Chapter 363: The Final Battle for the Invitation Letter

The Secret Security Department is currently only a promise made by the interim Prime Minister during his inaugural speech; to actually establish this department requires going through tedious processes and complex procedures.

Or, if handled by other departments, dragging it out for three to five years is absolutely no problem.

Even with the cooperation of the Prime Minister and the Queen, and a path completely free of obstacles, given the administrative efficiency of Stilan, it would take at least three to five months at the fastest.

In order to get their department registered and open for business as soon as possible, Wu Chang and Lei Wendun took seven or eight Arcane Knights and went door-to-door to knock on the homes of officials in the relevant approval departments, making them crawl out of bed to stamp and sign.

That very night, the government departments of Grimlund became 24-hour operations.

The officials they sought out, regardless of whether they knew about the interim Prime Minister's speech, swallowed their complaints the moment they saw the name on the application form, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

In the combination of words "Royal Secret Intelligence and Homeland Security Department," aside from the "Royal" prefix which was useless, neither "Secret Intelligence" nor "Homeland Security" were things they could afford to provoke.

Not to mention that several officials were dragged out of their mistresses' beds.

Being able to find them here already demonstrated the operational capability of the Secret Security Department, and with Wu Chang, the Minister of Secret Security, sitting there in person, how could they dare not to cooperate?

Relying on their actions, they forcibly accelerated the administrative efficiency of various Stilan departments by several hundred times, completing all procedures overnight, and even selecting an address for the office.

By the time all the paperwork was completed, the sky was already bright.

The few accompanying Arcane Knights went back to rest, while Lei Wendun clung to Wu Chang, followed him all the way home, and sat down at the dining table quite naturally.

Wu Chang curled his lips; as expected, this fellow had always been coming over to sponge off breakfast.

At the dining table, Wu Chang saw Ailin, whom he hadn't seen for a day.

Compared to the previous few days, Ailin was clearly much more cheerful, and there were a few more smiles on her face.

Speaking of the changes in the Gray Church slums, Ailin praised Lei Wendun's arrangements endlessly.

Led by pastors and priests, with the slum residents working together, they cleaned up one-third of the slum area in a single day.

If things continue like this, in at most two days, the environment within the slums will be significantly improved, and by then, even if Ailin doesn't take action, the residents will not suffer from malaria.

After finishing about the changes in the slums, Ailin also brought up one thing: starting from yesterday afternoon, there have been transcendents lurking near the slums.

Among them are local transcendents of Grimlund, as well as outsiders, or rather, players.

Some of them tried to make contact with Ailin, but she did not respond, only releasing her ability to tell them that the slums do not welcome them.

The lurking transcendents could not figure out her background and did not take further action for the time being.

But she believes it won't be long before they enter the slums to probe her situation.

Ailin asked: "If they disturb the residents, should I expel them, or catch them and hand them over to you?"

Ailin said it lightly, as if the ones she was going to expel were not transcendents, but just chasing away a few annoying mice.

Lei Wendun did not expect the gentle Ailin to speak so toughly; he said with some worry:

"There are quite a lot of transcendents in Grimlund recently, and among them are those with malicious intent. Should we spare some manpower to enter the Gray Church area to protect Miss Ailin's safety?"

Wu Chang shook his head and said: "No need. Ailin, you just handle it as you see fit. Drive away those who haven't made you angry; for those who have, just restrain them and wait for me to send people to take them away."

The "people" sent here would naturally be the True Self.

Ailin is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see blood, so just restrict the enemy's movements and have him take them to a place Ailin cannot see to finish them off.

While helping Ailin solve troubles, he can also stack strength attributes; such a thing should of course be done by him.

Lei Wendun looked at Ailin in surprise after hearing this. Ailin's appearance is not the Valkyrie style, but rather a Saintess style leaning toward kindness and compassion.

Kindness and compassion are often associated with being soft and weak.

Coupled with the scene of Ailin saving the bottom-tier people without asking for anything in return, it made Lei Wendun think she was a weak healer, not a warrior.

