Becoming a god by raising witches

[Physical Coordination: 1/1000]

Unfortunately, a set of broadcast gymnastics exercises only provides 1 point of proficiency.

Locke, however, had not yet achieved financial freedom and could not stay at home doing calisthenics indefinitely.

After doing three sets of radio calisthenics in a row, raising his [body coordination] proficiency to 3, Locke wiped the sweat from his forehead, put on his coat, and went out.

I spent 1 mcg at the newsstand to buy the latest edition of The Sun, hoping to find the latest job postings.

Unfortunately, after browsing the entire job posting page, I couldn't find any advertisements for chefs.

Locke doesn't just look at job postings; he reads the entire newspaper from beginning to end. This is a rare form of entertainment in a world without television, mobile phones, or game consoles, and it's also the cheapest option.

Unfortunately, The Sun's news topics were all old and outdated, completely lacking in originality. Only one report, titled "Mass Suicide of Stray Cats at the Docks," piqued Locke's curiosity.

The report describes a very strange incident that recently occurred at the Neil Pier in the Kosorsk West district, where hundreds of stray cats jumped into the sea en masse.

The reporter who wrote this article suspects that the cats are suffering from some kind of strange disease.

Unfortunately, this news article did not occupy a prominent position in The Sun. It was relegated to an inconspicuous corner, with only a few dozen words summarizing the event—a truly brief piece.

It's clear that the editor-in-chief of The Sun doesn't take this news very seriously.

This is understandable, as The Sun's main audience is West End residents, but most West End residents are starving, so who has the time or inclination to care about stray cats?

The Sun newspaper occupied the largest section of the page where job advertisements were published.

After reading the newspaper, Locke folded it up, put it in his coat pocket, and decided to try his luck at a restaurant near Trey Bridge.

Eileen remained perched on Locke's shoulder, occasionally swishing her tail.

Locke had just reached the alley entrance when he saw a spotted cat stumbling towards him.

Its condition was like that of someone who was drunk; it staggered and its gait was extremely unsteady.

Suddenly, it collapsed to the ground, its body convulsing, its expression contorted, and it cried out in pain.

Locke did not go forward to check, but chose to go around it. If it really was some kind of contagious disease, even if he had the ability to "stay healthy", he could not 100% avoid contracting all diseases.

To be on the safe side, it's best to avoid it.

However, when Locke walked into the square, he saw an even stranger scene.

Chapter 16, My Sister Seems to Have Gone Mad

The square was filled with men, women, and children. Some were people Locke knew, while others were complete strangers to residents of the West End.

Without exception, they were all dancing strange dances, or rather, their limbs were cramping uncontrollably, while they maintained eerie smiles on their faces.

This scene resembles possession, eerie and bizarre.

Cluck cluck cluck, cluck cluck cluck—

The laughter was like a sharp knife, stimulating Locke's nerves.

Having ruled out the possibility that this group of people were a collective time traveler gathered together to do square dancing, Locke swallowed hard and looked at the black cat yawning on his shoulder.

"Xiao Ai, is this the descent of an evil god or a demonic sacrificial ritual?"

"No, I didn't smell anything strange."

Eileen replied.

Outside, she allowed her servants to call her by her nickname so that others would not find out that she was still alive.

"So what's going on with them?"

Locke frowned.

Eileen didn't answer. Seemingly bored, she changed her position and fell asleep on Locke's shoulder.

Without delicious food, sleeping is her normal routine.

Suddenly, Locke spotted a familiar figure among the group.

Hannah, wearing an old coat, with brown curly hair, a thin face, and delicate features, was among them.

Locke's heart suddenly clenched.

If it weren't for the "Life Insight" ability, which revealed that Hannah's lifespan was completely different from the lifespans of those around her, Locke might have gone berserk on the spot.

Fortunately, Hannah had several decades left to live, but unfortunately, those around her only had a few days left.

He plunged into the crowd with a solemn expression.

He brushed past these clumsy fellows and squeezed his way to Hannah's side.

To fit in, Hannah seemed to be doing a robotic dance, which looked quite comical.

"Hannah, what are you doing?"

"Shhh."

Hannah gestured for Locke to be quiet, then leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"They're so weird, don't you think?"

"A normal person would think that, right?"

Locke said, skillfully dodging an attack from an older man nearby.

[Physical Coordination 4/1000]

Huh? You can level up your proficiency like this?

Locke received an extra surprise.

So he joined Hannah in the strange dance, and the two of them chatted as they "danced" with the crowd.

"I bet their photo will be on the front page of the Kossork Evening News tonight."

Hannah said seriously.

"Well, that's true."

Locke agreed, glancing around to see if any reporters with cameras were there. Sure enough, he spotted an excited-looking reporter in front of a bakery to the southeast.

Locke immediately grabbed Hannah's hand, and the two turned around and continued their bizarre dance.

"Don't let your face be photographed."

[Physical Coordination 5/1000]

"Thank you."

Hannah said gratefully.

"So you're here to investigate them, report a big story, and then get back into journalism?"

Locke said, based on his understanding of Hannah.

Hannah nodded slightly. "Yes, that's it! I have to get ahead of my colleagues and find out why they did this. I feel like there might be some connection between them and the cat that jumped into the sea this morning!"

"You saw that report too?"

"Yes, I won't miss any news."

Hannah said earnestly, adding that she also noticed her brother seemed to have a real talent for dancing weird dances, getting more and more into it the more he twisted and turned.

[Physical Coordination 6/1000]

Eileen, who was sleeping on his shoulder, was jolted awake and let out a meow of annoyance.

Locke ignored her and focused on grinding his proficiency.

"Hannah, are you sure you want to investigate this? I have a feeling it's dangerous."

Locke remembered that Hannah had once gone deep into Mar Street to investigate a case and was almost mistaken for a prostitute. If he hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Therefore, while Locke supported Hannah continuing to work as a journalist, he did not support her always rushing to the front lines for cases. There are many types of news reporting, and it is unnecessary to always choose those with a high risk factor.

"I'm sure I have to get to the bottom of this, Locke. Don't stop me."

Hannah's eyes were resolute.

At this moment, she had shed her identity as the head of the household and transformed into a female journalist with ideals and aspirations in journalism.

Locke shook his head and sighed.

"In that case, I have no choice but to investigate with you."

“Locke, this is my business. You don’t need to help. You should focus on finding a job.”

Hannah immediately rejected Locke's suggestion.

Locke shrugged, put his left arm around Hannah's waist, took her hand with his right, and twirled her around in a waltz.

"There's no room for negotiation on this. Finding you a comfortable and decent job is an important step toward a happy life."

"Okay, I promise you, I will definitely earn money to support you."

Hannah made a serious promise to her brother.

"Uh, that's not what I meant."

Locke was about to explain that he really didn't want to be a kept man when the black cat patted him on the shoulder.