Work is finally over. After saying goodbye to the kid, Kaito, with a vague promise to "be in touch soon," Zhen Shan and I return to the Nexus. Our destination: the Empyrean Expanse, home turf of the Jade Palace Conglomerate. They call it a "district," which sounds modest, but in reality, it's a floating megalopolis with millions of administrative skyscrapers made of jade and platinum, piercing through layers of iridescent clouds. A place of solemnity, order, and... soul-crushing boredom.

  The first order of business, naturally, is to collect our bonus. We head to the Bureau of Finance, a tower so tall it seems to be propping up the very "sky" of the Nexus.

  "Hey," I whisper to Zhen Shan as we wait in line.

  "That unauthorized materialization earlier... how many FP do you think they'll dock us? Do you remember?"

  "It depends on the situation," he replies curtly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

  "Based on the extent of the damage, the number of mundane witnesses, and the report from the cleanup crew."

  "Depends on the situation? What kind of vague system is that? Why isn't there a clear price list? Something like, 'Materialization under five minutes, 500 FP deduction.' Or 'Materializing property damage under one cubic meter, 1000 FP deduction.' How can employees give their all with such ambiguous policies?" I start to grumble, my tail twitching in annoyance.

  "Don't you agree? There should be transparency in the reward and punishment system. This is about labor rights..."

  "Itsuki," Zhen Shan cuts me off.

  "I'm starting to regret answering you."

  After submitting the report, the full video footage recorded by Zhen Shan (that guy is always frighteningly thorough), and filling out about a dozen more online forms, a notification pops up on my personal device.

  Ping!

  [Transaction Complete. +19,000 FP has been credited to your account.]

  I blink. Nineteen thousand? That number feels... wrong. I scroll down to check the transaction details. A deity at the counter, who looks like an ancient tortoise, explains in a monotone voice:

  "Mission: Extermination of a D-class Anomaly, base reward of 5,000 FP per agent. Unauthorized materialization to intervene in an emergency situation, violation of Procedure 117-B, penalty of 1,000 FP per agent. However, the courageous act of saving 200 mortals and the effective handling of the aftermath (mass memory wipe) have been highly praised by the Commendation Council. A special bonus of 25,000 FP is awarded to the team."

  I freeze for a few seconds. Then, a wave of pure elation washes over me.

  "ZHEN SHAN!"

  I leap up and throw my arms around his waist, which is as thick as a pillar. Due to my modest height, my face is buried right into the belt of his expensive suit.

  "You're the best, boss! You're my lucky star!"

  Zhen Shan looks a bit flustered, patting my head gently with his large paw as if I were a pet. After I calm down and let go, I start muttering to myself, doing the math.

  "Wait a minute... The initial bonus was 5,000, minus 1,000, that's 4,000. The 25,000 is split, so 12,500 each. That adds up to 16,500... Huh? Then why did I get 19,000? Where did the extra 2,500 come from?"

  I'm scratching the fur behind my ear when Zhen Shan suddenly speaks.

  "Forget it. It's too tiring to think about. Let's go get hot pot."

  I look up at him. He's looking away, and I swear I see his ears twitch down slightly. A tiny tell of embarrassment. This guy... he's trying to change the subject. How typical...

  A sly grin spreads across my face.

  "Alright then. Sichuan hot pot it is. That new place in the Food District. Let me call the big sister. According to System Time, it's 18:00 already, perfect for dinner."

  As I dial Alethea's number, I drift back into my own thoughts. We deities don't actually need to eat or drink. Everything we consume, from the morning's FP Coffee to the upcoming hot pot, is basically just Faith Points molded into flavor and texture. It's a luxurious form of entertainment, a way to re-experience mortal sensations without suffering the consequences of Mortalization.

  The irony is this: the amount of FP you gain from eating a dish is sometimes less than the FP you pay for it. A tongue-numbing Sichuan hot pot might cost 500 FP, but the actual energy it provides is only about 50 FP. The other 450 FP is the cost of the "experience": the flavor, the restaurant's ambiance, and most importantly, the feeling of satisfaction. We eat for fun, for inspiration, and sometimes, to celebrate a hard day's work that didn't end with our entire salary being deducted. And today, is most certainly a day worth celebrating.

  "Sichuan Hot Pot" sounds simple enough, but finding a decent place in this Empyrean Expanse is a mission impossible. This district, with its millions of administrative towers, specializes in only one type of cuisine: bland office express meals. Dishes like "Starlight Bento" or "Enlightenment Instant Noodles" are so tasteless that only an iron stomach like Zhen's can handle them. Of course, the district has its high-end culinary area, where the food is presented like art and the prices are just as artistic. But I hate going there. The pressure is insane. You're trying to pick up a piece of meat and suddenly run into a high-level executive from another department. Then you have to stand up, bow, and listen to a lecture about "the spirit of dedication." It ruins the appetite.

