The next day, Luo Shu still hadn't received a call from Marion Wheeler, but he wasn't idle.
The floors and rooms of the Anomalous Item-100 underground facility had already been constructed with steel frameworks by the industrial robots. Now, they were in the critical interior renovation phase.
Considering Anomalous Item-100-1's crude craftsmanship and questionable aesthetic sense, Luo Shu decided to supervise the work personally to ensure quality.
This was where one of his newly acquired abilities came in handy:
Thought Distortion!
This ability, taken from the reality bender "Mind Lab", used thought as a platform and reality distortion as the means to reshape surrounding objects.
So far, Luo Shu had only used it once—to modify a pair of bulletproof boots.
Though the end product was questionably reliable, it proved the ability's practicality.
Now, applying it to interior decoration would surely yield better results.
The key advantage was that Anomalous Item-100 was under Foundation lockdown, making it difficult to smuggle in large quantities of materials.
Using Thought Distortion to repurpose scrap materials was far easier than sneaking supplies in from outside.
With Jianjia and Aeolus assisting, Luo Shu downloaded numerous interior design references, then customized them to his preferences.
Once a model room was finalized, he began experimenting with reality distortion for renovation.
First, he gathered the necessary raw materials, then used 3D modeling software to simulate the step-by-step transformation process from scrap to finished product.
After confirming the process complied with physics and chemistry, Luo Shu activated Thought Distortion, mentally replaying the material transformation sequence.
Instantly, the junk around him began self-restoring—dust and rust vanished, leaving behind pristine materials.
Next came warping, reshaping, and fusion, forming brand-new furnishings.
A few minutes later, Luo Shu was exhausted, but the model room was complete.
While the visual outcome didn't perfectly match the original design, functionality was flawless.
This room was Luo Shu's bedroom. The initial blueprint called for wallpaper, but the final version had plain metal walls.
Similarly, the bed, wardrobe, desk, and other furniture lacked the intended decorative patterns and carvings, ending up as simple, flat surfaces.
Still, Jianjia and Aeolus watched in awe.
Aeolus marveled:
"I knew you could mimic others' abilities, but seeing you use 'Mind Lab's' Thought Distortion is still unbelievable! No wonder 'Him' wants you dead—your power is too broken!"
(Internally, Luo Shu replied: If you knew about my milestone abilities, you'd be even more shocked.)
Jianjia, eyes gleaming, pleaded:
"Keep going! Do my room next! I don't mind it being plain—I just want a proper bed!"
For days, she and Aeolus had been sleeping on the floor, worse off than their containment days in Area-13.
Luo Shu, already collapsed on his new bed, reluctantly sat up.
"Not today—I'm spent. I'll do yours tomorrow. You take my bed tonight; I'll sleep on the floor."
Using anomalous abilities drained energy and stamina, and Thought Distortion's cost scaled with workload.
Currently, renovating one room was Luo Shu's limit.
This limitation stemmed from his insufficient strength. If his personal Hume level were higher, he could suppress environmental Hume further, reducing the strain.
Of course, his fatigue also came from splitting his consciousness between this world and My Cultist Simulator.
Maintaining two bodies naturally demanded more energy.
But effort brought rewards.
In My Cultist Simulator, Luo Shu's projected self was now reaping the benefits.
While he busied himself in the anomalous world, the "Divine Envoy Appointment Ceremony" in My Cultist Simulator had concluded successfully.
The new Divine Envoys proved to skeptics that the Cult of the Divine Charlatan was no fraud.
Fanatics and devout believers multiplied, all hoping to become the next Envoys and gain superhuman power.
This surge in faith translated to a sharp rise in Luo Shu's personal Hume level.
In just days, it had soared to 350, surpassing the average for Tier-3 reality benders.
He then discovered something fascinating:
He could allocate Hume levels between his main body and projection at will.
In essence, this meant distributing consciousness proportionally.
Personal Hume correlated directly with mental strength—stronger mind, higher Hume, and vice versa.
To prevent his main body's Hume from exceeding Anomalous Item-100's Scranton Reality Anchor suppression, Luo Shu diverted all excess to his projection.
For now, keeping his main body below Tier-4 was safest—within the Anchor's range, he'd remain invisible to Foundation satellites.
But if his main body reached Tier-4, even the Anchor couldn't hide him.
After rebalancing his consciousness, his Cultist Simulator projection became far more agile—even when his main body was busy, the projection wouldn't freeze up.
Thus, under Saintess Sasha's arrangements, Luo Shu the Divine Charlatan embarked on an East Asia preaching tour.
(Or as Luo Shu saw it: a scam artist's roadshow.)
As the saying goes:
"Actors are madmen; audiences are fools."
If he played the madman convincingly enough, the masses would gladly play the fools.
Preaching and performing were one and the same.
At this rate, after completing the tour and appointing more Envoys, Luo Shu would easily ascend to Tier-4.
With an army of Divine Envoys, his East Asian theocracy would sweep that world effortlessly.
The end result?
Luo Shu would match Priest-King John as a Tier-5 reality bender—but with a key difference:
Priest-King John couldn't project avatars. Wherever he went, he went in person at full power.
Luo Shu, however, could dump most of his Hume into his projection, keeping his main body at Tier-3.
No wonder Aeolus called him "broken."