"Does he think I’ll just bow my head to him for doing this?" Lisi ground her teeth. "If there’s a next time, I’ll show him the consequences of pissing me off!"

"You handle it." Marco placed the mutated flesh on her desk and returned to his seat, even whistling a cheerful tune.

Wei’en also nodded to her before going back to his own seat and tinkering with the materials in his case for building a Mechanical Puppet.

As for the materials for making Magic Potions, he had already placed them in his Space Ring for special storage back in Nocturnal City.

Besides being rare and expensive, some of the materials—like the essence of a Vengeful Spirit and the Sea Octopus—had corrupting properties and were not suited for being jostled around.

The Mechanical Puppet he was about to build was called the [Iron Heart Fury].

Back in Jerry’s era, it was the most common Mechanical Puppet used by Wizard Apprentices of the Mechanical School.

Its greatest strength was its powerful attack. It could even be enhanced to the level of an Official Mage’s Combat Puppet, making it viable even after reaching the Wizard stage.

Its Core Rune Array had two functions: "Unyielding Heart" and "Raging Burst," providing decent defensive capabilities while maintaining combat strength.

Therefore, after comparing several Mechanical Puppets available during the apprentice period that were recorded in the journal, Wei’en chose this one for his first Mechanical Puppet.

However, due to his limited funds, the materials he bought were only enough to build the frame of the [Iron Heart Fury].

’Right, the tools for puppet-making also took a chunk of my money...’

After organizing all the materials, Wei’en began to draw on a piece of parchment. He needed to sketch out the puppet’s general appearance first to avoid fumbling during assembly.

In the construction of a Mechanical Puppet, all connection points are the nodal points of a Rune Array.

Any deviation could not only cause the puppet’s construction to fail but, more seriously, lead to a faulty Array connection... or even an explosion.

According to Jerry, only a genius puppet-type Wizard like him could succeed on the first try.

Most apprentices needed a lot of practice, memorizing every component of the Mechanical Puppet until they knew it by heart, before they could even begin construction.

However, that wasn’t the reason Wei’en was being so obedient.

It was because a small portion of the apprentices who failed ended up as test subjects for the apprentices of the "Transformation School"... which was rather terrifying.

So, to ensure a successful outcome, Wei’en decided to follow Jerry’s advice and diligently study every detail of the Iron Heart Fury, recording everything.

DONG, DONG DONG...

The first afternoon bell rang from Krimms Cathedral, reminding people throughout the city-state that it was time to start returning to their homes or other safe areas.

’Four o’clock? Quitting time, quitting time.’

Marco immediately packed his things, ran over to Lisi, and handed her the final report. He asked tentatively, "Officer Lisi, could I possibly have back the money you’re... holding for me..."

Lisi took the report and shot him a look. "Oh?"

"Never mind... I’m outta here, Wei’en."

With that, Marco gave Wei’en a listless wave and left the office.

Wei’en packed his things as well, grabbed his case, and stood up. "Sister Lisi, I’m heading home too."

"Mhm."

Lisi seemed to be in a bad mood. Ever since they had returned, she had remained leaning back in her chair, occasionally frowning.

"Oh."

Wei’en didn’t ask any more questions and headed straight for the door.

"Wait."

Wei’en looked at her, confused. "What is it?"

Lisi took something out of her desk drawer and handed it to him. "I almost forgot to give you this." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Wei’en took it and looked. ’A metal box, about the size of a car key fob?’

"What is this?"

"I specifically requested this from Yegor for you. Keep it on you at all times. If you’re attacked by Clelia again, press the button, and I’ll be there immediately."

’A panic button?’

Wei’en put it in his pocket. "Thanks."

This put him a little more at ease.

’Although, if I really ran into Clelia, it probably wouldn’t be much help...’

"Don’t mention it,"

Lisi waved her hand. "Speaking of which, you’ve been on two missions now. Starting tomorrow, I’ll take you out on a few more and teach you some of the things you need to look out for."

"That would be great."

Wei’en knew he had passed the so-called ’rookie assessment’ and had become an official Investigator.

Just as Marco had said, he was now officially accepted by the Logistics and Investigation Department and could enjoy the perks of an Investigator.

This included, but was not limited to, replenishments of various Magic Potions and a greater share of the department’s resources.

"Alright, go on home. We’ll talk more at work tomorrow."

After thanking her again, Wei’en left the Secret Investigation Department with a spring in his step.

’No matter how you look at it, this is a good start, isn’t it?’

On the way, Wei’en made a special trip to a shop run by the Dawn Church outside the Cathedral district, where he spent 15 shillings on five candles.

Looking at the less than 1 gold pound he had left, a thought couldn’t help but pop into his head: ’If I could forge these candles, wouldn’t I be rich?’

The answer, of course, was yes.

But unfortunately, it seemed the materials used to make these candles were only available through the Dawn Church...

Wei’en glanced at the distant Cathedral and pursed his lips.

’If I get the chance, I’m definitely going to study the secrets of these candles and lanterns.’

’No particular reason. I just hate a monopoly.’

...

...

When he returned to Golden Street, Wei’en was surprised to find the Yian Clinic closed, which made him feel a little disappointed.

’Without seeing Sister Kali’s holy and kind face, how am I supposed to drive away the image of Mitra...’

Just then,

[You have been scanned by Ognian Sherman’s Spiritual Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

’Ognian Sherman?’

’If I remember correctly, isn’t that the guy who showed killing intent toward me during this morning’s attack?’

Wei’en froze for a moment, then casually looked left and right, his expression natural. "I was hoping to scrounge a free meal, but it looks like I won’t be saving that money today."

Muttering to himself, he turned and opened the door to his building.

In the instant he closed the door behind him, he scanned the outside one more time.

’No one?’

Instead of going upstairs to his bedroom, Wei’en remained where he was, focusing his senses to listen for any sound from outside.

His Spiritual Power was much stronger than before, and with the boost from his Source, his hearing was sharp enough to pick up sounds within a five-hundred-meter radius.

After a moment, Wei’en frowned. ’Still nothing?’

’Either my opponent’s power far exceeds my own, allowing them to get close without me noticing, or they’re too far away...’

But either way, this person’s presence here was not a good sign.

It was now nearly six o’clock, the time when the red moon was about to appear.

After a moment of thought, Wei’en turned and went back to the attic.

This time, he did not deactivate the Rune Array, hoping to use the Array’s power to immediately detect if anyone tried to break in.

"Sigh, I’m still too weak."

’Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to be so worried. I could just rush out and grab the guy.’