Pretending To Be A Boss

Civilized beings, when going through many significant events, all seek a sense of ritual.

This ritualistic sentiment is manifested in small ways, perhaps as in the various rules of courtship between men and women, or setting off firecrackers for a store's grand opening. In larger ways, it is reflected in various customs of festivals or the ancient emperor's ascent to the throne.

Rituals gradually give rise to rules. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

The same applies to the excavation of the Pyramid's hierarchical layers, an event comparable in significance to an emperor's coronation for the people.

Those who have the privilege to witness it will also leave their mark in the entire history of humankind.

That was Li Xiaoyu's intention in inviting Tang Xian.

"By the way, I'm feeling a bit uneasy, can I bring a child along?" Tang Xian asked.

"Tang Xiaojiu?" Li Xiaoyu inquired.

"That's right."

"Bringing a child makes you feel at ease?"

"Yes, she's my lucky charm," Tang Xian came up with an excuse.

"Fine, I'll take her directly to the entrance of the eighth level."

"Then I'll see you later. Calls are quite expensive, I'm hanging up."

The busy tone from the phone made Li Xiaoyu stamp her feet in frustration.

Li Xiaoyu's people were efficient, and they soon arrived at the bottom level.

They were a group of fully armed regular troops.

The leader was someone Tang Xian had seen before, the same person who had guided him when he was promoted to a full-time employee.

Tang Xian felt it was quite a ceremonial occasion.

"Mr. Tang, please. The people you asked for, including your team members, will meet you on the seventh level," the leader said.

"Thank you."

Thanks to knowing Li Xiaoyu, the restrictions between levels had lost their meaning for Tang Xian.

Yet today, he still felt as if he had suddenly returned to the recent past when he was just a temporary employee waiting for promotion.

His gaze through the reinforced glass no longer reminisced about the experiences of his youth during school days but reflected on the many world-upending events of recent days.

Even with his extensive knowledge, during this mining zone journey, he had seen many things that were hard to explain and unrecorded.

Tang Xian suddenly felt nervous.

He also anticipated finding answers to many questions on the eighth level.

...

...

Starting from the sixth level, the scenery was already distinctly different from the previous five levels.

It was reflected in the colors of the floors and ceilings. It was as if the first five levels were in the Industrial Revolution era, while the sixth and seventh levels were postmodern.

The architectural style here no longer resembled the commercial buildings that many people were accustomed to.

It looked more like the concept buildings in science fiction films.

The seventh level's architecture was not much different from that of the sixth level.

To Tang Xian, it felt like the first five levels were the surface,

And the sixth and seventh levels were the inner layers.

As for the eighth level, he would only be able to see it later.

...

...

At the entrance of the eighth level.

About a hundred people were waiting here.

These were the elites from various industries within the thirty-nine fortresses, including Shang Lu. Most of them belonged to the education sector; they would update future teaching plans based on the knowledge acquired from the eighth level.

However, the specifics of these activities would take a long time to implement, and the relevant knowledge had to await authorization from the Li family.

When everyone reached the entrance of the eighth level, they all signed a confidentiality agreement of the highest level, with extremely severe penalties for breaches.

Tang Xian did the same.

When Li Zheng saw Tang Xian, he teased,

"Tang, you're finally here. Your little girl really isn't well-behaved, insisting on calling me 'uncle' when I wanted her to call me 'brother.' Do I look that old?"

Standing next to Li Zheng was Tang Xiaojiu, Dong Ran, and Qiao Shanshan. Dong Ran and Qiao Shanshan were visibly nervous.

Tang Xian laughed,

"The child isn't wrong; sometimes men are stranger than women. They don't like to be called 'uncle' by a teenage girl, but they enjoy being called 'daddy' by women in their twenties."

Li Zheng's face turned red, thinking, my father is still here, does this man not consider the occasion when speaking?

Li Xiaoyu nodded emotionlessly and said,

"My brother is just like that."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Zheng and Mrs. Li both blushed.

Li Wanye cleared his throat and said,

"Alright, stop fooling around."

In front of Tang Xian was a door that looked like it was made of bronze, about thirty meters high and ten meters wide.

The patterns on the door were akin to geometric designs far more complex than integrated circuits, filled with a faint purple glow. A sign in front of it read level 8.

To the right of the bronze door was a dial with a scale of twenty, which emitted a much brighter purple light compared to the patterns on the door itself.

It was like a river, its purple light flowing like water, nourishing the entire bronze gate.

In the center of the dial was written the rules for opening the gate in the local fortress language, as well as the severe consequences of attempting to open the gate by force.

There was also a percentage number, representing the progress in opening the gate.

The current progress was ninety-nine point seventy-five percent.

The staff continued to verify and test energy fluctuations, reporting to Li Wanye from time to time.

Long before Tang Xian's arrival, the Li family had already begun the tedious customs.

For Li Wanye, the pinnacle of this Pyramid was inhabited by a deity capable of bestowing blessings upon humanity.

It granted humans shelter, divine power and technology, and would ultimately lead humanity beyond the barriers of the mining zone, allowing humans to once again become rulers in that bountiful world.

So while others were not expected to partake, the Li family had various rituals similar to praying to a deity, including actions such as three kneeling bows and nine head kowtows.

These were the customs established by the ancestors of the three great families.