After reaching the maximum level, my "soft rice system" finally arrived.

At the end of that meeting, a high-ranking official asked the leader where such a horrifying dragon-slaying technique came from.

Their leader simply smiled faintly and said, "You should thank His Highness Charles of the Black Tower for that."

The supervisor didn't take it to heart at first, since as two of the few legendary powerhouses in the Western Continent, it wasn't surprising that Xia Er and the leader knew each other.

But now that I think about it, and considering His Highness Charles's initiative to come to my door—

The leader's faint smile at that moment suddenly seemed to take on a deeper meaning.

As the supervisor in charge of education and training, he is also a cultured person who enjoys reading.

And in the romance novels in Black Tower Bookstore, when describing the secret love between male and female protagonists with opposing positions and identities, aren't they all described with this kind of "a slight smile, everything is understood without words"?

hiss--

The supervisor gasped at his discovery.

The leader has been in charge of the Shadow Council for at least a hundred years, and if he remembers correctly, His Majesty Charles is only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old this year.

This is a classic case of an older man dating a younger woman.

If this kind of sensational news were sold in the Shadow Council, it would easily fetch hundreds of thousands of gold coins, making it a super headline.

But the supervisor calmed down the next moment.

Then, he slapped himself hard across the face.

Out of professional instinct, the supervisor subconsciously began to assess the value of this intelligence, to the point that he forgot who he was actually working for.

If I were to actually sell this information and offend two of the three major powers of the Western Continent, then unless I immediately switch sides to the Church of Dawn, I'm afraid the entire Shadow Council and even the Western Continent would be unable to find me the next day.

Moreover, according to the Dawn Church's channels, Dawn Saintess Sylvia seems to have a very special relationship with Charles... Even if he really switched sides and went to the Dawn Church, he probably wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

hiss--

The supervisor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, carefully suppressing the restless professional instincts within him, and then dialed the dedicated line to headquarters.

The waters here are too deep; for someone as insignificant as him, it's a slippery slope he can't even touch.

I should just focus on doing my job well.

Perhaps this will even earn him the leader's favor, and he might be promoted to a regional manager for the entire empire.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Odd Changes, Even Remains the Same

Within the hidden door lies a secondary dimension established by the Shadow Council.

Once he arrived here, Charles felt much more at home.

Most of the guests in the secondary plane concealed their identities by wearing masks. Those without money simply covered their faces with a piece of black cloth, while those with money wore magical masks that could hide magical fluctuations.

The unmasked Charles became an oddity here, attracting the attention of many.

However, until one reaches the legendary level, it is clear that no one can see through the "self-disciplined cognitive distortion" and "double illusion" that Ciel has solidified within himself.

Unable to discern Charles's origins, the guests all turned their attention away.

Charles waited for a while in the sub-plane, but the supervisor did not arrive. He guessed that the supervisor was busy with something, so he wandered around the sub-plane at his leisure.

The secondary planes have a wide variety of businesses, including not only the classic trade of intelligence, but also the trading of items and countless anonymous commissions for various missions.

Moreover, compared to the Adventurers' Guild, where almost all the quests are uniformly about defeating a certain number of monsters or escorting a caravan to a certain location—quests that can all be resolved by force—the anonymous quest log in the Shadow Council is much more diverse.

For example, it's clearly the work of a noblewoman: "Investigate the extramarital affair between Earl Aoyama and a dancer at the Imperial Opera House, and collect substantial evidence; the reward is generous."

Another example is the chillingly suggestive "a hefty reward for making a military knight instructor from the Aran Empire fall in love with a man."

Another anonymous request, written not in the common language of the Western Continent but in an ancient language, caught Sharl's attention—

"I am a lord from the northern part of the continent. Recently, a large number of plastic straws of unknown origin have appeared in my territory, which has caused great trouble to our lives. Anyone with information is requested to go to the Desolate Mountains to hand over the information."

The Barren Mountains are located at the northernmost point of the Western Continent, and are also the passage between the Abyss Plane and the Western Continent. They are guarded by powerful figures from the far north year-round.

These days, even demons have learned to use the Shadow Council to issue commissions.

Charles marveled.

He browsed around the entrustment column, greatly satisfying his curiosity.

Indeed, gossip is human nature, and I am no exception.

Just then, Charles noticed a group of masked guests heading in one direction, so he grabbed a Shadow Council employee and asked, "What are they doing?"

“These guests are on their way to our Shadow Council’s monthly auction.”

The employee spoke quite respectfully.

