Chapter 13: Joining the White Tower
The anti-gravity engine of the hovercraft made a slight sound and stopped steadily in the designated area of White Tower Square.
As soon as the pink car body landed, Lin Yao pushed open the door, and the cold air that hit his face carried a unique scent of metal and energy.
This is the unique flavor of the White Pagoda, cold, solemn, and yet hiding an indescribable sense of mystery.
When he picked up the alloy file bag and turned around, Delinwei was getting out of the car door on the other side. The lily beside her ear was still wilted, the petals curled up into a ball, and the flower stem was stretched straight, as if she had not recovered from the shock just now.
Delinwei irritably brushed the hair by her ear. When her fingertips touched the petals, the lily shrank again, causing her brows to furrow even tighter.
"What are you looking at?" Noticing Lin Yao's gaze, De Linwei glared at him unhappily, "Why don't you just leave now?"
Lin Yao shrugged and didn't respond.
At this moment, his attention was completely attracted by the white tower in front of him. This building that reached into the sky was made entirely of silver-white alloy, and its surface was inlaid with countless energy crystals. It reflected flowing light bands under the sunlight, like a dormant dragon.
There were not many people walking around in the square. They were all wearing the same white uniform, with badges on their chests flashing different colors. They were walking hurriedly, and the air was filled with an efficient and tense atmosphere.
De Linwei was already walking quickly towards the verification desk at the entrance, and Lin Yao followed closely behind.
The staff behind the verification desk were wearing dark blue uniforms, and complex codes were jumping on the computer screen in front of them.
Seeing the two approaching, the staff member raised his eyes and said in a calm voice: "Identity chip."
Delinwei was the first to place the silver bracelet on her wrist close to the authenticator. With a soft beep, her message immediately appeared on the screen:
[Delinwei, Delin Family, Spirit Body: Healing Lily, Spirit Level: B+]
Just as her message disappeared, Lin Yao's bracelet completed the verification, and a new line of text flashed on the screen:
[Lin Yao, Delin Family, Spirit Form: Peony, Spirit Level: D]
Delinwei glanced at him without saying anything, but a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of her mouth.
The staff handed over two temporary passes: "Change procedures are handled in the approval hall on the third floor. You can go directly there with these cards."
When passing through the verification gate, a light blue energy curtain swept across the whole body, bringing a slight tingling sensation.
This is the second-level security check of the White Tower, which is said to be able to detect hidden dangerous items and unregistered spiritual energy.
Lin Yao felt that Shasha in his spiritual sea moved slightly, and the barbs on the gilded air root seemed to want to push out, but he held it down with his spiritual power.
"Let's go." Delinwei had already walked into the inner passage, and the crisp sound of her high heels stepping on the smooth ground echoed in the empty hall.
The lily beside her ear still didn't recover. Even so, the little thing was still looking vigilantly in the direction of Lin Yao, as if guarding against some invisible threat.
Lin Yao followed her into the elevator. The moment the metal door slowly closed, Lin Yao's heartbeat accelerated slightly as he felt the weightlessness of the elevator rising.
Finally came in.
-
The computer screen in the approval hall glowed with a cold white light. When Delinwei slapped the identity chip on the verification table, she used some force with her fingertips.
The staff member in charge of the formalities had just retrieved her file when she interrupted him impatiently: "Hurry up, I'm in a hurry."
She leaned sideways as she spoke, the lily beside her ear still trembling slightly, the pink halo on the edge of the petals faded to only a faint mark.
Lin Yao stood by and watched the staff busy at work attentively.
"We need to sign a termination agreement." The staff member pushed an electronic document in front of the two people. "Ms. De Linwei, are you sure you want to give up your current authority and transfer your position quota to Mr. Lin Yao?"
Delinwei did not answer, but answered with actions. She grabbed the stylus so quickly as if she was angry. The moment the tip of the stylus passed over the signature area, the knuckles holding the pen turned white, and even the lily beside her ear trembled violently.
"And this." The staff member handed over another paper document. "It needs to be signed by the family notary. Do you have it with you?"
"It's already been prepared." Delinwei paused as she took out the documents from her handbag.
