Money, When Do We Settle Up?

"But the fact that you thought of all that is already impressive."

Lacy looked at Wei En, a trace of approval showing in her eyes. Only a clever investigator could live long.

Marco nodded in agreement. "It really is impressive. You're almost catching up to me."

"Actually, I only just arrived at Investigation Division One. It hasn't even been half a day." Wei En pointed at the uniform he was wearing and said with a smile.

"...If you hadn't said so, I'd have thought you'd been in the Investigation Department for a long time. Have you really never done work similar to the Secret Investigation Bureau before?"

"No. I have read a few detective novels, though."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "The demon hunter Conan Doyle's Demon Detective Holmes Series?"

"Huh, you've read it too?"

"Loyal fan. I have Conan Doyle's personal autograph—"

Bang!

Lacy smacked him. "Marco, we're working right now. Cut the nonsense!"

Marco clutched his head and squatted on the floor, his face twisted in pain.

If he could beat her right now, he would absolutely have stood up and "resisted."

"Wei En, is there really no better way?"

Wei En thought for a moment, then said, "It's not that there's no way at all... but what I say may not be entirely accurate."

Lacy's eyes lit up. "Let's hear it."

"According to what's written on the parchment, the price of using 'it' is the spirits and blood of three thousand people, but right now only three hundred or so people have gone missing in the slums..."

No matter what that person's goal was, the price for using forbidden object 0-34, Resurrection Coffin, was unavoidable.

As long as they guarded the source, they would definitely discover something.

Lacy caught on. "Meaning more people will go missing?"

The appearance of a new forbidden object had shaken her too much, making her overlook such an obvious clue.

"Mm," Wei En nodded. "If this condition is real..."

"He still dares to continue? He really doesn't take our Secret Investigation Bureau seriously, huh?" Marco stuck both hands in his pockets and deliberately put on a dashing air. "Isn't he afraid of punishment from this heroic investigator, My Lord?"

"A heroic investigator? You?"

Lacy glanced at him. "Then can I leave this case entirely to you? For a heroic investigator like you, closing the case in two days should be fine, right?"

"Don't, I was just joking." Marco gave a few dry laughs.

"Hmph."

Lacy rolled her eyes, then looked at the parchment and said, "Then I'll go report to Yegor first and see if he has any better ideas."

Reporting according to what Wei En had said was indeed much more reasonable than her previous plan of charging straight to Yegor and saying "the case is solved."

At the very least, the case now had a direction for the investigation.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Wei En hurriedly raised his hand. "I do."

"You thought of some good method?" Lacy looked at him expectantly.

"Ah, no." Wei En rubbed his hands together and smiled shyly. "Captain, about the translation funds—when do you think they can be settled?"

Lacy: "..."

Marco: "..."

The office instantly fell silent.

The white-haired girl looked around in confusion. "Funds. Tina wants."

Lacy stared at him for quite a while before finally sighing. "Wei En, next time something like this happens, you can just say it directly."

Then she took a wallet from her pocket, counted out three banknotes with a face value of one gold pound each, and stuffed one of them into Tina's hand. "This is for Tina, as a reward for you using 'spirit vision.'"

"Wei En, this is yours... two gold pounds!"

Hm?

Why had she deliberately stressed that?

Was she saying this money was a hard-won funding reward, so he should spend it sparingly?

Of course. This money absolutely had to be spent on the back of the blade!

Wei En hurriedly took the money and said with a radiant smile, "Thank you, Captain. Don't forget me next time there's something this good. I do have some experience with Gonzalez Language."

Making money really wasn't easy. Not only did he have to translate the contents, he also had to rack his brains to find a direction for solving the case...

Lacy smiled stiffly and squeezed a sentence through her teeth. "I'll have plenty of chances to trouble you in the future."

Heaven knew she had nearly ground her teeth to pieces.

Well, well... He made money and didn't mention paying her back at all, huh?

Sigh.

Forget it, forget it.

They were all colleagues from Division One, and what was more, he was a rare scholar skilled in the Gonzalez Language.

