“Click.”
“Scribble, scribble.”
“Shh, shh...”
The office was dead silent.
Aside from the occasional rustling of a pen tip gliding across paper and the faint sound of swallowing tea, there was barely any noise.
If someone recorded these sounds, they might even be able to compile them into a white noise collection and sell it for a decent profit.
Li An suddenly stood up.
“This won't do.”
His posture made him look like the chairman of a major corporation drawing a sword, ready to liquidate the entire board of directors on the spot.
Isha looked up to glance at him, then lowered her head to resume working as if nothing had happened.
She had already grown accustomed to this sort of behavior.
Li An would have one of these sudden fits every few days.
“I have to stay true to my original goal.”
He had been living a very disciplined life.
Go to work, do tasks, eat, get off work, go home, feed Pelle.
Wake up the next day, and repeat.
Go to work, do tasks, eat...
No.
If things went on like this, how would he be any different from a typical corporate slave in management?
As a living human being, one should actively struggle!
He absolutely could not allow the torrent of time to slowly wash him down that preordained path of promotion.
“Isha, bring me that.”
“Do you mean the construction files for the cathedral?”
“Yes.”
Li An nodded.
An excellent assistant needed to meet many criteria.
But in Li An's eyes, the most important one was—
Even if his words made absolutely no sense, they could instantly grasp exactly what he wanted.
Clearly, Isha was highly qualified.
Even when he simply said “that,” she could accurately find the corresponding item.
Soon, a stack of documents regarding the construction of the cathedral was placed before Li An.
Though there had been plenty of trivial matters lately, the most important among them was undoubtedly this cathedral.
Actually, this matter had been dragged out for some time.
It was just that Li An had been pushing it back, both intentionally and unintentionally.
The reason was simple.
Although this world was somewhat close to a modern society, in essence, it was still a fantasy medieval age draped in modern clothing.
And the Church possessed terrifying influence in this era.
In a sense, it was even more exaggerated than the actual Middle Ages.
A single prayer room was all it took to make a paralyzed person stand back up.
If such a thing occurred before the eyes of ordinary people, they would probably donate all of their family possessions to the Church on the spot.
And to secure a “happy life” after death, they would spend their current lives living like ascetics ahead of time.
The empire's official religion, the “Church of the Stars,” was even more extreme.
According to their doctrine, the more tithes one paid while alive, the more premium a spot they would secure after death.
Not only that.
If you brought acquaintances into the Church, your believer rank would increase.
When that acquaintance brought in another, the rank would rise even further...
As Li An read the materials, he couldn't help but criticize them internally.
“Isn't this just a pyramid scheme?”
All in all,
the Church of the Stars was recently preparing to construct a new cathedral.
And this project had been handed over to the Empire to oversee.
Unlike the churches on Blue Star, the Church in this world was certainly not short on money.
Consequently, numerous construction companies, guilds, and nobles swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, itching to take a massive bite out of this grand cake.
As for which entity the project should be assigned to, that had become the problem Li An needed to solve in his current capacity as the Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department.
“Isha, weren't there about ten applicants before? Why are there only two left now?”
“After an investigation, we pre-emptively excluded shell guilds, as well as underperforming or corrupt contenders.”
In other words, Isha had already finished the first round of screening for him.
“Splendid job.”
Li An quietly murmured in admiration.
He had originally planned to pick one that looked decent from the pool, but he hadn't expected only two to remain.
The Gold Hammer Guild.
And—the Blue Flame Guild.
Li An flipped through the report compiled by Isha.
The Gold Hammer Guild was a rising star with immense potential in the Empire. Not only did they have an exceptionally impressive track record, but their funding and manpower were also highly abundant.
For any normal person, the choice would have basically been made right here.
As for the Blue Flame Guild, they were a late-rising power.
Their performance had grown rapidly in recent years. Although their scale fell far short of Gold Hammer, their portfolio of completed projects was equally robust.
Whichever way one looked at it, choosing either guild would be perfectly fine.
Li An sighed.
But—
What if he deliberately wanted to stir up some trouble?
The current Li An was, after all, the Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department, a bona-fide fifth-rank official.
In other words, he now possessed the perfect conditions to legally abuse his power.
“Isha.”
“Yes.”
“Inform both guilds.”
The corners of Li An's mouth curled up slightly.
“Have them each construct a building of their choice.”
“Whoever builds the better one will be put in charge of the cathedral project.”
Isha paused slightly.
“Understood.”
Of course.
The Empire would not provide any manpower.
It would not provide any funding.
It would not even give them any specific architectural requirements.
They had to figure everything out on their own.
It was practically throwing the words “fend for yourselves” right in their faces.
This way, the matter would most likely end up in a stalemate and fizzle out.
And Li An would naturally earn the reputation of an incompetent, greedy, and troublesome imperial official.
Perfect.
...
A few days later.
“Both guilds have agreed.”
Li An raised his head.
“?”
He even suspected he had misheard.
“Are you sure you told them? That the Empire won't provide any support before it's completed?”
“Absolutely.”
Isha nodded.
“And they already seem to have begun competing.”
“That's impossible.”
Li An fell deep into thought on the spot.
Something must have gone wrong.
He threw on his coat.
“It seems I need to go on a business trip.”
“Please wait a moment, I will go make preparations.”
“No need.”
Li An flatly refused.
“I'm going alone this time.”
