Do Not Look at What Is Contrary to Propriety

Chapter 20: See No Evil (Seeking Follow-up Reads~)

Ethan borrowed 35 Gold Lions from Ivy. 25 Gold Lions were used to purchase "Simple Process for Making Magic Scrolls" published by the Imperial Capital's June Flower Printing House, and 10 Gold Lions were used for 20 energy-storing Parchments for scroll crafting.

After deducting his savings from the past two years and the 50 Silver Antelopes he "plucked" from the Minotaur gentleman earlier, he still owed Ivy 4 Gold Lions and 50 Silver Antelopes.

Of course, Ethan's explanation to Ivy was that he needed to buy a scriptwriting textbook. His lifelong dream was to become the resident screenwriter for the Imperial Capital Opera House. Once he was transferred to the headquarters, he planned to dedicate his free time to creating Stage Plays.

Fortunately, Ivy, who always liked to get to the bottom of things, seemed preoccupied. After lending him the money, she simply stayed on deck waiting for him, not bothering to ask what Ethan had bought with the money.

He had ultimately given in to his wicked thoughts.

Ethan, carrying his bag, suddenly realized a serious problem.

Before they departed, Ivy had claimed that the Treant Old Mu was a dangerous individual who could easily lead one into an abyss of eternal damnation. However, after interacting with him, the most dangerous thing Old Mu had done was point the spray nozzle of "Dark Creatures Repellent 3.0" at him. Other than that, he had no intention of deceiving Ethan out of his money.

Yet, when Ivy offered to lend him money without interest, a new world opened up to Ethan.

Once a person's desires and wicked thoughts are stirred, they become difficult to resist.

Ethan criticized himself internally.

The path of an Elemental Shaper was long and arduous. The "Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics" not only recorded basic elemental spells but also briefly touched upon the principles of magic composition.

Every extraordinary path had its unique method of advancement. For an Elemental Shaper, continuously broadening one's horizons, increasing one's knowledge of Occultism, and strengthening the connection with natural elements were the means to temper magic.

In Ethan's own terms, he needed to increase his Intelligence.

The stronger the magic, the more powerful his spells would be.

However, after transmigrating, he couldn't see his status panel. His only cheat was the ability to check his skill proficiency. Therefore, he could only judge his current magic strength through comparison.

Conservatively estimated, it should be slightly stronger than the Witch who attacked the town a while ago.

So, how should he increase his Intelligence?

The answer was to read more books related to Occultism, an experience Ethan had gained over the past two years.

He had already read every book related to Occultism in the Brookwood Town library, unknowingly becoming an Occultism expert in the eyes of the townspeople. He felt this wasn't a remarkable achievement; everything he could access were public resources open to everyone.

It was just that very few people in town were willing to read. They preferred to consult Ethan when they encountered problems, listening to his refined and summarized knowledge.

In Ethan's opinion, there were roughly two ways to access more Occultism.

First, through his job.

As long as he was transferred to work at the Containment Bureau headquarters, all the Occultism books in the Imperial Capital's library would be available for him to read. Coupled with the relatively leisurely nature of clerical work, he would have plenty of time to read. His goal at work was simple: to retire after he had read all the Occultism works in the Imperial Capital's library.

Second, through wealth.

As long as he could earn enough money, he could buy many Occultism books in places like Fireplace Bay, including Magic Books related to skills.

With the first goal in sight, he couldn't neglect the second. That's why Ethan gritted his teeth and bought the "Simple Process for Making Magic Scrolls." As long as he mastered the process of making magic scrolls, he could craft Fireball Spells and Ice Arrows into magic scrolls and sell them to others in Fireplace Bay.

If all went well, this would be much more lucrative than his salary from a job.

His trip to Fireplace Bay made Ethan realize that its secrecy and principle of free trade were perfect for him.

Thinking of this, his hand holding the bag involuntarily tightened. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous, after all, he had been a diligent worker his whole life and had no business experience. Everything had to be built from scratch.

