Chapter 129

Thinking that the Shadow Lord's power also came from the system, and that he had also summoned Castorice, a being with a very special identity, Cheng Xiaoyu quickly regained his composure and then said to Liu Chenhao, "Speaking of which, I have a favorite Barbecue Seasoning that I kept in the tent."

"Brother Xiao Yu! I'll go find it!"

Liu Chenhao wasn't stupid; he knew there was something he couldn't hear, so they were trying to get him out of the way. He ran straight into the tent and zipped it up.

"Miss Castorice, could you please explain to me who you are?"

If it had been a few words earlier, Cheng Xiaoyu wouldn't have asked this question.

"Your insight is truly astonishing."

Castorice praised.

Both of them knew that this was just a polite way of putting it, since although Castorice didn't say it explicitly, she had revealed a lot of clues through her words and actions.

"I am the ruler of the Underworld, the being who brings the concept of death to the world. You may also call me Senatus."

Castorice smiled and said, "However... although I call myself Senatus, I am actually Senatus's successor."

Does she bring the concept of death to the world? Conversely, if she didn't exist, would there be no death in the world?

Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes widened. He had actually overestimated Castorice's existence as much as possible. He wasn't even surprised when Castorice mentioned the Underworld Administrator, or the Master of the Underworld. But the concept of bringing death was completely different.

Death is part of the world's rules... Even for an inheritor, it's beyond Cheng Xiaoyu's comprehension.

Etc...?

"Castorice Die! Can you see this?!"

Cheng Xiaoyu wanted to bring up the system interface, but the black window that would appear at the slightest thought was now completely silent.

The system is scared!

Cheng Xiaoyu was absolutely certain of this: the system was afraid of the purple-clad girl in front of it!

It's good to be scared! It's good to be scared!

A smile appeared on Cheng Xiaoyu's face. He wasn't afraid of open transactions; he was afraid of becoming a manipulated pawn without realizing it, paying a price he couldn't accept in secret. But now that he knew the system wasn't invincible and that it also had things it feared, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Yes, despite having only known each other for a short time, in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes, Castorice was far more trustworthy than the system.

"I'm sorry, Castorice, I can talk about my matter later."

After calming down a bit, Cheng Xiaoyu brought up the previous topic again. "May I ask, what is the price you mentioned? And what about helping me relax some of the restrictions?"

Curiosity flashed in Castorice's eyes, but she didn't rush to ask, since the other party clearly intended to explain.

So she followed Cheng Xiaoyu's words and said, "I hope you can help me fulfill the rules of the Underworld."

Chapter Seventeen: A Win-Win Situation!

"Rule?"

Thinking of Castorice had just said about the successor, Cheng Xiaoyu naturally guessed, "It's about the rules of the Underworld, right?"

"Just as you think, I have only recently become the administrator of the Underworld, and most of the rules of the Underworld need to be modified and improved."

Castorice avoided the topic because the other person was likely to be the next employee to work for her.

She's not a heartless boss; she wouldn't hide anything.

"I see."

Cheng Xiaoyu nodded. This was normal. Whether it was a company or a shop, any newly appointed leader who was ambitious and capable would want to mold the business into a shape that better suited their own ideas. Whether they succeeded or not depended entirely on their individual abilities.

The Underworld is similar to the previous two, except that Underworld has no competitors and does not need to consider the market. No matter what ideas the Lord of the Underworld, namely Castorice, has, the Underworld and the dead can only let them have their way.

"So what exactly do I need to do?"

Thinking about this, Cheng Xiaoyu understood Castorice's intention to recruit him to some extent. In his view, this was a pleasant surprise, like a twist of fate.

After all, he had seen Castorice's honesty and sincerity, which was definitely better than the system's situation of being both forceful and secretive.

"As Judge of the Underworld, you exercise my right to judge the good and evil of souls."

Castorice first gave an overview, and then explained the current situation of the Underworld.

Without any administrators, everything needs to Castorice herself. Of course, it wouldn't be a problem to simply treat the Underworld as a world after death without any oversight. However, if the world of the living cannot achieve absolutely fair judgment, then Castorice hopes to seek justice for those people after death.

