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

Gordon had to sell off all the source material he had.

Carrying around "a bit of accumulated heat," "a root searching for air," and "a mosquito scurrying in front of you" is no pleasant feeling. He needs to prioritize trading with Eve first, perhaps research the second separately, and sell the third.

In a world where everyone desires Source Essence, carrying unrefined Source Essence always feels risky.

At the Blackwood Hotel, Gordon knocked on Eve's door.

"Eve, Eve, Eve."

"Please come in."

Inside, Eve was reading a document by the window; her room was impeccably tidy.

"I brought a gift," Gordon explained.

"Knowing Mr. Vic as I do, your gift isn't something you'd easily accept." Eve clearly didn't expect Gordon to give her something for free.

"Of course, I want to know the clues about those two source substances."

"I've already deciphered the intelligence you brought, and with the addition of a few ancient documents I've collected myself, I might be able to get some clues. However, without adding some other bargaining chips... I'm afraid it won't be easy to exchange for truly valuable intelligence," Eve said tactfully.

Gordon took out the resealed source material from the deepest bottle, first opening the "point of accumulated heat" to show Eve. As soon as the heat wave dissipated, interest was revealed in Eve's eyes.

Then comes "a mosquito flying right in front of your eyes".

Gordon described its properties and uses, concluding that it might impair eyesight.

"Very good." Eve closed her eyes, feeling a familiar warmth. "It's compatible with me, and I'll consider refining it. As for the other source material... it seems to have some value as well, but it depends on who ends up with it."

"for example?"

"Some illusions require the user to relinquish their dependence on vision, and some rituals require obscuring the eyes. But you should say the opposite, for example... boasting that it can enhance one's eyesight, which might be more valuable."

"I'm not that bad. I'm a very honest and simple person."

Eve smiled.

Since Gordon's gift was so sincere, Eve no longer refused.

She compiled all the bargaining chips in this intelligence deal.

First, Gordon provided a faint source of light that impaired vision.

Second, the medical records of "limb extension" at Green Shade Mansion.

Third, as a way of repaying the "accumulated warmth," Eve decided to provide a complete translation of the Fisherman's Myth, a unique copy with complete pages and detailed annotations, representing her significant efforts in summarizing Lu Ming's work.

Fourth, and finally, Eve intends to provide another source material in exchange for more intelligence.

She opened the box.

"This is..." Gordon observed, and almost instantly felt short of breath.

The lurking, faint source substance, "Thick Smoke," can be used to create fog, causing those who inhale it to feel suffocated and experience difficulty breathing. The flames have burned everything away, making breathing a luxury.

"Did you see anything?" Eve placed it in the sealed box, her fingernails turning crimson. "This is a relic left behind by an ability user."

"You killed him?"

"Of course. We parted ways at the crossroads when we went to the professor's house that day because I had business to attend to in Herfordshire. I killed an ability user, but it wasn't a personal grudge. I'll tell you about it when I have time."

"That sounds terrifying," Gordon thought, alarmed.

"In any case, these things have finally come together to be of enough value, and I think we will obtain a very important clue on this trip."

She got up, took these things, and went with Gordon to trade intelligence.

……

Lundnium South District, Wapin Wharf.

The area was a melting pot of all sorts of people, with poor security. Cheap hostels and cheap rental rooms were everywhere, the gaps between buildings getting smaller and smaller, the eaves almost touching, and clotheslines hanging overhead. Steam barges were moored at the dock, and barefoot children played in the mud.

Eve led Gordon across a smelly street to a fire station across the street.

There was only one white chair in the alley, and it looked exceptionally clean.

"I know this," Gordon recalled. "There was a shoe."

"Yes. He'll only show up if I vouch for him. The greeting must be, 'Johnny, I need some information.'" Eve walked behind the chair; this was one of the most valuable rewards she could offer, connecting Gordon with the city's biggest information broker.

Gordon took a deep breath, and thinking about how Martin had sat here for several days, he felt relieved. He walked to the chair and slowly sat down.

Not long after he settled down, he felt a wisp of mist rise from the alley, and a man seemed to suddenly emerge from nothingness. He looked somewhat shrewd and worldly, and was wearing a casual hat.

The shoemaker skillfully squatted down and began polishing Gordon's shoes.

"Johnny, I need some information," Gordon said, following Eve's advice.

"I hear a lot of news every day, so I'm looking for a direction," the shoemaker said as he polished the shoes.

"Two source materials. One suits the fierce and wild beasts, the other serves precise deduction and powerful calculations."

"Maybe I know, maybe I don't. It's a big city, it could be anywhere." The shoemaker looked up.

Eve promptly handed over the manuscript, information, and the source material for the transaction, which the shoemaker quickly pocketed. Gordon keenly noticed that the shoemaker possessed a spatial artifact resembling a "Vessel of the Deep," which he could only see flash by before disappearing.

