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

Now, Gordon is thinking carefully about how to raise an extraordinary creature.

Ningning's body proportions are quite different from those of humans.

Specifically, she has a large head and large eyes, and looks young, delicate, and harmless.

But her bust was quite impressive, and her silvery-green tail was also very strong. It swept back and forth along the riverbank, pushing the pebbles and puddles into a fan shape with a radius of two meters.

Do you like to eat fish?

"The fish is delicious," Ningning replied quickly.

"How much can you eat?"

Ningning spread her arms, trying to gesture a convincing enough area.

Unfortunately, Gordon only saw a pair of huge hands bouncing in front of him, and after observing for a long time, he still couldn't see where her hands were reaching.

"Put it down, I fully understand what you mean."

Ningning put her hand down and obediently did so.

Gordon then thought of something.

Have you ever tried Fish & Fried Chicken?

"Fried fish... bro?"

"A pair of philanthropists who dedicated their lives to eradicating fish..."

"Which of the brothers should we start eating from?"

"Oh!" Gordon exclaimed in shock. "I mean, the fish they made!"

"Is it delicious?" Ningning asked.

"It's delicious," Vera answered for her.

Ningning believed it immediately.

She had already eaten three candies from Vera and was still wearing the coat Vera had given her.

For a mermaid who is half-cooked after being struck by lightning, whoever is willing to give her food and clothes is more likely to be trusted.

[Lemon-flavored energy candy. It can't save the world, but it can win over a mermaid.]

Gordon nodded in satisfaction.

The Blackwater Hermitage's rule is not to eat fish, but Ningning loves to eat fish, so there is indeed an irreconcilable conflict between them.

:

The fish-frying brothers clearly didn't use fish from the Blackwater River; they were most likely using imported fish from far-off pollution zones.

The fragrant oils, the tender white fish meat... even Gordon himself could not forget it.

If Ningning gets to eat this, she will definitely feel very happy.

After deciding what to feed Ningning, Gordon then tackled the more practical issues...

How can we secretly get her out of here?

Ningning is too big.

Her lower body was over two meters long, and her upper body was only covered by Vera's black coat.

They usually walk by hopping or crawling, which is very eye-catching.

If too many people witness it, rumors will soon spread that "the Crimson Alchemist has an improper relationship with the mermaid," and the elixir of immortality with a tail will attract countless enemies.

Finally, under Scarlett's command, the Royal Engineers delivered a heavy four-wheeled wagon.

Brass tags were nailed to the carriages, indicating a maximum load capacity of 2 tons.

Gordon made some minor modifications to it.

He laid a wet tarpaulin inside, put in two large buckets filled with clean water, and lowered all the window curtains.

Gordon opened the back of the carriage.

"Go inside. We won't hurt you. This is a small land boat invented by humans. It will never sink and can take you to a safer place."

Ningning's tail suddenly tightened, and the next moment, with a powerful jerk, it launched itself into the carriage!

Boom!

The carriage jolted violently, visibly sinking into the ground, its wheels sliding between the gravel, creaking under the strain.

[Military wagon. It has survived artillery fire, gunfire, and a mermaid attack.]

"Huff huff..."

Ningning lay on the damp canvas, then on the ground, and soon began to rest.

Gordon and Vera got into the car.

Vera closed the carriage door and immediately pressed herself against Gordon, resting her chin on his shoulder and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Her hot breath fell on his face, tickling his skin.

"Go home," Vera said.

:

"Send the mermaid to university first."

"Then go home, take a shower, and go to sleep."

"When you say 'sleep,' do you mean simply sleeping or...?"

"I want them both."

"That will affect sleep quality."

"That's a lie. It's not doing it that will have an impact."

Gao Dengjue makes a lot of sense.

Vera pressed Gordon down onto the floor of the carriage, pressing him tightly against her.

Gordon patted her back gently, his fingers tracing her newly healed wounds.

Ningning looked at them with amusement, wondering why humans were stacked together for no apparent reason.

After observing for a moment and confirming that it was not eating people, it closed its eyes.

Gordon sensed Vera's condition.

Vera definitely needs rest.

She had just survived a fierce battle, witnessed Olivia transform into a giant, inhuman ball of flesh, accumulated injuries from collisions between domains and life-or-death struggles, and then saw the chapel collapse with a deafening roar.

Hunger, pain, exhaustion, and the unease of surviving a catastrophe mingled together, amplified by the symptom of the esophageal disease, transforming into an intense thirst.

