World's Number One Detective

"Sir, want a copy?" The boy pushed the newspapers in his arms forward.

"Give me a Jedi Brothers Newspaper." Chaoyang reached for his change.

"Sure thing!" The boy immediately beamed, swiftly pulled out the paper his customer wanted with one hand, and handed it to Chaoyang.

Now he could see it more clearly.

The Wish Force was attached to a small block-sized column containing a missing-person notice—under Telepathic Vision, reading across languages posed no obstacle at all. He could easily understand its contents.

"Searching for missing reporter: Cote Dane. He disappeared three days ago. Male, thirty-seven years old. Before his disappearance, he wore a flat cap, a linen-colored shirt, and a gray fur coat. Anyone who can find him or provide detailed clues will be handsomely rewarded by the newspaper agency. Those interested in learning more, please come to the agency to speak with me in person. The address is below."

"Registrant: Judy."

This registrant must be quite anxious, Chaoyang thought. Otherwise, the act of typesetting and printing would not have produced the effect of Wishing Through Objects. The Wish Force attached to a single newspaper might be weak, but considering that every copy carried it, the total certainly would not be small.

Still, it was unlikely to be much greater than Shi Dong's Wish Force.

After all, judging by the incident itself, neither party involved was anyone important. That inherently limited the strength of the wish.

If they really were important figures, why would they turn to the public for help finding someone?

Then again, he had no better option right now. He urgently needed his next contract, so what harm was there in looking into it?

"Hey, kid." Chaoyang called out to the newsboy as he was about to leave.

"Yes, sir? Is there anything else?"

"Where is this newspaper agency—" He pointed to the words Jedi Brothers on the masthead. "You should know, right?"

"Of course! There isn't anywhere in this city I don't know!" The newsboy said, wiping his nose.

"Good." Chaoyang took out another five cents and waved it before him. "Take me there, and it's yours."

The Brothers Newspaper Agency was not far from there.

After following the newsboy through the crowds for around fifteen minutes, Chaoyang arrived before a five-story building.

"Sir, this is the place," the newsboy said.

"Not bad." Chaoyang looked the building over. It stood right at the front of a row of buildings, with streets on both sides. The ground floor was lined with packed shops and storefronts, making it prime real estate in the city. "I just go in through the main entrance, right?"

"No, sir..." The newsboy raised a hand and pointed, but his finger indicated a small door beside the main entrance. "Go up to the top floor from there. It's the first room after you come out."

"Uh..." Chaoyang could not help twitching his mouth. If the boy had not pointed it out, he would have assumed it was some kind of public restroom.

As he passed through the rusty iron door, the light immediately dimmed, cutting off the noise of the street as well.

The stairs were not only steep, but filthy beyond measure. He suspected the place had never been cleaned since it was built. Worse still, the air was permeated by a faint stench of urine. Who knew how many vagrants had truly used this place as a latrine?

There were no other side doors in the stairwell, as though it had been built solely to climb to the top floor. When he reached the roof, the newspaper agency's sign came into view.

Chaoyang's heart sank slightly.

This was far from the "media company" he had imagined. If even its office was this shabby, how substantial could that "handsome reward" in the newspaper really be?

A demon fed on Wish Force, but that did not mean he could live on air. No matter the world, money was indispensable—if he wanted to reduce the expenditure of Wish Force, one of the most effective ways was to use money instead of abilities to achieve his goals. As the saying went, money could make the devil turn millstones.

Before he had even met the wish-maker, the expected reward had already plummeted. That was hardly a good sign.

Chaoyang sighed softly, adjusted his appearance slightly, stepped forward, and pushed open the newspaper agency's wooden door.

The inside was much more spacious. The first thing he saw was a hall of over thirty square meters, with five or six desks scattered about. Each desk was piled with several thick stacks of paper, and the strong scent of ink instantly overwhelmed the foul odor from the corridor.

"Hello, sir. May I ask if you're here to..." A young man came up to him, his eyes studying Chaoyang as well.

Chaoyang took out the Brothers Newspaper and pointed to the missing-person notice. "Is Judy here?"

"I see," the man replied at once. "Please wait in the reception room. I'll call her over right away."

The reception room was beside the hall. There was only a coffee table and two reclining chairs inside. Judging from the blankets and pillows casually piled around, it was probably often used as a break room as well.

"...What? Someone actually came?" A faint voice suddenly penetrated the wall and reached Chaoyang's ears.

Apparently, the partition made of wooden boards was far from soundproof, and the people talking had not realized that an unusually sharp-eared demon was sitting next door.

"Boss, isn't that a good thing? Without Mr. Dane, the newspaper can't fill all that content."

"Bullshit! Do you think I don't want him back? But that girl insisted on writing 'handsome reward.' Where am I supposed to get that much money..."

"But she insisted. She said that if we didn't raise the reward, no one would be willing to look for him..."

The voice on the other side paused. "Anyway, don't worry too much. Even the police have no news. How could an ordinary person possibly find him..."

At that point, the voices gradually lowered until they disappeared completely.

Chaoyang rolled his eyes. Things seemed even more troublesome than he had imagined. Not only was the handsome reward a sham, there was disagreement even over finding the man. The missing-person notice had not been written by the agency owner at all, but was merely Judy acting on her own?

Fortunately, Wish Force did not lie.

At least when it came to finding the man, she was completely sincere.

Before long, the door was shoved open with a bang, and a girl with twin ponytails rushed in.

"Hello! I'm Judy!" She gave him a deep bow, then immediately grabbed Chaoyang's hand. "May I ask what to call you?"

"Chao," Chaoyang answered briefly. "I'm a detective."

He looked completely different from a few minutes ago. He appeared to be around thirty, with sharply defined features. His clothes had changed into a leather trench coat and a felt hat, making him look like a vigorous, seasoned professional.

"So you're Detective Chao. That's wonderful!" Judy said excitedly. "I tried looking for private detectives before, but none in the city were willing to take this job..."

It's not that they weren't willing. You just didn't offer enough money, Chaoyang thought, though his expression remained earnest and sincere. "I'm different from them, both in how I work and how I conduct myself."

"That's fine. As long as you can help me find Dane." Judy did not care in the slightest, her urgency plain to see.

"Then... tell me in detail about this reporter... Cote Dane." Chaoyang spoke gently.