Forge a path to success

"Dinner set meal for four people, 100 yuan for Cuizhi..."

The Emerald Branch is the currency of the city-state of Thornsa, and it looks like an emerald green leaf. Vande calculated: "It's about 550 Flowing Pearls, which is quite a good deal."

"This is not cost-effective for the workers."

“This is the barbarians, manual labor can earn just as much as an office worker. Look at how dirty they are, their actual income is probably not much less than yours, Chief Inspector.” Van Der sniffed the air with his skin. “I’m getting a little hungry after eating canned food for two weeks. How about we grab a bite together?”

"Sure, pack one for Huaisu."

Captain Ji showed little interest in catching Fatty, claiming she wanted to browse some books at the bookstore. Chu Hengkong suspected she just wanted to take the opportunity to pet various small animals. He walked into the restaurant and said to the waiter, "Hello, we have a table."

The waiter was a cat with deer antlers, clearly a descendant of interracial forest dwellers. He hopped around as he spoke: "Which table are you looking for?"

“The largest table.” Van der revealed his leopard-spotting tube.

The antlered cat couldn't help but chuckle; judging from its expression, this was clearly a common occurrence locally. It led Chu Hengkong towards the stairs: "Table 8 on the second floor. Would you like to take away or eat here?"

Taking it to go means you're practically carrying the manager away; eating here means you're eating with the manager.

"Let's eat some together too."

“Great! We’re sure you’ll be satisfied with our food,” said Deer Antler Cat. “The manager is having dinner with friends today, so I think we should let it finish its meal—it’s not like it’s any different from another meal.”

"Manager Ji Yu previously doubted that I could lift it," Chu Hengkong said. "Do you think it was really that serious?"

The antler cat glanced at the grotesque wrist and said tactfully, "The craftsmanship of your prosthetic body is absolutely top-notch, it's just that there aren't enough of them..."

Chu Hengkong laughed. This city-state was quite interesting; everyone had a delightful air of friendliness on their faces. The citizens of the city-state seemed to know nothing of shyness; they could chat with anyone as if they were old friends. No one questioned whether this delayed work efficiency; everyone was less anxious about time and faced life with a relaxed and carefree attitude.

On the first floor, some small animals were adjusting equipment, as if preparing to film a food program. Chu Hengkong walked up to the second floor and knew at a glance that he didn't need to look for his target anymore. The target's features were so obvious that anyone with eyes could not possibly fail to recognize it.

How to describe it...

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "round".

Very round.

It is perfectly round.

This round, plump creature has grayish-black fur with irregular light gray spots, while the fur on its belly is a beautiful milky white. It has short limbs, a round head, and large eyes; when it lies on the table, it resembles a bouncy gray spindle. It is about one and a half adults tall and roughly the width of three people standing side-by-side, taking up more space than a large table, so much so that the restaurant had to raise the tables to serve the food.

This beast is the famous animal of the third lineage, the owner of the seafood bookstore, known as the Great Seal.

“It’s really big!” Vande exclaimed.

"Mmm?"

The large seal, which was happily munching on something, tilted its head back upon hearing this, its round body arching like a giant banana. Through the curve of the banana, Chu Hengkong saw a very distinctive black face. The profile of that face was extremely handsome, and the person was playing and singing on a guitar across the table:

"The tide is turbulent, fate is cruel, let us all go to the frontier to seek the divine tree."

One act ends, another begins; the mantis stalks the cicada, the sparrow follows.

The abandoned disciple of Longxiang flaunted his power, but misfortune has brought him to prison.

Heroic spirits bear witness to the righteous path, starlight and purifying fire sweep away evil spirits~

After the song ended, the restaurant crowd cheered. The poet took a delightful sip of his wine, quickly strummed the strings, and continued:

"Who knew that fortune and misfortune could strike in an instant, as the swarm of bats screeched and the fog thickened."

Leaving the battlefield and entering the prison realm, ghostly figures appear in the desolate wilderness!

Natural disasters are cruel, demons are poisonous, and a two-headed ferocious dog takes lives.

