Spirit City had not fully awakened at dawn, but the Papal Hall was already as cold as an icehouse.
Bai Jin stood below the steps. His coat had three tears in it, and mud from the valley still clung to his cuff. He looked down at it twice, his distress entirely sincere.
"This was pretty expensive."
Bibi Dong gripped her scepter, her gaze fixed on his face.
"I asked where Tang Hao went."
"Southwest." Bai Jin thought for a moment. "He was moving fast, but he had two wounded people with him. He won't be back anytime soon."
"You could have caught him."
"I did."
"You could have stopped them, too."
Bai Jin raised his bandaged right hand and gave it a shake.
"Your Holiness, getting hit with the Clear Sky Hammer still hurts. If you're that curious, I'll call him back next time and let you try it yourself."
Several Red Robed Cardinals lowered their heads at once, trying their hardest to resemble pillars without ears.
Bibi Dong's eyes grew cold.
"Bai Jin, you obstructed Yue Guan and Gui Mei, then let Tang Hao take away a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Either offense would be enough for the Elder Hall to put you on trial."
"I'll admit to the first one," Bai Jin replied without hesitation. "There were still thousands of people in the square. If two Titled Douluo had fought there, who would have answered for the casualties?"
"As for the second, Tang Hao smashed his way through Papal Mountain. I gave chase and even gained a level on the way back. Polish the battle report a little, and by any measure, I worked very hard."
He paused, then added one more thing.
"You can keep the overtime pay. Just don't leave out my contribution."
The hall remained quiet