Chapter 401: You Choose the Time and Place!

Were there really that many players in the Capital?

Yang Ling's mind stirred, and he sent a reply to Zhang Wei.

[Yang Ling (Private Chat): I've also arrived in the Capital to report for duty. If you need any help, just reach out.]

[Zhang Wei (Private Chat): You're in the Capital? That case is resolved?]

[Yang Ling (Private Chat): It's a long story. Let's talk when we meet next time.]

[Zhang Wei (Private Chat): Fair enough. I just joined the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, and there's still a lot I'm trying to figure out. Let's catch up once I sort things out.]

He closed the Divine Realm Communication Channel.

Xu Wenjun had already led his men out.

Lu Yunchen also stepped out of the cabin at that moment, stretching lazily.

"This is the largest canal wharf in the Capital, and it's also where the Water Transport Guild's main headquarters is located."

Xu Wenjun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly watching the bustling wharf.

"The Water Transport Guild's main headquarters?"

A hint of curiosity flickered in Yang Ling's eyes.

The Zhao State's Water Transport Guild seemed low-key, yet somehow indispensable.

Whether it was martial artists or government officials, everyone needed the guild's boats for travel.

"The Water Transport Guild probably has at least a Fourth-Rank Grandmaster overseeing it, maybe even a Third-Rank Grandmaster Supreme. Only someone with that kind of standing could prop up such a faction."

As Yang Ling was thinking this, the fast boat had already pulled up to the shore.

A supervisor on the boat hurried forward, bowing and scraping as he led Xu Wenjun off the boat.

At the same time, Yun Buchuan arrived at the wharf with dozens of Ironclad Department agents.

When the nearby guild disciples saw this scene, they felt a slight start, wondering what was happening.

It wasn't until they saw a group of Ironclad Department agents disembarking from a fast boat that they realized, these people were here to pick someone up.

They didn't think much more about it and went back to their work.

"Isn't that Yun Buchuan, Director of the Third Division of the Public Security Department in the Ironclad Department? I heard he's considered a top expert even among the natives of the Divine Realm!"

A group of players who had joined the Water Transport Guild stopped in their tracks, staring toward Yun Buchuan with a mix of awe and longing in their eyes.

"Top expert? That's an understatement. I asked around, he's a Fifth-Rank Lesser Master! Even Number One on the Ranking, Yang Ling, probably hasn't reached that level."

"Obviously. That Fifth-Rank expert spent decades cultivating to get where he is. How can we players compare? Even the top ranker has only been in the game for less than a year."

"These natives probably have ridiculously high base attributes. At our current leveling speed, we should just set our sights on Ninth-Rank first! As long as we get registered at Ranked Level, we can land a supervisor position in the guild, and leveling up will be even easier from there."

"I heard that the top ranker is already a Sixth-Rank Ironclad in the Ironclad Department. A lot of natives have been talking about him lately."

"Sixth-Rank Ironclad... damn, that's a lot of authority, isn't it? That's got to be at least a division-level position, right?"

"Minimum division-level!"

The group of guild players exchanged glances, then let out sighs of envy.

"That class change path is great, but the requirements here in the Capital are too harsh. Without someone to recommend you, you can't even qualify to be a regular constable."

"But it's fine. Once we register at Ranked Level, we can grease some palms and still get a chance to join the Ironclad Department. Let's just keep hauling cargo and focus on leveling up!"

In the distance, Xu Wenjun suddenly glanced across the wharf and smiled at the guild supervisor beside him.

"Your guild's disciples have been growing in number lately."

The supervisor chuckled. "Quite a few vagrants have flooded in recently, and they work hard. The Ironclad Department needed to settle them, so they ordered our guild to take in most of them."

Xu Wenjun nodded slightly. That was normal.

Yang Ling felt a bit of emotion. No wonder Zhang Wei said there were a lot of players in the Capital.

In the dense array of status panels before his eyes, he had already spotted at least several thousand that belonged to players with levels and HP.