The judgment of the wicked and the preferential treatment of the good are rules that are unnecessary but that Castorice hopes to implement.

To implement this rule, someone needs to assume the role of judge, using their eyes and thoughts to define sin; therefore, this person must be calm and rational.

(Cheng Xiaoyu can add points to become calmer and more rational than anyone else. The biggest reason for his personality change is not that his strength has increased, but that he has added points to wisdom and perception.)

"Wait... considering the number of deaths every minute in this world, this isn't something a human like me could do, is it?"

Cheng Xiaoyu frowned and said, "Besides, aren't those Demon Beast also residents of the Underworld?"

"I will grant you partial access to the Underworld."

Castorice explained, "At that time, you could quickly browse other people's lives with just a thought, which would facilitate your judgment."

"That being said, a person's time is ultimately limited..."

Cheng Xiaoyu, however, remained skeptical. "If we want better results, it would be more appropriate to increase manpower. But the best approach would be to abandon manpower altogether and conduct trials using more mechanized rules."

"Yes, actually, the only things you really need to pay attention to are those that the mechanism cannot determine."

Castorice nodded. "As for more manpower, you will need to find that yourself in the Underworld."

"... This is the predicament of starting a business..."

Cheng Xiaoyu also realized the current situation of everything being rebuilt, and couldn't help but feel a long-lost physical and mental exhaustion, but he quickly adjusted and even felt relaxed.

Although the early stages of starting a business were tiring and exhausting, this was a business with no competitors and no need to worry about the market. Coupled with a boss who was unfathomable and even the system was afraid of him, Cheng Xiaoyu knew that he had truly found a powerful patron this time.

Everyone says you have connections above you, and now I guess I have connections below me.

Besides, it doesn't matter if the rules of the Underworld don't change. The reason why we are so tired now and have to go to great lengths to maintain 'fairness' and 'judgment' is that Castorice is a responsible person who can distinguish between good and evil. Such a boss undoubtedly makes Cheng Xiaoyu feel very at ease and he doesn't have to worry about being betrayed.

In the beginning, he was tired, but he had experienced even more exhausting things before.

"I understand. Please guide me from now on, boss."

Cheng Xiaoyu subconsciously reached out his hand, but then remembered Castorice's special nature and casually withdrew his hand.

"No need for that, you can just call me Castorice."

Castorice doesn't care much about how she's addressed, but the term "boss" doesn't really suit her.

"Then there's no need to address me as 'Your Excellency' or anything like that. To be honest, being addressed like that by the Grim Reaper feels like it shortens my lifespan."

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Just call me Cheng Xiaoyu, or until we get to know each other, you can call me Hunter Cheng."

"Then... Hunter Cheng."

Castorice accepted the title and continued, "The access I granted you allows you to view the lives of the dead, but because you are a person from the world of the living, you cannot bring these Remembrance back here until you truly become a resident of the Underworld."

This sentence made Cheng Xiaoyu pause for a moment.

He thought his reward would be the Remembrance of the dead. After all, there were all sorts of people among the dead: powerful combat skills, confidential documents of certain organizations, weaknesses of dungeon monsters, and all sorts of other things. These things were worth more than money.

But if we can't bring them back, then that value will cease to exist.

Although this reward might not be very useful to him, who can upgrade his skills, it wouldn't matter if he didn't receive it. After all, the main reason he joined was because he had the backing of Castorice. But if he really didn't get anything... then he would need to change his impression of Castorice.

However, he wasn't in a hurry and waited quietly for what would happen next.

"In exchange, you may act as an assistant administrator and draw upon the power of the dead who harbor ill will towards you and have turned against you."

As expected, Castorice didn't stop talking; instead, she dropped a bombshell on Cheng Xiaoyu.

This revelation made Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes widen instantly.

He could realize how great this reward was, as Castorice had just forbidden him from forcing those who were unwilling to help him, even those who had once brandished swords and attacked him.

But things are different now. If before it was the Underworld and the dead and him, now it's the Underworld and the dead, and he has become the official force on the Underworld's side, which is equivalent to being licensed to work.

Third parties are not allowed to interfere with the inhabitants of the Underworld, but this Underworld official is different.

And...

