The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

The next step, naturally, is to find Elena.

However, after taking only a few steps, X suddenly stopped. Angel almost bumped into X.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"It's nothing serious. I just suddenly remembered that I need to properly organize my equipment before advancing into the important plot points."

"Oh—I don't understand," Angel replied.

"That means, no matter what, check the equipment first."

Raindrops pattered softly on the brim of X's hat. He touched the revolver at his waist. The cold metallic feel of it rang out.

X then skillfully drew his revolver and expertly turned it on. Six bullets gleamed silver.

These were the silver bullets that Exeter had asked for from Deacon Samuel before entering the "Rain World." In addition to the ones that were already loaded, he also had a small bag of bullets hidden on his person.

But once inside, Ex realized a problem – what if it runs out?

Because communication with Deacon Samuel is impossible, the Holy Order's blessings cannot be obtained. The "Infinite Ammo" buff is no longer available.

As a result, X immediately suffered from "fear of insufficient firepower".

The ammunition problem needs to be solved first.

"Silver bullets," Ex murmured. "Where can I buy silver bullets?"

Gun shops definitely have them. Machine workshops can also manufacture them.

He immediately looked around. The London streets were shrouded in rain, gaslights flickering in the mist. In the distance, the sign of a machine shop was faintly visible through the rain.

"That place might have it. Let's go."

Axe pulled Angel along and quickly walked towards the workshop.

A bronze plaque reading "Harrison Precision Machinery" hangs at the entrance of the workshop. Inside the glass display cases, various gears and spring mechanisms, as well as commonly used household tools, are on display.

Pushing open the door, the bell on the door began to ring.

The sound of the doorbell made an old craftsman wearing glasses look up.

"Welcome, gentlemen. What do you need?" The old craftsman's voice was hoarse, yet it carried a strange sense of warmth.

X walked to the counter and lowered his voice: "Silver bullets. Do you have any in stock?"

The old craftsman adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping between Ax and Angel: "Silver bullets? Sir, silver bullets aren't cheap."

"I'm going hunting," Ex said meaningfully, "to hunt some...special prey."

The old craftsman scrutinized Axe for a moment, then nodded: "I understand."

He took a small wooden box from under the counter, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside were twelve silver bullets neatly arranged.

"Made of pure silver, hand-polished," the old craftsman said. "Three shillings to one shot."

Ax raised an eyebrow: "That's not cheap."

"Quality guaranteed," the old craftsman said calmly. "You wouldn't want to use inferior goods to deal with 'those things.' I believe you know that better than I do."

Ex pulled out his money pouch: "Give me more. Buy as much as you can."

Ax gave away most of the money he had with him.

The transaction was complete. As the old craftsman carefully packaged and divided the silver bullets, handing them to Ex, he suddenly said:

"Those things have been quite active lately. Be careful, sir."

"Thanks for reminding me."

As I left the workshop, the rain began to intensify.

Angel clearly disliked the weather; she gripped X's sleeve tightly. "Master, let's hurry and find Sister Elena!"

"I'll go right away."

■

Following the directions given by passersby, Ex quickly arrived at his destination.

The red brick house on the street corner came into view.

right here.

Ax suddenly stopped in his tracks.

As soon as he saw the house, he noticed that the walls of the red brick building were covered with black slime, which was wriggling like a living thing.

"Swampede!" Angel exclaimed. "Is Elena inside?"

Without saying a word or hesitating, Ax charged forward.

"Bang!"

Then he kicked the door open.

The scene before him gave him the illusion that his blood was beginning to freeze.

The room was a complete mess. Furniture was overturned, and the walls were covered in black mud.

Dr. Green's words immediately resonated in his mind: "She might also suddenly break down prematurely."

It's impossible that I'm late... It can't be...

Angel's ears suddenly twitched, and she exclaimed, "There's a sound upstairs!"

Without hesitation, Ax rushed upstairs.

After rushing up to the second floor, I saw two figures standing back to back in the center of the room, surrounded by three swamp aliens.

One of them is Elena.

Her emerald hair flew wildly in the battle, green light flashed at her fingertips, and vines sprang from the ground, binding the alien's limbs.

But the alien force was too great, and the sound of the vines being broken bit by bit was particularly jarring.

