The Hero Association headquarters was unlike any ordinary building.
To be specific, it was packed with the most advanced defense systems and technology. It looked less like an office building and more like a secret base, a cutting-edge fortress.
Under Sitch's guidance, Fang Li and Sylvia toured various sections of the facility, getting a basic understanding of how the Hero Association operated and how its systems worked. Sylvia found it quite interesting. As for Fang Li, he was only tagging along out of courtesy and was bored the entire time.
Sitch, meanwhile, was incredibly enthusiastic. It was almost as if he was determined to leave Sylvia with a good impression. Not only did he personally guide them around, but he also tirelessly explained everything along the way. Though he occasionally seemed to exaggerate the Association's capabilities, it was clear that the people here were genuinely proud of their headquarters.
During the tour, Fang Li also learned a few things.
For example, although the Hero Association had been founded by a wealthy businessman, that was merely its origin. The actual operation and management of the Association were largely controlled by a group of executives. In addition, there were wealthy sponsors who provided funding and supported the Association's activities. Much like shareholders in a corporation, they possessed considerable influence over its affairs.
And then...
"The top-ranked A-Class hero, a famous idol, has joined the Association's committee as an advisor," Sitch explained enthusiastically to Sylvia as they walked through a futuristic corridor. "She has the authority to participate in the management of heroes. To be specific, decisions involving the approval or rejection of promotion requests from high-ranking heroes fall under her authority. According to the committee's regulations, every hero promotion must ultimately receive her opinion. That's one of the privileges granted to an advisor."
The reason Sitch brought this up was obvious.
"The committee has already reached a decision. If Sylvia-san is willing to join the Hero Association, she can enjoy the same privileges as the advisor and serve as an advisor herself." Sitch said this directly to Sylvia. "The current advisor, the Number One A-Class Hero, is already aware of this proposal. She even said that if Sylvia-san is interested, joining the Hero Association directly as one of its executives wouldn't be a problem either."
Before Sylvia could answer, however, another voice cut in.
"An executive of the Hero Association?" Fang Li suddenly asked. "What if she joins as a hero instead?"
"Uh..." Sitch clearly hadn't expected Fang Li to interrupt. He froze for a moment before instinctively looking toward Sylvia.
Yet Sylvia not only said nothing, she turned her gaze toward Fang Li instead, as though she intended to follow whatever arrangement he made.
That surprised Sitch somewhat.
(This guy is definitely not just the diva's bodyguard, is he?)
Anyone could tell at a glance.
Fang Li's attitude was far too casual. Throughout the tour, he and Sylvia chatted freely about whatever came to mind. The familiarity and closeness they displayed made it obvious that theirs was no ordinary relationship. Moreover, neither of them made any effort to hide it. They paid no attention to the Hero Association staff around them, and sometimes even became completely absorbed in their own conversations, ignoring everyone else.
If their relationship were really that simple, they wouldn't act like this. That was why Sitch had already realized that Fang Li's earlier explanation had merely been a casual excuse. After all, there was no reason for someone to reveal their private affairs to a person they had only just met.
Because of that, Sitch hadn't neglected Fang Li at all during the tour. He remained just as enthusiastic toward him. It was only after seeing how Sylvia seemed to take Fang Li's lead in everything that Sitch realized just how much Fang Li's opinions influenced the diva's decisions.
So, he answered Fang Li honestly without hiding anything.
"If Sylvia-san wants to join the Association as a hero, that's naturally not a problem. After all, she resolved a Demon-level disaster. She could even be directly registered as an A-Class hero."
As he spoke, Sitch carefully observed Fang Li's reaction.
Unlike the media reports outside that were only interested in attracting attention, the Hero Association had noticed something. Fang Li had been present during yesterday's disaster as well. Otherwise, Sitch wouldn't have recognized him immediately.
And according to the Association executives, most of them believed that the true person responsible for resolving yesterday's incident was actually Fang Li.
As for Sylvia...
This world-famous diva didn't look like someone with such overwhelming combat ability. After all, not many people could possess both the charm to captivate the masses and extraordinary fighting power. In this world, having someone like the Number One A-Class Hero was already rare enough. If this world-famous diva happened to be the same, nobody would believe it without seeing it with their own eyes.
That was precisely why Sitch had invited Sylvia to join as an executive advisor rather than directly asking if she wanted to debut as a hero.
But what Sitch thought wasn't the important part. What Fang Li cared about was something else entirely.
"A-Class?" Fang Li said with a faint smile. "Why can't it be S-Class?"
"S-Class?" Sitch froze for a moment before showing a troubled expression. "There are only sixteen S-Class heroes in the entire Association. They're basically our highest combat force, the ultimate weapons used against disasters. Whenever they're deployed, it's usually to deal with Demon-level threats or even greater disasters. The danger involved is extraordinary. If Sylvia-san became an S-Class hero without having the strength to match that rank, an accident could happen very easily."
And that wasn't all.
If the Hero Association simply handed Sylvia the honor of being an S-Class hero because they wanted to take advantage of her fame as a world-renowned diva, nobody would accept it. The Association's public reputation would suffer as well.
Reputation was extremely important to an organization like the Hero Association. If the public came to believe that the Association only cared about status and influence and had no sense of fairness, then even if people continued supporting it because of Sylvia, the enthusiasm of those who wanted to become heroes would plummet. It wouldn't even be surprising if some heroes chose to quit.
The Hero Association could certainly make Sylvia an A-Class hero right away. After all, everyone knew that she had resolved a Demon-level disaster. Using that achievement as justification for an A-Class evaluation was completely reasonable.
But S-Class was different.
Unless someone had dealt with a Dragon-level disaster, it was basically impossible to jump directly into S-Class. After all, if they couldn't prove their strength, the rank meant nothing.
And that also meant,
"As long as we can prove her strength, there won't be a problem, right?"
Fang Li looked at the stunned Sitch and said with a smile, "Could you arrange a test for us?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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