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

Gordon and Vera exchanged a glance and quickly knew what to do.

“Yes, that’s the evidence we can trace: the vehicle, a place to temporarily care for the mermaid… and buyers on the black market,” Vera said. “There’s another mermaid alive in the suburbs, the one we saw at the pump station.”

"Yes, that's also of utmost importance," Gordon continued writing. "After discovering it, we need to defuse her hostility first."

"Should we hand them over to the policewoman and the mouse?"

"I believe they will become top investigators in Lundnim and legendary rat kings who will go down in history."

Gordon documented the authorization for the investigation, as well as how to contact Scarlett in an emergency while he was away. Their strength was limited; they shouldn't engage in a battle against a much stronger enemy.

Afterwards, he wrote to Charlotte, describing the fact that the Hound was about to set sail.

After everything was ready, Gordon nodded, returned to Vera's side, personally separated her coat and shirt, pressed his entire body against hers, and felt the excessive heat caused by the alcohol.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, in Lundnim, at the Black Crossing Wharf.

Nightlights illuminated the damp wooden planks as countless people with wet feet and peripheral followers bid farewell to "Old Fisherman" Tobias.

Goodbye, boss.

"Hey, boss..."

"Take care, sir."

These people, who revered Tobias as their leader, were now preparing to register for jobs at the Lundenim City Hall, accept job offers, and enter a world of wages and labor relations.

The empire needs a large workforce to manage the Blackwater River.

Clearing silt, building dikes, renovating shantytowns, and digging drainage ditches all require manpower.

"Be careful." Tobias helped them pack their luggage without stopping them.

"Brother," a man with wet feet couldn't help but look up, "why don't you want to go and take a look? They pay 800 copper coins a month."

"Copper is a good thing. Go on, do whatever work you can." Tobias saw off a group of people, who left the water's edge and headed ashore.

"I heard there's a new drug under development..."

"In that case, our scales..."

The second half of the sentence was so beautiful that they dared not say it aloud for the time being.

One by one, the people with wet feet left.

The once bustling Hei Du Wharf, which was once hailed as a major water fortress, has become somewhat desolate!

:

The Black Ferry Pier, which the surrounding police had failed to capture for twenty years, was dismantled by a single policy.

This was also related to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of the chapel.

On the dock, Tobias was surrounded by even fewer close associates, all of whom were truly blessed individuals.

A hooded man with a sinister aura walked up to Tobias and spoke in a low voice.

"What about you and the rest of the people? You're all on the wanted list."

"Just state your purpose, Sebastian." Tobias led him into a shed next to the dock.

It was a bit damp inside, and the sounds of wheels and conversations continued to come from outside. People were discussing their new lives after leaving the Blackwater Hermitage, and Tobias could hear them clearly.

"I can provide tickets to the New World for those who can't leave. A large ship with over 200 cabins, you can take everyone and fly away," Sebastian said.

"New World……"

"It's a bigger and freer place than Logris Island, New Albion, where no one will ask about your origins or beliefs, you can choose any unnamed river as your new home, and live as you please. There are similar groups everywhere there, deeply oppressed in the Logris Empire..."

After speaking, Sebastian took out the ship tickets and a bundle of documents, all of which were forged identities stamped with official seals, allowing cultists who could not show their real names to travel by ship.

After reading it, Tobias couldn't help but realize that this person and the forces behind him were indeed capable, able to send Blackwater Hermitage's wanted criminals to places the Logris couldn't reach, and to ensure they had a clean background.

He began to take the deal seriously.

What do you want?

"Information on the mermaids: Ningning, Fufu, and Linlin. They attacked the Blackwater Hermitage's sanctuary. What did they do there?"

Tobias couldn't help but recall that terrifying day.

He was a young man at the time, and Severin and Olivia were also quite young.

The Fisher King sat on his throne, holding a seven-colored source of energy, almost rising from his seat.

Everyone in the royal court was waiting for the Fisher King to get up... The glorious future of the Blackwater Hermitage was just one step away from him standing up!

Then, the mermaid arrived.

Linlin, who sang a loud and clear song, summoned a flood that submerged the royal court.

The weapon craftswoman Ningning provided them with powerful weapons.

