Short of Money

Seeing that someone was willing to take over her case, Shelley recommended, "Detective Chief, you should let a rookie practice on a small case like this. This... this kid has quite good potential."

Thomas noticed that Captain Shelley did not know his name, so he prepared to introduce himself to the Detective Chief.

However, before he could speak, Luke said, "You must be Wallis Thomas, right?"

Thomas had not expected the Detective Chief to be able to state his full name right off the bat.

As a newly hired rookie, the feeling of being remembered and valued by his direct superior made Thomas stand at attention immediately.

He said loudly, "Yes, Detective Chief. My name is Wallis Thomas, a cadet from the 135th class of the Imperial Royal Intelligence Academy, graduating with a score of 689.

I interned at Social Fort in the Empire on February 4, 2646, of the Century Calendar.

I was transferred to the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau of Raging Wave City on March 9, 2647, and am currently responsible for office administrative duties."

Luke had already found some information on Thomas on his phone.

There were not many records of Thomas's early days.

But being able to graduate from the Imperial Intelligence Academy with a score of nearly 700 showed that Thomas had been exceptionally talented from the start.

However, his background was too humble; otherwise, it would not have been the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau's turn to pick up such a great bargain.

Luke patted Thomas on the shoulder and said, "I am also a graduate of the Imperial Royal Intelligence Academy; in terms of seniority, you are my junior. I appreciate your drive to seize opportunities when they arise—it suits my taste.

This case is yours. Let me see what a top student from the Royal Intelligence Academy can do."

Thomas had not expected the Detective Chief to be so approachable; not only did he actually give the case to a rookie like him, but he also acknowledged him as a junior.

This honor and treatment made Thomas say excitedly, "Please rest assured, Detective Chief, I will absolutely not bring shame to the Royal Intelligence Academy."

"Work hard, I have high hopes for you!"

Luke did not waste too much time on Thomas. After all, times make heroes, and he did not know if Thomas could still become the future "Silence" with his own interference.

But this "daring" spirit of his made Luke optimistic about Thomas's current future.

Opportunities are always given to those who are prepared and know how to seize them.

He could be molded.

Having received the task, Thomas went to find Helm to learn about her son's situation, while Shelley seemed to have thought of something and slipped away under the pretext of gathering people to support the Mad Axe Gang that night.

Luke returned to his office alone.

The confidential secretary, Kailina, brought him a cup of coffee and placed a stack of files on the desk.

"Detective Chief, these are the files that piled up before you took office and require your signature. This one needs your seal to take effect immediately..."

"What is this? Why the rush?"

Kailina explained, "Detective Chief, before you took office, our Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau's work was under the temporary command of the Central Bureau. Now that you have taken office, the command authority must naturally be transferred back.

This is your seal, which was found on the body of the 'Envelope'."

Kailina placed a seal on the desk, along with some other miscellaneous items that had belonged to the "former" Detective Chief.

Luke briefly looked over the command transfer document, then picked up the seal and stamped it with the "Meteor" mark.

"Was the body disposed of properly?"

"It has been cremated." Kailina pulled a letter from the files and said, "This is a circular just sent by City Hall. It demands that we find the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon' stolen from the city's Alchemist Association as soon as possible."

Luke picked up the circular, read it, and asked, "The city's Alchemist Association had something stolen; shouldn't the Public Security Bureau handle that? What does it have to do with our Secret Intelligence Bureau?

And even if the Secret Intelligence Bureau were to assist, that would be the Central Bureau's business. Why did it come to our Cape District Bureau?"

Kailina explained, "Detective Chief, the Central Bureau claims that the thief who stole the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon' disappeared after entering our Cape District. They also said this alchemical item is related to the Dragon Kingdom, and if the Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon is utilized, it could very likely cause a diplomatic incident.

City Hall gave us the task of finding this alchemical item. If we cannot find it in time, it will affect City Hall's financial appropriations for us.

Captain Black Mamba has been in charge of this case..."

No wonder Shelley ran away so fast; she wanted to kick this case to this Detective Chief.

The Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon was in Clear Sky's Spatial Backpack.

He certainly wouldn't hand it over.

As for the diplomatic incident mentioned by the Central Bureau...

The Dragon Kingdom was merely a map where dragons gathered; there was no political entity representing the Dragon Kingdom, so where would a diplomatic issue come from?

Since the Red Dragon Nilcolon was greedy for wealth and signed a summoning agreement with the Raging Wave City Alchemist Association, both sides automatically assumed the risks brought by this agreement.

Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven.

The excuse given by the Central Bureau was purely to shirk responsibility and find fault.

However, City Hall's budget-cutting measures did indeed strike at the vital point of the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau.

They were poor!

Luke flipped through the other files; applications for various expenses and reimbursements made up a large portion.

After the Mad Axe Gang was "slaughtered" by Clear Sky, it made the already impoverished Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau even worse off.

"Alright, I am aware of this matter... You go back to work first; I will take a closer look at these files."

"Yes, Detective Chief."

Kailina left the office.

Luke began to ponder where he could scrape together some money. Only through financial independence could he avoid being constrained by outsiders.

Only with money could he build his own "rabbit hole."

Luke scrolled through the guides on his phone, searching for quick-profit ventures.

There were plenty of money-making guides, but most were of no use for his immediate needs.

They were either too far away in distance or too far off in time.

And the one that was both close in distance and imminent in time was... the Clover Armed Airship Robbery.

The perpetrators behind the Clover Armed Airship Robbery were the pirates led by Madam Tasia of Fishbone Island. They had not only stolen ten tons of gold but also kidnapped over a dozen members of Raging Wave City's high society from the airship.

The subsequent rescue operations surrounding this gold and the hostages unfolded into a brilliant and complex story.

It was considered one of the most outstanding plotlines to occur in the Raging Wave City region during the early Era.

But now that Madam Tasia lacked the "Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon," would she still dare to set her sights on the Clover Armed Airship?

Luke spent the entire afternoon repeatedly reviewing the plot of the Clover Armed Airship Robbery.

Madam Tasia had prepared extensively for this heist; she hadn't relied solely on the "Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon."

The assault, the boarding, the robbery, the retreat.

The timing, the location, the personnel, the coordination.

Everything pointed to an extremely meticulous plan behind the scenes, one that wouldn't be abandoned just because of a single missing alchemical item.

And... even if Madam Tasia wanted to give up, Luke wouldn't let her.

He was looking forward to meeting her even more now.