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

Chapter 111 The Deepest Bottle

The next day, Gordon and Martin went to the Archives Administration of the Logris Empire to see if there were any interesting artifacts they could use.

Gordon rode on his fury, while Martin rode his grey horse through the bustling streets.

"The firm is already open?" Martin asked.

"It's almost time. We're waiting for the first victim who's willing to pay."

"Were they victims because they encountered the Otherworldly Demons, or because they encountered you?"

"you guess."

"Wearing this makes me look more presentable, and it also serves as a reminder not to cheat the citizens."

Martin took out the office overcoat that Gordon had originally asked for from the saddlebag.

[Investigator's trench coat. Stain-proof, cut-proof, and keeps out of reach of ordinary people.]

"What kind of person do you take me for?" Gordon took it from the horse.

Its thick fabric clearly indicates that it offers multiple protective functions and is robust and durable.

Although it might feel too hot to wear in the summer, its cool and aloof aura makes up for it.

After putting on the trench coat, Gordon stretched his arms and immediately felt like a completely different person.

Two investigators in black rode side by side on horseback.

The citizens quickly moved away, not wanting to be seen by them at all. The whole street became quieter, women closed their windows, and vendors began to pack up their stalls.

At the foot of Mount Monarch, they stopped in front of a large, gray-white building.

Sealed Goods Management Hall.

This is a massive gray-white building, surrounded by high walls and heavily guarded, with a statue of Saint Joshua standing outside the main entrance.

"Why does Saint Joshua always appear so imposing, as if he's about to fight someone at any moment, or as if he's reminding everyone not to mess with him?" Gordon looked at the statue, which seemed capable of lifting a cauldron.

Martin pays homage to the statue.

"Saint Joshua must have been strong enough to protect the world. He displayed a quality that I admire."

"What?"

"As a triune being—god, saint, and man—one who deeply loves the world and this earth, and is willing to strive for the well-being of ordinary people, is already remarkable enough. Many extraordinary individuals, once they gain power, feel that the lives and deaths of ordinary people are insignificant."

Gordon thought for a moment.

"The premise is that superhumans truly need the existence of mortals. Otherwise, mortals are indeed dispensable to them."

“Yes, Gordon, that’s exactly what you’re saying. What if God doesn’t need us at all?” Martin looked at the statue of St. Joshua. “In God’s eyes, we, mortals, weaker hunters, may not be fundamentally different. He could completely ignore our conflicts, but on the contrary, He walked the earth, genuinely spreading civilization and light, protecting those who were worthless to Him—that’s the most precious thing.”

"So it was God who encouraged you to become an investigator?"

"Of course. We are all born here in mortal bodies, and some of them, after gaining power, consider themselves strong and have the power to kill and take lives from ordinary people. This is absurd. It is very interesting to me to defeat those who think they are superior and that they can abuse mortals at will because of their abilities."

I think so too.

They continued onward. Gordon seemed thoughtful. Martin usually looked like a walking stone, but beneath that stone lay fire and lava.

"Aren't you taking us upstairs?" Gordon watched as they arrived at a lift platform leading underground, and Martin pulled down the lever.

"Underground."

"Why build such a huge building on the ground?"

"It was repaired for civil servants."

"Taxpayers will be very touched to know this."

"Taxpayers are only responsible for paying." Martin stepped up, showed his investigator badge, and the platform sank down.

A gust of wind rose from beneath their feet, and the descent lasted a long time. Gordon felt they had descended at least thirty meters. When the elevator finally stopped, a magnificent hall lay before them.

There is no end in sight; hundreds of lights are placed everywhere.

Each oddity is placed in a separate containment chamber and is well cared for. A nameplate is engraved with a number, describing the level of danger, as well as the person in charge and the date of the most recent inspection.

Gordon's eyes lit up.

This is clearly not a place where he can take things casually, but as long as he continues to accumulate merit, there will be good things inside that he can use.

"With your modest achievements, you can exchange them here for a suitable rare item for long-term use," Martin explained.

Gordon glanced at it.

