Zero's mouth twitched, feeling like this world was utterly absurd.
Seeing that everyone in the group was about to denounce the Cloud Knights, he first went to Jing Yuan and his classmates to confirm.
After making sure no Cloud Knights had been punished recently, he started scrolling through the group's past chat records.
He discovered that aside from himself, no one had taken leave recently.
Zero was certain that what the high-EQ colleague said was nothing but a rumor, so he bravely stepped forward.
[Zero:, Don't worry, it's fake news, just a rumor, no colleagues were injured. Most likely General Tengxiao was worried the rumor might become reality, so he started paying attention to everyone's mental state. I'll handle the "Occupational Psychology Test." Once I'm done, I'll send the answers here.]
The colleagues, who had been noisily discussing, immediately returned to track after Zero's reminder. Under the guidance of the high-EQ colleague, they quickly divided up the remaining questionnaires.
That high-EQ colleague then cautiously sent a message, asking about Zero's situation.
His words carried a kind of chivalrous air, expressing that no matter if it was the Swordmaster or some higher-up, no one was allowed to bully people from the Divination Commission.
Zero couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. He solemnly thanked the other party, then fluently clarified the rumor again, speaking up on behalf of the Swordmaster whose reputation was being ruined.
Originally, he hadn't planned to take advantage of the news to clarify anything. But seeing the high-EQ colleague probing him, he wasn't surprised at all.
After all, in the entire Divination Commission, he was the only stubborn mule who dared to take leave when the Marshal came to Luofu…
Who would've thought that after just one nap, not only had his own reputation changed, but Jingliu's reputation got dragged along with it too.
It wasn't even surprising that outsiders believed the rumor. They probably couldn't imagine that Zero took leave just because he simply wanted to catch up on sleep.
How to put it… If the rumor had been spread with malice, he would've long since stepped in to milk it for benefits, only letting go once there was nothing left to gain.
But faced with concern born from goodwill, he felt powerless.
It seemed like no matter how much he explained, the other party probably wouldn't believe him.
He could only wait until he went back to work at the Divination Commission tomorrow, so the rumor would collapse on its own…
Zero sighed, spent over half an hour completing one psychology test, then shared the answers with his colleagues.
He didn't understand, he really couldn't figure out General Tengxiao's thinking.
Why make Divination Commission staff take psychological tests?
Compared to them, just desk workers sitting all day, shouldn't the Cloud Knights who constantly went on campaigns be the focus instead?
They were the ones who frequently fell into danger, where the slightest carelessness could cost them their lives.
Surely it was their mental state that needed attention the most.
But alas, wage-slaves can't control their own fate. No matter how unwilling, they still had to follow the leader's orders.
Referring to the answers pieced together by his colleagues, Zero slightly tweaked the choices and finally finished the remaining three psychology tests.
The next day, Zero completely abandoned his shut-in nature. Full of initiative, he rolled up his sleeves, deliberately showing his perfectly intact arms to dispel rumors, and went around greeting colleagues.
After all, the rumor hadn't named names. If he directly brought it up, it would instead look like he was trying to cover something up.
As everyone chatted, the topic drifted onto the damned psychological tests.
They thought things would end after completing the tests. But no, they didn't expect the Divination Commission to be so efficient.
The very day after the General issued the notice, the Divination Commissioner had already started calling people in one by one for talks.
Diviner Xiaolin, after seeing several people, came up to Zero's desk, dropped a line, "Come to my office."
When Zero entered the office, he saw Xiaolin place a paper document on the desk, smiling without warmth, "Your personality disorder test results are very problematic, Zero. Any idea why?"
Zero frowned, puzzled.
When he took that test, he'd been very serious.
He hadn't just copied others' answers, he'd actually done lots of the questions himself.
Diviner Xiaolin sighed, not wasting more time on this topic. Instead he asked, "Are you okay? How are things with Jingliu?"
Yesterday the Diviner had run into the Swordmaster Jingliu face-to-face. Her murderous aura, cold and extreme, had scared him badly.
