Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

The man with the plump hooves, who was a successor of the Twenty-Four Laws of the Dali Temple of the Yan Kingdom, frowned slightly and a hint of confusion appeared on his resolute face. The summer solstice was one of the twenty-four solar terms.

"How did you lose them? The people tracking you were just a bunch of bodyguards who did the dirty work. If you couldn't even handle them, you've been far too careless."

"Carelessness." That was the only word Xia Zhi could use to describe the man's mistake. They were spies trained from childhood by the Dali Temple, their martial arts skills far surpassing ordinary people. Even ordinary martial artists wouldn't be a match for them. Yet, facing a group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from a local city, they actually suffered a defeat in their first battle, their mission a failure?

Xia Zhi couldn't think of any other reason besides being lax.

Pride comes before a fall, and true masters always maintain the mindset of apprentices. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. If one fails to complete a simple task due to carelessness because one feels the enemy is insignificant, it is still a great sin, but not unacceptable.

But the scout shook his head, pressed his hand to his chest, and said seriously:

"That's not the case, Lord Xia Zhi. We are always absolutely serious when carrying out missions."

"So what's the problem?"

"They are extraordinary."

The scout pursed his lips and said with some reluctance.

Admitting that others are better than oneself is not an easy thing, especially for old men like them who have practiced martial arts since childhood and have been secret agents of the Dali Temple for more than 30 years. It is certainly not a glorious thing for them to put down their pride and praise a group of local armed guards.

But the spy still very sincerely gave his evaluation.

“Our enemies consist of two Sarkaz, one Rupert, one Fontehoof, and one Undead.”

"Among them, Red-haired Sakta is skilled in firearms. The Guardian Gun is a rare repeating gun, and there is more than one. Although she is restricted by Wei Yanwu's laws from using live ammunition, her firepower suppression is still terrifying. We tried to surround her many times, but she forcibly blasted a gap in the wall."

The scout reported all the information he had gathered about Exusiai to Xia Zhi, and then it was Mostima's turn.

"The other blue-haired Sarkaz does not use firearms, but instead wields two staffs, one black and one white. Her abilities are mysterious and unpredictable. Based on the judgment of the warlocks in our team after their encounter with her, her Originium Arts may be related to mysterious types of magic such as [space] and [time]. But we cannot determine what exactly they are."

Xia Zhi's brows furrowed even deeper.

[Time] and [Space] are both Originium Arts, and both are highly mysterious. In Xia Zhi's memory, the only people who could master these two Originium Arts were the Imperial Observatory [Twelve Hours] in Great Yan, which was in charge of the timing of the seasons, and the mysterious [Si Zheng].

But even they paid a price for mastering this Originium Arts. Just as the Great Yan's [Lightning Arts], which distinguishes it from ordinary lightning-based Originium Arts, originated from the power of a god, [Time], the same is true for the divine power of the [Space] type.

That was the realm of the gods, and only those with great supernatural powers (Originium Arts) were allowed to approach it. But now it had suddenly appeared on the body of an underground镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in a local city.

Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?

Xia Zhi asked seriously. This matter is absolutely no small thing. If Mostima has truly mastered the Originium Arts of the Space-Time Path, then there are only two possibilities: one is that the secret techniques of the Great Yan Imperial Observatory have been leaked, and the other is that Mostima has come into contact with a god!

Regardless of the reason, it's worth Xia Zhi elevating Penguin Logistics from an "ordinary bodyguard organization" to a position that must be taken seriously.

"I swear on my life that this is absolutely true!"

The scout answered without hesitation. Xia Zhi closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and nodded.

"Very well, I will report this matter to His Majesty. There's no need to introduce the rest of the people. You need to keep a close eye on this organization called Penguin Logistics. If you can't confirm their true relationship with Wei Yanwu, don't appear in front of them again, lest you alert them."

The scout paused slightly, then asked, somewhat puzzled:

"The mission to seize Wei Yanwu's secret treasure?"

"The mission has failed. Do you think Wei Yanwu can still sit idly by if he hasn't gotten the box by now?"

As summer solstice gazed out the window at the sky beginning to turn yellow, the sun setting in the west, and the short day was about to end. But the hidden waves beneath the Dragon Gate were only just beginning to surge.

The scout lowered his eyes in disappointment. The mission had failed, and the first battle had ended in defeat. This was hardly a glorious achievement.

But what has already happened cannot be changed, so he could only nod and do his best to complete the newly assigned task.

After bowing to Xia Zhi to take his leave, his figure disappeared into the darkness.

