"Ah? Who's there!"

Hearing the movement from the City Lord Panel, Irene instinctively cried out.

The reaction was akin to suddenly hearing the home phone ring when one is furious, a feeling familiar to many as extremely maddening.

After all, her luck has been a bit off recently, and anything coming from the City Lord Panel usually isn't good news.

So, Irene grumbled and opened the panel to check the message.

[Application for projection sent by the City Lord of Sain Dungeon]

"Huh!?"

She let out an extremely shocked cry, almost jumping up.

"Thi-this guy? Gedwin actually replied to me? How is that possible!"

The round, cloaked figure stirred, clearly showing how shocked she was.

"I sent messages to so many people, and he was the first to reply... he actually replied to me!?"

Irene's tone was filled with a mix of shock, surprise, joy, confusion, and even a bit of inexplicable emotion, far more complex than an average person's.

Her intense reaction was because she truly didn't expect a response from Sain Dungeon.

More accurately, she hadn't expected any City Lord to acknowledge her, even if it was only the complex-feeling Gedwin.

"Has Gedwin not heard about me from others?"

A question mark rose above Irene's head.

Actually, Sain Dungeon was the last one she sent a letter to, asking for a loan.

Before this, she had sent similar letters to every City Lord she knew, ranging from Scameroon's local dungeons to other foreign dungeons like the Red Teeth Dungeon and Glory Dungeon, and so on.

In the end, those letters vanished without a trace, with no response whatsoever coming back.

Surprisingly, Irene was able to accept this bleak outcome.

Because she seemed to frequently borrow money from others, and her repayment dates were somewhat irregular...

The irregular repayment wasn't her intention; mainly, her dungeon's revenue capability often fluctuated greatly, making it truly challenging to take care of everyone!

She wanted to repay the money; she completely didn't want to be branded as a habitual defaulter!

The result was that even the kindest and most considerate Red Teeth didn't respond this time, perhaps thinking of teaching her a lesson before sending money at the last moment.

After all, Red Teeth had done so before; such a benevolent old grandfather!

"There's no way around it, designing dungeons really drains spiritual power..."

A powerless groan emanated from beneath Irene's cloak.

If it were in the past, Red Teeth's behavior wouldn't have been much; she would have felt she deserved a bit of scolding. But the situation now was different.

The fragile balance of income and expenditure in the White Blood Dungeon was suddenly disrupted. If other City Lords intended to leave her unattended until the last moment, the spiritual power in the White Blood Dungeon might already be insufficient, and she would be on the verge of being eliminated.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she pleaded and wailed for assistance in her letters, the "cold and indifferent" City Lords wouldn't immediately send her money.

Sain Dungeon was her last choice when she found herself cornered.

If she wasn't really at a dead end, she wouldn't dare to ask a dungeon she had previously provoked many times for a bit of spiritual power aid. Initially, she speculated that the best outcome would be being mocked and scolded before possibly receiving some spiritual power alms, while the worst outcome... she didn't even dare to imagine.

Could Gedwin be trying to project here just to mock me?

This thought suddenly popped into Irene's mind; it's unavoidable, as people's thoughts tend to become particularly sensitive in such moments.

But, even if it turns into that kind of terrible outcome, isn't it her own doing?

"If he mocks me and I smile along, could I secure some assistance..."

Murmuring softly to herself, Irene reluctantly decided to accept the application.

"I really accepted it, I really did..."

A rather dejected voice came from beneath the cloak, like a gambler realizing their extreme descent into despair and wishing to repent.

Although she accepted the application, there should be some time before Gedwin arrives. Shouldn't I tidy up a bit? No, no, maybe a messy room would elicit more sympathy. Should I put on makeup to look even more haggard, just in case Gedwin has a sadistic streak...

A myriad of chaotic thoughts swirled in Irene's mind. She even speculated on what Gedwin's first words might be upon arrival: sympathy, mockery, or outright cursing?

How should she address him? Calling him just Gedwin might seem disrespectful to a patron, but calling him Lord Gedwin might make her seem too humble. Should she go ahead and call him sir like those big landlords?

While she was lost in her random thoughts, Gong Qiying's figure gradually materialized in the City Lord's room, and it wasn't until he was fully formed that she snapped out of her frantic reverie.

Irene stiffly turned around to sneak a peek at this Sain City Lord, who was rumored to have brutally beaten up the Flame Fire and his followers. She opened her mouth, cautiously speaking with a slightly hoarse voice: