Working Records in a Weird World - 51

 

| WRIAWW | Joshua's Invitation | 51

Hearing that the main quest had progressed to the next stage, everyone was thrilled.

As the cheers died down, Joshua gracefully raised his hand, signaling for silence, and casually suggested, "Thanks to the newcomer, our progress in the first phase has far exceeded expectations."

"After continuous high-intensity activity must have left everyone slightly fatigued. I suggest we all take a one-hour break in the hall. This will also give us time to properly plan our strategy for the dean's office."

His words were met with unanimous agreement.

Everyone present was an experienced survivor and well aware that opening the office dean's door meant the boss battle for this ?-level mission was about to begin. 

Boss battles of this level typically required a well-balanced team, with sufficient stamina, and a thorough plan. Engaging in such a battle while exhausted was out of the question.

For the lower-level survivors, their part in the mission was essentially over.

Some had already curled up and found a spot in the hall to lie down, looking quite content.

Zong Le was still curious when a voice suddenly spoke beside him.

As if sensing his confusion, the voice gently explained, "Generally speaking, lower-level survivors don’t need to participate in direct combat during such collective missions. Strictly speaking, their role ends after the first phase is completed."

"The boss of a question mark-level mission is far beyond the level of ordinary weirds. Not only is this their home turf, but it also pre-laid it's weird domain, boosting their combat power by at least three to five levels. Sending low-level survivors into such a battle would be like offering the boss a feast. Not only would they be useless, but they’d also become a burden to the entire team."

Zong Le abruptly looked up and realized that the silver-haired patriarch, who had been standing on the high platform earlier, had quietly appeared beside him. His pristine white robe shimmered faintly under the dim hall lights, complementing the brass ring of authority on his finger.

"The smooth progress of the first phase is largely thanks to you."

Joshua’s voice was as smooth as silk. "If we followed past methods, the first phase of a question mark-level mission would often leave the ground littered with corpses. Sometimes, it would take several lives just to cross that threshold."

The corner of his lips curled into a faint smile, as if completely unaware that the person before him had already uncovered his deepest secrets. Instead, he acted as if nothing were amiss, initiating a casual conversation.

To anyone watching, it would seem like nothing more than a senior offering guidance to a junior.

"I'm envious..."

"As expected of a talented newcomer, even Joshua holds him in high regard."

Even those watching from a distance could only marvel at the prestige of the talented newcomer, who could make even Joshua feel a sense of cherishing an uprising talent.

Among these people, only Bai Shao seemed utterly shocked.

"So, as the highly anticipated rising newcomer..."

Hearing the envious chatter of the survivors, the man's smile deepened. He then leaned slightly forward, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, his tone laced with a subtle hint of temptation: "Would you be interested in participating in the upcoming main battle?"

Unfortunately, his words were interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps before he could receive a reply.

Qin Ye arrived with a group of elite members from the Watchtower Guild. The Guild Master, known for his iron-fisted rule, now wore a somber expression, his imposing aura causing onlookers to instinctively step back.

Just as everyone thought he had come seeking revenge, something utterly astonishing happened.

Qin Ye stood before Zong Le, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed deeply.

"I must apologize for my son's rudeness during your previous mission."

His voice was low and sincere: "On behalf of the Watchtower Guild, I would like to express my sincerest apologies to you."

Amidst the uproar, Zong Le was still processing: "Uh, may I ask... who is your son?"

"My son, Qin Man."

Zong Le thought for a moment before finally digging the name out from the corner of his memory.

To be honest, his impression of Qin Man wasn't particularly deep. He only remembered him as a spoiled second-generation heir. He didn't particularly disliked him, but he didn't leave much of an impression either.

After all, the tricks Qin Man played were all things Zong Le had heard about from Yu Anlian. Besides, Qin Man hadn't really caused him any trouble, so his memory of him was rather faint.

With that, Zong Le waved his hand magnanimously: "It's fine. If you hadn't brought it up, I would have forgotten about it."

His expression was open and honest, not feigned in the slightest, making it easy for people to feel goodwill toward him.

Seeing Zong Le's reaction, Qin Ye's tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

He extended his hand again, a genuine smile curving his lips: "To be honest, I came here specifically to formally invite you to join the Watchtower Guild."

"Judging from the forum analysis, you're a strength type survivor. I can confidently say that within the entire Infinite Space, there's no organization more suited for the development of strength-specialized survivors than the Watchtower Guild."

His words carried undeniable confidence. As the strongest individual soldier, the core forces under his command had almost monopolized the entire rankings.

However, someone didn't want him to have his way and sneered sarcastically: "Your good-for-nothing son has already offended him to this extent, and you still have the nerve to invite him to join your guild? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

At the same time, another figure slowly stood up.

"Instead of considering the Watchtower Guild, why not join our guild? While we primarily focus on medium-type for members, we happen to lack promising strength type talents."

Dressed in a neat three-piece suit with a handkerchief pinned to his chest, he managed to turn this sudden encounter into something almost formal.

"Although we specialize in medium abilities, precisely because of that... our strength-type resources aren't being used. Rather than competing with hundreds of strength-type survivors in the Watchtower Guild, why not come to the Spiritual Guild and enjoy exclusive training? What do you think?"

Without a doubt, this was an extremely tempting proposal. Qin Ye, whose target had been snatched away, had a face as dark as thunder, which was enough to show just how threatening this proposal was.

