Qianchun walked down the narrow corridor of the Twelfth District.

Today, she had to attend a meeting related to real estate. The Twelfth District was still in ruins, with everything waiting to be rebuilt. Aklatia planned to enter the real estate industry and lay the foundation for its future development.

Actually, calling it a meeting was a bit of a stretch. It was really just a private discussion. After all, every inch of land in the district was currently controlled by its administrator.

And who was that administrator?

Naturally, it was Blade.

So this was a private conversation between Qianchun and Blade. The two had already spoken countless times in private. This one was simply more formal than usual.

“Miss Blade, I’ll get straight to the point. I want ten percent of the passive shares in the eastern properties.”

Blade’s brows knitted tightly. She popped open her can and took a sip of coffee. It helped clear her head.

Qianchun’s proposal was far too aggressive. She was testing Blade’s bottom line.

“No, no, no. Miss Qianchun, ten percent is simply too much. I won’t beat around the bush—you can acquire one percent at most. Even if you represent Aklatia, you can’t exceed that share.”

Qianchun pushed a thick stack of documents across the table.

They recorded everything Aklatia’s members had contributed to rebuilding the eastern part of the Twelfth District. There were barely a hundred of them, yet they had done far more work than the Twelfth District Branch.

Of course, the documents weren’t merely meant to play the sympathy card.

They also contained the names of the former shareholders in the eastern region. Several of those shareholders hadn’t been lucky enough to survive the disaster. Their children, however, had joined Aklatia…

Blade glanced at the documents, then at Qianchun.

The children of the wealthy were either rich or powerful. They were proud to the bone. Blade had no idea what methods Qianchun had used to recruit them—and even get them to sign and stamp the transfer contracts.

Qianchun gave her a gentle smile.

Actually, these children weren’t all men. Some of their sharp edges had already been worn down by the disaster. As long as she offered enough compensation, they were willing to give Aklatia some “worthless assets.”

After all, what use were those passive shares now?

They had no food, no water, and no servants. Most rich kids couldn’t even support themselves. Now that someone wanted to buy their shares and offer them generous compensation, those foolish heirs naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Qianchun had seized the opportunity and understood their mindset. She had made a clean sweep, acquiring seven percent of the shares in total.

But she had asked for ten percent, hoping to get as much as possible.

Eight percent would do, too.

“Eight percent. We’ll follow the contract here. In addition to what I promised earlier, you can represent Aklatia and acquire one percent of the shares.”

Blade did the math.

She wasn’t losing out. In fact, she was making a profit. This was exactly when she needed money, and she was already worried that they didn’t have enough.

Having Aklatia purchase one percent of the shares would fill part of the funding gap.

“The reward for helping rebuild the eastern region is a separate matter. Don’t worry. We won’t treat you unfairly, you little schemer.”

“What will you pay with?”

Blade asked Qianchun.

One percent might not sound like much, but it was actually a considerable amount. Aklatia had recently extended its reach into the neighboring district and made quite a lot of money in a short time.

“Gold, naturally.”

Aklatia didn’t accept cash. It only accepted items that could retain their value.

The reason was simple. Qianchun was worried that the Magic Maiden government might pull some trick and cause the currency’s value to plummet, turning it into nothing but wastepaper.

Gold, on the other hand, held its value. It could withstand the impact of monetary inflation.

“I’ll have someone transport all the gold here. Shall we sign a contract?”

Blade pulled a parchment scroll from her belongings. After writing down the terms, she handed it over.

Qianchun read it carefully. Once she confirmed there were no problems, she pricked her finger and signed in blood.

The contract was established.

She was extremely familiar with this process.

Afterward, the two of them signed three more paper contracts. One copy was kept by each party, while the third was sealed and stored in an underground vault.

“All right. Now it’s private time.”

After putting away the contracts, Blade began chatting with Qianchun. The stern businesslike atmosphere vanished completely.

Both of them understood the distinction clearly. When doing business, every account had to be settled properly.

“Qianchun-chan, I just received some news. Zhao Qingsnow and the others are coming back.”

Qianchun’s ears twitched.

Zhao Qingsnow was the girl who had gone out on a mission with Night Frost. But what did their return matter?

According to what they had said, Night Frost had disappeared.

Blade noticed the disappointment in Qianchun’s expression. She had probably thought of Night Frost again.

Who knew what kind of drug that girl had given Qianchun? She had Qianchun completely lovestruck.

“Relax. Maybe she’ll come back in a few days. Her strength is decent. You don’t need to worry so much.”

Qianchun sighed first, then shook her head. Her almond-shaped brows relaxed slightly.

She was willing to believe in Night Frost. She believed Night Frost would definitely return to the Twelfth District.

“Come on. Let’s go get something to drink.”

Blade invited her, and Qianchun didn’t refuse.

The two left the conference hall together. There, Qianchun saw Yan Xin.

Yan Xin was still working at the Twelfth District Branch. Naturally, she was responsible for Aklatia’s affairs.

Aklatia and the Twelfth District Branch now cooperated closely. They had become practically inseparable.

“What are you working on?”

Qianchun walked over.

Yan Xin had a worried look on her face. When she saw Qianchun, she was about to stand and greet her, but Qianchun stopped her.

She leaned toward the computer screen instead.

It displayed Aklatia’s latest public financial records.

“There’s a problem here. Add the real estate acquisition later, too. I’ll leave it to you.”

Yan Xin naturally said it was no trouble.

After all, Night Frost had discovered her. Otherwise, she would still be doing some insignificant odd jobs here.

