The next morning, the table was already set.
In front of Pangu: a bowl of rice porridge, a few small dishes of pickles, a pot of tea. At the corner of the table, a plate of candied chestnuts.
In front of Wanquan: toast, a fried egg, a cup of black coffee. No sugar bowl beside it.
In front of Shanjue: an egg crepe and a cup of milk tea.
In front of Qianhui: a slice of thick peanut toast, with an extra plate of little snacks on the side.
The siblings exchanged a look.
"We never said what we like," Qianhui said.
Shunyi set down the last plate.
"I know."
——
Pangu peeled a chestnut.
"Chestnuts and roasted corn, I like both," he said. "They're both nice and chewy."
Qianhui looked at him. "What's chewy about chestnuts?"
Pangu paused.
"They just are."
Wanquan took a sip of coffee and said nothing. The corner of his mouth moved.
——
After breakfast, Pangu called everyone to the Sanctum.
He looked at his three children: the God of Order, the God of Jurisprudence, and the God of Administration.
"Children," he said, "we're about to hold our first family meeting. Since we're flesh and blood, we need to be clear about our duties."
He looked at Wanquan. "Wanquan, you govern order, freedom, and fate. You're the axis that keeps the world in balance. You have to make sure no change shakes the world's foundations."
Then he looked at the siblings. "Jurisprudence and Administration, from now on our family is the world's 'court,' 'government,' and 'authority.'"
"I'm the 'authority.' Wanquan is 'order.'"
He looked at Shanjue. "You're the 'supreme court.'"
Then at Qianhui. "You're the 'government.'"
"Four seats. Starting today, this world stands on these four seats."
"Now we have to face reality," Pangu said. "We're not the only world that owes the Creditor divine power. Going by what's happened to the others, the Creditor makes trouble when a world starts being able to pay him back."
"He's in no hurry to bankrupt the world. A bankrupt world is worthless."
"What he wants is for us to miss an interest payment, just once."
"Just once, and this world is his."
Wanquan said nothing.
"So I need every one of you. Wanquan holds the foundation, Shanjue holds the law, Qianhui holds the ledger."
The siblings nodded.
——
Pangu let out a breath.
"That's everything I needed to say." He spread his hands. "If you have questions, ask now."
Shanjue looked at Wanquan and frowned slightly. "Big Brother, how do you govern 'order' while also governing 'freedom,' which is its opposite, and 'fate' on top of that?"
Wanquan's face didn't change.
"I have the authority to appoint every police officer in the world," he said. "I manage them. They go arrest criminals."
He paused.
"And then deal with them on the spot."
No one spoke.
Qianhui spoke first: "Doesn't that make keeping order a bit too...absolute? Isn't there any trial?"
"Right," Pangu said. "That's exactly why I need you."
He looked at Shanjue.
"From now on, every criminal and every suspect has to go through full judicial procedure and receive a fair trial from you, the God of Jurisprudence. We can't keep using this kind of...brute method."
Pangu turned to Wanquan.
"This means amending the constitution. Shanjue will propose it."
"Whether to agree is up to you."
Wanquan didn't agree right away. He looked at Shanjue first, then said:
"Depends how well he writes it."
Pangu tapped his forehead.
"Oh, there's something else I should add," he said. "Your divine bodies have already been preloaded with all the knowledge and basic power you need to use your authority. Simply put, you don't need to eat, you don't depend on oxygen, and you don't need sleep or rest."
"Over time, the knowledge and power in your divine bodies will gradually merge completely with your souls. The end result——you'll be able to leave these bodies entirely and work using only your souls."
"Leaving the body burns compute. It keeps burning, even when you're doing nothing."
"But you can afford to burn it."
"Also," he said, "I'm going down to the Mortal Realm shortly to see how things are. Your big brother is also going to evaluate how his 'officers' are performing."
"Every time I go down, I use a different mortal body and a different name. So no one in the Mortal Realm knows it's me."
He looked at the siblings. "You two, until the knowledge and power in your divine bodies have fully merged with your souls, don't leave your bodies yet."
"It's not that you can't. You need to get used to these bodies first."
"Use them a lot. The more you use them, the faster they merge."
"For now, you can move around Heaven freely. If you later need mortal money to go down to the Mortal Realm, ask your big brother."
The siblings nodded.
Neither of them asked for any.
They were so used to being poor that they couldn't think of anything to spend it on.
He looked around at everyone. "Any other questions?"
Qianhui asked: "Father, how do you leave your body?"
Pangu laughed. "Don't rush. When the time comes, you'll just know, like a baby learning to walk." He asked again. "Any other questions?"
No one spoke.
"Then I'm off." Before the words had even finished, Pangu's figure dissolved, like a drop of ink in water.
Only three people were left in the Sanctum.