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

Chapter 103 The Rat's Labyrinth

Martin turned the page and began to explain the aftermath of Green Manor.

"According to the investigation, most of the singers, dancers, and waitresses were unaware of the so-called shocking secret, but they did have access to a considerable amount of information about their customers' drinking habits and personal preferences that were not convenient to disclose. Some of this falls under the category of private privacy. The Bureau will register all of this information and will use it when necessary."

"You've already registered it, and you still call it privacy?"

"There are no secrets under the midday sun." Martin handed over two intelligence reports. "In short, there are two valuable leads. The highest-ranking guest captured that night was Baron Gunter himself, a director of Midas Industries."

"That was so careless."

"He's involved in corruption, bribery, and sex scandals. We'll be keeping an eye on him." Martin pointed to another intelligence report. "And there's another person, 'The Old Fisherman.'"

"It sounds like a smaller version of the Fisher King."

"Perhaps. The people of Greenwood Mansion call him 'Old Man,'" Tobias said. He had once provided the manor with manpower and resources, including injured dockworkers, people infected with "Blackwater Syndrome," and homeless river dwellers. But after discovering that Doctor Albert's demonic limb-setting therapy was ineffective, Tobias terminated the cooperation.

"At least they still have some bottom line."

"But that doesn't mean it's legal. There's evidence that Tobias is the main organizer of the Blackwater Baptism, and dozens of people disappear into the river in Lundnim every month, almost all of them linked to him. I will investigate him, but I won't arrest him immediately. Tobias is very popular among the riverside residents and laborers."

"Honesty, care for the poor, opposes human experimentation, yet regularly throws live people into the river; their strength is unknown," Gordon summarized. If they capture...

He will probably infuriate many people.

"We cannot allow this to happen again and again. Gordon Vick, trainee investigator, you need to continue tracking Olivia and this old man—Tobias's whereabouts. Vera Cartret, you need to focus on the demon-hunting commission related to the Riverbank Mystery. Eve Grant, you need to use your wisdom to get us closer to the Fisher King's hideout." Martin glanced at everyone at the table.

"Speaking of this—" Eve took out a rubbing and placed it on the table.

It was inscribed with twisted, ancient Logarithian runes, which no one else knew about except her.

"I found this at Albert's hiding place," Gordon said.

"Yes, I read it briefly today and deciphered some of its contents. Most of the content needs further exploration, but some parts are easy to understand. It's part of the Fisherman King's Proverbs, which recounts a legend that is not so close to the Fisherman King himself." Eve began to tell the story.

"—Once upon a time, a knight chasing the Holy Grail strayed into the depths of the Blackwater River. He drank too much water and became deformed, and people laughed at him. The lake goddess dragged him ashore and placed him on a large rock atop a cliff, where he was exposed to the scorching sun for three days. She also kept giving him spring water to drink—sweat poured out, fish scales peeled off his skin, and finally he regained his human form—"

After Eve finished speaking, Martin looked at her with the kind of look one would give to bizarre and outlandish theories, while Vera was completely baffled.

"The fables of the ancients are only meant to be told to the ancients," Martin concluded.

"————" Eve looked at Gordon, hoping he still had some sense of reason.

"It feels like a poorly written but meaningful medical record," Gordon pondered.

Drinking water, sweating profusely, fish scales falling off —

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

When we first extracted the spiritual crystals from the silt of the Blackwater River, there was a byproduct called scaly crystalline salt. When we fed it to rats, it turned them into demon rats, which are still causing trouble now.

Therefore, there is evidence that it is the core component of Blackwater Syndrome.

The parable's explanation sounds somewhat like the metabolism of heavy metals.

For modern therapies, it might be possible to have humans ingest precipitated salts to try to extract spirituality, at least to a concentration that the body can self-purify, and to use drugs like ipecac to promote sweating, combined with diuretics—the pollution might be eliminated more quickly.

It's somewhat like a body-cleansing process, gradually expelling toxins from the body. This is further aided by replenishing plenty of water, sugar, salt, and electrolytes.

The ancient person who wrote this story obviously did not understand the principle, but he preserved a way of treating human pollution in the form of an allegory.

Gordon opened his eyes; his mind was completely clear.

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Vic?" Eve asked softly.

"Something that can't be said immediately."

"Why?" Martin asked.

"Because right now it's all theory," Gordon said cryptically. "I need to re-examine the sludge contamination. If we're lucky, we might have a huge business opportunity that affects the entire city."

He took a sip of coffee.

If the approach is correct, thousands of patients with varying degrees of Blackwater Syndrome in Lundnium could potentially be treated, including anxious nobles and commoners who wished to be cleaner.

Medicine, sweating, rehydration, and perhaps even transforming other properties owned by the Monford family into warm, dry sanatoriums—that would be a whole business.

Whether it's patients suffering from Blackwater Syndrome or riverside businesses worried about their employees turning into water monkeys, they might be willing to pay.

"Mr. Vic smiled," Eve said gently.

"I've thought of a way to help a lot of people," Gordon nodded.

