Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

Chapter 102 After Hardship Comes Happiness

No. 9 Knights Road.

Gordon, riding in fury, barely had the strength to dismount and it took him twice as long to jump off.

Enraged and suspecting he had brought back a corpse, he turned and stared at him for a long time, making sure Gordon had no intention of returning it, before slowly walking back to the stable himself.

If we were to categorize things by their value, "The Rhythm of Shallow Dreams" would definitely be the oddity Gordon dislikes the most right now.

He took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and saw it was seven in the morning.

Three minutes of mental clarity resulted in a sleepless night of confusion; I will never use it again unless absolutely necessary.

"The Rhythm of a Shallow Dream" means that you feel dreamlike even when you're awake.

Thankfully, there's No. 9 Knight Road. Seeing home gives me energy.

He struggled to climb to the second floor, where Vera opened the door.

Gordon raised his hand, seemingly trying to prove he was still conscious with a very steady movement, but instead he fell forward and landed directly in Vera's arms.

Vera adjusted her stance to make sure he wouldn't slip out of her arms.

"I'm back." Gordon said with his eyes closed.

"Welcome home," Vera said softly.

She smelled Gordon's scent.

It smelled of gunpowder, disinfectant, and fishy water, and for some reason, it also smelled a bit like carrots.

"I searched the entire Greenwood Mansion." Gordon rested his head on Vera's shoulder, his voice growing softer. "I took down a bunch of bastards, broke into a huge basement, rescued a lot of people, captured a lot of people, and even rode across the entire city of Lundenim to find a mad doctor. For the first time, I used—I did it, I did it all—"

Before Gordon could finish speaking, he lost his strength and collapsed onto Vera.

Vera felt her blood run cold, and after a moment she realized that Gordon was just asleep.

She changed her position, supporting Gordon's back with one hand and lifting his legs with the other, gently lifting him horizontally, turning around, and closing the door with her foot.

Then, she put Gordon on the bed, and Vera unbuttoned Gordon's old coat that should have been retired long ago, took off his boots, and removed his hunting knife, sampling box, and anything else that might hurt him.

Vera, mimicking Gordon's method of checking others, turned the tables and checked Gordon's pupils and pulse to make sure he was alright.

Because she usually liked to put on a brave face and hide her wounds, she checked Gordon for any hidden injuries and was relieved to find none.

Finally, Vera brought over a copper basin of clean water and used a towel to wipe his face and hands. Once Gordon's breathing had stabilized, Vera unbuttoned her coat, took off her boots, and lay down beside him.

Normally—

No, at least this time, no —

"Oh—you did a great job. I know." Vera hugged Gordon, then pulled the blanket over them, holding him tightly and trapping him between her legs.

As she listened to his breathing gradually become calm, she closed her eyes and pressed her chest against Gordon's face.

Gordon woke up, having difficulty breathing.

At least it was still light; the heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight, with only a sliver of gold peeking through the gaps. He suddenly recalled the long, deep sleep he had experienced on the first day of the Evangelical Freemasonry holiday, and wondered when he would be able to sleep like that again.

He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, his memories returning one by one. The Green Mansion had been cleared, the victim had been found, the limb-setting doctor had been caught, the information Eve wanted had been found, he was alive, plus the "self-narration" he had given before collapsing into Vera's arms.

Very good.

There wasn't a chance to say anything embarrassing.

My mind has mostly recovered, and my thinking is a little clearer.

He felt his body burning hot and sweating. He nudged Vera, and she innocently opened her eyes, turned over, and lifted a corner of the blanket to let the hot air out.

"You're awake." Vera propped her head up to look at him.

"I'm alright." Gordon's body was still heavy, but the feeling of being brain-drained from last night had mostly disappeared.

"I'll go get you something to eat."

"Me too."

"Don't move." Vera shoved Gordon back with one finger. "You deserve it."

Gordon lay back down for a while, the blankets still smelling of her. Vera's scent, how to describe it? It was indeed rich, incredibly intoxicating, like a pheromone instantly penetrating the central nervous system, and it took a while for the smell to come back to its senses.

By the time he left, lunch was already prepared.

Large chunks of beef, cabbage stewed until translucent, two fried eggs, rye bread, peppered onion soup, and a large pot of salted lemonade—Vera had clearly considered what Gordon needed to replenish now.

After dinner, Gordon went downstairs to check the mailbox and found the official letter from the Office of the Commissioner of State.

He wondered if the issue was about insufficient paperwork, whether some new mandate had been added, or if they wanted an explanation.

Finally, it was discovered that Martin invited him to meet at 3 p.m. at the Royal Café in the old town of Lundnim's Constitution Square to discuss the settlement of Operation Green Mansion and follow-up intelligence.

