Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

“Sigh, speaking of this, I also hate taking shifts for others the most.” The traveler, with just the right amount of helplessness and empathy on his face, slowly strolled over and naturally joined the conversation: “These kinds of things, once you agree because you’re soft-hearted, there will definitely be a next time, and a time after that. And no one will genuinely thank you; they’ll just take it for granted. But if you really can’t agree even once, the other person will think you’re not being fair, and you might even start a grudge.”

As she spoke, she observed the reactions of the two mercenaries.

"Exactly! Exactly!" The mercenary who was covering for the shift seemed to have found a kindred spirit and immediately echoed excitedly, clearly unaware of the identity and intentions of the "kindred spirit" before him: "So I've learned to be smart. Whenever someone asks me to cover for them, I ask for triple pay! Anyway, our base salary isn't high, and unless it's a real emergency, people usually won't come to me. This way, I can earn a little extra money, so it's not too bad..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly became alert and looked the traveler up and down warily: "Who are you? This is the disciplinary officer's office, a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach. Stay away."

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous," the traveler immediately raised his hands, making a harmless and slightly awkward gesture, and put on an embarrassed smile: "I was just waiting for someone here, and I was so bored. I just happened to hear you talking about these awful things in the workplace, and I felt the same way, so I couldn't help but come over and say something."

Her words and expressions were perfectly controlled, just like an ordinary visitor trying to find common ground to relieve boredom in an unfamiliar environment.

The substitute mercenary looked her up and down suspiciously, his brows furrowing slightly. "Wait... why do you look so familiar?"

“Oh dear, sir, isn’t this a bit of an old-fashioned way to strike up a conversation? Hehe…” The traveler immediately went along with it, deliberately acting somewhat frivolous and familiar, raising his hand to cover his mouth and letting out a few ambiguous chuckles, trying to steer the other person’s doubts in another direction.

"Oh! I remember now!" Another mercenary next to him suddenly slapped his thigh and pointed at the traveler with delight, saying, "You're the lady who danced on the festival stage that day! I always saw you dancing with that girl named Nilu when I went to the Zuber Theater before. You danced so well!"

Ha ha……

The traveler was speechless for a moment.

If you actually see me perform on stage at the Zubair Theatre, that would be a miracle.

Men's words are truly deceitful...

Despite inwardly cursing, she maintained an impeccable smile, even showing a hint of "shyness" at being recognized: "Ah... I've been recognized. It seems... I have indeed seen you a few times."

She quickly steered the conversation back on track, turning her gaze to the substitute mercenary, and asked with a hint of curiosity and envy, "But speaking of which, this gentleman seems to be very popular. Does he often cover for others? He must... earn a lot of extra money, right?"

"Heh...heh heh...it's...it's alright..." The substitute mercenary scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly when asked, but a hint of smugness involuntarily appeared on his face. Then, his eyes turned to the traveler with a less-than-pure enthusiasm, and he tentatively extended an invitation: "Um...Miss, after I finish my shift, would you like to go for a drink together? I know a pretty good tavern nearby..."

Men... they really are...

The traveler rolled his eyes inwardly, but his sharp mind caught a key point in the other person's words.

He said "It's okay"...

This tone doesn't sound like something that happens occasionally, but rather like... something that's become a habit?

Her mind started racing.

The guards of the Order of the Instruction, especially the mercenaries responsible for core areas such as the Disciplinary Officer's Office, must undergo rigorous screening, training, and background checks.

The team shouldn't have a large number of members, and its structure should be relatively stable. In a normally functioning team, it's normal for someone to occasionally take leave due to an emergency, but the frequency would never be too high.

Who would "frequently" and willingly pay three times the salary to find someone to cover their shift?

So, could it be that... the same person frequently needed to find someone to cover their shifts during this period?

And this "period," if I remember correctly, is precisely the period that Sino mentioned, when the disciplinary officers' internal actions were unusually frequent but repeatedly thwarted.

