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

Anthony stood up and led Gordon to the wall to show off.

He knew that Gordon was a famous alchemist, so he wanted to show Gordon what the world of the elite was like.

Using money, pleasure, and power to win over those who have climbed up from the bottom is a familiar tactic for Anthony, and it's easier to sway a young man than honor and mission.

Gordon checked it out.

The first thing he saw was a huge black scallop, a meter in diameter, embedded in the wall.

"This was brought back by my brother from the southern continent, where all kinds of treasures are available, including this thing, the most beautiful seashell in the world, which the locals call the 'Eye of the Sea God'!" Anthony was very satisfied.

[A black mother-of-pearl oyster. It has completed the most important task of its life.]

There are shallow cutting marks inside the shell, which are almost invisible without close inspection after polishing.

Clearly, something was once conceived inside.

"Where are the pearls?" Gordon asked.

"What pearls?"

"There was supposed to be a black pearl inside, but someone took it. The cut was very professional."

"Hmm? Mr. Vic, this is a sacred seashell! Not an ordinary pearl oyster."

"Even a sacred shell can produce pearls," Gordon observed. "All the growth lines form along this spot; the truly valuable part was originally located here."

Anthony's expression changed, and he leaned closer to examine it carefully, barely able to see a tiny scratch.

"Just a natural imperfection," Anthony murmured, mainly to himself.

Gordon did not argue, and walked to a single hanging priest's scepter, made of dark hardwood, with an upward-opening claw-shaped top, but empty inside.

[The priest's scepter of the Misrgu Dynasty. One last piece is needed to complete the miracle.]

He tapped it with his cane and felt that it was the same type of object as the Blackthorn Plum Cane, containing mithril channels for transmitting spiritual energy.

There should obviously be a gem or source material at the very top, but it has been completely removed.

"This one is missing a piece too."

"It's probably like this when it's found; it's already difficult to preserve it completely," Anthony tried to console himself.

"Let's take another look," Gordon said, continuing forward.

He saw a pure white demon skull resting on an ebony base. It was like a horse, with a remarkably flat forehead in the center. The label next to it read, "A hornless, one-horned demon, one in a million."

A skull. Like a king without his crown.

:

“Apes with horns definitely have horns, sir,” Gordon said to Anthony with a sigh. “It’s obvious someone shaved off their horns and took them.”

"..." Anthony's smile vanished.

Gordon finally stopped in front of an ornate sword sheath.

The scabbard is inlaid with gold and turquoise, and the spiritual protective circuit inside remains intact.

[A ceremonial scabbard. Loyal to its duty, nothing has yet damaged the sword within.]

"Where's the sword?" Gordon asked.

"The scabbard itself is valuable, at least that's what he said..." Anthony muttered.

"That's right, I saw seashells from the deep sea, a scepter made of Misell craftsmanship, a unicorn skull, and an antique scabbard."

"They're all good stuff...right?"

"That's good, but the more valuable things have all been taken, Colonel. I should have seen a pearl, a beautiful source material, a spiral horn, and a sword here! Where did you buy all of these? Or did someone specifically sell you things like these?"

Anthony thought for a moment, then decided to tell the whole story.

"...I have a friend who has been doing business overseas for over ten years. He sold all of these to me, and he said he specially selected them. We've known each other for ten years!"

"This guy is really professional. He takes the good stuff for himself and sells the rest to acquaintances. He wins twice every time he finds a treasure and still manages to maintain a ten-year friendship."

Gordon was very satisfied, his tone revealing only a hint of mutual appreciation for his colleague.

Anthony walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, first feeling uncomfortable, then annoyed, and finally turning into irritation.

"So I've always been treated like a fool," Anthony complained.

"Perhaps listening to your sister will be beneficial," Gordon said.

Cecilia was standing by the door, looking around. She had only wanted to see if her brother was talking nonsense. When she heard Gordon say this, she nodded in satisfaction.

Anthony swallowed his worries along with a large gulp of wine and carefully examined Gordon.

"So, you can also identify antiques and extraordinary objects!"

"That's true. I'm Winslow's student, so it's normal for me to have this ability."

"Just how many identities do you have?" Anthony clicked his tongue in astonishment.

