Chương 234: Qin Yue's Hospitality and Roland's Good News

Inside the Director's Office of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs.

Unlike yesterday's gloomy and dim atmosphere, this office was now incredibly bright, with sunlight streaming in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating every piece of furniture and Qin Yue herself.

As Director Roland's most trusted personal secretary, she was standing beside his desk, explaining a report on recent virtual energy fluctuations to him in a steady and clear voice.

"—According to the latest analysis from the technical department, the concentration of residual virtual energy in the suburban industrial park is still relatively high, but no new signs of virtual infiltration have been detected. The preliminary judgment is that the aftershocks of yesterday's battle have not yet completely dissipated."

"Yes, continue monitoring, don't let your guard down." Roland leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.

"clear."

Qin Yue responded and was about to turn to the next page of the document when she paused slightly.

She looked up with some curiosity at her boss, whom she respected immensely.

In her memory, ever since the director had a brief meeting with the mysterious magical girl codenamed "Starfrost" about half a month ago, he had been in an extremely serious state, with an unyielding worry always lingering between his brows, as if an invisible boulder was pressing on his heart.

Even when handling daily affairs, one can feel his tense aura, as if he is always ready to face a storm, and he is always deeply worried about the continuous crises in Jiangchuan City, the magical girls who have unfortunately disappeared, and the enemy who is like a cold and venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

This impression remained unchanged until yesterday, after I reported the sudden outbreak of the battle to him.

However, today's bureau chief seems to be somewhat different.

Although his expression remained calm, the heavy pressure around him seemed to have dissipated by more than half, and his posture appeared unusually relaxed. Even the angle at which he leaned back in his chair was more comfortable than usual.

There was even a faint smile on his lips, as if he was expecting something good to happen.

This stark contrast aroused Qin Yue's great curiosity.

After presenting another document regarding the allocation of logistical supplies, she finally couldn't resist her inquisitive nature and asked softly, "Director, forgive my intrusion—you seem to be in a very good mood today?"

Upon hearing this, Roland's smile deepened. He turned his "gaze" towards Qin Yue and asked with a smile, "Oh? Was I that obvious, Yue?"

"Yes." Qin Yue nodded very honestly, and added, "It's very different from usual."

"Haha, it seems that as people get older, they really can't hide their feelings anymore." Roland let out a hearty laugh, not denying it, but simply replying gently, "Nothing special, just waiting for an important guest."

"A guest?" A hint of doubt flashed in Qin Yue's eyes, but she immediately thought of the incident that had happened yesterday morning that still puzzled her.

"Could it be—the mysterious person who suddenly barged into your office yesterday?"

"That's right." Roland nodded with a smile.

"However, I can't tell you more about her until I get her permission."

"All you need to know is that she is an ally you can absolutely trust."

"Yes, I understand." Qin Yue nodded immediately and returned to silence.

Of course, this did not stop her curiosity and her rapidly racing thoughts.

—If the "guest" is a magical girl like Miss Starfrost or Lord Starstring, it seems completely unnecessary to meet the director by infiltrating.

Furthermore, judging from the coded message the adult used yesterday to inform him to take emergency measures, at least at the first moment, he was not clear about the other party's intentions, and even judged the other party as a potential enemy, so the other party could not possibly be a magical girl.

—But the other party clearly possesses powerful supernatural abilities, capable of directly infiltrating this office with its impeccable defenses—who exactly is that mysterious person?

One question after another swirled in Qin Yue's mind until she suddenly remembered the battle that also happened yesterday—the battle between the mysterious, heavily armored knight in black and the magical girl codenamed "Liuli," which ultimately ended inconclusively.

And then there was that perplexing, unusual command issued by the Director during that battle: "Only execute the minimum response."

All the clues connected perfectly at that moment, and Qin Yue immediately had a bold guess in her mind— She tentatively pressed further, "Could it be—the guest you're waiting for is the same black-armored knight who fought the magical girl Ruri yesterday?"