[The Echo Teapot. It can pour out the last words it heard.]

[Travel shoes. The person who wears them will find themselves moving forward involuntarily.]

Those who search for — will gradually forget what they were looking for.

"What was I about to do?" Gordon thought for a moment.

"Selecting unusual items."

"Oh." Gordon continued forward.

Some things are very useful, even powerful, but their applications are not stable enough.

"Is this the largest junkyard in the Logris Empire?" Gordon questioned.

"Anything that's both practical and safe has already been taken. Why would it be left here waiting for us?"

"So what's left are things that can't be sold or used, but that you can't bear to throw away."

"Accurate."

Gordon scanned the items a few more times and found some that were useful but not particularly important, such as shoes for walking on water and gloves to enhance strength.

He tried to extend his senses, attempting to search for the strongest aura and the most dazzling light.

Within minutes, Gordon was drawn to a strange, intense light. He was instantly plunged into darkness, as if something had swallowed his vision.

He shook his head and continued forward.

Finally, Gordon stood in front of a black glass bottle.

The bottle looks about the size of a palm, with a round mouth and not very tall.

When Gordon tried to look inside, he only felt that the thing was deep. The sealed storage management hall was brightly lit, but not a single ray of light could shine into the bottom of the bottle. He could only vaguely see a faint spiritual light.

[A very deep bottle. Hey, come out.]

"Oh—!" Gordon's eyes lit up.

"Are you interested in that?" Martin walked over, glanced at the nameplate, and said, "I've used this one."

"How does it feel?"

"No, theoretically it can store a lot of things, it's very deep inside."

"Actually?"

"It's much deeper than it looks. Anything you put in will break and fall to the bottom all at once, and it's not easy to retrieve. It might be good for storing food, water, and gold, but it's too much trouble. Seven investigators have used it, but in the end, they all returned it, just like me."

"I see—" Gordon pondered.

"You want it?"

"You can give it a try."

Martin opened the sealed cabinet and had the staff take out the extremely deep bottles.

Gordon let him hold it while he conducted the experiment.

He tossed a copper coin inside, which spun in and fell to the bottom a second and a half later, emitting a very distant echo.

Gordon listened carefully, pinpointed the location of the copper at the bottom of the bottle, and inserted the unbroken string. It fell to the bottom along the darkness, and with a gentle pull, hooked it out. The copper looked perfectly healthy.

"————?" Martin raised an eyebrow.

"This is my extra pocket, a pocket ten meters deep, and no one can steal anything from it." Gordon tucked the bottle into his coat pocket.

"It's best not to use it to hide stolen goods at the scene of an operation."

"You understand me best."

After obtaining this strange object, Gordon tested it several more times.

The bottle opening was small, and the internal space could be identified as a super deep well, about ten meters deep and eight centimeters in diameter. Money, source material, and small experimental equipment were stuffed in, and even a few rolled-up booklets were thrown in.

The biggest difficulty is retrieving the items, but this problem does not exist for Gordon.

Gordon was overjoyed after discovering the wonders of this thing, as it allowed him to take more things to various places.

If you find the right angle, you might be able to fit a miniature, rudimentary alchemy tool set inside, allowing you to eliminate alien demons and refine source material simultaneously in the wild.

He looked up and saw several black iron staircases in the hall, winding their way to the upper levels, where the containment chambers were more spacious and the sealing structure was more secure.

"How can we get up there?"

"Based on achievements. Real achievements." Martin glanced upwards, "But many people use their achievements to exchange for small amounts of source matter, not to come here to exchange for rare items."

"Exchange for Source Essence?"

"Yes. Although most source materials are refined and reserved as soon as they appear, as long as you submit an application, the Empire will take your needs into account. You can wait in line for months or years and maybe you can get a suitable small source material." Martin led Gordon outside.

"But given your stinginess, you always classify my extraordinary achievements as minor ones."

"Let's wait and see; a great achievement often means the deaths of many people."

The two returned to the ground.

Martin took out his notebook.

