A Weapon in Hand, a Killing Intent Awakens

Oswald did not suggest coming along.

Clearly, although he did not think much of the time management or intelligence of the student he had taught, he had great faith in her combat ability. This also confirmed Iver's judgment.

Although he could not see Hai Na's attribute panel, it only took a little thought to realize... She was, after all, one of the best students at the best Extraordinary School in the entire country. Despite lacking resources and an early education, she had managed to keep up with the curriculum among the nation's elites and even stand out as one of the best. That alone proved her aptitude.

Although she was now quite pleased with herself over becoming a capital inspector before graduation, in truth, it was nothing particularly impressive.

Although the Bureau of Supervision was also an Armored Profession, its status was not especially high. It usually handled civil cases. Its main duties were patrolling the streets, maintaining public order, checking whether shops met safety standards, investigating relatively simple cases involving extraordinary people, accepting reports from civilians, dispersing illegal gatherings, and arresting low-level extraordinary people.

When they encountered difficult enemies such as enemy spies, high-level extraordinary people, or cultists, the Inspectorate was sent out. And when a serious case arose, such as a knight family member breaking the law, the highest-status Arbitration Hall handled it.

"Arbitrator" was an advanced profession starting at Level Thirty, and every member was a young knight councilor qualified to enter the Round Table Hall. They were extremely wealthy, fully equipped, and highly experienced—the highest-grade elite soldiers in Avalon. One level above them were the few top-tier powerhouses.

Although Hai Na had no good birth or influential background... and although she was still inexperienced and awkwardly innocent due to her lack of training before graduation,

based on Iver's experience, as long as one was sufficiently capable, lacking a good birth or background and having a straightforward, honest personality might not be a bad thing.

She had now been sent to a district Bureau of Supervision to serve as a frontline inspector. On one hand, this was meant to let her rapidly accumulate experience. On the other, it was meant to lower her expectations of herself. Hai Na had no idea of her own value. If she grew accustomed to a job that clearly failed to match her education and abilities, then the superior who "promoted her exceptionally" at that point would become a benefactor worthy of her gratitude.

After a few more years, once she had experienced society, accumulated enough work experience, and raised her extraordinary profession level, she could at the very least obtain a position above district director before turning thirty.

If everything went smoothly, she might have the chance to join the Inspectorate at thirty. Before turning forty, it was not impossible for the Queen to grant her armor and allow her to enter the Round Table.

Iver estimated that her profession level should be around Level Twenty.

That meant she had mastered extraordinary power of the Second or even Third Level—at least a dozen levels higher than him.

With a Level Twenty high-level character leading the way, clearing a Level Ten dungeon would not be difficult.

As a precaution, Oswald also gave Iver a pistol for self-defense in an emergency.

It was an exquisite ladies' pistol.

Its design was similar in style to Hai Na's short sword, with hollowed-out silver thorns covering its casing. It was only about the size of a palm. Rather than the revolvers common in this era, it was a pneumatic magazine-fed pistol.

Lady's Grip +2

Refined Weapon (deep blue)

Firearm, semiautomatic pistol, capacity: five rounds

8mm bullets (5/5)

Trait: Its weight and volume are only 60% those of a pistol with the same power.

Elven Style: Greatly reduced malfunction rate, increased maintenance cost.

Module—Elegant Aiming: Greatly increases accuracy.

Module—Light Shooting: Further reduces recoil.

"Fine."

"A ladies' pistol it is."

Iver had originally intended to politely refuse, but after seeing its attributes, he happily accepted it.

Refined Weapons were already the strongest grade that mortal craftsmen could create!

They were only one level below the purple Extraordinary Weapons that required extraordinary power to manufacture.

What more could he ask for?

Back when he was playing the game, blue equipment only dropped reliably from dungeons above Level Thirty. As for purple Extraordinary Weapons, they had to be crafted through ritual spells and alchemy, or dropped by killing high-level extraordinary people.

Not to mention that this gun's modules were quite good. Blue equipment had only its trait and style fixed; the remaining one to three attributes were random. They could be positive or negative.

Two positive attributes, with "recoil" and "accuracy" appearing together... This was a utility weapon that could be used even in the mid-to-late game. At the very least, it could rapidly fire various special-effect bullets and ritual bullets that did not require high damage.

Even though a high-level pistol would certainly deal more damage, its accuracy might not be this high.

But just before Iver left, Oswald suddenly called out to him.

"Master said to remind you to put this on. And wear the cloak, too."

As he spoke, he handed Iver a black neck guard and a black hooded coat.

