"The Foolish People"

The intelligence from Gear City mentioned that the banker, Mr. Marshall, was a workaholic who took pride in his work at the Imperial Union Bank. At the very least, his work ethic was impeccable; he returned to work at the bank the morning after being cured of his maniacal laughter.

When Ivy and Ethan entered, Marshall, dressed in a suit, was already seated at his desk, which was piled high with documents.

Miss Chloe stayed outside the bank, waiting under a tree, as the Imperial Union Bank staff had emphasized that pets were not allowed inside.

Marshall glanced up at the two of them. Ethan, clutching a baguette, made his brow furrow with a frown.

This was Ethan's breakfast.

On the way, he had explained to Ivy the many benefits of a baguette: it was cheap, extremely filling, and could even be used as a weapon to hit people in a pinch.

If this were a game, it would at least be considered epic-tier equipment.

Ethan wisely stayed by the door. He not only noticed Marshall's gaze but also saw the man's tongue when he drank water.

It was black, looking as though he were about to die from poison.

"Roxanne's death has a hidden story."

Ivy began to explain the case. Before coming to the Imperial Union Bank, they had obtained the death list from Riverside Town from Captain Haig. Using Ivy's reproduction ability, they found the names of Roxanne's wife and daughter on the third page. Their cause of death was the same as other Riverside Town residents: they had drunk from a cursed water source without warning.

The knowledge taught to her by the Astrology Society was insufficient to break the Witch's curse.

"His wife and daughter died in Riverside Town. This is the direct reason that led him to take his own life."

However, there was still one thing that Ivy and Ethan couldn't figure out.

Why did Roxanne's ledger contain information about a curse? Why did Marshall specifically take his ledger? And why did he conceal this crucial piece of information in his plea for help to Gear City?

"Is that so? Is that how it is..."

Marshall stared at the death list for a long time, then lowered his head and clenched his fist.

His reaction surprised Ethan. He hadn't expected someone like Marshall to grieve over Roxanne's death. However, upon closer thought, it made some sense. After all, Mr. Roxanne had brought joy to many people in Brookwood Town; perhaps Marshall was no exception.

"Trash..."

Marshall's next words brought Ethan's thoughts to an abrupt halt. At first, it was a soft whisper, but it grew louder and louder. His reaction no longer seemed like grief but anger. He slammed his clenched fist onto the table, sending the items on it askew.

"Useless scum, the dregs of society's lowest class, shameless curs! Don't they know how much effort I put into them?"

When Ethan heard Marshall describe Roxanne in such terms, his mind went blank for a moment. He even thought he was hallucinating because it was hard to imagine anyone saying such venomous words after learning the truth of the case.

But Marshall's incessant curses made it impossible to dismiss it as a hallucination.

His disbelieving gaze swept over Marshall's overweight body, lingered for a few seconds, and then...

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The image of the cup on the desk appeared in his mind, its contents sloshing everywhere from the impact.

Drinking water in the office was too dangerous; it posed a serious threat to personal safety.

According to the Containment Bureau's latest investigation report, water is the most toxic substance in the world. Every deceased person had drunk water before their death.

Ivy waited quietly for Marshall to finish venting before speaking, "The documents from the Containment Bureau mentioned that you voluntarily requested a transfer to the Brookwood Town branch."

Marshall's loss of composure precisely confirmed her suspicion.

Why would a young nobleman from a prominent family make such a request?

There were still plenty of opportunities for him to secure a comfortable, gilded future.

"It's because the people in Brookwood Town are quite agreeable, aren't they? They dislike reading and are narrow-minded. Once they encounter an unsolvable problem, they blindly trust others and see anyone willing to lend them a hand as a lifesaver... Such ignorant, shallow, foolish peasants. Even if they stumbled upon a treasure, they wouldn't be able to recognize it with their own judgment, would they?"

Upon hearing this, Marshall froze.

Ivy, having come from a similar background, knew how much wealthy families were willing to spend on a gifted young extraordinary. They would invite those young individuals into their homes and treat them as honored guests. As long as they were willing, those affluent families would unconditionally cover their tuition fees.

This was how the world had always operated.

Because of this, the Power of extraordinary individuals was often controlled by the powerful and influential. Those extraordinary individuals were creations built upon wealth.

However, Marshall discovered a more cost-effective path.

During the growth process of extraordinary individuals, they would be burdened with immense Debt, and then, through Debt as collateral, they would be sold to the powerful figures of the Imperial Capital.

Why couldn't extraordinary individuals be treated as commodities?

When Marshall sent his proposal to the head office, he received a response almost immediately. The head office was very optimistic about his plan and gave him the opportunity to realize his idea.

"If Roxanne's ledger were transported back to the Gear City branch as a Cursed Object, the research department would study it. During this process, they would inevitably examine every Debt recorded in the ledger."

Ivy voiced her speculation, "The training of a Magician certainly requires a significant amount of money, but how much exactly? Would it be so much that a future extraordinary individual would have to sell themselves to repay it?"

In reality, Roxanne had no concept of this money and didn't understand how much the interest would inflate in the future.

He also didn't know that when the Debt became impossible to repay, it would be transferred to his daughter.

But the people at the Containment Bureau could see it.

Moreover, they could identify from the various accounts which loans were completely unnecessary.

From Marshall's angry reaction, it was not difficult to infer that he believed Roxanne's daughter could be sold for a good price in the future, which would serve as his stepping stone at the Imperial Union Bank's head office.

Ivy looked at the scattered documents on the desk. Among them was a Debt transfer agreement.

A familiar name was written on the agreement.

That was the name of Roxanne's daughter.

Debt does not disappear with a person's death; this is a rule set by the Imperial Union Bank. The living will take the place of the deceased, bearing everything they owed.

"As investigators from the Containment Bureau, you're overstepping your bounds."

Marshall glared fiercely at Ivy. "I don't need to explain the bank's specific business to you."

"Retrieving Cursed Objects is my duty."

"Regarding this matter."

Marshall waved his hand impatiently. "You are no longer needed. Thank you for your hard work. The letter from Gear City should be arriving soon, shouldn't it?"

Before he could finish speaking, the cry of a falcon echoed from outside the window.

A Kestrel landed on the office window.

It carried an order from the Gear City Containment Bureau.