378 Points Added and Points Deducted! (2/2)
”This will never happen again!”
Wang Baole finally released a sigh of relief when he heard that. He realized that there was nothing he feared in the entire universe, except the Martian Colony Governor. He didn't understand why…
He stepped forward hastily and was thinking about how best to suck up to the Governor when she snorted.
”You can stop that now. Put away that pitiful look on your face. Since I'm here, I'm going to check out how far the construction of the new city zone has progressed. If there's anything not in order, you're going to be punished!”
”Don't worry, Governor. I won't dare to make guarantees for anything else, but this definitely is in order. Your humble subordinate has been forgoing sleep and food for the past six months…” Wang Baole thumped his chest and immediately started rattling off. A glare from the Governor stopped him mid-track in his exaggerations. She didn't say anything else, only walked ahead and started her inspection.
It was a detailed inspection but hardly slow-moving. The Governor's cultivation often allowed her to identify any flaws or oversight with a mere glance. Within an hour, the Governor had found a few problem areas and instructed Wang Baole to resolve them quickly. She ended the inspection and left.
During the entire process, she hadn't spared Li Yi a single glance, nor had she spoken a single word to the latter. She had seemed to have completely disregarded her presence. Li Yi, who had been expecting praise, had been stunned.
The red-haired elder had done the same. He had been stern towards Kong Dao, but towards Wang Baole, Lin Tianhao, and Jin Duoming, he had shown apparent approval. He had smiled and displayed friendliness towards the trio. He similarly ignored Li Yi. Before he left, he had given her a deep, meaningful look and snorted.
Li Yi had grown nervous. She hadn't been able to control herself from sneaking a glance at the giant tree, but he remained silent. Then, just before they left, he sighed. He looked at Li Yi with an unfathomable look in his eyes, filled with thoughts he found difficult to express. There had been slight regret and a certain sense of speechlessness.
When he first arrived and noticed that Wang Baole and the others had entered the catacombs while Li Yi alone had remained outside, he had immediately known… that Li Yi had made a grievous mistake!
It would have been fine if there had been no basis for comparison, but that hadn't been the case. Everyone knew that the relationship between Wang Baole and Kong Dao was strained. However, despite the tensions between them, Wang Baole hadn't hesitated to put his life at risk in order to mount an immediate rescue.
Even though his actions might have revealed an impulsive nature, they were all young men and women. Some passion and impulse was essential. His actions might not have been appropriate, but he had gained points for his character in people's hearts!
Li Yi, on the other hand, regardless of the reasons she might have had, chose not to follow them. She seemed to have made the right decision from the grand scheme of things; however, in reality, while what she had done wasn't exactly wrong, she had lost points in the hearts of the people. In fact, she hadn't simply lost a few points…
In the political landscape of the Federation, one's character was key. Others' impression of them were equally important. Often, it was important to accumulate points for one's character.
This was especially so because of the special status Kong Dao held…
Li Yi started trembling under the giant tree's gaze. She had grown pale gradually. Then, she had come to her senses and snuck a glance at Kong Dao. She then saw the look that Kong Dao had been giving Wang Baole. It was one filled with complicated emotions.
Even Jin Duoming had shaken his head inwardly. He had wondered if Li Yi had directed all the nutrients towards nourishing her body and had left her brains malnourished and inadequate.
Everything seemed to revert to normal after the Governor and the other two cultivators left. However, Li Yi could clearly feel herself being ostracized… Kong Dao hadn't said anything, but the military cultivators under his supervision treated Li Yi more coldly compared to how they treated Wang Baole.
Lin Tianhao had been like this from the start. Though, Jin Duoming's attitude towards her seemed to have grown less fervent…
Wang Baole, you must have done this intentionally! A sullen Li Yi returned to her residence. She gnashed her teeth as her eyes shone bright with hate and resentment. She swore that she would kick Wang Baole out and take his place!
While Li Yi swore vehemently under her breath, Wang Baole had just returned to his residence. He released a sigh of relief as a strange light glimmered in his eyes. He recalled what had happened in the catacombs earlier. The absorption by his devouring seed had enhanced his cultivation tremendously during that short period of time.
He couldn't control himself. He started thinking. Then, he realized that while most of his mosquitoes had been destroyed after they had rescued Kong Dao, two remained… they were alive and were inside the catacombs right now!
Wang Baole relied on the two mosquitoes' vision and saw the chill inside the catacombs rapidly dissipating. After everything returned to normal, he maneuvered the two mosquitoes, with slight difficulty, and got them to rapidly fly deeper into the catacombs. Slowly, they reached the end of the catacombs… where the wall was!