The Pioneer Platform was eerily quiet, the bright lights dispelling the dullness within. Several local women from Xilan Island sat uncomfortably on the sofa, showing none of their former charm.
Shao Zifeng was still draped in his worn brown cloak, its hood behind him rising and falling slightly. In the three years since they'd seen him last, his features had matured and the lines of his face were no longer youthful. His long, unkempt hair was casually tied back with a headband, and in these clothes, he looked more like the legendary roguish and ambiguous Explorer, drawing frequent glances from the women of Clayster Church.
The plump man standing opposite him, Zhu, wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief from time to time. He was extremely nervous; if this man was truly determined to trouble them, even their headquarters' board of directors might struggle to calm his anger.