With the ability he had shown by translating a sheet of parchment in less than an hour, the entire Investigation Department ought to put him on a pedestal.

Two gold pounds... my two gold pounds...

Lacy turned and left the office with a melancholy look on her face.

Marco watched her retreating figure and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with her?"

Wei En counted the two banknotes several times before putting them into his pocket, then said casually, "Women, you know. There are always a few days every month when they don't feel well."

Speaking of which, after spending half a day with them, he had basically figured out the personalities and working styles of the people in Division One.

Lacy had a straightforward personality and acted in a carefree, rough-and-ready way.

It was clear from the files earlier that she was better at solving cases by charging straight in. Simply put, she used her hands more than her head.

As for Marco, well, he was somewhat simple-minded.

As for Tina... she was a little mysterious, and her personality was also very strange. She was the type he had never encountered before.

"Wei En, how do you know so much?"

"You don't know?" Wei En froze for a moment.

Marco shook his head. "I know a little about other girls, but Lacy... I rarely see her like this."

Wei En said guiltily, "Maybe this case is too difficult. She's under a bit too much pressure."

Could it be that women in this world didn't have periods?

Thinking back to last night's wet dream, it wasn't exactly impossible.

"Maybe."

A smile appeared on Marco's face again. He stepped forward, slung an arm around Wei En's shoulders, and said, "Wei En, this is the first time I've ever seen a rookie as impressive as you. Want to go to Never-Night City together tonight?"

Wei En said honestly, "Tonight? Yesterday, the captain did say she'd take me out tonight to experience Kaster's nightlife."

"Her? Take you to experience nightlife?"

"What's wrong?"

Marco clutched his stomach and laughed. "Wei En, you—you've been tricked by her. What would she know about places for nightlife? Haha..."

"Huh? She doesn't?"

"Of—of course not."

It took Marco quite a while to recover before he said with a mysterious expression, "I'm telling you, but don't you tell her."

Wei En nodded repeatedly. "Mm-hmm."

"Before, Lacy wanted to experience nightlife and insisted that Rogeret and I take her."

Marco fought back his laughter as he said, "So the two of us just found a random place and took her to play cards all night."

"Cards?"

"Roland Thirteen. It's a very popular game around Shatland. I'll take you to see it later."

It sounded something like Texas hold'em.

Then Wei En looked at him suspiciously. "So where did you take her?"

"Rogeret and I pooled three gold pounds, rented out a two-story building, and held a midnight reception."

"Why didn't you take her to that Never-Night City place?"

"Shh!"

Marco tilted his head to glance at Tina not far away, then whispered, "That's a place only men can go. If Lacy found out, she'd definitely tear it down."

"I get it."

Wei En suddenly understood. So it was that kind of place. "Then take me there sometime."

"No problem. As long as you don't tell Lacy what kind of programs they have there, I'll take you."

"Mm-hmm, of course I won't. But the two of you really spent a lot to keep her from finding out. Three gold pounds..."

They really were willing to pay the price. That much money could be exchanged for Alchemy.

"You don't get it, do you?"

Marco said smugly, "The reception cost quite a bit, but we also charged five gold pounds for the tickets. Speaking of which, I have to thank Lacy. She let Rogeret and me discover a new way to make money."

Just then, Lacy pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing the two of them like that, she asked suspiciously, "What way to make money?"

Marco reacted quickly. "Ah, nothing. I was just saying that since Wei En knows the Gonzalez Language, he can totally make money..."

"Right, right. That's what we were saying."

Wei En guiltily touched his nose. He had purely wanted to go to Never-Night City to see what it was like; he hadn't meant to deceive anyone.

Lacy looked at the two of them suspiciously, then turned to the white-haired girl. "Tina?"

The white-haired girl tilted her head and looked at them, then briefly repeated, "Tina heard. They're going to Never-Night City. They tricked Lacy before. It wasn't nightlife!"

"Ti—Tina..."

Marco's face turned ashen. He had forgotten there was still someone present who didn't know how to lie... He was dead.