But no matter what, Old Sen's Magic Scroll Shop was officially setting sail!

Ethan and Ivy, each lost in their own thoughts, had a smooth journey back. There were no more incidents like Ethan sneezing and causing Ivy to be teleported into someone else's house or the sewers.

Ethan stacked the shopping bags on a chest. When he returned to the apartment building where Ivy lived, Miss Chloe, with her head held high, was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing the two, she happily hopped and skipped towards them. She proactively nudged the chest with her head, carrying the basic infrastructure of the Brookwood Town Intelligence Station of the Containment Bureau into the house.

The moment she got home, Ivy took off her damp trench coat and rushed into her room. Soon, the sound of water could be heard from inside.

Ethan, meanwhile, opened the chest and reviewed the inventory list.

This chest truly contained "basic" infrastructure. There were only four types of items inside, and he finally understood what the black viscous liquid filled with ominous energy in the bottle was.

"A Light Heart Mental Blocker 2.0." This was a blocker formulated using the secretions of SI-0321, effective in blocking the mental influence of most low-level curses on investigators.

A few words in the description made Ethan's scalp tingle.

"Oral solution."

This stuff was meant to be drunk.

He tried bringing the bottled solution closer to Miss Chloe. Miss Chloe immediately let out a startled "coo" and flapped her wings, hiding under the table.

See? Even Miss Chloe wouldn't drink it.

The last few items were several manuals, all bearing the title "Glossary of Curses and Contained Objects Terminology" on their covers. Ethan really needed this. These contained objects were all encrypted communications. For example, SI-0321 – without a glossary to reference, he had no idea what it was.

However, Ethan soon regretted it.

When he curiously looked up the entry for SI-0321 using the number from the manual, he saw an object with a body that resembled a red balloon. Several tentacles connected below the balloon. The balloon seemed to be both its head and its body. Five palm-sized eyeballs occupied the front of the monster, and in the center of the eyeballs was a protruding, trumpet-shaped mouth.

"Squint."

This was the name the Containment Bureau had given this bizarre creature. The manual warned in the most prominent position that the creature was first sighted after a noble party, resulting in 7 deaths, including the Duke's youngest son. There were no obvious wounds, and the cause of death was suffocation.

Immediately after, the manual stated in red font, "All investigators should not make eye contact with 'Squint' for more than 3 seconds when encountering it."

Research indicated that after making eye contact with 'Squint' for three seconds, one would fall into a hallucination. Since all subjects who experienced hallucinations had died, the Containment Bureau had no way of knowing the specific appearance of the hallucinated world.

The "SI" designation referred to contained objects that exhibited strong hostility towards investigators and were lethal.

The so-called SI-0321 secretion was mucus extracted by researchers from the "Squint" eyeball. They unexpectedly discovered that this mucus had the effect of blocking mental influence.

Ethan's stomach churned. At that moment, he understood why some people said ignorance was bliss.

Drinking this stuff was, roughly speaking, like sucking on the "Squint's" eyeball.

He didn't know what others thought, but he absolutely couldn't bring himself to drink it.

Unconsciously, the bedroom fell silent. Before long, the sound of a door opening pulled Ethan out of his nightmare. Ivy, draped in a loose white satin robe, still gave off a faint steam. Her short, golden hair was simply tied into a ponytail, and the iconic tuft of gold hair on top of her head was nowhere to be seen.

A faint, pleasant fragrance filled the air.

Ethan raised the handbook and said proactively, "I'm previewing my future work content, but before the work officially begins, I still have a question."

"Ask away."

"You said earlier that you'd be staying in Brookwood Town for a while longer. I want to know what our real objective is."

"To find a Magic Book."

Thanks to book friend 20200916155419269 for the reward of 100 Qidian Coins!

Thanks to Oath of Decay for the reward of 1101 Qidian Coins!