"Alchemist, investigator, researcher, appraiser—there are only four types, depending on what kind of work you're currently doing."

Anthony nodded in satisfaction.

:

Although he hasn't succeeded yet, he feels that the days of drinking, smoking, and finding girls with Gordon will come sooner or later.

"Alright." He took one last sip of his drink. "Let's talk about the Hound."

Anthony sat down again and found several documents in the cabinet.

He flipped through the reports, looking for the Hound's status. He was quite skilled at doing these things and quickly located the ship and its maintenance records, clearly not forgetting that he was an officer.

"The Hound is currently in mothballing. It shouldn't be difficult to start, but the boilers and engines need to be inspected again. The main challenge is to assemble a reliable crew."

"In particular, reliable crew members are essential."

"Twenty FitzRoy family guards, plus trusted maintenance personnel."

"Very good, very good. The friendship of the FitzRoy family is indeed worth holding onto for the long term."

Anthony nodded.

Relationships are something that are built up gradually over time through interactions.

"Hmm... there's another request." Anthony thought for a moment, "It's about Blackwater Syndrome."

"I would like to hear the details."

Anthony talked to Gordon about the strange things that had happened to the FitzRoy family.

His family manages the Royal Shipyard and Naval Anchorage in Lundnium.

In recent years, an increasing number of sailors, divers, and dockworkers have lost their ability to work due to illness.

The symptoms are identical to those of the Blackwater Syndrome originally described by Gordon: photophobia, fatigue, thirst, lethargy, and unnatural aquatic mutations on the body.

"This has become far too complicated," Anthony complained. "We are to present Her Highness the Princess with a magnificent warship, and I will not allow anyone to slack off or delay the project under any pretext."

"Princess?"

This was the first time Gordon had ever heard of it.

Anthony leaned back, eager to boast about some "insider information" to Gordon in order to showcase his abilities.

"People outside don't know that she's a girl raised in the palace. His Majesty's children have all passed away one after another, and this one... is the only and last bloodline. She will have her coming-of-age ceremony in November, and everyone will prepare gifts for her to show their loyalty."

Gao Deng understood.

It has been 110 years since the Great Rebellion of New Albion, when the emperor ceased to govern.

Now, a princess nearing adulthood is about to enter the mortal world. This is the first time the emperor has revealed the potential successor to the empire to the world since withdrawing from daily politics. As for how the emperor suddenly had a daughter, most people dare not concern themselves with that.

"Many foreign envoys would have come to celebrate at that time."

:

"Of course, representatives from all the Probian countries, overseas governors, and colonies will gather in Lundnium," Anthony nodded affirmatively.

No wonder they started talking about cleaning up the Blackwater River back in March, Gao Deng thought for a moment.

If foreigners come to the capital and find the Blackwater River incredibly foul-smelling, and fish-men peeking out of the sewers, they will surely be astonished.

Public works projects and river dredging were all part of preparing for the princess's ceremony.

"If it's a warship dedicated to the princess, then it definitely needs to be meticulously crafted..."

"Of course, according to etiquette, she will throw a bottle of wine onto the bow to name it, and the entire ship must be completed on time," Anthony said seriously. "If a large number of workers fall ill, the construction period will be delayed, so I want to know, is there any cure for this Blackwater Syndrome?"

"Yes, it's already under research," Gordon promised. "The first-generation integrated therapy is being tested, and if you'd like, we can include the shipyard patients in the first batch of treatment units. In fact, we do need some volunteer subjects."

"That's easy. Quite a few sailors have turned into half-fish, and I've taken them all to the basement of the naval hospital. At least no one there will treat them like monsters and kill them. If you have any way to turn them back into humans, contact me immediately." Anthony nodded.

Although he said it lightly, Gordon sensed the weight in those words.

It seems that the Blackwater Syndrome has already had a very significant impact within the Empire, deeper than he imagined, which also means that there will be a large number of customers for the Blackwater Special Medicine.

"Yes, I will do my best to cure every patient."

Anthony was very satisfied.

"Then, the Hound can also be lent to Mr. Vic."

Gordon was invigorated.

After chatting for a long time, we finally made a breakthrough.

