Chapter 83. Guojian needs a bodyguard.

Baolinghua wore an expression of confusion. At that moment, surprisingly, Chief Jiang was the first to understand and clapped his hands.

"Ah, I see! You mean to mimic the sales tactics of Qinglian Pen Shop, right?"

"Yes. But... do you know Qinglian Pen Shop?"

"Of course. I use their pens too."

He then took out his pen to show us. To my surprise, it was a deer hair pen, one grade higher than the one I had bought for Weizhilian.

'That thing is really expensive.'

I had considered buying it but couldn't afford it. Chief Jiang, however, was very excited.

"That's a great idea. I heard that after they engraved this design on their pens, the number of customers at Qinglian Pen Shop increased significantly."

"R-really?"

I had just thrown out the idea, but Chief Jiang's enthusiasm was making me feel a bit pressured.

'Maybe Chief Jiang is a pen otaku?'

He also likes swords, but I don't understand how he can be so versatile. Just focus on one thing.

With Chief Jiang unusually high-spirited, Baolinghua asked with a slightly dubious look.

"Then, who should we entrust with the artwork?"

"There's someone I know..."

Just as I was about to recommend Wang Xi, Chief Jiang suddenly raised his hand and said,

"Sir. The person who draws our agency's symbol should be one of our own, shouldn't they?"

"Huh?"

What does that even mean?

Is he suggesting an amateur contest?

I was gaping at his absurd suggestion when Chief Jiang continued with great enthusiasm.

"How about we hold a contest within the branch? We'll award a gold ingot to the winner. Hehe, this will be fun!"

Then he looked around and asked, "What do you think, everyone?"

Someone should have said, "Branch Chief, that's a ridiculous idea!" But...

"That's a great idea!"

"Branch Chief, as expected. Hehe."

"Our agency's symbol should be drawn by one of our own. Hahaha."

That's how we decided to hold a contest within the branch to design a mascot character.

That's how companies usually work.

***

After the meeting, I gave Weizhilian the pen as a gift. She took the pen I gave her, her face turning red, and stammered,

"Thank you... I, I don't know if it's okay to accept such a gift..."

Seeing her happy made me feel good too. I shrugged and said,

"Don't mention it. You've done so much for me, Weizhilian."

"But, I haven't given you anything special..."

"What are you talking about? If it weren't for the martial arts you taught me, I would have struggled to survive until now. It's all thanks to you."

Hearing this, Weizhilian blushed and looked incredibly embarrassed. I was glad she appreciated it. She hugged the pen and said softly,

"I'll treasure it. Thank you."

"Sure. Oh, by the way, about this pen. I heard from the pen shop people that the more you use it, the better it gets..."

I was explaining what I had learned about the pen when Weizhilian asked,

"By the way, Chief Jiang told me to put up a notice in the branch. Do you know what it's about?"

"Let me see. Ah! That's it."

Weizhilian handed me the notice she received from Chief Jiang. It was about the internal character design contest we discussed during the meeting.

'How did this happen so quickly?'

The meeting ended less than an hour ago.

I explained what happened during the meeting, and Weizhilian nodded.

"That sounds interesting. Are you planning to participate, Chief?"

"Yes. I have something in mind."

I already had an idea of what to draw.

The mascot of our ROKA, Hoguk, would be perfect as the mascot for Baoyun Escort Agency.

'Hoguk will be fine.'

The silver ingot is as good as mine.

Of course, I need to adjust the design to fit the trends of the Central Plains. I'm still thinking about how to modify the antenna-equipped high bar.

"That's good. I can't think of anything."

"It's not mandatory, so it's okay if you don't participate."

"Hmm... I guess so."

While I was talking to Weizhilian, Baolinghua entered the office.

"Oh, Chief. I just saw you again after our earlier meeting."

"Ah, Sir."

I bowed. Baolinghua looked at me and asked,

"What brings you here... Hmm? That pen..."

"Ah, actually, I gave Weizhilian a gift because I've been in her debt. She'll be using pens a lot in the future."

Hearing this, Baolinghua said in a small voice,

"I use pens a lot too..."

"Huh?"

I didn't hear her clearly, so I asked her to repeat it. Baolinghua shook her head.

"Never mind. Hmm. About that contest, will it be effective?"

"Hard to say. It's like cultivating a wasteland."

Campaigns rarely produce dramatic results overnight. The main goal is to gradually change public perception and instill a positive image.

Of course, there are occasional dramatic effects, but they are usually negative.

'Like being ridiculed for being ridiculous.'

Like a public service ad showing a royal straight flush and asking, "Gambling, are you still going to continue?"

