Surviving The Fourth Calamity

"Susu"’s mouth twitched.

She of course heard Old Dog’s real meaning: finally got a secretary who can actually work, better not suddenly go crazy, he’s already had enough of that "train a new assistant every隔一阵子" daily routine.

He never used to care about this kind of thing because he wasn’t interested in settling down in any one game.

But obviously, the current "Snow Cloud Peak" has already started thinking about whether to park himself in Teraxil for retirement or go to Toril to shine, so he’s starting to hope the people around him can be used long-term.

Sure enough, any once-passionate founder, once entering the late stability-maintenance stage, won’t be too keen on this "newcomer rising to the top" stuff.

Even the always shrewd and capable Snow Old Dog can’t avoid that. "Susu" pressed her lips together and smiled slightly—she’d waited so long, and this was exactly the inevitable moment she’d been waiting for.

She let out a small breath... finally she didn’t have to worry about getting kicked out of the assistant team the moment she made some mistake.

The current "Snow Cloud Peak" will at least give her a few chances to fail.

Qiuqiu is special because she followed the Magic Cult through several games; whatever changes her feelings toward Snow Old Dog might’ve gone through, at least her loyalty has always been there.

Besides, the reason she managed to reach the assistant position in the first place—aside from her own little schemes—was that the Magic Cult simply had no one else to put up at the time... After all, at the beginning it was just the main force entering this game to test the waters, there was no massive troop movement straight in.

Take "Susu" for example. She had already joined the Magic Cult back then, but only came in when the third batch opened.

Qiuqiu may keep making mistakes, but they’re all the kind of "principled mistakes" Snow Old Dog doesn’t actually care that much about; and anyway, she can take a scolding.

Besides, when "Snow Cloud Peak" scolds her, there’s actually more helplessness and "hate iron for not becoming steel" in it.

"Susu" certainly knew she could never get the same treatment as Qiuqiu.

But starting today, she could at least relax a little.

She would still work carefully and cautiously, but at least... at least she was no longer someone who could be replaced with a flick of the wrist.

"Susu" felt her own future had become much brighter.

Standing at the window looking out, "Snow Cloud Peak" couldn’t help but glance left and right. "Weird, why do I feel a bit cold? Is someone plotting against me again?"

The "Susu" behind him blinked lightly.

"Tsk, it’s fine, my sixth sense says it’s no big deal!" "Snow Cloud Peak" thought it over for a bit and came to a conclusion. "Probably just someone else wanting to see me fall on my face.

Heh heh~ like I’d be afraid of losing face?"

He turned around to see "Susu" staring at him curiously. "What are you looking at me for? Get back to work."

"Chief Steward Lu is calling." "Susu" raised the tablet in her hand. "Something seems off over in Ambori, the enemy doesn’t look like it’s just monsters.

He suspects that what Triton killed back then was only one of the strongest avatars."

"Ah~ isn’t that perfectly normal?" "Snow Cloud Peak" shrugged. "Tell Road Eunuch not to test me. If I wasn’t sure the other side would go all out, how could I have talked the Black Rose people into boarding their Doomsday ship?

Those two just don’t like using their brains, they’re not idiots who can’t even tell friend from foe... Is there really anyone in Black Rose who feels good about that Chief Steward Lu of his?"

"Susu", rapidly syncing and relaying the message, smiled slightly. "He says, don’t think he doesn’t know—the reason you talked those two into boarding their ship was to monitor their family’s movements."

"Well obviously, who else?" "Snow Cloud Peak" said, firm as a nail. "Ask him what exactly he wants! I’ve got tons of things going on over here, no time to play riddles with him.

And don’t tell me he needs rescue over there... I may look down on his combat strength, but I would never look down on Ambori!

That’s a big shot whose brains can match Baldy and whose fists can match Magic Sword!"

"Looks like you’re in a pretty good mood, you’re even making jokes now~" Even "Susu", who usually auto-edits his words in her head, couldn’t help quietly sneering.

If Ambori knew what his analogy meant, she’d probably immediately team up with the other side and skin this dog alive and strip his tendons first.

"You just don’t get it~" "Snow Cloud Peak" cocked an eyebrow. "Don’t use a normal woman’s mindset to judge an existence like Ambori—she’d only think I put it pretty well.

That Fishwife Divinity, she actually quite likes it."

-----------------

"Ah~" "Lu Huayu" stretched lazily in the sea wind.

His movements were languid, but his eyes were sharp as blades.

"Why did you just go to Snow Old Dog to complain about Ambori’s trouble over here?" The Apocalyptic Boss, lounging on a pretty Shell recliner, craned his neck to ask, "I think Ambori is handling things pretty easily!

Besides, we haven’t even fired the main gun yet!

No need to prep for calling reinforcements so early, right?

To be honest, I really don’t want to ask the Proud Sky Alliance lot for help at all.

Those damned bastards—everyone knew what Young Master wanted to do, and they all hid it from me!

They set me up when I was out at sea and couldn’t come back!

