Ma En on his own:

"Just take me, let her leave here alive."

His tone was humble and respectful.

"You belong to me," the star's head lowered slightly, his tone devoid of pity, "but I don't need your lives; what I want is your loyalty, I need you to become my warriors…

"To reclaim my territory."

Hearing the voice from the star, Xiao Lie realized that he had misunderstood; he had thought that the thing before him was some kind of demon from the depths of the earth, demanding his and his sister's souls and lives.

But on second thought, were their lives really worth a demon's demand?

The star said in an almost notifying tone:

"The mortals who enslave you are believers of the Fire God, and those who want to kill him are believers of the Wind God; since my death, this land has lost its ruler, and the evil Federation wants to gain control here.

"And the Fire God, who has betrayed me, is cooperating with the Federation to encircle and suppress the Wind God's believers, and the Wind God's believers are retaliating against them; it was the aftermath between their chosen ones that almost killed you.

"I don't care about your lives or deaths, nor do I care about their betrayal.

"But this is my land, and I haven't allowed it…

"So fighting is forbidden."

Although the content of Ma En's words was very sincere, it gave Xiao Lie and Xiao Ying a terrible sense of oppression, as if the entire Southern Federation was the private property of the man before them.

And the strangest thing was that they both vaguely felt that this seemed to be the truth.

Xiao Lie lowered his head:

"Thank you for saving us and killing our enemy, but please forgive my ignorance, what use are we to you? We are just two ordinary mortals."

Smile-like dark spots appeared on the surface of the star:

"You are indeed two insignificant mortals, but not anymore."

As Ma En's voice fell, Xiao Lie felt a warm current suddenly surge into his body, and as the heat flowed, orange-red light lit up under his skin.

But he didn't observe his own body.

Because he saw that Xiao Ying also had some similar changes.

Unlike him, whose skin glowed, the girl was engulfed in blood-red flames, but unlike Ren Anqing's flamboyant and waving flames, the flames on her body clung tightly to her skin.

Looking at the blood-red flames, Xiao Lie looked down at the warm orange light flowing under his skin.

Compared to his, Xiao Ying's appearance looked much more sinister.

Is this power dangerous to her…

"How do you feel?" the girl walked up to him, leaned slightly, and looked at his arm, instinctively reaching out to touch the lines on it, but immediately retracted her hand before she could touch it.

She was afraid of burning her brother.

Looking at this scene of mutual concern, Ma En felt quite satisfied.

This was the reason He chose them; not only could both siblings withstand His power, but more importantly, the truly tenacious emotional connection between them would ensure their loyalty to Him.

The Federation was not an easy enemy to deal with; if He just randomly found a few chosen ones, then this fragile connection might be exploited by the Federation and broken in some way.

But the emotions of the siblings before him gave them a tenacious enough bond, a bond that would not only give them a will that was difficult to completely destroy, but also an obvious "weakness."

A weakness that allowed Him to easily control them.

"You will gain power," Ma En said, "you will have status, you will have the finest enjoyments in the mortal world, you will no longer need to live in fear, and no one but me will be able to command you.

"More importantly, in this world full of evil gods and chaotic monsters, you will be able to obtain true safety; as long as you are my chosen ones, you will not die.

"This is not a promise, this is my decree."

Only now did Xiao Lie barely understand the scene before him; he couldn't believe what was happening, but if this wasn't his fantasy before death…

It seemed that the other party was about to fulfill his long-cherished wish.

To let Xiao Ying live a happy life.

This was simply a dream; he never expected that the other party would not want his life, but instead provide them both with power and a good life, in order to maintain these things on his sister.

He was even willing to give his life for it.

Looking at Xiao Lie's eyes, Ma En knew that he had completely become his believer.

And the girl beside him had the same look in her eyes.

Eternal interests outweigh eternal "loyalty."

Posting this first after writing it.