Forge a path to success.

Chapter 73 A Spirit of Loyalty and Devotion
"You said it's just a fish, why is that kid reacting so strongly?" Vande was completely baffled.

"I guess he's never been in the kitchen in his entire life, and he screams at the slightest bit of blood," Chu Hengkong said.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the God of the Kingdom is as clean as can be!" Vande said sarcastically, grabbing a large piece of grilled eel meat with his tentacle and slurping it with relish.

The giant eel was so enormous that a single one would last the two of them for three days. It was cut into several pieces and stored in the church's basement, with the fattest and most succulent belly meat being grilled over a fire by the two of them. Chu Hengkong used tableware carved from seaside rocks to make do with their meal, while Vande used its short tentacles.

This creature didn't have a mouth on its body. After the grilled eel meat was wrapped by several short tentacles, it disappeared in a flash, and it's unknown how it was "eaten" in such a strange way.

Brother Bernhard sat with them at the table, not eating, but silently flipping through an old scripture. Vande waved his greasy tentacles and invited, "Priest, would you like some fish?"

“No need,” Bernfar shook his head. “I am like the townspeople here; I do not need to eat.”

"You guys seem to have it pretty easy living," Vande said sarcastically. "So, you, cultivator, also ended up in this godforsaken place?"

“I came here of my own volition,” Bernfar said. “My faith holds that those who serve God should go to places of suffering and do their part for life. Even if it is just wishful thinking, it is enough to comfort us if we can help a few people.”

Chu Hengkong put down his chopsticks: "So you've come to the Divine Kingdom to spread your religion."

“Prosecuting… that’s a rather inappropriate term.” Brother Bernfa clasped his hands together as if in prayer, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Mr. Chu comes from the city of the Dragon God and should have a thorough understanding of gods and faith. In your opinion, can strongly believing in something, or praying for the help of a distant deity, change anything in the present moment?”

"No."

"Indeed. Faith and prayer are shortcuts to comfort the soul, but to put it bluntly, such actions are meaningless. Therefore, I have no intention of proclaiming my God to others; I only wish to wait in peaceful silence. When those seeking help come, I will do my best to offer my assistance; that is the only thing I should do."

Father Bernfar rose from his seat and nodded to the two men.

“It’s getting late, I’ll go and rest first. There are no restricted areas in this church, you two are welcome to sleep here. Besides…”

He pondered for a moment, then gently reminded them, "I think you two should know that the night is always more dangerous than the day. Do not leave town after sunset."

Father Bernfar left, and in the desolate stone church, the candlelight flickered. Chu Hengkong continued to devour his fish, while Vande suddenly felt a loss of appetite. It couldn't see through this monk at all. The townspeople at least had a general sense of him—Qi Su and Xiang Fuzi were likely Ascended, while the rest were mostly ordinary residents—but Bernfar was different. He was clearly sitting there, speaking simply, yet it felt nothing, as if he had never existed.

"What do you think?" Van der couldn't help but ask.

"I can't tell their skill level; they're a master," Chu Hengkong said. "We'll go out of town and take a look later."

Vande nearly choked on the eel meat: "Were you even listening to the expert?! The expert told you it's dangerous outside the town!"

"Is the town truly safe?" Chu Hengkong countered. "Can we completely trust Bernhard's words? And what about Qi Su's?"

Van der was speechless; he understood their concerns. Bernhard and Kisu, while not displaying malice, were not entirely revealing their secrets. Stories abound of chivalrous heroes being welcomed by the villagers for their acts of justice, but stories of those who are robbed of their belongings after spending the night with wicked people are equally numerous…

Chu Hengkong used his tentacles to curl up a piece of raw eel and pondered, "I have to see it with my own eyes and try it before I can make a judgment."

He seemed to have come up with an idea and began carefully peeling the eel's skin with his sword. Van der thought this made sense, but out of conscience, he still strongly advised, "Buddy, I advise you to take it easy. No matter what, you're only one point in time. What if there's something really strange out there that you can't handle?"

Chu Hengkong put down his sword and looked at Yanqiu with great sincerity.

“Vande,” he said, “I was just about to tell you something. I’m entirely your fault for ending up in this situation. Shouldn’t you do something to make amends and help me out?”

Vande slapped his forehead, exclaiming with boundless pride, "Absolutely! I, Vande, will certainly lend a helping hand!"

·
"You bastard Chu Hengkong!" Fan De cried, tears streaming down his face. "You son of a bitch! I'll become a demon and never let you get away with this!!"

"I'll definitely get you out of danger."

"Look at how long the rope you made is!" Van der screamed. "You're still trying to pull me out! By the time you dragged me back, I'd be dead already!!"

Venturing out of town alone was far too risky, so Chu Hengkong devised a compromise. He carefully peeled the skin off the giant eel, cut it into long strips, and wove it into a long rope. This eel was 20 meters long, and its skin was very resilient; if used carefully, the entire body of skin would be enough to make a very, very long rope. One end of the rope was tied to Chu Hengkong's tentacle, and the other end…

This put a knot in Vande's body.

