Forge a path to success.

Chapter 350 Conventional Practices (Thanks to Earthbound Spirit and yzc for the donations)
Halfway out of the city, there is another "aquatic product bookstore".

Just half a minute ago, this place was open for business as usual, with the animal shop staff working leisurely and telling customers silly jokes. But now, whether they are "managers," "staff," or "customers," all creatures have put down what they are doing and are staring blankly at the light outside the window.

Even when they are huddled in the "bookstore", they can see the fluorescent trees in the distance, which stretch out gently and warmly, making people imagine the faces illuminated by the light under the trees.

A person stood by the window, squinting, as if stung by the light. They drew 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" transformed into writhing moon beasts in the shadows. One by one, they surged into Wang Quan's body, like infants returning to their swaddling clothes.

After the strange swallowing sound, the room was empty. There was no trace of the fake bookstore's existence, only a dark, old house remained.

·
The umbrella was opened again, and Chu Heng walked beside Vilbert, holding it open, just like he used to accompany the girl on walks in the rain. Vilbert leaned on his prosthetic arm, her fingertips lightly brushing against the back of his silver hand.

"I never imagined you would use a prosthetic body."

“A few months ago, my left arm was a tentacle,” Chu Hengkong told her.

“You? Tentacles?” Vilbert laughed. “I can’t think of anything that could be less suitable for you.”

"I lost an arm but gained a brother, so overall it was still a good deal."

"So that 'Vander' is your contracted demon, and the medium of the contract is your limbs."

Chu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Let's just say that's how it is."

“And what about all these strange and heretical contaminations on you?” Velbert said. “Of course, you’ve ventured into all sorts of unbelievable dangers, fighting for them on your own initiative even when no one asked you to. You devour your enemies or turn them into friends, and in the end, you stand here, covered in glory and even more scars.”

Chu Hengkong smiled: "Yes."

Do you know I'm being sarcastic?

“I don’t care, I like listening,” he said cheerfully. “I’m happy no matter what you say.”

Violet turned her head away, sulking again. Chu Hengkong didn't care at all, because his girl had come back to life. Now he felt neither anger nor sorrow; he was the happiest man in the world.

They walked quietly for a while, leaving the glow-in-the-dark tree. Anyone who saw them would think they were a well-matched couple: the girl was sulking, and the boy was grinning foolishly. He patted Wilbert on the shoulder and said, "It must have been tough."

"You've reached the realm of submersion and still haven't learned to speak a complete sentence with a subject, verb, and object."

"I was talking about when you first arrived."

“It was very difficult,” Wilbert said. “I kept thinking about whether I was an experimental subject created by some god in the Submerged Realm after intercepting information from Earth, or a product of a joke created by some high-quality heretic out of malice. The inability to reach a conclusion left me surrounded by distrust for quite some time, until I confirmed the continuity of my self-awareness when I crossed the First Abyss, and only then was I able to be sure that I am ‘myself’.”

Chu Hengkong was taken aback: "I... I really didn't expect you to think about these things..."

Vilbert countered, "You not only died and came back to life, but you also arrived in another world. If you don't think about yourself and your origins, what should you be thinking about?"

"Like the issue of survival?" Chu Hengkong said, "Like when you were on the first Dust Island."

"My first Dust Island was once the experimental field of the Rainbow Demons, where more than 97% of the original inhabitants turned into Fireflies."

"The first scenario is Resident Evil, a classic!" Chu Hengkong nodded. "And then you assemble weapons on the spot and command the locals to fight your way out, right?"

“It’s a bit simpler than that. I found a magic scholar’s ​​database, and after ascending to the foundation level, I developed a devastating bioweapon against the local fire zombies.” Wilber pointed to his cane. “After that, all the fire zombies on the island died out, and I collected some materials to ascend to point 2.”

"Holy crap, you've already leveled up to 2..."

"And we developed traps and psychic weapons specifically for the Scourge," Velbert said. "During the Bitter Staff phase, I began uniting local forces to exterminate low-level Scourge species and assassinate several demon-possessed individuals. This process took 24 days. And then..."

Chu Hengkong felt a pang of toothache: "And then you raised the Strange Blade on the spot and started killing the three demons?"

"After that, the scholars came following my distress signal, and I boarded the ship to Dustless Land to officially become a mage scholar. The story of the first Dust Island ends here," Velvet commented. "There were some minor troubles, but it was nowhere near as dangerous as it was on Earth."

Chu Hengkong nodded slowly on the surface, putting on a confident smile that said, "I knew you'd be fine." But inside, he was frantic. Wait, this isn't right! Wasn't the boss a Floating Light Path Ascender? The early stages of the Floating Light Path were notoriously a prisoner's path. Points 1 and 2 were completely useless until the Strange Blade stage, when one could finally have some combat power.

Even a tough guy like Shakes admitted in casual conversation that he had a near-death experience when he first arrived in the Submerged Realm, almost getting killed by a monster while holding a broken pistol. Someone like the cook didn't even have the ability to fight; he'd be dead on the spot if he even stepped into the fray. Qi Su was simply dead.

This is the norm on the Floating Light Path, the reality for most of the miserable Foundation Staff users. Fighting is a given, death is highly probable, and going to the battlefield requires someone to protect you. But how come the plot is completely different for the boss? What does it mean to wipe out the Fireflies at Point 1 and assassinate the Demon Slayers at Point 2…? Even as the mighty Serpent of Life at Point 1, he was almost wiped out by a dozen Fireflies!
Before even starting the conversation, he was prepared to listen to his boss's complaints and reminisce about her difficult past, then pat his head and tell her, "I've found you, don't worry..." But in reality, the girl was thriving in the Shallow World, feeling that the difficulty level wasn't even as high as it was on Earth. Her biggest challenge in the early stages was philosophical contemplation. What could he say? "Vilbert is so strong and amazing? It's so great that you're doing so well without me?"

What am I supposed to do then?
Thinking of this, Chu Hengkong was startled again. He seemed to have forgotten to ask his boss what the current mass point was.

We've already mentioned she crossed the First Abyss, so she must be at least a Level 4 particle, right? At least a Legendary Level 4 particle, right? She's even legendary enough to shatter the seal of royal power with a single shot from countless kilometers away in a dust-free environment! With that kind of combat power, defeating an opponent of Guo Yutu's caliber shouldn't be a problem, so…

Does she still need guards?

It seems like she doesn't need bodyguards anymore, right?
She's at least a Boundary Realm expert; her equipment must be easier to control than that of an assassin, right?

Miss Vilbert seems to, probably obviously... no longer needs him at all!

This new discovery sent chills down the assassin's spine, making him feel as if he were sweating profusely on a hot day. He was so shocked that he ignored the words of those around him until Wilbert jabbed his foot hard with her cane, bringing him back to his senses.

"Salary, Chu Hengkong," Vilbert sighed heavily, "What kind of compensation do you want?"

"What?" Chu Hengkong asked blankly.

Vilbert tossed him a form that made his head spin: "According to our contract on Earth, your base salary is $3 per month, with 20 days of vacation per year, and a stipend starting at $5 depending on the difficulty of your daily tasks. But now that we're in the Shocking Realm, Earth's assets have lost their purchasing power, so I have to confirm your compensation according to new standards."

Chu Hengkong asked in surprise, "You're still planning to hire me?"

"The combat capabilities on the Floating Light Path rely too heavily on equipment and the environment. Without preparation, I'm not much stronger than I was on Earth," Velbert said. "And I can't always be fully prepared, especially given the perilous environment of the Submerged Realm. I always need someone I can trust by my side..."

She found it odd, because it didn't need explaining. When did they need to say these things to each other? When did they need to express their needs for one another?

Violet looked up to meet his gaze and saw a hint of apprehension in his eyes. She suddenly realized something and looked away after a moment.

“I understand. You have a new life now, new relationships, including lovers, friends, and another trustworthy system. The material wealth I can offer is not a necessity for you, and our previous agreement has long been fulfilled.” She said softly, “I know you have no reason to remain an assassin by my side. I am merely… offering you a choice based on our past experiences, and whether you agree or not, I support it and—”

"It's not done!" Chu Hengkong shouted. "The agreement from back then hasn't been fulfilled!!"

He grabbed Wilbert's hand, almost aggressively: "You promised to make me famous, but I'm still a nobody!"

Vilbert was momentarily taken aback. She still remembered their conversation on the rooftop, but the man's words caught her completely off guard. They both knew perfectly well that the promise they made was a lie, merely a tacit excuse between them…

It allowed them to stay together...

She smiled slightly and grasped Chu Hengkong's hand in return: "You are quite famous now."

"But what I want is to be famous throughout the world."

“Our old contract still needs to be fulfilled, but that means you’ll have to continue being my snake.”

"No problem!" Chu Hengkong readily agreed, but to be on the safe side, he began to add a barrage of demands: "I'm reminding you that this is a lifetime contract, and once you've agreed, you can't go back on your word!"

“Of course, once the contract is made, there’s no going back,” Vilbert said lightly. “Besides that, what other reward do you want?”

Chu Hengkong immediately felt relieved and reverted to his carefree and unrestrained assassin self. He put his arm around his boss's shoulder, grinned mischievously, and said, "No need for money. We've known each other for so many years, talking about money will hurt our relationship! Could you help me clean the room when you have time?"

"Are you sure you only want this?"

"It would be even better if you could cook me a meal once in a while."

"I need to think about that..."

They walked away chatting and laughing, disappearing into the crowd like ordinary men and women.

　(Due to the large number of donations received today, I apologize for the inconvenience and will resume updates ahead of schedule.)
　　Thanks to Earthbound Spirit's Golden Alliance and yca's Alliance Leader, Seals performed a lion dance! (boom boom boom)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)