"Commander Xiao En, don't forget, there are still guys like the Steam Council in the darkness. Relying solely on the Arcane Knights and the Secret Police won't be enough to suppress those heinous villains."

Wu Chang shrugged and said: "That's great. As long as the Steam Council dares to enter the slums, when we deal with them, we will sentence them as if they had surrendered."

A question mark slowly appeared on Lei Wendun's face.

What does that mean? Could it be that the seemingly weak Miss Ailin is actually an expert?

Breakfast ended, and Ailin, just like yesterday, continued to head to the Gray Church slums to help residents treat diseases and prevent the spread of malaria.

Wu Chang told Lei Wendun about the True Self's probing yesterday, as well as the tasks received by Jianxing and Leng Shan, and asked for his thoughts.

Of course, regarding the source of information, the explanation he gave was that it came from outside transcendents.

Although Lei Wendun was curious about when Wu Chang had gotten to know these outside transcendents, compared to inspiration, this reason was much easier to accept, so he did not delve deeper.

After brief consideration, Lei Wendun proposed using Henry, the editor-in-chief of the *Beacon News*, as bait to test the Steam Council's movements.

Henry is a core figure of the Charter Movement, but unlike Connor's strategy of peaceful petitioning, Henry advocates radical confrontation to force the Parliament to accept the Charter Movement.

He believes that workers should not wait for the noble masters to have a change of heart, but should take up weapons and engage in armed struggle.

Precisely because of this, Henry has issued many extreme remarks, especially targeting Prime Minister Luo En.

Almost every time a workers' parade is suppressed by force, he publishes remarks in the *Beacon News*, claiming that Prime Minister Luo En's behavior will sooner or later pay the price.

If the Prime Minister's assassination case is related to the Charter Movement, then it must have something to do with Henry.

Using Henry as bait can both test the role the Charter Movement played in the Prime Minister's assassination case and lure out the Steam Council—killing two birds with one stone.

While Wu Chang's main body was planning with Lei Wendun, the True Self had already arrived at the entrance of the *Beacon News* office again.

This time when entering the door, Jennifer did not stop him, but said:

"Mr. Connor is waiting for you in his office."

Wu Chang entered Connor's office and, just like yesterday, first used a mystical ritual to create a soundproof barrier, then, before Connor could speak, placed a pardon order on Connor's desk.

The content of the pardon order was very simple: release all workers arrested for participating in the Pine Coal Mine explosion protest and declare them innocent.

"Mr. Connor, the conditions I promised have been fulfilled. I wonder if you have discussed a result internally?"

Connor glanced at the pardon order on the table and said:

"Last night, I already received the news of their release. We have seen enough sincerity from you. Therefore, I hope we can cooperate happily."

Since Connor had decided to cooperate, Wu Chang did not hide anything and said:

"In that case, we can start our first cooperation now."

"Mr. Connor, I know your *Beacon News* is deeply loved by the workers and has great energy at the bottom level."

"Someone once told me that in the East District of Grimlund, as well as on the south bank of the Hills River, wherever there is the sound of gears turning, there are your eyes and ears."

Connor corrected him: "Those are not our eyes and ears, just ordinary workers who are oppressed by reality and urgently need to improve their living conditions."

Wu Chang shrugged and said in an indifferent tone: "Whatever you call them, I need that power, that intelligence network that is almost omnipresent."

"Regarding the anomalies in Grimlund, we already talked about it yesterday. You give us information, we step forward to deal with problems you cannot solve—a win-win."

Connor was silent for a moment, then took a paper bag from the desk drawer, walked around the desk, and handed it to Wu Chang.

"Inside is what you want."

Wu Chang took the paper bag calmly, took out the documents inside, and saw the title at the top of the document:

"Malaria outbreak in the textile district on the south bank of the Hills River, with a mortality rate as high as 30%, far exceeding other areas of Grimlund."

Wu Chang frowned slightly. The case Connor wanted him to investigate had nothing to do with the Pine Coal Mine and could not be linked to the Steam Council, which made him a little disappointed.

But his expression quickly recovered. He figured Connor also knew that the water in the Pine Coal Mine was very deep; since it was their first cooperation and they hadn't figured out each other's background, there would indeed be some reservations.

