Chapter 789: Disagreement and Decision

"Probably not…"

Upon hearing the request from the Taurus Director, the square-faced middle-aged man hesitated, then frowned and refused:

"Even if the headquarters is sealed, we can't guarantee absolute safety—and you're about to ascend to your palace; you cannot be disturbed in any way. I can't leave now!"

"It shouldn't be a problem—it's just less than a week."

After thinking for a moment, the Taurus Director spoke again, urging:

"The headquarters location is extremely secure; ordinary people can't even reach it, and with both me and Mimi as directors here, even if dozens of True Gods were to fixate on us, we could still hold out until you return."

"This… still won't work. You understand how vital the Watch Palace is—we simply can't afford to gamble."

The square-faced middle-aged man showed slight hesitation, but ultimately shook his head:

"You're not strong in combat, the real Pisces Director's soul is still asleep, and Mimi's mind is only about six years old—she can only properly manifest her Star Palace and cannot activate the Pisces Secret Arts at all."

"If I leave the headquarters and leave you two alone, and something unexpected happens, everything will be lost. I can't take that risk!"

"But Olivia's situation is also urgent!"

The Taurus Director pulled up his collar, his face filled with worry:

"Though her abilities are strong, she's at a severe disadvantage against the Nightmare King. Even if she risks venturing deep into the Fallen Soul Abyss, she can't capture the Nightmare King, who freely roams through living beings' dreams."

"If we do nothing, once the Nightmare King successfully descends, even if we can remotely assist by burning a quarter of the Sun to scorch the Dream Realm and reduce his damage, hundreds of thousands will be affected!"

"Though the scope is vast, those people will merely suffer nightmares for life—they won't die!"

The Sagittarius Director insisted:

"After this attack, we can amplify the effect of the 【Illusion Jar】 further—then even those affected by nightmares will forget them instantly upon waking, minimizing all impact on lifespan and soul!"

"But there's still an impact!"

The Taurus Director exclaimed anxiously:

"When these tormented people grow old, their souls will detach from their bodies far earlier than normal—years before true death, they'll begin losing memories one by one, even becoming hollow shells devoid of soul entirely!"

"And what about the Virgo Division's Cleaners? After the Nightmare King's descent, he'll immediately seek out their souls! Those kids are still on missions—if…"

"The Virgo Division personnel can be evacuated in advance!"

The Sagittarius Director's face tightened, his expression stubborn:

"Aren't they all already deployed? Now send Scorpio and Leo Division forces to locate them by address and order them to evacuate the Kingdom within three days!"

"The Nightmare King is always cautious—he never leaves the Fallen Soul Abyss lightly. If the Virgo Cleaners evacuate quickly enough, they have a high chance of escaping, and may even return after the Fallen Soul Abyss departs—everything will remain unchanged…"

"How could it possibly remain unchanged?"

Faced with the square-faced man's repeated refusals, the usually mild-mannered Taurus Director finally lost her temper—her gentle face shimmered with white radiance, losing its former warmth; a deep crimson flush spread from her cheekbones all the way to her eyebrows.

"Andrew! That's hundreds of thousands of lives! And the Cleaner Bureau's duty is to protect…"

"The Cleaner Bureau's duty is to ensure human survival—only after securing that premise does protection of ordinary people come into play!"

Facing the Taurus Director's fury, the square-faced middle-aged man's brow furrowed tightly, meeting her gaze without flinching, his expression resolute:

"Aquarius has already cooperated with the Nightmare King to repair his soul—why couldn't he cooperate with others? If something goes wrong here, the consequences won't be limited to just those hundreds of thousands. I absolutely will not leave!"

"But it's only a week! I could…" "Against an opponent who can peer into the future and possesses more than one time-related anomaly, not even a single minute's vulnerability can be allowed!"

…

"Both of you, stop arguing."

Amid the dispute between the two current directors, the red-haired Director finally found an opening to speak.

After glancing at the stubborn square-faced man, she sighed inwardly, knowing she could never persuade him, then spoke up:

"Taurus, let's follow Sagittarius Director's proposal… Please help me contact other nearby Division heads and locate Emma and the others as soon as possible—order them to evacuate the Kingdom immediately."

"Olivia? How are you…"

"Taurus, please let me finish."

Interrupting the Taurus Director, the red-haired Director turned to the square-faced man in the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】, her expression calm:

"Sagittarius isn't wrong—my guess that Aquarius is using the Nightmare King to repair his soul is just speculation. Perhaps his true goal is to lure Sagittarius Director out of headquarters."

"After all, the anomaly that stabilized Mimi's soul was originally created by him and you together—and Aquarius knows full well the pattern of the four Pisces soul transitions."

"Given that Aquarius knows the headquarters is nearly empty, we can't rule out the possibility he plans to strike while we're vulnerable—we really should be more cautious."

Seeing the red-haired Director acknowledge this possibility, the Taurus Director fell silent, then frowned and asked:

"Then what about your side? Are you really going to ignore the Nightmare King?"

"Of course not."

The red-haired Director shook her head:

"Though it's difficult, we still must act… Please prepare with Pisces and Sagittarius Directors to mobilize the three Zodiac Star Palaces before and after the Fallen Soul Abyss's descent, and begin scorching the Dream Realm early to ease our burden."

Here, she hesitated slightly, then took a deep breath and made her request:

"Also, please help me contact the Scorpio Division Director—use your three positions to forcibly summon him here immediately. If he comes to help me… I'll kneel before everyone at headquarters this year-end review and beg his forgiveness!"

"Olivia…"

Watching the red-haired Director clench her fists, the Taurus Director's lips moved slightly, then she sighed:

"I'll speak to him. This truly is unfair to you."

It was indeed unfair… but being unfair was better than mass death—at least the heart would feel somewhat lighter.

The red-haired Director smiled faintly, saying nothing. On the other side of the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】, the square-faced man glanced at her, hesitated briefly, then extended a finger and traced a bow-wielding Centaur emblem onto the mirror's surface with his nail.

(End of Chapter)