A week later.
The officials of the six major departments seemed to have nothing to do and were preparing to collectively visit Oliver again to persuade him.
The core goal was just one: to have Oliver lead the Immortal Vessel of Cangcheng and become the Immortal Vessel General.
"This time, we'll try the 'woe-is-me' tactic; I used this trick against the former General, and it works every time."
Chief Strategist Xuan Lian said confidently.
"I cast a divination for Oliver, and I couldn't calculate anything; it's too outrageous, I even suspect there's a problem with my ability."
The Grand Diviner of the Divination Commission finally returned from her business trip.
After hearing about the Azure City incident, she was filled with lingering fear.
Went on a business trip, and her home was gone?
Fortunately, someone awesome held up the sky for Azure City.
She immediately joined the team persuading Oliver to become the General.
"Never mind all that; later, I'll be in charge of crying about poverty, and you all cry about weakness, saying that our Immortal Vessel is always targeted and has a hard time because we don't have a General."
The Ship Navigator seriously explained the procedure.
This was the first time they had encountered someone who didn't want to be a General; no amount of persuasion worked.
They had no choice but to resort to some tactics.
In the courtyard.
Jingliu practiced her sword swings as usual.
After getting used to it, swinging the sword three thousand times no longer exhausted her.
"Master, let's spar. Let's see how much of your true teaching I've grasped?"
Jingliu held her sword, her face full of confidence.
It was as if being able to swing a seven-jin sword three thousand times was enough to be recorded in history.
Oliver lay on the rocking chair and glanced at her.
"My dear disciple, you're getting ahead of yourself."
He admitted that Jingliu was very talented and could improve rapidly without relying on cheats.
But unfortunately, she was challenging a cheater.
Oliver stood up, stretched, picked up his wooden sword, and softly asked, "Are you ready?"
Jingliu waited seriously, gripping her sword with both hands, her entire body tense.
She knew that although Oliver usually looked carefree and harmless, he possessed true skill.
His battle record was verifiable.
Before her eyes, she saw Oliver casually drop his sword in front of him, completely without force.
"That's it?"
Just as this thought surfaced in Jingliu's mind, she suddenly seemed possessed, rushing forward uncontrollably.
Clack!
When Jingliu regained her senses, she found herself kneeling in front of Oliver, hands pressed together, having voluntarily caught his wooden sword.
"Huh? What happened?"
Why did she feel compelled to run over and catch the wooden blade with her bare hands?
Oliver looked down on her, adopting the air of a master, and spoke faintly, "Do you know where the gap between us lies?"
Jingliu shook her head.
Oliver: "You lack presence."
Jingliu: "What is presence?"
Oliver put away his wooden sword and thought about how web novels usually described it.
"Presence is..."
"Before a fight, you can turn your back on your opponent, slightly turn your head, look down on them from the corner of your eye, and then say: 'Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars, in this world, there is none like me.'"
Wow!
Jingliu felt her blood boil.
Such confident and arrogant words could indeed only be spoken by a true powerhouse.
"'Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars'—"
Listen to that, how domineering, how shocking!
Jingliu wasn't the only one shocked; so were the six old hands eavesdropping outside the door.
The Chief Strategist: "Hiss, terrifying indeed, absolutely terrifying."
Si Heng: "That's too much presence! Just hearing that sentence makes me feel like I could fight a hundred people!"
The Ship Navigator: "We must make Oliver the General. The Immortal Vessel of Cangcheng will surely become the strongest in the Alliance!"
The rustling outside the door naturally did not escape Oliver's notice.
"Come in."
Oliver gave a light shout, and the wooden sword dropped.
Swish! Clack! Clack, clack! Clack, clack, clack!
The six eavesdroppers instantly appeared before Oliver, except they were kneeling.
A wooden sword hung above their heads.
Every one of them had their hands pressed together, ready to catch something, and were only able to remain kneeling on the ground.
The Grand Diviner wanted to get up, but she couldn't move her body at all.
"Too strong! He can even restrict the movements of all of us."
The stronger Oliver appeared, the happier they were.
The six people kneeling on the ground were actually all smiling.
"It's you guys again. I'm not becoming the General. Find someone else."
In a week of seven days, these six people had come five times.
Every time, it was just to persuade him to become the General.
It was as if they had decided to cling to him.
If Jingliu weren't here, Oliver would definitely have moved to the Luofu.
Oliver put away his sword, and the six people regained their freedom.
"Lord Oliver, please have mercy on us! The Immortal Vessel of Cangcheng cannot function without you!"
The Foxian Ship Navigator tearfully hugged Oliver's arm and pleaded.
The Chief Strategist hugged his right arm.
The Grand Diviner was divining the success rate of this tactic.
Si Heng hugged his left leg, another official hugged his right leg, and the last official just cried weakly there.
The division of labor among the six people was clearly defined.
Oliver was completely numb.
Honestly speaking, these six high officials didn't act like officials at all.
Look at the Ship Navigator of the Luofu, Yukong—how mature and steady she is?
How dignified is the Grand Diviner, Fu Xuan?
How proper is the Chief Strategist, Qing Zu?
Now look at these six here. No wonder they crashed into Rahu.
He felt like the previous General might have been jinxed to death by them.
"Alright, alright, stop pretending."
Oliver waved his hand impatiently. "At most, I'll take an honorary position. If there's a crisis you can't solve, I'll step in. Once you find a suitable person to be the General, I'll step down."
"Oh, this..."
The six people exchanged glances, seemingly negotiating with their eyes.
Soon, Xuan Lian replied with a smile, "Great! Then, Lord Acting General, we have an agreement."
And so, Oliver, being soft-hearted and unable to withstand the constant pestering, became the Acting General of the Immortal Vessel of Cangcheng.
The Acting General did not need to undergo assessment or inherit the Aura.
He would not participate in handling government affairs, but he would possess the right to speak.
He didn't have to work normally, but he had to protect the Immortal Vessel of Cangcheng during crises.
His monthly salary would be paid according to the General's standard.
It was that simple.
The six high officials left satisfied, finally granting Oliver a long period of peace.
Jingliu asked curiously, "So many people want to be General but don't get the chance, why didn't you want it?"
Oliver lay back down on the rocking chair and said, "Because I am your Master. Compared to the starship, I'd rather spend time with you. Fame and power are less important than you are."
Of course, if the script couldn't be completed, what good were fame and power?
At these words, Jingliu fell silent.
She stared blankly at the man in the rocking chair.
So Oliver could give up power and status for her sake.
Touched.
"Master, thank you."
Jingliu smiled and began her baldness training again.
However, this time, Jingliu actually managed to cultivate something.
She closed her eyes in contemplation, seemingly entering a state of enlightenment.
"Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars."
Following Oliver's aura, Jingliu constructed the figure of a Sword Immortal in her mind.
Then, with a single sword slash, she actually mobilized Imaginary Energy, instantly freezing the wooden stake and cutting it in half.
Even Oliver couldn't help but be stunned.
Is this what talent looks like?
She can figure out ultimate moves even when taught nonsensically?
No wonder she could hack her way into becoming the Sword Head even if thrown into a pile of Evil Creatures and told to slash wildly.