Fortunately, a wise person pointed out the way, and I was able to break free from all obstacles and pursue my old dreams.

Enemies join hands to become comrades, and demons convert to the righteous path.

Slaying demons and vanquishing evil, battling the heretics, the nightmare slumbers in the Heavenly Prison are broken!

The restaurant diners applauded in unison, and the waiters, forgetting to serve the food, put down their plates and cheered. The bard put down his guitar and raised his cup to the distant Chu Hengkong.

"Have you heard of this new legend that has shaken the land?" Sriel said with a smile.

Chapter 274 I Protest!

“It’s hard not to have heard about something this big,” Chu Hengkong said. “I just didn’t expect Mr. Sriel to know the details of the process. He’s really well-informed.”

This dark-faced poet was none other than Sriel, who had once sung in Huilong City. It turned out that their previous adventure had been triggered by the letter of appeal he had sent. He crossed his legs, smugly declaring, "As a poet, I have my own channels; I know everything about strange and unusual people and events all over the world!"

As Sriel spoke, his eyes became puzzled: "But this time we've stumbled. We have all the clues we need, yet we just can't seem to find the hero's face. You were also in Jinye at that time, I wonder if Detective Chu knows anything about it?"

Chu Heng chuckled inwardly, knowing that the Anonymous Talisman had taken effect. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table: "How could I, a mere point 3, be qualified to participate in such a strange event?"

Vande chimed in, "If I really knew anything about it, I would have told you even if I had to embellish the story. Otherwise, we wouldn't be at a loss for words now!"

"What a pity, what a pity!" Sriel sighed dramatically, but didn't seem too disappointed. He turned around and introduced, "Let me introduce you, this is Detective Chu from Huilong City, a level 1 daring demon, and a skillful one-on-one fighter against an immortal machine."

This rare animal, named Great Seal, currently runs a seafood bookstore. It's very knowledgeable, and has a good appetite and a good sleep.

The seal swallowed a large piece of meat in a few bites and then extended its paw in a friendly manner: "Mmm."

Chu Heng squeezed its paw tip (the seal's paw was even bigger than his head): "Is the seal shopkeeper not very talkative?"

“Writing is always better than talking; more writing means less talking. If you need something, just smile and call out a few times, and they'll understand.” Sriel poured a glass of wine for Chu Hengkong and Vande. “You two came all this way specifically to catch a leopard or to discuss business?”

"We want to ask the store manager to go back and discuss business."

The seal's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, its two large black eyes wide open. It began to shake its head: "Mmmmmm!"

Seeing the expression on his face as if he was shirking responsibility, Chu Hengkong laughed and said, "Editor Otter said that you have to make the final decision on this matter."

The sea seal looked distressed: "Hmm..."

"But there's no rush. We can talk about it after you finish eating." Van der looked hungry. "We're hungry too. Would you mind sharing a table?"

The large seal grinned and moved aside, making room for the hard-won space. Sriel whistled a long whistle, and the antler-cat waiter jumped upstairs, opening the menu: "What would you two like to order?"

What's your signature dish?

"Our fried chicken is quite famous, and many poultry enthusiasts come here specifically to try it," said Deer Antler Cat. "In addition, we highly recommend our new fig cream puffs this season; now is the perfect time to enjoy fruit."

The large seal beside him nodded repeatedly. Seeing this, Chu Hengkong ordered: "Fried chicken set meal, lunch for one person, two fig puffs, a large plate of sashimi. Also, order a hamburger meal to go. No dietary restrictions."

The seal rubbed its belly, then struggled to lift up a writing tablet: [Sashimi!]

"Okay, manager, I'll order you a small portion too." Deer Antler Cat quickly wrote down the menu. "Have a good appetite, everyone."

“That’s more like it. Let’s talk about the political situation of the city-state and the future of the turbulent world while we eat.” Sriel filled the cups for the two new guests.

"You're joking, it's just my personal matter."

The poet winked at him: "If you keep a close eye on things, private matters will be bigger than the sky; if you are ruthless in your heart, personal matters will be more important than the overall situation."