  "Hey, pull up GodMap," I say to Zhen.

  "The hot pot place I mentioned is in the Myriad Bazaar District. The location is a bit tricky."

  The Myriad Bazaar District is one of the busiest commercial satellite districts, a massive open-air market where deities from every corporation come to shop, trade, and, of course, eat.

  "No direct portal," Zhen announces after checking the map.

  "We have to fly through Dimensional Buffer Zone 7."

  "Two options," he continues.

  "Rent a Clockwork Dragon, speed is 50 Dimensional Units per hour. Or fly ourselves, speed is 20."

  I do a quick calculation in my head. Renting a Clockwork Dragon costs at least 300 FP one way. Not happening. You get what you pay for, but my FP doesn't grow on trees.

  "Let's just fly. Save some points."

  Zhen looks at me, then sighs.

  "I'll pay."

  "Let's go! Clockwork Dragon it is!" I cheer, changing my mind in a heartbeat.

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  The districts in The Nexus aren't separated by physical distance but by Dimensional Buffer Zones. They are formless voids where the laws of reality are thin. The Clockwork Dragon, a magnificent creation from the forges of our own conglomerate, glides silently through swirling streams of energy. Twenty minutes later, the chaotic, noisy spectacle of the Myriad Bazaar District appears before us.

  Lady Alethea is already waiting for us in the central plaza, standing out from the crowd with her platinum hair and elegant aura. She looks more like a CEO doing a site inspection than a low-level employee like us.

  "You two look quite pleased with yourselves," she says with a faint smile as we approach. "I told you, just bring the recording device. It makes explaining things to the higher-ups much easier."

  I freeze.

  No way, so Zhen's habit of carrying that mini-camera everywhere was this lady's idea?

  What a perfect pair, always conspiring to ruin my "flexible" plans.

  "Oh, in that case, you deserve a big part of the credit," I say in a syrupy sweet voice.

  "You should get a cut. Hold out your hand, I'll transfer it over."

  Alethea waves her hand, her smile widening.

  "No, you keep it. Wasn't it just the other day someone was whining about being low on FP in the team group chat? I wouldn't dare take it."

  "Ahaha..." I laugh awkwardly, scratching my head.

  "It's true I've been a bit of a spendthrift lately."

  She doesn't let me off the hook, turning to her next target.

  "And you, Zhen Shan. Every time Itsuki is broke, he borrows FP from you, and I hear you always just give it to him. What's that about?"

  Zhen, who has been silent this whole time, gives a short reply.

  "It's just a few points. It's nothing, really."

  Alethea sighs, shaking her head in disbelief.

  "Are you working for passion? Or are you secretly the son of a major shareholder? You treat FP like it's air."

  "He really is passionate!"

  I cut in, slinging an arm around Zhen's broad shoulders.

  "He's passionate about his work. A single day off without touching any paperwork is enough to send him into an existential crisis."

  I can feel the temperature around Zhen drop by several degrees. He turns to give me a glare that could singe fur.

  Just a little joke, man. Why so serious?

  We finally settle into a private room at the hot pot restaurant. Through the giant glass window, the entire Myriad District unfolds like an artificial galaxy. It's always nighttime here, with billions of neon lights and holographic advertisements dancing, creating an endless atmosphere of entertainment and shopping.

  "Greetings, valued guests," a mechanical voice chimes.

  A bronze octopus-like robot, its flexible tentacles deftly carrying plates and pouring tea, floats to our table.

  "Please select your orders on the control panel."

  I sigh. These robots are products of Hephaestus's engineering team, a mechanical genius with a taste in aesthetics that is slightly... peculiar. Of course, without them, The Nexus probably wouldn't have services like this. Finding a deity willing to stoop to being a waiter is harder than finding a Prime Deity who knows how to use social media.

  I pick up the control panel and start scrolling through the menu. "Sliced Snow Dragon Meat," "Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Mushrooms," "White Jade Tofu"... all sorts of fancy names, with prices to match. I tap on a few familiar items: divine Wagyu beef, some energy vegetables, and of course, frozen dragon's blood. With every press of the "Add to Cart" button, my heart aches. Oh, my precious FP...

  Soon, the two-sided Sichuan hot pot, one half fiery red and the other a gentle, savory white, is bubbling before us. The dishes arrive, beautifully arranged. The aroma of spices and divine power blends together, awakening every sense. We begin dipping our food, the stress of the workday seeming to melt away.

  "It's strange when you think about it," I say while picking up a hot slice of beef.

