Chapter 895: Chapter 892: "Su Rin Makes Tea.
Lv Shu glanced at Su Ming’an, opened his mouth, as if he had many things to say, but in the end he only uttered one sentence:
"Do you need me to do anything?"
Lv Shu didn’t care about the connection between dream walking and the real world, nor did he care about any mysteries. His course of action had always been simple—find Su Ming’an, assist Su Ming’an, and ultimately, do everything he could to accomplish Su Ming’an’s goals.
"Let me think..." Su Ming’an thought. According to Li Mingyue, this abandoned small city is a "safe point," and it seems that once you leave, something terrible will happen.
"For now..." Su Ming’an said.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Knock knock knock."
The sound was slow, restrained, and powerful.
Su Ming’an went to open the door. The old-fashioned iron door creaked as it opened, revealing a red-haired man standing at the entrance. The man’s eyes were the beautiful color of orange gemstones, as if they possessed the intense temperature of flames. He was dressed in a tight black and gold uniform, with a bright silver handgun at his waist, glinting sharply in the sunlight.
"Hello, I am Li Yuxuan, the head of the City Guardian Department." The red-haired man saw Su Ming’an and gave a friendly smile, "I heard you are coming to the City Guardian Department for an internship?"
"...Yes." Su Ming’an nodded.
"Good. Let me introduce the operation mode of the City Guardian Department..." Li Yuxuan was a very efficient person who got straight to the point without unnecessary talk, giving Su Ming’an the rundown:
"The City Guardian Department is responsible for protecting the city, actively eliminating ’anomalies’ between cities, and combating the Evil Old Day Church, aiming to minimize their rampant slaughter of innocent humans."
"You can usually pick up tasks at various branches of the City Guardian Department. We have branches in every nation around the world."
"Completing tasks can earn you rewards and honor, similar to a mercenary model. Rankings are conducted by deities based on task contributions, ranging from SS-level, S-level, A-level, B-level, and so on."
"Occasionally, there will also be competitive tournaments to encourage human internal progress."
Listening to this, Su Ming’an felt that the City Guardian Department’s model was somewhat like Pulaya’s Soul Hunt—risking one’s life to kill the Soul Clan hidden among humans, with a ranking based on contributions.
He had a favorable impression of such a righteous organization, which was admirable compared to the bombing of cities by the Old Day Church, as the City Guardian Department protected the populace.
"Understood." Su Ming’an nodded.
"Let’s begin with registering your personal information." Li Yuxuan took out a tablet and an electronic pen, clearly a decisive person.
Su Ming’an provided his personal information.
"Dao Ya City First High School... Su Wensheng. All right." Li Yuxuan noted on the tablet, "Age? Family background? Aspirations? Areas of expertise? Any previous similar internships?"
Su Ming’an blinked. He didn’t expect he would need to fill out a resume in the Tenth World.
"Nineteen." Su Ming’an glanced at the records on his wristwatch brought by Du: "Father is a Border City guard, mother’s identity unknown."
He still hadn’t met his family. The house was always empty, with no family photo or household registration book. If it weren’t for Du finding a bit of household registration information, he wouldn’t be able to answer at all.
"Aspiration is North Qing University. I’m quite adept at attacking." Su Ming’an said, "I haven’t done a similar internship, I’m still in high school."
"Clap." Li Yuxuan closed the tablet cover, "Understood. The Guardian Department is short-staffed, so we’ll have to push you onto the stage. I will bring you the work ID card tomorrow. Let me tell you about the current situation: there are twenty-six nations and thirty-two independent cities in the world, which means—there are fifty-eight independent political entities. The abandoned city you are in is part of one fifty-eighth of the Ubang Nation."
"Hmm." Su Ming’an nodded.
"I’m in charge of all matters concerning the Ubang Nation; you can reach out to me if you have any questions." Li Yuxuan said.
"Your position is quite high, isn’t it?" Su Ming’an asked.
Li Yuxuan didn’t expect Su Ming’an to ask so directly and nodded, "Yes. I oversee all the branches of the Ubang Nation. If it weren’t for my connection with Li Mingyue, I wouldn’t have specifically come to meet and communicate with a newcomer like you. But the situation is urgent lately, with frequent anomalies, I have to step in personally. I’ll be leading your team, as you’ll be part of the top-notch team in this nation."
Su Ming’an thought about his vest and asked a little: "What is the position of the Deputy Minister of the City Guardian Department?"
Li Yuxuan was taken aback.
