8mi Chapter 98 Is the official organization really this wild?
Chapter 98 Is the official organization really this wild?
"I am Eliza White, responsible for all paperwork, file organization, initial intelligence gathering, logistical coordination, and routine liaison with the church's civilian departments. If you have any questions about accessing documents, expense reimbursement, or applying for any non-combat supplies, please contact me."
Eliza White's tone was businesslike, not unfriendly, but rather a professional attitude.
"Hello, Ms. White," Green replied politely.
He could sense that Eliza White was the maintainer of order and detail here.
"Eliza is our 'key lady',"
"Without her, our reports would pile up to the ceiling, our funding would be a complete mess, and it would probably take half a day to find an old file."
"She's a legitimate 'archaeologist' pathway, Sequence 8, with an amazing sensitivity to historical documents and details, and has helped us decipher many ancient clues. She's just sometimes too meticulous..."
He spoke the second half of his sentence softly, but Eliza clearly heard him, only glancing at him expressionlessly.
"Except for Eliza,"
Alvin continued, pointing to the door Eliza had just come out of, "That's the administrative office, usually with two assistants."
"He might be out running errands or busy elsewhere today. One is old Jacques, a retired former church school teacher, a 'Reader' of Sequence 9, with an exceptional memory, responsible for screening and clipping information from newspapers and publicly published materials; he's a walking encyclopedia."
"The other one is Misha, a young woman who has just joined and is still an ordinary person, but she is meticulous and skillful. She is responsible for shorthand, transcription, daily chores and some simple drawing work."
"The three of them form the core of our squad's administrative staff, ensuring that those of us jumping around on the front lines don't starve or get held accountable by headquarters because of... uh... paperwork."
Eliza calmly replied, "To be precise, it's about maintaining the basic operation of the squad's administration and intelligence work, and providing the necessary logistical support for your operations."
She picked up a document. "Mr. Morris, this is the code of conduct and confidentiality agreement, which you need to read carefully. Also, I will explain the process for your internship allowance and subsequent task subsidy application to you when it is convenient for you."
"Okay, thank you, Ms. White."
Green nodded. It seemed that here, civilian staff not only existed, but held key positions, each with their own specific duties.
"Then, you may continue."
Eliza said something to Alvin, then nodded slightly to Green, and turned to leave.
Irwin watched her retreating figure and shrugged at Green:
"Look, this is our logistical brain. With her around, at least we don't have to worry about forgetting to keep maintenance records for the sealed items or writing the wrong report dates. Okay, let's continue looking at your cabinet."
He led Green to the locker, and as he opened the door and took out the prepared items, he said in a low voice:
"Civilian personnel typically don't participate directly in field operations, but they know everything, and it's extremely important. Especially Eliza; despite her serious demeanor, she's handled more secrets than we've experienced in combat, and she deserves our respect."
"Old Jaxson is a good man, but he's tight-lipped. Misha... is still learning, but she's quite clever. Here, everyone has different roles, but the goal is the same."
Irwin handed Green a neatly folded dark gray casual suit, a canvas bag containing basic tools, and a leather document holder.
Green opened his ID folder, inside was a well-made identity card, printed with a photograph of him taken at some unknown time, and his title:
[Special Advisor for St. George's Hospice]
Below that is a line of smaller text and a number.
"Ready so quickly?"
Green asked in disbelief, "This efficiency is just too amazing. He only signed the employment agreement in Clarice's office half an hour ago."
Upon hearing Green's question, Alvin's face showed a complex expression.
Alvin sighed and lowered his voice: "Fast? You think this was rushed out at the last minute?"
He pointed to the identification. "Last night, when Clarice Gan crawled out of that godforsaken Fairfax Manor, stuffed the captain into the carriage, and was still bleeding herself, the first thing she did was not cry out in pain, nor did she rush to send an urgent telegram to the church headquarters."
Alvin mimicked Clarice's weak, even theatrical, panting breaths:
"Eliza... immediately prepare a set of onboarding documents for a special advisor, obtain Green Morris's file and photograph through the fastest channels, and pre-allocate permissions and supplies according to the highest standards for trainee Night's Watchmen... these must be prepared before I report to the Sanctuary in detail."
He regained his voice and shrugged:
"Ms. White was stunned at the time, but as you saw, she never deviates from orders. So, these things..."
