Afterlife Department

May 12, sunny. 

" – today is a special day as we are celebrating the twenty-third birthday of the first-born prince, His Highness Howee Jackson Baurne – " 

" – a bright and sunny day to start the day! Everyone is all waiting in front of their television screens to watch the live broadcast from the royal palace to see the preparation for the birthday banquet for the first-born prince tonight – " 

Lu Si and Jonathan Baurne watched in the monitor the different television channels reporting the preparation for Huo Ling's birthday feast. The newscasters were granted a special pass to enter the royal palace. But, during the day, they are limited to the wide garden of the palace. They can only enter the main palace at night, when the birthday feast is about to start. 

On the screen, the head butler of the royal palace can be seen as he personally inspects by the door the chefs and other workers needed for the preparation for tonight's celebration. 

"So grand… as expected of the royal family." Lu Si spoke as he sighed in admiration. 

Jonathan, beside him, frowned.. "You speak as if there isn't a member of the royal family standing by your side." He said. "I am also a prince! A prince! The current king's younger brother!" he reminded him. 

Lu Si turned to him and smiled. "That's why I feel very fortunate to meet you… have you." He said as he pulled Jonathan towards him by the waist. 

Jonathan blushed and felt his knees turned to jellies when he saw Lu Si's deep gaze on him. "M-me, too…" he spoke in a low voice. He lowered his head, feeling shy. 

Lu Si chuckled. "Don't you need to go to the palace and make your own preparations?" he asked. 

"I'll have the butler send my suit here." Jonathan answered. There's no need for him to put on a makeup and color his nails. Only the ladies invited for tonight's celebration are doing it. 

"Alright. I'll send you later." Lu Si said. 

Jonathan was about to decline, but then he just shrugged. He has to take advantage of Lu Si from time to time, considering how busy they are. So, sending him later gives them more time to be with each other. "Okay!" he answered. 

Lu Si hummed and kissed him on his cheek. "I'll go brief the others for the operation later." He told him and squeezed his hand before he left. 

Jonathan smiled, then resumed watching the broadcast. 

Stable World, City of the Dead. 

Ruan Yu's cold face cracked after he heard Shen Sheng's explanation about the Soul Fragment. "… have you told Yi Bing about this?" he asked. 

"I want to." Shen Sheng answered. "But, one explosion is enough. Should I add one more?" he asked. 

Ruan Yu fell silent. What Shen Sheng meant, if the Soul Fragments would be fully assembled, it would create something similar to an explosion. And, if he would tell Yi Bing about the Soul Fragments, Yi Bing would definitely explode in anger. 

Ruan Yu felt his head ached. He picked up his glass and drank his beer. "I can assemble the Soul Fragments. But, you have to complete them first." He said. "How many fragments are missing?" he asked. 

"Let's see…" Shen Sheng muttered as he pondered. "Flame… Void… hmm… one more fragment needed." He answered. 

"'Flame'. 'Void'…" Ruan Yu muttered as he looked at the box in the table with a complicated gaze. 

"The Flame Fragment contains the Flame of Destruction and the Pure Flame." Shen Sheng said. "Meanwhile, the Void Fragment contains the Neutrality and Zero ability." He explained. 

Ruan Yu gulped. "No wonder you said that something similar to an explosion would happen when all the Soul Fragments were combined." He said. "But, if I would combine it, I have to do it in a safe and isolated place…" he told Shen Sheng. 

Shen Sheng smiled. "How about the Middle Heaven?" he asked.

Ruan Yu almost dropped the glass in his hand and his beer almost spilled. "Are you joking?" he asked. "If we are going to combine the Soul Fragments, we have to do it outside the Heaven's eyes!" he told him. 

Shen Sheng sighed and his shoulder slumped. "But, that's the only place I have…" he pouted. "Well, isn't this good? If something unexpected happens, then we'd also blow up the Heaven!" he evilly grinned. 

Ruan Yu face palmed. "Just how much do you hate the Heaven?" he asked. "Didn't you help them by creating angels? Why desire to destroy them now?" he drank his beer and then looked at Shen Sheng. 

Shen Sheng shrugged. "Nothing, really. I just find them an eyesore." He answered. "So, the longer they exist, the more I feel uncomfortable." He explained. 

