The Governor-General (Asking for Monthly Votes at the Start of the Month)

After ten in the morning, the front courtyard of the Governor-General's Mansion gradually grew lively.

More and more hovering sedans and Flying Shuttles filled the parking lot and Landing Pad. Most of the arrivals wore dark formal attire and came from the Government Affairs Council, though some wore the plain silk robes commonly favored by merchants.

Most of them were chief officials from the Redstone Region's eight administrative districts, heads of key departments, and the managers of several major trading houses that had long worked with the Governor-General's Mansion.

At this time every month, they would arrive at the courtyard on schedule to submit reports, receive instructions, coordinate cross-district affairs, and assist the Governor-General's Mansion staff in auditing certain data.

Suddenly, a pitch-black hovering sedan drove in from the inner city. Once it came to a stop at its berth, the rear door was pushed open from within, and a figure stepped out.

It was Ding Qu, director of the Redstone City Defense Bureau.

He wore a crisply pressed white uniform. His appearance was unremarkable, but his brows and eyes carried the calm peculiar to someone who had spent years dealing with official documents and case files.

His background was also formidable, for he was a clansman of Ding Mu, director of the City Defense General Bureau.

However, he had never put on airs. Whether speaking with district chiefs or exchanging pleasantries with trading house managers, he maintained the same courteous tone.

As he walked deeper along the front courtyard path, people constantly came forward to greet him. He stopped to shake hands and speak with each of them, and before long, a small group had gathered behind him. They chatted as they moved toward the office area beneath the shadows cast by the courtyard wall.

The Governor-General's Mansion office