Chapter 951: Red Tong, You've Changed

By: Sanyin YuyuWord Count: 1239

Knock-knock-knock— A gentle but distinct knock sounded at the door.

Chitong, deeply engrossed in handling matters for the Boundless Domain, frowned and weakly uttered, "Come in."

The King of Silver had left Boundless, and the memories of the five Arbiters had been altered, making it impossible for them to handle the myriad affairs of the Boundless Domain. Consequently, all the workload had fallen upon him, the Saint of Thieves. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but last night, the detention center was attacked, a major incident that added significantly to his responsibilities. There were simply too many aspects requiring his coordination and decision-making. Woken around 5 AM, Chitong hadn't closed his eyes since.

Chitong lifted his heavy eyelids and saw a figure clad in a vibrant red opera robe, a faint twitch appearing at the corner of his lips. Not him again, that annoying nuisance??

“Chen Ling,” Chitong replied weakly, putting down his pen. “What do you need?”

“Yes,” Chen Ling answered solemnly, his brow furrowed with a sense of righteousness and determination. He took two steps forward and placed a thick letter directly on the desk.

Chitong said unhappily, “Didn’t I tell you? The King isn’t here right now. You’ll have to wait for him to return to discuss canceling that mandatory work hour policy.”

“I know, which is why the opinion letter I’m submitting today is about elder companionship and medical care.”

“?” Chitong looked bewildered. “What on earth?”

“A large number of young laborers have been transferred to factories, leaving many elderly people to live alone at home, without care. Furthermore, due to the previous massacre in the districts, the most medically advanced district within the domain has disappeared, leading to severe shortages in medical resource allocation. The situations of 'no one to accompany patients' and 'nowhere to seek medical treatment' are becoming increasingly serious, so…”

“Stop!!” Upon hearing Chen Ling’s words, Chitong felt a pounding headache.

“Chen Ling, do you really have nothing else to do usually??”

“Yes,” Chen Ling nodded as if it were obvious. “As I said yesterday, from now on, I will live to fight for the rights all humans are born with... Since I am trapped in this cathedral, the only thing I can do is constantly express my views through opinion letters.”

Chitong: ...

Bang— “Do you have any idea how busy I am??” Chitong slammed his hand on the desk. “I have so many things to deal with, I don’t have time to listen to you talk about politics and ideals!”

Chen Ling froze.

In the silent room, Chen Ling stared at the impatient Chitong, his expression transforming from initial excitement to confusion, then to disappointment. After an unknown period, he lowered his head and said softly:

“Chitong, you’ve changed.”

Chitong: ...?

“Do you remember? Back then, after work, we’d sit together outside the factory pub, with a crate of beer and a plate of peanuts, discussing everything from politics to economics. All we thought about was how to make the Boundless Domain better and the people’s lives happier…” Chen Ling looked deeply at Chitong.

“Now you’ve truly changed… I hardly recognize you anymore… You feel like a stranger to me, Chitong.” Chen Ling began to scratch his head, looking deep in thought. “Strange… When did you start becoming like this… I can’t seem to remember clearly… No… Did I forget something…?”

Chitong: !!!!!!!

Chitong suddenly shot up from his seat. “No, no, no, you misunderstood, Chen Ling. What I mean is… I’m very interested in your ideas and policies. Once I finish these matters, I’d like to have a thorough discussion with you.” Chitong tried his best to appear sincere and friendly.

In just a few short seconds, his back had become drenched in cold sweat. One must understand that the King of Silver was currently not in the Boundless Domain, and Bai Ye, the other one who used the Moon Path, had also defected. This meant that no one in the domain could steal Chen Ling’s memories or his ‘doubts’. If this guy truly realized something was amiss, or became aware of being manipulated, there was a risk of him unleashing ‘Armageddon’!!

Right now, all of Chitong’s current tasks combined held less deterrent power than Chen Ling’s seemingly innocuous remark. Chitong felt like the 'beauty' in a 'honey trap,' needing to maintain his persona and placate Chen Ling, keeping him happy and preventing him from recalling those 'doubts' to ensure their safety.

“Oh, I see, so it was my misunderstanding.” Chen Ling had an epiphany.

“Yes, you misunderstood… Hehehehe…”

“Then I’ll wait for you outside for a bit. When will you be done? Actually, besides what I just brought up, there are also matters concerning education, transportation, economy, and several other areas I’d like to discuss thoroughly with you…”

Chitong’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

“I know you’re busy, but I can’t help it. These are the most important issues currently facing the Boundless Domain… I’ve also thought that it would be great if I could help you share the burden.” Chen Ling sighed helplessly. “But unfortunately, I can’t leave this cathedral, nor can I conduct on-site surveys of the specific medical resource situation. Many things can only be discussed in theory; crucial research and implementation might still depend on you…”

Hearing this, Chitong’s mind stirred slightly, and a solution suddenly sprang to mind!

“Can’t leave the cathedral? Who said you can’t leave the cathedral?” Chitong immediately waved his hand. “Didn’t the King allow you to go out yesterday? You can go out now too, you just need to report to me beforehand… How about this: I’ll put you in charge of surveying medical resources, and I’ll assign someone to you to protect your safety throughout.”

“Really?” Chen Ling was pleasantly surprised. “If that’s the case, it would indeed be much more convenient…”

After yesterday’s events, both the King of Silver and Chitong had lowered their guard concerning Chen Ling. Moreover, before leaving, the King of Silver hadn’t specifically emphasized keeping Chen Ling under house arrest. Since Chen Ling was able to leave the cathedral yesterday, he theoretically could do so in the future. Thus, Chitong wasn’t acting entirely on his own initiative, and even if the King of Silver held him accountable, there wouldn’t be much to penalize.

However, the most important thing was to ensure Chen Ling’s safety: first, to prevent him from escaping, and second, to ensure no one harmed him. After all, the Boundless Domain still harbored many witches with ulterior motives. If they learned of Chen Ling’s existence and sought to use the power of ‘Armageddon’ to destroy the Boundless Domain, things would become extremely serious… As a trusted confidant of the King of Silver, Chitong naturally knew the ‘limits’ of what he could do.

Chen Ling had already been injured once yesterday; this time, Chitong absolutely could not repeat the mistake. Since he was going to assign a bodyguard to Chen Ling, he would assign the fiercest one—someone who would ensure no one could harm Chen Ling, no matter what happened…

Chitong pondered for a moment, then called for one of his subordinates. “Lord Chitong, what are your orders?”

“Go, call Hong Xiu.”

Upon hearing the name “Hong Xiu,” a faint, almost imperceptible gleam flickered in Chen Ling’s eyes.