Chapter 190 (Chapter 189): The Chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) may be late, but it's here...

Gui Gemu stood there silently.

After Sheng Chunqiu's betrayal, the answer to who was setting up the Guige Mu in the Summer Palace became obvious.

Guigemu, however, still refused to speak.

Yan Shi tilted his head: "You and she seem to have a good relationship."

As she spoke, she remained nonchalant, her gaze falling on Gui Gemu's left hand, which was not holding the documents but hanging naturally at his side. At that moment, the fingertips of his left hand unconsciously dug into his knuckles.

Gui Gemu's face was already somewhat pale: "Director Yan, Chunqiu has her reasons." Her tone was urgent.

Because he kept his head down, Gui Gemu couldn't see Yan Ju's expression, only the intricately patterned carpet on the hunting ground's resting room floor. In his field of vision, the fabric of Yan Ju's trousers gently draped down, covering half of his shoes.

Yan Shi continued to scrutinize her.

After a long while, Yan Shi sighed, "This is boring."

Her tone grew increasingly cold: "Your relationship isn't that good. Friends from school days, no business dealings, no life-or-death bonds, not even confiding in each other. At least neither of you knows the other's secrets."

“It’s far from enough that you need to gamble your future and cover for her, unless…” Yan Shi paused.

Guigemu stopped the small movements of his fingertips.

“Unless you have to pretend you have a good relationship,” Yan Shi looked at her, “good enough that you’d betray your family for her. So you can legitimately stay in the real world.”

Gui Gemu finally raised his head and met Yan Shi's gaze.

Her amber eyes were now filled with only calmness.

Yan Shi's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Is that so? Or to be more specific, which spirit's authority do you possess?"

Only the authority of the spirit can be of equal value to the crown of the blazing sun and the heart of light.

The moment Yan Shi saw the latest chapter of the manga, she finally pieced together the points that had seemed vague and off.

Shan Fengyang insisted on relocating the General Administration.

Regardless of the reasons, the status of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs during Feng Yang's tenure was truly at its peak, unlike its current nominal existence. Even if the director held considerable power, it shouldn't have been able to move the bureau so easily, especially so suddenly.

There must have been a secret preparation period and a main city supporting the relocation.

The fact that the main city supports the decision to block Yang means there must be some profit to be made.

In order to prevent the power of the spirit within him from being discovered, Gui Gemu stayed in the surface world in accordance with the decision of the Shan Fengyang General Bureau to relocate.

Gui Gemu: "Director Yan, you've laid everything bare, which really makes me feel awkward." She spread her hands, then sighed, "That's right, you are Director Yan. From the beginning, I shouldn't have thought I could keep it from you."

Because the truth had been revealed, Gui Gemu relaxed instead. "What else would you like to know?"

Yan Shi: "Give me the document."

Guigemu: "Huh?" She was somewhat bewildered.

"You've just finished compiling some survivor data," Yan Shi said, pointing to the documents she was holding.

“The authority I possess is that of the spirit.” Gui Ge Mu finally realized what was happening, handed over the document, and still couldn’t help but say, “Don’t you want to know which authority it is? I don’t think you know that either.”

“But that’s not important to me.” Yan Shi took the document, his expression indifferent. “I’m confirming with you that this was my personal action. Break time is over now.”

Anyway, Guige Muren is here, and he can't escape.

Yan Shi had come to terms with a grim reality: there was no lunch or rest today. He figured he might as well finish his work early and go home for dinner.

Compared to the reports that were often hundreds or even thousands of pages long and submitted to Yan Shi's desk, the documents that Gui Ge Mu brought over were not thick.

Yan Shi glanced at the page number, secretly relieved, then opened the document, his expression gradually freezing.

She knew, of course, that the hunting grounds were cruel, but the fact that there were even cubs under three years old among the victims was still too much.

In the end, the weight of life is merely a couple of lines of text in a report.

[Butterfly Clan, bone age two years and eight months, captured in the Cohen Mountains, wings removed and auctioned. The main body participated in the hunt on June 18th. Deceased.]

Whether for easy differentiation or simply a quirky hobby of the warehouse recorders, a photo was attached after this line of text.

The beautiful, large wings, still bloodied at the base, were removed and placed next to the pale-faced, tightly closed-eyed cub. The butterfly cub had already taken human form, and after the wings were removed, it was almost indistinguishable from a normal human cub, its back a bloody mess.

Yan Shi flipped through the pages quickly. She didn't have any particular fondness for gore, and she found it difficult to understand the pleasure that killing and torture brought.

In addition to information on some survivors, Guige also brought over investigation materials on the hunting of nobles suspected of involvement.

The nobles came from diverse backgrounds, but interestingly, as Jie Sheng pointed out, none of them were from Baiyujing.

