"Alright. If I keep talking, you'll just think I'm being long-winded."

Zhou Jiren clapped his hands, and the vine-wood umbrella that had pierced the sky suddenly burrowed into the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving only a slowly healing crack in the earth.

The rain stopped.

A cold mist lingered over the long street.

"'Black Spot' contained. I'll submit a file to the council about this incident, saying it was a misjudgment during the survey, just a minor spill of extraordinary originium." He said softly, "The power of Incinerating Flame to devour chaos… it's best not to reveal it at this stage."

"I understand."

Gu Shen understood the reasoning.

He looked deeply at Tree Lao and said, "Thank you."

"Tch…"

Zhou Jiren waved his hand with a smile. "You brat, why are you being so polite with me?"

The old geezer might seem unreliable most of the time, but he was quite dependable when things really mattered.

"By the way…"

Gu Shen suddenly remembered something. He rubbed his head and said softly, "After the explosion at the Grand Freemason Hall… did I just pass out?"

Zhou Jiren's eyelids twitched slightly.

The old geezer asked back with an unchanged expression, "What else?"

"I just feel like… I had a dream, a very vivid one. In it, my senior apprentice sister, you, and I went to the no man's land on the outskirts of the capital for a transaction." Gu Shen smiled wryly and said, "Then we met a drunkard called 'Mister White,' and after he said something to me… I passed out, and woke up in the hospital bed."

Zhou Jiren said casually, "How much did you drink? You had quite the elaborate dream?"

"It's mainly that the way you dealt with my senior apprentice sister today feels strangely familiar…" Gu Shen looked at his teacher with a hint of suspicion. "That trick of deceiving the heavens, did you use it on me once before?"

Zhou Jiren, of course, flatly denied it.

Gu Shen had no evidence, so he could only let it go. However, he increasingly felt that this matter was more than just a dream. It was very likely that the old geezer had hypnotized his senior apprentice sister with his special means.

"Speaking of this 'Black Spot' incident…"

Zhou Jiren was very perfunctory about the question of Mister White. He changed the subject directly, standing in front of the leveled factory ruins and pointing to the scraps of iron sheet floating in the air. He asked, "Do you feel like something's not right?"

"Something's not right…"

Gu Shen nodded slowly.

He remembered that this factory originally had array inscriptions.

At first, he thought that the array inscriptions were a special ritual to gather extraordinary originium, which led to the birth of the Iris Lane fog…

"Black Spots don't just appear easily. If the array inscriptions on the files are related to the Black Spot, then things could be terrible." Zhou Jiren said in a deep voice, "If Xiao wants to create explosions, it's still within a controllable range with just explosives… But if he can create sealed items, and even create 'Black Spots' through some means, then the damage this guy can do to order will be incalculable."

Gu Shen took out the scarlet compass.

All along, Xiao had only contacted him directly.

"This compass… was originally meant to be sent to Cui Zhongcheng. If I'm not mistaken, Xiao wants to create a 'disaster' that will attract the attention of everyone in the capital." Gu Shen said softly, "And he sees this as a… game."

"He doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people, nor does he care whether order exists."

Zhou Jiren said coldly, "A person like that does have the motivation to create a 'collapse point of order'… He's truly a disgusting existence."

"The beauty of this world often doesn't depend on how hard most people work, because just one or two unscrupulous scumbags can destroy all the beauty."

Gu Shen was silent after hearing this.

Zhou Jiren took out a paper invitation from his pocket and handed it to Gu Shen. "Here… take a look at this."

"What's this?"

"The annual Freemasonry Ball is about to begin." Tree Lao said softly, "The 'big shots' at the top of the capital will all receive invitations. The location of the ball is the Grand Freemason Hall that you're familiar with. According to the usual procedure, the big shots will enjoy cocktail parties, balls, and concerts there… Besides material enjoyment, it's a rare social opportunity for them."

Gu Shen was fascinated by what he heard.

He looked at the invitation and felt it weighed a thousand pounds.

"Wait a minute… Am I considered a big shot now?" Gu Shen asked carefully.

"Of course, you're a Section S member of the Tribunal and a rising star in East Continent." Zhou Jiren laughed heartily.

Gu Shen also laughed. This was the first time he had received something like an "invitation." The thin envelope was opened, and the edges of the black invitation were ironed with a layer of gold.

This invitation… seems to be gold-plated?

Wow! Big spender!

He weighed it in his hand and said with great emotion, "This invitation is quite heavy… This is so much face!"

"I also think that such a heavy invitation, with so much face, would be a waste if you didn't show it off." Zhou Jiren also sighed with the same emotion, then stretched out his hand and took the invitation back. "Actually, this invitation is for me. I just lent it to you to take a look."

Gu Shen was dumbfounded.

Zhou Jiren said with a smile, "Here, it's gold-plated. What do you think, isn't it pretty?"

Just like when he posted the amnesty order, Tree Lao held the invitation in front of Gu Shen's face and asked if it looked good three times.

"Tch…"

Gu Shen was greatly disappointed and glared at the old geezer fiercely.

"After all, you're a rising star… It's not time for you to receive invitations yet." Zhou Jiren stuffed the invitation back into his inner pocket and said with high spirits, "But it doesn't matter if you don't have an invitation. You can still enter the ball. I have a mission for you."

"This year's Freemasonry Ball is different from previous years… Because of the Awakening Act, the big shots attending the ball are roughly divided into two factions, the supporters and the opponents. You know the specific situation. The final battleground for the act is in the capital, and it's only short one vote to pass."

Gu Shen's expression became serious.

"That one vote… is on Lu Nanzhi."

"After the alternate councilors finished their speeches, Lu Nanzhi hid in the old courtyard in Lion Lane and refused to see anyone, neither the Huazhi supporters led by Zhao Xilai nor the Nanwan opponents led by Chen San. This momentum should continue until the ball… For both sides, the ball is the most important opportunity to make contact." Zhou Jiren lowered his voice. "Obviously, both sides will compete at this ball. It's a war without gunpowder."

"All the big shots will attend…"

Gu Shen realized something. He murmured, "The followers of the Eternal Foundation will also take action. This is the best time!"

"That's right—"

Zhou Jiren said, "Xiao won't miss this opportunity. He will definitely take some action… In previous Freemasonry Balls, people of Zhao and Chen's level wouldn't participate."

Gu Shen silently clenched his fists.

"I will arrange for you to enter the banquet in another way…" Zhou Jiren said in a low voice, "You and Nan Jin need to keep an eye on the guests in the venue. No abnormality can be let go."

The old geezer patted Gu Shen's shoulder solemnly and said heroically, "Little Gu, although you don't have an invitation, you are the real hunter at this ball!"