"He was thinking about money," Vera concluded.

"Alright, whatever." Martin closed the file. "That's roughly the situation for now. I'll also try my best to arrange for more Imperial pillars to help us reach the wading chapel and find Olivia. Olivia's strength should not be underestimated."

"Can I now be considered a pillar of the empire?"

"You have not yet proven your unwavering loyalty to the emperor."

"How can this be proven? I advocate judging by actions, not intentions. Serving the empire in practice is not the same as serving the empire verbally."

"It would be best if the two could be merged." Martin stood up and left. "I will let you know another day and take you to the Royal Archives Administration."

Take care.

Martin left the private room, leaving Gordon and the other two inside.

The Warehouse of Curiosities signifies new equipment, the treatment for Blackwater Syndrome indicates a new industry, Baron Gunter's secret is valuable intelligence, and "Old Fisherman" Tobias and the wading chapel deep beneath Lundenim are the next mysteries to be investigated.

Several nodes appeared in Gordon's mind, and each node was connected by a line.

He downed his coffee in one gulp, still feeling it wasn't enough, as if the fundamental influence of the tide of fate was simply a love of drinking water.

"Let's go see Professor Winslow," Eve suggested.

"It's alright, Professor, we can wait. It's summer vacation anyway." Gordon stood up. "We need to find a mouse called 'Ratstick,' it can run."

"I remember it, it did a somersault," Vera recalled that day.

"Now it steals things and scares people; it's not a good mouse anymore."

"Don't worry." Eve's eyes clearly showed curiosity. "I'd like to see how much a mouse can do."

Once on the street, Gordon turned to Vera and saw her old riding outfit, which Charlotte had bought for her because "seeing it would remind me of Charlotte," and indeed it was.

Golden Lion Avenue, Montfort Mansion.

Gordon looked up at the mansion, and after the gatekeeper announced their arrival, Charlotte came to pick them up herself.

Although only a few days had passed, Gordon and Charlotte felt as if they had been separated for a long time. She was wearing a light gold dress with a pearl brooch at the neckline, and her golden hair was tied back with a dark blue ribbon. Her eyes lingered on Gordon for a moment.

"Mr. Vic, what a rare guest you are," Charlotte said kindly, standing behind the iron gate.

"I risked my life to come see you," Gordon quickly said. "Did the newspapers report my glorious deeds?"

"Yes, there is, Green Shade Mansion—" Charlotte crossed her arms. "You're always running around for the city, I thank you on behalf of the citizens of Lundenim."

"Open the door."

"Don't rush. By the way, this is—" Charlotte looked at Eve.

Eve and Charlotte observed each other, and Eve was deeply impressed by Charlotte's beautiful, clear blue eyes.

"Miss Monford. I am Eve Grant." Eve greeted Charlotte. "You are more beautiful than I've heard."

"I've heard you're a good scholar. Gordon seems quite concerned about whether you'll come back."

"Is that so? Is Mr. Vic eagerly awaiting my return?" Eve looked at Gordon.

After looking around but finding no one who could help him out, Gao Deng had no choice but to throw the pot into the Blackwater River.

"To eliminate the Fishing King, of course." Gordon nodded vigorously.

"I've heard that the Montfort family is having a rat infestation, and I hope I can do my part. I've done quite a bit of research on similar unusual creatures," Eve said, explaining her purpose.

"Let me see how much you can do," Charlotte said cautiously.

She had previously written to Gordon seeking a solution to the rat-stick problem, and she didn't expect Gordon to take it so seriously and bring in new faces.

Charlotte raised her hand, and the doorman opened the door, allowing them to enter the Monford family's living room.

"Did you receive the alert? I discovered their operation plan at Green Shade Mansion." Gordon noticed that there were significantly more guards at the Monford residence.

"Of course. Father has raised the security level at the mansion, and there's also the summer celebration." Charlotte thought for a moment.

"What is that?"

"I'll tell you secretly later," Charlotte glanced at Gordon.

They were preparing to go see the rats.

"I heard that you two displayed a lot of mice at the presentation that day." Eve was very interested in academic matters.

"I personally took charge of the breeding records and related experiments." Charlotte used to think it was dirty, but now she proudly raised her head.

"That includes rat bars," Gordon added.

"It used to be quite cute," Charlotte sighed.

"It seems that if the Blackwater Syndrome is officially published as a paper, Miss Monford should also be listed in it."

"Professor Winslow said the same thing, but he felt that it was not yet complete and that more cases were needed."

"I obtained a lot of case studies from Green Shade Mansion. Even if we exclude the ones that are really ethically wrong, they are enough to support publication," Gordon recalled those records.

"If the review committee would like to see the rat in person—" Charlotte opened the pens.

According to Gao, the breeding room used to be filled with countless brass rat cages. These cages are still there, but there is a lot of human furniture around them. It is unknown where the rats got them from, including several cabinets, small chairs and small sofas of various sizes.

"Human wretch—this kingdom has been conquered by me," the voice of the rat came from within. "Yes, yes, you are standing in the maze."

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