Iver pinched the neck guard and quickly recognized its material. "Asbestos?"

"The Strangulation Gang has been running rampant recently. If you plan to leave the White Queen District, you'd better wear an anti-strangulation collar."

The thin, tall, ghostlike Oswald said solemnly, "They move quickly. Lady Hai Na may not be able to protect you every moment. And the hood is to conceal your identity—to prevent malicious people from remembering your face."

Iver put it on somewhat unwillingly.

He had heard of the Strangulation Gang.

They were an upgraded version of ordinary bandits.

To leave no survivors who could track them down, and also to work more efficiently, they would suddenly rush out when passersby entered a sparsely populated area or reached the mouth of an alley. They would use a thin cord to strangle the victim and drag them into the shadows. After successfully killing them, they would strip away and steal everything valuable—or worthless—on their body.

Civilians could not report the crime immediately, and even the corpses were not easily discovered. Since they killed their victims outright instead of subduing or threatening them, they also avoided being counter-killed by low-level extraordinary people.

Asbestos was carcinogenic... but staying alive was more important. Besides, he would not be in prolonged contact with it.

It's all because my level is too low.

If I were already Level Twenty or Thirty, would I be afraid of those petty thieves?

After watching Iver put on the collar and drape the black cloak over himself, the old butler handed him a thick stack of banknotes. "These are the investigation funds from Master. Since this is your first investigation, you shouldn't need too much."

Iver clearly heard Hai Na suck in a sharp breath beside him.

He counted them briefly. There were twenty large, silvery-white notes that faintly reflected the light. Crossed scepters and a sword were printed on them, with a white crown set before them. This symbolized the God of Authority, the Silver Crowned Dragon.

There were also twenty red notes of medium size. Ten bore five red candles and the number "5," while the other ten showed a single candle and the number "1." They represented the deity of the Dedication Path, the "Candleholder" worshiped by the church.

These were banknotes unique to the Avalon Kingdom, though they could also circulate in other countries.

One "White Crown" had purchasing power roughly equivalent to one thousand yuan. It could be exchanged for twenty "Red Candles" with a face value of one each. A one-value Red Candle could be exchanged for ten of the smallest brownish notes, the "Copper Hourglasses." The hourglass was the symbol of the deity of the Equilibrium Path.

In the Avalon Kingdom, only extraordinary professions belonging to these three paths were legal.

In other words, one Copper Coin was worth roughly five yuan, while a one-value Red Coin was worth about fifty.

A serving of roast beef at a restaurant cost about six Copper Hourglasses, while smoked pork cost two Copper Coins. A brand-new, durable outfit, excluding leather shoes, cost nearly seven Red Coins.

"Remember to keep the Red Coins and White Coins separate. It's best to put them in three different pockets."

Oswald warned him, "If low-denomination Red Coins are enough to pay the bill, don't casually show that you're carrying a large amount of White Coins. You're currently unable to move around easily and have no male servant accompanying you. More people might set their sights on you. Those 'White Crowns' are meant to buy the cooperation of high-value targets, so avoid using them if you can.

"If you run short of Red Coins, you can go to a bank and exchange some White Coins for them. If you're really worried about taking the wrong ones, you can also have Lady Hai Na carry them for you."

"I'm not a 'lady'..." Hai Na murmured, though she did not refuse.

Without hesitation, Iver stuffed the entire stack of White Coins into her hands. "You carry them."

Although she was only holding them for him, she was still somewhat excited to be carrying such a large sum of money.

In terms of quantity, twenty White Coins were not actually that many. One semester of tuition at the Royal Law University cost a full sixteen White Crowns—she had once held that much money too! At least during her first two semesters, her tuition had been scraped together by her family. It was only from her second year onward that she received a scholarship to cover it.

Besides, people generally did not use White Crowns for daily expenses. Copper Coins and Red Coins were the most commonly used denominations. The feel of White Coins in her hands alone was unfamiliar enough to make her uneasy.

But what made her most nervous was her fear of accidentally losing the money.

In fact, she had lost money once before. When she was very young, she had been running wildly along the road and accidentally lost her tuition... Her mother had cried that day. It had not been a heartbreaking wail, but rather silent tears wiped away while she hid to the side.

Yet that scene had been etched deeply into Hai Na's heart.

From then on, she had never run recklessly along the road again. Whenever she wanted to run, it felt as though weights were tied to her legs.

She searched several pockets on herself before finally finding one that seemed somewhat safe for storing the money. But she did not dare remove her hand, only shielding the pocket faintly with her elbow and repeatedly checking to make sure the money was still there. Her other hand rested beside the short sword she regarded as dearly as her own life.