Then, unexpectedly, a look of fervor appeared in his eyes:
"You just need to know that the Deputy Minister is the most charming and wise man."
Li Yuxuan’s words left Su Ming’an baffled, unconsciously letting out a "Huh?"
"Although the Minister is the highest leader, only the Deputy Minister has continuously engaged with various forces. Without him, we wouldn’t be able to make a contract with the military and unite humanity." Li Yuxuan said.
In Li Yuxuan’s words, the Deputy Minister seemed to be an immensely grand figure, the spiritual leader of the entire Guardian Department.
Su Ming’an: "...Uh."
"Uh what uh, be serious!" Li Yuxuan reprimanded, "You’re a newcomer here for an internship, show some respect to the leader!"
Su Ming’an: "...Oh."
"Sign the internship agreement, and start your internship tomorrow." Li Yuxuan flipped the tablet for Su Ming’an to sign.
As Su Ming’an signed, he quietly thought—this startup is really too good.
Both the leader of the Human Self-Rescue Alliance and the Deputy Minister of the City Guardian Department. Out of humanity’s four great forces, two are in his hands. It’s hard to imagine how to lose.
Subsequently, Li Yuxuan requested to measure Su Ming’an’s strength.
Su Ming’an used it, his highest-level talisman was only at level two.
"I will bring you the work ID card tomorrow." Li Yuxuan said, "Although people say the City Guardian Department is very dangerous, with a mortality rate of 60%, under my command, I’ll protect you and won’t let an intern die. Also, with your level two capability, you can already be a captain, and you’ll lead some newcomers then."
Su Ming’an just wanted to nod. Suddenly, a voice came from the side—
"...Can I join? I’ll go with Little Cloud tomorrow too."
Su Ming’an turned his head and saw Su Luoluo walking out of the room.
"If there’s no problem with the screening, we welcome all." Li Yuxuan said.
Su Ming’an did not stop Su Luoluo, if she could stay with him, she would also remain safe.
In the end, just as Su Luoluo finished registering, Lv Shu stormed out from the room with a clatter.
"I want to join too." Lv Shu said expressionlessly.
"Who are you!" Su Luoluo was startled—where did this expressionless Black Robed Man come from? The wardrobe?
"A comrade of Su Wensheng." Lv Shu replied calmly.
"A priest as a comrade?" Su Luoluo scrutinized Lv Shu doubtfully.
Su Ming’an stepped forward, separating Lv Shu and Su Luoluo.
"You want to join the Guardian Department? I originally wanted you to check on things at Boris’s side." Su Ming’an said.
Lv Shu was confused for a moment and said, "Then I’ll listen to you."
"No, that’s fine too." Su Ming’an thought for a moment, if Lv Shu joined the City Guardian Department, it would be an extra support. As for Boris, let him do whatever he wants.
After everything was registered, Li Yuxuan nodded to Su Ming’an:
"Then, please rest well, the tasks of the Guardian Department are not easy. It’s not just about being righteous in the city, many tasks are cruel and bloody, so please maintain a good mental state."
"Okay," Su Ming’an said.
Just as Li Yuxuan was about to leave, a shadow suddenly appeared at the door.
It was a person completely shrouded in a cloak, revealing only a pair of pale, slender hands, quietly appearing in the hallway.
Su Ming’an remembered — it was the cloaked person who called him "Deputy Minister" yesterday and promised that they would come to protect him today, and indeed they came.
But the timing was... too unfortunate!
"Elder." Li Yuxuan slightly bowed to the cloaked person. It seemed the cloaked person had a higher status in the Guardian Department than Li Yuxuan.
The cloaked person glanced at Li Yuxuan, assuming she was aware of the "Deputy Minister’s seclusion," and directly approached Su Ming’an, about to kneel on one knee: "Depu..."
"Stop!" Su Ming’an immediately stretched out his hand to stop the cloaked person’s action.
Instantly, a strange scene unfolded.
Li Yuxuan bowed to the cloaked person, the cloaked person bowed to Su Ming’an, and Su Ming’an extended both hands to stop the grand gesture from the cloaked person. The three of them formed a rotating circle.
Lv Shu and Su Luoluo stood frozen at the side, unable to comprehend the situation before them.
The cloaked person, seeing this, quickly realized Li Yuxuan was not aware of the situation. They immediately stood up straight, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Su Ming’an also quickly retracted his hands, pretending he had done nothing.
"Elder? You just called the deputy..." Li Yuxuan’s sharp ears picked up on the inconsistency.
