No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Moreover, that would make it seem like I'm someone who doesn't consider the bigger picture, and that my actions are just a way of spite because the director and chairman made decisions without consulting me.

While that's somewhat true, Jiang Shu would never admit it.

The president, unaware of Jiang Shu's unusual behavior, continued to remind him, "If possible, it would be best to qualify for the competition during the points-based tournament. If you have to enter the qualifying rounds, it's hard to say whether you'll come into contact with the rebels beforehand."

"I understand," Jiang Shu replied.

By the time Jiang Shu left the president's office, Xue Wang's long hair had already dried naturally.

Seeing that Jiang Shu's expression was not very natural, even if it could not be said that he was preoccupied, he was definitely troubled by something, so Xue Wang immediately asked him what had happened.

In fact, Jiang Shu is a person who is very good at controlling his emotions, and it is difficult to see what he is thinking from the surface.

However, this situation was special, not only because the rebels were eyeing him covetously, but also because Jiang Shu felt that he had been slighted and used by the people he trusted. Even though he could understand, he was still very dissatisfied. In addition, Xue Wang had always been more observant of him than others, so he was eventually seen through.

"It's nothing," Jiang Shu laughed it off. "It's just that your dad heard I've made too many enemies lately, so he told me to tone it down and try to get along with everyone."

Snow Queen didn't quite believe it.

My father, who was known for his willingness to fight if he disagreed, didn't seem like the type to say such things.

After all, even she herself was taught from a young age that she should never be weak in front of outsiders, otherwise they would bully her like a pushover. So there was no need to give those scoundrels a friendly look, just do it.

So, if we're talking about making enemies, his own father has enemies everywhere.

He has no position or reason to say such things.

Xue Wang was almost certain that Jiang Shu was hiding something from him.

However, she didn't feel resentful about being deceived, but only a sense of powerlessness, because she was certain that Jiang Shu didn't tell her because she probably couldn't help much, so telling her would only add to her troubles.

But is there anything I can't help with?

First, eliminate all matters related to the inner workings of the church, because I can make those decisions myself, and even if I can't, I can find a way to get my father to make those decisions.

And the fact that he became like this after seeing his own father once is certainly not his own private matter.

That leaves only serious matters concerning outsiders, and not just his own business; otherwise, there would be no reason not to tell him.

There are only things like this where ability speaks volumes, and there are things I can't help with.

This made her somewhat sad.

But she didn't show it.

"Really..." She smiled. "Anyway, it's good that nothing's wrong. You need to cheer up quickly."

Jiang Shu was somewhat surprised: "Do I look very down right now?"

"It's not very obvious, although I can feel it," Snow Queen replied with a smile, like a caring older sister.

"Oh, I see." Jiang Shu smiled and reassured him, "It's really nothing serious, don't worry."

"I can rest assured that."

Snow King glanced at the time, as if suddenly remembering something:

"Oh, right, something came up, so I won't be able to keep you company today."

Jiang Shu didn't think much of it and replied, "Yes, it's okay. I don't have anything to do these days, so you can go about your own business."

"Okay," Xue Wang replied, and then parted ways with Jiang Shu.

However, after leaving Jiang Shu, she did not go home, but instead went to the strategy area located in Paradise.

She hasn't come for a while.

Originally, according to her plan, she should have waited until the competition ended and Jiang Shu left the sanctuary before stepping into this place again and returning to a normal life.

Jiang Shu's time at the sanctuary should have been a vacation she had reserved for herself.

But now, she has changed her mind.

Rather than being unable to accompany her even briefly, she was even less willing to see herself gradually become a mere supporting character because she couldn't help, or even drift further and further away.

The perfect relationship she truly needs is one where they can always stand together and face difficulties together, rather than one depending on the other.

Actually, during her second trip with Jiang Shu in "The Lone Smoke of the Desert", she had already begun to realize that she was gradually falling behind Jiang Shu and becoming marginalized, unable to help him. But it wasn't until just now that she became certain of this and clarified what she wanted.

If I have also transcended this level now, then will he be like he was in the [Creative Workshop] back then, consulting with me about everything, or at least willing to include me and tell me what I should do?

With this in mind, she resolutely began to immerse herself in rigorous training, taking her first step on the right path to becoming an independent woman...

Meanwhile, Jiang Shu had already returned to his big house.

He found Sebastian cleaning the room—which could have been done by the housekeeping staff, as room service includes cleaning, and even if it wasn't, it would have been easy to find someone to do it, but Sebastian insisted on doing it himself, saying it was his duty as a butler.

When will the qualifying rounds begin?

Jiang Shu cut to the chase and asked.

Putting down the broom, Sebastian, wearing an apron, thought seriously for a moment: "It should be soon. Although the qualifying rounds are very tight, there are just too many people, so even if every day is fully booked, it will still take about a week to finish. And since some people participate in the qualifying rounds after being eliminated in the points rounds, the qualifying rounds will generally start the day after the points rounds end, once the list is officially finalized."

Jiang Shu calculated the time.

There are still about three weeks until the end of the qualifying rounds, which means that, apart from those who didn't consider the qualifying rounds at all and who were only going to participate in the play-in rounds, they will all be here by then.

However, Jiang Shu didn't think the rebels would arrive at the exact time. Even robberies require scouting in advance. If the rebels were going to cause trouble, how could they not come to find out the situation beforehand?

So Jiang Shu instructed Sebastian to keep an eye out for all the people who had come to participate in the qualifying rounds early and to write down their names.

Although Sebastian didn't understand, he knew that not prying into his master's thoughts and obediently doing whatever was asked was one of the good virtues of a butler, so he agreed without any hesitation.

Even though Jiang Shu emphasized that the investigation must be conducted secretly and without anyone noticing, not even his best friend in the underground hall, Sebastian agreed.

The reason for this emphasis is that there is now a clear traitor within the sect, and Jiang Shu does not want to alert them.

Moreover, if we're talking about who's most likely the mole, Sebastian's friends in the Underworld are actually more suspicious than others, because the current Underworld Master is highly suspected, and Sebastian was sent there as his confidant to monitor him.

Although Jiang Shu has initially ruled out Sebastian's suspicion through absolute control, it is hard to say whether his good friends, those who are also confidants of the Earth Hall Master, are clean or not.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, avoiding them is definitely the right thing to do.

Upon receiving the instructions, Sebastian immediately set to work.

He is very efficient.

That afternoon, Jiang Shu received a list of participants who had already arrived at the sanctuary for the preliminary rounds.

To Jiang Shu's surprise, the list contained quite a few people.

"There are already this many?"

"That's normal."

Sebastian explained:

“It has always been a similar situation in the past. Although there is still a long time before the start of the qualifying rounds, many people will arrive at the venue well in advance to familiarize themselves with the venue and learn about the opponents they need to pay attention to.”

Sometimes they would even watch the games live, or even secure a spot in the qualifying rounds to play practice matches.

“I see.” Jiang Shu nodded knowingly.

Although Sebastian never asked Jiang Shu why he arranged for him to do this, he must have had his own considerations and clearly misunderstood.

Seeing Jiang Shu carefully looking through the list, he earnestly advised, "Actually, young master, you don't need to make these preparations. We all believe that you can qualify for the competition through the points competition. If you can participate through the points competition, there is really no need to go to the qualifying rounds. Not to mention the risks, once a person starts to leave himself a way out, his drive and ambition will be gone."

Jiang Shu was taken aback: "Who said I was going to participate in the qualifying rounds?"

Sebastian was also taken aback: "Then why do you want me to find the list?"

Jiang Shu was speechless.

"I said, next time I assign you a task, if you don't understand why, just ask me directly."

Sebastian, however, was very principled. Even though he knew he had guessed wrong and had flattered the wrong person, he stubbornly shook his head and said, "No, a good butler should talk less and do more, and not ask questions he shouldn't ask."

"Is it possible to do that while also avoiding making wild guesses?"

“But being able to understand the master’s feelings and share the master’s burdens is also something a good butler must do,” Sebastian argued.

Well, this is a vicious cycle, a dead end.

Jiang Shu was at a loss and could only say respectfully, though he didn't understand, "Then it means you're not a good steward."

Then Sebastian, lost in thought and self-doubt, continued to look through the list.

He didn't have high hopes, since although it was necessary to scout the location in advance, doing it so far in advance was really too early.

Even the most rebellious person wouldn't arrive this early; otherwise, they would be openly provoking the church and treating this place like their own backyard.

But to Jiang Shu's surprise, the moment this thought came to mind, he actually found a name he had seen on the list of rebels provided by the chairman that morning.

Blueberry dip.

A name that looks incredibly sugary.

However, Jiang Shu did not let his guard down, thinking that this person was a sugar figurine.

There was only one person who matched the description; in other words, he was the first among the rebels to arrive.

Those who could infiltrate here as the vanguard of the rebels must be highly skilled and daring, demonstrating their confidence. Furthermore, the rebels are by no means a makeshift group, and the person who orchestrated the scheme was the strategist's daughter, so this matter must be inextricably linked to the strategist. Therefore, it is even less likely that they would act recklessly, and the people on the list must have been carefully selected.

Therefore, this blueberry dipping sauce is definitely not something to be trifled with.

"This person..."

Jiang Shu pointed to the name, then looked at Sebastian, wanting to get more information about the person.

However, Sebastian did not reply immediately, or rather, he simply isolated himself from the outside world and became withdrawn, and did not hear Jiang Shu's voice at all.

"Hey, hello!"

Jiang Shu snapped his fingers twice near Sebastian's ear, and the latter finally snapped out of his daze.

"what?"

He looked completely bewildered.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Shu sighed: "How about we compromise? I ask that next time you don't understand something, you should ask directly instead of making wild guesses like you used to. That way, it will be my request to you, and it won't violate your so-called conditions for being a good butler. What do you think?"

Sebastian frowned and pondered for a long time.

Then it all became clear.

"Young Master, you are truly a genius!"

"..."

Jiang Shu pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and pointed to the name again:

Have you seen this person before?

“Never seen them.” Sebastian shook his head. “The people on the list were selected by me based on the records of entering and leaving the sanctuary and the registration book of participants from the underground sanctuary. I have never actually met them in person.”

"Do you know where this person is now?" Jiang Shu asked again.

“I don’t know, but I can look it up,” Sebastian replied.

"Will it be very troublesome?" Jiang Shu tried to put it tactfully: "For example, the investigation might require going through some unavoidable steps, and you can't investigate it alone or anything like that?"

At this moment, Sebastian began to vaguely sense that what Jiang Shu wanted to do was not so simple.

But as I said before, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't have any inappropriate curiosity.

So he simply replied, "No need. You should know that you need identification credentials to do anything in the sanctuary, so figuring out his movements and finding out where he lives is actually a very easy thing."

"Okay." Jiang Shu felt relieved: "Then, go find this person, but avoid direct contact with him."

"Understood. You can rest assured that I'll handle things!"

Chapter 255 Old Friends

A man who dips blueberries in sauce, and also calls himself a gummy bear in casual games.

On the third day after arriving at the sanctuary, I felt like I was being followed.

The incident began when he felt like a pair of eyes were watching him while he was sunbathing on the artificial beach in the afternoon.

At first, he thought that some girls were eyeing his good looks and amazing physique. After all, he had been working out every day since high school and paid attention to his body management. Not to mention the situation he was in now, shirtless by the pool, even on the street when he was dressed very conservatively, he was often spied on.

So he got up from the beach mat, stretched, and then rubbed oil on his bouncing chest.

This is a signal.

Normally, within a minute, someone will come up to you and ask if you need help applying the oil.

But today was very strange. He rubbed himself so hard he was almost swollen, but still no one came up to him or struck up a conversation.