The other was a noblewoman I didn't recognize.

Her golden curls and tattered, gorgeous dress were striking, but her gaze was resolute as she gripped a decorative silver cane tightly in her hand. In this moment, however, the silver cane proved more useful.

"Elena!" Ex shouted.

Startled by the sudden sound, the aliens turned to look at the doorway.

"Oh? And you are?"

Irene's tone was filled with doubt, but also with the surprise of seeing someone help her.

But the next second, a mutant took the opportunity to pounce on her.

"Watch out!" The noblewoman swung her cane, the silver tip slicing across the alien's body.

Silver's restraining effect kicked in again. The alien let out a painful screech, and black smoke billowed from the cuts in its body.

This is perhaps why these two have been able to persevere until now.

X immediately brought Angel into the fray. He raised his revolver and aimed at the nearest alien.

"Bang!"

The silver bullet pierced the area that appeared to be the head of the alien.

Black mud splattered, and the alien staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

"Oh!" Angel cheered.

But the remaining two mutants seemed to be enraged, becoming even more ferocious. One mud-ball swamp mutant lunged at X, while the other, humanoid, charged at the two women.

"Angel, ice flower!" Ex commanded.

"Understood, Master!"

Angel's fingertips glowed with blue light, ice flowers condensed in her palm, and then she precisely smashed them at the alien creature rushing towards the ladies.

The moment the ice flower exploded, the humanoid swamp alien was knocked back two steps.

"Now!"

X fired again, and the charging alien fell down easily as if it were courting death.

Seeing that things were not going well, the last swamp alien actually turned around and tried to escape.

"Don't even think about running away."

Elena's vines shot out like snakes, wrapped around the humanoid alien's ankle, and yanked hard.

The alien fell to the ground, and X immediately stepped forward, pressing his revolver against its head.

"Bang."

The battle ended quickly.

All that remained was a mess in the room, with black mud and ice crystals mixed together.

It seemed that after eliminating all the swamp monsters, the black mud seeping from the interior walls began to recede. The gas lamps, which had been covered by the black mud, reappeared, their warm light once again illuminating the room.

It disappeared completely without needing purification... That's really convenient in a rainy world.

"Sir, thank you so much. You saved us," Elena said, panting, but with a smile on her face.

Clearly, three years ago, Irene didn't know herself.

"You're welcome. I came here to rescue you," Ex replied briefly, then turned to the noblewoman, "And this lady is?"

The noblewoman curtsied gracefully, despite her tattered dress: "Katherine Wentworth. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for your help."

"Sir Axemore," Axe introduced himself, "and this is my maid, Angel."

Angel looked at Catherine curiously: "Sister, you're so pretty!"

Catherine smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, little sister."

"What exactly happened here?" Ex asked again.

Elena immediately interjected, "Catherine is my friend. We were just having tea when these... these things suddenly appeared."

"Swamp Species..." Ex said in a deep voice, "How did they get here?"

"I don't know." Catherine shook her head, her expression turning serious. "There have indeed been frequent strange occurrences in London lately. But I never expected them to happen directly in my detective agency."

"Your... agency?" Ex raised an eyebrow.

According to what I've heard, it's Elena's residence.

At this point, Elena explained, "This is actually Miss Catherine's detective agency. I usually stay here."

Ax looked around at his surroundings again.

Indeed, the walls were covered with various maps and newspaper clippings, the bookshelves were crammed with heavy books, and a mahogany desk stood in the center of the room.

It's a very standard detective's room setup.

"Yes," Catherine said proudly, "Welcome to the Catherine Detective Agency, specializing in handling all kinds of mysterious cases."

Elena added, "Catherine is one of London's finest young detectives."

Catherine waved her hand modestly: "Not at all, I'm just a little bit famous."

"Everyone knows you, Catherine. You're the most popular person on this street."

As X watched the interaction unfold before him, he suddenly understood something.

"So, Elena..." he said thoughtfully, "you want to be like Catherine?"

Elena's face flushed slightly, revealing her signature little fangs: "Ah, well, I... I just really admire Catherine. She's so popular, so outstanding..."

Ax couldn't help but sigh.

Elena looked so innocent three years ago.