"If I understand correctly... this power to control the dead is a right given to me by Miss Castorice, not my own power, right?"

Cheng Xiaoyu's rationality allowed him to suppress the excitement that was about to overflow in his heart, but he still couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

"Yes."

"In other words, even if the other party's strength is similar to mine, or even stronger than mine, I can still forcibly requisition their power, right?"

"Yes, but I hope Hunter Cheng won't forget the premise."

Castorice's smile was serene and harmless, but the warning was obvious.

However, this could not suppress Cheng Xiaoyu's excitement at all.

I initially thought my boss was a rigid and inflexible type, but now it seems she has some tactful qualities. Her meaning is clear: she can recruit any enemies she defeats in the future.

Although the premise is that he is fighting back from the standpoint of justice, Cheng Xiaoyu does not believe that he is the kind of person who does evil. Besides, if someone was killed for personal reasons, then he can simply not summon him.

If one adheres to the principle of standing on the side of justice, then the dead whom one has summoned are naturally considered sinful souls, and according to the rules that Castorice has given to the Underworld, they are bound to be punished.

This is a huge profit!

Castorice also felt that she had made a profit. Although the transaction involved more of Amber than Castorice, at least the result was good. Except for the evil souls, everyone had a bright future.

Chapter 18 Capacity Registration.

Although everyone felt they had made a profit, how much they made was another matter. Cheng Xiaoyu honestly explained that it would be difficult for him to stay in the Underworld for a long time, not only because his family needed him to take care of them, but more importantly, because he needed to make money.

Castorice, however, didn't care about this at all.

Amber is now Long-Life Species has lived for over a thousand years. Although a person's life is still not short for her, it is not long either. She can wait a hundred years, so she allows Cheng Xiaoyu to stay in the Underworld for four hours every day to check in before he becomes a resident of the Underworld.

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't expect the other party to be so easy to talk to. He wasn't a greedy person, so he nodded and agreed immediately.

After assigning tasks for the future, Cheng Xiaoyu moved on to the next topic.

"Miss Castorice, have you ever heard of a hunter who can continuously grow stronger?"

"In this world, we have indeed never seen it before, because the magic power of humans in this world is forcibly instilled to the limit that they can bear."

"Castorice said."

She spoke lightly, but the amount of information in her words once again stunned Cheng Xiaoyu.

This world? Forcibly instilled to its limit? Are there other worlds? Who instilled it to its limit?

No, if the dungeon is considered Otherworld, it can indeed be interpreted as another world, but... he could sense that the girl in front of him definitely didn't mean that.

"I have a system that issues daily exercise tasks and gives me points to increase my physical abilities."

Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't the type to worry about the country and its people; he just wanted to live his own life well. Although that sentence contained a lot of information, he didn't ask about it or think about it in depth, "And there's also a shop where you can exchange for items and weapons."

"..."

Castorice almost couldn't catch her breath.

Do you have a system too?

She subconsciously assumed that Cheng Xiaoyu's system was a branch system under the Main System mentioned by the Main Control Consciousness, but upon closer reflection, she realized that if the other party were truly the main system, they wouldn't have allowed the host to communicate with her so amicably.

Thinking about it carefully, system-based protagonists aren't that rare, so... Cheng Xiaoyu is actually the protagonist of this world?

A look of inquiry flashed in Castorice's eyes, then she shook her head. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"I see..."

Cheng Xiaoyu was somewhat disappointed, but still asked persistently, "Does Miss Castorice remember the previous Dual Dungeon? I obtained this system after coming out of there."

"Sorry, I'm not sure either."

Castorice shook her head again. "If I'm not mistaken, the system you mentioned is probably inside your body, not attached to your soul. Although I can check it by touching your body, but..."

"But I would die if I did that."

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed, then put the matter out of his mind and asked another question, "If I die because of this system one day, Miss Castorice, can you help me pass on a message to my family?"

"Hmm..."

Upon hearing this, Castorice realized that the man in front of her did not trust the system within her body, and was even somewhat wary of it.

If the two had no relationship, even Castorice wouldn't care too much. But considering that the other party had now become her employee, and that Castorice was also eager to explore the system on the other party, she said, "Don't worry about this."