"And the reason you issued the order to only execute a Level 3 response yesterday was because you had already determined that the other party had no real hostility?"

Roland's face showed a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected that his capable secretary would be able to deduce this.

After a moment, he nodded approvingly and smiled as he admitted, "Yes, it's her."

"I see."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Qin Yue's heart was stirred even more, but she still chose to nod slightly and did not continue to ask questions.

Since the director had already said that the other party was a "guest" and had previously emphasized that no more information could be revealed, she would not ask any more questions. This was the most basic professional quality of a secretary.

Of course, she remained incredibly curious and couldn't help but continue thinking about it.

Since the director has already said that the other party is an absolutely trustworthy ally, then he should naturally stand on the side of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs and the magical girl.

—But judging from the energy reactions collected by the instruments at the time, the opponent was obviously using ethereal energy, which is opposed to magical girls. And since they are allies, why did a battle break out between them?

—And another thing—how did a heavily armored knight, at least two meters tall and covered in thick armor, manage to sneak into this heavily fortified office without a sound? And when I went back in afterwards, I couldn't find a single trace of him.

—Could it be that he stood and talked to the bureau chief the whole time yesterday?!

Thinking of this, Qin Yue couldn't help but glance at the few high-end-looking but clearly designed-for-average-sized meeting chairs in the office.

It is incredibly rude to force such a powerful and important ally to stand and talk because there is no suitable chair available!

On the surface, Qin Yue maintained her professional and calm demeanor, but inwardly she was deeply worried about the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs' "hospitality".

"She's here."

Just then, Roland seemed to sense something, and suddenly raised his head, saying with a gentle smile on his face.

"Eh?"

Qin Yue subconsciously looked around, but found nothing. The office was empty and quiet, and there was clearly no one else besides her and the director.

While she was still wondering, Roland continued, "Xiaoyue, you should go out first. Don't let anyone in until I tell you."

"Oh well."

Although she was filled with confusion, Qin Yue immediately chose to obey Roland's order without hesitation.

However, before she pushed open the door to leave, she couldn't suppress the strong sense of responsibility she felt.

After hesitating for a moment, Qin Yue turned around and asked softly in an extremely serious and earnest tone, "Um—Director, shouldn't we purchase a batch of—more sturdy and durable chairs for this office?"

"Um?"

Faced with this somewhat abrupt question, even Roland was slightly taken aback. Although he was unable to see, he could still sense through his magic that the chairs in the office were not damaged at all.

But then, with a gentle smile on his face, he nodded and replied, "If you think it's necessary, then do it. This old man doesn't know as much about these things as you do."

In his opinion, Xiaoyue must have felt that the existing chairs were indeed a bit old or uncomfortable to sit in, which is why she made this suggestion.

Roland always placed absolute trust in his secretary, who was both highly capable and had excellent taste.

"Okay! I understand!"

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Qin Yue immediately perked up, feeling an even greater sense of responsibility on her shoulders.

—Now that the director has given permission, I must immediately contact the logistics department to order a batch of chairs that are of good quality, have sufficient load-bearing capacity, and look impressive.

—It's normal for the Director to overlook these minor details because he has so many important matters concerning the safety of the city to think about every day. But as his personal secretary, I absolutely cannot let that important ally have any misunderstanding about the hospitality of our Jiangchuan City Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs!

With this strong sense of mission, Qin Yue closed the door and left in a hurry, restoring tranquility to the office.

Under Roland's smiling "gaze," a petite figure slowly emerged from the shadows and came to the sofa in the reception area.

"Good morning, Director Roland," Ji Ying greeted Roland.

Roland smiled and said, "You've arrived much earlier than we agreed, so it seems you're also looking forward to this meeting. Please have a seat, Miss Jiying."

Ji Ying nodded slightly, sat down in the guest chair, and said calmly, "It's just a habit of arriving early. As for you, it seems you've been waiting for quite some time."

She glanced back at the door that had just been closed and continued, "Moreover—it seems that my arrival always brings Miss Qin Yue some extra trouble."