However, today the guilds were truly determined to clash.

Just as the Spiritual Guild had finished extending their invitation, the last remaining guild, the Moon Guild, was not idle either.

"How could such a lively occasion be complete without our Moon Guild?"

Accompanied by a voice as clear as a silver bell, a young woman dressed in a Rococo-style gown gracefully approached. In her left arm, she cradled a delicate teddy bear doll, while her right hand held the hand of a little girl whose face was etched with an expression of utter indifference.

The young woman performed an elegant curtsy in front of Zong Le, her skirt blooming like flower petals.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

Her voice was sweet, with a hint of playfulness: "I am Yi Siqi, the vice guild master of the Moon Guild."

After finishing, Yi Siqi gently shook the little hand she was holding: "This one, who looks like an elementary school student, is actually our guild leader, Lady Ka Guya. Due to the side effects of inheriting her abilities, her body has temporarily... well, reverted to a more youthful state. But her actual age? She's actually a few years older than me."

Ka Guya: "...I've told you that a woman's age is supposed to be a secret!"

"Oh, it's fine. Guild Master, you don't usually handle much of the guild's affairs anyway. When it comes to recruiting new members, you should put in a bit more effort, or else people will think I am trying to take your position."

"Then go ahead. Honestly, you already manage 99% of the guild's affairs. I wouldn't mind retiring early."

"Guild Master, saying that really hurts my feelings!"

Yi Siqi exclaimed in mock distress, then suddenly regained her serious demeanor: "As for the resource allocation that Guild Master Shu mentioned, I'm afraid our Moon Guild has a stronger case to make. Most of our members are mixed types, and the majority are support types. Compared to the other two guilds, our need for strength-type members is even more urgent, and our supply of resources is more superior."

"Wow, Yi Siqi's mouth is still as eloquent as ever," someone remarked.

The hall had grown quieter than before. Many survivors were secretly watching the three major guilds vying for the talented newcomer. Among them, Zhou Ke'er, the 10th-ranked S-level survivor and a lover of drama, had secured a prime spot early on, effortlessly getting a front-row seat to the spectacle.

"Of course, she’s always been good at cracking jokes to draw attention before getting down to business," Zhou Ke'er’s S-level friend chimed in, clicking his tongue. "It’s been years since I’ve seen these three guilds go all out to recruit someone. This new talented newcomer must be exceptionally talented."

"In just a few missions and he’s already gone from D to C level. And now, he’s caused such a stir in a question mark-level mission. Whichever guild lands him will definitely benefit," Zhou Ke'er added casually, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

Most of the other survivors were huddled together, their faces filled with envy.

To be fair, being personally invited by the leaders of the three major guilds, all at the same time and in the same place, could be considered a life highlight—the ultimate dream for any survivor. This talented newcomer had kept a low profile, but the commotion he’d caused was anything but subtle.

"I wonder which guild he’ll choose," Zhou Ke'er mused.

At least 90% of the survivors in the hall shared the same thought.

But what no one expected was that the black-haired young man standing in the center would scratch his head sheepishly and choose to decline.

"I’m truly grateful for your generous invitations. But I’m sorry, I don’t plan to join any guild for the time being."

"He actually refused?" Zhou Ke'er’s friend was stunned. "All three guilds were vying for him, and he was... unmoved?"

"Maybe it’s not the best time to discuss benefits and conditions openly. They’ll probably reach out to him privately later," Zhou Ke'er speculated.

"True," his friend agreed. Zhou Ke'er suddenly seemed to remember something. "Speaking of which, didn’t this talented newcomer have a mission where he clashed with Young Master Qin? Wasn’t it because he opposed the guilds monopolizing and collecting protection fees?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I’m just wondering... is he serious about not joining a guild?"

On the other side, despite the rejection, the guild masters seemed to understand his current predicament. None of them took the refusal to heart and instead insisted on adding him as a friend, clearly intending to continue the conversation privately.

Reluctantly, Zong Le, who wasn’t good at refusing others or ending conversations decisively, had no choice but to add the guild masters and vice-guild masters as friends one by one.

Once this was over, the high-ranking S-level survivors finally settled down and began preparing for the upcoming strategy meeting.

Zong Le felt relief.

"Everyone, please remain calm for now,"

He stood in place and listening intently to Joshua’s tactical arrangements.

He had to admit, this guy who treated everyone like lambs was indeed impeccable when it came to command. With so many survivors, he managed to assign roles perfectly based on their different abilities and specialties, integrating their strengths flawlessly to form an impenetrable offensive network.

The level of difficulty was evident, and his tactical prowess was truly admirable.

"If the Dean is the type with low magic resistance, then the medium types must immediately fill that gap..."

The Shepherd's voice was calm and precise, his silver hair swaying slightly with his movements, like a finely tuned tactical computer.

Zong Le unconsciously nodded in agreement.

As he listened intently, someone suddenly asked, "Hey, why are you listening so seriously? You're only C-level, you won't be going to fight the final boss anyway. You can just casually listen to these strategy meetings."

Zong Le turned around and was met with a big, cheerful smile.

The other person enthusiastically extended a hand, "Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Zhou Ke'er."

"Let's get to know each other. I love making friends, and you seem pretty interesting. I feel like we'd get along well."

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