To the north of the town were mountain walls, and to the southeast lay the sea. Chu Hengkong traveled westward until he reached the stone wall that the townspeople had used as a boundary. Flickering yellow lights illuminated the wall, beyond which stretched a plain overgrown with tall grass, and in the distance, the high slopes leading to the mountains could be faintly seen. He gazed for a while, determined his location, and then picked up the Vandeball with one hand.

"What are you going to do, you little bastard? What do you want to do?"

"Vander, get ready." Chu Hengkong grabbed the end of the rope and spun it around like a lasso. "Let's go!"

Chu Hengkong threw it with all his might, sending Fan De flying like a baseball into the dark wilderness!
“I &*%￥#——”

Vande traced a long arc through the air, its screams fading into the distance until they were almost inaudible. Upon landing, Vande slammed to the ground three times. The first thing it did upon getting up was to unleash a torrent of curses, each different for a full half-minute. After finishing, it cautiously tugged at the rope, and a faint pull quickly came from behind. Vande felt slightly relieved, confirming that the bastard could at least feel it, and then, with a sense of resignation, it looked around.

Under the cover of darkness, the tall grass swayed in the wind, like slender, ghostly shadows. Vande shivered; this eerie place was eerily quiet, devoid of the chirping of small animals, insects, or birds. It stirred the soil beneath the grass with its tentacles, finding no insect remains, no excrement, and not even a stench. It was like a silent, dead land.

"What kind of place is this...?"

Vande grew even more uneasy. It first looked up at the night sky. The absence of a dark moon was the best news, indicating that this place was not under the shadow of the First Abyss. But starlight was almost invisible; only a mischievous shooting star streaked about in the far east, and another star in the far west was hidden in the deep darkness, occasionally emitting blinding flashes of light without any discernible pattern.

The presence of stars symbolizing the two "destined ones" not only indicates their presence but also their radiance, suggesting a life fraught with hardship and an uncertain future.

"This is terrible," Vande thought. It was even more confused because it didn't see the other star that should have been there. But now was not the time to worry about the celestial signs; if it probed any further, it would have the assassin take it back. Vande lowered its head. A towering black shadow stood in the night.

……

That's strange. Was that thing there before?

Van der felt dizzy and rubbed his eyes. This time he saw it more clearly: a tall, imposing steel humanoid figure, a colossal bronze statue seemingly commissioned to celebrate something. The statue was tall, but not as large as the previous centipede.

……

It became clearer. About 20 meters tall, with legs like doorposts and iron hands crossed over its chest, the iron figure had no head; a face was embedded in its chest. The expression on that face was…

……

It was a crying face. Silver tears streamed down its face, from the corners of its eyes. Van der saw it clearly; the face wasn't far away...?
Vande felt a chill run down his spine. He had only glanced at it! A single glance shouldn't have led to such a gradual, layered observation! Yet the Iron Giant was becoming increasingly clear, for the distance between them was shrinking…

……

Shortened. From thousands of meters to hundreds of meters... no, tens of meters!

Only then did Van der realize that the rope around his waist was shaking incessantly, and the friction marks on the Iron Giant's hands were clearly visible. The Iron Giant's massive hand was reaching for him!

Vande pulled the rope with all his might and ran away as fast as he could. He dared not look back and waste even a moment, but if he did look back...

……

Only after turning around did it realize how terrifying that thing was. Its presence cast a dark, night-like shadow that covered the entire area in front of it without warning, pressing down from above like a mountain.

They were almost face to face, and Vande could feel the presence of the giant steel hand behind him! He lunged forward in despair, just as the iron giant's massive hand pressed down!

The Iron Giant raised its palm, unaware of the strange creature. It "looked" towards the distant Stone Town.

At the last moment, an immense force pulled through the leather rope, and Chu Hengkong yanked Vande back as fast as he could. They returned to town immediately, and Vande trembled for almost a minute.

"Why...where were you all this time...?"

“You were spacing out for about twenty seconds,” Chu Hengkong said. “I thought you were trying to show off, but then I realized you were the one who fell for it.”

Fan De remained silent. Chu Hengkong tugged at him and asked, "Are you still breathing?"

“It was a huge success.” Van der’s eyes were pale. “I never want to use it again.”

Chu Heng chuckled and looked out over the wall, where he saw the giant still standing in the night. Its weeping face gazed at the town, as if hesitating whether to go any further.

At that moment, a short staff struck the stone wall, its tip flashing with yellow light, forming an abstract "sun" character. This "sun" character merged into the wall, and the lights on the stone wall instantly blazed brighter, as bright as sunlight. The giant seemed to turn away in fear, step by step returning to the night.

Qi Su retracted his short cane, put one hand on his hip, and poked the limp Vande hard with the cane tip: "Can't you squids understand human language? If I said it's dangerous at night, then don't go out!"

"My lady, please understand, it was this barbarian who ruined me," Vande said sorrowfully.

Qi Su stood on tiptoe, wanting to hit Chu Hengkong on the head with his cane, but because he wasn't tall enough, he could only awkwardly hit his shoulder instead: "You too! Learn your lesson, I won't care next time!"

"Okay." Chu Hengkong readily agreed and followed the fuming Qi Su back to the town.

The first day after the summoning incident ended with yet another setback.

(End of this chapter)