Within the City of Sin, the City Lord's Mansion was heavily guarded.
City Lord
Who held the highest authority on Winterend Island?
It wasn't the three great powers, but the Overseers. The Overseers represented the will of the entire Rejuvenation Island Domain, held the power of life and death over Winterend Island, and maintained the basic order of the island.
Of course, for the Overseers, the only order they needed to maintain was ensuring no one escaped. They didn't care how dark, how terrifying, or how bloodthirsty Winterend Island was on a daily basis.
In fact, they rather enjoyed it.
That was the very purpose of Winterend Island's existence.
And among the Overseers, the most powerful figure was the Chief Commander.
The Chief Commander was the central nexus of all authority on Winterend Island. With countless powerful subordinates under his command, he held absolute power over life and death on the island.
If the Chief Commander wanted someone dead, it was nothing more than a single word.
Even someone of City Lord Xie Wushang's caliber could at best struggle in his final moments—there was no escaping death.
So upon hearing that this was an envoy sent by the Chief Commander himself, how could Xie Wushang dare to show any negligence?
He sprang to his feet immediately, dressed himself, adjusted his appearance, and strode out quickly.
"Your Excellency has honored us with his presence. Xie failed to greet you at the gate—a thousand apologies, a thousand apologies." In front of the Chief Commander's envoy, Xie Wushang appeared exceedingly courteous.
The envoy wore a blank expression, revealing no emotion.
His eyebrows twitched slightly. "City Lord Xie, the Chief Commander has received the directive from the Rejuvenation Island Domain. This time, the reception level for Winterend Island is the highest in history. The Chief Commander attaches great importance to it. The task assigned to you—you must accelerate your pace. Under no circumstances may you delay the Chief Commander's great undertaking. If you do, you know the consequences..."
The envoy's tone clearly carried the weight of a warning.
Far from being offended, Xie Wushang merely lowered his head meekly and promised: "Please rest assured, the Chief Commander. I am employing the highest standards this time, mobilizing the greatest resources, and will prepare everything exactly as the Chief Commander has ordered. There will be absolutely no errors."
It was evident that Xie Wushang held the Chief Commander in considerable dread. In his words, there was not the slightest hint of negligence. Even facing merely the Chief Commander's envoy, he had to tread carefully.
"Good. Time is tight. The honored guests we're receiving this time are not merely nobles and lords from the Rejuvenation Island Domain, but also young scions of top-tier noble houses from the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. Tend to your affairs wisely. If you perform well, the Chief Commander may be pleased enough to grant you your freedom. If you perform poorly, the Chief Commander will suffer the consequences. And if the Chief Commander suffers—well, you know your own fate."
Xie Wushang's heart turned cold. He understood that this time was truly different. Even the Chief Commander himself was merely following orders from above.
The Chief Commander was nothing more than a subordinate of the higher-ups in the Rejuvenation Island Domain. If this matter wasn't handled properly, those higher-ups could just as easily bring ruin to the Chief Commander.
And once the Chief Commander fell, Xie Wushang would certainly die.
At this thought, Xie Wushang made his pledge once more: "I will spare no effort."
The envoy waved his hand. "The Chief Commander wants results, not your grand promises. I can see that your City of Sin's progress is extremely slow, and the Chief Commander is already growing displeased. He suspects—might you be harboring sentiments of negligence?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I will immediately issue the City Lord's Mansion's highest decree. I absolutely will not be negligent."
"Very well. I have delivered my message. See to it wisely." The envoy had no interest in further conversation with Xie Wushang. He tilted his chin aloofly and turned to leave.
It was clear that, relying on his status as the Chief Commander's confidant, the envoy showed Xie Wushang little in the way of respect.
Though Xie Wushang felt somewhat displeased by the envoy's attitude, he didn't even dare complain in his heart. He knew that the Chief Commander was indeed taking this matter very seriously.
It seemed he would need to accelerate his progress and intensify his efforts.
After a moment's deliberation, Xie Wushang summoned all of his trusted advisors and issued his command: "Transmit my order—the standards of this selection competition are to be doubled once more. Raise them to the highest level in history. All rewards and titles are to be upgraded to the maximum."
Xie Wushang's attitude left the advisors in the City Lord's Mansion quite astonished. The selection competition itself had already been rather sudden, and its standards were already quite high.
Yet the City Lord's tone clearly indicated he still found those standards insufficient. He was actually intensifying efforts and raising them even further.
"My lord, isn't this somewhat too hasty? Selecting talent is certainly important. However, raising the standards any further would be going too far. After all, the City Lord's Mansion has its hierarchical talent structure, and everyone works faithfully for you, my lord. Their salaries and benefits do not exceed the current selection standards. If we double them again and raise them even higher, there's no guarantee there won't be complaints."
"Indeed, the selection is meant for newcomers. Offering such generous treatment and standards for newcomers—wouldn't the City Lord's veteran subordinates feel disheartened?"
"My lord's eagerness to find talent is something we deeply understand. However, such an approach may invite criticism and breed resentment among the old guard."
These advisors were offering their advice in all sincerity. Their arguments were quite reasonable. After all, the selection was only for newcomers—setting the standards too high would be an affront to the veterans.
Xie Wushang also knew they made valid points.