[Divine Skin Mansion]
One of the most emblematic and important buildings of the G&D Organization.
It was the origin of the organization and also key to its development and training of outstanding gentlemen.
All newcomers arriving at Zion from external assessments were brought here, bestowed with the "Skin" corresponding to their assessment level - an essential item to become a 'gentleman'.
The mansion's main door was a typical Gothic gate,
constructed of multiple layers of arches and pillars, recessing step by step, creating a profound sense of depth and pull, thereby emphasizing the [Entrance].
The specifications of the door were even more exaggerated,
standing at a full 10 meters tall, the oversize design seemingly served to welcome not humans but a deity.
Whoom!
The gloomy and heavy iron door opened inwards.
The door-openers were two permanently stationed clergy members of the mansion,
dressed in special coats that matched the style of the mansion, appearing stitched together like skin from a hairless animal,
with each piece of skin shaped pentagonally,
and the seams prominently stitched together,
similar 'stitch lines' could also be found on their bodies, like lips, eyelids, necks, and even parts covered by their garments…
It was as if the skin of these clergy members were also pieced together by stitching.
Stepping inside the mansion,
a flesh-colored carpeted grand staircase came into view,
the steps gradually widened, able to accommodate guests proceeding to the corridors on the left and right of the second floor,
with six portraits hanging on either side of the hall, representing past owners of the mansion,
all referred to by the common title of [First Gentleman].
Only they were qualified to govern this mansion,
...
Yi Chen and others did not ascend the staircase but were led to a side room on the first floor.
It resembled a conference room,
with a long marble table occupying half of the space,
where the gentleman assessor responsible for overseeing the Green Lake Town assessments was sitting on the inside of the table.
The assessors were required to line up neatly, giving an impression similar to that of attending an interview.
Walking last, Yi Chen noticed,
sitting in the central position was a white-haired assessor with a white feathered owl perched on his shoulder… the very one that had rescued him over the lake.
"I am the main person in charge of this assessment, [George Chamberlain]."
I am very pleased that seventeen people passed the rather difficult Green Lake Town assessment, and some even performed actions exceeding our expectations during the period."
We will now score your overall performance during the assessment."
The full score is [100],"
with scores above 40 earning the right of residency in Zion.
Scores above 60 earn an ordinary 'Gentleman's Skin',"
scores above 80 earn a 'Gentleman's Skin' retaining old-world aura,
and those scoring above 95 will have the chance to meet the contemporary [First Gentleman] who will personally judge and bestow the Skin."
Some gentlemen who already knew the assessment criteria simply disregarded the final statement,
as the organization's scoring was extremely strict,
especially with this year's chief examiner also known as the 'White Eagle,' achieving a score of 80 was already outstanding, promising superior treatment in Zion thereafter.
Following the order of entry, the examiner began to comment on each candidate.
Naturally, Yi Chen was the last.
Since the Green Lake Town assessment was challenging, most scored above the pass mark.
Those who reached 80 included:
Three members of Edmund's team,
a swordsman wrapped in bandages,
and a young man with an extremely low presence but who somehow changed into a floral suit and wore a colorful mask.
A box with the G&D logo, made of ancient stone, was handed to them.
Edmund, unable to hide his joy, kept bumping his shoulders against his two companions.
Finally,
it was Yi Chen's turn, the last to enter,
Blond Edmund also curbed his happiness, suppressed his excitement, focusing on the upcoming comments and scoring from the examiners.
This time,
the chief examiner Chamberlain spoke personally:
"From Easton Cemetery, the temporary assessor - William Behrens.
"Your final score for this assessment is '96.'"
With these words,
the room fell utterly silent,
all the assessors, including Edmund, widened their eyes in astonishment; even the man in the colorful suit and mask turned his head slightly, observing with a mild interest.
Many among them hailed from families, training bases, or various medium and small-sized organizations directly under G&D.
Everyone was well aware how difficult, almost impossible, it was to meet with the 'First Gentleman' by scoring 95 in the assessment.
For many consecutive years, no one had reached this score.
Teacher Qian Bosen continued:
"Since the score has surpassed the first tier, I will briefly explain the reasons.
In the early days of his arrival in town, William chose a quite different investigative route from yours,
proactively contacted a 'Patient' at the early stage of 'Pathological' condition,
lived alone in a highly dangerous inn,
and after making accurate, smart decisions to discover the true disease root behind the town,
he opted to assist this somewhat self-aware 'Patient' to establish a temporary alliance and gained their assistance and intelligence."
In the end, risking certain death, he traveled to the depths of the lake to eliminate the 'Root.'
"What?!"
The narrative of Qian Bosen astonished the assessors even more,
and they were very aware,
that individuals who had not yet been accepted to wear the 'Gentleman's Skin' and thus officially become gentlemen were almost unable to eradicate regional Pathological conditions. Just surviving in Green Lake Town and gathering key information for the organization was already commendable.
This young man, however, ventured alone into the entirely unknown lake to slay the deepest Root.
96 points,
truly deserved,
"Elegant and compassionate, brave and spiritually aware... Zion has not seen such a young man in a very long while. I believe the 'First Gentleman' too is eagerly looking forward to meeting you."
Even Yi Chen himself was quite surprised when hearing the evaluation from Qian Bosen,
since he was not sure whether his actions of assisting the 'Patient' would be seen by the organization as 'improper conduct.'
It now seemed that the organization was not inflexible, and that contact with 'Patients' under appropriate circumstances to achieve better outcomes was considered a 'spiritually aware' performance.
"The evaluation session is over. The candidates who achieved the 'Gentleman's Skin' please head to the Temple District and prepare for the 'Acceptance Ritual'."
As the crowd began to disperse,
Edmund gently patted Yi Chen on the shoulder, "William, do lead us more in the future... I hope you make a favorable impression on the First Gentleman."
"Hmm."
After everyone had left,
White Eagle Qian Bosen waved to Yi Chen,
"I will personally take you to the 'Deep in the Mansion,' where the First Gentleman resides.
During the journey, refrain from any impolite subjective actions and just follow me.
If you feel any discomfort in your skin, try to endure it as much as possible."
This last statement made Yi Chen somewhat cautious,
and indeed, that the First Gentleman, and thus the master of the Divine Skin Mansion, was located deep in the mansion suggested there indeed were unspeakable secrets.
"Understood."
Qian Bosen turned one of the wall lamps at the edge,
revealing a narrow passage only wide enough for one person,
"Come with me… Do not attempt to memorize the internal route. The path to the 'Deep in the Mansion' is one-time, one-directional, and it requires the First Gentleman's permission."
"Alright."
Walking through the narrow passageways of the mansion, lit by kerosene lamps, it took over ten minutes.
The cramped passageway turned into a spiraling, eerie staircase,
and the moment Yi Chen stepped on the staircase,
a strange whisper echoed in his ears,
although he could not understand the meaning, it caused a tingling sensation across all his skin and slowly evolved into a sensation of stripping…
as if his skin was bestowed with self-awareness and wanted to detach itself from his body.
"Hey!"
A sudden alert from Little Grape brought him back to reality as the whispering ceased.
"Just now…"
"This ancient existence hidden within the mansion attempted to 'Skin Strip' you. Be cautious~ Do not leave any gaps in your focus; I'll also lend you a hand."
"Okay."
Yi Chen could feel that at this moment, Little Grape was in an unprecedentedly serious state.