Tsk~ that cannon, don’t we have one too!

We just don’t show off like he does by sticking it on top of a fortress tower!

Hmph~ after this battle is over, go buy four more and mount one on each corner!"

"We’ve got to build our tower higher and thicker than their Wenjian’s!"

Even though the battle ahead was intense and Ambori had raised her own harpoon, this little recessed platform on the cliff of her broad back was actually pretty comfortable.

"I was just testing Susu a bit." ’Lu Huayu’ smiled faintly. "Snow Old Dog has been valuing her a lot lately; he’s been assigning a ton of things to her.

If by any chance, he also gave her the task of contacting our Old Dog’s informant on the Doomsday side?

That girl isn’t as guarded as Old Dog; she might slip up and spill something.

For example..."

He patted the hideous main cannon beside his hand. "Only a handful of people know this thing is mounted on Ambori’s back.

If it turns out she knows about this main cannon too, then... wouldn’t that give us a lead?

Out of just a few people... and I still can’t find it?"

The Apocalyptic Boss slumped in his deck chair. "Ah... huh? How do you people always manage to play games in such a... twisted way?

What’s wrong with everyone just playing happily together?

It’s not like you’ll die if you don’t fight for every little thing."

"Boss, I’ve always wanted to ask, why don’t you, like those playboys, date several girlfriends at the same time?" ’Lu Huayu’ asked with a mild smile. "And you only look for girlfriends in-game."

"Bullshit~ Several at once? A single one is enough to screw me over!" The Apocalyptic Boss shot upright. "Whoever likes that palace-intrigue crap can enjoy it; I’m out!"

"Exactly. Where there are people, there’s conflict, so why poke at other people’s sore spots?" ’Lu Huayu’ smiled gently, but his words were sharp.

The Apocalyptic Boss curled his lip. "Yeah, I really never learn. Won’t happen next time."

’Lu Huayu’ absolutely did not believe that, but this Young Master wasn’t completely condescending; he wouldn’t throw around ’you mortals, you lowly scum’ at the drop of a hat. He was still manageable to get along with.

Someone like him, an old wage slave who’d once tasted freedom... sigh~ forget it, a real man doesn’t brag about past glory.

He didn’t want to be in debt again, right?

Anyway, their boss only acted like an ass once in a while; poke him a little and he’d instantly pull back, so life was still livable.

The Apocalyptic Boss flopped bonelessly back into his deck chair, but couldn’t help asking, curious, "So, did you succeed?"

"No." The corner of ’Lu Huayu’s’ mouth twitched. "Looks like Old Dog is still using single-line contact."

"Maybe that girl’s just that good!" The Apocalyptic Boss closed his eyes lazily. "Don’t you dare underestimate women~"

"I’ll never underestimate women in my life." ’Lu Huayu’ replied helplessly. "This is from analyzing her tone; if she knew, her first sentence wouldn’t have been that straightforward..."

"True enough, and you don’t dare try it a second time anyway."

’Lu Huayu’ took a deep breath, then turned to Ambori, who was looking over at him, and gave a pained, toothache-like grin. "It’s fine, the boss is just mocking me!"

Ambori curled her lip; her left hand, the one not holding the harpoon, moved slightly.

"God damn it!" The Apocalyptic Boss, pelted head-on by a string of Ice Beads, leapt behind his deck chair. "You damned couple! Always bullying this poor child of yours!"

Ambori laughed heartily up at the sky; the harpoon she raised high came down straight into the head of a massive, equally rotten blue whale. Blood sprayed everywhere, even splattering her lovely pale-blue gauze dress with flecks of black and red.

"Beautifully done!" ’Lu Huayu’ applauded. "Let’s keep going~ that thing on the left is off too, take it out!"

Bored out of his mind from playing hide-and-seek with the two of them, the Apocalyptic Boss sulkily stepped out from behind the chair. "What’s she still waiting for?

When’s she coming out?

I still wanna feel the firepower of that cannon!"

’Lu Huayu’ turned his head slightly toward the mine. "That depends on what exactly Black Rose is playing at!

So interesting—where is she hiding?

And also, why was the Log-off Technique abandoned?

What exactly did Snow Old Dog find out... that even I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" The Apocalyptic Boss turned to ask. "If you don’t know, doesn’t that mean Eden doesn’t know either?"

"Who cares about someone who betrayed their own Faction?" ’Lu Huayu’ curled his lip disdainfully. "We know we’re split into two sides, but in the eyes of the people here in Aesces, we’re all Undead Tribe.

If you can’t even see that, being used as cannon fodder is only normal, no?

Heh~ isn’t that the most interesting part of this game?

If you want to cooperate or clash with NPCs, you have to be ready to lose.

No one can guarantee that players will always come out on top.

Otherwise, why would I be following behind Snow Cloud Peak?"

The Apocalyptic Boss suddenly perked up. "Hey~ in that case, can you think of a way to keep your informant from being exposed, but still record their impotent rage for me?"