Sir! Don't close the net!

"Hmm? What's wrong? Is there a problem arranging what I need?" Li Yili, who was walking ahead, didn't turn around, but waved her hand. "No rush."

"No, it's not that bad. It's just that... yesterday some people from Yang Village came here and checked the grain store's accounts for the past few years."

Li Yili paused, causing the pot-bellied man who had been cautiously observing her changes in expression to freeze, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he quickly explained, "Because that person is from Sheep Village, and the temporary worker doesn't know the rules, so the ledger was taken away."

Temporary worker is indeed a versatile excuse.

Li Yili couldn't help but roll her eyes and continued forward, "Why are you so nervous? We're not doing illegal business. You didn't give me a discount just because I'm the executive officer of Sheep Village, and I haven't paid less because of Sheep Village's position in Guoweidun."

"It's...this is how it is..." The pot-bellied man wiped his sweat and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

He wanted to offer Li Yili a discount, but was flatly refused, which made him wonder if he would lose his position soon. Of course, it turned out that he was overthinking it; Li Yili seemed to simply want a fair trade.

His nervousness stemmed from the intuition he'd honed over years of ruthless business dealings. However, the fact that Li Yili hadn't asked who took the ledger until they left the ranch completely reassured him. He patted his large belly and promised to deliver the goods Li Yili needed to the ranch as soon as possible.

"Mr. Richard, next..."

"Are we going straight back to Sheep Village?" Yolan waved to Li Yili.

Li Yili subconsciously frowned. If no one had taken the grain store's ledger, his next plan would have been to go to the next grain store and make purchases as usual.

It's obvious who took the ledger; it was either Al-Jonor or one of Al-Jonor's men.

“Yes, we can just go straight back to Sheep Village,” Li Yili smiled, boarded the carriage, crossed her arms, and fell into deep thought.

The important question now is not who checked the grain store's books, but what their purpose was in checking them.

If the goal is to find fault with him and accuse him of having funds of unknown origin, then the fact that he bought expensive jewelry for Valhae Rae is enough. Grain and jewelry made by living heritage dwarves are not in the same league.

“I see… Did you notice that Dela Pal was reselling supplies for black goat calves? Maintaining living people is more troublesome and easier to track, so you investigated the grain trade?” Li Yili lowered her body and frowned slightly.

He wasn't worried about his grain purchases being discovered, since everyone knew he had a large ranch, especially Dela Pal.

As a confidant of Dela Pal, he naturally knew that Dela Pal had used several different identities over the past few years to purchase food from various grain stores to ensure that the human sacrifices would not lose weight during transportation, and that the abundant and delicious food would prevent the human sacrifices from suspecting that they had been moved.

But given Dela Pal's personality, using several different identities to purchase food was already the limit; Dela Pal's arrogance wouldn't allow him to doubt that anyone in Guoweidun would dare to audit his accounts.

Of course, Della Parr could be considered his backer for doing whatever he wanted with the young black goats, and he had considered dealing with the problem. But upon closer inspection, the fact that a name that had only appeared in the grain store's ledger for years was suddenly starting to appear in other ledgers made it seem suspicious.

It's already a huge hole, there's no need to try to patch it up.

Dela Pal, who is about to become a cadre, probably doesn't care if this is discovered, so the pressure is on him. Dela Pal will protect his confidant who is selling off insignificant supplies, not the undercover agent who is secretly sending those human sacrifices to a safe place.

Li Yili straightened up and crossed her legs.

"Is this what they mean by the closer you get to success, the more troublesome the difficulties become?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Does anyone have any objections?

Ding ding ding—

The loud bell rang throughout the entire sheep village. Abu Jean, who was flipping through the account book, was startled and immediately stood up with a nervous expression, looking in the direction of Al-Jonor.

The bell in the center of Sheep Village only rings in three situations: the bells for starting and ending get off work are relatively clear, while this sudden, loud bell rings in the third situation, when all employees gather for a meeting, and only Minister Dela Pal can ring this bell.

Now that Dela Pal has left Guoweiton to "say hello," the only one everyone knows will ring the assembly bell is Acting Minister Li Yili.

Abu Jean certainly understood the principle of a new broom sweeping clean. Li Yili didn't necessarily ring the bell because he checked the accounts; otherwise, it would have been Dela Pal who rang the bell. But he was somewhat guilty.

After a moment of surprise, El-Qiong stood up, waved to Abu-Jang, and went with the other Cloud Clan executives to the central conference room of Sheep Village. As soon as they entered the conference room, they saw Li Yili standing next to a large bell, holding a stick and striking the bell. Even when she saw people coming, she did not stop. The heavy sound of the bell made everyone present feel a buzzing headache.

Many people showed expressions of dissatisfaction, but with Dela Pal absent, Li Yili now held the most power. Even though Li Yili was just an ordinary person like them, Dela Pal was a true chosen one of God, and a chosen one who was about to become a cadre. Given this relationship, they could only endure it.