  "In this vast Nexus, you can't find a single buffet restaurant. Having to order like this is both expensive and a headache."

  Alethea, gracefully dipping a mushroom, smiles.

  "The buffet business model is carefully calculated to always be profitable, Itsuki. Mortals have physical limits to their stomachs; they get full quickly. But we gods, we eat for pleasure."

  She pauses, looking at me.

  "We don't feel 'full.' We only feel 'tired' of eating the same thing. Opening a buffet here would surely lead to bankruptcy."

  "You're right," I nod.

  "Imagine if those Aesir gods from Asgard went to a buffet. The owner would have to declare bankruptcy that very night."

  "You're no different," Zhen Shan suddenly chimes in, his voice flat.

  "You want to try everything. If it weren't for the price list, you would have probably ordered the entire menu."

  I pout, my whiskers twitching as I glare at him.

  "Better than you! You always have the same expression. Whether you're eating cafeteria food or a five-star delicacy, your face looks exactly the same. It's a waste of my effort to find a good restaurant."

  Alethea lets out a soft laugh. She looks towards Zhen Shan, a teasing glint in her eyes.

  "It's not easy to please Mr Zhen here. I suppose only offerings would do. Such a picky eater."

  "Hmm?" I turn to look at Zhen Shan, who is quietly picking up a piece of tofu.

  "Since when do you have such fancy eating habits?"

  "Do you remember that brown sugar bubble tea the God of Longevity treated the whole department to last week?" Alethea asks.

  I nod.

  "Of course. It was amazing. Sweet but not overpowering, and the pearls were perfectly chewy..."

  Zhen Shan, who is about to put the tofu in his mouth, suddenly freezes. His expression shifts slightly.

  "...Don't tell me."

  "That day, I noticed Mr Zhen here had a completely different expression," Alethea continues, her voice filled with amusement.

  "His facial muscles were relaxed, and his eyes were even slightly closed in enjoyment. I figured it must be his favorite. But I was still curious why someone like him would love bubble tea so much. So, I secretly took a small sample to analyze its energy composition. And there's no doubt about it..."

  A jolt runs down my spine. Zhen Shan and I speak at the same time, but with two completely different tones.

  "...IT WAS AN OFFERING!"

  Zhen Shan starts coughing violently, nearly spitting out his tofu. He grabs his teacup and takes a long sip to hide his flustered face.

  I stare at him, then burst out laughing.

  "No wonder it tasted so good that day! It was offered bubble tea? Who on earth offers bubble tea? Mortals, I swear."

  "With such a high-class palate, where am I supposed to find the FP to treat you, Boss Tiger?" I say with a smack of my lips.

  "A single offering of milk tea probably costs as much as this entire hotpot meal."

  Zhen Shan says nothing, just quietly picks up his glass of iced tea and downs it in one gulp. He must be trying to cool off. Seeing his ears pinned back so pitifully, I know I've hit a nerve.

  Alethea smiles, stepping in to make peace.

  "Alright, stop teasing Zhen, Itsuki. You need to let him have a 'reserve fund' for when you run out of FP to spend."

  Zhen Shan puts his glass down on the table with a firm thud.

  "Hmph, you two are something else. Fine, Alethea's point isn't a bad one. Itsuki should learn to manage his finances better."

  Then he continues, his voice even but deliberately aimed at me.

  "Besides, I've been spending so much on offerings lately that I'm completely broke myself, Alethea."

  "Ahhhh, Big Brother!" I immediately lower my voice, trying to sweet-talk him.

  "I was just kidding. Don't be like that. Who would let you spend so much on such trivial things?"

  Alethea just shakes her head, laughing.

  "You two are impossible."

  It’s all in good fun, of course. Everyone understands. Zhen Shan just accidentally discovered a special taste he didn't even know he had. With our meager salaries, we couldn't dream of buying offerings regularly.

  Just as the cheerful atmosphere returns, Zhen Shan abruptly changes the subject. He retrieves the energy flask, with its corner shattered, from his dimensional space and places it on the table. Even the bubbling hotpot seems to quiet down a bit in the face of his serious expression.

  "Can you take this for analysis tomorrow, Alethea?" he asks.

  "In our last case, the mastermind destroyed almost all the evidence. This is all that's left. Maybe there's still a trace of his energy signature on it."

  I sigh and put down my chopsticks.

  "Seriously? We're having a good time, and you have to bring up company business? Can't you at least let a guy finish his meal?"

  "It just occurred to me," he replies, not even glancing my way.

  "Better to mention it now before I forget tomorrow."

  Such a workaholic. Even when he's out eating, his mind is still on reports and missions. I shoot him a glare, then pick up another slice of beef and dip it into the fiery red broth.