Most of these players had already changed class to guild disciples, with Class: Guild Boatman.

Yun Buchuan brought his men up to them at that moment, and the nearby guild boatmen all instinctively stepped aside.

Even some merchants didn't dare approach.

After all, these Ironclad Department agents in front of them were either wearing Fourth-Rank Ironclad, Fifth-Rank Ironclad, or Sixth-Rank Ironclad.

These were all big-shot-level existences.

Yun Buchuan cleared his throat.

"The Department Head ordered me to collect your official seals."

Xu Wenjun didn't say a word, just glanced at Hong Ruohai.

Seeing this, Hong Ruohai stepped forward and handed over all three official seals to Yun Buchuan.

After confirming they were authentic, Yun Buchuan gave a slight nod and handed each of them a letter of duty report, stamped with his own seal, indicating that the official seal handover was complete.

"Gentlemen, the Department Head wants to see you right now. Follow me."

Yun Buchuan said.

"The Department Head wants to see us right now?"

A strange look crossed Xu Wenjun's face, but he didn't say anything more.

The group followed Yun Buchuan toward the exit of the wharf.

However, just as they were about to leave the wharf, one Confucian Scholar after another appeared.

Xu Wenjun's expression shifted slightly, and his footsteps faltered.

Yun Buchuan frowned.

One of the scholars swept his gaze across the group and immediately locked onto Lu Yunchen.

"You are Lu Yunchen, Director of the First Division of the Public Security Department in the Yunwen Provincial Capital Ironclad Department?"

Lu Yunchen frowned. "I'm not. I'm Shi Xin. Director Lu is on another boat and hasn't arrived in the Capital yet."

The scholar was momentarily stunned, and then an old acquaintance slowly stepped out from among the scholars. It was none other than Gu Weizhou from the Star Observation Academy.

"This bastard got released too..."

Yang Ling's expression turned unpleasant.

Gu Weizhou looked at Lu Yunchen with a half-smile, contempt blazing in his eyes.

"Director Lu, why won't you even admit your own identity anymore?"

Only then did the scholar from before realize he had almost been fooled by Lu Yunchen, and fury burned in his eyes.

"Gu Weizhou, you got released this quickly?"

Lu Yunchen was also somewhat surprised.

"I haven't violated any law of the Zhao State. Did the Ironclad Department think they could lock me up forever? Dream on."

Gu Weizhou sneered repeatedly.

"You Ironclad Department people are a bunch of incompetents. You let Kong Xinghu, Vice Director of the Merit Evaluation Division under the Ministry of Personnel, die in Xiangfeng Prefectural Capital. You're all a bunch of useless gluttons!"

The dozens of scholars he brought with him immediately started cursing on the spot, every insult dripping with poetic flair and literary flourish.

The nearby guild boatmen all stopped to watch the spectacle, though they didn't seem particularly surprised.

These scholars from the Star Observation Academy had always acted this arrogantly in the Capital, and they were already used to it.

Yang Ling immediately opened the status panels of these scholars, wanting to see if Luo Kai was mixed in among them.

His transcendent perception also spread out, and if anyone was watching him, he would notice immediately.

Lu Yunchen kept a blank expression and didn't retort. He had already guessed that the civil official faction had exerted its influence to get Gu Weizhou released this early without facing harsher punishment.

As for being cursed at by these scholars, he was long accustomed to it.

Xu Wenjun also stayed silent at this moment, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

After Gu Weizhou finished cursing Lu Yunchen, his gaze suddenly landed on Yang Ling.

Yang Ling immediately pointed at Gu Weizhou's nose and cursed back.

"Old wrinkled prick, how dare you insult this official!?"

"Believe it or not, this official will knock you flat with one punch!"

"If you've got any guts, stop running your mouth and fight me one-on-one!"

"Time and place, your choice!"

[8.8 points, brothers! Six chapters delivered!]