Be Careful With Water

The Gear City branch sent a long letter.

In their letter, they highly praised the Brookwood Town Base Station, commending them for excellently completing their assignment.

But concerning the important latter half of the letter, the Imperial Capital Union Bank took this case very seriously. They communicated and negotiated with people from the head office, and even vaguely pointed out that a high-ranking executive from the Lofik Consortium had attended the meeting. Given the special nature of this Cursed Object, it contained some important internal bank data. Therefore, the matter would be handed over to the Imperial Union Bank for resolution.

To put it simply, people from the Lofik Consortium wanted to protect Marshall, and this case was to be closed. Pursuing it further would cause everyone to lose face.

Marshall specifically emphasized to the two, "The ledger has already been handed over. It shouldn't be in Brookwood Town anymore."

Even if these two investigators from the Containment Bureau made a scene here, or tried to pressure him with the Containment Bureau, it would be useless.

Ivy understood.

The moment Marshall obtained the ledger, he reported it to the head office. The fact that even a high-ranking executive from the Lofik Consortium was involved could only mean one thing—Roxanne was not an isolated case. They had already established a complete industrial chain in the border villages and towns of the Empire. In a sense, the town's residents were no different from ore.

They would mine the ore, select the valuable parts, and then use a complete set of methods to burden their families with huge debts. Perhaps even the tutors assigned to the children were carefully selected by the Conglomerate.

The ledger was the key to unlocking the truth.

Ivy had no way of knowing why it was cursed.

Was it cursed by Roxanne in his pain and despair, or did he place his hope in the ledger being discovered by someone else in his final moments?

But no matter what, it had already flown away before her eyes.

The appearance of a Conglomerate executive meant that this matter was destined to end here. Her family could tolerate her escaping the Imperial Capital and running to an edge city like Brookwood Town. They could tolerate her persistently sending letters to the royal family and the academy, spreading the word that the Winter Witch was still alive, but they absolutely would not allow her to antagonize the Lofik Consortium because of an unrelated town resident.

But...

Ivy looked at Ethan, who stood silently at the door.

Roxanne was his friend, and moreover, a good person. It was foreseeable that many more victims like Roxanne would appear in the future.

As Ethan's superior, she felt she should do something.

Her mind raced, her golden hair anxiously flicking back and forth above her head, showing signs of overload.

"Mr. Marshall, since you've said so, I suppose our work here is considered successfully completed," Ethan suddenly said from behind her. "The branch office is also very satisfied with our work."

Hearing this, Marshall's face showed the smile of a victor, and he became even more arrogant. "Being too inquisitive isn't a good thing these days. Some things are in the past, so let them be."

He stood up, took a goblet from the wine cabinet, and poured himself a glass of Red Wine in front of them.

It was truly a day worth celebrating.

His pathological laughter had been cured, and the ledger had been properly handled. In the end, this commission had nothing to do with Cursed Objects. He had merely invited a few people to treat his symptoms.

And that apartment, after some tidying up, should be sold to someone else.

"You should really learn from him."

Marshall held his wine glass, intending to escort them to the stairs himself.

As the victor.

"Young man, I have high hopes for you. If you misuse Blocker in the future and get reported, and have to pay exorbitant compensation, just come find me. I'll tailor a loan plan for you."

Ethan smiled slightly at him, returning the courtesy, "You too."

"I never misused Blocker in the first place!"

Marshall's hand trembled, and the Red Wine in his cup spilled onto the floor.

As expected, this young man was more annoying than Ivy, but fortunately, he wouldn't have to deal with such bottom-tier Scum anymore.

He savored the Red Wine, watching their retreating figures as they walked down the stairs. Yes, while the winner savored the taste of victory, the loser should slink away with their tail between their legs.

Ethan walked downstairs, hearing the contemptuous laughter from behind him.

But in reality, he had never been interested in the ledger left by Roxanne from the beginning. He had never intended to follow the Clue all the way, regardless of whether this was Marshall's idea, or if he was just a puppet put forth by the Lofik Consortium, he had no interest in any of it.

Ethan focused more on the present. What he wanted to do had been decided from the start.

For example, he noticed Marshall's hand tremble just now, spilling some Red Wine on the floor; he also noticed the recent sharp drop in temperature, with signs of winter approaching. Such weather could easily cause a layer of ice to form on the liquid's surface.

Given Marshall's obese body, if he were to slip and fall down the stairs, he would likely be seriously injured, or even die on the spot.

He walked down the last step.

Immediately, the exclamations of bank employees came from above. They looked up and saw Marshall's obese body being thrown into the air. The victor's goblet shattered on the floor, and the Red Wine bloomed like a blood lotus on the ground.

Amidst the cries of alarm, Marshall tumbled down. The smile on his face turned into terror. His left hand, extended forward during the fall, seemed to be desperately trying to grab something.

Then came the sound of bones breaking.

Ethan saw Marshall's broken neck. The Great Banker was now lying at the edge of the stairs in a twisted posture, his face bent at a right angle towards them.

Water, as expected, was the most dangerous substance in this world.

Ethan met Marshall's gaze until the last trace of light faded from his eyes. In his final moments, Marshall opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something?

Was he begging for help?

Or was he not ready to leave yet?

None of it mattered, because Marshall had completely lost the ability to speak, unable to utter even a syllable.

Even Ivy was stunned in place by the visually striking scene, a rare look of shock on her face.

All the Imperial Union Bank staff seemed to be under a spell. They had all seen Marshall's broken neck; he was clearly beyond saving.

But no matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn't imagine their director dying in such a bizarre way.

Could it be...

Was this also a Curse?

But for Ethan, this outcome was not surprising. When one small coincidence after another pieced together, it would lead to an inevitable end.

The Great Banker, Mr. Marshall, slipped on the Red Wine on the floor, fell, and rolled down the stairs, ending his own life.

A heartbreaking accident.

The employees of the Imperial Union Bank were all witnesses to this accident.

And Ethan was the first to rush to his aid.

The cries of grief from downstairs pulled everyone back to reality. They saw the young agent from the Containment Bureau sprinting towards Marshall.

"Old Ma, alas, Old Ma--!"

Heart-wrenching cries echoed in the Imperial Union Bank hall for a long time. On this day shrouded in misfortune, they witnessed the most sincere friendship.

This young investigator from the Containment Bureau seemed to have become the saddest person in the world.

The bank employees who rushed to help were all moved.

The relationship between this Containment Bureau investigator and the director must have been very close.

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