"Do not be so tense. Show the same spirit you had when you lit up all of Lungmen last night."
Looking at Shirou sitting beside him, Emperor spoke while holding a glass of red wine.
Mainly because Shirou was acting far too restrained right now. Although the person across from them seemed to like that kind of attitude, it still annoyed him internally.
People from Penguin Logistics were supposed to be fearless.
Were you not impressive? Did you not cause a huge explosion yesterday?
So why are you shrinking back now?
"Ahaha…"
Faced with his boss's teasing, Shirou, as an employee, could only respond with an awkward laugh.
Fuji-nee once said that when facing a superior and encountering a difficult situation, an awkward smile was your best choice.
As long as I smile awkwardly enough, my boss will definitely understand that I cannot do it.
"Hmph."
Seemingly noticing Shirou's discomfort, Emperor snorted and shifted his attention to Wei Yenwu in front of him.
Fine, he admitted that there was some complaint mixed into what he had just said.
But based on the information obtained from Exusiai, Shirou had simply chosen a better method at the time.
Since the employee had already done his utmost to complete what he was supposed to do, then as the boss he should properly handle the aftermath.
He knew exactly why Wei Yenwu, who was sitting there with a pipe in his mouth had come here.
It was definitely to see whether Shirou had any unusual intentions toward Lungmen.
That was understandable. After all, anyone would be wary of someone who could casually tear up your entire floor.
Who knows, maybe one day if he was in a bad mood, he would just blow you away.
Even though the Emperor had repeatedly guaranteed that Shirou was not a problem, this old dragon still refused to give up on meeting him and even set the time at such an ungodly hour.
You should know that it was not even regular working hours yet.
Still, it was not hard to understand. The things the Emperor needed to consider were far fewer than those Wei Yenwu had to think about. Their perspectives were different.
The Emperor believed Shirou could be trusted but from another angle, Shirou was actually quite untrustworthy.
After all, once this guy started doing something, he did not consider himself at all.
This kind of person could complete most tasks very well but could also get injured due to even a small accident during a mission or even die outright.
If it was simply forgetting to consider himself, that could still be improved through reminders or training. But judging from multiple data points, Shirou was more inclined toward "devoting himself to others."
The former could be corrected. The latter was essentially a core belief.
You should know that a person's beliefs are extremely difficult to change, especially when you do not even know why they developed such beliefs in the first place.
However, that was not something the Emperor needed to worry about. With Shirou's strength did he really need worrying over?
If Penguin Logistics had not been reluctant to relocate, he might have just told Shirou to blow up this old dragon's office.
In the end, Wei Yenwu saw more and further than he did. If Shirou was controllable and safe then Wei Yenwu would not mind Lungmen having such a powerful presence.
But if he was uncontrollable… then sorry, no matter how capable Shirou was, it would not be acceptable.
As the ruler of Lungmen, Wei Yenwu had to be responsible for its citizens.
As for him, as the boss of Penguin Logistics as long as he thought it was fine, that was enough. Everything else did not matter to him.
"Hmm…"
Caught between the two of them, Shirou was desperately trying to focus his attention on the food laid out on the table.
Everything looked quite good, especially the ingredients, which were all of high quality.
In a different setting, he would have taken his time studying the cooking techniques.
But right now…
Ever since his boss snorted, neither of them had spoken.
The sound of wine being poured, the clinking of glasses, the tapping of the pipe.
And the sound of his own chewing.
The atmosphere was rather stifling. No wonder Croissant and Exusiai had refused the temptation of good food.
If it were him, he would not want to come either.
He would rather be pranked by Exusiai and Croissant. At least then he would have a chance to retaliate.
But now, he did not even dare to speak.
"Shirou… is it?"
After thinking for a long time, Wei Yenwu finally spoke.
He had originally planned out what he should do, but ran into a small problem at the very first step.
So he made some slight adjustments.
Based on information gathered from various angles, Shirou could almost be described as a model citizen.
He frequently helped others and normally did not cause trouble. If not for the words "Penguin Logistics" written on the first page, Wei Yenwu would never have connected Shirou with them.
But now he could make the connection.
That four-person squad often caused explosions and now there was someone even more extreme joining them.
