After Yegor left, Marco, grinning, slung an arm around Wei’en and exclaimed, "That was amazing! You just got here and you’re already getting a Level Two mission reward."

Wei’en glanced at him and said softly, "Why don’t you try taking a stroll through Krimms Cathedral?"

Recalling his experience in the Cathedral, he still felt a lingering fear. It had been far too dangerous. If the Director hadn’t saved him at the last moment, he would have been corrupted by the Dawn faith by now.

"I think I’ll pass. I hope I never get a mission like that. You have no idea, when Tina suddenly fainted, it scared the hell out of us."

Tina?

Wei’en looked around. "Right, where did Tina go?"

He had wanted to ask this question before the debriefing began.

But with several high-ranking committee members present at the time, he hadn’t found the right opportunity.

’But the notification on the panel said Tina had already recovered from her inert state...’

"Don’t worry, Tina’s fine, but she’ll need to rest for a while before she can come back."

"Rest? Is she injured?"

"She..."

Lisi cut in, "Marco, go write up the report on this case."

"Shouldn’t Wei’en be the one... Alright, I’m on it."

Marco saw the look in her eyes, shrank back, and scurried to his desk, picking up a quill to start writing.

An ominous feeling washed over Wei’en. He looked at Lisi and asked, "Is something wrong with Tina?"

Lisi didn’t answer, instead looking at him with a complicated expression. "I’m sorry, Wei’en. I didn’t expect the mission to have this kind of complication. It almost cost you your life."

"I understand. It was just an accident." Wei’en shook his head. "I still want to know what happened to Tina."

Seeing his persistence, Lisi replied helplessly, "Tina’s condition did take a turn... but her situation is very complex. It’s not something we can interfere with."

Wei’en suddenly remembered that Tina was a calamity-type with a tendency for mutation. ’Could it be...’

"Is it because... she’s mutating?"

Lisi sighed and reassured him, "Yes, but for now, it’s just the risk of mutation. As long as it’s handled properly, she’ll be back soon."

Wei’en nodded. That explained it.

’But there was no notification on the panel about the contract being broken. Can that still lead to mutation?’

’Or was it caused by the corrosion of the Dawn faith’s power?’

Whatever the case, he had put Tina in a difficult position this time.

Besides, if she hadn’t fainted, perhaps the Demon Clown wouldn’t have appeared... This time, he owed Tina one.

Thinking of Melbel, for the first time in his life, Wei’en felt the urge to kill.

Lisi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Besides the contamination from the Dawn faith, did anything else happen?"

"No."

Wei’en shook his head. He knew what Lisi was asking.

On the way back, he had thought it through very clearly. Melbel hadn’t attacked him because she discovered he was a heretic or a Secret Investigation Officer. It was simply because of Kali...

Therefore, this was his private business!

"That’s good. I was worried you’d been affected."

"I wasn’t... Can I ask, how was I rescued?"

"I’m not sure either. When we brought Tina to Yegor, he just told us to go back to the office and wait. The next thing we knew, he was sending Marco to pick you up." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Wei’en said thoughtfully, "I see..."

’It seems the matter of using the Demon Clown hasn’t reached the logistics department.’

’Combined with what Deputy Director Balats said earlier, he could be sure that very few people knew about this.’

’It was even possible that some members of the high-ranking committee didn’t know the truth...’

Thinking of this, Wei’en composed himself and asked, "What is the Level Two mission reward? I noticed that high-ranking official named Dorff didn’t seem too happy about it."

"It’s not a specific item, but a reward list categorized by item level that the Department maintains."

Lisi’s face broke into a smile. "It includes not only special weapons and equipment, but also all sorts of precious Extraordinary materials, and even Era Relics."

"And a Level Two mission reward means you can pick a maximum of three items from that list. If the items you choose are too valuable, you might only be able to pick one."

"When the time comes, don’t be shy. Take whatever you want."

Wei’en raised an eyebrow. "Three items, or one? When can I claim them?"

He was eager to get his hands on the mission rewards, hoping there would be something he could use right now.

"Don’t be so hasty. Wait until I finish filling out the request form and get Yegor’s signature. I’ll take you there myself. Otherwise, those bastards from the Property Management Department will definitely give you a hard time."

"Alright."

Wei’en knew his power was too weak right now. If he were strong enough, he wouldn’t have been so easily dragged into some Spring of Faith.

...

...

By the time Lisi got the stamped request form, it was already two in the afternoon.

It turned out that the request for a Level Two mission reward required not only the signature of Yegor, the head of the logistics department, but also a stamp from the high-ranking committee.

"Marco, why are you tagging along?" Lisi groused, playfully punching the trendy, red-haired man.

"Hey, I just want to broaden my horizons. I’ve been in Department One for so long, but I’ve never been there..."

A smile touched Wei’en’s lips as he watched the two of them bicker.

To be honest, Lisi and Marco were both extremely professional when on a mission, but back at the Secret Investigation Department...

...the two of them were always laughing and joking around.

He had quietly asked Marco about this during lunch.

He remembered how Marco had looked at him, surprised. "A mission is a mission, and life is life. Just because we see all that misfortune, does that mean our own lives have to be depressing too?"

That answer was very Marco...

Wei’en thought for a long time and finally understood their perspective.

Working for the Secret Investigation Department was inherently filled with danger, misfortune, and even a great deal of criticism.

They didn’t want—nor did they hope—for their own lives to become a continuation of that misfortune...

"Lisi, what are you doing here again?"

The person who received them was Somlay again. He looked at the three of them, annoyed. "Don’t you know the Property Management Department is involved in multiple classified research projects? You can’t just come and go as you please."

"Give me a break. Who knows if you’re actually doing research or just slacking off?"

With a look of utter contempt, Lisi shoved the request form into his chest. "Level Two mission reward. Lead the way."

"Level Two what?"

Somlay looked at the request form in his hands, his mouth forming an "O" in surprise. "What kind of mission did you run to get this?"

"None of your business. Like you said—classified!"

After reading the name on the form, Somlay pointed at Wei’en. "Lisi, are you sure you have the right form? If I remember correctly, he just joined your Department One, right?"

"What, you don’t believe me? Then how about you don’t believe this stamp? Take a good look: Balats Carteright!"

Wei’en watched their verbal sparring with a faint smile.

In fact, he was quite curious about the Property Management Department himself.

To be able to occupy the most lavish office building in the Secret Investigation Department and have such a terrible attitude toward other departments, they must hold something extremely important in their hands.

To put it another way, they reminded him of the finance department at companies in his previous life.

"...Follow me."

Somlay knew the request form couldn’t be a fake; he was just acting out of habit.

"These bastards are all like this. They treat everything in the Department as their own precious collection. Taking even one thing out of there makes them feel like they’re losing a limb."

Marco laughed. "If you’re going to blame someone, blame the higher-ups for treating the Property Management Department too well. It’s given them a bizarre sense of superiority."

Wei’en suppressed a laugh. ’When it comes to roasting people, these two are the masters.’

"Hey, hey! Can you two at least not talk trash about us right in front of me?" Somlay said, his patience wearing thin. "Besides, your logistics department is just a bunch of gofers. What right do you have to talk about us?"

"Gofers?" Lisi clenched her fists, her teeth grinding. "Say that again if you have the guts."

"I... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. We’re here. This is the collection room. I’m warning you, do not touch anything inside randomly. There’s a Defense Array."

Somlay stiffly turned his head away. He wasn’t about to pick a fight with this she-dragon.

’That would be no different from picking a fight with one of the muscle-heads from the Combat Department. A pure death wish...’