Lin Yao took a glance and saw his second uncle's signature at the end of the document, written in a flamboyant style, with the family seal next to it. It was obviously arranged long ago.
She slammed the document on the table, making a dull sound, as if she was venting something.
When it was Lin Yao's turn to sign, De Linwei suddenly said, "Sign quickly, don't delay me from going back to try on wedding dresses."
Having said that, her eyes were glued to the stylus in Lin Yao's hand until the words 'Lin Yao' appeared on the screen. Then she suddenly turned her head and looked towards the corner of the hall.
"Okay, the change procedures are complete." The staff handed Lin Yao the new permission card and said, "Use this card to start your job at the onboarding center."
Delinwei turned around almost immediately, her high heels making a rapid sound as they stepped on the ground, as if she was annoyed to stay even for a second longer.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back to glare at Lin Yao, a mixture of resentment and pride: "Do you think you won?"
Before he finished speaking, he had disappeared at the end of the corridor. The lily beside his ear had lost its last bit of pink, leaving only pale petals trembling in the wind.
Lin Yao held the warm permission card, looked at the direction she disappeared, and shrugged indifferently.
He quickly turned his attention back to the card in his hand. The chip on it was flashing a faint blue light, as if beckoning him to step into a world full of exploration.
After asking the staff how to get to the onboarding center, Lin Yao went to the onboarding center alone.
-
"New employee, please come this way!" A chubby robot suddenly slid to his feet, pointed its robotic arm enthusiastically at the service window, and turned its head to shout inside.
"Sister Zhang! There's a new person here!"
Behind the window, a female staff member with short hair turned her head at the sound and glanced at Lin Yao through her glasses: "Did you bring the relevant materials?"
After verifying the information, she raised her chin and pointed to the back of her. "Xiao Chen, take him to record his spiritual energy characteristics, and then go to the counseling room for on-the-job guidance."
"After completing this process, come to me to sign the agreement and get your work permit!" Sister Zhang said the last sentence to Lin Yao.
The person who responded was a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled.
"My name is Chen Ke, which means to perform one's duties diligently." He pushed his glasses, his tone gentle but with unquestionable rigor. Lin Yao quickly gave his name.
Chen Ke smiled and said, "Nice to meet you," then he said:
"Let me take you to your office and explain some details to you!"
Seeing Lin Yao nod, Chen Ke stretched out his right hand and pointed in one direction: "This way!"
Chen Ke's pace was not fast, just enough for Lin Yao to keep up.
-
The walls on both sides of the corridor were glowing with a soft white light. Every few meters there was a pool of translucent fluorescent slime embedded in the niche. The strange light and shadow made the shadows of the two people longer and shorter.
Chen Ke looked at Lin Yao's face full of curiosity and inquiry, and explained to him: "This is a plant cultivated by the Imperial Botanical Research Institute."
Lin Yao suddenly realized, and he said why it looked so familiar, it turned out to be the same as the compensation that the Cang family gave him before!
"What are these? Are there any roses?" Lin Yao asked Chen Ke. He had seen evening primrose, which was said to be very similar to roses, so he was curious about what the real roses here looked like!
"The rose is a very precious plant. Besides this rose, the others here are vanilla, lily, tulip..."
Chen Ke first pointed to a pot of slime in front of him on the left, saying it was a rose, and then he diligently read out the names of the plants one by one along the way they came.
Lin Yao forced a smile as he listened to him say the names as if he was reading out the dishes, and was amazed.
He didn't insist on Chen Ke finishing the introduction, but it turned out that this person really lived up to his name!
However, this cosmic radiation is really strong. All plant seeds became paralyzed after being exposed to it!
After five minutes, Chen Ke finally finished reporting the 'flower names', and then he slid his fingertips across the light computer to call up a dynamic timetable.
Chen Ke's voice was as steady as an electronic synthesizer: "The standard working hours of the White Tower are from 9 am to 5 pm."
“But the evacuation guide position is special. If there is an urgent need for evacuation by the sentry, they need to cooperate and work overtime.
Of course, overtime hours will be converted into compensatory leave or points, which can be exchanged for supplies within the White Tower."