After holding Vera for a while and feeling that she had calmed down, Gordon took out his wallet and took stock of his assets.

After the auction, there were 378 gold pounds remaining. Because of the rescue at St. Bartholomew's Abbey, 61 gold pounds were returned as a handling fee, and 150 gold pounds were given as a subsidy for the wading chapel, bringing the total to 589 gold pounds.

[Gold pound. The most common language in Lundnim.]

Okay.

With assets of over 500 gold pounds, Ningning probably won't eat them out of house and home.

The wheels rolled, gradually moving away from the collapsed, flooded chapel.

The numbers didn't excite Gordon for long.

He liked money, and he liked the feeling of being in Vera's arms... but he also became clearer about his next goal.

Source and power.

He's quick enough to deal with ordinary people, can calculate the situation, and take them out one by one.

:

But when facing masters like Olivia, Severin, or even Scarlett, mere "reaction" is no longer sufficient.

Only by reaching the level of deduction, prediction, and even "prophecy" can one have a chance to calculate the variables and ultimately win the battle.

This requires a special source material capable of performing calculations and deductions.

Once this empty space is filled, he will be able to maintain a larger source material structure, and perhaps... develop his own domain!

Grey's flock of crows, Vera's blood moon, Olivia's chilling whispers that extinguish any will to fight—Gorden has seen these domains far too many times.

Gordon was very curious to know what the realm that incorporated all his essences and reflected his own nature and soul would look like.

As for how to get there...

The clues point to Midas Industries.

Next are its major financial backers, the Ravenhurst family, and Luanna.

Luanna… Gordon immediately pictured that fiery red dress and high heels, her cunning eyes, and her mouth that kept spouting astonishing words.

For some reason, Gordon felt that Luanna looked a bit like him.

The difficulty of life was immediately reduced by choosing a female character and a wealthy family background when creating the account.

The rainstorm has ended, and her ball will be held on the first Saturday after the rain, which is 3 days later.

Gordon happens to have "Blind River's Peeping," which he doesn't need, and it's enough to serve as a decent bargaining chip.

With the added benefit of authentication services and the reputation of a true red alchemist, things might actually get done.

Ningning, the mermaid murder case, the Fisher King's court, Luanna's invitation, the Wild Hunt's banquet... each one is troublesome, and behind each one there are new things to be gained.

"You smiled." Vera hugged Gordon tightly in the darkness.

"Some good things came to mind."

"go home?"

"It's further than going home."

"Don't think that far ahead." Vera bit Gordon's neck.

……

The carriage left the basilica and arrived at a junction of the Rundnium sewers.

This became the dispersal point after the operation ended.

Knights, soldiers, engineers, hunters, and investigators who came to provide support all returned home.

:

It was extremely noisy here. The wounded soldiers who had been evacuated, the civilians who had been dispersed, and the spoils of war that had been carried out from the basilica in the flooded area were all stuck here. The shouts of the police and the loud orders of the officers could be heard all the time.

The carriages quickly became stuck in the middle of the procession, unable to move.

"Hey, Thread Boy," Gray's voice came from outside the car.

Gordon opened a corner of the car window and met Gray's eyes.

"Be polite to the head investigator, Gray."

Gray was clearly not used to this fact yet.

"Never mind all that, we should get ready for 'that thing'."

The Feast of the Wild Hunt.

Gray glanced around. Nearby, these hunters, drawn by the bounty, might also be involved in the death hunt in a few weeks.

"I'm going to send you undercover among the enemy to cause them casualties, really." Gordon was very serious.

Gray recalled the collapsed buildings of Golden Oak Estate and the suddenly collapsed chapel in the flood.

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with him at all, but people continue to misunderstand.

"Listen, kid, it's purely a matter of luck. If you keep joking about this, don't blame your uncle for being ruthless." Gray knocked on the carriage.

"I understand. I intend to deal with this seriously. The identities of hunter and prey are too simplistic for me."

"As an investigator? Those people are elusive and never give up easily. If you provoke them, you'd better watch your step at night."

"Uncle Vic will figure something out."

Gray's expression was complicated.

The fact that the Wild Hunt can host a special game on Logris Island that is only open to extraordinary individuals shows that its foundation is not simple.

The biggest problem is that, unlike the Blackwater Hermitage, the Wild Hunt has its own homeland and only occasionally enters human territory to hold fixed rituals such as banquets to condense source matter. After harvesting, they fly back to their own world, making them difficult to control.

