The bald man, Burke, asked in a trembling voice, "Miss Elysia, would you... like to become one of the White Eagle Eight?"
Elysia froze, her cute mouth agape. "Huh?"
Wait, why are we diving straight into this?
Her original goal had simply been to obtain a legitimate identity! How had they skipped straight to the topic of the White Eagle Eight before she'd even secured her paperwork?
Even an undercover agent infiltrating a gang would need years to climb to the top. Yet here she was, not even a member, and the second-in-command was already asking if she wanted to lead?
"Huh... huh?" Carolina echoed almost simultaneously, her mouth dropping open in a similar state of bewilderment. She glanced at the bald man before turning to the pink-haired girl beside her.
What? The friend I just met minutes ago is about to become my boss?
Unlike other nations, where the standard approach to outsiders—such as those from the Dragon Nation—would be to appease and befriend them, this seemed different. That made sense, though.
After all, outsiders typically had national allegiances, right?
Therefore, it was highly likely that any Outsiders appearing in White Eagle were individualistic heroes. In fact, during a past national crisis, one such Outsider had suddenly emerged.
In an instant, this "hero" had resolved a perilous Dimensional Rift, saving tens of thousands of civilians. Thus, White Eagle wasn't simply trying to befriend these Outsiders; rather, these Outsiders might end up saving the nation.
Given White Eagle's religious freedom and widespread faith, the sudden appearance of a powerful hero during a national crisis could easily be seen as divine intervention—a god extending a hand to their suffering people.
Historically, that Outsider had even become one of the White Eagle Eight. Now, the bald man Burke stared at the pink-haired young girl before him, struck by the eerie similarities to that historical precedent.
The nation faced disaster, and an Outsider—a phenomenon that occurred less than once a decade—had coincidentally appeared at this critical juncture. Who would believe that was mere coincidence?
Of course, there was another reason: Burke studied the girl's inhumanly perfect features, her flawless, ethereal beauty only reinforcing his suspicions. This was no ordinary human.
Seeing Elysia's bewildered expression, Burke realized he had been too hasty. He cleared his throat and said, "My apologies, I got a bit carried away. Why don't you try touching this?"
He produced a fist-sized blue crystal ball. "As you know," he explained, "it's notoriously difficult to gauge the power levels of Evolvers, Transformers, and Outsiders in this world. We don't have the usual tiered system like 'First Tier' or 'Second Tier'."
Burke continued, "But this crystal ball can give us a rough idea. The stronger you are, the brighter it glows."
"Uh..." Under Burke's expectant gaze, Elysia hesitantly raised her small hand. The moment her fingers brushed against the crystal ball—
Crack!
A hairline fracture appeared on the surface. Then, as if someone were brushing a layer of pink paint across it, the once-blue crystal ball visibly transformed into a vibrant shade of pink.
Elysia froze, thinking, What is this? Some classic Otherworld isekai plot? The protagonist tests their ability and shatters the crystal ball?
Crack... crack... crack...
Thud!
The first sound was the spreading cracks, and the second was the sound of bald-headed Burke collapsing to his knees.
The man braced himself with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded, "Please! Join the White Eagle Eight!"
Just moments ago, he had been tentatively asking, "Would you...?" Now, he was begging outright.
Perhaps Burke had initially worried he was being too forceful, scaring the young girl. But now, he saw her as an angel sent by God to save him.
The crystal ball's testing principle was simple: it measured the amount of "energy" within a person's body. The more energy, the theoretically stronger they were. Lady Kaya, the previous leader, had only managed to make the crystal ball glow brilliantly. Yet this young girl had shattered the testing device completely!
An Outsider, arriving at the perfect moment, and possessing such overwhelming power—all the necessary elements were in place!
Burke cried out, "Please! If we don't find a new member for the White Eagle Eight soon, I'll die!"
More accurately, he would die of exhaustion.
To be honest, everything that had happened since Elysia arrived at the White Tower had been vastly different from her expectations. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "But... I know absolutely nothing about management."
"No worries at all! I can teach you!" Burke, the bald man, paused before adding, "In fact, even if you did nothing after taking office, my workload would decrease significantly!"
The mere presence of a powerful deterrent would naturally make troublemakers think twice.
"Hmm... alright, if you insist." She tilted her head slightly and winked her right eye. "Elysia never disappoints others' expectations, does she?~"
"L-leave it to me!" Burke took a deep breath. Becoming one of the White Eagle Eight wasn't something anyone could simply decide to do. Lady Kaya, for example, had only secured her position after winning countless arena battles.
Of course, the true requirement for joining the White Eagle Eight wasn't winning the arena outright. It was possessing sufficient reputation and corresponding strength. The arena was merely a quick way to gain public recognition and let people know who you were.
Given the current state of White Eagle, holding another arena tournament was clearly impractical. Elysia didn't need to organize one anyway. As an Outsider in this time of widespread anxiety, all she had to do was conduct some strategic publicity to quickly gain renown. It would be a simple matter.
The timing, the location, and the people were all in her favor.
However, paving the way for a new White Eagle Eight would undoubtedly keep the bald-headed Burke even busier than before. But this busywork offered a glimmer of hope: once this period of overtime ended, his daily workload would be cut in half!
"First, help Miss Elysia obtain proper identification," Burke instructed. "I need to make some preparations."
Under the guidance of Old White and Carolina, it took another five minutes, but Elysia finally achieved her initial goal for this trip: a White Eagle identity certificate.