Following the information on the work badge, Li Xingkong found his way to Luke Morgan's office without trouble.
As expected of one of Freedom City's foremost figures, even though he might not use the place once a month, its grandeur alone was enough to show off its owner's status.
It wasn't on any floor of the council hall. Behind the council's main building stood a separate building for him to work in.
The building itself looked like an ordinary three-story office block, its exterior decorations consistent with the council's overall style. If he hadn't followed the directions here, Li Xingkong would have thought it was a building reserved for receiving foreign guests.
He went around to the side entrance reserved for staff and found guards already stationed at the door.
Judging by their equipment, these guards were genuinely top-of-the-line. Compared with the guards at the council entrance, their appearance alone made it clear that their deterrent power was on a whole different level.
Because he had a work badge, the guards didn't come forward to stop Li Xingkong and simply let him in. He'd already made it into the council, so what problem could there be with his identity? Were the council's security guards just eating for free?
Unfortunately, the guards at the council entrance had been thinking the same thing: the security inside was better anyway, so they could just go through the motions.
It just went to show that having companies A and B work on a project at the same time really was a difficult problem. The highly efficient companies found in elementary school textbooks were indeed rare.
Li Xingkong had barely entered the office building and found a suitable spot when someone was already waiting for him.
"New here? I don't care who you are or what you used to do. None of that matters."
An elderly butler who looked exceptionally strict had already come forward. His white, wavy hair was parted down the middle, and his clothes were extremely refined.
He spoke without a trace of politeness right off the bat, not caring in the slightest what Li Xingkong had done before. To him, whatever someone did, they were nothing but one of this big shot's dogs.
Without waiting for Li Xingkong to answer, he stepped forward and scrutinized him carefully.
"Clothes, poor review. Work uniform quality, poor review. You didn't even wash your hair before coming in today!"
After circling Li Xingkong twice, the old butler had dissatisfaction written all over him. But the way he casually glanced at the time made it clear there was no time to find a replacement.
Li Xingkong just stood there quietly, making no other move. There was no need for one at a time like this.
"I hope I can still see you in Freedom City after today. Someone, take him to practice umbrella-holding etiquette!"
The old butler waved someone over to take charge of Li Xingkong. As he left, he wrinkled his nose in disgust and held a tissue over it.
Li Xingkong rubbed his nose. The butler seemed rather obsessed with cleanliness, but it didn't matter. Once today was over, he'd slip away and never see him again.
"So you're the unlucky guy they sent over at the last minute?"
The man who had come to fetch Li Xingkong hadn't dared breathe loudly in front of the butler. Once the butler left, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes, that's me. So what am I here to do?"
"The boss is here for a meeting today, and there's an outdoor speech. He needs someone from the council to accompany him."
The man waved for Li Xingkong to follow and explained in a low voice as they walked.
"As for your job, you'll hold an umbrella over the boss during the speech, keep the sun or rain off him and so on."
"Huh? I heard this big shot was pretty sturdy. Does he really need that?"
Li Xingkong didn't quite understand. It wasn't hot enough to kill anyone, so why did he need someone to hold an umbrella? And not even one of his own people-the council had to send someone.
"Yeah, the boss is sturdy. Accordingly, doesn't that mean your boss has to be a little softer?"
There was a meaning behind the man's words, and Li Xingkong understood it.
The council was no longer able to keep Luke Morgan in check, and he was starting to show off his status. What could be more fitting than having a member of the council serve him personally?
"Then why not find someone more convincing? Like a councilor or something?"
Li Xingkong was sure that not a single person in the entire council knew him. Was there really any point in choosing him?
"The person doesn't matter. What matters is the identity you represent, the skin you're wearing."
The two of them kept walking as they talked and soon arrived at a preparation room with its door shut.
The man stepped forward, opened the door for Li Xingkong, and motioned for him to enter. He himself stood by the door, showing no intention of going in.
"Some advice: once you're done today, get ready to move to another city. There's nothing good waiting for a nobody caught between the council and the boss."
Li Xingkong entered the preparation room, and the man pulled the door shut. But at the last moment, he still offered Li Xingkong a few quiet words of advice. Perhaps it was a sudden impulse of kindness.
"Thank you."
As the door slammed shut, Li Xingkong turned his attention to the room. It was simply an umbrella room, filled with umbrellas. Dozens of black cabinets stood inside, each containing all kinds of umbrellas, and tags hung beneath the cabinet doors, stating when each umbrella was to be used.
"Damn, even emperors in ancient times wouldn't have dared play it like this."
Li Xingkong clicked his tongue. Picking a plaque just to use an umbrella-rich people really had too much time on their hands.
He picked an umbrella according to the date and followed the man guiding him all the way to the venue.
He waited at the venue for several hours. The square went from empty to packed with reporters coming and going, and the scene grew chaotic.
After waiting so long, Li Xingkong was genuinely a little uncomfortable, so he decided to add another big slap across Luke Morgan's face later.
After another stretch of time, the noise at the venue suddenly rose to another level. Li Xingkong got up and looked over. The main attraction was arriving.
A crowd of people emerged from the council's main entrance and headed this way.
Li Xingkong spotted Luke Morgan leading the group from a long way off. Given his appearance and age, it was hard for him not to stand out among a bunch of old men. People from the Prisoner Continent were naturally tall and strong, and Luke Morgan even more so. Standing among this group, he looked as though he'd wandered into a kindergarten. He was also powerfully built, and all his clothes looked tight on him. There was no doubt that if he tensed his body, he could pop every button down his front.
The group slowly approached. At a signal from someone beside him, Li Xingkong picked up the umbrella and stood to one side, ready to step forward.
No wonder they had to pick someone carefully even to hold an umbrella. With someone else, even holding it up, they might not reach his height.
Standing to one side, Li Xingkong was even in the mood to applaud the newcomer. He wasn't in any hurry.
After all, he only wanted to slap the man twice. What bad intentions could he possibly have?
When the group reached the foot of the stage, the others stopped. That was Li Xingkong's cue to step in.
He opened the umbrella, hurried up to take the place of the people beside Luke Morgan, and raised his arm high to hold it over him.
It wasn't as though he couldn't make his move now. Li Xingkong just wanted to hear what Luke Morgan had to say. After all, everything that had shaped his impression of the man before, all his deeds, had been recounted by others. He had never gotten to know him firsthand.