"In that world, I met a young girl who wore an Electronic Pet Egg around her neck, the kind that was popular in the nineties," Li Yu described, "how did she get that thing? Has someone been to that world before me?"
"Ah, you noticed, that is an anchor which the company specifically cast out during the last interference to establish a connection with that universe, so that you could successfully arrive there. At the current stage, every time you arrive, you will appear near the anchor, so I strongly suggest you build a good relationship with the owner of that thing.
"To answer your second question, no... you are the first Earthling who has set foot on that land, the undisputed Columbus. From head to toe, every patch of her skin belongs entirely to you," Hephaestus added and then whistled.
"So the owner of that Electronic Pet Egg is not my client?"
"No, she just happened to pick up the anchor we threw over, and she is no different from other intelligent beings of that plane," Xu Mengyuan responded, "Your client is your believers and all potential believers.
"To extract faith over there, you first need to establish a religion. It should be completely new, not an existing one, what its name is, which God it worships, what precepts it follows are all up to you to decide, and how you plan to develop it is also your decision.
"The company only cares about the final result, that is how much faith you can collect. A portion of this faith belongs to you personally, which you can freely manage, considered as an additional investment by the company.
"Another portion will be forcefully collected by the company, but of course, we will also convert this portion into a corresponding performance bonus to compensate you additionally."
"In the future, you can spend your earned faith in the Equipment Department, we have quite a few nice items here," Hephaestus began to promote his creations.
In order to appear more convincing, he even pulled a waterproof box out of his backpack, "Speaking of which, I heard you don't have a watch, this is a welcoming gift from the Equipment Department."
Li Yu took the small box, opened it, and found a black wristwatch with a canvas strap inside.
"Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Series 5054 3640 O52B, my personal favorite model, with a red gold case, 43mm in diameter, 13.3mm thick, equipped with the 6654.P.4 movement, and as it is a diving watch, it has excellent waterproof performance, so you can jump into a river and dive without worrying about it malfunctioning.
"The luminous hands will ensure you can easily see the time even in dark environments, but all this pales in comparison to its inherent beauty—it is a flawless piece of art.
"No man can resist its allure. Additionally, the Equipment Department has made a few small modifications, transforming its complete calendar-moonphase function into a more practical faith counter."
"Faith counter?"
"Exactly, it will become your best assistant, displaying each faith you harvest at the calendar position above, letting you monitor your progress in real time.
"The limit is 999999. Once you exceed this amount, a star will rise in the original moonphase position below, and the counter above will reset, how about that, pretty intuitive, right?"
Hephaestus smiled brightly until Xu Mengyuan's voice rang out again, "The finance department asked me to remind you, your department's budget has already been overspent this month. If you insist on using luxury goods to make Divine Engraving Equipment, the overspent amount will be deducted directly from your salary in the future."
Hephaestus hesitated, just about to reconsider and change the watch back to sell it. But Li Yu had already put it on his wrist.
"Thanks, this gift is very beautiful."
"Uh, no... you're welcome," Hephaestus said with a wry smile.
Li Yu, wearing the new watch, signed his name in the contractor's column on the contract, "Although I can't quite believe everything you've said, this job does sound quite interesting; I'm willing to give it a try."
Xu Mengyuan looked unsurprised as she took the contract.
"I told you I've been observing you for a long time, you've always been my favorite candidate, possessing a cool head, sharp observation skills, and excellent analytical abilities, but more importantly, you have the blood of an adventurer flowing through your veins.
"Like those great navigators in history, top gamblers, and extreme sports enthusiasts... However, you have always been suppressing your true nature, letting yourself be swallowed up by those mechanically tedious jobs, constantly dying, which is also why you always feel trapped,"
"What we aim to do is to liberate you from the prison of life, provide you with all the preparation needed before setting sail, and help you embark on the sea."
"Almost every leader I've had said something similar when I joined."
"This time it's different. Welcome to the Third Era. I hope you can find the path you have always been seeking here."
Xu Mengyuan shook hands with Li Yu again, then reminded, "It's about time; you should get ready to leave."
Hearing this, Li Yu didn't say anything more. He straightened his tie and stood up to head towards Room 8.
Hephaestus slid the chair he was sitting on out to the hallway outside the room and shouted at Li Yu's retreating figure, "The sequence of your divine nature has already been activated through the first descent, but personally, I suggest you don't go dying unless absolutely necessary.
"Because although you can be revived, the pain you suffer before death will not be lessened at all. Your predecessor has already proved that, and I believe you definitely wouldn't want to go through what he did."
"Understood."
......
With previous experience, Li Yu drank half a can of Coke Zero before the second descent.
Although he still felt a significant dizziness during the intervention, the symptoms were much milder than the first time.
At least Li Yu didn't vomit on the spot this time, but he still took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the change in light.
Just like last time, he arrived in Bratis at night, but about half an hour earlier in real time than the first descent, which translates to about an hour and a half in this universe.
Li Yu noticed he was still outdoors and saw a campfire in front of him. He was about to turn his head to look elsewhere when he felt a dagger already pressed against his lower back.
"Speak, who are you with, and what is your purpose?!" A familiar voice rang out next to Li Yu's ear.
However, this time the tone of caution was far greater than when they first met.
"Where did you disappear to these past two days?"
"I can explain," Li Yu said calmly.
"Really, you'd better start by explaining this..."
The girl's tone sounded like those wronged parties on local TV community programs who caught their partners cheating with the help of reporters and cameramen.
After speaking, she threw something in front of Li Yu.
It was a golden brooch, one end of which was fashioned into the shape of a lion's head, looking majestic.