Chapter 350 Convention (Thanks to Dibinling and yzc for the reward)
Halfway across the city, there is another "Aquatic Bookstore".
Half a minute ago, the place was open for business as usual, the animal shop assistants working leisurely and telling boring jokes to customers. But now, whether "store manager", "shop assistants" or "customers", all the creatures put down their work and stared indifferently at the light outside the window.
Even if they stay in the "bookstore", they can still see the fluorescent trees in the distance, which are connected together gently and warmly, making people imagine the faces illuminated by the light under the trees.
Someone stood by the window, squinting, as if hurt by the light. He pulled down the curtains and spoke softly in the darkness.
"I wish you happiness."
The lights in the "bookstore" went out one by one, and the "little animals" turned into wriggling moon beasts in the shadows. One by one, they poured into Wang Quan's body, like a baby returning to its cradle.
After a strange swallowing sound, the room was empty. There was no trace of the fake bookstore anywhere, only a dark, old house.
·
The umbrella was opened again, and Chu Hengkong walked beside Velvet, holding it, just like when he walked with her in the rain. Velvet leaned on his prosthetic body, and her fingertips brushed against the back of his silver hand.
"I never thought you'd use prosthetics."
"A few months ago, my left arm was still a tentacle." Chu Hengkong told her.
"You? Tentacles?" Velvet laughed. "I can't think of anything more inappropriate for you."
"I lost an arm but gained a brother in return. Overall it was a good deal."
"So that 'Fander' is your contracted demon, and the medium of the contract is your limbs."
Chu Hengkong thought about it and said, "Let's just take it as it is."
"And what about all this strange, heretical taint within you?" Velvet asked. "Of course, you've run into all sorts of incredible dangers, fighting for them without anyone asking you to. You've devoured your enemies, or turned them into friends, and finally, here you stand, covered in achievements and even more scars."
Chu Hengkong smiled: "Yes."
"Do you know I'm mocking you?"
"I don't mind. I like to listen," he said cheerfully. "I'm happy with whatever you say."
Velvet turned her head away, and she began to sulk again. Chu Hengkong didn't care at all, because his girl had come back to life. Now he had no anger or sorrow, he was the happiest man in the world.
They walked quietly for a while, leaving the fluorescent tree. Anyone who saw them would think they were a well-matched couple: the girl was sulking, while the boy was grinning foolishly. He patted Velvet's shoulder and said, "It must have been tough."
"You've reached the Shendong Realm and still haven't learned to form a complete sentence with a subject, predicate, and object."
"I mean when you first arrived."
"It was very difficult," Velvet said. "I kept wondering if I was an experimental subject created by a god in the Shendong Realm after intercepting information from Earth, or if I was the product of a malicious joke by some high-level outsider. My inconclusive speculation left me surrounded by distrust for quite a while. It wasn't until I crossed the First Abyss and confirmed the continuity of my self-consciousness that I was finally convinced that I was 'myself.'"
Chu Hengkong was stunned when he heard this: "I... I really didn't expect you to think about this..."
Velvet asked, "Not only did you come back from the dead, you also came to another world. If you don't think about yourself and your origins, what else should you think about?"
"Like survival issues?" Chu Hengkong said, "Like when you were on the first Dust Island."
"My first Dust Island was once Hong Xie's experimental site. Over 97% of the natives have turned into glowing corpses."
"The first instance was Resident Evil, a classic!" Chu Hengkong nodded. "And then you assembled weapons on the spot and commanded the locals to fight their way out, right?"
"It's a little simpler than that. I found the database of a magic scholar, upgraded it to the foundation stone, and developed a biochemical weapon to exterminate the local glow zombies." Wilbert pointed his cane. "Then the glow zombies on the island died, and I collected some materials and upgraded them to Sephiroth 2."
"Damn, you've already reached level 2..."
"And develop traps and psychic weapons to kill demons," Velvet said. "During the Staff of Bitterness phase, I began uniting local forces to strangle low-level Scourges and assassinate several demon-possessed individuals. This process took 24 days. After that..."
Chu Hengkong felt a pang of pain in his teeth: "Then you upgraded the Qibian Blade on the spot and started killing the three monsters?"
"Then the scholars followed my distress signal and arrived. I boarded a ship to the Dustless Land and officially became a magical scholar. That's the end of the story of my first Dust Island," Velvet commented. "There were some minor troubles, but they were nowhere near as dangerous as we were on Earth."
Chu Hengkong nodded slowly on the surface, putting on a confident smile that said "I knew you'd be fine", but deep down he was so anxious that his heart was about to explode.
No, that's not right, isn't it? Isn't the boss a Floating Light Path Transformer? The early stages of the Floating Light Path are generally considered a prison sentence. Sephiroth 1 and Sephiroth 2 are useless. It's only at the Strange Blade stage that you finally gain some combat effectiveness.