A mermaid named Fufu broke through the believers' defenses.

It wasn't until later that Tobias rose from the mountain of corpses and realized he was one of the few survivors.

"They are all 'messengers of the sea,' singers who seek out voices, weapon makers, and assassins," Tobias murmured.

:

"Since then, rumors have circulated that you sealed off the royal court, and that it would require the combined efforts of three mermaids to forcibly open it?"

"..." Tobias remained noncommittal.

The secret order disciples can come and go as they please, but outsiders who want to enter do need some means. As to how exactly to open the gates, it is not up to these agents of extraordinary nobles to know.

"It is said that someone heard the song of a mermaid near the Redburg Reservoir. It seems that some fish are plotting another sinister scheme," Sebastian mused.

"The song is indeed a clue, but mermaids can also use their songs to create effects that are unimaginable to you and me. If you only follow the sound, you might be the one who dies first," Tobias warned.

"There's no need to remind you of that. I've also heard that you're fighting the Empire underground. Right now, the Department of Otherworldly Affairs is selling and disposing of those Order treasures in bulk. You're an expert in this, so perhaps you can tell me which ones are truly useful?"

"You're just collecting valuable assets for the Everett family, aren't you?"

"...There are others who will take care of such trivial matters for me." Sebastian stood up. "Well then, thank you for the information. Here are the tickets and vouchers."

After a pause, Sebastian couldn't help but feel curious again.

"Will you also go to the New World? Or stay in Lundnim, or... do you want to attend the Wild Hunt's feast?"

"I will return to the Fisherman King's court."

"Then gather your last strength and stake it all on protecting the Fish King. Gordon Vick has already driven you to a dead end. That greedy man doesn't know when to stop and will definitely try to infiltrate the palace. Then you can settle the score with him."

Tobias watched Sebastian leave.

He picked up the hundreds of tickets on the table, looked at the brothers beside him, and handed them to them.

"Go and send everyone else away."

"Take care, we'll catch up soon, boss." Several scaled individuals nodded deeply to Tobias.

After parting ways, Tobias walked to the shore, his clothes bursting apart inch by inch, his body suddenly swelling up and transforming into a giant catfish. Carrying a large net on his back, he jumped into the Blackwater River and returned to the Fisherman King's palace.

……

Morning, Royal Institution of Science University, Sherwood Laboratory Building office.

Sitting behind the desk the school had given him, Gordon faced Shirin and Mouse. There were constant noises outside; someone was moving cabinets and equipment for him.

Shirin sat properly, while Shutiao sat cross-legged on the table.

"Your paid leave is over. Now you need to focus back on your work and not waste your 1000 copper points a month," Gordon admonished Mouse.

"Chirp chirp."

Since it became a permanent employee, it has seen itself take holidays and see itself go to work, but it has never seen that thing called salary.

:

Clearly, the biggest use of wages right now is what Gordon keeps talking about.

"!" Shirin's salary was five times that of Mouse, and she felt that she had to shoulder more responsibility than Mouse. "This is my list of visitors and suspicious persons. Please take a look."

"There are still more bad people in the world." Gordon glanced at the screen and saw hundreds of spying records.

They kept it very secret, but those with ulterior motives always try to find out, after all, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

Therefore, we need to move Ningning away as soon as possible.

"Well done," Gordon nodded to Shirley, then handed her the key points of the investigation. "Next, I'm taking that foreign woman away. You're no longer the security guard at the lab building; you can interview people and investigate relevant information on your own. Make sure you find her companion and apprehend the murder suspect!"

Shirin couldn't help but be happy.

She hadn't wasted her time guarding the gate; now she was in charge of a new case!

"Yes." Shirin turned to Mouse Stick. "Little Mouse, you must investigate everywhere in the sewers. That's where you're most likely to find clues to murders."

"Yes, yes, Mouse Stick will tell the other mice about it."

Mouse wants more recognition.

Perhaps if it completes a few more cases and makes a few more contributions, it will be able to gain so-called care and respect.

In the future, when people think of a rat, they should first think of it as a capable creature, and then think of its rat-like head.

The mermaid story...

One is alive, one is dead, and one is swimming away.