Maintaining this vigilant posture, she pushed Iver's wheelchair out of Moriarty Manor.

"Where are we going?"

She instinctively asked Iver, "The warehouse where the incident happened the day before yesterday? Or Stone Arch Park?"

"—No."

Noticing Hai Na's attitude, Iver gently exhaled.

"Those places have already been searched inside and out. You must have already found all the information that could be obtained there.

"We're heading east, to the Pelican Bar."

Iver spoke.

"...Where's that?" Hai Na clearly did not recognize the place name.

Or rather, aside from the two streets around the university in the Red Queen District and the route between the White Queen District Bureau of Supervision where she worked and Moriarty Manor, she did not know anywhere in the capital.

Her monthly living allowance of fifty Red Candles was only equivalent to a laborer's monthly wage. An allowance at that level did not permit her to wander around the capital.

"In the Lloyd District."

"The Lloyd District? Near the harbor?"

Hai Na's expression changed as she suddenly recalled the bar's name.

She had indeed heard of it!

When she had first arrived in the capital, a close friend she knew had warned her not to go to the Lloyd District without good reason. She trusted that friend, so even though her roommate often urged her to visit the bars in the Lloyd District, she had firmly refused every time.

Of course, another reason was that she genuinely had no money. And she was too embarrassed to ask her friends to treat her.

Because she had made up her mind never to go, she automatically blocked those words from her mind. She was afraid that if she heard too much, she might accidentally become tempted.

Hai Na remembered that the name she had heard most often was probably "Old Captain Bar." Kingdom sailors on leave often went there to drink. They loved going there to find handsome men—young, strong, and good-looking men who spent long periods at sea without seeing any women. They caught one every time.

One of her roommates had found herself a young sailor as a boyfriend. He was supposedly a sergeant and was always boasting that he was carrying out some kind of secret mission... Who knew whether it was true?

If it was really a secret, would he tell female university students like them? Hai Na did not really believe him.

In the small town where she had been born, the blacksmith uncle often bragged that he had once stayed in the capital, and that he was knowledgeable and cultured.

Later, after she came to the capital herself, she learned that what he meant by "having stayed there" was that he had wandered to the capital as an apprentice at the age of twelve or thirteen to learn a trade, then left after a few years because he could not endure it.

His boastful expression back then had been exactly the same as that sailor's.

And that roommate of hers had mentioned the "Pelican Bar" only once. The reason Hai Na remembered it so clearly was that only when mentioning the Pelican Bar had that older sister lost her usual sly, lecherous grin and become serious and solemn.

What she had said at the time was... to buy some materials.

The Pelican Bar... Is it a place that sells some kind of materials? Hai Na wondered, but she did not say it aloud.

She instinctively felt that they were probably not good things, and she did not dare bring them up inside Moriarty Manor—especially under the gaze of that Elf Butler.

For a moment, Hai Na felt tempted as well. She had never dared come to a place like this before. One reason was the expense, and the other was the danger.

But now, she had grown strong. She was wearing armor representing the glory of justice, and Iver even had investigation funds in his hands. She could finally visit the places she had once been curious about but had never had the chance to see!

After all, this was also her first independent investigation. Hai Na had no investigative leads whatsoever. She had mentioned the warehouse and Stone Arch Park earlier simply because she happened to remember those two locations.

Director Kent had not even required her to obtain any important information during this investigation. He had only told her to protect Iver and not act recklessly.

—Of course she would protect him! She would do it even without special instructions!

"The Lloyd District it is, then. Let's go!"

Hai Na answered readily. "I'll protect you. If some reckless petty thief dares to cause you trouble, I'll show him what punishment under law and justice means!"

Only when speaking about this topic was her voice bright and clear... almost impatient.

A weapon in hand, a killing intent awakened.

All of this was within Iver's expectations.

After training for so long and raising her level to this point, she had never truly fought an enemy... It was perfectly normal for her to feel excited.

"Then, are you ready to kill someone, senior?"

Iver narrowed his eyes like a fox, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that might have been kind—or mocking.

Hai Na froze when she heard him.

Then she said seriously, "Actually, I've already killed someone."

"Oh?" Iver raised his eyebrows.

That answer was unexpected.

"Then let's go."

He did not press her for details, merely saying softly, "My legs aren't working well, so I'll have to trouble you to push me there."

"Of course."

Hai Na relaxed and quickly replied.

That was another nine thousand words today's update. I've signed the contract! Please follow, tip, and vote with your monthly tickets~