Now, she was able to contribute to Aklatia and even the entire Twelfth District. That was something she had never dared to imagine before.

After exchanging a few more words, Qianchun and Blade arrived at the cafeteria.

They each received a cup of fruit juice made from powdered tea. Blade’s drink, naturally, was black coffee.

“The Twelfth District hasn’t been looking very good lately,” Blade said. “Although we have [Cantata Three] guarding the district, those people seem to be getting impatient.”

“We’ve discovered traces of intruders in the southern and southwestern regions.”

Blade’s words brought some information back to Qianchun’s mind. She continued from there.

“I heard they were active in the east and north before. Does that mean they’ve practically searched the entire Twelfth District, except for the city center? What exactly do they want?”

That was what Qianchun couldn’t understand, either.

She understood why they would target the Twelfth District. There was a conflict between the old and the new, which was perfectly normal.

But they had destroyed the district, then searched for something inside it.

What was their true objective?

“Zhao Qingsnow and the others may know something about this,” Blade said. “Once they return, I’ll question them carefully about what happened in District Twenty One.”

Qianchun nodded, indicating that Blade had to inform her as soon as she received any news.

Zhao Qingsnow drove a jeep along the highway, heading straight for the Twelfth District.

Even if she described everything she had experienced over the past month in perfect detail, hardly anyone would dare believe her.

Zhou Jiaxin kept peeking around from side to side. Her eyes landed on the ruins in the distance.

Her curiosity about the Twelfth District was instantly doused with cold water.

It was gone in a flash.

Zhao Qingsnow and the Old Woman had told her that the Twelfth District had been destroyed. But she hadn’t expected it to be destroyed so completely.

If Zhao Qingsnow and the Old Woman’s identities hadn’t been genuine, Zhou Jiaxin would have thought she’d been kidnapped and sold.

After passing through the hills on both sides, Zhao Qingsnow and the others finally entered the border of the Twelfth District.

She knew the road ahead very well.

Looking at the scenery on both sides, Zhao Qingsnow couldn’t help sighing.

Only a month had passed. So why did returning here feel like coming back from another lifetime?

Zhao Qingsnow didn’t slow down. Instead, she pressed the accelerator and sped toward the district’s headquarters.

Chen Xiaoyin was patrolling the sky when she spotted Zhao Qingsnow inside the vehicle. She immediately contacted the Twelfth District Branch.

“Zhao Qingsnow and the others are back.”

After that, Chen Xiaoyin continued her patrol.

“Huh? Why are there so many people?”

It didn’t take long for Zhao Qingsnow to reach the Twelfth District headquarters.

She had barely taken a few steps before she saw Blade, Dawnlight, and several scattered staff members.

Zhou Jiaxin curiously asked the Old Woman about them.

The Old Woman told her that they were all members of the Twelfth District Branch and assured her that she could relax.

“Auntie…”

Dawnlight hurried forward.

Blade had relayed every message she had exchanged with Zhao Qingsnow to Dawnlight. The moment Dawnlight heard that Zhao Qingsnow intended to leave the Twelfth District Branch, her heart had clenched painfully.

Something must have happened to her.

Back then, Dawnlight had gone several days and nights without proper rest. She was terrified of losing her last family member.

Now that she saw Zhao Qingsnow safe and sound, the heart lodged in her throat finally settled.

The moment Zhao Qingsnow got out of the car, Dawnlight rushed over and collided with her in a full embrace.

She held Zhao Qingsnow tightly, terrified that Zhao Qingsnow would leave her just like her parents had.

“See? I came back, didn’t I?”

Qianchun felt genuine joy at their reunion.

But what about Night Frost?

She wanted to know something about her.

“Who’s this?”

Although they had already mentioned her over the communications channel, Blade still confirmed it once more.

When she learned that Zhou Jiaxin wanted to join the Twelfth District Branch, she had someone take Zhou Jiaxin away for an interview.

Blade brought Zhao Qingsnow into the conference room. They planned to learn everything Zhao Qingsnow had seen and experienced in District Twenty One.

That information was extremely important to them.

As for the Old Woman, branch members took her underground to find Night Frost’s cheap master.

The Twelfth District Branch had told her that the old man was still alive. Otherwise, Zhao Qingsnow and the others wouldn’t have rushed back so desperately, without even taking time to rest.

“What? Your monthly salary is seven thousand, with five insurances and one housing fund? You provide meals and accommodation, plus an annual bonus?”

Zhou Jiaxin couldn’t help exclaiming as the interviewer introduced the position.

“And once the Twelfth District returns to normal, the salary will be even higher?”

“So this is what a government job in the Twelfth District is like?”

“There are vacancies in every line of work…”

The interviewer paused, then asked, “What work experience do you have?”

“I used to work as a pharmaceutical employee at the Divine Cult Modification Center…”

“Wait. You’re saying the Twelfth District Branch doesn’t accept anyone who has worked underground?”

Zhou Jiaxin lowered her head.

But the interviewer’s next words filled her with hope again.

“You’re saying I can work for an underground organization partnered with the Twelfth District? It’s called Aklatia?”

“An eight-thousand monthly salary, with five insurances and one housing fund? Meals and accommodation included?”

“It’s almost the same as a government position at the Twelfth District Branch. And they even offer commissions?”

“Go find Qianchun? The one with the emerald-green hair tips?”

Zhou Jiaxin immediately hurried off to find Qianchun.

But she discovered that Qianchun had gone to a meeting.