Monocle

Perhaps the angle at which the head of the Environmental Affairs Bureau bowed in apology had been just right—even heaven itself had been moved. At noon on May 6, a sudden torrential rain poured down, quickly washing away the atmospheric dust left by the previous night's music festival fireworks.

In contrast, over at Ban City's cruise terminal, the Emerald Light's departure ceremony had to end in disarray. The well-dressed gentlemen and ladies waving to one another aboard and below the ship swiftly vanished beneath blooming umbrellas.

A low horn sounded long and deep as the Emerald Light sailed out of the cruise terminal.

Yin Le stood among the people seeing it off, using her thoughts to control the data projection over her retina. It was the Emerald Light's passenger list. Nothing unusual stood out. If she had to pick at something, it was probably that the luxury cruise ship that had just departed did not carry many truly heavyweight figures.

In fact, few of the people currently aboard were qualified to take part in the high-spec High Seas Auction ten days from now.

Real big shots never followed other people's rules.

Just like the man she served.

Yet it was precisely people like that who truly dictated how events unfolded.

The ceremony ended in haste. Amid the chaos caused by the sudden downpour, people could finally release their true emotions. Yin Le heard many sighs of relief. In her view, they were not merely because of the cruise ship that had just left port, but also because of factors far beyond everyone's sight.

At that moment, her wristband vibrated with a message:

"Flight NH5753 has arrived."

Yin Le also let out a long breath, unconsciously blending into the surrounding atmosphere.

With the safe landing of the direct flight from Ban