"Deputy what! You misheard! I’ve told you to balance work and rest while practicing Talisman. Look at those madmen in the Psychological Counseling Department, they’re your cautionary tale! Always stressed without rest, that’s their end!" The Black Robed Man immediately changed the topic.
"Your mental state isn’t any better, didn’t you just shout yesterday about wanting to swallow a rock..." Li Yuxuan retorted.
Watching their exchange, Su Ming’an realized that the mental state of the strong individuals in this world was quite poor.
The stronger they became, the deeper they had to delve into studying Talismans, and the more abnormal influences their brain had to endure. So, the mental state of strong individuals was generally unstable. Furthermore, the crazier a person was, the stronger they generally were.
They fused twisted, bizarre, terrifying, and despairing mental influences with themselves, risking insanity to continually approach the peak. Only by doing so could they protect the precarious human race.
A cost for a reward.
Madness for power.
— This is the unchanging law of The World of Old Days. It is also the last light of Human Civilization on the brink of collapse.
...
A large merchant ship sailed on the sea.
Inside the captain’s cabin, there was an eerie scent of brewing tea. A young captain in sailing attire was focusing on adding tea leaves to the pot, adjusting the heat.
On the table, a broadcast was airing news reports:
"Regarding the recent urban air raids, the Old Day Church has confessed. They admitted they were deliberately random air raids on cities to incite public panic. At noon today, the abandoned city Dao Ya City also suffered an air raid, nineteen bombs were dropped, and there were countless casualties..."
"— Captain! We’re about to reach the edge of the world ahead!" A sailor’s report came from outside the cabin.
Hearing the sailor’s voice, Su Rin stopped brewing tea, walked out of the captain’s cabin, and looked into the distance.
On the ocean, several icebergs gradually appeared in the distance. Sailors observed the icebergs from the deck.
"Can’t we bypass these icebergs?" Su Rin asked.
After entering the instance, he had been searching for deities but hadn’t found any. So he decided to cross the icebergs at the world’s edge, hoping to find a deity this way. The nearby sea seemed to have rule restrictions, forbidding flight, and only sailing could reach these icebergs.
The old captain of the ship had died, and after paying a price, Su Rin became the new captain of this large ship. On the vast sea, wearing a captain’s hat, looking at his still-youthful face in the mirror, he felt as if he had become the spirited young captain of Pulaya again, as if nothing had changed.
"There’s no way to bypass the icebergs if we want to cross the world’s edge, to reach areas no one has ever reached. We can only—" The sailor pursed his lips and shouted loudly:
"— Captain, we can only smash these icebergs!"
Su Rin smiled and said, "Then let’s smash them."
"Yeah!" The sailors high-fived each other, full of enthusiasm for this adventure.
"Toot—!"
A whistle sounded as the ship headed towards the icebergs. Su Rin used Flames, and golden-red flames spewed out like hundreds of firebirds diving into the sea, melting the icebergs ahead so the ship could pass.
"It’s melting! It’s melting! We’re getting through!"
The sailors’ faces were filled with excitement, and Su Rin also felt joyful. Surrounded by sailors, he seemed to return to his youthful days. It was as if with enough effort, everything could turn out beautifully.
At this moment—
"Wow—!"
A glowing green tentacle suddenly emerged from the sea, blocking the ship’s path.
"What is that!" The sailors cried out in panic, their excitement instantly fading.
Su Rin frowned slightly, looking at the sea.
More and more glowing green tentacles surfaced, followed by a tentacle monster like a divine tree slowly emerging, revealing its vast, sky-covering body. Its form was identical to the tentacle monster Su Ming’an had seen in the Louyue Nation.
[Do not cross the world’s edge.] The tentacle monster coldly said: [Leave quickly, otherwise, death.]
— So the world’s edge was indeed uncrossable. Once approached, a terrifying monster would stop anyone.
"Are you the deity of this world?" Su Rin assumed this was the deity.
[Do not cross the world’s edge.] The tentacle monster did not answer his question, raising ferocious tentacles: [Otherwise, death.]
Su Rin took a step forward, raising the Sword of Flame in his hand. He had no fear of the tentacle monster’s threat, only wanting to have a good fight with it.
At this time, he suddenly noticed the sailors beside him.
The sailors were sitting and lying on the ground, faces full of fear, tear-streaked under the tentacle monster’s immense size.
Realizing that if a battle ensued, these sailors would hardly survive, Su Rin remained silent for a moment, then retracted his sword. Though he didn’t care about the lives of other world humans, he couldn’t let these deaths happen because of him.
"Turn around," Su Rin said calmly, "Let’s return."