"Wei’en, the things you picked... aside from that ring, the other two weren’t that great."

Back at Investigation Department One, Marco lamented, "If it were me, I would’ve chosen one of those Mechanical Puppets. They were just too cool."

Wei’en just smiled and didn’t say anything.

’He had originally planned to just pick the most expensive things, not the most practical ones.’

’But after the events of the last two days, he knew strength was what he needed most.’

’Gold pounds might get him some basic knowledge from the Schools...’

’But a manual left behind by a Mechanical Mage wasn’t something money could buy.’

"You missed your chance," Lisi glanced at him. "Hurry up and give me this morning’s report. I need to go ’discuss’ the preparations with Yegor."

"Already done."

Marco handed her the investigation report on the Dawn Church’s forbidden artifact, grinning shamelessly. "Officer Lisi, any other orders for me?"

"Get lost!"

"You got it." Marco scurried back to his desk and started fiddling with his hair in a mirror.

Seeing that Lisi had no further orders, Wei’en also returned to his seat to study the Wizard’s Manual.

’He had originally planned to spend more time considering which runes to brand onto his Primal Core, but now he felt there was no reason to wait.’

’One path will be the Undead Magic of the Ghost Soul School, and the other will be the way of the Mechanical Mage... This has to be the fastest way to grow stronger right now.’

...

...

Meanwhile, on the lowest level of the Secret Investigation Department’s Detention Area.

"Hee hee, hahaha..."

A short figure in a clown mask laughed maniacally, her shrill cackles betraying a deep, agonizing madness.

With every laugh, the mask’s white paint, spherical red nose, and blood-red lips seemed to twist and warp into something malevolent in the shadows.

"Praise the Dawn! Hee hee hee ha ha ha..."

Her eyes glowed with an eerie red light, like burning embers. Her gaze was utterly cruel and savage, devoid of any human emotion.

Her body was like that of a rubber doll, stretching and contorting at will. Her movements were nimble and agile, seemingly unrestricted by any skeleton.

She held two sharp daggers, brandishing them one moment and juggling them the next. They flipped and flew through the air, the blades letting out a sharp HISS as they cut through the gloom.

"Praise Orpheus, hee hee ha ha..."

The clown cried out the Lord of Dawn’s name with mocking derision, her voice thick with malice, as if she were casting a vicious curse.

Above the clown, two figures in the red uniforms of the Secret Investigation Department’s high command watched it in silence. One of them was none other than Deputy Director Balats.

"Ales, how long has it been?"

"Five hours, thirty-seven minutes, and forty-two seconds. Forty-three, forty-four..."

"Stop," Balats said, looking at him helplessly. "You and your morbid fascination."

Ales took a puff of his cigar, his voice laced with exhaustion. "You know my time is short. Counting down the seconds until death comes is the only thing left for me to do."

"Is there really no other way? Even if..."

"Spare me your pointless thoughts. How is running from death any different from those fools in the Eternal Life Association?"

Ales wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and said softly, "I just hope I can get more done before I go."

Balats looked away, unable to watch, then shifted his gaze to the figure below. "And what about her?"

"This time was just an accident..."

"Ales, you shouldn’t be so merciful."

"Perhaps,"

Ales took another puff of his cigar. "We both know she shouldn’t exist in this world. But if it weren’t for her... the entire Secret Investigation Department would have been wiped out back then."

"But you’re that confident she can control the Clown?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Balats took a deep breath. "Then what about him? That young man, Wei’en?"

Ales said thoughtfully, "He doesn’t look like the type to die young. For now, we’ll let him hold on to Tina’s contract."

"Do you need me to look out for him?"

"Not for now,"

Ales shook his head. "If he doesn’t face some trials, all the resources in the world will still only produce a failure. Let’s leave things as they are..."

As if she’d heard his words, the Clown’s silvery-white hair extended, lengthening and trailing behind as her body flipped and spun in what looked like a gorgeous, elegant dance.

"WEI’EN!!!"

...

...

Wei’en left the Secret Investigation Department carrying the silver case, looking relaxed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The contents of the Wizard’s Manual were even more comprehensive than he had imagined.

Jerry Akram. That was the Mechanical Mage’s name. He proclaimed himself the most outstanding, most brilliant Mechanical Mage of the Mechanical School, a man possessing profound knowledge and a mechanical aptitude beyond the comprehension of ordinary people...

This mountain of self-praise took up about a tenth of the manual.

’It was the first time I’d ever encountered someone so narcissistic (so shameless).’ Wei’en’s mind was so full of snarky comebacks that he had to resist the urge to curse aloud.

But setting aside the pointless fluff, the manual’s contents were exactly what he desperately needed.

The entire manual could be divided into three parts. The first part covered the apprenticeship period, which was also when Jerry Akram was at his most "modest."

He merely described himself as a "genius" thirty times, mentioned his "exceptional mechanical talent" twenty times, and declared "I’m just too good" seven or eight times.

Compared to the second part on his time as a Wizard, which contained over ten times as much bragging, it was actually quite restrained.

The third part was a collection of his experimental research related to mechanics.

After a quick skim, Wei’en gave up on the latter two parts for the time being. They were simply too abstruse and complex.

Especially the lab notes, which were mostly written in incomprehensible Gonzalez.

’Fortunately, I still have a long way to go before reaching the Wizard stage, so I’m not in any hurry.’

On the way back, Wei’en decided to splurge for once, stopping by a bakery in the middle of Dumitru District to buy some cheese and butter.

As for the price... let’s just say it wasn’t something an ordinary person could afford.

Although he preferred a proper home-cooked meal, his limited time meant he couldn’t afford to waste it on such luxuries.

Especially now, with the Wizard’s Manual and the Undead Magic knowledge he still had to acquire... there was just too much to study.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Yuan. This is a gift I got for you. Please, accept it."

Wei’en took out a beautifully wrapped gift. It was a hat he had specially chosen for Dr. Yuan, and it had cost him nearly 5 shillings.

"Oh?"

Yuan accepted it, surprised. He opened the box, took one look, then put on the hat. A grin spread across his face. "Nice. This hat will go perfectly with my formal wear."

Wei’en was also all smiles. "Thank you for recommending me for the job at the Secret Investigation Department. I hope you like the green hat."

Thinking back on his awful experiences at the Secret Investigation Department over the past two days, he felt sincerely grateful for everything Dr. Yuan had done for him.

That was why, when he’d seen the emerald-green hat, he’d felt an irresistible compulsion to buy it for Yuan.

Even though he knew perfectly well that Yuan was a bachelor...

’But just in case...’