The restaurant served food quickly; by the time Chu Hengkong finished explaining the background, the steaming hot fried chicken was already on the table. Unlike Korean fried chicken, which is coated in batter and batter, or American fast food fried chicken, which is often large chunks coated in breadcrumbs, this restaurant uses a traditional method of marinating and then deep-frying the chicken raw. Besides the best chicken wings and drumsticks, the chef also specially preserved a whole chicken neck, just for its glassy crispy skin.

Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up; this method suited his taste perfectly. He picked up a chicken leg with his chopsticks and took a bite. In addition to the usual salty and savory flavor, the chicken also had a hint of spiciness, which fully brought out the freshness of the chicken, making it unforgettable.

Van der, munching on a chicken wing, exclaimed, "This chicken is amazing!"

"The fourth-order shrunken chicken is marinated with fresh mushrooms from the third order. You won't find this exquisite flavor anywhere else," Sreyer said.

"Is Maixu the city of Jingsha?" Chu Hengkong asked, having heard the term frequently today.

“There is a difference. Since Jing Sha is called a ‘city-state,’ it is a union of many cities. Do you two know how many cities there are in Jing Sha?”

Vande quickly answered: "Including 165 autonomous cities!"

“Little Eye Demon remembers quite well; there are quite a few city lords in this place,” Sriel laughed. “Managing so many cities one by one would be too cumbersome. For geographical and economic reasons, unified jurisdiction is called a ‘branch.’ And multiple branches that are close together on the divine tree form a ‘vein,’ which is called a ‘vein sequence.’”

A divine tree, five major branches, twelve secondary branches, and one hundred and sixty-five cities constitute the largest divine tree regime in history, the 'Jingsha City-State'. Even our third branch alone is several times larger than Huilong City!

Chu Hengkong had originally thought that the so-called pulse sequence of the city-state was a main city, but now it seemed more like a "state" that had been expanded several times over. He had a deeper understanding of the size of the city-state. The thorny tree that could support such a behemoth was like the World Tree in mythology, and such a massive existence was only a point mass.

"That's really impressive." He exclaimed. "I also know that Huilong City's influence in the Shendong Realm is insufficient, which is why I came to the city-state to find a solution."

"Then you underestimate your own abilities. Without the shipping routes you opened up in Dragon City, no one's books can sell to the world these days." Sriel laughed. "Alright, my dear shopkeeper, the customer has come all this way. Even if you don't care about the guest, you should at least say something, right?"

The large seal, which was secretly eyeing the fried chicken, quickly retracted its paws and, in a moment of crisis, sat up... or rather, lay down. It pulled a writing pad from its thick fur and quickly wrote: "Who are you looking for?"

“My former…” Chu Hengkong hesitated for a moment, “…employer.”

What was your previous job?

"Killer."

The seal stared with its round eyes: [What kind of assassin? Part-time? Professional? Expert?]

“A top figure in the industry,” Van Der answered for him. “He’s universally recognized as number one in his hometown.”

The sea seal mumbled for a while, then looked at Sriel: "Mmm?"

"This assassin has now turned to the right path and is a legendary figure. He dared to fight real machines when he was at level 1, and now at level 3, he has probably defeated even more formidable opponents," Sriel replied.

"Mmm..."

The seal grunted a few times, then raised its paw and wrote: "[This matter I—]"

Everyone turned to look, and three gunshots rang out from downstairs.

·

"...The top layer is a crispy filling made with fig jam wrapped in chocolate chips, while the middle layer of velvety cream is enriched with soft bean mushroom pieces. A clever design...but the best part is definitely the cream puff shell." The host raised the coin-shaped microphone with all his might. "Chef, could you explain your design concept?"

The host was a small, metallic ghost sitting in a tiny box, about the size of a cream puff when placed on the table, while the restaurant's panda chef, who was 1.9 meters tall, had to hunch his neck to respond.

“The answer is soft bean mushroom.” Chef Panda grinned sheepishly. “I hollow out a whole mushroom, leaving only the thin outer layer as the shell for the cream puff, while the mushroom flesh is used to make the cream, preserving its original flavor.”