Lin Yao nodded slightly. He knew that guides in interstellar society mostly cooperated with the sentinels, and their plant guides were even more so.
Because it is gentler than conventional sonic or tactile counseling, it is more suitable for high-level Sentinels.
This is also one of the reasons why Lin Yao wants to snatch this spot from De Linwei.
Although Lin Yao was still "blind" at that time, it did not prevent him from finding a way out for himself. The title of "waste" was irrelevant, but he couldn't really be a waste!
Having protection is one thing, becoming stronger is another.
So he needed to come to the White Tower to work. At that time, he thought that this was both an opportunity to get out of the De Lin family and also a way to find a way to kill and upgrade.
Especially since he knew that Shasha grew up by "eating", Lin Yao felt that perhaps the Sentinel also had the materials that Shasha needed.
Where is there the most sentinels and is easiest to contact? Lin Yao couldn't think of any other place except the White Pagoda, so he didn't want to miss this job. After all, who would complain about having too many benefits?
Later, the medicine incident happened, and Lin Yao really couldn't give up this job at the White Tower!
"A guide's basic daily workload is to complete routine grooming for three sentries of the same level or lower. Plant guides can provide grooming across levels, up to three levels."
Chen Ke continued, his glasses reflecting the white light of the corridor, "If the appointments for the day are fully booked, you can apply to help other guides share the workload, but the cumulative workload per month must not be less than 60 people."
"Oh, right!"
He glanced sideways at Lin Yao and spoke in a slightly slower tone, "As a plant guide, you can choose whether to accept the S-level sentinel appointment. The White Tower does not force you to do so. The points for completing an S-level guidance are five times your original level."
"Because your mental strength level is D, this is not a requirement for you! It's even forbidden!" Chen Ke said firmly.
Lin Yao paused slightly. The mental power of S-level and above sentinels is like the center of a storm. If they are not careful, it will backfire on the guide. Ordinary guides cannot avoid it. Chen Ke's suggestion is very reasonable.
Chen Ke continued, "But you're a vine guide. Generally, your spiritual power will change with the changes in your spiritual body. When you reach B-level, you can take orders from S-level sentinels, so this item is not permanent!"
Lin Yao expressed his understanding, and was also very grateful that the original owner's spiritual body was a peony. Fortunately, it was a spiritual body that could improve its own abilities, otherwise it would have to be advanced by killing. It was okay in the early stages, but how could he hide it in the later stages?
"There are two types of appointment mechanisms." Chen Ke didn't notice his strangeness and clicked on the appointment interface on the screen.
“Online reservations must be submitted 72 hours in advance, and the system will automatically match them based on the sentry level and guide load;
Emergency appointments must be certified by the Sentinel's direct unit, and the White Tower has the right to prioritize dispatching available guides. However, emergency appointments may not exceed three per month to prevent the guides from over-exerting their mental energy."
As they were talking, the two of them had already walked to a metal door engraved with vine patterns.
Chen Ke raised his hand and pressed the identification area. The door slid open silently, revealing a space with a strange green color of grass and trees inside, which was divided into an inner room and an outer room.
"This is the counseling room," Chen Ke stepped aside to let Lin Yao in. "Your spirit body's exclusive cultivation chamber is at the innermost part. You can place your spirit body in the cultivation chamber for repair and growth!"
The outer room is a normal office desk, surrounded by various plants grown for decoration. The strange green light comes from here.
Chen Ke introduced them one by one, such as bellflowers, Venus flytraps, and even a few strange species that Lin Yao had never seen before, with leaves glowing green.
To call it a plant guide, it must be decorated with plants, which is also the Empire's preference for plant guides.
There are three transparent guidance cabins neatly arranged in the inner room, which are used to guide the sentries, and there is also a culture cabin in the middle.
"Sister Zhang said you'll officially start taking on missions tomorrow. Today you can familiarize yourself with the environment and adjust the growth parameters in the incubator."
Lin Yao's eyes fell on the incubation cabin in the middle with the name "Lin Yao" on it. The soil inside the cabin was gray, and Shasha showed interest in it.