"Waiting is nothing to me," Roland's smile grew even gentler.

"Besides waiting, there's not much else this old man can do."

Most of the time, I can only do my best to provide some things for you kids fighting on the front lines — That's all the logistical support we can offer.

"As for Xiaoyue's matter, I'm sure you've already heard about it." He changed the subject, looking at Jiying with interest, and asked, "What are your opinions on this?"

"There's no need to keep my existence a secret to that extent. If you think it's appropriate, you can tell her everything about me, or even let her overhear our conversation."

"Miss Qin Yue is your personal secretary. If you keep these things from her, she will probably encounter a lot of inconvenience when she is handling your work."

"Anyway, I don't mind."

"Thank you for your understanding," Roland said with a smile.

"You're right, knowing these things will help Xiaoyue do her job better."

"Then let her stay with us from the next meeting onwards."

"9 Ji Ying shook his head slightly: "This is nothing to thank me for. On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you. Without your help, the play that was put on for Jing Jue yesterday would not have ended so easily."

"Providing you with all the necessary assistance is my duty, and besides, that matter was quite easy for me, but—" Upon hearing Jiying mention yesterday's incident, Roland "looked" at the other's petite figure and continued, "To be honest, I was quite surprised after hearing Xiaoyue's description of the battle scene yesterday. After all, you didn't tell me beforehand that you would appear in another form."

"If it hadn't been confirmed later that the person you were fighting was the child codenamed Ruri who was planned to be there, I would have thought it was another unexpected accident."

Ji Ying said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, the situation was very urgent at the time, and I didn't have enough time to explain so much to you. I could only briefly describe my plan to you."

"I don't mean to blame you at all, I'm just genuinely surprised," Roland laughed.

"After all, in my eyes, you've always been a relatively petite young woman."

"This image is quite different from the heavily armored knight who was over two meters tall that Xiaoyue told me about. So what is it—" Ji Ying answered directly, "My other battle form has much stronger destructive and defensive capabilities than this one. I used that form when I faced Jing Jue yesterday."

"So that's how it is—" After satisfying his curiosity, Roland didn't ask any more questions about these sensitive issues.

"So that's how it is—" After satisfying his curiosity, Roland didn't delve further into these potentially sensitive questions about personal abilities. Instead, he smiled and said, "I've already experienced firsthand the destructive power. After all, one of the topics of this morning's meeting was the repair work on the buildings and streets affected by that battle."

Ji Ying scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, apologized to Roland again, and then explained, "At the time, I was already trying my best to control my effort and minimize the losses."

"But—if the battle doesn't even cause any damage to the surrounding environment, it seems too deliberate, and that guy Jingjue will definitely become suspicious."

She paused, then asked somewhat cautiously, "Um—you won't ask me to pay compensation, will you? If so, can I exchange the energy cores of the Void Beasts for payment like the other magical girls do?"

"Hahahaha!" Roland burst into hearty laughter again upon hearing this.

He replied with a smile, "How could I possibly ask you, who risked your lives to protect this city, to compensate for such a trivial loss?"

"The Bureau of Paranormal Affairs will provide all the funding needed for this work; we have a dedicated department to handle the coordination."

"Moreover, if we can achieve such great results with such minor losses every time, I would love for this to happen more often."

Ji Ying chuckled awkwardly, then said in a low voice, "Then... I'll have to trouble you."

"It's an honor." Roland paused, a slightly mysterious smile appearing on his face.

"And to be honest, your request for cooperation yesterday also created a rare opportunity for me. I'd like to share some good news with you later."

, 7

"A rare opportunity? And—good news?" Ji Ying looked at Roland in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"We can talk about that later," Roland said with a smile and a nod.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Now, please share with me the specific details of yesterday's events without reservation."

"I'm really looking forward to knowing how you managed to rescue Lord Hoshizora."

"Hmm." Upon hearing this, Jiying nodded solemnly and began her narration.