Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 57 Henry's Appeasement

Julie was clearly stunned, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes, as if she thought she had misheard.

Thoroughly clean up that infamous "rat's nest"? And before the end of the workday? This order is too sudden, and the requirements are too... harsh.

But seeing Henry's unquestionable, even slightly anxious expression, and glancing at the silent figure, she wisely swallowed all her questions.

Is some important person coming to inspect the place? But... inspecting the underground warehouse?

"Yes, supervisor, I'll arrange it right away." She readily agreed and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Henry suddenly remembered something, quickly walked over, and whispered a few words of advice.

The young woman listened and nodded repeatedly, her expression becoming serious. Finally, she replied in a low voice, "I understand, supervisor. I will explain everything clearly."

After saying that, she practically ran out of the office.

After Julie walked away, Henry turned around, put on that ingratiating smile again, and rubbed his hands as he walked back to Green: "How about this? I'll have them clean it up perfectly, so it won't delay your business."

Green didn't speak, but just looked at him, then suddenly asked, "You just said you were thinking of coming to find me? What's up?"

Henry suddenly realized, slapping his forehead: "What a forgetful me! I was so focused on Anna that I almost forgot the important matter!"

He quickly turned around, almost lunged at his desk, pulled open a locked drawer, took out a neatly bound document, and respectfully presented it to Green with both hands.

"Mr. Morris, these are your official onboarding documents and job confirmation documents. All procedures have been completed, and they bear the official seal of the Port Authority and the signature of the Assistant Director. From today onwards, you are officially the Assistant Administrator of the Archives and Special Materials Management Department of the Port Authority!"

"Salary, benefits, and compensation are all in accordance with the standards for regular employees; here is a breakdown..."

As Henry spoke, he pointed to the terms on the document, his face bearing an expression that said, "See, I'm reliable after all."

Green took the document and quickly glanced at it.

The document was in a proper format, with clear terms, complete with seals and signatures. The salary was slightly higher than he had expected, and with allowances, his weekly wage would reach £3.50.

He glanced up at Henry, whose face was respectful and even seemed to be seeking credit.

This guy... putting everything else aside, his efficiency in handling these kinds of "cleaning up messes" and "pleasing others" is truly astonishing.

The onboarding process, from the initial announcement last Friday until now, has been completed in less than two days.

If this level of efficiency were used for serious work, it would probably be better than most people's, even at its worst.

Unfortunately, they focused their efforts on the wrong thing.

"Not bad efficiency," Green said casually, folding the document and putting it in his pocket.

These words, neither clearly a compliment nor an insult, made Henry's smile widen, and he bowed even lower: "It's my pleasure, it's my pleasure! It's my honor to serve you!"

Green stopped looking at him, turned and walked towards the door, but suddenly stopped and turned back.

Did you know about the Opbahafen Port Development and Charity Night on Wednesdays?

Henry was taken aback, then his smile grew even more enthusiastic, even tinged with a hint of smugness:

"I know! Of course I know! Mr. Morris, this is the most important social event in the port recently! It is spearheaded by Viscount Linus Fairfax and jointly organized by several major chambers of commerce and charities. Ostensibly it is for the development of the port and to raise funds for the poor, but in reality... hehe, you know, it is an occasion for the upper class to network, exchange information, and show off their power."

He took a step closer and lowered his voice:

"Our port authority has received invitations from the director down to several senior executives, including your uncle Victor. I heard that the city hall, customs, the chamber of commerce, and all the prominent families in town will be sending representatives. The event is at Earl Linus Fairfax's estate; I hear it's quite grand!"

As he spoke, he carefully observed Green's expression, trying to figure out the intention behind this ruthless man's sudden question.

Was it just curiosity? Or... did he want to go too?

Henry's mind raced, and he immediately added:

"Mr. Morris, if you're interested... although there are limits on the number of people eligible to receive official invitations, with your status and abilities, obtaining a ticket shouldn't be difficult!"

"Or... if you need it, I can try to see if I can find a way through some channels..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: he would take care of it immediately if Green asked.

Green's face remained expressionless as he simply looked at him and said calmly, "I was just asking."

Henry immediately shut up, but his mind was racing.

