Chapter 951: Chi Tong, You've Changed

Knock, knock, knock—

A light, rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.

Chi Tong, who was buried in handling the affairs of the Wuji Domain, frowned and spoke listlessly:

"Come in."

The King of Silver had already left Wuji, and the five Arbitrator Proxies had all had their memories replaced, making it impossible for them to handle the various affairs of the Wuji Domain. Thus, the entire workload fell upon him, the Saint of Thieves...

It would be fine under normal circumstances, but a major incident like the attack on the detention center had occurred last night. There were simply too many aspects requiring his coordination and decision-making. Chi Tong had been woken up since five in the morning and hadn't closed his eyes since.

Chi Tong lifted his drooping eyelids and saw a figure wearing a bright red opera robe. His mouth twitched slightly...

Why is it this annoying pest again??

"Chen Ling." Chi Tong put down his pen and replied listlessly, "Is there something you need?"

"Yes." Chen Ling replied solemnly, his brow filled with righteousness and determination. He stepped forward twice and placed a thick letter directly on the desk.

“……”

Chi Tong said unhappily, "Didn't I tell you? The King is not in Wuji right now. Regarding the decision to cancel that mandatory working hour policy, you'll have to wait until he returns."

"I know, so the opinion letter I'm submitting today is about elderly companionship and medical support."

"?" Chi Tong was bewildered. "What the hell is that?"

"A large amount of young labor has been transferred to factories, leaving many elderly people alone at home with no one to care for them. Furthermore, due to the previous massacres in the districts, the district with the most advanced medical level in the domain has disappeared, leading to a severe shortage of medical resources. The situations of 'no one to accompany to the doctor' and 'nowhere to seek medical help' are becoming increasingly serious, so..."

"Stop!!"

Hearing Chen Ling's words, Chi Tong felt a headache coming on.

"Chen Ling, do you really have nothing better to do with your time??"

"I do." Chen Ling nodded as if it were only natural. "I said yesterday, from now on, I will live to fight for the rights that all humans should be born with... Since I am trapped in this cathedral, the only thing I can do is express my views through constant opinion letters."

Chi Tong: ...

Bang—

"Do you have any idea how busy I am??" Chi Tong slammed the table. "I have so many things to deal with, I don't have time to listen to you talk about politics and ideals here!"

Chen Ling froze.

In the deathly silent room, Chen Ling looked at the impatient Chi Tong. His gaze shifted from initial excitement to confusion, and then to disappointment...

After an unknown amount of time, he lowered his head and said softly:

"Chi Tong, you've changed."

Chi Tong: ...?

"Do you remember? Back then, after we got off work, we would sit together at the entrance of the factory tavern, with a crate of beer and a plate of peanuts, discussing everything from politics to economics. All we had in our hearts was how to make the Wuji Domain develop better and make the people's lives happier..." Chen Ling looked deeply at Chi Tong.

"Now you've really changed... to the point where I almost don't recognize you anymore... You feel like a stranger to me, Chi Tong."

Chen Ling began to scratch his head, looking deep in thought.

"Strange... when exactly did you start becoming like this... I can't seem to remember... No... have I forgotten something..."

Chi Tong: !!!!!!

Chi Tong stood up abruptly from his seat.

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood, Chen Ling. What I meant was... I am very interested in your ideas and policies. Once I finish handling these matters at hand, we should have a deep and thorough discussion." Chi Tong tried his best to look sincere and kind.

In those few seconds just now, his back had already been soaked in cold sweat.

You have to realize, the King of Silver is not in the Wuji Domain right now, and the other 'Borrowing the Moon' path user, Bai Ye, has also defected. This means there is no one left in the domain who can steal Chen Ling's memories and 'doubts'...

If this guy really figures out that something is wrong, or realizes he's being manipulated, there's a risk he might unleash 'World-Ending'!!

Right now, all the tasks on Chi Tong's plate combined didn't have as much deterrent power as this one light sentence from Chen Ling... Chi Tong felt like the "beauty" in a "honey trap," he had to maintain his persona and coax Chen Ling, keeping him happy so he wouldn't dwell on those "doubts," just to stay safe.

"Oh~ so that's it, I misunderstood." Chen Ling realized suddenly.

"Yes, you misunderstood... hehehehe..."

"Then I'll go out and wait for you for a while. When will you be done? Actually, besides what I just proposed, there are also education, transportation, economics, and several other aspects I'd like to discuss with you..."

Chi Tong's eyelids twitched frantically.

"I know you're busy, but I have no choice. These are the most important issues facing the Wuji Domain right now... I've thought about it, if only 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 research into the specific situation of medical resources. Many things can only be discussed on paper. The key research and implementation might still have to rely on you..."

Hearing this, Chi Tong's heart stirred slightly, and a solution suddenly welled up in his mind!

"Can't leave the cathedral? Who said you can't leave the cathedral?" Chi Tong waved his hand immediately.

"Didn't the King allow you to go out yesterday? You can go out now too, you just need to report to me in advance... How about this, the research on medical resources will be left to you. I'll assign someone to you to protect your safety throughout the process."

"Really?" Chen Ling was pleasantly surprised. "If that's the case, it would be much more convenient..."

After what happened yesterday, both the King of Silver and Chi Tong had let their guard down against Chen Ling. Moreover, before the King of Silver left, he didn't explicitly emphasize keeping Chen Ling under house arrest... Chen Ling was able to leave the cathedral yesterday, so theoretically, he could do so in the future. Therefore, Chi Tong wasn't acting on his own initiative, and even if the King of Silver were to hold him accountable, he wouldn't be punished too severely.

But the most important thing was to protect Chen Ling's safety. First, he must not be allowed to escape, and second, no one must be allowed to harm him...

After all, the Wuji Domain still hid quite a few wizards with ulterior motives. If they found out about Chen Ling's existence and wanted to use the power of 'World-Ending' to destroy the Wuji Domain, that would be a serious matter... As the King of Silver's confidant, Chi Tong naturally knew where the "limit" of his actions lay.

Chen Ling had already been injured once yesterday; Chi Tong could not let history repeat itself. Since he had to assign a bodyguard to Chen Ling, he would assign the fiercest one, the kind that would ensure no one could hurt Chen Ling no matter what happened...

Chi Tong thought for a moment and called over one of his subordinates.

"Lord Chi Tong, what are your orders?"

"Go, call Hong Xiu over."

Hearing the name "Hong Xiu," a faint, imperceptible glimmer flashed in Chen Ling's eyes.