Xia Zhi took a deep breath, turned around, and walked to the desk—the room was for receiving guests, and naturally, it had long been decorated in the Yan-style decor that suited the aesthetics of the Inspectorate. From this point of view, Wei Yanwu was treating them quite courteously. But as she picked up the pen, Xia Zhi felt an unyielding sorrow in her heart.

Xia Zhi already knew what Wei Yanwu was planning.

Although the Dali Temple's Censorate of the Great Yan Dynasty wasn't as adept at uncovering secrets and monitoring people's hearts as the Emperor's Embroidered Uniform Guard, they weren't fools either. These professionals, accustomed to the power struggles of officialdom, couldn't possibly fail to notice that Wei Yanwu was acting strangely.

But they had no evidence. Absolutely no evidence.

Wei Yanwu's methods were highly skillful, leaving few traces. Although the Surveillance Bureau could see that he harbored ulterior motives, they could not determine what he was planning. Like the wind leaving a sound and a swallow leaving a trace, after spending many days in Longmen, the Dali Temple finally grasped the clue of the safe, but unexpectedly lost it to a group of bodyguards.

They still couldn't gather any evidence to prove Wei Yanwu harbored any ill intentions. So, should they write this memorial or not?

It is said that Wei Yanwu is a member of the royal family. Although the emperor dislikes him, it is not his place to make baseless accusations. Sowing discord within the royal family is an unforgivable crime, which he cannot bear, and the two inspectors who came with him cannot bear it either.

If he didn't write, Xia Zhi's worries would remain unresolved. If something happened, it would be too late for regrets.

After much thought, he put down his pen.

"Enough, enough. The Court of Judicial Review is not a place for remonstrance; it has no right to report based on hearsay. Making a hasty report might cause trouble and alert the enemy. Let's wait and see."

He glanced at the clock; it was already evening, dinnertime, and he was the only one in the empty house.

"I wonder how the investigation is going with Jingzhe?"

Chapter 47 Wayne Bargains

With Chen replaced by An Suo as his guide, Wayne began to act with impunity along the route through Lungmen.

Little Sister Ansuo was initially unwilling to be the temporary guide, but what happened recently, or more precisely, today, had a tremendous impact on her young mind. She had originally planned to lie down on her cardboard bed, sleep comfortably, tear off the calendar, and treat today as a dream, but she was still very moved when she woke up.

But Wayne gave way too much.

Vina is rich beyond measure, and Wayne is richer than Vina. From this perspective, Wayne is indeed one of the richest people on Terra.

So Wayne started counting on his fingers and haggled with Amsor:

“Look, An Suo, the most expensive guide in Lungmen charges 10,000 Lungmen dollars a day, but even the most expensive guide can’t get my orders, so I’m hiring you as my guide. You’re in a league of your own, right? So I’ll pay you double the salary. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

"Considering that we are all foreigners here, Theresa and I are fine, but Vina doesn't understand Yan language very well. As your tour guide, it's troublesome for you to explain things, so we should definitely give you some compensation for your hard work, right? But it wouldn't be right to give it just to Vina, so we simply gave it to all three of us together, 10,000 yuan each. That's normal, isn't it?"

"In addition, you said today that you were a little tired. Forcing you to go back to work at this time is considered overtime. According to Lungmen's laws, overtime should be paid at double the normal rate. Your daily wage is 20,000 Lungmen coins, so double that would be another 40,000. So, that's 40,000 + 20,000 + 30,000, which is 90,000."

"Look again, since we're going to have you be our guide, you definitely won't be able to do your regular job. That's lost work time, and I'll have to pay for it, right? You're paid 20,000 a day as a guide as a side job, so you'll definitely earn more in your main job, 30,000 a day is no problem. The lost work time will be calculated as overtime pay, so that's double, 60,000. That's 150,000 in total."

"Finally, in accordance with Victoria's gentlemanly manners, a tip is definitely expected for a guide. You see how much trouble we've gone to for you, so a tip is a must. How about this, I'll give you 30,000, making it 180,000 Lungmen Dollars."

After Wayne finished speaking and negotiating the price, An Suo was satisfied and felt he could take the job. He reluctantly agreed that since Wayne had extended such a warm invitation, he could only accompany the three foreign friends on a tour of Longmen.

The guests and hosts had a great time.

An Suo was overjoyed; why overjoyed? Because her face was beaming with happiness.

180,000 Lungmen Dollars! That's 180,000 Lungmen Dollars! An Suo had never seen so much money in his entire life.

She secretly saved up a week's worth of money before daring to rest on Sunday, and then go to a roadside stall early in the morning for a luxurious cup of dim sum. She would eat a double scoop of strawberry and vanilla ice cream. At noon, she would go to a restaurant and order an extra meat dish. Even so, the fifty Lungmen dollars she spent in a day still made her heart ache. She had to repeatedly comfort herself that this was to improve her quality of life, to make herself look like she was living, not just surviving.