Ruan Yu almost choked in his drink. "You're so unreasonable!" he said. 

Shen Sheng chuckled. "When have I not?" he asked as he stared at the surface of his drink. 

Ruan Yu looked at him. "Why do you hate the Heaven so much?" he asked again. This time, his voice sounds serious. 

But, Shen Sheng didn't answer. "Humans and gods are different from each other because of the life they live – mortal and immortality." He spoke. "Do you know when they will become the same?" he asked. 

Ruan Yu didn't answer. 

Shen Sheng smiled. "It's when they feel emotions. Everyone becomes the same because of emotions." he answered his own question. "Joy, sadness, pain, regret… but, most of all – " he looked at Ruan Yu in the eyes. " – greed." He said. 

"'greed'?" Ruan Yu asked. 

Shen Sheng drank. He just smiled. "When does one feel greed?" he asked instead. 

"When they want something?" Ruan Yu answered, feeling uncertain. 

"Correct, but also not correct." Shen Sheng said. 

"How?" Ruan Yu asked. 

"You're correct when you said that they want something." Shen Sheng said. "But, you are also wrong." He looked at Ruan Yu. "Because you didn't say to what extent would they want." He told him.

Ruan Yu gaped at him. 

"Everything has a limit, especially human's abilities." Shen Sheng spoke. "And, because of this limit, they go to the gray area." He said. 

"'gray area'…" Ruan Yu muttered. 

"Emotions." Shen Sheng spoke. 

Ruan Yu froze. 

"In emotions, there is no borderline. Afterall, it is an irrational thing." Shen Sheng said. "It cannot be measured. And so, they use their emotions that has no limitation in order to cover up their incompetency due to their lack of ability." He explained. 

Ruan Yu nodded in understanding. "So, because of the emotions, everything will be affected." He said. 

Shen Sheng nodded. "That's why I asked you what is greed." He said. "When does one feel it? And… why do they feel it?" he asked. "If you say that they want something, then it isn't greed. It's just a desire. But, if you say that they want something to certain extent… then, that is greed." He explained and he looked at Ruan Yu in the eyes. 

Ruan Yu held his breath. 

"Greed came from want. Then, why does one feel want?" Shen Sheng asked. "One wants something that they see. What they don't see, they won't want." He said. 

"In other words – " Ruan Yu spoke. " – one felt want. But, because they lack the ability, they felt greed." He explained. 

Shen Sheng nodded. "Bingo." He smiled. 

Silence fell upon them. 

"Shen Taizi." Ruan Yu called after a while. 

"Hmm?" Shen Sheng answered and smiled as he raised his glass and sipped his drink. 

"Your hate towards the Heaven… is it because of greed?" Ruan Yu asked. He took a deep breath, raised his head, then met Shen Sheng's gaze that is now boring onto him. He coldly sweated. He immediately lowered his head, so he missed the flash in Shen Sheng's golden pupils. 

After a while, Shen Sheng spoke. "Why do you ask?" he asked. 

Ruan Yu took a deep breath before he spoke. "Before I left the Heaven, it isn't worse like it is now." He said. 

Shen Sheng just quietly listened to him. 

"Is it because…" Ruan Yu slowly raised his head and looked at Shen Sheng's face. "… some felt greed when they shouldn't have?" he asked. 

Shen Sheng stared at Ruan Yu. "Greed, in the first place, shouldn't exist." He said. "It exist, because one felt it, when they shouldn't have to. That's why it is a sin." He explained. 

Ruan Yu felt something lit up in his brain. He stared at Shen Sheng, wide-eyed. He opened his mouth to say something, but, in the end, he shut up. He shouldn't ask anything more. This is also a greed – a greed for information. "I understand." He said. He felt his face hurt. 

Shen Sheng shrugged and just drink. When he spoke, he changed the subject. "Look at the time." He said. 

"Huh?" Ruan Yu looked at him. 

Shen Sheng smiled. "Yi Bing's time is almost up now." He said. 

"… huh?" Ruan Yu felt more puzzled. The topic earlier made him slow to react. 

"It's about time for Huo Ling to die."