"What an ingenious design. Ladies and gentlemen, this task is not as simple as the chef makes it out to be; the smell of soft bean mushrooms is very difficult to handle..."

The ghost host was talking boastfully into the camera, and the director's gestures told him that the current real-time ratings had reached the top three in the third pulse. At that moment, the host's bitterness intensified.

Good heavens! Who came up with this awful idea of ​​a ghost food livestream?! The whole restaurant was eating, and we were the only ones at our table, making our lines so awkwardly awkward. We were actually waiting for the livestream to end so we could go up and ask Mr. Sreyer for his autograph, but if it keeps going like this, he'll probably finish eating and leave! Ugh!

The ghost host ate a small piece of gold coin to calm himself down and prepared to continue his speech. At this moment, the director was suddenly shoved aside, and several strangers dressed as workers took control of the camera lens. A man wearing a turban, who was in the lead, strode over.

“I am Hilland Taf. Would you mind if I said a few words?” he asked in a low voice.

“Excuse me, sir,” the ghost said blankly, “I’ve never heard of you before…”

Hilland laughed a few times and snatched the microphone without saying a word. His men pushed the director in front of the camera.

“Sir, I have a question for you. Many citizens are listening at the same time as me, so please answer me honestly,” Hilland asked. “What program is currently receiving the highest ratings?”

The director, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, stammered, "Today's highest-rated segment is the duel at Flying Swallow Amusement Park... then the woodworking exhibition at Fife Farm, followed by your program... and any concerts or similar events will also be pushed to the front..."

“Entertainment, art, food! Music!” Hilland laughed. “And what about politics? News? Right now, the First Order is holding its fourth public debate on Bill 368. I’d like to ask where it ranks in the ratings?”

The director slammed his glasses on the screen: "34th...sorry, it's 37th now. Ahh!"

The director was pulled away by Hilland's men. Hilland stared at the camera, his laughter revealing his barely suppressed anger.

“37!” Hilland roared. “For our esteemed citizens, there are at least 36 things more worth watching than the parliamentary debate, even though it concerns the implementation of a utterly shameless bill, which, if passed, will then be put to a vote on whether to implement it!”

"Everyone says that the politics of a city-state is the politics of its citizens, but look up to the divine tree, how many people truly care about how the city-state functions?! We speak out day and night on various platforms, we debate with all our might in both the upper and lower houses, but no one pays attention! No one cares! Our lovely citizens are disdainful of politics; they care more about the food they need right now!"

Many diners were ready to protest, but Hilland pulled out a pistol and fired three shots out the window. The gunshots scared away everyone who wanted to take action, and Hilland's men placed a countdown hourglass on the table.

30 minutes.

"As a citizen of the thorns, I feel I have to take some measures to get you all to pay attention to the issues at hand. I have to take some rude actions to get you involved in politics," Hilland said coldly. "For the next 30 minutes, I request that the Senate suspend the fourth debate. After that, every minute that passes, there will be one less person in this restaurant."

"We look forward to the responses from our politicians."

The director swallowed hard; the live feed on his screen told him that the ratings had climbed to number one in the city. Meanwhile, at a large table by the window on the second floor, the people having dinner exchanged bewildered glances.

“How so?” Van der said. “Who wants to show their face in front of the citizens of the city-state?”

Chapter 275 What a coincidence

The seal's nose twitched, and it wrote on the writing board: "[Hiland is a 4th-level particle, while his subordinates range from 1st to 3rd; none of them are on the right path.]"

"What do you say, buddy?" Vande asked, glancing sideways.

“Three seconds,” Chu Hengkong said.

"Really? 3 seconds?" the sea seal exclaimed in surprise.

“We can’t be too harsh, so it will take a little longer.” Chu Hengkong tapped the table. “However, it seems that this matter is not convenient for outsiders to get involved.”

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, or you'll get stuck in the mud!"

Sriel wholeheartedly agreed, and he put on a gloating smirk: "Detective Chu, you may not know this, but Bill 368 is a thunderbolt in city-state society, a milestone in electoral politics, unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated."