I Am the Lord in the World of Mist – CH34

Chapter 34: The New and the Old

It seemed that the Federation already had a well-established system for dealing with ability-users.

Which made sense—although the Black Mist had only appeared a little over a month ago, ability-users had already been around for more than a year.

And given the Federation’s emergency response capabilities, there was no way they’d still be fumbling around over a month into the crisis.

Still, Xu Zhi was quite curious about how the outside world had changed. As she followed the three people, she asked inquisitively, “What are you guys doing? Did you evacuate all the regular people from that area? Did something happen there? Are you with the government?”

She asked a flurry of questions, rapid and dense. The “delinquent-looking” guy driving the car visibly winced, but the girl sitting next to Xu Zhi responded with eager enthusiasm, “Why do you know so little about everything?”

“What we’re doing is classified, but yes, we are with an official organization. Just know that we’re really strong!”

As the girl said that, the guy at the wheel let out a snort but didn’t say anything else.

“The people in that area were evacuated, yes. It happened yesterday. A Deviant appeared there.”

“Huh? So you guys defeated the Deviant just now?” Xu Zhi looked at her in surprise.

The girl’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. “Hehe… not exactly. But it’s related. Anyway, don’t ask too much. You’re not authorized, so I can’t tell you more!”

“But when you register, if your attributes check out, someone might try to recruit you. If you want to join the official side, our department is a good place to start.”

“The job only has a little danger. The benefits and treatment are good. Sure, it’s occasionally a bit hectic, but compared to more dangerous teams, ours is way better for newcomers.”

The girl’s tone shifted toward a recruitment pitch, prompting the guy driving to call out her name with exasperation, “Cheng Zi, she might not even want to join. Focus.”

But before Cheng Zi could respond, Xu Zhi asked, “What do you mean by ‘if the attributes check out’?”

The girl looked at her with surprise again, then seemed to realize something and softened.

“You really don’t know? The old ability-users didn’t have attributes. But after the Black Mist appeared, every new ability-user has attributes. They’re super important.”

“How did people find out about attributes?” Xu Zhi asked.

The girl blinked. “There are tons of people in the Federation, and loads of ability-users too—especially now, when new ones are popping up every day. Their powers vary widely, and some of them are nearly omniscient, or precognitive. Of course, the powers aren’t that exaggerated, but they’re close.”

“Plus, the Federation has put a lot of effort into researching the new ability-user abilities. So, learning your attribute isn’t a big deal.”

“Ability-user attributes aren’t a secret or anything.”

How nice, Xu Zhi thought. Inside Cloud City, ability-users probably had to go through all sorts of trouble to learn what people here could access so easily.

“What are the different attributes?” Xu Zhi asked.

The girl smiled. “You’ll get a handbook when we get there. It’ll explain everything. For now, let me tell you the important stuff.”

“To be honest, the Federation still hasn’t developed an instrument that can directly detect ability-user attributes. Usually, local departments rely on ability-users who have the ability to perceive attributes to make the assessment. They also run some verification tests—nothing dangerous, don’t worry.”

“Unless you’re one of those types. When did you awaken your ability-user powers? After awakening, have you felt headaches, emotional turbulence, a compulsion to act without knowing what you want, or sudden bursts of anger?”

As Xu Zhi listened to the string of symptoms, the answer was already clear in her heart. She shook her head. “No.”

She was curious to see what attribute they’d detect in this vessel.

The outside world seemed wary of the [Cup] attribute. Had they discovered something?

The girl looked visibly relieved. “Then you’re probably fine.”

“Also, aside from the official organizations, there are plenty of civilian ones too. As long as they don’t cause trouble, the Federation generally allows them to operate. Just don’t turn into… a cult.”

Her tone grew serious when she said the word cult.

Xu Zhi nodded, then asked, “Are the new ability-users powerful? How do they compare to the old ones?”

The question made the girl look a bit awkward. She glanced at the thirty-something man who had been silent all this time. Only after he nodded did she respond.

“If it’s a newly awakened ability-user, they’re definitely weaker than the old ones at first.”

“After all, the old ability-users gained powers they could use actively right away, while the new ones don’t. Most new ability-users start out without any active powers and are only slightly different from regular people—barely perceptibly so.”

Ah, so it’s the same across the board, Xu Zhi mused.

“So you’re saying new ability-users are weaker than the old ones?” Xu Zhi deliberately simplified things.

“That’s not it!” the girl immediately refuted. “They’re weaker at first, sure, but they have better growth potential. You’ll see later.”

She didn’t elaborate, but Xu Zhi understood: new ability-users start off behind but grow faster, while the old ones lack that upward potential. One day, the newcomers would undoubtedly surpass the previous generation.

And the biggest difference between old and new ability-users?

Attributes.

That glance the girl had given the man earlier—it was probably because he was one of those “old ability-users with no potential.”

Xu Zhi couldn’t help but grow suspicious of the supposed recruitment pitch. If their department was so great, why recruit someone destined to be outclassed by time?

Especially someone whose only ability was a barrier—and one that only worked on regular people at that.

So weak.

Was she trying to scam me? The thought flashed across Xu Zhi’s mind.

As the conversation continued, the car arrived at its destination.

The building they pulled up to was one Xu Zhi had never seen before. It looked a bit like a courthouse but bore a different name: Department of Special Incident Response. A typical, utilitarian name.

The guard at the gate let them through after seeing the delinquent-looking boy’s ID.

The place seemed pretty big, with multiple departments likely housed inside. Through the glass entrance, Xu Zhi could see a constant stream of people, busy and purposeful.

She got out of the car with the others. The girl said to her, “They’re going to store that thing. I’ll take you to the registration desk.”

She pointed to the brown case that still occasionally twitched.

Xu Zhi nodded with understanding. She was already eager to get her hands on that handbook full of information.

As for the attribute test, she was looking forward to that too. Even if they identified her with the [Cup] attribute—so what?

After all, nearly twenty minutes had passed already. She didn’t have much time left.