He himself was just a civil official who'd risen up by relying on divination, usually only interacting with the Sky-faring Commission. He rarely ever met seasoned warriors who had fought through countless battles.
Suddenly running into Jingliu, he broke into a cold sweat. When she asked for his subordinate's address, he barely managed to hold on and not say it.
The way Jingliu looked, like she was out for vengeance, then recalling the terrifying Abundance spawn she had sent to Zero…
Wasn't that outright intimidation?
If he had given the address, could his subordinate's life have been guaranteed?
His expression had betrayed a little, and his subordinate just happened to notice it. He couldn't help but say a few extra words.
As a result, in the blink of an eye, the rumor spread into something bizarre, even the Diviner himself couldn't make sense of it anymore…
The Diviner couldn't help doubting reality.
'Could it be he'd lost his memory? Had Zero really been stabbed?'
But after seeing his subordinate standing alive and well in front of him, Xiaolin finally relaxed.
Even the so-called problematic personality disorder test results didn't seem so important anymore.
Anyway, Zero wasn't the only one who'd tested abnormal.
"I'm friends with Jingliu, we have no conflict at all."
Zero shook his head, doing his utmost to clarify the rumor about him and Jingliu.
All the talking he did couldn't compare to a single word from the Diviner, so better to directly confide in his superior.
"Lord Diviner, please take control of the Divination Commission. I really don't know where this rumor came from!"
The Diviner, who had already assumed the two were enemies, "…"
Zero continued, "Jingliu has a good personality. She just doesn't show much expression, that's all. I don't know why the rumor-spreaders have such a strong prejudice against her."
The Diviner, who had once been so scared by Jingliu he broke into cold sweat, "…"
Zero sighed deeply, "I really don't know what those people who spread rumors out of thin air are thinking. With such a flighty, reckless attitude, how can they serve in the Divination Commission?"
The Diviner, who had indirectly fanned the flames himself, "…"
Xiaolin pressed a hand to his forehead in frustration and waved for Zero to leave.
Seeing his superior dismissing him, Zero didn't try to guess what he was thinking. He turned and left, even helpfully closing the office door behind him.
He was here to work for money, not to waste energy guessing his boss's thoughts.
In the Divination Commission, Zero's philosophy was simple, just listen. The leader tells you to do something, you do it.
As for hidden meanings? Don't know, don't understand, teachers at the academy never taught that.
Sometimes he did his work, sometimes he slacked off scrolling on his phone. Once it was almost quitting time, he slowly tidied up his desk and then clocked out on the dot.
Stepping out of the Divination Commission, Zero immediately saw the towering, sky-piercing Arbor.
Its branches stretched upward, dense and tangled, as if trying to pierce through the heavens, striving upward with all their might.
For someone who didn't know, seeing this sight might stir expectations of what it would look like covered in green leaves.
But only those who knew the truth understood this giant tree's reality.
Seemingly magnificent, it didn't need to draw nutrients from soil, nor sunlight or water.
It extended vast, invisible roots, treating countless people's flesh and blood as nourishment. But what it hadn't expected was that countless people would rather endure endless pain than stop digging its roots out of their own flesh, cutting off its vitality completely.
No matter how many times he saw it, Zero always felt heartfelt admiration for the strength of the Xianzhou people.
They had gone through hardships, waded through countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, yet still hadn't had their spines broken. Truly remarkable.
As Zero sighed in admiration, walking along, he spotted a man with an explosion of hair.
'Isn't that Jing Yuan?'
"Zero, I have so many things I want to ask you!"
Jing Yuan's eyes lit up instantly. Like lightning, he rushed over, grabbed him, and dragged him toward a roadside restaurant.
The two sat down. Jing Yuan quickly placed an order, then slid the menu over to Zero.
Suddenly, a burly man appeared beside the table.
When Jing Yuan saw the man's face, he was instantly shocked, abruptly standing up. Just as he was about to greet him, he saw the burly man make a gesture for silence.
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