Lin Yue followed Mapell into the main hall of the chamber of commerce.
Along the way, he noticed many employees whispering to one another, seemingly curious about the relationship between the two.
“Miss Mapell is actually pulling a man into the guild herself. Who is he?”
The female employee on duty at the long counter seemed to have the most intense gaze among them.
“Stop snooping… just do your job.”
Another employee nearby sighed.
They were just workers; what was the point of obsessing over who was beside the boss?
It wasn’t like it would lead to a promotion or a raise.
“He’s so handsome. Could he be a kept man? It makes sense. At Miss Mapell’s age, she still has strong physical needs… Hey, why are you bumping into me… Ah!”
“Miss Mapell!”
Unbeknownst to them, their direct superior had already walked up to them, speaking in her usual majestic tone.
“Clara, Ruby, how is the task I assigned you coming along?”
It was worth noting that the two ladies standing at the front desk were also exceptionally easy on the eyes.
As the receptionists for the headquarters of a major chamber of commerce, they would only appear lackluster when compared to the top-tier beauty beside Lin Yue.
If seen on the street, many would still call them stunning.
“Yes… Yes!”
A flustered Ruby pulled out a token that had been sitting behind the counter for a long time.
Upon closer inspection, it was identical to the one in Mapell’s hand—the token representing the highest authority within the Keris Chamber of Commerce.
Mapell raised an eyebrow, knowing these two must have been gossiping again.
She turned her head with a look of helplessness and handed the token to Lin Yue.
“Here, this is a very important keepsake. Don’t lose it…”
Lin Yue took the token, feeling that it carried an incredibly heavy significance, even weightier than a bar of gold.
He glanced at the two receptionists again.
One was a simpleton and the other was a sourpuss—a classic comedic duo.
As ornaments on the massive commercial ship that was the Keris Chamber of Commerce, they seemed quite amusing.
Lin Yue smiled, thinking this place had its merits.
Otherwise, how could it have become a top-tier power?
“Look, look… When does Miss Mapell ever speak to someone in that tone? Something is definitely wrong —”
Ruby seemingly hadn’t said enough.
While the two were talking, she tugged on Clara’s sleeve again.
“You two seem a bit idle. Do you want to go back to managing the archives?”
Looking at these two distracted girls, Mapell narrowed her eyes, scanning them with the threatening gaze of a capitalist.
Ruby jumped in shock and immediately stood at attention, her voice softening as she said, “Please… please don’t punish me… Ugh!”
Clara, the “sourpuss” beside her, tried to smooth things over by delivering a hand-chop to the top of Ruby’s head.
She couldn’t guarantee that Miss Mapell wouldn’t hold a grudge.
“Please forgive her recklessness. Don’t dock my salary (whispering)…”
Mapell sighed.
There was nothing she could do; their performance was actually quite good.
She decided to let them gossip as they pleased.
It was all this guy’s fault.
Why did he have to look so unique?
In the academy, most people believed that the strong were respected, and appearance was merely a bonus, not something vital.
But in the outside world, a person’s first impression came from their looks.
Being plain-looking could dispel many thoughts people might have about you.
After bidding farewell to the comedy duo, Mapell continued to lead Lin Yue deeper into the chamber.
Because of the minor incident in the hall, Mapell lamented that being good-looking was indeed a hassle.
That was why she wore glasses and wrapped herself up so tightly—to avoid drawing too much attention.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Mapell said with dissatisfaction, “Can’t you disguise yourself to be a bit more scruffy? Be like me and stop being so eye-catching…”
With a wig on, he had become a common handsome guy that one could see anywhere on the street.
Although he didn’t care much about his appearance, he even felt that being so easily noticed was not a good thing.
“Then should I wear glasses like you?”
Lin Yue thought that since Mapell did it, wearing glasses might help hide his true features, so it was worth a try.
“No… that won’t work…”
If he walked around in glasses, who knew what would happen?
If some rich young noblewoman in the Royal Capital caught sight of him, it wasn’t impossible for him to be snatched away as a boy toy.
After passing through several layers of restrictions, the two finally reached the high-level meeting room deep within the chamber.
Mapell stood before the large door, took a deep breath, and prepared herself mentally.
“Don’t speak until I tell you to. Got it?”
Lin Yue nodded.
He knew this was her home turf, and it would indeed be inappropriate for him to offer opinions randomly.
Mapell pressed one fist against her chest, tightly clutching the token.
With an air of determination, she raised it… The door to the meeting room began to glow and slowly unlock because of the token.
The door opened automatically.
Lin Yue looked up and found several middle-aged men in their forties or fifties sitting around the conference table, forming a sharp contrast with the young Mapell.
“Miss Kristoliel, the ‘few minutes’ you mentioned seems to have been quite long.”
A middle-aged man spoke, glancing at his wristwatch with dissatisfaction in his tone.
“You should know that a meeting cannot proceed when the host is absent, right?”
Mapell didn’t answer immediately.
She simply led Lin Yue to the head of the conference table and took her seat.
“I seem to recall that you are never this proactive except when it’s time for dividends. Usually, you are the one who leaves early… Regardless, I apologize to everyone this time.”
She glanced at Lin Yue but didn’t rush to introduce him.
Instead, she resumed the meeting that had just been interrupted, intending to wait for the right atmosphere before making the introduction.
The surrounding shareholders seemed unfazed, assuming this man was just a bodyguard Mapell had found somewhere.
This gave Lin Yue a moment to organize the information he had.
He stroked his chin, his eyes shifting as a serious expression appeared on his face.
A blue-haired girl who could stop time, a mysterious diviner… This was the first time since his reincarnation that he felt a sense of ‘insufficient information.’
His Future Sight was gradually losing its value.
These newly appearing characters had already begun to seriously interfere with his judgment.
He was glad he had chosen to come out, expand his network, and reveal more of the map.
Holding onto the information he had without adapting would be as fatal as a country closing its borders.
‘Perhaps one day in the future, I’ll really need to find an opportunity to work alone. It might be better to increase the cards in my hand as much as possible without interfering with the main storyline…’
“What?”
Just as he was thinking, a shareholder suddenly cried out in surprise, filled with disbelief and disdain, snapping Lin Yue out of his thoughts.
“Hey…”
Mapell, beside him, nudged him twice to remind him that the main event had arrived.
“Miss Kristoliel, is this the partner you said you wanted to introduce?”
The surrounding middle-aged men looked on with contempt.
Seeing that youthful face, they assumed he was some boy toy Mapell had found somewhere, and they didn’t believe he could bring any hope to the chamber of commerce.
Mapell looked at Lin Yue, then scanned the major shareholders of the entire chamber.
She took a deep breath and said, “Yes. From now on, this gentleman holds the same authority as I do within the Keris Chamber of Commerce. He can mobilize all the resources in my hands…”
“Allow me to introduce him. His name is —”
“Please, wait a moment.”
A middle-aged man with half-gray hair stood up.
Judging by the expression on his face, he was the one with the strongest objection among them.