Chapter 1 Twenty Minutes Later

Twenty minutes later.

Gu Shen was called back to the classroom where the review had taken place.

The three sealed items from the table had been collected. The five members of the review board sat upright, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

So, the review results are in…

Gu Shen felt inexplicably uneasy. He knew his dream analysis had been good, and he was likely to pass the review, but he'd always felt a little apprehensive in serious, formal situations.

Almost certain, but there was still a chance of failure.

What if… the result wasn’t good?

Seeing Gu Shen's nervous expression, the Chief Judge of the Red Cedar District couldn't help but smile.

Then the other judges smiled as well.

The silence in the classroom for those few seconds was a little joke the review board had prepared for the new S-level recruit after discussing it.

The result had already been determined when Gu Shen completed the dream analysis of the Wraith Cage.

An unquestionable S-level.

So, let him worry a little.

"Congratulations."

The voice of Chief Judge Tang Qingquan broke the silence in the classroom.

A smile slowly appeared on his stern face. The tall judge, with his meticulous slicked-back hair and forbidding expression, gave off a friendly and kind feeling when he smiled.

"Gu Shen, after our review, and upon deliberation, the review board has decided to give you an 'S-level' potential rating." The Grand Judge said solemnly, "In the past twenty years, only a handful of extraordinary individuals in the Tribunal have received an 'S-level' rating. You are a promising newcomer, and the hope of East洲 in the future. We hope you will continue to work hard."

A very official message, but the Grand Judge spoke with sincerity.

Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

He bowed deeply, and after rising, repeated once again, "...Thank you."

The five judges across from him stood up and shook hands with Gu Shen in turn.

They left their names and identities… Each of these figures from the nine major districts of East洲 was a well-known authority.

"Gu Shen, you're a good kid. Exchanging a pardon for your future is a very worthwhile thing."

Lin Beizhu, the child-faced old man who wielded the Sands of Time, whispered a message to Gu Shen during the handshake, saying, "Actually… even if Councilor Zhao hadn't issued that pardon, others would have stepped forward. As far as I know… someone in Changye is paying attention to you."

Changye?

That was the most prosperous area in Jiangbei, East洲, a core district on par with Dadu.

Someone there was also paying attention to him… Gu Shen felt like he was dreaming.

He saw Lin Beizhu wink at him and smile, "As for who it is, I can't say much. If you have the opportunity to come to Changye in the future, I can take you to see him."

"Thank you for your kindness. I actually grew up in a small place… I always wanted to see bigger cities, but I didn't have the opportunity." Gu Shen said a little embarrassedly, "I'm quite curious about both Dadu and Changye."

Gu Shen grew up in a mountain orphanage far from technological civilization, and he hadn't even explored the city center of Qinghe District much.

As for Changye and Dadu, they were cities that only existed on the internet for him.

"Don't worry! There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"

Wu Mengbai, the Chief Judge of the Red Cedar District, shook his hand vigorously while patting Gu Shen's shoulder, laughing heartily, "Changye and Dadu are quite developed, but other districts aren't bad either. Kid, I'm very optimistic about you. If you can't make it in the Tribunal, you can come to the Red Cedar District to find me."

"...Okay!" Gu Shen bowed sincerely in thanks.

He remembered this Chief Judge well.

His first dream-diving experience was with Wu Mengbai's "Green Dice," and the Chief Judge of the Red Cedar District had shown him the most goodwill during this review.

It's just… the bigwigs in the prison seemed to like poaching people in such an open and aboveboard manner, huh?

"Alright. Everyone, our work is done, so let's not delay Gu Shen's 'time' any longer."

The Grand Judge said softly, "Mr. Cui is still waiting to meet this newcomer."

Hearing the words "Mr. Cui," the others laughed and said nothing more.

"Mr. Cui…"

Gu Shen's expression became serious.

Several days before the review began, his senior brothers and sisters had told him about the general outline of the entire pardon incident, as well as the most crucial "figure" in this review.

Cui Zhongcheng, assistant to the Councilor of the Dadu District.

Everyone was more accustomed to calling him Mr. Cui. He was an incredibly impressive man. The title of Councilor's Assistant didn't sound that grand, but he was actually quite a special existence… The old Mr. Zhao Xilai, who wielded great power in the council, was already very old and spent most of his time recuperating. Many important matters were handled personally by this Mr. Cui.

It could be said that Councilor Zhao trusted and relied on his assistant the most.

So, before the review began, Senior Sister Luo had Nan Jin take him away from the Qinghe District to avoid the limelight.

The reason was to avoid meeting Mr. Cui before the official review began.

His first impression could have a significant impact on the review…

And now, the time had finally come to meet.

Gu Shen walked alongside the Grand Judge.

Finally, he was led to the library. The afternoon reading room was bathed in sunlight. A middle-aged man with a tall figure and refined demeanor sat quietly at the table, his temperament as old as a stone.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, Gu Shen whispered, "Is that Mr. Cui?"

He was different from what he had imagined.

He had thought… the other party would be an elite like Judge Tang Qingquan, with slicked-back hair, wearing a neat suit, looking busy at a glance, always multitasking and doing several things at once, busy from morning to night, day after day.

When they met, Mr. Cui should be handling official business, replying to several emails in a flurry.

In fact, it was the complete opposite of what he had imagined.

Cui Zhongcheng didn't have any fancy attire, appearing as plain as a teacher from Da Teng Public School. In this empty library, he was like a grain of sand sunk deep into the sea.

Gu Shen looked at the upright figure, and he had no doubt that if no one disturbed him, this Mr. Cui would sit there from morning to night.

"Yes, that is Mr. Cui."

The Grand Judge reminded him, "Don't be nervous. Mr. Cui… is actually a very friendly person, but he's not good at expressing himself, so he seems a bit lonely. He has actually been looking forward to meeting you, so he specifically instructed us to send you over after the review."

Gu Shen nodded.

The sensor door slowly opened, and Gu Shen walked into the reading room, heading straight for the large table in the sunlight.

He noticed that the book Mr. Cui was reading… was almost finished, with only a few thin pages left.

Gu Shen didn't speak or make a sound.

He simply quietly selected a few books from the bookshelf, sat down opposite Cui Zhongcheng, and silently accompanied the other man, reading along together.