He certainly hoped Gordon could fight his way through that group of desperados and lunatics, but he was also worried that Gordon would get burned...

Damn... why worry about Gordon?

Gray suddenly became alert upon realizing this.

"Die, you bastard." Gray didn't even turn his head. "Twenty-eight days. You have twenty-eight days left."

He vanished instantly, leaving only a white crow behind, which flew away dejectedly.

The carriage showed no sign of moving for a while, so Gordon got out to check on his other companions.

:

Shirin is checking the list of prisoners.

"Officer Shireen Paisley," Gordon called out to Shireen.

"Here!" Shirin instinctively stood up straight and greeted Gordon.

"Are you interested in becoming a trainee investigator?"

"Me?" A hint of nervousness rose in Shirley's heart.

"Yes, during Operation Blackwater River, you relentlessly pursued the bad guys, rescued the good guys, and infiltrated high-risk locations with unparalleled accuracy and astonishing execution. You don't have Source Essence, yet you accomplished things that many ability users cannot."

"Trainee investigator...what's the salary?"

"Annual pension of 30 gold pounds."

"Oh my." Shirin blinked.

Gordon adopted the same tone Martin had used when recruiting him, calm and unquestionable.

"Income is only part of the reward; we primarily rely on merit to exchange for resources," Gordon earnestly advised.

"for example?"

"The right to lease property, the authority to investigate archives, and even the right to obtain source materials."

Xilin became serious.

Source!

She desperately wanted her own source matter.

She had performed exceptionally well in the previous battles, capable of firing a gun and providing cover for her comrades.

However, when facing the most wicked, without source matter... there's not even a place to stand.

Only by becoming stronger can we defeat even more powerful anomalies.

How are achievements calculated?

"Small deeds, great deeds, and legacy deeds, those who serve the Empire shall be rewarded according to their merits..." Gordon repeated Martin's words.

"Does wading through a chapel count as a merit?" Shirin's eyes lit up.

"Consider it my achievement."

The excitement on Shirin's face quickly faded.

"You should continue to serve the country. This is one of the best ways for ordinary people to reach the Source. Logris expects everyone to do their part," Gordon continued, offering empty promises.

:

"What about other methods?"

"Join a cult, take out high-interest loans, and become a lackey for the nobility."

"Then I'm willing to be a trainee investigator, and I'll submit my letter of intent as soon as possible." Shirin saluted Gordon.

"Welcome to Vic's Investigation Team."

Shirin saluted again, then her gaze fell on Rat.

The rat remained perched on top of the carriage.

Due to the dehydration, it shrank back to its original size, becoming an overdeveloped, fat white rat with its tail coiled around its sides, its two paws covering its eyes, and only its belly still rising and falling.

"It seems it should rest too," Shirin said, pointing to the mouse stick.

"Serving the demon rats, get back to work," Gordon urged.

"Shutiao almost died three times." Shutiao was exhausted.

It was slashed by mermen, frightened by Olivia, and had stones fall on it when the chapel collapsed; it did indeed have three near-death experiences.

"Then let's take a three-day vacation," Gordon said generously.

"take a vacation?"

"Yeah, nobody's going to bother you anymore, and I won't call you over. Go have some fun," Gordon promised.

Rat stretched and finally jumped off the carriage, dragging his tired body into the underground world of Lundnium to rediscover the feeling of freedom.

Gordon took the canvas bag, glanced at Mouse's desolate back, and felt that it was indeed a creature of misfortune.

On the other side, Ellen was also taken away. As she brushed past Gordon, she couldn't help but look at him.

"Will they interrogate me?" Eileen wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

"Yes, you are a key witness. You need to take this time to rest and get some sleep."

"Olivia, she..."

"Don't think too much right now. Just survive, figure things out, and once you can distinguish between your conscience and your emotions, then tell the police what you know and participate in labor reform with a positive attitude."

"...Okay." Ellen nodded silently.

When the carriage reached the ground, only Gordon, Vera, Eve, and Ningning remained in the group.

"Where are you going next?" Scarlett asked last.

"The Royal Academy of Sciences University has laboratories and storage facilities."

:

Gordon glanced at the Holy Grail on his body, the Holy Sword on his back, and Ningning in the carriage. These were all important research materials that needed to be thoroughly investigated, and they couldn't just be left lying around on the street.

"Keep in touch. Once the Seven Ministers have reached a conclusion, you may need to go to Mount Monarch to report for duty." Scarlett nodded.

: