Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 621 The Investigator's Lecture (4k+)

In the corridor covered with light green wallpaper, Kogan bent down again to re-tie his shoelaces.

He bought these black leather shoes, which cost £120 a pair, a week ago. They always felt a bit awkward to wear; the uppers were worn out and the laces were always coming undone.

Sweat trickled down my neck and onto my back. The custom-made flannel suit was also uncomfortable to wear; the collar was too tight and the waistline was too narrow, causing me to sweat after wearing it for a while.

Huff... Kou Gang stood up and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He reached into his pocket with his right hand to find a cigarette to relieve his tension, but when he felt his empty pockets, he remembered that he had thrown away his cigarettes and matches that morning.

"Kougang, come in."

The door opened, and Miles poked his head out to greet his younger brother.

Kogan swung his hands from his shoulders to his knees, as if to ask his sister, "How do I look?"
Miles pursed his lips and nodded, meaning that it was fine.

Kou Gang then took a deep breath and followed his sister into the room.

The room was very large, several times larger than a typical living room. It contained more than a dozen tables and chairs, and shelves around the room were filled with books and magazines, as well as... all sorts of handicrafts, which Kogan guessed were the students' creations.

Behind him was a blackboard with a line of large characters written on it: Corgan Xavier, Investigator.

Kou Gang looked helplessly at the bewildered little faces below the stage. These adorable students were mostly just over ten years old, with a simple-minded look and glasses, while the youngest were only seven or eight years old, with neat ponytails and snotty noses.

Kogan unconsciously put his hands in his pockets, but then he felt it was too impolite and unfriendly, so he quickly pulled his hands out and awkwardly placed them folded in front of his lower abdomen.

"Students, today we are fortunate to have invited Mr. Kogan, an investigator from the Moses Sadd Special Incidents Investigation Department."

He came today to share some of the joys and rewards of his work as an investigator.

You can also ask him any questions you have about this job. We welcome Mr. Kogan!

Miles was wearing a gray cashmere skirt and a khaki cotton shirt today. Seeing that the scene was a bit awkward, she, as a teacher at the school, quickly took the lead in applauding.

After a long while, a few scattered claps came from the young audience members below.

Kou Gang swallowed hard, his mind going blank.

The day after the celebration banquet, Corgan arrived in high spirits at a small town near New Nuremberg. When he pushed open the door to Miles' office, he really startled his sister.

Miles covered his mouth and stared incredulously at his younger brother standing at the door carrying large and small bags.

He seemed to have grown a bit taller and more robust than before. His eyes were no longer silly and childish. This impetuous little brat in her eyes seemed to have grown up instantly.

"Miss Miles, is this how you welcome the battle hero returning from the Lost Sea?"

Kogan arrogantly pulled the silver cross medal from his coat pocket:
"Sister, I succeeded."

Kou Gang's voice was filled with pride and excitement.

Ms. Miles ran over and hugged her brother's neck. She didn't care whether she succeeded or not; all she cared about was her brother's safety.

"Sister, let me tell you, this is absolutely a thrilling adventure."

You absolutely cannot imagine how many dangerous places we, Shi Weitian, have gone to, how many vicious enemies we have defeated, and for the sake of the Holy Maiden, we have even saved the world. Do you know what that means?

At first I was a little confused, but Mr. Andreas explained the whole story to me.

Good heavens, I'm not bragging, sister, if it weren't for the rubbings and ancient spellbooks I brought from the Mu Continent, we definitely wouldn't have been able to accomplish such a great thing.

Of course, Mr. Ricky was still the backbone, hehe, and the other companions also risked their lives; several times we thought we wouldn't make it back.

Kogan was so excited he was incoherent; he felt his face stiffen from smiling.

After releasing her brother's neck, Miles carefully examined him again, and only after confirming that he hadn't suffered any permanent disabilities did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Has a mental health test been conducted at the investigation department?"

Ms. Miles was rather cautious. Given her brother's series of rambling opening remarks, she had reason to worry that Corgon's reason had suffered some hidden ailment in the process of confronting the gods.

"What kind of mental tests? Pshaw, Captain Ricky said those are just for kids."

Sister, look, this is the fur coat I bought for you on New Nuremberg Longley Street. Try it on quickly.

These are a black agate necklace and bracelet I bought at an antique shop. Hehe, I don't know anything about them, really don't. Miss Millie Tang helped me choose them; she said they're the most popular style in Moses Saddam right now.

"And these and these are all snacks I packed from Tianying Grand Restaurant, you should try them..."

Kou Gang placed the bags of gifts on the table, still talking incessantly:
"Sister, don't worry about the money. I mean, you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Let me tell you a secret: I made a fortune on this trip to the Lost Sea!
"If you want to teach in the future, you can continue teaching; if you don't want to teach, you can do whatever you want, even not work. Our good days have finally arrived."

Kou Gang stared wide-eyed at his sister, waiting for her to ask him how much he had earned.

"You can't squander the money you earn, do you hear me!"

To everyone's surprise, Miles didn't respond at all; she just muttered something while holding her expensive fur coat.

"I know, I know, I'm not a child anymore."

Kogan curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Sister, do you know I'm rich now?" When he went to the bank in the morning, that mean-spirited old Thales almost started calling him "ancestor." A dozen bank employees surrounded him, fawning over him like they were welcoming a prince, and escorted him into the safe deposit box.

"Now that you're back, could you do your sister a favor?"

Miles casually put Corgan's gift into the cabinet.

"Help? I can handle the divine beings of the Lost Sea with ease, what can't I help with!"

Standing in the classroom, Kou Gang hadn't even spoken yet when he was already sweating profusely. He regretted being stared at by more than a dozen curious eyes. Dealing with these brats was really not as good as dealing with those monster clans.

"Classmates, well, an investigator is someone who... handles special incidents for the citizens of Moshe Saad..."

Our work is extremely dangerous; we often have to deal with utterly depraved heretics, corrupted and deformed monsters, and those indescribably brutal gods in the starry sky…

"Cough cough cough."

Ms. Miles behind him coughed twice, signaling to her brother not to start the conversation with such seriousness.

This is not an ordinary school; the children under its guardianship and upbringing all have some "special characteristics."

Some children are different from normal people from their bloodline, similar to Baba's situation. Other children are affected by special external events at a very young age, which is a case of acquired mutation.

Miles was afraid that letting Kogan continue rambling would trigger some unpleasant memories for some of the children. "Um... let's talk about the Investigation Department and the necessity of the investigators."

As everyone knows, Moses Sadh is... well, a prosperous and peaceful country. However, even in such a society, there are still many mad, unscrupulous mystical scholars who attempt to challenge the bottom line of morality and...

Kogan's mind was filled with the words the Chief of Staff and Prince Andrew had used when they spoke, but he was simply not cut out for it.

He rambled on and on for over ten minutes, his words disjointed and incoherent. The children below were all listless and started to daydream. They probably thought that Mr. Kogan, who was standing in the classroom at this moment, was just like before, someone from the investigation department who had come to give them psychological counseling.

Seeing the children's reaction, Kou Gang became even more nervous. The more nervous he became, the more uncomfortable he felt, and the more uncomfortable he felt, the more incoherent he became.

Why is Kou Gang so reserved today? Because he's carrying too much of a mental burden. Before, Kou Gang was a nobody; nobody cared what he said.

But ever since returning from the Lost Sea, donning this outfit and wearing this medal, it's been like an invisible shackle on Kogan. He always wants to prove that his current words, actions, abilities, and demeanor are worthy of this medal.

Especially in front of her older sister.

"Forget it, forget it, if I keep talking like this I'll start to feel like an idiot."

As he was talking, Kogan suddenly took off his flannel suit jacket, unbuttoned his shirt collar, kicked off his shoes, and sat down on the ground.

"Just ask me anything you want to ask."

Seeing that Mr. Kogan had suddenly changed his appearance, the students below were a little curious. After a while, the little girl, who looked about seven or eight years old, timidly asked:
“Mr. Corgan, why do you want to be an investigator? I… I also want to be an investigator because an investigator uncle saved me, but Mr. Miles always says, don’t be an investigator, it’s not good, it’s dangerous.”

The girl's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her eyes would occasionally drift towards Miles in front of the blackboard.

