I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Richard thought for a moment, then asked:

"Do you think... we can suppress this matter before they dig a new well in the city?"

Old Big raised his hand and placed the cup back on the table.

"Maybe I can make it, maybe I won't."

Richard sighed.

"Old Big, you'd better be careful these days."

"Hey." Old Big Bud chuckled twice.

He then took the penny out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers.

"You're doing this again."

"I'm not joking."

“I’m not joking.” Old Big turned the penny over. “I’m telling you, I’m the safest person in Bristol.”

"...You already said that."

"I'll say it again, just like I said it before."

Old Biggs turned the penny between his fingers once more.

"I have no children."

When Richard heard this, he looked away from the leather case.

In the months he had been dealing with Old Big, he had never heard the other man mention his family.

Old Big sighed and put the penny down.

"...Years ago, I had a girlfriend who was a waitress at a teahouse in the southern part of the capital."

"I had just been sent by my teacher to Briston to work as a coroner at that time."

Every year when I go back to Beijing for Christmas, I often go on house calls with my senior sister in the southern part of the city.

I did some odd jobs, and gradually started chatting with that girl.

"What happened next?"

"...She is sick."

Old Big said that sentence in a very ordinary way.

"She had a lung condition that had been going on for a long time, but she never told me about it."

"I had only been a coroner for a few years at that time, and my monthly salary was just that little."

"By the time I got together with her and found out about this, the girl had disappeared."

Old Big raised his hand and unconsciously pressed it against his chest.

"She's a good girl, she's never borrowed money from me."

Richard didn't know what to say.

He opened his mouth.

"So you've been living alone ever since?"

"Hmm." Old Big nodded. "There's nothing to regret."

"The longer I work in this line of work, the more I realize that being alone is quite nice."

"I have no worries, and my hands don't shake when I'm working."

"What if one day I end up lying on this platform myself..."

"You're here again."

"Don't interrupt me."

Old Big raised his hand and silenced Richard's words.

"...If one day I end up lying on this platform myself, not many people will lose sleep because of my death."

Richard hugged the leather case tighter.

He wanted to say something comforting, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.

Old Bige has already raised his teacup again.

"Go ahead, didn't you still need to find the boss?"

"……yes."

Richard stood up and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, old Big called him again.

"Kid."

"Um?"

"After you get that book, you can quickly flip through the first three chapters, and then slowly work through the rest of the chapters."

"When my senior was studying, she finished the first three chapters in a week, and then spent a year studying each of the following chapters."

"Got it?"

"I've got it."

Richard pushed open the door and went out.

On the third floor, the door to Wentworth's office was open.

Richard knocked.

"Enter."

Wentworth looks much better today than last time.

【Moon Nail - Reflection】The aftereffects of that injection should have worn off long ago, judging by the timeline.

"Sit down." Wentworth closed the document in front of him.

Richard sat down at the table.

"I would like to apply for a few things."

"Speak," Wentworth said, taking a blank internal application form and placing the pen in the center of the table.

"Two types of fodder, one of which is multi-eyed black moss."

The pen drew a line on the paper.

"Another thing I'd like to apply for is fog bells."

The pen paused for a moment, and Wentworth looked up.

"...How do you know the name Mist Bell?"

Richard went over the answer in his mind before speaking.

"I recently read some materials that my aunt sent me, and one of them was a review article that mentioned it."

"It is said that Mist Bells and Silent Ferns can be substituted for each other in some sealing spells."

"I know about the Silent Fern; it's very difficult to obtain through legitimate channels."

"I've heard that some folk crafts still exist, so I'm asking about them."

Wentworth stared at him for a while.

The pen fell again.

"You're quick-witted."

He didn't ask any further questions, and simply added "fog bells" to the application form.

"I can't apply for the Silent Fern for you either. The Northern Administration doesn't have many of them; they are all precious research samples."

"Mistbells are a good option; the hunter families of Gael Heights pay a certain share to the Northern Administration every year."

How much do you want?

"I'll take a small pinch first," Richard replied. "I need to test whether I can handle it; otherwise, it might be a waste."

"Five grams," Wentworth wrote down the number.

"Five grams should be enough for you to practice for a while."

"I'll order 20 grams of multi-eyed black sclerosus for you."

"It's much cheaper, and it'll be enough for you to practice with."

Thank you.

"Next."

Wentworth put down his pen.

"What else would you like to apply for?"

Richard lifted the bag onto the table and took out two small packets wrapped in oil paper.

He opened the first one, revealing three front canine teeth of the Soul-Gnawing Beast.

Wentworth's eyebrows twitched.

"……This is?"

Richard casually made up an excuse: "I traded it for a Soul-Gnawing Beast's front canine tooth from a hunter I know."

"Hmm." Wentworth nodded, assuming it was from the Ashford family's side: "Something from the Ash Belt."

"You can recognize it."

"I recognize it." Wentworth pushed the oil paper package aside.