Even a tough guy like Shax admitted in casual conversation that he had a pretty damn close call when he first arrived in the Shendong Realm, nearly getting killed by a monster with just a broken pistol. Someone like the cook, who didn't even have the ability to fight, would rather die on the spot. Qi Su simply died.
This is the norm on the Floating Light Road, the reality of most miserable cornerstone staffs. Fights are unrewarding, deaths are a high probability, and you need someone to protect you on the battlefield. But why is the storyline so different when it comes to the boss? What about Seismic Point 1 wiping out the Fire Corpses while Seismic Point 2 assassinates the Slayer Ghost? Even when he was Seismic Point 1, the dignified Serpent of Life, he was nearly overwhelmed by a dozen Fire Corpses!
Before even starting the conversation, he was prepared to listen to his boss complain about the hard times, then pat his head and tell her, "I found you, don't worry." But in reality, the girl had thrived after arriving in the Shendong Realm, even feeling it was harder than back on Earth. Her biggest initial struggle was philosophical speculation. What could he say? Velvet, so strong and awesome? It's amazing that you're doing well without me?
Then what do you need me for?
Thinking of this, Chu Hengkong was shocked again. He seemed to have forgotten to ask the boss what the quality was now.
We've already mentioned crossing the First Abyss, so she must have a Seismic Point 4, right? At least a Legendary Seismic Point 4, right? She's even so Legendary that she could shatter the seal of the Kingship with a single blast from countless kilometers away in the Dustless Land! With that kind of combat power, she could easily defeat an opponent of Guo Yutu's caliber, so...
Does she still need a guard?
It seems like she doesn't need a bodyguard anymore?
At least she is a world-breaker, so the equipment under her command must be easier to use than that of a killer, right?
Miss Velvet seems to have... no longer needed him at all!
This new discovery chilled the killer's hands and feet, like a person breaking out in a cold sweat on a hot day. He was so shocked that he ignored the words of those around him. It wasn't until Velvet poked his instep with her cane that he finally came to his senses.
"Salary, Chu Hengkong." Velvet sighed heavily, "What kind of compensation do you want?"
"What?" Chu Hengkong asked dully.
Velvet threw him a dizzying form. "According to our contract on Earth, your base salary is $30,000 per month, with 20 days of vacation per year and a stipend starting at $50,000 depending on the difficulty of your daily tasks. But now we're in the Shendong Realm, and our assets on Earth have lost their purchasing power. I must confirm your compensation based on the new standards."
Chu Hengkong was surprised and asked, "Are you still planning to hire me?"
"The combat capabilities of the Floating Light Road are overly dependent on equipment and the environment. Without any preparation, I'm not much stronger than I was on Earth," Velvet said. "And I can't always be fully prepared, especially in the dangerous environment of the Shendong Realm. I always need someone I can trust to stay by my side..."
She was a little surprised, because this didn't need to be explained. When did they need to talk about this? When did they need to explain their need for each other?
Velvet looked up at him, and saw a hint of worry in his eyes. She suddenly realized something and looked away after a moment.
"I understand. You now have a new life and new relationships, including lovers, friends, and another set of trustworthy systems. The material wealth I can provide is not necessary for you, and the promise we made has long been fulfilled." She said softly, "I know you have no reason to be a killer by my side now. I am simply... offering you a choice based on our past experiences. Whether you agree or not, I support it and—"
"It's not done yet!" Chu Hengkong shouted, "The agreement we made back then hasn't been fulfilled yet!!"
He grabbed Velvet’s hand and said aggressively, “You said you would make me famous, but I’m still a nobody!”
Velvet was momentarily surprised. She still remembered their conversation on the rooftop, but she hadn't expected the man's words. They both knew that their promise was a lie, a mere excuse for their tacit understanding...
Let them stay together...
She smiled slightly and held Chu Hengkong's hand: "You are quite famous now."
"But I want to be world famous."
"It seems our old contract still needs to be fulfilled, but in this case you will continue to be my snake."
"No problem!" Chu Hengkong agreed immediately. To be on the safe side, he began to make crazy demands: "Let me remind you that this time we signed a lifetime contract. Once you agree on it, you can't go back on your word!"
“Of course, once a contract is signed, there’s no going back on it,” Velvet said briskly. “Besides that, what else do you want in return?”
Chu Hengkong suddenly felt at ease, returning to his carefree, uninhibited killer self. He put his arm around his boss's shoulders, grinned, and said, "There's no need for money. We've known each other for so many years, and talking about money hurts our relationship! Can you help me clean the room when you have time?"
"Are you sure this is all you want?"
"It would be even better if you could help me cook a meal once in a while."
"I need to think about this..."
They walked away talking and laughing, just like ordinary men and women blending into the crowd.
(Because of too many rewards today, I feel sorry to stop publishing any longer, so I will resume updating in advance.
Thanks to the Golden Alliance of the Earthbound Spirit and the leader of yca, the seals are dancing the lion dance, dong dong dong)
(End of this chapter)
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