Only when the last Yunzhong executive arrived did Li Yili toss the stick aside, reach out to steady the humming bell, and reveal a bright smile, "Hey~ everyone looks great, did something good happen?"

As she spoke, Li Yili made a gesture of listening attentively, and even the executives who usually wanted to curry favor with Li Yili hesitated to speak due to the atmosphere.

"Yes, yes, we've had a string of bad things happen to us lately. The only good thing is that the minister is about to become a cadre."

Li Yili shrugged, crossed her arms, and leaned against the large clock, seemingly showing off that her backer had become more reliable, but her eyes quickly scanned the Yunzhong executives below.

A small number of people showed ingratiating smiles, while the majority lowered their heads and remained silent.

Li Yili subconsciously raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was a person who liked fairness and believed that all status should be earned through one's own efforts. He hated climbing the ladder through back channels, but at this moment, he could only hold his bowl and say, "It smells so good!"

This is a veritable cult disguised as a logistics company, making good use of these exceptionally talented and hardworking individuals who are smuggling pollutants and deceiving the residents of Guoweiton—unless he's insane.

Harsh reality always makes people grow into the kind of person they used to hate.

Li Yili smiled brightly and noted down the few people who were smiling ingratiatingly at him. Although these guys weren't exactly good people, and had done their fair share of things like smuggling pollutants and deceiving the residents of Guoweidun, they were still people who could be used.

“Since the minister is not here, I, Levi Strauss-Istie Richard, will serve as the acting minister. Does anyone have any objections?” Li Yili twirled a strand of hair behind her ear and stared casually at the ceiling.

Naturally, even if most people are furious, they won't openly oppose Li Yili.

"Since there are no objections, let me explain the next steps. First, we will suspend all ongoing work on black goat calves, and all orders will be postponed for one month."

As soon as Li Yili finished speaking, many executives who had been looking down suddenly raised their heads, their faces full of disbelief. Some even shouted out loud with red eyes.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Do you want to completely abandon the black goat's offspring?!"

"We will absolutely not give up!"

Hmm, let's find a way to catch these guys.

After closing her mental notebook, Li Yili spread her hands innocently, "There's something I want to correct. It's not that I want the Black Goat's offspring to be completely abandoned, but that the Black Goat's offspring are practically abandoned. In all departments except Life, the Black Goat's offspring are being paid off at the end of each month and the end of each year, constantly setting new lows for performance."

Just as one of the executives was about to speak, Li Yili raised her hand and slammed it heavily on the clock face. The heavy sound silenced the executive, and Li Yili's next words left him speechless.

"I only arrived this March, and everyone here has been here for two or three years! They're senior, right? You're not thinking that the record-breaking last place last year and the year before was because of me, are you?"

Standing among the dejected and self-doubting executives, Abu Jean clenched his fists tightly and forced himself to lower his head.

Why was it last?

Because no matter how many offerings they find, Dela Pal will smuggle them to other departments!

"As for why we're postponing the work on all the black goat calves, please, do you really think the Crusade and Valhalla are blind? We've mobilized a lot of resources to carry out the séance, and someone might come to investigate tomorrow. What we need to do now is completely erase all traces of the black goat calves."

When Li Yili said this, even El Qiaonuo subconsciously nodded, but when he thought that Li Yili was at least one-third responsible for things turning out this way, El Qiaonuo's face darkened.

"The logistics department should adjust the routes, contact the Cretaceous Circle in the wasteland, and purchase their machines. The type doesn't matter, as long as it makes us look like we're wholeheartedly focused on building Guoweiton," Li Yili pointed to the female executive who had been flirting with him earlier. "You're the main person in charge of this project. Pick a group of people here and report to the personnel department. If you can't get it done, you can discuss who will be responsible for sacrificing themselves when the Crusaders arrive."

The female executive was taken aback at first, but after she came to her senses, her face flushed with excitement. She straightened up abruptly and nodded vigorously. Then she glanced around at the executives and remembered a few who had openly shown hostility towards Li Yili earlier.

"You, yes, it's you—"

The executive officer pointed at by Li Yili froze. He had just started shouting, "We will never give up," but he wasn't naive enough to think that Li Yili would put him in charge of a major project.

“You and a few others will form a team to investigate the treatment of elderly employees hired by Guo Weiton these next few days. Just investigate the treatment, don’t ask anything else,” Li Yili raised her hand and pointed to a few executives who looked like traitors, then pointed to another executive who was smiling obsequiously and was rather green. “Well, you will learn from these senior executives. If you don’t understand anything during the process, you can come and ask me directly.”

The executive officer, who looked rather inexperienced when he heard about the learning process, looked disappointed. But as soon as Li Yili said, "If you don't understand anything, you can come and ask me directly," he immediately understood what Li Yili meant.

This is surveillance!

The executives who realized what was happening also had stiff expressions.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Geniuses are always misunderstood as madmen.

An hour later, Li Yili announced the adjournment of the meeting. Some of the executives looked worried, while others cheered. The Yunzhong members below the executives also realized something from the executives' expressions and lowered their heads.

