Becoming a god by raising witches

Hannah picked up a stack of Tumen Times newspapers, stood up, and walked over to Locke. “But I need to read these. It won’t take long; I can read twenty lines at a glance.”

"Hannah, let me treat you to dinner. I earned 2 silver coins today."

Locke only mentioned the cook's salary; he planned to save the investigator's salary to buy ingredients.

After getting involved in the occult, I discovered that these herbs and mystical materials are extremely expensive, and ordinary families simply cannot afford to access them.

Wild supernatural beings mostly live in poverty because they need to buy various materials and perform various rituals in order to become stronger.

Of course, there are exceptions. These exceptions mostly involve people using their abilities to persecute ordinary people and make them provide them with wealth, which constitutes a crime. The Bureau of Paranormal Investigation will also take on these cases and will never tolerate such lawless wild paranormal individuals.

“That’s great, Locke, but as your older sister, I should treat you to a meal. You need to save your money.”

Hannah sat down on the sofa, clutching an old newspaper.

"So what if we found them? These big shots' affairs have nothing to do with us."

Hannah said this, but she didn't stop flipping through the newspaper. She would read every article that was signed by Bill Harper.

Locke guessed that she was probably still upset about Bill Harper plagiarizing her work, which was why she cared so much about this.

"Why do we have to eat out? Isn't Locke's cooking delicious? I don't want to eat out."

Eileen protested, but Hannah couldn't hear her.

“I’m very tired today. I even made dinner for Boyd tonight. I really want to relax.”

Locke said.

Hannah thought her brother was talking to her, so she nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Locke. What would you like to eat tonight?"

Locke looked at Eileen.

“Don’t look at me, I have no interest in the restaurants on this street.”

Eileen said with little interest.

"Hannah, you decide."

Locke looked at his sister Hannah.

Hannah absentmindedly suggested a restaurant and continued searching for old news.

In terms of news acumen, Locke considered himself inferior to his sister Hannah. Looking at these old news articles, he didn't think they had anything to do with Bill Harper being removed from his position as editor-in-chief.

Locke took out "Fundamentals of Mysticism" and "Dictionary of Dragon Language," not wanting to waste any time studying.

The siblings were each busy with their own things, and about an hour passed.

Hannah excitedly handed an old newspaper to Locke.

"Look, this is it! The treacherous Desi Reiner drove the miserable West End workers, Bjørn Tahan and his family, to their deaths. This must be the news!"

"You mean Desi Reiner is taking revenge on him?"

Chapter 81, The 100% Eco-Friendly Girl

"No, of course not. It was precisely because of this report that Desi Reiner failed to be elected as a member of parliament last year. The suicide of the João Tahan family caused the workers who originally supported him to turn to Desi Reiner's opponent, Bowman Bister, which is why Bowman Bister was successfully elected as a member of parliament."

Hannah said with a serious expression,

"Look at this recent report: Congressman Pavel Megar proposed amending the Alchemy Act, which was opposed by Congressmen led by Bowman Bister!"

"So you mean Pavel Megar wanted to bring down Bowman Bister, so he targeted Lloyd's uncle, Bill Harper, hoping to dig up big news about Bowman Bister from him and put pressure on him to agree to the amendments to the Alchemy Act?"

Locke asked casually.

Hannah nodded emphatically. “Yes, I even suspect that Bill Harper has been in cahoots with Bowman Bister for a long time. Perhaps the suicides of the Joan Tahan family were caused by them, not by Desi Reiner. Of course, this requires evidence, but I am no longer a journalist and have no channels for investigation.”

"I think you could also become a private investigator, after all, you have an exceptional talent for deduction."

Locke praised without reservation.

Hannah smiled and put down her newspaper. "Perhaps I could consider it, Mr. Locke. Would it be my pleasure to invite you to dinner?"

"Of course, I'm already dizzy from watching it."

Locke put down two thick books and followed Hannah out of the apartment.

Eileen sat on Locke's shoulder and flicked her cat tail.

"If it doesn't taste good, you have to come back tonight and give me extra food."

Locke nodded slightly.

Hannah was in a good mood; she enjoyed discussing politics with Locke.

"Do you think the Queen was involved in this? It is said that MP Pavel Megar is a staunch supporter of the Queen and is known as a representative of the Queen's Party."

Locke said casually.

"I can't be sure about that. If the Queen is really involved, then Bill Harper is doomed. The news of the media mogul's resignation will soon be the headline of major newspapers."

Hannah said with a smile.

"Isn't he no longer the editor-in-chief of the Tumen Times?"