A clear logical chain began to form in her mind.

What is the real purpose of the person who is willing to pay three times the salary to find someone to fill in for their position?

For any organization or institution, an attendance system is fundamental to maintaining normal operations. Employees who frequently request leave, no matter how valid their reasons, will inevitably attract the attention of their superiors and may even be disciplined, because people are hired to complete tasks, not to be idle.

Even though taking leave will result in a deduction of the day's salary, for the organization, the fact that no one is doing the work for that position is a loss in itself.

The act of frequently seeking substitutes is essentially an attempt to cover up this "frequent absence." Firstly, it's to keep the job and avoid being held accountable or fired for attendance issues; secondly, it's to cleverly bypass the supervision and review process of superiors through private transactions with colleagues.

"Yeah, yeah, miss, come have a drink with us, I promise you'll be happy!" Another mercenary chimed in, a malicious smile on his face.

"Oh? I've never heard of that. When did you get an 'older brother'?"

Just as the traveler was pondering how to extract further information, and the two mercenaries were becoming increasingly bold, a familiar voice, tinged with obvious estrangement and coldness, accompanied by steady and clear footsteps, came from the end of the corridor.

The sound was like a splash of ice water, instantly extinguishing the slight ambiguity and restlessness in the room.

"Uh... Scribe!" The two mercenaries looked over at the sound of the voice, and the moment they saw the person, their faces turned deathly pale. Their mouths gaped open, and their bodies involuntarily straightened up, all of their previous frivolous demeanor vanishing.

"We just met." The traveler, seemingly unfazed by the situation, gestured towards Elhesen as he slowly approached, his expression a mixture of helplessness and grievance, silently protesting the "offense" he had just suffered.

It's a bit of a shame that the conversation was interrupted just as it got to the crucial part.

but……

Just as Elhesen appeared, another figure appeared at the end of the corridor. Disciplinary Officer Seno, a step later than Elhesen, also returned to the temporary waiting area.

Now that Sino has returned, let's leave the internal investigation to the professionals.

"Is that so?" Elhesen's gaze swept indifferently over the two silent mercenaries, then turned to Seno beside him, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Then, Seno, the Grand Disciplinary Officer, do you have any explanation for the matter of your men harassing my ex-girlfriend during working hours and while on duty?"

"Ex-girlfriend!" Hearing Elhesen define his relationship with the traveler in this way, the two mercenaries were terrified, their legs trembling. They finally realized just how much of a dangerous person they had tried to flirt with was.

“I will handle this matter seriously.” Seno’s icy gaze swept over the two mercenaries who were practically cowering in a ball. Then, with a questioning tone, he looked at Elheisen and asked as if to confirm, “She…is your ex-girlfriend?”

"Yes." Elhesen answered crisply and decisively. In fact, perhaps it was just the traveler's imagination, but there seemed to be a very faint, yet undeniable, hint of...smugness in his tone?

"We just broke up recently," he added.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Seno nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation, but then his disciplinary officer’s inquisitive curiosity was piqued: “However, I’m very curious, exactly when did you two start dating?”

Before Elhesen could speak again, the Traveler immediately interrupted, drawing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand: "Wait, Seno! There's something more important right now!" She pointed to the substitute mercenary, her tone becoming serious and urgent: "I may have found the loophole in your internal intelligence leak—the key figure is a mercenary named 'Batia.' You can question him directly about the specifics and my reasoning. The most urgent task is to control any potential leaks."

"What?" Seno was clearly caught off guard by this sudden information. He had only been gone for a short while, and this traveler, who didn't even fully understand the internal structure of the Disciplinary Committee or the details of the case, had already found a possible breakthrough? This efficiency was simply too astonishing.

"As for why I suspect him, and the whole reasoning process, I will explain it to you in detail later." The traveler nodded firmly, his eyes filled with certainty.