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"What kind of Magic Book?"

Ethan's soul-piercing question left Ivy speechless. In truth, she had no idea what sort of Magic Book the Winter Witch had left behind, nor could she imagine it. And even if she did know, she wouldn't tell Ethan.

A magical tome left behind by the former Empire's most brilliant Elemental Shaper.

That reputation alone was enough to get countless people killed.

She shook her head. "That's not something you need to worry about."

"Then... what if you never find it?"

"One year."

Ivy knew what Ethan was worried about. She held up one finger. "If I haven't found it after a year, I'll honor my promise and recommend you for a job in the intelligence department at headquarters."

"Deal!"

Ethan was still young; he could easily wait a year. Besides, he could use the time to focus on running the Old Sen Magic Scroll Shop and save up enough to live on before heading to headquarters in the Imperial Capital.

He added, "In that case, we won't take up any more of your time today. Miss Chloe and I will head back."

"Back? Where?"

Ivy tilted her head in confusion, and the Golden Hair atop it lifted its head too.

"Back to the guild to pack my things. I've joined the Containment Bureau, so I need to clean out my old place and make it available for someone else."

The only thing Ethan regretted was leaving the room on the guild's second floor. It had been an employee benefit, letting him live rent-free for two years and saving him a considerable amount in rent.

"Where are you planning to live?"

Ethan could be pretty insufferable sometimes. He was irritating, and one sneeze from him had even teleported her into the sea. But now he worked under her, so she had to pay attention to his day-to-day living conditions. Besides, he'd just spent a fortune in Gold Lions on a book, so he probably had very little left in savings.

This was Ivy's first time being a boss, and she had decided to become a responsible one.

"That little cabin in the mountains. It should be pretty nice once I tidy it up a bit."

Ethan was an optimist. The cabin did have a few minor flaws. For instance, a corpse had once been dragged inside, leaving a scene that looked like a cult sacrifice, with blood everywhere. Then several people had died by the cabin's entrance, and their cremated ashes had been put in jars and buried in the dirt by the door. The cabin was also old and poorly maintained, so it would definitely leak in a heavy rainstorm. And at night, the door offered virtually no protection—any passing wild animal could easily wander in...

But if you ignored those problems, the place was pretty nice.

The guild had long since forgotten they owned a property outside town, and probably wouldn't mind if he and Miss Chloe stayed there for a while.

There was a unique charm to the mountains and the natural world. Even the famous Tianlu Inn had once expressed its love for the mountains by saying, "It's wonderful. Living in the mountains is wonderful."

"People can live in that dump?"

Ivy blurted out the words, and the Golden Hair on her head shook violently, as though warning Ethan against the idea.

She'd been to the cabin in the mountains. If she had to live somewhere like that, she'd probably be covered in an itchy rash within two days.

"And what about Miss Chloe?" Ivy said. "She's still growing, and she eats an incredible amount. You probably can't afford to feed her anymore, can you? Don't get me wrong. Miss Chloe is also a member of our Base Station, so of course I need to look after her."

Ethan pursed his lips. He suspected Ivy and her little hair tuft had a certain disrespect for nature.

He understood the logic, but if you had the money, who wouldn't want to live in a big house?

As for Miss Chloe's appetite, Ethan's plan was to trust nature. Nature always provided, and the wilderness was full of benevolent beasts like the Great Wild Boar King, kind-hearted creatures who couldn't bear to see other living things go hungry.

Seeing Ethan fall silent, Ivy suddenly said, "What do you think of the apartment next door?"

Ivy lived on Brookwood Town's busiest street, in a standalone, two-story apartment building. It catered to a very specific clientele: the upper class of Brookwood Town, such as the Great Banker or the owners of large shops. There were several other luxurious apartment buildings like it, lined up along a boulevard that had only recently been built.

"If we live nearby, it'll be much easier to discuss work. And according to the regulations, the Containment Bureau also arranges housing for certain important employees."

"The apartment building next door belongs to the Containment Bureau?"

"It can."

Those three short words were enough to shake Ethan to the core. When Miss Ivy talked about buying an entire apartment building, she didn't even blink. To her, it seemed like an ordinary part of daily life, as routine as eating or drinking.

"Thank you for the organization's confidence and for the leadership's promotion!"

What else could he say?

"Cluck!"

Miss Chloe, who had been hiding under the table, came over too. She bowed gracefully to Ivy to express her gratitude.

Ethan couldn't help feeling that the little hen seemed to be getting smarter and smarter.

"Go back to the guild and pack your things, then move in next door. Your ID from the Gear City branch should arrive tomorrow evening. Until then, get some rest."

Ethan agreed aloud, but in reality, he was already preparing to stay up all night. He was going to study Simple Process for Making Magic Scrolls from cover to cover and try to turn the twenty sheets of Energy-Storing Parchment he'd bought into Ice Arrow scrolls before his official first day on the job. He'd been itching to get started the whole way back.

By the time he'd finished handing over his duties and returned to the new apartment with his luggage, it was already evening. Brookwood Town was still under a full lockdown, and the streets were deserted. Before leaving the guild, he'd taken one last free loaf of bread meant for the hunters there, to serve as Miss Chloe's dinner.

Standing at the apartment entrance, Ethan felt as though he'd stepped into another life.

Two years after crossing over, he finally had a new home. He was no longer stuck in a little room as someone else's dependent.

Though technically it was an employee benefit from the Containment Bureau, he still couldn't bring himself to step inside for a long while. Expensive-looking ornaments sat on the coffee table in the living room, and the first thing he saw when he entered was the grand reception room.

He even had his own bathroom and study.

He set Miss Chloe up in a bedroom. She looked timidly at the soft bed, and only after Ethan gave her permission did she hop onto it with delight. She curled up beneath the warm blanket, turning into a big fiery-red ball, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"This is your room from now on."

"Cluck!"

And Ethan, too, was about to set foot in a brand-new world.

The grand, luxurious apartment had given him a new goal: to teach himself how to make magic scrolls. Once he built up his business, perhaps he'd be able to rent a magnificent house like this in the Imperial Capital one day.

He hurried into the bedroom and placed Simple Process for Making Magic Scrolls on the desk.

The big oak desk had plenty of room for all twenty folded sheets of Energy-Storing Parchment.

Ethan opened to the first page, his heart pounding with excitement.

It was time to start making scrolls!