"So, Acting Minister Li Yili doesn't have any work she wants to assign me?"

Al-Chonno crossed his arms, his posture much more relaxed.

"I deliberately left you until the end, was that within your expectations?" Li Yili raised her hand and rested it on the large clock, her fingers tapping the clock face.

“I understand these basic social niceties,” Al Jonno said, his expression unchanged. “You won’t fire me, will you?”

“Of course, Executive Officer El-Qiong is a rare talent. You have made great contributions to the development of Guoweiton to its current level. If you hadn’t persuaded the residents of Guoweiton, many things might have been delayed for several years,” Li Yili chuckled, put her hands behind her back, and leisurely circled around El-Qiong, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“Yes, if it weren’t for some unexpected events, I would have received even greater credit,” Al-Chonno’s fingers tightened slightly around his arm, his eyes flashed, and he tilted his head back. “But I was quite surprised that Mr. Levi-Estée Richard, who was talking to me about human relationships, has mental problems and is a… madman.”

Li Yili paused, then after a brief silence, twisted her waist and stretched her arms to the sides.

Zhang Kai curled his lip indifferently, "Geniuses are always misunderstood as madmen. Executive Officer El-Qiong, it seems you're just an ordinary person. Minister Dela Pal knows very well my genius."

Because Dela Pal is also a madman!

Al-Chonno's eyes twitched violently, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "Mr. Richard is indeed excellent. The work assignment just now was very reasonable. At most, it will take three months to completely erase the traces of the black goat's cubs in Guoweiton, including..."

Al-Jeanor tilted his head to the side.

"All the functions of a black goat's cub."

“Really?” Li Yili shrugged. “I feel like the black goat’s cubs will be more useful than before. We can, well, make a lot of money for headquarters.”

“You’ve turned all the routes toward the Cretaceous Circle of the Wasteland, a place where no non-living entities can infiltrate. If we want to get to the Wasteland, we either have to build our own routes or connect to the main routes of the Nibelungen and Eden, passing through more customs,” Al-Jonor’s eyes were incredibly cold. “The machines you’re asking for are quite expensive, and the Black Goat’s offspring will face financial difficulties.”

“The prerequisite for investment is losing money,” Li Yili said, holding up a finger and waving it from side to side. “Bringing those machines here will allow Guoweidun to benefit from the Industrial Revolution.”

“What good will this do for our headquarters? In the end, do you want the Black Goat’s cub to lie dormant or… turn the Black Goat’s cub into your own tool?” Al-Chonno glanced at Li Yili’s pocket. “I can already imagine how full the acting minister’s pockets will be afterward.”

“A certain elder once said that the Industrial Revolution was a breeding ground for evil gods,” Li Yili grinned. “Don’t you think that makes a lot of sense?”

Al-Qiong opened his mouth, wanting to retort that this was utter nonsense, but then he realized that what he said made sense.

El-Chonno slumped his shoulders and let out a long sigh. "If your reliance is on Dela Pal becoming an executive, I advise you not to be so optimistic. Executive positions aren't something you can get just by connections and achievements. You don't really think... medication for mental illness can help a chosen one of God get promoted, do you?"

Li Yili raised her eyebrows in surprise, while El Qiaonuo smiled confidently.

“CEO Al-Qiono, it’s time for you to get back to work. As the saying goes, details determine success or failure, and those who achieve great things don’t sweat the small stuff,” Li Yili smiled slightly and patted Al-Qiono on the shoulder. “I’ve prepared a whole bunch of work suitable for someone as meticulous as CEO Al-Qiono. I should have several truckloads of documents that urgently need to be organized delivered to you by now. We are, after all, a legitimate logistics company, right?”

El-Qiong's face twitched, and then he raised his hand with a forced smile, blocking Li Yili's wrist and slowly pushing her right hand away. "Of course I know."

After speaking, Al-Qiong took a step back, bent slightly, and walked around Li Yili before leaving the conference room.

The conference room door creaked shut. After a brief silence, Li Yili slumped her shoulders and scratched the back of her head. "This guy actually managed to find out about the hospital. So his target really was those pregnant women?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Al-Qianot's eyes twitched as he returned to his desk. One after another, small carts filled with various yellowed papers surrounded his desk. Before Al-Qianot could speak, a male and a female member of the Cloud Clan pushed a small cart next to him.

Al-Jonor glanced at the trolley; the neat, clean white paper made his eyes twitch.

He knew that Li Yili would cause him a lot of trouble during this period, making it impossible for him to continue his investigation, but he did not expect that she would do it in such a simple and straightforward way.

This means he's to be the one to renovate all the old sheep village ledgers!

"CEO Al-Chiono, these are office supplies that Acting Minister Li Yili asked us to prepare for you. Please feel free to use them, and let us know if you need more."

"We're available whenever you call."

A man and a woman, two low-level Cloud Clan members, stood aside with disdainful smiles; clearly, their job was not just to deliver office supplies.

Hey! What kind of attitude is that, you two?!