CHAPTER 733: THE SYMPHONY OF VICTORY (MIDDLE)

On the edge of MarvelSpace, both the Space Cube and Schiller within it vanished without a trace, leaving Eternity frozen in place.

Standing at his lofty level, he was oblivious to the presence of the DC God, thus completely unaware of what had transpired.

Logically, Schiller's disappearance should have brought him happiness, yet for some reason, Eternity felt a chill down his spine.

With no other option, Eternity sought guidance from OAA, only to find that OAA planned to leave immediately. Anxious, Eternity hurried after him, asking, "Are we just going to leave Schiller be?"

"It's up to you now," OAA replied.

"But what about the Space Cube?"

"That's his responsibility," OAA responded again.

So, Eternity stood in silence, watching his superior depart. He had never felt the winds of Space so cold, leaving him haggard and disheveled.

Suddenly, he shivered, sensing a familiar presence reemerging in the universe. Schiller's voice echoed through Space: "Eternity, I've come to negotiate terms!"

Eternity realized then that he truly possessed a physical form, as no other explanation fit the explosive sensation in his brain.

Feeling as if he had a respiratory system, he took several deep breaths before dragging Schiller into the Eternity Temple, demanding, "What do you really want?"

"Calm down, don't be angry," Schiller began. "I know you want to kill me, but you can't. Try if you wish."

"I am the very essence of Space itself. I can erase you from existence!" Eternity declared, his body flashing with light, mirrored by Schiller. Yet, nothing happened.

Schiller's head suddenly glowed with a halo. Pointing at it, he explained, "This is a payment from an old father for his son's psychological treatment. Allow me to reintroduce myself: a new Angel recently settled in Heaven."

Eternity, if he had lungs, would have burst in rage, unable to fathom what kind of god would contract with Schiller.

"I've done so much just to safely converse with you, Eternity. I respect you immensely, as you are the foundational cornerstone of this Space."

"I know, I know. Your job is never-ending. Previously, you had colleagues and superiors to rely on, but now..."

Schiller shook his head, expressing sympathy. "Colleagues are unreliable, either disappearing or hindering you. Your superiors are dissatisfied, assigning you to this remote post without moral support."

"My goodness, can you see? This is the true face of capitalists. All the tedious groundwork is done by you, but no one acknowledges your hard work. They just think you're troublesome."

Before Eternity could speak, Schiller interrupted: "Also, you must realize, your superiors are aware of Death's antics, aren't they? How could such high beings not know?"

"Death has caused countless problems without any intervention from them. But what about you? You diligently resolved all issues without fault. What did you get in return?"

Schiller's final words silenced Eternity: "Why not consider... are they truly deserving?"

"What are you trying to say?" Eternity finally asked.

"Being omnipotent, you should understand human affairs. It's just a job. If it's unbearable, why not change your employer?"

"You're insane," Eternity concluded. "You, a human, advise a god to change employers?"

"Exactly because I'm human, I urge you to reconsider, Eternity. No other creature understands you better than humans. We possess abundant emotions and empathy, extending even to gods."

Schiller's expression turned sorrowful: "Since the dawn of Space, humans have sought the mysteries of Eternity. If every life in Space takes your efforts for granted, then on behalf of humanity, I tell you, we don't see it that way."

"We've always believed that every life in Space has the right to seek fairness, and we constantly strive for this."

"Human strength is limited, but our spirit is eternal. Eternity, people love gods, and our way of showing love is accepting others' pursuit of a better future."

Standing silently in the Eternity Temple, Eternity found all this absurd. Logic told him the madman before him was spouting nonsense, as these troubles were all his doing.

But upon introspection, did he truly have no complaints?

Even without Schiller, the chaos caused by Death was bound to erupt eventually. Who would deal with the ensuing disorder in Space?

"Eternity, speaking with a clear conscience, questioned if he truly lagged behind Death in terms of work attitude, ability, or results.

Why then did OAA seemingly turn a blind eye to Death's mistakes, leaving Eternity to clean up a heap of rot?

In this world, any being with a personality inevitably harbors such emotions.

It's not crucial how much work one does in a company. The real issue arises when a colleague not only does less but also creates trouble, worsening when the boss blatantly ignores it, favoring the troublesome one.

'I can't leave this place,' Eternity calmly asserted, 'I am Space, and Space is me. Everything you see here is a part of me...'

'Yes, I'm not suggesting you leave Space,' Schiller nodded.

'Then what are you proposing?'

'Why don't you consider taking your 'house' with you when you leave?' Schiller asked lightly.

'What are you getting at???' Eternity found he could understand Schiller's words but couldn't fully grasp his meaning.

'My point is, given the current situation, why not take Space with you for a change of scenery, to relax, and perhaps look for a new job?'