"One of my field team members was from the Moon Hunter lineage, and he had something similar in his closet."

Richard opened the second oil paper package.

Inside were two jet-black Shadow Eater scales.

"Shadow Eater Scales." Wentworth glanced at the two items together.

"They're all good materials."

"I want to process them, making one type of product from each."

Richard pushed the two documents toward his side.

"I want to use the front canines of the Soul Gnawing Beast as a medium for casting spells."

"The incisors themselves are strong enough, and they are also good at guiding ether."

He gently twirled a canine tooth halfway around on the table:

"I'd like to ask a carpenter to shape it into something like three needles."

"This section of the tooth is made into a small handle that can be held between the fingers, and some basic guiding inscriptions are added to guide the ether to the tip of the tooth."

This was something he had planned after obtaining the Soul-Devouring Beast Tooth; once made, it could replace ordinary silver needles as a casting medium for the Moon Nail.

Its piercing power is much stronger than that of ordinary silver needles, and its etheric-level lethality is also stronger than that of silver needles.

Its durability is many times greater than that of silver needles, which would be ruined after just a few insertions.

The needle, crafted from the front canines, can be reused at least several thousand times.

Of course, when stabbing your own people, you still use standard silver needles... Once the Soul-Devouring Beast's teeth are stuck in the flesh, the wound won't heal in a short time.

Wentworth flipped those front canines over.

"Good idea. Your move last time was the [Moon Nail], right? I'll report your requirements to them."

He didn't offer much of an opinion: "Whether it can be made or not depends on the craftsman's skill."

"Based on your requirements, we'll make three handles from the three front canines."

"Um."

"The second one?" Wentworth turned his gaze to the two scales.

Richard pressed his fingertips against the two scales.

When these evil creatures, Shadow Eaters, hunt, they create an extremely strong field of light that casts very deep shadows on the ground around their prey.

The Shadow Eater uses strong light to stretch the target's shadow to its maximum size, then seizes the opportunity to devour it.

The scales on its body function as reflectors of strong light. Each scale is like a convex mirror, steadily enclosing the light field around it.

He stated his needs:

"Could we utilize the properties of the Shadow Eater's scales to create a #039 light storage device?"

Wentworth nodded: "Shadow Eater scales are generally only good for this purpose; they're not strong enough for armor."

"I've heard before that Manchester City has a similar #039 light source device #039."

"The finished product is about the size of a pocket watch. The outer casing is made of silver, and the inside is inlaid with these Shadow Eater scales or similar reflective materials."

"A full charge can release light equivalent to the brightness of a gas wall lamp in the dark, and the duration... will not exceed half a minute."

Richard's eyes lit up.

Half a minute is enough.

【Shadow Armor】, the casting time lasts for a maximum of ten seconds, as long as there is light within those ten seconds.

"I've listed both of these requirements." Wentworth picked up his pen again. "Send them to Manchester City tomorrow morning."

"What level of craftsmanship is needed to make these two items?"

Richard was somewhat worried that it might be too expensive.

"The incisors only need a slight modification; it's very simple," Wentworth replied as he wrote. "A basic craftsman will suffice."

"Making light storage devices with scales requires a bit more skill, but even experienced craftsmen can do it."

"What about the cost?"

Wentworth put down his pen and looked up.

"Follow the internal processing channels of the branch office."

"The cost of basic modification of the anterior canines is calculated as labor cost plus inscription cost."

There's not much extra cost in terms of materials; at most, it'll be plated with silver, and the total cost will only be three or four pounds.

"The light storage device is more expensive because it involves reverse engineering and delicate mechanical structures, as well as some additional material costs, about twelve pounds."

"The branch office usually subsidizes half, so you'll have to pay around eight pounds yourself."

Richard did some mental calculations.

I still have some money left from the Cicero Cup prize money, plus the bits and pieces I saved from tutoring fees and field work subsidies.

He currently has more than thirty pounds in cash at hand, even after regularly subsidizing his household expenses.

Eight pounds isn't a serious financial blow.

"Sure, how long will it take to deliver after it's made?"

"Two weeks."

Wentworth filled out the application form and signed his name.

"Leave the canines and scales here; I'll send them out tomorrow morning along with an internal expedited shipment."

"Once it's done, Manchester City will send it back to Bristol via their internal courier service, and I'll let you know when to pick it up."

Richard solemnly handed over those items.

Thank you.

Wentworth put the application form into the stack of files on the right side of the desk.

"It's all paid for through official channels, there's nothing to thank me for."

Richard pushed open the door, went out, and carried the leather case downstairs.

It was already 3 p.m. when I got home.

My younger sister is drawing her "Mr. Rabbit" on the kitchen counter.

"What would you like for dinner?" Mother Margaret peeked out from the other end of the living room.

"Whatever, I'm not picky."

"Then let's have oatmeal porridge again." Evelyn said without looking up.

"...Would you like something else?" Richard stopped.

"You just said you weren't picky."

"...I don't think that way anymore."