After yesterday's events, Sam Li's name had already reached the Defense Force, the Hollow Investigation Association, and other departments.
They all regarded Sam Li as the first person to possess the Geo attribute.
According to New Eridu's history, every pioneer of a new attribute eventually rose to become one of humanity's strongest.
If they could recruit Sam Li into their ranks, it would significantly boost their department's power and influence within New Eridu.
The Chief of the Public Security Bureau had also considered inviting Sam Li to join, but Qingyi had already extended several invitations—each of which had been rejected. So instead, they decided to award Sam Li an honorary Public Security Officer title, as a way to establish a connection.
Still, even though they hadn't been able to bring Sam Li in, the bureau had unexpectedly gained someone else—Seth.
As the second person with the Geo attribute, the Chief believed Seth had the potential to become a powerful figure as well.
After finishing their tea, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi set off to continue patrolling other districts.
Before leaving, Qingyi paid the bill and smiled at Sam Li.
"A golden statue has appeared on Central Street in the Federer District. It's blowing up online. Want to go check it out?"
She had already heard about the statue the day before, but the bureau had spent the entire night in meetings—leaving her no time to go see it for herself.
When she checked her phone this morning, the statue was all over the net.
The story about it granting Seth Geo powers had spread like wildfire, so Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were heading over to see what the fuss was all about.
Sam Li slowly shook his head at her invitation. "Next time."
Qingyi smiled. "Deal."
...
The two got into the patrol car and headed for Central Street in the Federer District.
After they left, Sam Li stayed seated outside Master Tingman's coffee shop, sipping tea at his leisure, waiting for someone to come to him with a commission.
...
Half an hour later, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi arrived at Central Street.
Before the statue appeared, this wasn't exactly a central area of New Eridu—more like the outskirts. Property prices were low, and foot traffic was sparse...
But with the statue's arrival, the entire area had exploded in popularity.
As soon as they got there, they were met by a massive crowd. People packed shoulder to shoulder, filling the street as far as the eye could see. The patrol car couldn't even get through.
With no other choice, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi parked by the roadside and pushed into the throng like everyone else, eager to catch a glimpse of the golden statue.
As they squeezed forward, Zhu Yuan glanced at the surrounding buildings.
The recent Hollow disaster had left its mark—deep claw gouges, collapsed upper floors, and even bloodstains that hadn't been cleaned up yet...
But none of that dampened the crowd's enthusiasm.
Wherever people gathered, business followed. Vendors had already snapped up storefronts or set up stalls along the road.
The scene was more vibrant than even downtown New Eridu.
Qingyi nudged Zhu Yuan and pointed. "Look, someone's already selling god statue merch. Figurines, stickers..."
Zhu Yuan walked over for a look.
She wasn't buying—just curious to see what the statue looked like.
Unfortunately, there were no figurines yet, just a printed photo.
The stall owner explained they weren't available yet—only preorders for now.
"Want to reserve one? Preorders are 20% off."
Qingyi shook her head. "No need. The real statue's right up ahead. Let's see it in person."
Zhu Yuan nodded. "You're right."
Looking forward, they still couldn't see the statue itself—but massive vines stretched skyward in the distance, at least fifty or sixty meters high. That had to be the infamous Ethereal statue the net was buzzing about.
As they got closer, its details came into view.
It looked like a real Notoriety-class Ethereal—frozen mid-attack, radiating a palpable sense of menace.
Even Zhu Yuan couldn't help but frown.
Soon, they pushed through to the heart of Central Street, and finally saw the tall golden statue from dozens of meters away.
Just like Seth had described.
The statue bore mysterious patterns—identical to the ones on Sam Li's birdcage—and emitted a faint golden glow.
It was surrounded by crowds.
Some people knelt in prayer, asking for the statue's protection...
Others leaned against its base, hoping it would heal their wounds...
Still others sang and danced, trying to win the statue's favor and receive its power...
And even more simply stood around it, chattering away.
"I just got here—has anyone actually received power from it?"
"I've been here all morning and haven't seen a single person get anything. If you ask me, that Public Security kid is a fraud. Healing injuries is already pushing it—granting power? Come on."
"Same. I haven't seen anything either..."
"I think it's a scam. The statue's just bait to draw people in."
"Can you not with the conspiracy theories? Is that all you talk about?"
"It's a legitimate question. Look at the glow coming off it. That's not healing—it's radiation. Remember what we learned in school? Most radioactive stuff glows."
"Now that you mention it, yeah... I think I remember that too."
"We've all been duped by that kid. Dammit—no divine blessing at all..."
...
Hearing the argument, some people instinctively backed away.
Still, most of the crowd didn't buy into the conspiracy talk. They preferred to believe the statue was a divine savior, here to help humanity resist the Hollows.
Soon, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi made it to the front.
Up close, Zhu Yuan looked up at the statue and studied it for a long moment.
"Senior... doesn't it look familiar to you?"
The god seated on the throne had an air of majesty, looking down at the world with a strange square stone in hand, as if watching over the citizens of New Eridu.
Qingyi furrowed her brow, thoughtful. "...It really does. Just like when we faced him."