"No, that's just a blank byline. The Tumen Times usually puts the editor-in-chief's name in the far right corner of the newspaper. A blank byline means that the position of editor-in-chief is temporarily vacant. It could mean that Bill Harper has been dismissed or suspended. Only when the name of the new editor-in-chief is written in the newspaper can it mean that he is completely finished."

The two chatted as they arrived at a steakhouse on Pete Street.

"Two medium-rare steaks and a bottle of South Wales red wine."

Hannah decided to splurge on this special day and have a drink with Locke.

A steak costs 60 pounds, and a bottle of South Wales red wine costs 160 pounds. This meal will cost 380 pounds, leaving me with only 120 pounds, which can barely cover my transportation costs.

The steak was decent, Locke thought it was acceptable, and he gave a piece to the black cat.

Eileen sniffed the smell, raised her fluffy cat head, and indicated her refusal.

Having been fed by Locke for so long, she could no longer stomach the steaks at this small restaurant. Most importantly, after Locke joined the Bureau of Investigation, he used only the finest ingredients, making the steaks fresh and firm, far superior to the inferior steaks at this restaurant.

Hannah, however, ate with great relish. This was her first paycheck since she had been unemployed for so long. Hannah raised her glass and clinked it with Locke's.

"I hope our lives will get better and better."

"I hope our lives will get better and better."

Locke repeated himself, enjoying his dinner amidst the clinking of glasses.

This restaurant is quite popular in the Pett Street area, and many relatively well-dressed West End residents dine here or celebrate their children's birthdays.

Locke overheard two men in inexpensive suits talking about Baker Grain Company next door; they appeared to be low-level employees of the company.

"Mr. Baker is such a business savvy. The department stores can't do anything about us. Even if they don't cooperate with us, we still manage to sell out our stock."

"Didn't they say that the three major department stores in the Wilshire district have already bowed down and ordered food from our company again?"

"Yes, they have no choice but to back down. Baker Grain Company is no longer a simple family business. Do you know who the new shareholders are?"

"Aren't they those old gentlemen from the Food Association?"

“I’m only telling you this, don’t tell anyone else. I heard from my uncle that the Doron family bought the shares of that grain association group.”

Locke overheard the two whispering.

[Acuity of hearing] +1.

The benefits of dining at a restaurant became apparent.

If you just open your ears, you can hear all sorts of secrets. Although Lloyd's story made the front page, not many people in the West End discussed it. They were more concerned with things that were closely related to their own lives.

The couple near the window were newlyweds who had received substantial compensation after their parents perished in a water pollution incident. They were discussing whether to vacation in Yorkshire or the Gulf of Sicily. Ultimately, the husband chose the Gulf of Sicily because his wife was pregnant, believing the air there was fresher.

“I can’t wait to go on vacation to the bay, honey.”

"Don't act so happy, keep a low profile, at least until after the funeral."

[Acuity of hearing] +1.

The first table on the left as you enter is occupied by a fair-skinned couple who are members of the Life Church. They've brought their dark-skinned daughter to celebrate her birthday. The husband quietly complains to his wife about how their daughter's skin is so dark, unlike theirs at all. The wife replies that it's a gift from the Goddess of Life and tells him not to worry. The husband lifts his green hat (a symbol of his wife's darker complexion), looks at his adorable daughter, and generously says...

"Sashimi, you can drink as much milk as you want today, Daddy's sweetheart."

“That’s great! When Dad was away on a business trip, Uncle Keller came to visit us. He only gave Mom milk and didn’t give me any. I found out that Mom hadn’t wiped her mouth properly, and she even tried to argue with me.”

[Acuity of hearing] +1.

In the innermost corner of the restaurant sat a few gold refinery workers. They had just received their wages and planned to finish their steaks before going to patronize the streetwalkers. They were all bachelors, with no families to support, and lived very carefree lives.

"The girls are going to depend on us for a living."

“They have to thank the generous boss of the gold refinery; our wages are twice that of other workers.”

"Haha, I must see Miss Jenny today."

[Acuity of Hearing] +1

Miss Jenny is quite popular in this area.

After dinner, Locke, Hannah, and Miss Black Cat Irene walked out of the restaurant and happened to encounter a parade and speech.

A beautiful young woman in a green, ruffled dress stood in an open carriage pulled by four horses. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, delicate features, and a slender figure. She wore a green leaf pendant around her neck, a symbol of the Life Church, and held a sign aloft.

The sign, written in Tumen, read: "Boycott gold refineries! Protect the environment!"