He had already accurately caught the strange glint in the other person's eyes. Having been in the officialdom for so many years, Henry had used his ability to read people to win over countless important figures.

Green couldn't possibly be just "asking." Could it be... that he also wants to get into that circle? Or... does he have some other motive?

Regardless, this might be an opportunity, a chance to observe further, or even... to curry favor. Henry secretly made a mental note of it.

Green said nothing more and left the office.

The office fell silent after the door was closed.

Henry's smile slowly faded. He walked to the window and looked at the scene downstairs where people were already gathering and noisily moving towards the back building. He twitched his lips.

"Clean up the warehouse... Hmph, good for him." He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "It's better than him coming after me directly... I hope Anna can do something, at least... prevent him from taking his anger out on me."

He returned to his desk and sat down, tapping his fingers on the surface. The look on Green's face when he asked about the charity night kept replaying in his mind.

"I need to find out..."

Henry narrowed his eyes. "Just who is this Green? Victor Hayes' nephew... When did the Hayes family produce an extraordinary individual?"

......

Green walked out of the main building but did not immediately return to the soon-to-be-noisy underground warehouse.

He stood on the open ground in front of the building, feeling the salty sea breeze, his gaze fixed on the depths of the harbor area.

[Oberhafen Port Development and Charity Night]...Historical and Archaeological Society...Important Figures...

Green had a hunch that this banquet was probably not as simple as it seemed. If there were other extraordinary individuals inside, then he wouldn't be able to enter by simply 'opening the door'...

Without a legitimate identity or any other means of self-protection, if he were discovered, his mission would be declared a failure and come to an end prematurely.

We can only place our hopes on Henry. That guy should be able to figure out what we're thinking. Even if we run into Uncle Victor's family, we can just blame Henry for the invitation.

I have to say, this guy is actually quite useful to me.

Amidst my jumbled thoughts, a commotion arose from the small building behind us. The cleanup had begun.

At the entrance to the underground warehouse, a dozen or so people had gathered, men and women, mostly dressed in work clothes or clothes that allowed them to move around easily. They were carrying brooms, shovels, carts, and sacks, and their faces showed confusion, curiosity, and reluctance.

Julie was quickly explaining something, and the crowd nodded occasionally.

Soon, the crowd sprang into action, grabbing tools and surging into the dark, dusty, and musty underground space.

Inside, you could hear the sounds of sweeping, dragging heavy objects, and the occasional cough.

Anaïs stood helplessly inside the warehouse door, looking at the crowd that had suddenly surged in outside, appearing somewhat uneasy.

When she saw Green approaching, she felt as if she had found a pillar of support, but she didn't dare to go forward and just looked at him timidly.

Green sighed inwardly. Anaïs was not only introverted, but also clearly lacked the skills to ingratiate herself in the workplace.

Julie saw him and bowed slightly: "Mr. Morris."

"Hmm." Green stepped forward, nodded to Julie, and finally looked at Anaïs.

Anaïs met his gaze, quickly lowered her head again, and hurriedly followed her colleagues into the underground warehouse.

Green neither stopped him nor said anything.

He understood Anaïs's thoughts. In this place that had suddenly become "important," she wanted to find a place of her own, a way to prove her "usefulness." Perhaps only by exchanging labor for protection could she feel at ease.

He turned around and strolled along the perimeter of the two-story building, observing the surrounding architectural structure.

The walls were made of thick stone bricks, and in some places, water had seeped through and moss had grown. The ventilation openings were small and clogged with debris.

"Mr. Morris." Julie hurriedly followed him. Even if she was stupid, she could tell from Manager Henry that Green was no ordinary person.

"The ventilation vents will also be cleaned immediately to ensure the air in the underground warehouse is fresh and clean," she said hastily, following Green's gaze.

"Hmm," Green replied briefly.

But the briefer the words, the more difficult Julie found her to please. She hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Miss Anaïs... she doesn't actually need to do these manual tasks. I can arrange for her to do some paperwork..."

"Let her do it; she doesn't need any special treatment for now. You can go ahead and do your work; I'll just take a walk by myself..."

"Okay, feel free to call me anytime if you need anything." Julie understood, said no more, and turned back to supervise the progress.