Atlas of Heaven and Man

As dawn approached, Chen Chuan opened his eyes, awakening from a deep slumber.

He usually never dreamt, but last night, scenes unfolded in his sleep.

The most frequent figure was a woman with light brown hair, which seemed natural rather than dyed. In those scenes, he engaged in numerous conversations with her from a first-person perspective.

He could easily sense that the person he was talking to was Yu Zhen, his mother in this life.

The settings for their conversations weren't limited to one place; like fragments of a true dream, they shifted abruptly. Sometimes it seemed they were in a ship's cabin, other times on rugged mountain paths, and occasionally within a magnificent temple.

On the surface, it appeared they were traveling in different places, some of which were clearly outside of Da Shun.

Moreover, he noticed that this woman looked very similar to Yu Zhen, differing only in temperament. If the content of their conversations hadn't indicated they were just friends, he would have almost thought she was another sister of his mother in this life.

Most of the time, they discussed exploration and famous landmarks, occasionally touching on topics like clothing and favorite accessories.

He got up and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains, and the light immediately flooded in.

He looked outside. Today was September 10th, a day off, the day he had arranged to meet with Meng Shu.

He intended to go and see what this old classmate wanted to discuss with him.

After standing by the window for a while, he went back to wash up, then retrieved his Boundary Token and put it on. As soon as he activated it, a notification sounded.

It was a message he hadn't finished reading yesterday, a list of discounted medicines that Qingnang Jade Workshop had sent.

He looked at it and saw that they were all commonly used by Third Limit combatants, not involving any special drugs.

As expected.

He figured that even if he became a drug tester for Qingnang Jade Workshop again, they would only provide these for free at most. Those special drugs probably wouldn't be offered to him.

Unless he joined Qingnang Jade Workshop and became an internal member.

He swiped away the message, grabbed some nutrient paste to eat, took some medicine, and then went to the training room for his daily routine of cultivation and skill practice.

Around noon, he came out, rinsed off, and prepared to go to the appointment.

Meng Shu invited him in the name of Fusion Boundary, rather than as an old classmate, which indicated that the main topic of discussion would be company matters. Therefore, he washed up and changed into a uniform of the Administration.

After changing Chao Ming's water and food, he took the Snow Monarch Saber and walked out the door. He went to the underground garage to get his car, then contacted Gao Ming, saying, "Gao Ming, I've already left."

Gao Ming said, "Cousin, I've also booked a private room there. You can consult me at any time if you have any questions."

Chen Chuan said okay, drove to the Shu Tianxia Hotel, and this time he didn't take the mountain road but took the sightseeing elevator up.

This time, for the convenience of conversation, Fusion Boundary had booked an entire independent courtyard here. As he walked in, a rich fragrance of osmanthus wafted over.

The place was exquisitely arranged and elegant, adorned with natural rockery. Clear streams flowed under small stone bridges, creating a murmuring sound. At the entrance and near the water were rows of elegant bamboo. When the breeze blew, they made a rustling sound. There were no distracting light curtains around, obviously very quiet and refined.

He came to a soft-cushioned old-fashioned round stool and sat down. After a while, he heard footsteps and looked up to see Meng Shu walking in.

Today she had her hair in a hanging bun and wore a plain-colored short jacket with a cross-over collar, with a blue printed long skirt. She was followed by a female assistant, but when she reached the front of the courtyard, she waved her hand, and the female assistant bowed and withdrew.

Meng Shu walked across the small stone bridge and came to Chen Chuan, sitting down on the round stool opposite him. She gazed at Chen Chuan, "Before I saw that recording, I didn't expect you to reach that point. But I've always thought you were excellent, and this proves I wasn't wrong."

Chen Chuan found that, perhaps because of their childhood experiences, although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they didn't feel too distant.

He said, "It's been two years, and you haven't changed much. Since you were little, you've always been confident in everything you do."

Meng Shu shook her head slightly and said, "That's just because of the family I have and the wealth I possess. I haven't had time to achieve anything commendable myself. Without these, that so-called confidence wouldn't exist.

I'm very grateful that my parents gave me this background, but these things need to be carefully maintained. Nothing in the world can last forever."

She looked at Chen Chuan, "You can do what you want to do and succeed, I'm very happy, and a little envious. But I can't do it, so now, I need your help."

Chen Chuan asked, "Is it as an old classmate, or as a member of Fusion Boundary Company?"

Meng Shu said, "Fusion Boundary isn't mine yet. What I need to do is make it mine. Whether I'm willing or not, I can't back down."

Chen Chuan said, "Inheritance rights?"

Meng Shu said without hesitation, "Yes." Then she looked at him and asked, "You know about that matter, don't you?"

Chen Chuan knew what she was referring to and nodded, saying, "I know."

Meng Shu said, "I don't know what the Administration and you will say, but there must be some reservations."

Chen Chuan said, "I feel so too."

Meng Shu looked at him and said, "Although the government and the company currently have the same stance, their priorities are different. The government's focus is on the defense of the World Ring, while the major companies, although they also do these things, their main purpose is to seek lost objects."

Chen Chuan had never heard of this before. He asked directly, "What is that?"

"The boundary where the two worlds collide and merge, the place where the World Ring is now established, didn't appear suddenly, but formed over a long period of time. In the past periods of change, the two worlds were very close to each other many times. The intersection of the worlds caused many substantial objects conforming to both worlds to appear there.

They may be alive, or they may be things that are still difficult to understand, collectively referred to as 'Lost Objects', which were collected by the imperial families of various countries in the past.

Nowadays, the technology of major companies, in addition to what has been developed in this world, is mostly derived from imitating and studying these lost objects. Therefore, even today, the government and major companies are still孜孜以求 seeking these things.

But the lost objects on the periphery of the World Ring are almost impossible to find, so now we need to get close to where the Ring Screen is located, and even cross the World Ring to find them. And these lost objects can only be contacted or captured by combatants when they are fully prepared."

Chen Chuan said, "Do you want me to help you get those things?"

Meng Shu shook her head, "Going there is very dangerous, and even if you can bring them back, I won't get any substantial benefits except for winning some praise.

My cousin controls most of the company's business, and he can use this to win people's hearts, build new research teams, and set up new projects, making more people grateful to him. There's no point in me doing these things now. Competing with him within the company's framework, he will always get more benefits than me.

Even if I do something beneficial to the company and get my grandfather's support, I know that the root of everything is ultimately force. After he feels threatened, he only needs to send a suitable person over to physically eliminate me, and everything I do will be gladly accepted by him.

And my grandfather will not hesitate to abandon me who has no value, abandon that heir who can't even protect himself.

So I must ensure my own safety."

She looked at Chen Chuan, laying out the conditions, "Chen Chuan, if you are willing to come over, I can use the search for lost objects as an excuse to give you all the resources I can allocate."

Chen Chuan said, "Old classmate, not to mention my ability, if you are willing to invest, I believe it shouldn't be difficult to recruit other people."

Meng Shu said, "But I can't trust any of these people. I can't be sure if they have secretly accepted my cousin's conditions."

She looked at Chen Chuan and said seriously, "I have watched your recording and consulted many people, and they all affirmed your talent. Your ability is beyond doubt, and I am more willing to trust you.

And I can promise that after I become the heir of Fusion Boundary, I can give you the greatest possible support. Although Fusion Boundary Company is not a top enterprise, we are an important partner of domestic military industry, we maintain a good cooperative relationship with the government, and our business is also expanding internationally.

The company has been rising. Even if it cannot become a world-class company, using all the resources a company can obtain to fully support a person, I believe no other place will give such conditions."

...