I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 277, Section 1.20: Going Against the Grain
"Vice President! There's a letter for you!" The man knocked on the heavy glass door, then stood at the door and shouted loudly.

"Come in." After receiving a response, he opened the door and went inside.

This is an extremely simply decorated office. Apart from the desk and chair, the only eye-catching thing is the bookshelf, with a potted plant next to it. That's all the decoration.

Sitting at the desk was an extremely handsome man. After he entered, the man slightly raised his eyes, and his long, narrow blue eyes fixed on him.

He swallowed hard, feeling a little resentful towards the guy who had suddenly become so physically eager that he had assigned him the errand-running task.

She slowly walked up to him and handed him a letter.

Shui Qi took the letter, opened it, glanced at it casually, and then suddenly frowned.

Invitation to the Duke of Rabbit's Tea Party?

He had a bad feeling that something was going to happen at this tea party.

The date is March 3.13th next year. Judging from the introduction, it seems that some players will be randomly invited to participate in the tea party, and there are no requirements.

But if there really was no requirement, then why was his title of Crown Prince specifically written down?

Shui Qi stared at the invitation in her hand, lost in thought.

The man missed his chance to leave and stood there blankly, unsure whether to speak or wait for Shui Qi to notice him.

'Boom dong dong'

There was a knock on the door, and a gentle voice came from outside, "May I come in?"

"Come in," Shui Qi said, then turned her gaze to the man. "Why are you still here?"

"Ah, I'll leave right away!" the man said in a panic, and then hurriedly left.

Horus watched with a puzzled expression as someone walked past him, seemingly ignoring him completely, not only failing to greet him but also completely ignoring him.

After he went inside, he subconsciously glanced at the time on his wristwatch and said, "There's a meeting later that I need you to attend in my place."

"What meeting?" Shui Qi raised an eyebrow, her long, narrow blue eyes sweeping over Horus with a detached gaze.

"I have something urgent to attend to at the meeting regarding the tasks that the other regional managers of the association need to take over, and I need you to chair it for me." Horus said casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"..." Shui Qi remained silent in every reply, a dark glint flashing in her narrow blue eyes.

He chuckled and said to Horus, "You haven't told me what to do next either."

"The initial purpose of establishing the Conquerors' Association was to find someone, so we must expand our influence to the maximum. Now it's time to take action." However, he gradually forgot about this purpose, and even he couldn't remember the specific characteristics of the person he was looking for.

This world will gradually assimilate the players, making them forget all their memories of the outside world step by step, and eventually merge with this world.

At least Shui Qi had long forgotten about looking for someone; if Horus hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have remembered it at all.

"I understand," Shui Qi nodded.

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, it was clear she didn't want to be with Horus. Since the September instance, Shui Qi had been staying in the office handling various association follow-up matters, seemingly avoiding something or trying to numb herself to something.

After seeing the new list of crown princes, he remained silent for three whole days, then laughed like a madman for a long time, and finally wrote a letter and sent it out.

Then things returned to normal, but there was no intention of going out.

"By the way, a new player joined a few days ago. If you'd like, you could guide him through the newly discovered dungeon so he can get familiar with it as quickly as possible." Horuston paused, then added, "If you'd rather not, I'll personally guide him when I get back."

"In person?" Shui Qi looked at Horus with a half-smile and said, "You would be so kind?"

"He is a rare talent. We have suffered a great loss since Daolin left. His mind is comparable to yours and Daolin's. It would be a pity not to make good use of such a talent."

A few days ago, Bertias suddenly appeared in front of him, claiming to be a new player.

Although he had some doubts about his motives, after hearing some of his opinions, he was certain that this was a player who had come because of his reputation and genuinely wanted to join the Strategist Association.

"The association only has two crown princes, which is too few. Having a few more would make it easier to attract new players and also facilitate our goals," Horus reminded.

"I understand. Where is he now?" Shui Qi lowered her eyes and looked down at the paper in front of her, asking softly.

Praised so highly by Horus, he became curious about this Bertias. He hoped he wasn't the same type as Daolin, otherwise he feared he might not be able to resist shooting him on the spot.

"I'll be back to report in three minutes. My time is up, so I'm leaving now." Horus turned around, a hint of coldness flashing across his face before he quickly regained his usual indifference, opened the door, and walked out.

After Horus left, Shui Qi's expression remained unchanged, but the hand gripping the letter tightened slightly.

"Still so self-righteous, only giving me notice from beginning to end. Can't you consider my feelings?" he said through gritted teeth in a low voice. "That's why I hate you so much, you're such an eyesore."

He snorted coldly, his expression returning to its original calm.

I took a packet of cocoa powder from the drawer, casually opened it, poured it into a cup, and made a cup of hot cocoa with hot water.

After taking a sip, his furrowed brows relaxed.

My initially bad mood was calmed down at this moment.

Every time I see Horus, I want to smash that book in his face. It was the same back in interstellar space; he took advantage of being Horus's superior to dump all the work on him. He was just parachuted in; that position was originally his. Why did this guy always have to be above him?
He couldn't see any strength in this person that was greater than his own, and even now he was unwilling to willingly submit to this person.

"Phew~" Shui Qi let out a long sigh, her narrow blue eyes gazing thoughtfully at the letter in front of her.

It's time to do something...

Bertias?
I don't know what kind of person he is, but if I can make good use of him, it will save him the trouble of looking for other people.

Very few people can earn Horus's high praise, so this guy might be a breakthrough. However, it's best not to draw conclusions before he meets and understands this person's true nature.

No one is trustworthy, and you can't entrust your back to anyone, but if there are enough benefits, no one will refuse.

(End of this chapter)