"Your next task is to investigate Blackwater Wharf. Since the wading chapel requires deep diving to reach, I plan to temporarily change our target and attack the largest stronghold of the Blackwater Hermitage on the map first."

"That sounds very unfriendly."

Martin and Gordon rode to the border between the South and West districts of Lundnim.

The Blackwater River becomes exceptionally wide here, and in the distance is a vast expanse of undulating buildings, consisting of warehouses, piers, and docks.

"That's the territory of the old fisherman," Martin said, pointing ahead. "The dockworkers, the boatmen coming and going, the scavengers and scrap dealers are all there. They live off the river, like one big family. Half of them are still citizens of the Empire, and you can imagine what the other half is like."

Looking out from a high vantage point.

The Black Ferry Pier appears both vast and has a complex topography.

Green Shade Mansion can eventually be sealed off, and the police can raid it and clear it out layer by layer.

As for the Black Ferry Pier—it seems that only the military can take it down.

"With just the two of us, there's so much hope for this," Gordon said.

"Tobias controls transportation and salvage on the Blackwater River. He can mobilize hundreds or even thousands of men who are loyal to him at will. And these men are constantly increasing. Our next step is to strike at him and take back the docks. This is an unavoidable hurdle if you want to control the Blackwater River."

"clear----"

"They've also caused some disruption to your affairs." Martin gave Gordon a meaningful look. "Workers at that Montfort Spiritual Industries company have also been attacked; it's clearly a deliberate act of retaliation."

"Tsk." Gordon frowned.

Blackwater River is the source of raw materials for Gordon's profits.

If the Blackwater Hermitage can strike at any time against the people of Montfort Spiritual Industries, it will be an obstacle to his plans to make money, and he desperately needs cash right now.

"In short, if you want to make money from the Blackwater River, you have to wipe these people out, or at least weaken them to the point where we can take action. In return, the Empire will provide you with corresponding assistance."

"Another minor achievement."

"It depends on what you do."

"What if I take over the docks single-handedly?"

"I'll consider removing the 'small' when registering."

"Deal," Gordon agreed. "If I don't kill this 'old fisherman,' I can forget about challenging the Fishing King."

After Martin left, Gordon slowly cycled along the river to observe the Black Ferry Pier on the opposite bank.

The inland steamship was docking, and the dockworkers were shouting as they unloaded iron boxes and wooden barrels from the ship, not knowing what they were transporting.

Gordon could sense that although there were no obvious sentries, there were people in every shadow.

Some leaned against the warehouse smoking pipes, while others sat on wooden crates piled with fishing nets. Some pretended to be fishing by the river, but their eyes were always fixed on Gordon on the opposite bank.

Unlike those third-rate gangs, Black Ferry Pier is more organized and knows better how to deal with external pressure.

Avoiding their sight, Gordon rode his horse to a secluded riverbank and quietly felt the Blackwater River.

Flow manipulation initiated, synchronous transmission initiated, start, start, all started ———

The river along the banks became clear.

He could feel the movement of the tiny objects in the water.

The silt settles, the grease rises, and the propellers of steamships on the opposite bank stir up the river water, causing momentum to spread along the river and decay layer by layer.

Every flow interacts and alters each other within the water.

What Gordon had to do was use one stream of water to push another.

Gordon cast the Divine Thread into the river, and it began to spin.

The water flow then formed a miniature whirlpool in the riverbed, which shifted rapidly according to his will, and even moved invisibly underwater.

He concentrated, and the whirlpool began to expand, forming a depression on the water's surface!

If Gordon concentrated all his energy, he might be able to drag the ship underwater or summon a waterspout—this was the driving force of the medium-sized source matter. Gordon felt almost no resistance; the reality was too weak to withstand his will.

Before anyone else noticed, Gordon cut off his focus, slowly savoring the feeling of controlling the water flow.

Find the flow, push it forward, amplify it, and let the whole situation flow in accordance with Gordon's wishes.

The surface of the Blackwater River remains calm, but undercurrents are surging.

The Blackwater Hermits always thought they were the only ones who could drown others. Now Gordon has arrived with power that transcends the river.