When Old Steward Gu showed up, the palace secretary at the door immediately sensed that the situation had taken a turn.
But as for what that turn might be, he couldn’t be certain—because he knew that the Green Lotus Crown had made no modifications and had long since abandoned that thing. He also wondered: could Old Steward Gu have used his own influence to petition the council for a low-difficulty Demon Hero Hall? But did such a thing even exist?
Pushing aside the questions he couldn’t solve, Gong Huanwu at the door turned his gaze to Huan Bao’er.
–Director-General Huan Bao’er, let’s head over.–
–Wait. There’s still someone else.–
–Someone else?– Gong Huanwu looked confused and peered down the corridor.
Huan Bao’er had barely finished speaking when Yang Zicang came running over, with Jiao Ma hot on his heels, almost crashing into the young man who had stopped abruptly at the doorway.
Gong Huanwu glanced at his wristwatch; it was already 10:13, long past the scheduled signing time.
–And you two show up only now!-
–Ah? I, I was a bit late picking someone up,- Yang Zicang explained, somewhat flustered.
–Get behind me, quick!- Gong Huanwu whispered.
He was just about to pull the two over when a hand suddenly stopped him—a person he hadn’t seen in a long time gently blocked Gong Huanwu’s outstretched arm.
–Senior Qingmu.- Gong Huanwu looked at this attendant who had always been by Manager Gu’s side.
Qingmu, carrying Gu Guanshi’s personal documents, beamed with a spring-like smile and said,
–Director Gong, leave the rest of the matters here to me.-
Qingmu stepped forward and stood in front of him. Seeing the figure strike a welcoming pose, Secretary Gong instinctively backed away to yield his spot.
Qingmu, standing at the door, gave a slight bow, raised an arm, and said gently to the outside: –The esteemed Mr. Nunes, please come in.-
–The esteemed… Nunes?-
Secretary Gong’s gaze, filled with astonishment, swept toward the corridor outside.
Gradually, the crowd noticed the anomaly. Then, everyone saw—
An ordinary boy with a mop of yellow curly hair appeared at the door, peeked inside, and stepped through with nervous, hurried steps.
Thousands of eyes locked onto this figure.
Secretary Gong’s mind went blank as he took in the scene.
–Who—who the hell is this guy?-
The slender Qingmu led Boboli up onto the platform, and to everyone’s shock, Boboli sat down at Secretary Gu’s left hand.
Instantly, the hall buzzed with murmurs.
–Who’s that?-
–Don’t know.-
But Zorro in the crowd felt as if his eyes were about to fall out.
Wang Dingshan’s expression shifted from surprise to a brilliant grin. Seeing Yang Zicang and Jiaoma bring forth the figure he had only ever seen in dreams, he knew—the Demon English Hall the three of them had built was finally a success!
It was unbelievable.
He shot a glance at the clueless people around him and smiled faintly.
–What’s going on?- the crowd muttered.
–Have they completely switched the contract signer?-
Everyone was baffled, especially Croft, whose face was already burning hot and flush with embarrassment.
Another dozen people swaggered in with smirking faces, but upon spotting Manager Gu already seated inside near the entrance, they instantly straightened up and silently slipped along the wall into the crowd of a thousand.
–Are they the entire Lianxing Section?-
A few suddenly caught on.
–With those smug looks, you can tell they’ve been up to no good.-
No one here was a fool; a vague inkling had already formed in their minds. Could it be that Chief Officer Huan Bao’er and her Lianxing Section team were secretly cooking something up?
At that thought, many were electrified.
Everyone had heard tales of Croft’s iron grip. With that man in charge, even the Starlight Illusion could hardly produce a Demon Hall of their own this time. Psychologically, they had already accepted this as fait accompli, even written it off as inevitable.
But now, their hearts involuntarily leaped into their throats!
–Could it be… we actually made another Demon Hall?-
–Impossible.-
–Then why did Croft move to the side?-
–Manager Gu came back in person, and that Mr. Jin—I bet he’s a bigwig from the Parliament who showed up himself. There absolutely must be a special Demon Hall.-
As such whispers multiplied, even those who had been dead certain began to waver. A moment’s thought convinced them—
–Good heavens, it might really be true! Otherwise none of today makes any sense.-
From below the stage, Yao Shuling peered curiously at Huan Bao’er standing beside her. She could tell that the younger sister felt her gaze but didn’t even flick her eyes. Her expression was cold, as if she hadn’t noticed the stare, but the corners of her mouth were nearly impossible to hold down—she was practically wearing the word –show-off- on her face.
Yao Shuling smiled softly.
Behind the slanted viewing table on the side of the venue, Croft’s mind was racing.
–How is this possible? How could this happen… A bunch of people with zero experience, and they design a Demon Hero–class Arena City on their first try…?-
Emotions churned inside him. In all these years, especially after becoming a grand designer, he had never felt such humiliation!
Then, a sudden flash of insight struck him.
–Could it be… could they have… No!-
……
–Let’s begin,- Manager Gu said quietly.
Qing Mu took three documents with black backing and gold lettering from his bag and placed one in front of each of the three people.
Having done this, Qing Mu announced in a clear voice: –Dear colleagues of the Starlight Dreamscape, the signing ceremony for the Demon Hero–class Arena City commences now…-
–Wait! Who are you signing with?!-
Croft turned the matter over in his mind—there was only one possibility!
That when his design draft was sent out, in that brief moment between leaving his hand and reaching the council, the designer’s signature had been changed!
They had stolen the entire accomplishment of the Demon Hero Hall, falsified the information to get the design approved in his name, and yet the actual achievement had no share for him!
Every pair of eyes in the entire venue turned sharply toward the short, slight figure of Croft.
–Mr. Croft, thank you for your guidance over these past few months. Starlight Fantasy truly appreciates your efforts,- Manager Gu said. –Please don’t leave after the meeting; join us for tonight’s celebration dinner.-
Croft clenched his fists.
Mr. Jin, on Manager Gu’s right, looked at Croft.
–Director Croft, having a major designer like you at today’s signing ceremony adds to its professionalism. I’m sure future records will carry your name. You are the finest witness—please, take your seat.-
–Chief Jin!- Croft felt his head spinning.
‘A witness’? This was supposed to be a contract with me!
He shouted, –Excuse me, what Magic Hall are you signing? Who designed it?!-
Manager Gu raised a hand: –Our designer is Mr. Boboli. He likes to be called that—it’s his Chinese name.-
Everyone looked curiously at the young man.
–Boboli? Never heard of him.-
Croft’s mind raced: not among the established names, nor even among the newcomers, was there a designer with such a peculiar image and strange name.
–Hello, Mr. Croft,- the young man stood up and gave a solemn bow.
Croft was taken aback.
–What’s the meaning of this?-
–I am Boboli, designer of this Magic Hall. It was your notes and theories that allowed a novice who knew nothing to grow into someone capable of designing a competition city recognized by the council.-
–My theory?- Croft thought for a moment. –You’ve read my book? That can’t be—I haven’t even written it yet.-
The crowd burst out laughing. Even Gold Observer cracked a smile.
That only confirmed Croft’s suspicion: this kid was a little fraud, leeching off his reputation.
–I read the notes you brought this time.-
That was even more impossible. Croft let out a scornful laugh.
But in the hall, many people stared at the youth with puzzled looks.
Just a little over a month ago, some of the people here had been asked to memorize a few pages of content…
–Wait—could it be back then…-
Could it be that what they had casually helped with back then was actually this?!
If so, then the person who designed the Magic Hero Hall had only started learning, planning, and designing a little over a month ago?
They thought it was insane—yet entirely possible.
Croft turned his head sideways to look at the young man:
–If I may ask, what is this Magic Hero Hall you designed? Could I take a look?-
Boboli glanced back at the two people behind the table.
–Since the Magic Hero Hall has already passed the council’s review, it’s now under a confidentiality agreement. No one is allowed to see it anymore.-
Hmph, Croft thought angrily. This brat was exploiting the time window—less than five days until the year’s end, and he wouldn’t have time to gather proof. By the time everything was settled, the Magic Hero Hall exam would already be underway.
–Excuse me—since Chief Gold of the council is here, I’d like to raise an objection.-
–I accept. Please, go ahead.- Mr. Gold extended his hand, motioning for the strange man to state his objection.
–I suspect that this design was designed by me.-
Everyone’s eyes fell back on him in unison.
Boboli was stunned.
Croft confidently got down from his chair, walked to the signing desk, and placed his crumpled contract—pulled out from a hole—in front of the observer.
–I’m not allowed to look at it, but you, the observer, can. Please examine this contract. It is endorsed by their director-general, and it proves that this effort rightfully belongs to me. Moreover, the months I spent teaching here and the painstaking work I invested are evident to all.-
–So you mean this proves you also participated in Mr. Boboli’s Magic English Hall design, right?-
–No, that’s not it, Chief Jin.-
Croft emphasized:
–I have never seen this man before. His answers are riddled with holes! I believe they grabbed him as a scapegoat. The sole designer of this Magic English Hall has always been me and the team I led.-
He turned to the crowd and said:
–I led a group of people with zero foundation, starting from nothing, and within more than three months of real time, designed the Magic English Hall that passed the parliamentary review. This is something everyone can testify to.-
He had no doubt that once the parliament learned the truth, they would have a thousand ways to confirm its authenticity.
As long as those damned schemers didn’t succeed in exploiting the time difference, then those two million—or even three to five million—virtual zero Chronos would still be his!
And! They would have to pay double the compensation!
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