Almost all those who can enter the secondary plane within the Shadow Council are fourth-order or higher superhumans, or have a powerful background and special connections that allow them to enter. No matter which one it is, they are not people that a lowly employee like him can afford to offend.

As he spoke, the employee quietly lowered his voice: "And this guest, I can give you a heads-up that there will be several top-tier auction items in this auction."

"Many distinguished guests have come to this auction, specifically for the final few items."

"is it?"

The other person's words piqued Charles's interest slightly; he knew the Shadow Council's nature—

The fact that the other party so carefully refers to it as the final auction item means that even if it is not at the level of legendary weapons, it is almost certainly something that is related to legendary powerhouses.

Since there was nothing else to do but wait, Charles said, "Then take me to see it."

According to the Shadow Council's system, every employee who helps a customer with their purchases receives a percentage of the customer's transaction amount. So, the employee naturally didn't refuse, saying, "Okay, please follow me."

……

By the time Charles entered the auction venue, the Shadow Council's high-end auction was already in its middle stages.

"Seven thousand gold coins once, seven thousand gold coins twice, seven thousand gold coins three times."

"Very well, this gentleman has purchased the 'Life-Size Female Orc Action Figure,' a custom-made piece by the Black Tower Golem School."

The auctioneer, who was in charge of the auction, tapped the table three times with a small wooden hammer to confirm the sale of an item.

"Furthermore, according to the consignor's promise, if the gentleman who purchases this doll is willing, he can obtain membership in the Black Tower's Committee for the Appreciation of Interspecies Customs."

"Would this gentleman be willing to accept the invitation from the person who commissioned the auction?"

"I do, I absolutely do!"

"I have wandered for half my life, and along the way I have suffered countless scornful looks from people, but I have never forgotten my original aspirations."

"Now, I've finally found my people, and all my decades of hard work have been worth it!"

In the back seats, a masked bidder spoke excitedly, his mask trembling, and even through the metal mask, one could see the glistening tears welling up in his eyes.

This sent a chill down the spines of the auctioneers sitting around him, who instinctively took a few steps back.

Fortunately, the auctioneer still retained a shred of rationality and held the metal mask in place, preventing it from falling off due to excessive excitement, thus preserving his social life at the last moment.

"Okay, please wait a moment after the auction ends, and a staff member will contact you."

The auctioneer seemed knowledgeable and unfazed by the bidders' antics. He waved his hand, signaling for the provocative female orc golem to be taken away on a cart.

Immediately afterward, the auctioneer's expression turned serious and solemn.

"I know why everyone here is here today, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

"Next up for auction is the highlight of this Shadow Council auction—"

"From [Chief of the Black Tower], [Source of Forbidden Spells], [Arcane Master], [Favored by the Stars], [Enemy of the Abyss] —"

"Several items that the legendary powerhouse Charles Egut once used personally."

boom--

Most of the guests at the auction sat up straight and looked at the cart covered with a black cloth, which was slowly being pushed toward the auction stage.

"His Majesty Charles, the Deputy Tower Master of the Black Tower, has always kept a low profile and his whereabouts are difficult to predict."

"Even wizards who study in the arcane capital may not have the opportunity to see him in person, so how could they possibly obtain his personal items?"

Some customers raised their concerns.

The auctioneer nodded: "This guest's question is reasonable. His Highness Charles has indeed been rarely seen in recent years, and even our Shadow Council would have difficulty knowing about him."

However, everyone has overlooked one point—

The auctioneer abruptly changed the subject: "Back when His Majesty Charles was not yet a legend, he also traversed the Western Continent as an adventurer, and with the name 'Morning Star' adventurer group, he wrote his own illustrious chapter in history."

"These items were left behind by His Majesty Charles ten years ago when he was still traveling the continent as an adventurer. They were left behind in an adventurer's tavern he frequented. The tavern owner discovered them by chance during a recent cleaning."

"Based on our Shadow Council's mental detection, memory replay spells, and extensive verification—"

“We can vouch for these items with the credibility of the Shadow Council – they truly came from His Majesty Charles.”

After these words were spoken, the guests no longer raised any objections.

Given the Shadow Council's status in the Western Continent, they wouldn't risk ruining their reputation for an auction item. Since they made such a promise, they must be right.

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, the auctioneer waved his hand and removed the tarpaulin from the trolley.

In an instant, countless eyes in the auction hall were focused on that small cart.

There were three small slips of paper, which looked a bit old, but the handwriting was still legible.

Charles glanced at one of the photos casually, then instinctively rubbed his forehead.