Luke hadn't expected the Imperial Secret Agents to notice the items he'd deliberately mixed in among a large purchase when he bought his supplies—the ones related to summoning the Red Dragon.
But the "heart" had been destroyed after Red Dragon Nilcolon was summoned. He couldn't hand it over even if he wanted to.
Better to play dumb. After all, the Red Dragon had already been dismembered and was lying in Clear Sky's Spatial Backpack.
What could happen?
If he had to take responsibility, then he'd take responsibility!
Luke replied calmly, "Oh, I understand..."
Kailina, unaware of what was really going on, said anxiously, "Detective Chief, if we can't catch Clear Sky, I'm afraid City Hall will use this as an excuse to cut off our funding."
There they went, docking his pay again!
Luke said to Kailina, "Tell City Hall that neither Clear Sky nor the Red Dragon is something the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau can deal with.
The items were stolen in the Central District, and Clear Sky bought the summoning materials there. No matter how you look at it, it's not our Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau's job to solve this case.
I just took office and I'm still unfamiliar with the work. I'm not capable of taking responsibility for such a major case.
Besides... there's no target in the Cape District worth using a Red Dragon against."
After hearing Luke's last sentence, Kailina asked quietly, "Detective Chief, is it really appropriate to reply to City Hall like that?"
"Reply exactly that way. I'll take responsibility for the consequences. City Hall is pressuring us like this because they want to divert our attention and energy from the Mad Axe Gang, so they can help those people at the Security Bureau fight for the docks at Cape Port.
They don't expect us to catch Clear Sky and find that 'heart.'
Those parasites!
City Hall will definitely do everything it can to cut our funding in the future. We need to speed up the production and sale of potions. Come up with a reliable cash-flow plan; we'll tackle the branch's funding problems first."
"Yes, Detective Chief!"
Sigh...
Being an agent in the Cape District was so stifling.
The Empire's Royal Secret Intelligence Bureau was a secret service agency directly under the Imperial Family, with enormous authority. Government departments everywhere else in the Empire treated the Secret Intelligence Bureau with the utmost caution, afraid of offending them and getting invited in for questioning.
But in Raging Wave City, City Hall actually dared to assign cases to the Secret Intelligence Bureau—and even dared to say that "you" would be responsible for the consequences.
If this detective chief had to take responsibility, it would be to the Imperial Family!
The roles had been reversed in Raging Wave City. It was all the fault of those sugar-coated shells.
The standard salary for an ordinary Imperial Secret Agent was 6,000 to 7,000 Imperial Marks a month.
In other parts of the Empire, that counted as a well-paid job.
But in Raging Wave City... Imperial Secret Agents received not only their basic salary from the Empire, but also a city allowance.
An ordinary agent's monthly income shot up to over 20,000.
Agents with official positions took home even more.
Shelley had arrived at the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau fresh out of prison. After working there for just eight years, she'd been able to buy a detached house outright.
She even had a classic steam-powered motorcycle.
That showed just how much money there was to skim.
Of course, the city didn't pay Imperial Secret Agents so much for nothing. City Hall's biggest demand of the Imperial Secret Intelligence Bureau was... to do no work.
They just had to clock in on time every day, drink tea, read the paper, play cards, and shoot the breeze. Then they'd get paid.
And if they did what City Hall told them, they could make even more money.
That was how Raging Wave City used its formidable economic power to turn every Secret Intelligence Bureau branch in the city into part of its own interest group.
The Empire wanted to clean up Raging Wave City, but the city had been made as solid as a single iron plate. There was no way in.
Officials sent there either went along with the corruption or met an untimely end.
Luke felt that, at the rate he was going, his own untimely end wasn't far off.
What he needed to do now was use money to build an equally solid "fortress" for himself in the Cape District.
Establishing the Blazing Sun Smuggling Group and tying more people to this fledgling venture had been his first step.
Next...
He'd already done everything he could about Mad Axe Gang Headquarters. Reinforcements and the High-Efficiency Berserk Potions would arrive before curfew. Whether they won after that was beyond his control.
All he could do was improve his own strength as much as possible.
The Troll Bloodline had given him a solid foundation, but it was only raw physical strength. To make the most of it and grow stronger, he still needed to build a proper combat system on that foundation.
It was like playing a game. He had the levels now, but he still needed to improve his skill levels and gear.
Luke planned out his evening's activities, then pretended to make an inspection while wandering aimlessly around the precinct, slacking off until nightfall.
The 500 bottles of High-Efficiency Berserk Potion were delivered right on schedule, then sent on to Mad Axe Gang Headquarters.
Last night, despite lacking manpower and medicine, Lambert had managed to hold the place.
Tonight, they had people and medicine. All Luke had to do was wait for tomorrow's show.
After dinner, Luke went back to his dorm, flopped onto his bed, and logged in.
Logging in as Clear Sky... It was starting to feel more and more like playing games at night, just like before.
Tonight's target: the Central District.
You want me to take responsibility?
I'm coming!
Bonar, captain of the Second Special Task Force of the Secret Intelligence Bureau's Raging Wave City Central Branch, led a squad of Imperial Secret Agents on patrol along the street.
In the past, these agents would have found somewhere to enjoy their nightlife long ago. But ever since the "Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon" had been stolen from the City Alchemist Association, the whole city had been on high alert.
It was a real dragon!
If someone released it in the city, even for just ten minutes, the destruction it could cause would be unimaginable.
For the past few days, the city's powerful and wealthy had been pressuring City Hall to recover the stolen "heart" as soon as possible and protect the lives of the taxpayers.
Of course, City Hall wasn't going to pin such a major case entirely on the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau. Everyone knew how the Cape District Secret Intelligence Bureau handled cases.
The Security Bureau and Secret Intelligence Bureau in every district of the city had been mobilized to hunt down the suspect, the Elf Clear Sky.
They'd especially increased patrols near wealthy neighborhoods at night to protect the powerful and wealthy.
"Captain, you found a lead on the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon' yesterday. Did the detective chief give you a reward?"
"A reward? I'd be lucky if I didn't get chewed out." Bonar chatted with his subordinates as they walked. "The detective chief asked me why I hadn't arrested the suspect on the spot! Sigh..."
One of the agents grumbled, "The detective chief should try dealing with that situation himself. I was so cold I couldn't feel a thing. She could've killed me with a single slash."
Another agent said, still shaken, "I heard that Elf killed over a hundred people in the Cape District in one night, then froze all of them into ice sculptures for everyone to see. If the captain hadn't stopped her in time last night, we'd all be dead..."
"That's right! That Elf was terrifyingly strong... and beautiful, too!"
"Exactly, she was gorgeous. I've never seen such a beautiful Elf. Especially when the frost swirled around her—I was completely captivated."
"You were captivated too? If only she weren't an assassin!"
Just as the squad's conversation turned from the Elf's strength to her looks, an agent came running quickly from the other end of the street.
"Captain, that Elf from yesterday has appeared again. She's up ahead... Looks like she's waiting for the bus to Aolu Academy."
Before you continue