'Heh, is the art of Penguin Logistics all about blowing things up?'
"Yes."
Seeing that someone had finally spoken and broken the silence, Shirou quickly nodded.
"Then I will address you like that. Do you know how much trouble you have caused lately?"
Wei Yenwu set his pipe aside and questioned Shirou.
Of course, he was not actually trying to hold him accountable. It was merely an opening to start the conversation.
After all, the reason Shirou had even entered his field of view was precisely because of the events of these past few days.
"Probably only… yesterday?"
Hearing Wei Yenwu's question, Shirou thought for a moment.
His actions over the past few days had been quite discreet and he had not really caused any trouble.
If anything, there was the incident of him helping the hooded figure capture someone, entering a fire to rescue people and then what happened last night.
That did sound like quite a lot but strictly speaking, only the last one had actually caused trouble for others.
"That is only what is visible on the surface. Your actions have caused quite a lot of trouble and disrupted the Investigation Department's progress."
Wei Yenwu crossed his arms, his right index finger tapping repeatedly.
"Hey, Wei, do not go too far. That so-called investigation progress of yours is about the same as your standing at home, right? Do you think I do not know your investigation records over the past few months?"
Hearing Wei Yenwu's words, the Emperor cut in from the side.
It could not be helped. His employee was too kind, so he had to step in.
"…What you are referring to is Officer Chen's work. I am talking about the investigations I personally assigned."
Shirou was not sure if it was his imagination, but when the Emperor mentioned "standing at home," he felt that Wei Yenwu's mouth twitched slightly.
"Then that has nothing to do with me. You do things so secretly, who would know? What are you guarding against, thieves?"
The Emperor was thoroughly disdainful.
Wei Yenwu secretly sending people to investigate?
Only a Perro would believe that.
You could believe anyone, just not this guy.
"Sigh, then let us get straight to the point. Shirou, are you still able to recreate last night's explosion?"
Seeing the Emperor's attitude, Wei Yenwu knew he had to adjust his plan again.
He originally wanted to seize the initiative but thanks to a certain penguin, that plan had completely fallen apart.
He could now clearly feel that the Emperor was determined to protect Shirou.
From certain reports, it was clear that Shirou's Originium Arts were extremely unusual.
Bows, arrows, blades, clothing… it seemed that as long as he wished, there was nothing he could not produce.
At present, he only knew that Shirou's archery was exceptionally skilled, with a range of at least three kilometers.
Not to mention that "spiral sword" that had lit up all of Lungmen in an instant.
Even now, he still could not understand how Shirou had done it.
"With a bit of effort, it is possible. Though normally there is no need to use something that large."
Hearing the question, Shirou first glanced at his boss. Only after receiving approval did he answer.
If he had been alone, saying it outright would not have mattered. It was not something worth hiding.
But with his boss present, asking for permission first was only proper.
For Shirou, the explosion from yesterday required pouring in a large amount of magical energy. Under normal circumstances, such power was unnecessary.
"So that means you can use it again?"
Ignoring Shirou's latter remark entirely, Wei Yenwu felt a headache coming on.
He had originally thought it was a trump card, but now he was being told it could be done again with just some effort?
"It is just as you said."
Shirou nodded.
"…Hah."
Hearing that, Wei Yenwu quickly took a puff from his pipe to steady himself.
"I told you not to come, now you are scared, right? Hurry back home and seek comfort from your wife."
The Emperor took a sip of red wine, he was clearly amused and he even threw in a jab.
"???"
Shirou could not tell if it was just his imagination but his boss seemed especially sharp-tongued today.
"That is not the case."
Hearing the Emperor's remark, Wei Yenwu quickly regained his composure, exhaling smoke as he spoke.
It was not that he was frightened. It was just that placing someone like Shirou who was essentially a walking super-weapon within Penguin Logistics made him worry whether Lungmen would end up having a massive "fireworks display" every few days.
That would not do. He needed to think of a solution.
"You sure are stubborn."
The Emperor looked at him with disdain.
"Keeping something like that by your side, are you not worried?"
Ignoring the Emperor's provocation, Wei Yenwu leisurely took a sip of tea.
"I am willing to. Can you do anything about it?"