When the Emperor entrusted the box to her for safekeeping, the situation was urgent, and he hurriedly tossed her a stack of LMD. She secretly counted it later and found that the stack was exactly 10,000. She was overjoyed and immediately used the 10,000 LMD to buy two vials of Oripathy inhibitors from Loken Water Tanks, which had recently leaked from the turbulent Colombia.

Big companies truly live up to their reputation; the effectiveness of their medicines is undeniable. While the leaders of Loken Water Tank may be considered bad news, their medical science is undeniably top-notch. After receiving the inhibitor injection and taking the accompanying tablets as instructed, An Suo, unusually spared from the pain of Oripathy, slept peacefully for a day.

But this day of peace came at the cost of exhaustion for the rest of the day. The reward of 10,000 Lungmen Dollars brought her relentless pursuit, kidnapping, surveillance, and countless other troubles. If she hadn't coincidentally bumped into Chen while "doing business" on the street and then encountered Wayne, she might already be captured by those unknown individuals and interrogated in a basement.

In the past, he could only earn 10,000 Lungmen Dollars by risking his life. Now, he could easily earn ten times, almost twenty times, the amount just by taking Wayne and the other two to tour Lungmen. How could An Suo not be happy?

To be honest, with that kind of money, she'd be willing to steal the box back from Penguin Logistics right now. She'd do anything for 180,000 yuan.

It's not that I lack integrity, it's just that I'm terrified of being poor.

Wearing her best clothes, An Suo walked down the street with a confident and powerful stride. This caused Theresa and Vina, who were following behind her, to smile slightly.

For them, money isn't a big deal. They've all experienced times without money and know its value, but they also understand that if happiness can be bought with money, it's a worthwhile investment no matter how much it costs.

"We've arrived. Inspector Chen definitely wouldn't have brought you here!"

An Suo stopped in front of a tall building, put his hands on his hips, and said smugly.

Wayne asked with some curiosity:

"So, where is this place, Master Ansuo?"

"Teacher..." An Suo blushed slightly, seemingly pleased, and her smile brightened even more as she enthusiastically introduced, "This place, this place is said to be loved by all the rich! The largest casino in the casino district of Slum 6, the Las Vegas that is completely out of place in the slums!"

"Las Vegas, that place is ruined, isn't it?"

Wayne recalled the report Unicorn had given him about the current situation in Columbia before he set off. The Crown Casino in Las Vegas, Columbia's headquarters, a corrupt capitalist enterprise, unfortunately fell under the control of the Northern Columbia Labor Union, a coalition of unions and worker representatives, and had been completely purged. It was said that the streetlights along the ten-mile-long street that night were so impressive that even the ghosts of the Eastern Kingdom were amazed.

It's a pity that Wayne didn't witness that spectacular scene firsthand, otherwise he would definitely have cheered on his comrades.

Well, we still need to be careful to avoid being mistakenly injured as an underground party member.

Wayne patiently explained to Amsel:

"No, not all rich people like to come to places like this."

Casinos are places where people have money, but not only the very wealthy like to go. As for someone like Wayne, even if Wayne dares to gamble, would the casino dare to take him?

Wayne can lose countless times, but the bookmaker might go bankrupt if they lose just once.

Not interesting.

An Suo lowered her head in disappointment. She had wanted to take credit, but instead, she had made a fool of herself.

Wayne patted her head helplessly. He, Wayne, had long ago sworn that he would never touch gambling or drugs! He was determined to be a good young man with all three virtues. In this situation, it was best to leave it at that.

After glancing at the pirated Las Vegas casino, Wayne was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

He saw a familiar face coming out of the casino.

"Sister Lei?"

Chapter Forty-Eight: Young Master, would you like to come in and play?

"Sister Lei?"

"Wayne called out instinctively." Vina, standing nearby, frowned her beautiful brows and asked, "..."

"And who is Sister Lei?"

Vina is really exhausted.

She had initially thought Wayne was a very honest and law-abiding person. Although he was always mischievous and tried to trick people, she believed he was at least honest and upright. Well, what she found was quite a surprise. Traveling with Wayne, she discovered that the whole world was full of people he knew, and not only did they know each other, but it seemed like they all had some connection to him.

What's wrong with you, brother? You're in trouble!

You've never been to Lungmen before, right? You said it's your first time in Lungmen too, right? Then why do people from Lungmen police officer Chen to Lungmen courier Mostima all know you?

You say this is a coincidence? Then what's the deal with this "Sister Lei"? Who is she?

Believe me, this womanizing lioness will lock you in the basement someday.