Is the Central Law Stele of Baiyujing really that restrictive to the residents of Baiyujing?

Then why is it that the regulations signed by the Bureau of Alien Affairs, which also maintains order in the underworld, are not as binding?

Yan Shi didn't believe that Shan Fengyang would dare to be so blatant and unscrupulous in the hunting grounds when Shan Fengyang was there.

Ultimately, it was because after Shan Fengyang resigned, the power of the General Administration of Foreign Affairs began to crumble.

The branch offices in the main cities have returned to the control of local forces, and the supervision of the World Barrier has become nominal. Many important matters rely on the headquarters, but the headquarters is struggling to cope.

The Bureau of Foreign Affairs is not a systemic authority; its power rests solely with the "director."

An overly centralized system becomes an empty shell when there are not enough strong leaders in charge.

Yan Shi took office amidst this “powerless totalitarianism”.

She knew.

When she took office, she did not have the prestige to command widespread support, nor did she have sufficient resources, old subordinates, or local connections. In fact, she was even questioned to her face whether she was a legitimate director.

So annoying.

I'll have to resign sooner or later.

Yan Shi collected his thoughts and closed the file: "Where is the person in charge of the hunting grounds now?"

Guigemu: "The Enforcement Department has temporarily detained all criminal suspects in the hunting grounds where the game was originally held."

How can this not be considered a kind of cyclical change?

Yan Shi stood up: "Let's go take a look."

They walked through the luxurious corridors on the second and third floors of the main control tower, where crystal chandeliers cast soft light. As they descended from the second floor, the decor gradually became simpler and rougher. The wallpaper embroidered with gold thread was gone, replaced by cement walls with specks of dark paint at the bottom.

The nobles who came to hunt today are said to be of very high status, so the head of the hunting grounds is also present.

They were all apprehended by the enforcement department.

The head of the hunting grounds was a surprisingly gentle-looking woman. If not for her known identity, it would be difficult to associate her with running a hunting ground.

Yan Shi stood outside the cage, looking down at the woman.

It looks familiar.

Her gray hair was neatly styled in a bun, and she wore simple, understated clothing.

Yan Shi thought for a moment and then suddenly realized. The person in charge of the hunting ground really looked like the auntie who sold pancakes downstairs from her house.

The other person looked up and said calmly, "Director Yan."

Yan Shi: "Mm."

“You acted too quickly,” the woman said. “If you had notified us in advance, we could have prepared some entertainment for you. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

"It's alright." Yan Shi took the document handed to him by Jie Sheng, who was waiting beside him, and slowly opened it. His gaze fell on the name on the first page, "Yin Shuang".

She casually commented, "Nice name."

The document was thin, containing only simple information about Yinshuang. She was born in Port Novano, and her ancestors ran a small tavern.

How Yinshuang suddenly obtained a huge amount of start-up capital to start this hunting ground, and how she contacted the scions of various families, are all unknown.

Yan Shi: "Tell me about it. Your," she thought for a moment, then found the right words to describe it, "your experience of making a fortune."

Yinshuang smiled slightly: "There are things that even Director Yan doesn't know." As she spoke, her words carried a hint of malice, "I am just an insignificant agent. The chain behind me cannot be traced by a single word from you."

Before he finished speaking, Yan Shi raised his right hand slightly, and a flash of fire appeared at his fingertips.

In an instant, the lights in the entire corridor flickered violently, fire spirits gathered, and scorching waves of air surged, rushing straight towards the iron railings.

The fire spirits seemed very familiar with the interrogation process; they huddled together into tiny fireballs, pressing against Yinshuang's skin and clogging her pores. Blood seeped out, only to be quickly evaporated by the high temperature.

Yinshuang's face turned pale.

"I didn't ask you those pointless questions." Yan Shi's tone remained gentle. "I'm informing you. Your only chance to speak like a human being is now."

The fire spirit burned in the air, producing a slight crackling sound.

Yinshuang gritted her teeth and finally spoke in a low voice: "I don't know who she is. It's just that one day, I was checking the bills at the front desk of the tavern, and she suddenly walked in and sat there."

“She gave me the hunting grounds, the resources, and the list. I was only responsible for keeping it running.”

"So you're just in charge of running this hunting ground?" Yan Shi asked.

Yinshuang nodded.

The fire spirit's temperature rose even higher, and she hurriedly added, "Right, the person in black robes. She wasn't very tall." Yinshuang tried her best to recall, "Although I couldn't see her face, the hand she showed was bone."

The pain finally subsided.

Yan Shi seemed to be deep in thought, then turned to look at Jie Sheng beside him: "You've memorized it all?"

"I've got it." Jie Sheng nodded.