Hearing my explanation, Baolinghua nodded.

"I see. It would be hard to expect a big impact just from adding a picture to the room. I understand the meaning."

"Right. It's more about making it feel more familiar."

"Good. It will help in the long run. Are you planning to participate in this contest, Chief?"

"Yes, I am."

I said confidently. Baolinghua smiled and replied,

"I look forward to it."

I'm pretty sure I'll win.

***

Soon, notices were posted throughout the branch. The contest details were there, and the prize of two silver taels attracted quite a few interested guards.

"We are recruiting a symbol to represent our Baoyun Escort Agency. It can be an animal, a person, or an inanimate object. Draw a unique symbol. The winner will receive a gold ingot worth two silver taels."

Yongzai read the notice from start to finish and said,

"This sounds interesting."

"Huh? You're going to draw too?"

"Yes, yes... Senior. Is that okay?"

No, it's not that.

I thought he wouldn't participate, but the prize of a gold ingot seems to be attracting more competitors. I patted Yongzai on the shoulder and said,

"Try your best."

'At least there's some interest.'

It's better than nothing. If I were the only participant, there might be no winner.

'No one can beat me anyway.'

I nodded confidently as I looked at the notice.

A few days passed, and the deadline arrived. Incidentally, Pang Gui unexpectedly drew Dangqi, and it was surprisingly well done. She made it cute and SD-styled.

Seeing Dangqi's drawing, I felt a strong sense of competition and asked Pang Gui,

"But, Pang, you're not part of our agency. Why did you draw it?"

"I'm like a guest guard, you know. I've helped out a lot here."

"Hmm..."

She had a point.

I couldn't argue with her logical response.

'Dangqi, trapping me like this.'

I won't give her the honey cookies I bought.

By the way, I drew a modified version of Hoguk as a hero, naming him Hoguk (護局) for protecting the agency.

Feeling satisfied, I looked at my drawing and then at the others.

'Let's see... What about the others?'

I checked the other entries, but they were all similar. Mostly carp and dragons.

There was nothing impressive, so I felt a strong sense of winning. But then my heart sank.

'What is that?'

In front of me was a bizarre and repulsive character. Short, spiky hair, a large face like a washbasin, a wide-open mouth, and a thumb up as if proud of something.

He was wearing the agency uniform instead of a military uniform, but it was clearly "that character."

'What is this guy doing here...?'

At the bottom, it said "Guojian (局乾)."

Every time I saw this character, I felt the pain of the juniors who had to see it as a mascot. I never thought I'd see it here.

Shocked, I trembled as the artist appeared.

"Senior, good morning. Are you participating too?"

The artist turned out to be Yongzai. I immediately grabbed his collar and shook him, shouting,

"What is this? Why did you draw this?!"

Is this guy a Defense Ministry informant?

Holding his collar, Yongzai panicked and waved his hands.

"What? What? Why are you doing this?"

"Where did you see this and draw it?!"

Excited, I shook him and asked. Yongzai, gasping for breath, explained,

"Well, there was a guy in my neighborhood who was a bit lacking, but he was a very kind and simple person..."

"What a lacking guy!"

Seeing this character made me so angry that I couldn't control my temper. I didn't tear the drawing because I'm a decent person. If I were someone else, I would have torn it up immediately.

'Sigh... It's really hard to control my anger.'

Anyway, that's what happened. It seemed to be a coincidence, but it was quite shocking. Calming down, I decided to think rationally.

'Guojian can't beat Hoguk. Maybe Dangqi, but not Guojian.'

He was no competition.

However...

"I like this one the most!"

"Huh?!"

Chief Jiang held up Guojian and shouted. I thought he was joking, but Chief Jiang smiled and said,

"Look. The teeth are even, hahaha. I really like it. It's cheerful and seems like it would protect the cargo well. I like it a lot. Hahaha."

"But, what...?"

It looked like a character who flatters superiors in front of them but slacks off behind their backs, eats all the snacks, and turns over the supply cart.

'Maybe it appeals to certain types?'

I might have overlooked that it could appeal to people like Chief Jiang. I broke my rule of not contradicting my superiors and said to Chief Jiang,

"That one can't be chosen."

"Hmm? Why not? Oh, I remember, you also submitted an entry."

Chief Jiang picked up Hoguk's drawing and tilted his head.

"Hmm. You did a good job too. Hmm... But, a tiger... Will the common people like it? Tigers are so scary."

"Really...!"

I hadn't thought about that. Tigers were one of the most feared things in this era. Many people disappeared while foraging in the mountains, caught by tigers.

