Light Fortress-Chapter 53 - 51 Accompanying Reading
53: Chapter 51 Accompanying Reading
53 -51 Accompanying Reading
Twenty minutes later.
Gu Shen was called back to the classroom where the review took place.
The three sealed items on the desk had already been collected, and the five members of the review committee sat upright, the atmosphere momentarily becoming somewhat solemn.
Had the results come in?
Gu Shen felt an inexplicable nervousness in his heart.
In fact, he knew his Dream Interpretation scores were good, and it was almost certain that he would pass this review, but from a young age, he had always been a bit timid in solemn and formal situations.
Almost certain, but there was still a slight possibility of failure.
What if…
the results were bad?
Seeing Gu Shen’s somewhat nervous expression, the Judgment Chief from Redwood District couldn’t help but laugh first.
Then the rest of the judges laughed too.
The few seconds of silence in the classroom were a small joke the review committee had prepared for this S-rank newcomer after their discussion.
The result had been decided ever since Gu Shen completed the Ghost Cage Dream Interpretation.
An undoubted S-rank.
They thought they might as well let him worry for a moment.
“Congratulations,”
The voice of Tang Qingquan, the presiding Grand Judge, broke the silence in the classroom.
A hint of a smile gradually surfaced on his stern face—the tall Grand Judge, who meticulously combed his hair back and had an aura of “keep out,” surprisingly gave off a warm and approachable vibe when he smiled.
“Gu Shen, after our review and collective discussion, the review committee has decided to grant you an ‘S-level’ potential rating,” declared the Grand Judge solemnly.
“In the past twenty years, few Transcendents have received an ‘S-rank’ rating from the Judgement Institute.
You are a newcomer upon whom we place great hopes, and you are the hope for the future of East Continent.
We hope you continue to excel.”
It was a very official address, but the Grand Judge said it earnestly.
Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the burden lift.
“Thank you.”
He bowed deeply, and upon rising, he repeated, “…Thank you.”
The five judges across from him stood up and took turns coming over to shake hands with Gu Shen.
They left behind their names and titles…
from the East Continent Nine Districts, each of them was quite a famous authority figure.
“Gu Shen, you’re a good kid.
It was definitely worth trading a special pardon for your future,”
Lin Beizhu, the elder with a youthful face in charge of Time Sand, whispered a message to Gu Shen during their handshake, saying, “Actually… even if Councilman Zhao hadn’t issued that pardon, someone else would have stepped forward.
From what I know… there is still considerable interest in you from Changye.”
Changye?
That was the most bustling area of East State Jiangbei, a core district on par with Da Du.
That there were also people paying attention to him there gave Gu Shen the fleeting illusion that he was dreaming.
He saw Lin Beizhu wink at him and smile, saying, “As for who it is, I can’t say more.
If you ever have the chance to come to Changye, I can take you to meet him.”
“Thank you for your kindness.
I actually grew up in a small place… I’ve always wanted to see bigger cities, but never had the chance,” Gu Shen said somewhat sheepishly.
“I’m quite curious about both Da Du and Changye.”
Gu Shen had grown up in a mountainous orphanage, far removed from technological civilization, and he had hardly ever wandered around the city center of Qing River District.
As for Changye and Da Du, these were cities that existed only online for him.
“Don’t worry!
There will be plenty of opportunities!”
The Judgment Chief from Redwood District, Wu Mengbai, shook his hand energetically while patting Gu Shen on the shoulder and laughing heartily, “Changye and Da Du are quite developed, but the other districts are not bad either.
Kid, I think highly of you, and if you ever find it hard to fit in at the Judgement Institute, you can come find me in Redwood District.”
“…Yes!” Gu Shen bowed earnestly in thanks.
This Judgment Chief, he vividly remembered.
In his first dream contact, it had been Wu Mengbai’s “Green Dice”, and this review had shown that the Redwood District Judgment Chief was the one who had shown him the most goodwill.
It seems…
the bigwigs from the prison really liked to openly poach people, huh?
“Alright.
Everyone, our work is done, let’s not delay Gu Shen’s ‘time’ any longer.”
The Grand Judge said softly, “Mr.
Xiao Cui is still waiting to meet this newcomer.”
Upon hearing the name Mr.
Xiao Cui, the others laughed heartily and said no more.
“Mr.
Xiao Cui…”
Gu Shen’s expression grew solemn.
Several days before the review began, his senior brothers and sisters had told him about the general outline of the clemency order incident and the most crucial “person” in this review.
Dadu District Councilman’s assistant, Cui Zhongcheng.
Everyone is more accustomed to calling him Mr.
Xiao Cui, a very formidable man.
The title of councilman’s assistant might not sound very significant, but in fact, he is quite a special existence…
Councilman Zhao Xilai, despite his advanced age and most of his time spent recuperating, has powerful influence in the council, and many important affairs are personally handled by Mr.
Xiao Cui.
One could say, he is the assistant most trusted and relied upon by Councilman Zhao.
Therefore, before the review started, Senior Sister Luo had Nan Jin take him away from Qing River District, to avoid attracting attention.
The idea was to avoid meeting Mr.
Xiao Cui before the official review began.
His first impression might heavily influence the review…
And now, the time to meet had finally come.
Gu Shen walked together with the Grand Judge.
Eventually, he was led to the library, where the afternoon reading room was bathed in sunlight, where a middle-aged man with an upright posture and scholarly demeanor sat quietly at a table, looking as ancient as a piece of stone.
Through the full-length glass window, Gu Shen asked in a low voice, “Is this Mr.
Xiao Cui?”
Not what he had imagined.
He had thought…
the other party would be an elite like Judge Tang Qingquan, with a slicked-back hairstyle, dressed in a neat suit, appearing very busy, always multitasking and working from dawn to dusk.
He expected that when they met, Mr.
Xiao Cui would be attending to official duties, rapidly replying to several emails.
In fact, it was completely opposite to what he had imagined.
Cui Zhongcheng had no fancy attire but dressed plainly like a teacher from Da Teng Academy.
In this deserted library, he was like a grain of sand deep in the ocean.
Gu Shen stared at that straight sitting figure, having no doubt that, if undisturbed, Mr.
Xiao Cui would sit from morning till evening.
“Yes, this is Mr.
Xiao Cui.”
The Grand Judge advised, “There’s no need to be nervous.
Mr.
Xiao Cui…
is actually a very kind person, just not good with words, which makes him seem somewhat lonely.
He has actually been looking forward to meeting you, and specifically instructed us to bring you here after the review.”
Gu Shen nodded.
The automatic door slowly opened, and Gu Shen walked into the reading room, heading straight for the large table under the sunlight.
He noticed that the book Mr.
Xiao Cui was reading…
was almost finished, with just the last thin dozen pages remaining.
Gu Shen did not speak or make a sound.
He simply selected a few books from the shelves quietly, sat opposite Cui Zhongcheng, and silently kept him company, continuing to read.