With the power of the rats, perhaps they can mobilize the rats of Lundenim to pool their wisdom and find all the relevant clues.

"Very good, very good. I think you all understand how important this is." Gordon nodded in satisfaction as he watched them gradually get into work mode.

Shirin has a strong affinity for people and can get close to the people on the front lines, while Rat is small in size and can get close to the people underground.

"Thank you for your trust!" Shirin nodded vigorously.

She cared deeply about the mermaid and also felt a deep-seated hatred for the force that killed her.

The perpetrator must be brought to justice; justice cannot be denied.

"In the past, when I was busy working for others, there was a guy who always described my great achievements as minor accomplishments, but I'm different with you. I will report them at the highest level."

Then, Gordon generously allocated 10 pounds from the 200 pounds of the Mermaid Project as operating funds.

"And, they have tons of money too!"

"Chirp chirp." Having been fooled by the expert for a long time, Mouse had always felt a strong sense of unease. Now, seeing Gordon actually take out money, it felt too unreal.

:

So fake.

Is this really Gordon?

"Yes!" Shirin accepted the 10 gold pounds, and was also happy, as the travel expenses and the costs of the visit were covered.

Mr. Vic was so generous this time, she wanted to make the most of every penny.

With Gordon's authorization, action plan, and funding, the man and the mouse left.

Gordon sat at his desk for a while, feeling a pang of heartache over the 10 gold pounds. He clutched his chest, feeling as if a piece of flesh had been torn away, and the palpitations almost made him faint.

After a while, he heard a strange, heavy footstep downstairs, and the steam engine roaring.

Soon, the commotion moved upwards until it reached Gordon's door. Gordon recognized it as Talis, the Steam Knight and an agent of the Ravenhurst family.

After the door was opened, a metal can poked its head in; it was so big it looked like it was measuring how wide the door was.

"welcome."

"These are the materials for you." Talis stepped aside and brought in the boxes behind him. "I'm here on Lady Ravenhurst's orders."

Upon hearing Luanna's name, Gordon pictured her enigmatic little face, and connecting that face with the materials on the ground made him even happier.

He checked the quantity and quality written on the labels, opening each box one by one.

"Not bad, not bad." Gordon was also envious when he saw the metal. The mysterious materials that had been mentioned casually at the ball had now become a reality.

[Refined gold. The hardest substance in the world, currently.]

"This refined gold comes from the southernmost refined gold producing region of the Southern Continent, the best refined gold in the world, priced at 250 pounds per kilogram," Talis explained.

Mithril. A material so luxurious it's heartbreaking.

"Excavated and imported from the deep mountains of Norheim."

Orichalco. (Preferred to as Orichalco.)

"The ore comes from deep within several active volcanoes in Italia and is refined by Midas Industries."

Meteorite. A romantic origin, a fierce nature.

"These are gifts from heaven, which only the Ravenhurst family can acquire from all over the world," Talis concluded.

Gordon was very satisfied with this.

Now, all the materials finally meet the requirements of the laser gun blueprints.

This gun is centered around the "Lightning Execution" primordial energy, using refined gold as the gun head and main conductor, and orogenic copper to store electrical energy and carry heat.

:

Mithril becomes its spiritual pathway, while cheaper meteorite iron is used for the gun body.

In this way, it will be the first source material weapon created by Gordon and Ningning, just like Vera's black piercing weapon, destined to achieve many incredible feats.

Without the deal at the Luna Ball, Gordon would have had no chance of collecting it on his own.

"Very good, very good. Please give my thanks to Luanna." Gordon said to Talis.

"She wants you to thank her in person," Talis said. "She's still at odds with the people at Midas Industries, searching for clues about the source material in Midland, hoping it might contain what you need."

"Understood, I will talk to her about it."

Luanna, Luanna… Gordon repeated the name twice in his mind, and it gradually became more palatable. That unpredictable face seemed to have a reason to be close to it.

These materials will also be transported to the Hound, so that Ningning can complete her related efforts.

He didn't know how Ningning would forge weapons; it seemed she didn't need a furnace or anything like that.

Now that Gordon has resolved all his concerns in Lundnim, he is officially beginning to witness the Hound's restart.

: