On the left side of the solemn main hall.

People waiting in line to register moved forward one by one.

“What do you need? ” asked the woman rapidly writing behind the table. “Are you also planning to leave with a group? “

“Uh, no. I’m the manager of ‘Warning Line Fashion Company.’ We’re planning an advertising campaign and want Mr. Hero to be our model. I’ll offer him five hundred Silver Coins as compensation. “

“Okay, I’ve noted that. Sign your name here. Next. “

People ahead spoke within the voiceprint force field, while those in the queue discussed amongst themselves.

“I want to hire the hero to negotiate with merchants from the Chebin Archipelago for me, ” a businessman said mysteriously. “I caught wind of some news from a magazine. Seems like Mr. Hero did something incredibly remarkable over on Cheqing Island too—folks over there know his name! “

“Wow? What happened over there? How come we don’t know about it? “

Behind him, an old man with stereotypical Hertzen features asked this businessman, “What newspaper are you reading? “

“It’s a premium international magazine for members only. “

In the queue, Lenta, hearing the discussion, felt a stirring of doubt.

Initially, she had been quite confident about hiring the hero to escort her family’s move, as her father would offer an exceedingly high price for this cross-continent journey.

But now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

A middle-aged man walked over and stood beside his daughter.

“It’s alright, Lenta. I just inquired. There are still some excellent mistfolk who haven’t left the mist-people enclaves of Hydrapower City. We’ll be able to hire a mistfolk bodyguard with incredible abilities for our trip. “

“But… ” Lenta went ‘but’ for a while, her small lips pouting as she couldn’t seem to come up with what came after that ‘but’.

Ebiser gently rubbed her soft, brownish-brown curls, signaling her not to throw a tantrum.

A dozen minutes later, the soundproof energy field before them dissolved, and finally their turn in line arrived.

“Excuse me, what do you need? ” The lady behind the desk raised her head.

Ebiser looked around at the quiet energy field and explained, “We’re an Honor Family—that kindof Honor Family. “

Hearing this, another gentleman behind the desk was momentarily surprised.

“An Exiled Honorary Family? ” Seeing them nod, he continued, “Are you planning to leave? “

“Yes, I… I’ve heard some news. ” Lianna raised her pale face, looking up at her father’s somewhat heavy expression. The man hesitated for a moment before saying:

“I’ve heard that the two ‘Exiled Honorary Families’ that have been closely tied to our own for generations are no more. Aside from the one that fell into ruin, the other family seems to have suffered a targeted robbery. So… I want to find someone I can truly trust to protect us as we leave. “

Seeing him in this state, the people behind the desk fell silent for a moment. “This really is a tough situation. We’re already running short on people here recently. “

“Isn’t the hero still here? ” Lianna blurted out hastily.

The woman at the desk looked at Lianna and broke into a smile as she said:

“The hero may have done earth-shattering things, but in terms of our settlement’s hierarchy, he hasn’t yet accessed the intelligence level to be privy to this kind of information. If you want to seek his help, our settlement can’t provide you with any reliable assessments of the danger, either. “

At this point, the lady seemed to offer a hint, asking:

“By the way, are your ‘exclusive escorts’ already unreachable? “

Hearing the words “exclusive escorts, ” Ebiser felt as if struck by lightning in his mind. He paused for a few seconds. Why was he so familiar with this term… yet could not recall when he had heard it…

Suddenly, he remembered. When he was very young, he had overheard it during a conversation between his father’s generation and a guest, also from an “Exiled Honorary Family. “

“I… I don’t know who our exclusive escort is. My family never told me about this, ” Ebiser said, a bit agitated. “But I heard from my grandfather’s friend that their escort had lost contact. Back then… back then, my grandfather and father seemed to be in a bad mood too… “

The two people behind the table exchanged a glance.

“We understand. Regarding your escort issue, we will give priority to reporting it to Mr. ‘Honorable Fogfolk.’ However, we cannot guarantee whether he will be able to help. “

Ebiser, feeling some relief, quickly said, “We understand. We definitely can’t tell anyone about this. If he’s too busy, he can just accompany us as far as Hydrapower City. It’ll be much safer once we’re on the train. Or… even just giving us the exit permits would be enough. “

Lianna pouted in dissatisfaction, shaking her body slightly from side to side.

The man behind the table was already exclusively writing on a piece of paper.

“Before that, we need to make some confirmations. “

“Yes, ” Ebiser replied nervously, knowing that the true questioning was now about to begin.

The tip of the pen rustled across the paper.

“Does your clan have its own exclusive language? “

“Yes, we do. “

“Is it a variation derived from Common or other widely spoken languages? “

Ebiser felt his heartbeat accelerate.