"You want a lot, a lot," the shoemaker said, appreciating the bargaining chips they were offering. "But I've just heard something; you might want to attend the Wild Hunt's feast."

"The Wild Hunt's feast...?"

"In forty-five days, the Wild Hunt will hold a grand hunt. You may be the prey or the hunter, but they will release a powerful enough monster into the arena for the hunters to experience the thrill of the hunt. As for the essence of the Wild Hunt, that's the perfect place."

"...Understood. Will there be any particularly powerful person present?"

"You never know, there's always someone better. You can only hope that you're violent enough and lucky enough, but don't expect to win everything on your own."

Forty-five days. The Wild Hunt's feast. It sounds like a large number of ability users will be competing there. However, this is also the closest Vera has come to a complete transformation.

"What about the source material of the deduction class?" Gordon then asked.

The shoemaker bent down to polish the shoes.

"Keep an eye on Midas Industries. They manage railroads, calculate military equipment, plan industrial processes, manage inventory, and assess insurance. They're a huge company, so big that they love things that involve controlling numbers."

"Killing someone does not necessarily create a corresponding source substance."

"No, they don't infuse it into their bodies. They are Midas Industries, they use source matter to power... computing devices."

Gordon wanted to ask something more, but the shoemaker had already finished polishing the shoes. He pulled his hat down for Gordon and Eve, then smiled and backed away.

The alley was quiet, as if nothing had happened.

……

Gordon and Eve arrived at Constitution Square and booked a private room at the Royal Café. Ever since their last visit, they had both fallen in love with the black coffee there.

The waiter led them to a private room on the second floor, closed the carved wooden door, and immediately shut out the noise from outside.

"Do you think the shoemaker's information is reliable? After receiving so many things from us, don't you think it's worth it?" Eve said softly. It was the first time she had taken outsiders to see the shoemaker.

"Reliable, because he doesn't polish his shoes well. If he didn't have the ability to trade intelligence, he would have been kicked out by Lundnim long ago." Gordon examined his boots; the left one was shinier than the right.

Eve smiled slightly.

"Lendnheim is filled with countless messages every day, and our job is to get them circulating as quickly as possible. The shoemaker is the center of those secret gatherings, Gordon, we'll probably be dealing with him quite often in the future."

"I understand... He said the banquet is forty-five days away. What exactly is this banquet?"

"I've heard some conflicting accounts. Some say it's about exchanging prey, others say it's about the Wild Hunt killing each other, and still others say it's an auction. Maybe it never had a fixed form, but you have to be strong enough to fight your way through their rules, defeat the monsters, and satisfy their appetite for the hunt... Are you still planning to participate?"

"I just want to know if it can really produce a large enough amount of beast essence."

"The probability is extremely high. In this world, only the Wild Hunt controls so many beasts."

"Then I have to give it a try. This is important to Vera." Gordon nodded.

Powerful source matter can devour and manipulate smaller source matter. Therefore, to devour that ever-troublesome "Burning Instinct," at least a medium-sized beast source matter is needed. And currently, the closest clue to it is indeed the Wild Hunt's feast...

"For this, you need to prepare a complete battle plan, an escape route, and backup plans. You need to stockpile all your strength, prepare all your combat power and external support during this time," Eve advised.

Extremely cautious, extremely cautious. Gordon repeated this to himself twice.

"Can you be my helper?"

Call me "senior sister".

"Sigh, I don't know why, but I always find it hard to say it..."

"..." Eve stroked her chin, looking at Gordon with interest. "Let's change the subject. The deductive source you're pursuing, he said it's at Midas Industries."

"That's a large corporation, not like the Blackwater Secret Order or anything like that." Gordon hadn't had direct contact with them yet. He needed computing power to develop "Thousand Scenes," and Midas Industries needed computing power to control the company and factories. He had to study how they did it.

"Hmm..." Eve thought of the well-known, imminent event, "The 'Summer Festival,' will you be attending? You and Miss Monford are getting quite close."

"I will help her."

"Refining?" Eve nodded meaningfully. "Once it's mastered, it will be of extraordinary significance."

"Of course, I'll gain fame, the Monford family will be proud, and the guests will remember that night. But these things are both important and unimportant; they determine the future of a living person. Many people will overlook this and just see it as a more lively night."

"What are you going to do next?" Eve asked curiously, as if even with Gordon's intelligence, he was genuinely facing a host of challenges.

A jumble of thoughts raced through Gordon's mind: the secret order scoundrels at Black Ferry Pier, the summer festival that would determine Charlotte's fate, and the Wild Hunt feast forty-five days later...

"I need to go find Uncle Gray."