Renoya Ryō's sharp exclamation drew the attention of Zhang Yuancheng and the others. Then, a man's voice came from outside: "Hm, you've suddenly gained such confidence today. I see— I heard you're a member of the Yuanshǐ Tianzun's faction. Among the teams from the Wu Xing Alliance sent to assist us, several are actually from your faction." With that, the man sneered, "So you think you've secured a strong backing? How amusing— in the Free Federation, and at Tianfa, the only person you can rely on is me. For your team, the Senkō Group, the only one you can count on is Tianfa. The members of the Wu Xing Alliance are merely here to carry out tasks— that's clear, isn't it?" Renoya Ryō growled, "You're a contemptible and mediocre fellow." Upon hearing this, the man's tone grew serious: "Renoya Ryō, you're truly a young woman lacking social experience— naive and foolish. If you had any real social insight, you'd realize that cultivating a relationship with me is the very right choice." "If you have some social experience, you'll know that offending me will bring misfortunes to both you and Kiyoko. But you've merely treated my words as ordinary threats. No, I'm telling you—those weren't threats. They were the reality unfolding before you." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Hongji Ge, astonished, "What are you waiting for? You can endure this? Go charge straight into him!" Hongji Ge looked utterly puzzled, "I don't understand what they're saying." ...Oh, I've been too hasty! I never thought the Hōshi would understand foreign languages. Zhang Yuanqing immediately stepped out of his office and spotted Shina Reo carrying a cardboard box, and a young man with golden hair and bright eyes, with a sharp, brooding expression. The man wore a well-tailored light blue suit, exuding an uncomfortable air of superiority. Guan Ya and the others followed out. Upon seeing the abbot emerge, Reo rushed over like a swan taking flight, settled beside him, then thoughtfully leaned against Guan Ya. — Guan Yacai is the team leader. The young man in blue suit brightened upon seeing Guan Yacai and Sun Miao-miao, and couldn't help exclaiming, "Wow!" As a scout, Guan Yacai merely glanced at the man and immediately sensed his reserved inner demeanor, frowning slightly. "This is Brady Mede, isn't it?" Shinoyo Ryō nodded firmly. "Yes, that's him." Zhang Yuanqing looked at the two of them, asking, "What's Brady Mede? What's going on?" Shinoyo Ryō explained quietly: "Brady Mede is the one who constantly picks on me. He's from the Mede family, and his uncle, CEO Shawn Mede, is his close relative. Brady has many girlfriends and maintains romantic relationships with several female colleagues in the office." "During my time at Tianfa, he has been constantly pursuing me. It started with gifts and dinner invitations, but after I turned down several times, he began to threaten me—saying that if I didn't engage with him, he would assign me high-risk tasks and send in the 'Guidance Team' to undermine the Chihaku Team's authority. He even froze my bank account and salary account in Xinyue County, only to be unfrozen after Emma's assistant intervened. However, Emma's assistant herself is no match for him—she can only issue warnings. I've noticed that his patience has been steadily declining lately. Fortunately, I've been living at the Tianfa branch and am still in my internship period, with no assignments yet—otherwise..." "The whole world is on fire, and won't miss a single opportunity to undermine us, coldly remarked, 'For someone with your background and family connections, as long as the support pillar stands firm, even if you lay out irrefutable evidence on the prosecutor's desk, it will simply be treated as trash and tossed into the bin.' As he spoke, Brady Med walked over and stopped in front of Guan Ya, his eyes shining as he extended his hand. 'Good evening, I'm Brady Med. My uncle is Sean Med, the Chief Executive Officer. Would you be available tonight? I'd like to invite your Five-Alliance friends for dinner.' Guan Ya glanced down, but didn't reach out. 'Don't go!' Shina Ryō said in Chinese, 'I've heard he frequently uses gatherings and dinners as pretexts to sexually assault women—there have been several such incidents before. Oh, by the way, Brady doesn't understand Chinese.' The Red Chicken immediately snapped, 'Idiot, get out!' Brady Med's face turned pale, and he stared at the Red Chicken in anger, shouting, 'What did you just say?' He then added, 'Fuck!' "Isn't this obvious?" Red Chicken grumbled, then raised his fist to strike, "Stubborn foreigner, dare to insult me!" You can't even understand the words people use when they're angry, can you...? Guan Ya gently placed her hand on Red Chicken's shoulder to calm his fiery temper, turned to Brady, and responded in clear, precise foreign language: "Thank you for the invitation. We'll make it when we can. For now, however, it's office hours—please ask Mr. Med to remain at his post." With that, she took her way back toward the office. Seeing this, Brady Med quickly stepped forward, blocking her path, and insisted with a stubborn smile, "In the eyes of the company, refusing a colleague's invitation is indeed impolite, so..." Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yuanqing sidestepped and delivered a swift, unexpected kick. Brady Med reacted instantly, leaping back to avoid the blow and gliding several meters away on the momentum. "Are you daring to attack me?!" Brady was stunned. He hadn't expected the second-largest district's yellow-skinned monkey to dare challenge him right after he'd introduced himself. Brady glared fiercely at Zhang Yuanqing, his voice sharp and commanding: "Do you intend to die in New Covenant County, lowly yellow-skinned monkey? Even if you kneel and apologize, I won't forgive you. Go to heaven and confess your sins to God—for you've offended me." Guan Ya once again pressed her hand against Hong Jiguo's shoulder, her eyes fixed on Brady Medei: "Just don't provoke us, if you don't want to fight here in the building." She had sensed that Yuan Shi's kick had been a show of restraint, a warning—clearly, he didn't wish to engage in a physical clash either. Brady Medei stared at their backs for several seconds before turning and walking away. He took the elevator back to his executive floor, pushed open his office door, and reached into the wine cabinet to pull out a bottle of whiskey, poured half a glass, and drank it down. "Knock-knock!" The sound of the textured glass door echoed as a middle-aged man with golden hair and blue eyes, wearing a "Mr. Brady, have you met the delegation from the Five-Element Alliance? Did they offend you?" the middle-aged man bowed. "Richardson, I'm going to slaughter that yellow-skinned pig from the Five-Element Alliance—I'm going to slaughter him!" Brady slammed his glass down, teeth clenched. Richardson was a spiritual traveler trained and nurtured by the Mede family, serving as Brady's assistant, handling everything from daily living to work matters—his most trusted confidant. At about fifty, Richardson listened quietly to Brady's outburst and said, "Mr. Brady, they're nothing more than uncivilized monkeys—nothing worth your personal effort. The Executive Officer wouldn't want to see you clash with the Five-Element Alliance." "I know," Brady took a deep breath, "but they're still people from Winny Burnt's circle. My uncle can disregard these minor figures, because addressing them is an affront to his status. But I need to do something." "...Remember, in the New Covenant County, men who pour their hearts and resources into others—and women who warmly welcome them—are precisely the ones you should remain vigilant about." In the office, Zhang Yuanqing addressed the patron saints of the factions with earnest emphasis: "Especially those women in the realm of passion—when they welcome you, they don't just make you feel weak; they can drain you of your entire fortune. Red Chicken Brother, as a Fire Master, you're energetic and vigorous—so you must be especially cautious." Red Chicken Brother was unconvinced: "Even Tianxia Guihuo is a Fire Master—why didn't you mention him?" Tianxia Guihuo replied calmly: "Compared to paying an excessive price, I am better at tempering desire." "You just accept free services, then," Red Chicken Brother observed sharply. Indeed, free services shouldn't be taken for granted—after all, every moment is precious. As Zhang Yuanqing prepared to speak, he suddenly noticed Yuan Ting's head peering in from the doorway, eyes gleaming with curiosity (gossip). "Who is this person? Why are you all listening to him?" Yuan Ting asked, puzzled. He had been observing this Juman for some time. When Qu Meng issued a single command, Sun Miaomiao and the others hurriedly rushed into the office. While Qu Meng was drinking water by the饮水 machine, they all gathered around him eagerly—clearly, he was being treated like a cherished favorite. How could a relatively unknown, modest beast king deserve such treatment? The group turned to look at him, then said in unison, "You don't need to know. We won't tell you." Yuan was struck dumb, clutching his chest with visible pain, as if suffering a heart attack. At that moment, Sun Miaomiao grasped her collar, shook it slightly, and glanced around, saying, "It's so hot—it's suddenly gotten so hot." The Heavenly Return of Fire responded, "Temperatures are rising rapidly. It's now 31 degrees… the air conditioning is blowing warm air." Blowing warm air on such a hot day? Even in early October, the weather remained scorching, and life without air conditioning was simply impossible. Guan quickly instructed her extraordinary assistant to check the air conditioning, only to discover that it had been set to heating mode, and both the control panel and power switch had been damaged. They went to the front desk to request repairs, and the front desk staff warmly agreed, yet the technician kept arriving late. Just as the members of the Five Elements Alliance were sweating profusely, the office area lost power again. Computers wouldn't turn on, work was stalled, the space remained stuffy, and the technicians still hadn't shown up. So Guan Ya led her team of eighteen to the activity area, taking advantage of the air conditioning while urging the front desk to follow up and contact the technicians. But the front desk staff continued to smile and promise, doing nothing at all. This wasn't the end—just as the members of the Five Elements Alliance were boiling with frustration, another issue arose. Two men arrived, wearing shirts with buttons undone, revealing strong, well-defined chests. Their sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, exposing thick, muscular arms—exactly the look of shirt-wearing militants. Two members of Tianfa approached with clear purpose, glancing sideways at the crowd of Wuxing Alliance members gathered in the rest area, and muttered angrily, "Oh, goodness! The rest area has been taken over by a bunch of uncultured, ungracious foreigners. This is a public space—go back to your offices!" A scout from the Wuxing Alliance stepped forward, trying to maintain composure and explained, "We're very sorry—our office air conditioning has failed, and the power has also gone out..." But before he finished speaking, another Tianfa member shoved him hard, "Get back! You people are utterly uncivilized—our second district's spiritual travelers are nothing but excrement!" The scout stumbled back, nearly falling. He was furious but could say nothing, since this was their territory, and Tianfa, as the strongest official organization of the current era, had long been known for its dominance and assertiveness. The official travelers of the Wuxing Alliance felt an inherent sense of deference, unable to meet their eyes or stand straight, feeling naturally inferior. Clearly, someone was deliberately targeting them! The extraordinary travelers of the Five Elements Alliance were frustrated and angry, yet found no superior to whom they could appeal. "Practice high-jumping in the bathroom—turns out you've gone through the waste!" Red Chicken Brother's body erupted with a burst of fiery light, launching him like a mortar shell straight toward the two wind mages of Tianfa. He had endured it again and again, until he could bear it no longer. "Red Chicken wiped the blood from his lips, gritting his teeth. The middle-aged man spoke calmly: 'Those who maintain order—by the way, in the New Covenant County, at Heaven's Judgment, English is required. That's part of the rules.' The extraordinary beings from the Five Elements Alliance could only sigh in frustration. This man appeared to be a senior steward at Heaven's Judgment. He hadn't shown up when the air conditioning failed, nor when the power went out. Now he had finally appeared. 'Who is he?' Zhang Yuanqing asked the man beside him, Shunoya Reo. 'He's Brady's assistant, secretary, and bodyguard—Richardson, a sixth-level wind mage,' Shunoya Reo said with growing irritation. 'It's definitely Brady's doing. What now? Should I tell Miss Emma?' "Winny Berlent took a sip from her glass and asked, 'Have they reached out to you for assistance?'" Emma shook her head. "Not yet. However, they almost came into conflict with the rest of the executive team in the break area. If they violate discipline over this, you won't be able to protect them—this is precisely what Brady Med intended." Shawn Med wouldn't be content to see this batch of sages from the Five-Element Alliance merely become obedient subordinates under Winny's direction. He would either secure their position or eliminate them. Winny shook her head. "Shawn is a man so arrogant he's downright unbearable—he wouldn't resort to such elementary tactics against the younger sages." She spoke calmly, with a gentle smile. "Let them handle it themselves. If they can't manage this minor issue, they're already destined to perish here. I'll send them back home. Within the Five-Element Alliance team, Guan Ya is the leader, yet when they entered the conference room, it was Qing Mang who came in first and also who left first. I suspect he may actually be the true decision-maker." "Have you noticed how evenly distributed the ranks of these sages are—most are at the fifth level? Guan Ya's rank and status don't quite match the stature of a leader. This is exactly the opportunity for you to observe: whether it's Guan Ya or Qu Meng who handles the situation effectively." "Are you particularly interested in him?" Emma asked. "Vinny nodded, a delicate curve of her lips forming: "I hope he's a capable assistant, not just a dull, unthinking follower." "Understood," Emma bowed and stepped out of the office.