According to Erwin, Clarice treated me quite well... no, she probably already guessed that I would agree to join the Night's Watch?
No, she hadn't reported it to the church yet, and I hadn't put forward my conditions either. What if I didn't agree to the church's conditions?
Could it be that she... anticipated the thoughts of the church and me?
This is incredible...
Irwin pointed to the item in Green's hand, "It was already in your locker before you even stepped into the sanatorium today. The report was submitted afterward, but the 'procedures'... she beat everyone else to it."
Irwin leaned closer, his expression mysterious. "This means two things, Green. First, Clarice has a very, very high opinion of you, or rather, she values... well, all the 'possibilities' in you. She's securing a spot for you in advance, even at the cost of some procedural risk."
"second,"
He straightened up, his tone returning to its usual teasing, but the meaning was clear: "You're now 'Clarice's recommended person.' This 'special advisor' status is both a protective shield and a label."
"The advantage is that some tedious reviews may be simplified. The disadvantage is that you may be labeled with a certain stereotype from the very beginning in the eyes of some people."
"So, do a good job, don't let her (and our) investment go down the drain, and don't... let down this trust that allowed us to 'get ahead'."
This explanation enlightened Green, but it also put him under pressure.
Clarice's decisiveness far exceeded his expectations, and this "get on the bus first, buy the ticket later" approach not only demonstrated her boldness and connections as a seasoned Night's Watchman, but also bound him even more deeply to this ship.
"I understand," Green said, looking at Alvin.
"Good that you understand."
Alvin patted him on the shoulder, then suddenly seemed to think of something extremely interesting, stroking his chin and looking Green up and down.
"But then again..."
Alvin drawled out his words, lowering his voice, "Clarice, while she's always been decisive, has gone a little too 'attentive' this time. She processed your paperwork overnight, even before the report came out... tsk tsk."
He leaned closer. "You and her...you didn't know each other before, or...hmm?"
He winked and made a face, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Green was taken aback by his sudden and absurd association, and instinctively wanted to refute it.
However, he suddenly froze and coughed heavily.
Alvin slapped his thigh, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, filled with excitement:
"As expected! I knew it! No wonder! Those self-important deacons and those sycophants in the church all got slapped in the face by Clarice! It turns out the good cabbage was already there—"
He excitedly gestured and turned around as if to point at someone to emphasize his point, but halfway there he caught sight of Clarice staring at him with narrowed eyes.
His movements froze instantly. "—You've already taken me! I—"
He forced out his last few words with a sudden drop in volume, but it was too late.
Clarice raised her leg and kicked straight down in one swift motion.
Elwin was thrown to the ground, sliding down to Rex's feet with his chest touching the ground.
Rex stopped wiping the crossbow, looked down at Elwin lying on the ground, then looked up at Clarice, whose face remained expressionless. He simply moved his foot to the side silently.
"Alvin Sterling!" Clarice said coldly.
"Has your brain been filled with the inspiration of the 'Midnight Poet' and fermented into alcohol?! Shut your mouth right now, the one that only makes noise and spreads rumors! Otherwise, I don't mind having Rick 'physically silence' you, or I'll personally iron out your tongue!"
The office door suddenly opened, and Ms. White and Mr. Johnson rushed out.
Seeing this, the two immediately understood most of the situation and quickly stepped forward to stop Clarice. "Clarice! Calm down! Your injuries haven't healed yet!"
Old Jason quickly pulled Alvin, who was still groaning and trying to explain himself, and whispered, "...Are you crazy?"
Green stood there, still holding the leather ID holder in his hand, "I...I..."
"Damn... Is your official organization really this wild...?" Green was deeply shocked.
Clarice's gaze swept towards Green.
"I didn't hear anything! I've been thinking about the doctrines and rules of the Church of the Night!" Green said quickly and confidently.
Clarice narrowed her eyes, and after a moment, turned to Rick and said, "Rick, you're in charge of directing the rest of the work."
"Okay," Rick replied curtly.
Rex silently hung the cleaned crossbow back on the weapon rack, walked over to Grimm, and said in a low voice, only the two of them could hear:
"You'll get used to it. He often teeters on the edge of suicide; I suspect this is a new way he's been promoted."
"Huh? Huh?" Green looked surprised.
Is there such a promotion method?