Huh?
Huh!?
She's here to find me?
What does this big-chested woman want with me?
Zhao Xuan didn't notice the shift in her expression at first.
As he puzzled over it, the black-silk-clad mature woman's face suddenly changed—first turning strangely amused, her eyes glinting with teasing interest as they fell on him.
Then, a blush of anger and embarrassment spread across her cheeks.
Her fists clenched tightly.
"You're Zhao Xuan?" she asked abruptly.
"How do you know that?" Zhao Xuan blurted out, confused.
What's going on? How does this big cow know? I didn't even say anything just now!
"There's nothing strange about it. You really didn't say anything—at least, not with your mouth."
The woman's voice sounded again, cold and crisp.
"???????"
"!!!!!!"
Zhao Xuan froze, staring at her in disbelief.
Wait—no way… can she read minds!?
The woman gritted her teeth and said each word clearly:
"My Observation Haki is linked to telepathy. I can sense every thought or comment that concerns me."
Zhao Xuan was stunned.
Then, a single horrifying realization struck him—
Oh crap… Does that mean she heard everything I just thought about her!?
"That's right~"
The black-silk beauty suddenly leaned close, her warm breath brushing his ear as she murmured playfully,
"Little brother Zhao Xuan, I heard everything—including you calling me that big-something just now."
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Zhao Xuan immediately choked in embarrassment.
"B-big sister, misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding!" he stammered, forcing a laugh while meeting her sharp, glimmering gaze.
The woman said nothing.
Arms crossed, chin raised, she simply looked at him—expressionless but with eyes that practically burned holes through him.
"Heh… hehehe…" Zhao Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Forget it," she said at last, breaking the tension. "I won't hold it against you today. We'll settle this account later."
Later?
What does she mean, later?
Before Zhao Xuan could ask, she spoke again:
"Little brother Zhao Xuan, would you be interested in joining our Bureau of Relic Strategic Protection and Development Logistics?"
"Huh?" Zhao Xuan blinked.
"Huh, what? Big sis is talking to you!" she said sharply.
"But I don't even know what this… uh… Relic Protection is something Bureau actually does," Zhao Xuan said, bewildered.
"It's the Bureau of Relic Strategic Protection and Development Logistics," she corrected. "Yeah, the name's a bit of a mouthful. You can just call us Bureau 794."
Seeing his confusion, she went on, "Bureau 794 is a department secretly established by the authorities. Our mission is to protect and develop all major ruins across Shenzhou—and also to compete with foreign powers for control of the ruins scattered across the Endless Sea."
"An official organization, huh…" Zhao Xuan mused.
"Any other questions?" she asked. "Actually—let me tell you about the benefits first."
"Unlike most government branches, Bureau 794 doesn't require daily attendance or fixed working hours. Our members operate freely, unless a special situation arises. Official missions are mostly optional—you can take what you want, when you want."
"Our members are divided into three ranks: Junior Investigator, Intermediate Investigator, and Senior Investigator."
"A Junior Investigator receives 20 million yuan in annual logistical funding."
"An Intermediate Investigator receives 200 million yuan."
"And a Senior Investigator receives a whopping 2 billion yuan per year."
"Besides that," she added, "since Bureau 794 focuses exclusively on relics, our resource vault contains nearly every kind of spiritual herb found within ruins—some of them even seventh-, eighth-, or ninth-tier! All of these resources are available exclusively to our members."
"Stop! Stop! Say no more!" Zhao Xuan interrupted, eyes shining. "I'll join! I'll join! I'll definitely join!"
"Good eye."
The black-silk beauty nodded approvingly, then reached into her robe and tossed him a small medallion.
"This is your identification as an investigator of Bureau 794—and your key to enter our network. Channel your Spiritual Power into it, and your consciousness will enter our Dream Realm Space. You can request supplies directly from within the dream space, and our logistics team will deliver them to you."
"Good stuff!" Zhao Xuan's eyes gleamed as he examined the medallion.
"Keep it safe," she warned. "It was crafted by eighth-tier kings using their Fruit abilities—it's worth a fortune. Lose it, and a replacement costs ten million."
"Got it," Zhao Xuan said quickly, nodding.
"Any other questions? If not, I've got to go—the capital just discovered a new ruin, and I need to open the gate there."
"I—uh—just one small question," Zhao Xuan said weakly.
"Go on," she replied.
"Why me?"
"To join Bureau 794, there's one mandatory requirement—you must have cleared at least one relic trial."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and a shimmering air door materialized beside her.
"Well, that's all for now. We'll talk again in the Dream Realm. I'm heading out."
She pulled open the air door and stepped through.
"Oh right! Little brother Zhao Xuan—my name's Shi Xuefei."
Her voice faded as the portal closed behind her—
—and then it vanished completely.
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