Chapter 191: Chapter 189: Therefore, the Capable Can Rise to High Positions

Of course, that was under normal circumstances.

In fact, for the past few hundred years, Javier Sinclair had rarely attended the grand court assembly in the main hall. Most of the time, several elders and Nerida would preside, and over time, the great hall of the Bloodfiend Den fell into disuse. Whenever the elders had something to discuss, they would go to the Council Hall instead.

As a result, the grand court assembly, which was supposed to be held once a month when the Bloodfiend Den was founded, was changed to once every six months, and eventually, to once a year.

The chances of The Exalted One appearing at the assembly were slim, so seeing him at the grand court assembly even once a year was already considered fortunate.

If he happened to be in seclusion, it was common not to see him for three to five years at a time.

When Celeste Grant arrived at the Council Hall, Nerida, Elder Lawson, and the others were already waiting there.

Javier Sinclair still hadn’t arrived.

She looked at the Right Protector.

"Jade, where is your Exalted One?"

Jade was the elusive man in black who always wore a demonic mask, revealing only half his face. He was in charge of intelligence gathering and was usually nowhere to be found.

Hearing his name, Jade stood up and said, "Madam, The Exalted One went to The Forging Chamber and has not yet emerged. He said that unless the Seven Great Celestial Sects launch a joint attack, you are to be in charge of all other matters within the Bloodfiend Den."

Celeste Grant chuckled. "Your Exalted One has such a poor work ethic. Is this Bloodfiend Den his or mine, anyway?"

’As the big boss, how can he be so unenthusiastic about his work?!’

’Look at all those domineering CEOs in modern novels, stuck in their offices signing contracts. Eight out of ten of them are workaholics. They’re so busy they can’t even eat a proper meal and are always developing stomach problems.’

’As the leader of the Demonic Sects, he should learn a thing or two from them.’

’Look at his subordinates, each one more of a grinder than the last. So how can he, The Exalted One, be so idle? Hehehe, they can all just come work for me! I’m a ruthless capitalist, and I won’t even spare my own husband.’

Meanwhile, in The Forging Chamber, Javier Sinclair had a feeling someone was thinking about him.

He was currently refining a piece of jewelry for Celeste Grant.

He frowned slightly, looking at the floral hairpin with two pearls in his hand.

Unsatisfactory!

"It’s missing something."

With that, he tossed the hairpin into the furnace, discarding it.

"I keep feeling like someone has me on their mind."

He raised an eyebrow slightly.

He murmured under his breath, "That woman must be missing me."

"She really can’t be without me for a single moment."

At that moment, numerous pieces of women’s jewelry floated in the air around Javier Sinclair. They came in all sizes, and there appeared to be a wide variety of styles.

These pieces of jewelry emanated a powerful aura. One could tell at a glance that they were top-grade magic tools, including Attack Spiritual Artifacts and Defensive Magical Artifacts... He had refined all of them himself.

’I’ll give her a surprise on her birthday.’

Javier Sinclair was flipping through a book, studying the illustrations and descriptions of women’s jewelry. He continued to refine more pieces based on what he saw in the book.

All the while, he muttered, "Women are so troublesome, always liking these flashy, gaudy things."

But his hands didn’t stop moving.

He picked up a hammer and continued tapping and pounding away, creating jewelry identical to the illustrations in the book...

「Back in the Council Hall.」

Hearing Madam say their Exalted One had a poor work ethic, the elders gave a dry laugh.

They had a thing or two to say about that.

Before The Exalted One found Madam, *that* was what you called being hands-off. Back then, everything in the Bloodfiend Den, from top to bottom, was left for the few of them to handle.

That was one thing, but sometimes they couldn’t even get a glimpse of The Exalted One. Now, being able to see him every so often was already a rare treat.

In recent years, The Exalted One had even started helping with sect affairs, which made Elder Lawson and the others feel as if they were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The truth was, they could all sense that The Exalted One hadn’t really cared about anything before, and thus placed no importance on anything. The Bloodfiend Den was merely a slight responsibility to him, and nothing more.

But things were different now.

The Exalted One was a family man now, and he had become proactive in everything.

It was all thanks to Madam!

They hoped that Madam and The Exalted One would live a long and happy life together.

Jade scratched his head, then could only place his hands before him and bow.

"We subordinates swear to serve The Exalted One and Madam to the death."

The implication was clear.

Madam and The Exalted One were one and the same; it made no difference which of them they served.

When those present saw Celeste Grant arrive, they stood up and bowed.

"Your subordinate greets you, Madam." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"We subordinates greet you, Madam..."

Celeste Grant gestured with her hand.

"No need for formalities. Everyone, please be seated."

"Thank you, Madam."

Celeste Grant walked to the head seat and sat down, then took out the plan she had drawn up over the past two days.

She gathered her thoughts and began, "Alright! Let’s not worry about your Exalted One for now. We’re here to discuss the future direction of our Bloodfiend Den. This is the plan I drafted together with your Exalted One and the Left Protector."

Elder Lawson and the others skillfully took out their small notebooks and began to take notes.

Celeste Grant’s gaze swept over them as she said, "Before we begin our discussion, I’d like to say a few words."

Everyone nodded.

Never mind a few words.

She could say as much as she wanted.

Celeste Grant cleared her throat and said, "First, I want to thank all the elders, protectors, and Hall Masters for your support and trust, and for your willingness to back all of my work. Second, on behalf of the Bloodfiend Den, I want to thank you for your tireless efforts over the years. It is because of your loyalty and hard work that the Bloodfiend Den is what it is today. I hope everyone will continue to strive to make our Bloodfiend Den even better in the future."

Just listen to that.

Putting aside everything else.

Just hearing her words made their hearts feel warm.

The crowd raised their fists.

"Madam, it is what we ought to do!"

"Exactly! We swear to serve Madam and The Exalted One to the death!"

"Madam is mighty!"

Celeste Grant gestured with her hand for them to settle down.

"Excellent. On that note, I would also like to give special praise to Nerida. She has always been busy helping manage all the affairs, large and small, within our sect. It is thanks to her that your Exalted One and I can be so at leisure."

Nerida stood up.

"Madam, it is my duty."

’Madam praised me.’

’Ahhh, I’m so happy.’

However, her face only showed a faint, unreadable smile, maintaining the proud and aloof demeanor of a leader.

After Celeste Grant motioned for her to sit down, she began to name others.

"And then there are Elder Lawson, Elder Warren, and Elder Holt. Their work on the Bloodfiend Den’s research and development projects these past few years has been excellent, and their contributions are immense. I want to give them special praise here. You have all worked hard."

The elders stood up and cupped their fists in salute to the others.

"It is our duty. This is a responsibility we cannot shirk as elders. We are not worthy of such praise from you, Madam."

"That’s right, it’s what we ought to do. To be able to serve The Exalted One and you, Madam, is our honor."

’Wow! Madam praised us by name! So happy.’

’I feel like I could keep working for another few hundred years.’

You could tell from their smug looks that every single one of them was overjoyed.

She smiled faintly and continued, "Furthermore, there is Elder Sawyer of the Hall of Enforcement, Elder Vans of the Hall of Apothecary, and Elder Carter of the Hall of Talismans. Your contributions to the Bloodfiend Den are indispensable. Thank you."

They stood up and bowed to her.

"Madam, it is what we ought to do."

There were both men and women present.

Among the council of elders, two were women.

Thus, in the Cultivation World, there was no such saying that women were inferior to men.

For example, of Javier Sinclair’s Left and Right Protectors, Nerida was a woman.

In other words, anyone who was capable could climb to a high position.