"It is true that I cannot, but the 'weapon' in your possession is a bit too big."
"As long as I keep an eye on him, that is enough. Your paranoia is really severe. Not everyone has a pitch-black heart like you, you know?"
"This is part of my duty. Are you not afraid that he is just pretending?"
"If all of that is an act, then I would have to invite him to star in a television drama."
"..."
For some reason, the two of them suddenly began exchanging verbal attacks back and forth, leaving Shirou with no room to intervene.
Or rather, the current situation was actually quite good. When gods fought, it was best not to drag a mortal like him into it.
Caught in the middle, Shirou quietly shifted his body backward a bit to avoid getting too much smoke on himself.
He still had to take care of the children later. Third-hand smoke was harmful.
At the moment, it looked like the Emperor had the upper hand, taking jabs at Wei Yenwu every few sentences.
As for Wei Yenwu, he maintained an expression as if everything was under control.
Shirou was not sure if it was just his imagination but he felt that Wei Yenwu seemed to be planning something.
"Tch, what do you mean by that? Are you saying we would corrupt this kid?"
Just as Shirou was starting to suspect someone was plotting against him, the Emperor suddenly shouted.
"Who in Lungmen does not know Penguin Logistics' style of doing things? What if, and I mean what if, you end up assimilating him? Would that not be quite dangerous? Do not say it is impossible. That idol already shows signs of being led astray."
Faced with the Emperor's loud questioning, Wei Yenwu merely took a calm puff from his pipe and exhaled.
"If we can assimilate people, that just proves our team atmosphere is great! If you have the ability, then turn him into someone like the Lungmen Guard Department!"
The more the Emperor spoke, the more agitated he became, as if he were just short of pointing a gun at Wei Yenwu.
"Alright, let us do as you say. Let him come to the Guard Department for a few days and see."
Hearing the Emperor's words, Wei Yenwu revealed a victor's smile.
"indescribable penguin screech You bastard, you set me up?!"
This sudden turn of events almost threw the Emperor off balance.
Only then did he realize he had been played by Wei Yenwu.
What made it worse was that the suggestion had come from him, so he could not raise any additional demands. For a businessman, that was a massive loss.
He had wondered why Old Wei had been so passive today. Turns out he had been lying in wait here all along.
"How can you call it setting you up? This is called the art of conversation."
Although he had successfully tricked the Emperor this time, Wei Yenwu himself had endured quite a barrage of verbal attacks.
He had to admit that the Emperor was truly formidable in this regard. There were several times he had nearly lost his composure.
Fortunately, in the end, he still obtained the result he wanted.
Although it differed somewhat from his original plan, it was still far better than the worst-case scenario.
If he remembered correctly, both Swire and Hoshiguma seemed to hold Shirou in high regard, and had even considered recruiting him into the Guard Department.
Now that he had already brought the person in, whether they could keep him would depend on how they performed.
"Huh?"
Shirou did not quite understand what was going on.
How had he suddenly ended up going to the Guard Department?
To him, the situation had shifted from bad to simply incomprehensible.
"Shirou, right? I will contact you again in a few days. At that time, I will arrange some work for you. Consider it compensation to the Guard Department for cleaning up the aftermath."
With that, Wei Yenwu stood up, preparing to leave.
"…Alright, I understand."
After thinking for a moment, Shirou decided to accept.
He understood what Wei Yenwu meant by "cleaning up the aftermath."
Yesterday's Broken Phantasm had caused significant shock damage to the nearby buildings. Glass aside, some rooftops had even been blown off.
All of that had been handled by the Guard Department, with additional assistance provided by Yith under other pretexts.
So Wei Yenwu's proposal for him to work at the Guard Department for a few days did seem reasonable.
"Do not worry, it will not be too difficult for you. Besides, you have acquaintances in the Guard Department, right?"
Seeing how quickly Shirou accepted the situation, Wei Yenwu added.
At the same time, he carefully wrapped up his pipe and put it into his pocket.
"I do know some people…"
"Exactly. With familiar faces around, it will not be too awkward."
Wei Yenwu was already doing a bit of mental preparation for the Guard Department's future temporary worker.
As for the Emperor?
He was still off to the side, clutching his head and letting out indescribable screeching noises.