What a joke.
Bring Isha along?
What if he did something outside that didn't look like what a minister should do, and she recorded the whole thing?
He had to nip that in the bud.
“...Understood.”
For some reason, Isha's tone sounded a little disheartened.
This business trip was a secret operation.
Li An had to hide his identity as an imperial official and personally check what on earth those two guilds were up to.
First, naturally, he had to find a carriage.
“Where to, sir?”
“Severin.”
“Leave that place to this old man, sir. I guarantee I'll get you there quickly and safely.”
Hearing the familiar voice of the old driver, Li An climbed into the carriage with peace of mind.
The seat was surprisingly soft.
The moment his rear sank into it, he knew this leather was definitely not cheap.
“What are you going to Severin for?”
However, trouble followed closely behind.
No matter the era, elderly folk seemed to share a common trait—they loved to chat.
If one accidentally engaged in the wrong topic, by the time they reached their destination, the conversation would likely span from imperial politics all the way to the old man's grandson's wedding.
To be honest, Li An preferred to close his eyes and sleep the entire way.
But he couldn't just ignore the elderly driver.
“To help build something.”
“Oh! Is it that cathedral the Church of the Stars is currently building?”
“Yes.”
The old driver was instantly intrigued.
“Actually, my son used to work in a construction guild, so I know a little bit about it myself.”
“Oh, really?”
Li An immediately became alert.
He had already seen far too many similar patterns.
“My son, you see, studied at such-and-such academy back then.”
“And now he is an executive at some major company.”
“He even got a promotion a few years back.”
In short, if one gathered the sons of all the elderly folk in the Empire, it would probably be enough to build an entire nation.
Li An decided to let it go in one ear and out the other.
However—
“What do you think of the recent political situation?”
...
Li An almost bit his own tongue off.
Oh, wow.
This jumped straight into high-risk territory.
“If this old man may speak frankly, His Majesty's health hasn't been very good lately.”
The driver lowered his voice.
“It is about time to consider a successor.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Who do you support?”
Li An was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
This was practically a three-choice question of death.
Answer wrong, and it was over.
“Get out.”
“Huh?”
“Get out. How could someone with such unique insights be worthy of riding in my carriage? I'll have to throw some salt later to ward off the bad luck.”
Li An imagined that scene playing out in his mind.
He couldn't help but shiver.
After pondering for a moment, he decided to kick the question back.
“What about you, Elder?”
“I would like to hear your thoughts.”
At a time like this, letting the other party speak first was absolutely the safest choice.
“The Crown Prince, of course.”
The old driver responded without the slightest hesitation.
“He is the rightful heir and the eldest son. Naturally, the Crown Prince should inherit the throne in the future.”
Li An: “...”
Since you already had an answer in your heart,
why did you ask him just now?
The old driver continued:
“However, several of the Princesses are also exceptionally gifted. It is not impossible for one of them to inherit the throne in the future.”
“Personally speaking...”
The old driver let out a soft sigh.
“If this old man could see Her Majesty the Empress with my own eyes just once in this lifetime, I would die with no regrets.”
...
“I think so, too.”
Li An nodded expressionlessly.
This was a difficult old man to handle.
Still, chatting back and forth like this, the carriage finally arrived in Severin.
The first thing Li An did was take off his coat and change into the worn-out clothes he had prepared in advance.
From now on, he had to hide his identity.
Just like a secret imperial commissioner in a novel.
Fortunately, there was no need to waste any effort searching for the construction sites of the two guilds.
Because the moment he stepped into Severin, he saw a bustling crowd filling the streets.
“Gold Hammer Guild members, head this way!”
“Blue Flame Guild workers, over here!”
Both sides had clearly started preparations in advance.
Li An walked closer to observe.
It was just as the report described.
The Gold Hammer Guild side was well-equipped, and the workers wore uniform, clean overalls—exuding an air of wealth at first glance.
The Blue Flame Guild on the other side appeared much more shabby.
Yet for some reason, a strange, fierce drive seemed to radiate from those people.
“Hey! Why aren't you over here yet?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
The Blue Flame Guild foreman gestured impatiently.
“Stop dawdling! The clock is ticking! Once you arrive at the site, change your clothes immediately! What are you doing just standing there?”
...
Li An was stunned.
He had been mistaken for a worker.
The other party didn't even give him a chance to explain, directly thrusting a set of overalls into his hands.
And then—
he was sent straight into the construction site.
Just like that, Li An inexplicably blended into the Blue Flame Guild's construction team.
However, he quickly came to terms with it.
“This actually isn't too bad.”
No one knew his true identity.
On the contrary, it made it far more convenient to observe.
And so...
One day passed.
Two days passed.
Li An still hadn't come out of the construction site.
“Hey! Karl! Over here! Restart from this section!”
“Alright—coming right up!”
A few days later.
Li An had completely adapted to life on the construction site.
He raised his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Then, he accepted a large bowl of stew.
There were plenty of chunks of meat in the stew, looking quite substantial.
Li An raised the bowl and gulped it down without any hesitation.
“Ah—!”
With just one gulp down his throat,
his eyes lit up.
“This flavor... is actually incredible!”
This sentiment came completely from the bottom of his heart.
Li An looked at the bowl in his hand, then at the bustling, fiery construction site.
Suddenly, an extremely dangerous thought crossed his mind.
“Could it be... that this is my true calling?”
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