"Oh right," Chen Ke seemed to suddenly remember something and added:
"Because of your engagement, although the Ye family hasn't said anything, the Delin family sent a letter yesterday. According to the relevant mechanism, you will mainly be responsible for guiding the sentries of the Red Shadow Legion. The lowest level of sentries they need to guide is D, so..."
"So I can only guide Chiying's sentinels?" Lin Yao interrupted Chen Ke for the first time.
Chen Ke shook his head. "You can counsel the other sentries. The choice is yours. My point is: the system will prioritize the Red Shadow Legion's application for you. Do you understand me?"
Lin Yao replied, seemingly understanding, "You want me to prioritize the application of the Red Shadow Legion sentinels?"
"That's one thing, but the other is that it will affect your daily workload."
As Chen Ke spoke, he helped Lin Yao access the White Tower computer in the counseling room and instructed Lin Yao on how to use it. After a while, the sentry reservation level was set up.
"Given your current situation, you'll either have one B-class sentinel, two C-class sentinels, three D-class sentinels, or three E-class sentinels, depending on your open appointments."
Lin Yao listened carefully to Chen Ke's introduction, and then asked if there were many D-level and E-level sentinels in the Red Shadow Legion.
Chen Ke said that D-level is the lowest level that the Red Shadow Legion needs to guide, not the highest level, A-level is the highest level.
Lin Yao nodded to show that he understood. His gaze returned to the incubator and he asked if the decoration style here could be changed.
Under Chen Ke's puzzled gaze, Lin Yao said that his spiritual body wanted to occupy a counseling room alone.
"Are these plant decorations going to be removed?" Chen Ke pushed his glasses and asked him.
Lin Yao nodded affirmatively. There were at least a dozen potted plants in this care room, and he was worried that if he killed them all, not a single one would remain. How would he explain this to the White Tower? He didn't want to start getting into debt before even starting a job.
Chen Ke nodded, saying that each guide's shelter was unique, and he would contact someone to move the plants away.
After the dedicated staff in the White Tower moved the plants in the care room away, Chen Ke said goodbye to Lin Yao and gave him one more instruction before leaving:
"Remember to go to Sister Zhang later to sign the agreement and get your work permit. If you have any questions, just call 'Chen Ke' on your computer.
Although the White Pagoda's rules are strict, the protection mechanism for guides is very comprehensive, so there is no need to worry."
-
Lin Yao expressed his gratitude to him. The moment the door closed, Lin Yao walked to his own incubator and released Shasha, who had been jumping around in his mental picture.
After a while, Shasha started to grow, shaking its leaves. Without Lin Yao's reminder, when it grew to a certain size, Shasha released aerial roots and vines, covering the entire treatment room.
Lin Yao was so upset that he was thankful that there was no surveillance in the counseling room, otherwise Bai Ta would have investigated him directly!
Such a landscape is not something a D-level guide can create.
Lin Yao watched it having fun over there, so he let it make noise in the counseling room and went to the outer room.
He also had his own plans in mind. Tomorrow he would be assigned to the E-level sentinel as pre-job training.
Because reservations must be made 72 hours in advance, the White Tower will make arrangements for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Chen Ke just mentioned the sentinel types, which should be D and E.
In this case, Lin Yao chose to release two C-level sentinels for guidance. He wanted to see what the differences were between sentins of different levels.
The two spots that had just been released were taken up in less than five minutes. Lin Yao retrieved the information of the two sentinels and took a closer look. Just as Chen Ke said, both of them belonged to the Third Army of the Red Shadow Legion.
The out-of-control values of the two are not high, one is 65 and the other is 53, and their spirit forms are the Oriental Salamander and the Marbled Monitor Lizard.
Looking at the black and red salamander and the marbled lizard above, Lin Yao remembered a senior he knew in college, a reptile enthusiast. If he saw these two, he would probably jump for joy.
After all the exploration, Lin Yao returned to the counseling room. At this time, the leaves of the vines not only covered the walls except the ground, but also were covered with rows of mimicking peonies. When they saw him coming, the vines handed him a peony.
Lin Yao sniffed and asked softly, "Are you ready? Our new job has begun."
The flowers and leaves in the room rustled as if blown by the wind, as if in response.
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