After obtaining the Grotesque Armament he had long desired, Lin Jie spent two days recuperating in his room.
Only after his spiritual power had fully recovered did he enter the Underground City again to plan his next move.
As Lin Jie stood before the enormous mission board, browsing strange commissions from all over the world, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
When Lin Jie turned around, he saw Barton.
A meaningful smile rested on the shrewd elite investigator's face.
"Your performance far exceeded headquarters' expectations. As your guide, I share in the honor," Barton said. "And the 'chain reaction' you brought about has also exceeded our imagination."
"What do you mean?" Lin Jie asked.
"Because of the high-quality Chaos Brass you submitted, as well as your revolutionary blueprint, that madman Arthur has fallen into a feverish period of creation."
Barton's tone was full of helplessness. "Last night, he submitted a thirty-page research report to headquarters on 'improving the utilization rate of low-tier spiritual materials.' It is said to have drawn the serious attention of several elder masters in Geneva's Equipment Department."
"A technological revolution in the manufacturing philosophy of Grotesque Armaments seems to have begun ahead of schedule because of your appearance."
"And the more direct benefit is this." Barton took a document carrying the fresh scent of ink from his coat and handed it to Lin Jie. "This is what you wanted. Headquarters mobilized three linguistic masters proficient in Germanic Ancient Script to translate Cartographer Karl's diary copy for you overnight. In light of your tremendous contributions, headquarters made a special exception. This copy... is the complete version, with nothing redacted."
Lin Jie accepted the translated diary, condensed with knowledge and secrets, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.
This was his greatest gain!
He quickly returned home, locked his door, brewed himself a steaming cup of black tea, and only then slowly opened this "Bible" leading to the truth of the Underworld beneath the gas lamp, like a devout believer.
The translation was written in elegant English script, clear and beautiful, evidently the work of a highly learned master translator.
Lin Jie's gaze immediately fell upon the diary's final pages, which recorded the last journey in the life of Cartographer Karl von Stein, the meticulous German investigator.
Through his account, a far greater and more bizarre conspiracy hidden behind the wreck of the Sea Witch unfolded before Lin Jie's eyes.
"May 11, 1888, Singapore," Karl wrote in the diary. "I finally tracked down that batch of 'goods.' An ancient mysterious organization from the Great Qing called White Lotus is secretly using British merchant ships to transport something they call 'Living Holy Fetuses' to Europe."
"According to intelligence from an informant, these so-called holy fetuses appear to be the... eggs of some UMA that underwent special rituals and is worshipped as a god by White Lotus."
"Their purpose is to use the immense spiritual field generated by the gathering of millions of visitors at the upcoming World's Fair in Paris to carry out a horrifying large-scale hatching and god-descending ritual."
Lin Jie's heart suddenly tightened.
White Lotus, the Paris World's Fair, UMA eggs!
Together, these words formed an image of madness and disaster.
"May 18, Strait of Malacca." The diary continued. "I successfully disguised myself as a botanist and boarded the freighter responsible for transporting the 'Living Holy Fetuses'—the Sea Witch."
"The captain and first mate had clearly been bribed by White Lotus. They deliberately deviated from the main route and entered a forbidden stretch of water known by the locals as the Sea of Resentful Women."
"I understand their intentions now. They wanted to use the powerful spiritual field of the Deep Sea Resentful Women dwelling in those waters to prematurely 'ripen' the eggs. These madmen have no idea what dangerous power they are meddling with."
"May 22, Indian Ocean." Karl's handwriting became somewhat hurried here; the situation at the time had likely been extremely perilous. "The Deep Sea Resentful Women have been enraged. The aura emitted by the Living Holy Fetuses seems to them like a deadly poison, yet also like a blasphemy. A bloody hunt has begun."
"I hope this can stop the coming disaster..."
The diary ended abruptly there.
Lin Jie closed the translation after a long while, his heart filled with the highest respect for this German investigator he had never met.
Karl had tried to stop a catastrophe great enough to shock the world with his own life.
And Lin Jie had, by a twist of fate, become the inheritor of his final words.
He spent the entire day ravenously reading the rest of the translation, greedily absorbing Cartographer Karl's lifelong knowledge of various UMAs, his experience in crafting Grotesque Armaments, and his insights into all manner of mysterious Underworld phenomena, turning them into the most precious reserve of knowledge in his mind.
The next day, when Lin Jie stepped into the Underground City once more in high spirits, his bearing was already completely different from a few days ago.
Out of habit, he walked up to the enormous Elite Investigator Directory.
Just as he was studying the Hunter List, a hand lightly patted his shoulder.
It was Barton.
"Looks like you've recovered," Barton said with a smile. "Perfect timing. I have a new commission here, and headquarters specifically recommended that you take it."
"Oh?" Lin Jie was somewhat surprised.
Barton handed him a new commission marked Caution Rank.
[Commission Number: S-1888-C004] [Commission Rank: Caution Rank / Special Attention] [Commission Location: Scotland, Inverness-shire, Loch Ness region] [Incident Summary: Recently, several fishermen and local residents have claimed to witness an unknown aquatic creature near the waters of Urquhart Bay in Loch Ness, described as having "a long neck, a humped back, and a body as enormous as a whale." The Inverness Courier has reported on the matter, drawing limited attention. At the same time, the "aether fluctuation" monitoring station established by the Association in the lake region has recorded several faint yet highly regular energy anomalies.] [Mission Objectives: 1. Travel to the Loch Ness region for an on-site investigation and confirm whether the unknown creature truly exists. 2. If it does, assess whether it is a UMA and collect visual records of it as well as ecological samples whenever possible, including sketches, photographs, water samples, scales, secretions, and so on. 3. The creature has not displayed any aggression thus far. Hunting it without being threatened is strictly forbidden. "Observation and research" are the highest priorities.] [Commission Reward: Base bounty of 30 gold pounds and 30 points. Any valuable visual records and ecological samples will receive additional point rewards.]
The Loch Ness Monster!
A storm rose in Lin Jie's heart.
Could this famous legend, known by almost everyone in his previous life, truly exist in this world as well?
And its threat level was only Caution Rank?
"Why was I specifically chosen?" Lin Jie asked.
The core of this mission was "observation and research." It did not seem to require much combat power.
"Because the two traits you have displayed perfectly suit this mission."
Barton explained, "First, your interpretive ability may allow you to sense some Afterimages related to that creature within those ancient lake waters—things our instruments cannot detect. Second—"
Barton's eyes turned somewhat amused. "Your first creation, the Spellbreaker Bracer, has greatly interested the Equipment Department's masters because of its modular concept."
"They are very curious what effects this equipment will display after adding an 'aquatic environment adaptation' module or other environmental modules. So, this mission can also be considered an opportunity for the Association to provide you with a... 'field test for new equipment.'"
"Of course," Barton added at last, "the Loch Ness region is vast, sparsely populated, and environmentally complex. For your safety, the Association will still assign you a partner."
"Sergeant William thinks highly of you. He voluntarily applied for the chance to accompany you on this mission."
Before you continue