“No. It’s a language created by our clan, used only internally among us. “

“And what about a script? Do you have a writing system that corresponds to your clan’s language? “

Ebiser nervously swallowed a dry gulp of saliva. As far back as he could remember, this was the first time an outsider had actively inquired about such matters. He thought back to his childhood, when, besides learning the Wutao and Mistfolk languages, he had also been forced to study those incomprehensible, maze-like linear characters—marks that looked like ghostly doodles with no discernible pattern.

Yet, those characters were never seen anywhere—not even allowed to be brought into his schoolbag for school.

The clerk from the leased settlement looked up at the man.

Ebiser quickly added, “We do have one! We compiled it ourselves, creating over two thousand four hundred characters in total. “

“Very good. That truly is a remarkable and admirable effort. “

The woman glanced at her colleague, who was rapidly jotting down these notes, then raised her head to ask again:

“By your side is Miss Lianna, correct? Is your daughter fluent in the language and script of your clan? “

“She’s learned it well enough—she has no issues with writing. “

That pen, like a nimble snake, slithered swiftly across the page.

“Is she also fully aware of the contents inside the Secret Box? “

Ebiser felt his heart seize.

It was as if the entire world was constricting around him. The thumping of his heart seemed to pump each capillary wide open, filling them with a scalding heat that begged to be violently released.

He really wanted to refuse to answer this question, but…

“I know! ” Lianna suddenly said, then felt her hand being tightly squeezed by someone, even a bit painful.

“Don’t worry, you can fully trust the staff of the rental office, ” the male employee said. “If we leak this information, our lives would come to an immediate end. And besides… we simply cannot speak out these pledged secrets. “

“Yes, yes, it’s just that I’m a bit nervous. It’s not that I don’t trust you, ” Ebiser said, wiping cold sweat.

“Please sign here. ” The man turned the paper around, handed over a pen, and pointed at the blank space below. “Here, then wait for the notice. We’ll provide the necessary transit documents for various countries within a day. “

……

He Yishu handled the application for exiting the country. The Fog Subordinate District’s rental office had agents handling these matters, and they would be sent to the relevant departments daily in a batch.

As for the outcome, that too was beyond the rental office’s control.

But generally speaking, a rejection means giving the Fog people more work to do. Therefore, most of the time, even if the relevant departments dislike these people, they won’t deliberately cause trouble for the Fog residents.

They just pinch their noses and stamp the applications before sending them back, in a standard bureaucratic manner.

Anxi came to find Karl and the other person, bringing the employment file. This paper was made and printed with the help of Miss Faerie—the ink was generously applied, and a mere rub of the hand would leave deep black smudges. He also brought along a few sets of clothes.

“What’s this? A change jacket for us? “

Anxi glanced at the thin leather jacket still worn by Yang Zicang.

“It’s work uniforms. What season is it now? Hurry up and take off that skin you’re wearing. “

Karl turned his face away to the side.

Anxi, who was filling out the employment file, suddenly sensed something was off. “Where did you get that clothes? “

“Hmm… I borrowed it from a fellow townsman last night. Already paid for it. “

“You stole it, didn’t you! “

“That sounds terrible. Am I that kind of person? ” Yang Zicang spread open one set of the “work uniforms ” brought by Anxi. “It’s quite fashionable. Who designed it? “

“Who else could it be? Of course it’s our number-one employee, Mr. Hearst. “

“Hearst! ” Karl looked over, startled, almost in disbelief. “Could it be that he is our real boss? Oh, I get it—he’s the legal representative! “

“Ahem… ” Anxi said a bit awkwardly, “I’m the legal representative. “

“I can’t comprehend your conspiracies. I’d better just shut up. ” Karl took the pen and began writing.

Schmidt entered the room carrying a small bag of Silver Coins. There was no way to move all six hundred thousand Silver Coins; they were stored in the settlement’s treasury.

In addition to the coins, which helped Yang Zicang relax noticeably, there was also a thick stack of “Regional Assistance Cooperation Applications. “

“You’re still one regional assistance completion away from obtaining a ‘Crystal of Serenity.’ Want to pick one from these? “

“It’s not all just escort missions, is it? “

“Sixty percent are escorts, but there are also other types. I see a few that are easy and time-saving, like this invitation to attend a banquet of the old nobility. It’s practically a free payout, ” Schmidt said, stuffing the stack of forms into his hand. “Also, there’s this request to help name a Fogfolk child for someone’s son. And this one—the White Glaze Marine Auction Company wants to permanently collect your Hero’s Tri-Artifact Set. “

“What is all this? “