It seems like this is just a good thing.

He told Vera about it.

Martin bought me coffee, wanna come?

"I'll go with you," Vera said without hesitation.

2:40 PM, Lundnim Constitution Square.

Compared to the government buildings on King's Hill, the city hall on Constitution Square is modest and elegant in scale, with the Constitution Monument at its front and the Royal Café diagonally opposite.

This café was very luxurious and attracted most of Lendnheim's writers, artists, politicians, and social celebrities.

Gordon was here for the first time. He led his raging horse to the hitching post by the entrance, and a waiter immediately brought over some top-quality hay.

The doorman opened the glass door for them, and the scent of cigars and expensive perfume wafted out. Vera shook her hand to dispel the smell.

"————" She glanced around and saw gentlemen dressed similarly everywhere, wearing top hats, and most of them wore monocles, pipes, and chain pocket watches. It was clear that some kind of trend had brought them together here.

"Find someone named Martin." Gordon asked the waiter to lead the way. He didn't seem nervous at all, nodding to everyone he saw as if he knew them well.

Martin, wearing a long trench coat, sat in a private booth in the cafe.

Just as Gordon and Vera sat down, footsteps sounded again at the door, the door to the private room opened again, and Eve arrived.

She only acts during the day, with black hair, a black dress, and golden eyes. Before sitting down, she lifts her long dress with her hand to fully outline the curves of her back, and then sits down, causing the chair to bear a tremendous pressure.

Vera looked at Eve, and Eve looked at her too.

This was the first meeting between the two, and their eyes briefly met in the air.

"It seems—Miss Carterett and Mr. Vic have a close relationship," Eve judged.

"Of course. You are—"

"Miss Grant," Gordon said.

"Mr. Vic, may I call you—senior?" Eve leaned forward slightly.

"Learn—" Gordon blurted out halfway before he felt Vera looking at him, clearly telling him to think it through before answering.

Gordon looks at Martin.

Martin took a deep breath, letting the awkward atmosphere linger long enough to satisfy him, before changing the subject.

"Ms. Grant was invited by me. She visited Greenwood Mansion this morning."

"The Green Manor looks much quieter during the day," Eve recalled her observations. "After you cleaned it up, it gained some semblance of decorum, rather than becoming a den of filth—"

The waiter opened the door to the private room and poured coffee for everyone.

Black coffee. The person who coined the phrase "bitter before sweet" clearly hadn't tasted this.

He took a sip, and the bitterness immediately shot up his tongue to his head, followed by a feeling of alertness. Due to the increased effect of bodily fluids, the caffeine almost instantly began to pound around in Gordon's brain, urging his neurons to get to work.

"Is this the secret to your perseverance?" Gordon looked at Ma Gong.

"I come here for coffee often." Martin pulled out his notebook. "—Three small tasks. And your allowance."

He pushed an envelope over, and Gordon opened it to find 15 gold pounds inside. This instantly made up for a lot of the deficit and could support his food, clothing, and other necessities for another two months.

"Where are Zhen Nu and Shirin?"

"The monthly allowance for the enraged officer has been increased to 20 silver pounds, and Shireen has been promoted to an elite officer."

Gordon nodded. Although Shirin was a young girl without any source material or background, her professional skills and qualities were absolutely top-notch.

"Very good, very good. More apples." Gordon started to think, and began to put his ideas on Martin. "Could you change that stylish coat you're wearing? It doesn't look dirty at all."

"This is really good stuff." Martin looked down at it. "—It's cut-resistant, stain-resistant, and has lots of pockets."

"It can randomly scare people to death while walking down the street. I want one."

"Two portions remain."

"I want a wonder. How much does a wonder cost?" Gordon said immediately.

"Two minor achievements can be exchanged for the long-term use right of a rare item on the first floor of the Royal Archives Management Hall."

"Right to use? One floor?"

"Yes, damage and loss require compensation. In addition, there are more and better supplies on the second floor and above, which are only for those who have made outstanding contributions to the Empire." Martin nodded.

"Something that can stop bullets," Vera said instinctively.

"Perhaps it's something used for escaping, hiding, or sealing off—" Gordon pondered.

He felt that there would be many opportunities to achieve big results with small investments in the future, and that the people outside were experts in all kinds of acrobatics and novelty-seeking abilities, so he had to maximize his margin for error.

"We'll choose when we get there," Martin concluded. "The situation at the management office isn't fixed. Some artifacts are experimented on, some are loaned out every day, and some might break through containment and seals."

Gordon was inclined to go and take a look; with his keen eye, he might be able to discover many simple yet powerful wonders.

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