"It will resume its voyage as a research vessel. You can decide where to sail, give orders to the people on board, allocate compartments to whatever you want... it's all up to you. But it cannot be used to attack other countries' ports. When it sails into international waters, it must fly the Imperial flag high. Don't sink it. I think you understand."

"Of course, I am an expert."

"That's right, only a master like you can see far enough at sea." Anthony signed a document and stamped it with the white lion scepter of the FitzRoy family.

In his capacity as Captain Anthony FitzRoy of the Logris Empire Navy, he ordered the reactivation of the battleship Hound as Gordon Vick's flagship.

This warship, which once carried Professor Winslow across the ocean, has finally been revived from the list of ships in storage!

Gordon was deeply moved.

He could almost feel the sea breeze on his face and experience the wild waves on the boundless ocean.

Take the girls to visit nearby islands or coastal towns, and let Ningning, who is disoriented on land, rediscover the ocean.

The tide of destiny will no longer have to contend with basins, lakes, and blackwater rivers; it will experience the largest and wildest current in the entire world…

"Cecilia," Anthony called to his sister at the door.

:

"elder brother."

"Would you help look after Mr. Vic?"

You'd better be more level-headed before you speak.

"Maintaining operations on the ship! I mean, the FitzRoy girls must understand real warships! You must learn how to withstand the rough seas! Just by looking at the paintings in the Faraway Palace, you'll never know how storms can devour lives."

Cecilia opened her mouth, but there was one thing she couldn't say no to, because what her brother said was true: each of the nine great families controlled a part of the empire.

The FitzRoy family controls the ocean and the navy; she has no reason to remain ashore forever.

"Okay." She pressed down her hat, considering it a chance to gain some sailing experience.

"I'll go say hello to the people at the Navy and the shipyard." Anthony nodded to Gordon and Cecilia. "You two have a good time."

He stood up abruptly and left his entertainment room with light steps, the maids following him.

Cecilia and Gordon remained in the room.

Cecilia looked at the empty seashell, the empty sword sheath, the empty staff, and the empty unicorn skull.

To be honest, she didn't think there was anything wrong with these things before Gordon pointed them out.

After Gordon spoke, she realized that those empty spaces were both strange and frightening.

"Okay. Although my brother probably won't immediately give up his bad habits of drinking and gambling, he'll probably think about it for five seconds longer if someone tries to sell him something in the future."

"Do you know who has been selling your brother this kind of thing?"

"A man named Mercer, a fairly famous sea explorer, always returned with new voyages and always had treasures to show off, but I always felt that he was dishonest."

"Yes, there aren't many people like me who are honest, reliable, and have such a high level of credibility anymore," Gordon nodded.

Cecilia rolled her eyes at Gordon. She would have believed it even faster if someone else had said it.

But she still thanked Gordon.

"Thank you." Cecilia nodded to Gordon. "The Hound will need a few more days to prepare. You can do something else before it sets sail."

Luanna's Ball, Blackwater Special Medicine.

These two things were on Gordon's mind. He had research workers to help him with the latter, but in contrast, only he could personally subdue Luana.

"Will you attend Luanna's ball?" Gordon wondered.

"Yes, my brother will too, at Luanna Ravenhurst's ball! That's a big deal."

"Hopefully, Luanna will be a little more lucid that day..."

:

Cecilia sized up Gordon.

"You can't dance, can you?"

"Yeah yeah."

"I'll go prepare some chocolate. Later, we'll go find Charlotte to learn how to dance. Don't step on her."

"Okay, but I'll go first. We'll meet at the Monford house tonight."

Gordon first told Ningning that he had successfully acquired the Hound.

……

Back to the Royal Academy of Sciences University.

Patrols have been increased outside the Sherwood Laboratory building.

As soon as Gordon entered the first floor, he saw Martin and Shirley talking at the end of the corridor. When they saw Gordon, they stopped talking.

"Were you waiting for me?" Gordon walked over.

"Complete the formalities."

Martin, wearing a long gray overcoat, handed him the small wooden box.

Inside the box was an official investigator's badge and a black notebook.

Gordon removed the original badge.

[Trainee Investigator Badge. The day has come when the holder becomes a full-fledged investigator has arrived.]

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