He looked at the document and asked: "What's the problem with this?"

Connor said: "The living environment in the textile district is indeed very poor, but the textile factories in Grimlund are not only gathered on the south bank of the East District; further east, on several tributaries of the Hills River, there are also a large number of textile factories distributed."

"The textile district on the south bank is neither the center of the major malaria outbreak nor the only textile district. The mortality rate currently shown definitely has an anomaly behind it."

Wu Chang flipped through the documents inside. The data recorded in the documents was very detailed. It could be seen that in the last ten days or so, the mortality rate of workers in the south bank textile district had soared, which was clearly unreasonable.

He asked: "With such an obvious anomaly, why couldn't your people find the cause and need to hand it over to us?"

Connor sighed and said: "The textile district is different from other areas. The people living inside are all textile workers. Long-term oppression has made them accustomed to attaching themselves to and obeying the textile factory owners, not daring to resist."

"The textile district on the south bank is especially so. Our people have gone to investigate many times, but the textile workers don't say a word about the anomaly, and even take the initiative to report our people to the factory owners."

"More than four reporters have already gone missing during the investigation, and their bodies were found in the Hills River a few days later."

Speaking of this, Connor's tone was full of helplessness.

"We can only help those who want to accept help and are willing to change the status quo. For those who are willing to sink, we can't do anything; we can only see if you have any way."

Wu Chang stuffed the document back into the paper bag and said:

"Fine, our people will launch an investigation. If there are results, we will notify you as soon as possible."

Connor said with a sincere tone: "Thank you."

Wu Chang left the *Beacon News* office and saw Jianxing setting up a stall not far from the office.

Jianxing moved his sunglasses down a bit and exchanged a look with Wu Chang, and Wu Chang understood what the other party meant.

He first took a walk around for a while, and seeing Jianxing preparing to pack up the stall, he headed to the room where they met yesterday before Jianxing.

Leng Shan and the others were indeed already waiting inside. Less than two minutes after he entered, Jianxing also returned.

Leng Shan took out a *Hills Daily*, pointed to Sir Xiao En, who was facing the camera with a confident smile, and asked:

"Mr. Peace, is this newly appointed Minister of Secret Security the Commander of the Arcane Knights you mentioned?"

Wu Chang looked at the newspaper Leng Shan took out. Well, it is worthy of being Stilan's most authoritative newspaper; the photo taken is indeed quite good.

Sir Xiao En, who appeared in the picture, is a middle-aged man in his early thirties with a standard Stilan face. Standing among the cabinet ministers with an average age of 45 to 70, he stands out from the crowd.

The mysterious and deep blue pupils, the chiseled face, combined with a head of short golden hair, made Sir Xiao En the dream lover of Stilan girls in just one morning.

He was not in this image when he entered the Moonlight Sanatorium before; it was all thanks to the title effect of "True Walker."

"True Walker" not only filled in a trainee Arcane Knight family for him and completed his five-year experience of not being in this plane, but also made his appearance in the plane completely conform to his persona as Sir Xiao En.

After all, in the Steam Phantom plane, whether it is Stilan or the New World, there is serious racial discrimination.

Precisely because of this, even if Wu Chang's main body took a close-up photo, he didn't have to worry about being recognized by acquaintances.

After appreciating the photo in the newspaper, Wu Chang nodded and said:

"That's right, the public identity of the Arcane Knights is exactly the Secret Security Department."

"When we were at the Moonlight Sanatorium before, Sir Xiao En and I went through many difficulties before surviving the Moonlight Sanatorium."

"And precisely because of this, he has 100% trust in me."

Wu Chang pointed at Lei Wendun, whose smile was stiff in the image, and said:

"If it weren't for the fact that my existence is not suited for the public eye, the Vice Commander appearing on camera would be me, not this idiot who can't even manage his expressions the moment he gets near a certain woman."

After Wu Chang finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence.

Jianxing nodded slightly to the group, and their expressions turned even uglier.

They were prepared to join the faction where Heping was located, so they hoped the Secret Magic Knights Order where Heping was would be a promising force, but now it seemed it was a bit too promising.

This wasn't some Queen's personal guard; this was clearly a high-ranking official with real power.

When clearing a B-rank dungeon, he already had a life-and-death friendship with the leader of a force in an S-rank dungeon;

While other players were fighting desperately for a single invitation letter, he had already been promoted to vice-leader of a force, possessing the authority to recruit members independently.

They say children should win at the starting line, but if your starting line is in the previous dungeon, then what the hell are other players supposed to compete with you for?

Even though the people from the Management Bureau belonged to the same faction as Wu Chang, they almost shouted at this moment:

"Unfair, rematch!"

After a brief silence, the negotiation master asked first: "Then when shall we go to report for duty?"

Wu Chang said indifferently: "Whenever it's convenient for you; as long as you go to the Secret Security Department office and mention the name Heping, someone will register your identities."

After satisfying everyone's curiosity, Wu Chang began to talk about serious business.

His main body had already discussed the contact plan with Henry with Lei Wendun.

He told the two of them in advance the scheduled contact time for the sting operation and the general attire of the Secret Magic Knights, so they could pay attention and keep records when the time came to complete the mission issued to them by the Steam Council.

Leng Shan and Jianxing noted down the key points. As they recalled what they had to do, they suddenly realized that as long as one possessed enough resources, whether it was a mission to join a force or an undercover mission, it was all very simple.

This feeling was something they had never experienced even after completing A-rank real dungeons.

Is this what it feels like to be backed by someone inside a dungeon? Oh no, I'm getting a bit addicted.

After explaining the subsequent plan, before Wu Chang left, Leng Shan asked:

"Tonight, in front of St. George's Church, it is said that the final scramble for invitation letters will take place. Do we need to participate?"

Wu Chang shook his head and said: "You can go watch the excitement, but there's no need to participate."

"Sir Xiao En is busy with official business, so I will attend tonight's extraordinary gathering on his behalf. If any of you want to go to the extraordinary gathering to take a look, you can come with me and act as interviewers."

At 9:30 PM, all roads leading to St. George's Church were blocked, and no unauthorized persons were allowed to enter.

St. George's Square was divided into three zones at this moment.

Zhu Li, Wu Chang's main body, and the presidents of the Clock Tower Magic Association and the Alchemy Association were located at the top of the dome of St. George's Church, looking down.

At the entrance of St. George's Church, forty-eight gorgeous chairs were placed. At this moment, forty-three players holding invitation letters sat on them, looking at the square in front of the church.

Zhu Li blew the horn artifact. Amidst the sound of the horn, with the top of St. George's Church as the center, a layer of golden light spread outward, shrouding the entire square.

The world inside the light barrier was completely isolated from the outside; no matter how intense the battle inside became, it would not affect the outside of the light barrier.

Watching the ability Zhu Li used, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, because the light barrier shrouding the square already had the prototype of an inner world in spatial magic.

It was just that this ability was still very crude, and one could tell it was a usage method the user had explored on their own.

Recalling that previously at the Moonlight Sanatorium, Zhu Li had also used magic to take him through the restrictions of the director's office and directly enter the director's office.

He remembered Lei Wendun saying that in the records of the Steam Phantom plane, there was no magic that could manipulate time and space. This guy Zhu Li, could it be that she is inventing spatial magic herself?

Wu Chang shook his head, cast aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, and turned his gaze to St. George's Square.

He could see figures entering the light barrier one after another. Each figure carried a special aura, and one could tell at a glance that they were players.

At a rough glance, the number of players entering the light barrier exceeded thirty.

Zhu Li waved her hand, and five unissued invitation letters appeared in the hands of the five angel statues on the square.

Zhu Li said loudly:

"Before twelve o'clock tonight, whoever finally obtains an invitation letter will be considered to have ownership of that invitation letter."

"Next, please do not hold back and show your strength and value to your heart's content."

As Zhu Li blew the horn again, the invitation letters in the hands of the angel statues flew into the high sky and fell randomly.

The final scramble for invitation letters officially began.

(End of this chapter)