The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

”I’m finally here.”

After she teleported, her head felt a little painful. When she made certain that her spiritual beast and storage bag did not fall while traversing through the array, she lifted her head and glanced at her surroundings.

A crowd had somehow gathered below the walkway. She sensed different pairs of eyes falling on her figure, both curious and shocked, but Aisha only glanced at them with disinterested eyes.

After scanning around and being sure that she had indeed arrived at the Association, Aisha finally took her first step out of the array.

”W—who are you?” ℯℯ𝑙.

”Mommy, is the admiral a girl?”

”Shh! What are you talking about?”

”Then, who is she? So pretty.”

A young boy held onto his mother’s hand and was looking at Aisha with admiring eyes. Even children at his age would be vulnerable to pretty faces.

Aisha’s steps faltered briefly before she continued. She forgot that she was no longer wearing her scarf. Thus, everyone outside the teleportation array she had just come out of could see her face. But she was used to the looks people gave her. So, it didn’t give her any reason to stop and greet these people who were curious about her identity.

Though she thought it was strange that even the guards on duty were looking her way.

As much as she wanted to hurry and find her older brother, Aisha had much to consider.

A queue had formed before the huge gate that led to the entrance of the Association. One by one, these people showed their teleportation permit to the guards in front of the gate before being let through.

Aisha intended to go to that same queue and wait for her turn, but just as she lined up, a guard with an intimidating aura appeared before her.

”Show me your permit.”

Her eyebrows creased. ”Don’t I have to line up before showing my permit?”

The man was at least in his mid-thirties and wore a guard’s uniform. But the star badges on his coat told her that he was by no means just an ordinary guard stationed here. He must be someone with a higher position than the rest.

Still, she didn’t like to be treated differently when she was obviously following the rules here.

”That is correct.” The officer nodded. ”But you just came out of the Admiral’s teleportation array. Unless you have a permit to use it, I will have to bar you from entering the Association’s inner barrier and detain you here.”

Murmurs broke from the surrounding people. They glanced at her a few times, lingering on her face and body, before they came to the conclusion that she must have done something illegal to be able to use the Association Admiral’s teleportation array.

”And here I thought I’d finally see His Excellency come out of the array; turns out it was just some woman.”

”But how could she use it?”

”That’s right. I thought only His Excellency could use the fifth teleportation array?”

His Teleportation Array?

This was the first time she’d heard about this. Was it even possible to own a teleportation array? The cost it took for the empire to acquire the teleportation arrays was extremely high; it could even buy an entire new planet and reside in it. For someone to personally own one, that meant they were filthy rich, or their background was extraordinary.

And Aisha suspected that Zeke was both in this case.

But at that time, he had only told her how much of a hassle it was for her to go to the Association through the border gate and board a ship to the island. Zeke had indeed given her his permit, but he never told her anything about it being for his personal use!

After a brief hesitation, Aisha took out the permit from her storage bag.

The guard and everyone around who were watching were still thinking that she could not possibly have the permit of the association’s admiral.

But they were wrong!

In her hand was a crystalline permit in ornate gold and embedded with purple crystal. It was the permit that granted unrestricted access and authorized the bearer to cross sector borders without inspection. And only one of the two people on the entire Association island has that authority!

Seeing that, the high-ranking guard pursed his lips. He carefully inspected it with his eyes and finally gave a sign.

”Alright, you can go in.”

Aisha nodded, grateful that he didn’t interrogate her anymore. She’d expected him to question her about where and how she got the permit, but it seemed the guard was far more sensible than she thought.

When she finally left the queue to step directly into the border inside the inner barrier of the island, another guard asked the high-ranking guard, ”Sir, why did you let her pass so quickly? What would happen if it was a fake permit?”

The high-ranking guard shook his head. ”It’s the real thing.”

”Really?” The low-ranking guard still had some doubts. ”But how could someone other than the admiral use it? Do you think she stole it?”

Another low-ranking guard agreed and nodded their head. ”Sir, I also think we should report this. What if she really stole His Excellency’s permit?”

The high-ranking guard glared at both of them, wishing her could beat their heads into a pulp. But restrained himself as he asked them, ”Are you seriously entertaining the thought that somebody could’ve stolen from our Supreme Commander?”

His words made the two low-ranking soldiers shut their mouths in embarrassment.

”Go back to your stations!” He kicked them out of the way and headed back to his office. A minute later, he paused and muttered, ”But they’re right. I should report this quickly to headquarters.”

He grabbed the communicator on the table and reported the matter to headquarters immediately. The teleportation array permit of their supreme commander was in the hands of an unknown young woman. Although she couldn’t have stolen it, since she wouldn’t have been so brave as to waltz right into the Association, they still needed to know what happened at the teleportation array altar.

But just as he finished his reports, the high-ranking guard suddenly looked back at the gate.

His eyes widened as he pressed the communicator closer to his ear.

Then, he said in a low voice, ”His Excellency isn’t in his office?”