Becoming a god by raising witches

She has fair skin, soft facial features, and deep, captivating amber eyes.

A purple trench coat was draped open over her shoulders, revealing a black, high-slit evening gown underneath, and she held a long pipe in her hand.

A white dove landed on her shoulder.

“I heard from Sieg that you are very capable.”

The dark-haired female chief, Reneth Hill, looked at Locke with a half-smile.

“Rock Bemon, please have a seat.”

Locke sat down in the soft, peach wood four-corner chair opposite Renis.

"Do you want to be a cook or an investigator?"

"Rene asked."

"I'd like to hear about the treatment of both."

Although Sieg had mentioned the weekly wages of the cooks and investigators, Locke still wanted to get more detailed information from the chief of the Sixth Sheriff's Court.

"The cook works year-round, earning 2 silver micks per week. Any strange items you acquire must be turned in, and you will receive a subsidy depending on the circumstances. The three strange items you possess can be used to apply for 100 gold micks for you."

100 gold coins? Are you kidding me? On the black market, a witch's necklace is worth 300 gold coins!

It's true that the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie.

Having clearly noticed the change in Locke's expression, Chief Rainee Hill continued,

"Investigators get four days off a month, which can be adjusted. The weekly salary is 5 silver coins. You can earn merit points for completing missions, which can be exchanged for strange items or coins. You will also get a formal position in the Sheriff's Court and a semi-clerical position in the church. You don't have to hand over the strange items you have, you only need to report them, except for special strange items."

Chapter 58, A Series of Lies

Locke compared the treatment of the cook and the investigator, and it was clear that the investigator was better off.

What are the investigators required to do?

Renis shook her pipe and said with a smile,

"Handling strange events and protecting royalty and important figures at special occasions."

What specific strange events are being referred to?

Locke asked.

"Some catastrophic events caused by strange creatures, including those caused or involved by demons, witches, ghosts, vengeful spirits, zombies, or other monsters. Sieg can tell you the details after you join the group."

Renis rested her chin on her hand, staring at Locke's neck as she spoke.

"This is the strange object C19, right? Angela and Dimo, those two idiots, you really made them run around in circles."

Locke didn't know if these people all had X-ray vision. It was one thing for the witch Sheria to be able to sense the necklace since it was hers, but it was another for this black-haired woman to be able to see it as well.

He had clearly hidden the necklace very well, and his scarf was wrapped up so tightly that you couldn't tell he was wearing it at all.

Locke frowned almost imperceptibly, already considering whether to escape through the window or the main door.

"Don't be nervous. This strange object didn't originally belong to the Bureau of Investigation. Since you've already obtained it and Angela and Dimo ​​haven't discovered it yet, it proves that you're qualified to possess it. You can choose to join the Bureau of Investigation and own it directly, or name your price and sell it to us."

"500 gold coins."

Locke said without hesitation.

Renis smiled. "50 gold coins. We are an official department, not a black market."

Holy crap, that's ruthless!

Locke grumbled, deciding that he should keep these strange items for himself, as they were of higher value.

If you really have no money, you can sell it on the black market.

Sell ​​it to the government? Are you kidding me? I wouldn't even sell a dog to them!

"Isn't doing this dangerous?"

Locke asked.

"The average mortality rate of the Bureau of Investigation is 20%, but our branch is an exception. Our mortality rate is only 5%, which is far lower than other branches. You can rest assured about that. When we encounter cases involving the descent of evil spirits, we will directly pass them on to the church and let the church send high-ranking officials to handle them. We will never put in any effort when we can slack off. This is the key reason why our department, despite being located in the capital, has consistently ranked at the bottom in terms of performance."

Renis said calmly, as if this was perfectly normal, and she was not ashamed of it, but rather proud of it.

Locke was initially shocked by the 20% mortality rate, then surprised by the black-haired chief who reduced it to 5%, and finally completely convinced by the chief's solution.

Yes, that's exactly the kind of leader I need.

Locke already had the idea of ​​joining. Although he initially only wanted to interview chefs for a proper sheriff's office, there were three things that attracted him to the Bureau of Investigation.