"Find out the truth," Yan Shi said calmly, then his gaze returned to Yin Shuang: "What are you laughing at?"

“You can burn me, you can force me to talk, but there’s more than one hunting ground. What you do today will not have any impact on the situation.”

"Director Yan, the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs is not the same Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs it used to be. Your abilities are limited to this."

The moment the words were spoken, Jie Sheng's eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to speak, but Yan Shi raised his hand to stop him.

There was a deathly silence outside the prison cell.

The next moment, Yan Shi slowly leaned down, his eyes level with Yin Shuang's, his voice low but clear: "But they will all end in my hands. When the end comes, I will remember to have someone tell you, who is already in the void."

After speaking, she stood up, straightened her cuffs, and moved with a swift and restrained motion.

"Send her to the void." She didn't look at Yinshuang again, her voice devoid of emotion. "As for the other involved personnel, after clarifying the facts, sentence them according to the regulations."

Jie Sheng immediately replied, "Yes."

Yan Shi turned around, a long wind entering his sleeve, his steps crisp and decisive.

Gui Gemu's face was hidden in the darkness as he stared at Yan Ju's back for a long time.

Order, of course, cannot grow from ashes.

Unless everything is burned and everything is started anew.

After the "Chuunibyou Declaration" was finished and they walked out of the second basement level, Yan Shi belatedly realized how embarrassed he was.

"...They will all end in my hands."

The atmosphere was so great that I just blurted it out.

To be honest, Yan Shi himself does not have such grand career goals.

Now.

The corridor was quiet, with Jie Sheng, Gui Gemu, and the executive and secretarial staff following behind. The group remained silent, but Yan Shi didn't need to turn around to know that countless eyes were fixed on her.

All she wanted to do now was disappear into thin air in this corridor.

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Whether the Mother Goddess heard her inner lament or not, suddenly, a door appeared in front of her.

A half-open door appeared out of nowhere. The style of the door was very familiar, inlaid with intricate runes.

Yan Shi walked in almost without hesitation.

Going anywhere is fine, it's better than being watched all the time.

The door closed behind her, and the space suddenly shifted.

She appeared in the center of a large room.

It turned out to be the Heavenly Mandate Platform.

At this moment, however, the Heavenly Mandate Platform was completely empty.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lies an endless starry sky, and on the table in front of the window are scattered some papers and books.

The books on the shelves still seem endless when you look up, yet the space between the shelves is quiet and empty.

Yan Shi finally realized a serious problem.

It is known that Kirina sacrificed herself to protect the world, leaving no useful last words about the Destiny Platform. Furthermore, the Destiny Platform appears to have no other staff besides Kirina.

If she wanted to resign, wouldn't she have no way to do so, and it would be a long and uncertain process?

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With the Bureau of Foreign Affairs in such a mess, getting to work has become much more difficult.

Yan Shi: ...

She stared blankly at the starry sea behind the floor-to-ceiling window, her thoughts pausing for a moment before she pondered for two seconds.

No, let's put a thorough reform on the agenda.

Although she didn't care at first, being sidelined made it easier for her to slack off.

But the current situation is that it looks like I have many more years to work, and trying to deal with the work is always hampered by problems caused by messy systems.

If this work schedule continues, I feel like I could easily die from overwork!

Yan Shi sighed heavily and continued walking towards his desk.

Everything on the table remained exactly as it was before its owner left.

She looked down and was caught off guard when she met her own gaze in the color comic strip.

In the comic, she stands in a messy corridor, her eyebrows slightly raised, the night breeze ruffling her hair. Before her, Chun Yuqing kneels on one knee, a sword lying beside him, no longer able to be gripped tightly.

Dead memories overwhelmed her.

Yan Shi blinked.

He's so handsome.

The storyboard and composition, although the imagery is completely different from reality.

Yan Shi admired himself for a moment, then reluctantly looked away, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the clutter on the table.

Placed alone in the center of the table, next to the comic book, is a very thin document with its corners neatly pressed down.

Yan Shi pulled out the paper, and his expression froze after reading its contents.

This is an unsigned appointment letter.

Appointment letter

Lin Xuya is hereby appointed as the priest of the Heavenly Mandate Altar, with a term of one hundred years.

The spaces after the recommender and the appointer are blank.

Yan Shi: ?

Who? What is it?

If she remembered correctly, and disregarding the fact that they shared the same name, Lin Xuya was the little girl whose hand was passively melted into hers the moment the barrier of that world shattered.

Yan Shi checked the contents of the appointment letter again, remained silent for a moment, and his expression gradually became subtle.

Putting everything else aside, the term is a hundred years. Even Lin Xuya, an ordinary person from the outside world, might not live that long.

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