Eternity finally understood. He descended slowly, approached Schiller, and looking down at him, asked, 'So, you have some recommendations?'

Schiller smiled, 'Do you know why your boss feels troubled by me releasing different characters into the Multiverse?'

'Why?' Eternity stared, genuinely unaware. He knew OAA considered it a huge problem but never explained why.

'You've seen it yourself, beyond the world barrier, there are countless Spaces. I can assure you, far beyond, there are even more. The characters I released belong to these other Spaces. For some reason, once they leave their Space for another, the supreme beings of that Space need to pay a price to hire them.'

'Failure to pay could lead to serious disputes, even resulting in Space destruction,' Schiller explained in a way Eternity could understand.

After hearing Schiller, Eternity turned his head towards the endless Spaces beyond Marvel's central world barrier. There might be countless Spaces like Marvel's own.

For humans, quitting a job means loss of income but gaining freedom to pursue dreams. For Eternity, lack of salary wasn't an issue, as he never had one. But he had never experienced freedom. Where Space was, there he must be.

His job was his duty, his very instinct. He was born for it. Yet, any being with emotions and personality naturally harbors curiosity and longing for the unknown.

This incident made Eternity realize that diligent work brought no rewards.

Infinity and Oblivion mostly slept, Galactus was always seeking food, and Death, aside from causing problems, was busy with romance. They all slacked off, so why couldn't he?

'Eternity, I know you think I'm causing trouble, but I'm actually offering you a chance for a new life. Without this, would OAA let you go?'

Schiller spread his hands, 'You'd be stuck working here until Space's demise. Would your colleagues or boss thank you for that? I believe you've seen their attitude.'

'I need to think about it.' Eternity didn't respond directly, but Schiller smiled, knowing Eternity was tempted."

Human nature is a complex entity, shrouded in mystery. The intense longing for freedom, a sentiment perhaps evolved over the long course of human evolution, remains an enigma.

Undoubtedly, in every literary and artistic creation of humankind, all beings are in pursuit of freedom, regardless of its meaning or the cost involved.

"Of course, you have an infinity of time to ponder this issue," Schiller shifted away from the topic, saying:

"Communication is the best solution to deal with all problems. Look, now, we've dealt with the majority of them. But, I must confess, one issue still troubles me."

"What issue?"

"Death," Schiller replied.

"I've already forbidden all unauthorized transactions," Eternity stated. "All acts of Resurrection are no longer permitted."

"Yes, that's fair and impartial, but..." Schiller touched his fingertips together and said, "Beyond legalities, compassion is needed. In such a vast Space, some acts of Resurrection won't cause much harm and could be negotiable…"

"Besides, now that you and your siblings have left the original company, you can only rely on each other. Being too extreme at this time might be offensive, right?"

"What are you suggesting?" Eternity, familiar with Schiller's manner of speaking, knew every word he said had significance.

"My point is, with no boss to oversee, there's no need to be overly strict with your colleagues. A bit of flexibility might benefit your future choices."

Eternity remained silent, contemplating Schiller's smile.

Two days later, early in the morning, Schiller, still in bed, heard a buzzing sound.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was 6 a.m., time to get up.

Sitting up, he realized it wasn't his mobile phone ringing, but the Obelisk he had tossed in the cabinet, vibrating incessantly.

Schiller opened the cabinet, took out the Obelisk, and spoke into it, "Hello?"

"I am Death. Come now, no delays," came Death's voice.

"I'll be right there."

After hanging up, Schiller collapsed, his heartbeat and breathing ceased, and his Soul entered the Realm of Death.

Upon arriving in Death's garden, an irritable Death threw a contract at him, saying, "Your Hall of Heroes."

Schiller, examining the contract, protested, "This is far different from our agreed terms! You can't be so untrustworthy!"

Death snorted coldly, "Times have changed. The entire Space has strict rules about Resurrection. Even Asgard's Hall of Heroes is limited to three Resurrections in ten years, while entities like the Egyptian Pantheon have lost their Resurrection privileges."

Schiller, reading the contract, noted it allowed ten Resurrections a year under certain conditions.

First, the resurrected must have died within the past ten days; those dead for decades were ineligible.

Additionally, each person was entitled to only one Resurrection. A second death meant no further resurrection, and Resurrection didn't include healing. If one died again due to severe injuries, they couldn't be resurrected again.

These restrictions seemed numerous, but in reality, they were quite generous. Even Asgard didn't have as many quotas as Schiller, and their restrictions were stricter.

Schiller closed the contract casually, "Alright, that'll do. I'm going back."

However, Death, suspicious, narrowed her eyes at Schiller's departing figure, feeling an inexplicable chill down her spine.