First, his "Witch Affinity" attribute always inexplicably drags him into witch-related incidents. This time, his encounter with Sheria, seemingly due to Sig Bruce's involvement, is most likely due to the influence of "Witch Affinity," just like when he encountered a witch while investigating Lloyd's mistress. Locke is all too familiar with this pattern. Without Sig and without Irene's help, he'd probably be dead by now. Therefore, joining the Bureau of Investigation increases his sense of security.

Secondly, the Bureau of Investigation has already examined "his" dreams through the Heart of Dreams. His biggest secret should be safe, and he has been cleared of suspicion for killing the 20 people at the alchemy factory. Now, joining the Bureau of Investigation means he won't have to worry about being arrested or having his secrets leaked. This can be seen from the black-haired director's attitude towards recruiting him.

Third, the Bureau of Investigation has the backing of the church and the sheriff's court, and it also has a lot of knowledge about strange objects and mysticism. Compared to being a wild superhuman, it is definitely better to join the Bureau of Investigation and undergo systematic learning and strengthening, which will allow for faster growth. If Locke wants to become stronger, he cannot simply rely on Miss Irene, the witch; he needs more channels.

"Now it's my turn to ask some questions."

Renis looked into Locke's eyes with her deep gaze, as if trying to see through the windows of his soul.

It's standard practice for interviewees to be asked questions by job applicants.

Locke felt he was back on track and sat up straight.

"Where did all those strange things on your body come from?"

"This is a long story..."

He may be full of lies, but his soul is precious, so he can stay and continue to be observed.

Looking at the young man speaking so eloquently, Rhaenys came to this conclusion.

"The story is fascinating."

Locke swallowed hard, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally asked,

"Will I also receive merit points for this mission?"

"of course."

Renis nodded slightly.

"Can my clothes... and transportation fare be reimbursed?"

Locke looked at Renis expectantly.

Renis tapped the table with her pipe. "No, you can go and complete the onboarding process. The probationary period is three months."

A burly man, 3 meters tall and made entirely of smoke, emerged from the pipe and shoved Locke away.

The door slammed shut.

When Locke turned around, still wanting to try and get reimbursed, he found that the sign for the 302 director's office had disappeared, and the room in front of him now had the number 322.

Locke hesitated before knocking on the door, and the blue-haired loli Angela opened it.

"Welcome, Mr. Chef."

Angela, a petite girl with delicate features and long, wavy blue hair that cascaded to the ground, smiled. More than a dozen swallowtail butterflies, mainly blue and black, were perched on her hair.

She was still wearing her purple trench coat uniform, but she was completely different from the female sheriff Locke had seen before, who was of average height, plain-looking, and had no distinguishing features.

The image overlaps with that of the girl holding a pocket watch in my dream.

"you are?"

Locke asked deliberately.

"Hello, I'm Angela."

Angela reached out and shook hands with Locke.

Locke took her small hand and suddenly realized that there was a high probability that she had put that flyer in Old Tom's apartment.

"Angela, hello, I'm a new investigator, and I'm on my way to complete the onboarding process."

"Investigator?"

A hint of doubt appeared on Angela's beautiful face.

A moment later, she gripped Locke's hand tightly, using all her strength, almost crippling it.

"Damn it, you really are a follower of some witch, you tricked me and Dimo. Tell me, what is your purpose in infiltrating the Bureau of Investigation?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Miss Angela, please let go!"

Locke struggled to pull his left hand back; it was red and painful from the swollen veins caused by Angela's excessive enthusiasm.

"Hmph, I'll go tell the chief right now that you're obstructing our investigation and should be arrested and interrogated."

Angela walked away angrily.

Locke wasn't worried because the black-haired chief had just mentioned Angela and Dimo, proving that she already knew about it and didn't care.

At this moment, Dimo ​​also came out of the room.

Dimo, a middle-aged man with blond hair, blue eyes, deep-set features, a stubble-covered face, slightly flushed cheeks, and a half-empty bottle of wine in his hand, called out to his partner, Angela.

“Angela, the chief must have known all along, otherwise he wouldn’t have let you put out flyers in his apartment. Come back and greet your new colleagues properly.”