Seeing the Taurus Director's firm stance, the Red-haired Director couldn't help but sigh, abandoning her unrealistic idea completely and settling for a compromise as she said,
"Then could we alter our performance rankings for this year? If we count this, our Virgo division would almost be first, wouldn't it?"
"Well... how about we include it next year?"
Not expecting her to dwell on this, the Taurus Director hesitated for a moment before saying,
"The performance slate has already been issued, and the sole director with authority to adjust the rankings isn't present, making it exceptionally troublesome to change it now..."
"Then instead of changing the ranking, could I add a note?"
"Huh? How would you add a note?"
"Just temporarily change the name of our Virgo branch."
Unable to bear the shame of working diligently all year only to end up at the bottom in terms of performance, the Red-haired Director proposed quite hopefully,
"If we just change the name from 'Virgo Branch' to 'Virgo Branch (Actually First),' then on the performance slate, it would display as '87th, Virgo Branch (Actually First),' which means we wouldn't technically be last... Would that work?"
*How did you come up with such a devious plan...*
After opening his mouth in silence, the Taurus Director felt it would be unfair not to agree with this "contributor" and had to sigh, nodding to allow the temporary renaming of the Virgo branch as suggested.
As the Red-haired Director eagerly headed off with a chisel to alter the performance slate, the Taurus Director turned to look at the Lion Bureau's Director and asked,
"How about you, Beverly?"
"My request is the same as before."
Having already decided what she wanted, Beverly cheerfully made her request,
"I hope you can find someone to replace me as Director for a month and then send me to the God of Sweets' Divine Country to have it make desserts for me to feast on for a month."
"Alright, you can set out tomorrow."
Listening to the "duo of binge eaters" make their usual requests, the Taurus Director couldn't help but chuckle, nodding his approval as he turned his attention to Leon with a kindly look,
"And you, Leon? What do you want?"
Leon hesitated for a moment upon hearing this before tentatively asking,
"For me... could I make a few more requests?"
"Of course, you can."
Unlike the two directors with a Corrosion Value as high as seventy, who had no other desires than gastronomic indulgence, Leon, being a Level Three rookie, only aimed to quickly enhance his own abilities.
While he already possessed an abundance of powerful Anomalous Objects, to the point he couldn't make use of them all, increasing his Corrosion Value wasn't something that could be achieved overnight, leaving the only rapid advancement options to be his Badges and the newly acquired Mystique. So...
"My first request is... Could I borrow the God of Wine's bead for a bit?"
Seeing the Taurus Director's slightly furrowed brow, Leon quickly explained,
"I'm not asking for the bead on anyone else's behalf, but for myself, just to have a taste. I won't drink much, just a single sip from each kind of wine."
Just a single sip from each?
The Taurus Director asked rather confusedly,
"Why only a single sip?"
Because just one sip was enough to fulfill the requirement for filing and allow his [Martyr of the Wine Country] Badge to advance.
Gazing at the badge interface showcasing the brilliant golden shine of [Martyr of the Wine Country], Leon's heart filled with anticipation.
To advance from the Gold Level [Martyr of the Wine Country], he needed to taste a thousand "craft" level wines, a hundred "fine" level wines, ten "full-bodied" level wines, and one "intoxicated brew" level wine.
These requirements were incredibly demanding. Even after tagging along with the director on several drinking occasions, he hadn't achieved even a tenth of the goal. However, if the God of Wine's bead was as miraculous as rumored, perhaps he could fill up the [Martyr of the Wine Country] in one go, directly advancing to the Heterochromatic Badge, [Immortal in Liquor]!
That would be extraordinary!
Badges at the Heterochromatic stage were incredibly formidable, akin to the top-tier Anomalous Objects. The opportunity to obtain a second Heterochromatic Badge would put any other potential reward to shame!
"Actually, I quite enjoy drinking wine too, but I don't like getting drunk, just tasting the flavor. So just a sip from each kind will do!"
Eager to obtain a second Heterochromatic Badge and fearing being held back by his drunken Director, Leon straightforwardly promised,
"Taurus His Excellency! Rest assured, I guarantee I'll drink it myself. I won't share even a sip with our Director!"
Watching Leon willing to sell out Olivia without hesitation just to get a drink, the Taurus Director sighed helplessly.
*Ah... He seemed like such a good kid before, but unfortunately, he fell into Olivia's influence and was led astray by her.*
*Now, with his average physique and low alcohol tolerance, once his physical strength improves, he's sure to become a heavy drinker not unlike Olivia...*
Rubbing his forehead with a bit of a headache, the Taurus Director reluctantly said,
"You really must stick to your word and not share with Olivia. She seriously needs to cut down on the drinking; if she keeps this up, it's bound to cause trouble sooner or later."
"Yes, yes! I promise I won't give her a drop!"
"Then I'll have someone deliver the bead to you in a few days... What's your next request?"
"For my second request... I'd like to touch the Aquarius Astropalace."
Seeing the sudden stern expression of the Taurus Director, Leon quickly explained,
"You know, my Ability involves gathering information through touch, and I just acquired knowledge about Abnormal Genesis Sorcery, so..."
"So you want to see if by touching it, you can figure out how to gain the Star Palace's approval and learn the Aquarius Secret Technique?"
Understanding Leon's idea more or less, the Taurus Director reluctantly said,
"This is a bit tricky... The Star Palaces that hold the Twelve Secret Techniques are enormously large, and they're all Zodiac Star Palaces, usually orbiting around the Sun, so you certainly can't reach them. Although the Directors can temporarily summon a small part of the corresponding Star Palace using their own authority, this thing's Hierarchy is extremely high, not quite like the Watcher's Palace but still above most True Gods. Are you sure you'd be able to decipher anything?"
"Though I'm not certain, I would still like to try..."
Knowing that the Taurus Director was a true "Iron-hearted Good Person," a saint silently burning their own personality for the sake of all humanity, Leon disclosed a bit, testing his luck as he said,
"Taurus His Excellency, I suspect my Anomalous Object Hierarchy might be quite high; perhaps I could really glean some insights. Besides, I guess our bureau doesn't fully grasp intelligence on the Star Palaces either? If I could indeed uncover some intelligence, perhaps more people could master the Secret Techniques, which would be a good thing too."
In that case... it might indeed have its merits...
After pondering with furrowed brows for a moment, the Taurus Director nodded slowly, persuaded by Leon's suggestion, and then spoke with a serious expression,
"Only the corresponding Director can summon the Star Palace; with Aquarius having defected and the Star Palace sealed by the Director, I can only summon parts of the Taurus Star Palace to let you try to touch. Leon, if you really find a method to learn the corresponding Secret Techniques directly without the Star Palace's approval, while I can't speak for the other Secret Techniques, I guarantee I'll personally teach you the Taurus lineage's 'Anomaly Forge' Secret Technique! As long as you can learn, I'll teach you whatever you can absorb!"