"Making money, isn't that what everyone needs to do after they grow up?"

Kogan scratched the back of his head:

"To be honest, the salary and benefits in the investigation department are not bad. Although they can't compare to those of merchants and nobles, they are much better than those of farmers and workers."

If you go out on fieldwork, you'll receive subsidies in many ways, which can save you a lot of money.

If you are on duty in the investigation department, although there is no subsidy, there is free fruit every day and the food is quite affordable, provided that the food doesn't taste too bad.

Don't let my outfit today fool you... hehe, it's a bit formal, but I usually wear the leather jacket and shoes issued by the investigation department when I'm on missions; they're very comfortable."

"Is there nothing else besides these? Solving... special incidents is so dangerous, is it worth risking your life for a stutter?"

The little girl sat down contentedly, and then an older boy asked a question.

"You're right, hehe."

Kogan sniffed. How should he answer that question...?

Want to share some of the twisted logic and tricks Marquette usually instills in him? Corgan turned to look at Miles, feeling that if he said that, his sister would kick him out.

Kogan could only clear his throat:
"You're absolutely right, you snotty brat. It's definitely not worth risking your life for such a small amount of money. No doubt about it, even though you're not adults yet, I can't treat you like fools and cheat you."

Being an investigator requires a certain... resolve. Take me for example, I'm just like you.

Kogan pointed to the little girl who asked the first question:
“When I was a child, an investigator saved my life, and I felt that I had to repay that life-saving grace.”

Even if you don't return it to him, you can return it to another child, and then that's it..."

Kogan made a circular motion with both hands:

"Let's continue like this. Of course, you can't stay as an investigator for long if you just rely on a dry sense of gratitude. If any of you become investigators in the future, I hope you can keep doing it until you retire."

At this point, you'll need some companions, a... well, a small group. You might feel lost, helpless, want to surrender, want to eke out a living in front of those ugly monsters.

To be honest, everyone has this thought, including me.

But every time this happens, someone will remind you and encourage you. They'll stand next to you, pat you on the shoulder, and tell you, "Hey, buddy, hang in there. Our captain has come up with some crazy and outrageous trick this time."

Yes, this has happened many times, and what was the result? As you can see, I came back, back from the most dangerous place in the world, with a medal, and now I'm sitting here chatting with you.

Kogan stopped putting on airs and sat barefoot on the floor chatting with the children, as if he were talking to his past self.

"Mr. Kogan, so you're saying you're very skilled?"

Just as Kogan finished recounting the thrilling adventures on the cursed island and Captain Ricky's endless stream of wicked ideas, a chubby boy immediately stood up and asked a question.

"I don't want to boast about how brave and skilled those islanders are, but I have to admit that even I'm finding it a bit difficult to deal with them. Whew..."

Kogan made a very subtle boast.

"May I have a contest with you, Mr. Kogan? The stories you just told me really got my blood pumping."

The chubby boy looked at Teacher Miles, who nodded encouragingly. Despite his short stature, Kogan was very skilled. He had been practicing boxing since he was very young, and Miles thought it wasn't a bad idea to have his younger brother demonstrate as a way to end the day.

"Of course, man, but don't expect me to go easy on you. My fists are as fast as bullets."

Kogan, of course, wasn't going to actually fight; he simply rolled up his sleeves and put his hands on either side of his temples in a defensive stance.

"Future little investigator, let me see your true colors..."

"boom!"

Before the referee, Miles, could even say "start," the chubby guy, showing no sportsmanship, jumped over and kicked Cogan in the crotch!
Kou Gang never expected the little brat on the other side to pull this trick, and caught off guard, the chubby boy kicked him hard.

"Hs...hs..."

Kou Gang gasped for breath, his body bending over like a shrimp, watching helplessly as the chubby boy jumped for joy, strutting around triumphantly.

"Renato! What happened to you..."

Miles exclaimed in surprise and rushed over to help his younger brother.

"It was Mr. Kogan himself who said that his captain told him that sometimes in a fight, you don't need to talk about anything... the rules of the underworld are that you just need to win."

The chubby boy mumbled an explanation.

"You...you're good at this."

Kogan gave a thumbs-up with a contorted expression.

(End of this chapter)