'I made such a mistake...'

It was a real oversight. Feeling devastated, I trembled as Chief Jiang declared,

"If there are no objections, let's go with this one!"

"Sure."

"Great idea!"

That's how Guojian was chosen as our agency's mascot. I shuddered, feeling the consequences of my mistake.

'If only I could turn back time...'

Now I understand why people want to go back in time.

***

Well, fortunately, the Guojian notices were taken down shortly after they were posted due to massive public backlash.

People found it repulsive and thought it would drag them into military service.

'This is ridiculous!'

'Tear it down and rip it up!'

The people were truly wise and sensible.

As a result, the branch's mascot was changed to Dangqi, drawn by Pang Gui, who came in second.

Incidentally, Pang Gui was so happy about winning that she carried the winning drawing around the agency all day, showing it off with Dangqi.

'At least that's a good thing.'

I sighed in relief as I collected the notices with Guojian and the slogan "Guojian needs a bodyguard."

Thanks to the enthusiastic Chief Jiang, 200 copies were printed, making disposal a bit tricky. But at least the agency's image wasn't further damaged due to the quick removal.

"What a good drawing..."

"I know, right..."

Chief Jiang and Yongzai were quite disappointed by the public's reaction, but I didn't really care.

'Dangqi is a hundred times better.'

By the way, the additional guard recruitment, which was also promoted, went well. Despite the negative image, the publicity attracted many ronin from various places.

'Even bad publicity has its benefits.'

In the end, twenty more guards were recruited. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

With the recruitment complete, it was time to build the agency's training camp. The lead instructor for this camp would be Sima Yu. I started lobbying him.

"Brother, you must let me play the ghost role."

"Ah, many people want that role..."

"Is there anyone more suitable than me?"

"Well, hmm... Hehe."

Sima Yu pretended to be indifferent and subtly extended his hand. I really wanted to twist his wrist.

I took out a packet of honey cookies and placed it where others couldn't see.

"I bought this thinking of the kids."

"Hmm, what a nice gesture. Hehe. Well, I'll think about it deeply."

While we were talking, the agency's main gate was suddenly knocked on. Curious, I looked over and saw a well-built old man walking in.

'That's... Banchuan Bai?'

I wondered why he was here as he looked around and called out to me,

"Hey, you there! I have a question. Is Chief Bai here?"

"Um, yes. He should be inside."

I replied with a dubious look. Banchuan Bai approached me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said,

"Then, can you show me the way?"

"Sure."

I wondered what was going on, but I couldn't refuse a high-level expert like Banchuan Bai. As I led him to Baolinghua, I thought,

'Why is this old man here?'

It didn't seem to be anything bad. As we walked, Banchuan Bai suddenly said,

"Your face seems familiar."

"I met you once during the Bai Shengyi incident."

"Hmm... Bai Shengyi? Hmm... Ah, that guy? You were the one who helped back then."

Banchuan Bai chuckled and patted my back. It felt like my insides were being shaken.

"Ugh, stop it."

"Young man, you really lack presence."

Seeing Banchuan Bai tsking, I thought he was truly useless.

'Why did he come to our agency?'

I couldn't guess why he was here. We arrived at the pavilion where Baolinghua usually handles business. I told him to wait a moment and went to inform Baolinghua.

"Sir, a guest has arrived."

"A guest?"

Baolinghua looked puzzled and asked. I pointed outside and said,

"Yes. Banchuan Daxia has come to visit."

"Banchuan Daxia?"

Hearing this, Baolinghua's face turned pale. It didn't seem to be good news. I wondered what was going on as Baolinghua said,

"Ugh... I have no choice. Please show him in."

"Sure. I understand."

I went to get Banchuan Bai, but the door suddenly opened. Banchuan Bai couldn't wait and walked in.

'Really, he's so impulsive.'

As I thought this, Banchuan Bai said,

"Chief Bai, it's been a while. Hehe. How's business?"

"Um... It's good."

Baolinghua nodded reluctantly. Banchuan Bai laughed heartily and said,

"Good, good. I heard things are settling down, and I came here because I want Chief Bai to honor our agreement from back then."

Banchuan Bai smiled and said this. Baolinghua replied,

"Of course. I was thinking of sending someone to you soon."

"Then, please assign a guide to take me to Mount Emei. I need to deliver this letter to Swordswoman Xichuan."

Banchuan Bai took out a letter with a seal and waved it. I used my strength to examine it and saw "Beigong Lin" written on the envelope.

'Oh no.'

It seemed Beigong Lin couldn't hold on any longer.