"Don’t be in such a hurry~ I just wanted to..."

The old woman’s face slowly transformed—black hair, a captivating face, fair skin, and a sexy, bewitching figure.

She had stunningly transformed into the woman he’d seen yesterday, though her clothes were no longer that sexy leather outfit. Instead, she wore a loose, V-neck black minidress, revealing a pair of long, straight, and shapely legs standing on the stone-paved road.

"...chat with you~"

As she spoke, Clelia gestured, and a black sofa materialized behind her. She sat down elegantly, slowly crossing her legs.

Black. AHEM, AHEM, AHEM...

Wei’en stole a glance. "Chat? I don’t think we have anything to talk about."

Fortunately, the panel showed no killing intent notification, which slightly eased his tension.

"Don’t we? You were able to detect my presence, rendering my greatest advantage useless. And you got me injured by that bastard yesterday. Don’t you want to compensate me?"

Compensate?

If an ordinary person had said that, it would be one thing, but coming from a powerful expert of the Eternal Life Association...

"I’m just an ordinary Investigator from the Secret Investigation Department. I’m ugly and broke, so I really have no way to compensate you..."

Wei’en secretly raised his guard. ’I wonder how to break this Illusion Realm. Hasn’t a single person around us noticed?’

"Sit down and let’s talk~"

Clelia patted the sofa beneath her. Her impressive chest swayed with the movement, beckoning him to sit closer.

"That won’t be necessary. I’m in a hurry to get to work at the Secret Investigation Department."

Wei’en struggled to pull his gaze away from the valley it was about to fall into and said seriously, "Whatever you have to say, please say it directly. If it’s within my power, I won’t refuse."

’My life is the most important thing. I just need to get through this first.’

"You’re not coming over?" Clelia licked her lips with a hint of regret. "I was hoping to feel your warmth~"

Wei’en: "..."

’Are we sure she’s a renowned expert from the Eternal Life Association and not the headliner of Nocturnal City?’

"Oh, well. I really do have two things I need to ask of you~"

"Two things?"

Clelia propped her chin on her hand, which rested on her leg, and looked at him bewitchingly. "I heard you were the one who translated that... Era Relic about the forbidden revival?"

"Huh? How did you know?" Wei’en blurted out.

’This is supposed to be a secret. Not many people even within the Secret Investigation Department should know about this, right?’

’Besides the four of us in Investigation Department One, plus Yegor, only the high-level committee members should have access to it. And yet, she... ’

A smile spread across Clelia’s face. "I didn’t expect that besides your body, your knowledge of the Gonzalez language runs so deep."

"It was just luck."

"That wasn’t simple luck. Only someone who understands some of the Gonzalez secrets could have fully translated that relic. Especially since it records that particular item..."

’Gonzalez secrets?’

A chill ran through Wei’en. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"It’s fine if you don’t admit it,"

Clelia didn’t press the issue, instead changing the subject. "The first thing I want to ask of you is to help me translate an Era Relic."

"Translate?"

Wei’en hadn’t expected that the first person to come knocking on his door for business would be someone from outside the Secret Investigation Department.

"This is it,"

Clelia held out her hand, and a thick tome appeared in it.

The book’s cover was made of dark red leather, filled with the fine texture of skin. A Hexagram rune, simple in design, was carved into the leather.

However, embedded in the center of the Hexagram was a black Gemstone that emitted a faint, eerie glow, making it look highly unusual.

"This relic records a part of the true history of the Third Era. I hope you can translate it for me in its entirety."

Wei’en frowned and looked at her seriously. "Why me? I don’t believe that with the power of the Eternal Life Association, you don’t have scholars skilled in the Gonzalez language."

"Of course we do, plenty of them. But~"

Clelia’s gaze fell upon the tome, or more accurately, on the Gemstone. "This is from my private collection. Having you translate it is most appropriate."

"Don’t worry, I won’t have you do it for free. As long as you agree to help me, I can do one thing for you. Anything at all, you know~"

Anything at all?

Wei’en raised an eyebrow. "Does that include becoming my servant?"

"Servant?" Clelia looked at him, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "The kind where we sign a Master-Servant Contract?"

"Of course, I mean..."

[You have been targeted by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s killing intent. Evaluation: Watch your words. You are facing her real body, not a puppet. Reward: Survival Points +5.]

"...I was just kidding. AHEM, AHEM, AHEM. Let me think about it. Why don’t you tell me the second thing first."

’So this is her real body, not one of those flesh-and-blood puppets... Why didn’t you say something so important sooner?!’

’Good heavens, I was just trying to test how badly Clelia wanted this...’

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Wei’en’s back, drenching his clothes.

"The second thing is even simpler for you,"

Clelia rolled her eyes coquettishly, toying with the Era Relic as she huffed, "I want you to tell me about every case the Secret Investigation Department encounters for the foreseeable future."

"Every case? What do you want that for?"

Wei’en cursed inwardly. ’Why does everyone treat me like an Intelligence Officer?’

"I just want to learn more about the strange occurrences in the Caster City State. You wouldn’t refuse, would you? Investigator Wei’en~"

"Well..."

"2 gold pounds per case!"

"Hm?"

Clelia said with a beaming smile, "I just happened to overhear... 5 shillings a day... I wonder how sad the Dawn Church’s Holy Favored would be if she found out the truth~"

Wei’en: "..."

’This is a threat, isn’t it?’

"It’s not impossible, but that price is too low. I am a very upright Investigator, after all."

"5 gold pounds per case. I don’t need all of them, just the ones you have access to~"

"Deal."

Clelia smiled and handed him the Era Relic. "And what about this?"

Wei’en looked at the relic, hesitated for a moment, then took it. "I’ll agree to this too, but your terms are too low. One favor isn’t enough; I want three. And we need to sign a contract."

"Three? No problem! As for the contract..."

As she spoke, Clelia pulled a piece of parchment from the depths of her cleavage. "I already prepared it. Until the contract is fulfilled, you don’t have to worry about me making a move on you."

Wei’en scanned the contents of the parchment, focusing on the details of the deal and the penalties for breaching the contract, before signing his name.

"By the ancient God of Contract, Yog Fred..."

[Under the witness of the God of Contract, Yog Fred, you have signed a contract of equals with Clelia Yuli Biondini. Evaluation: Please protect your chastity. Special Reward: Survival Points +3, Spirit Level +1, Resilience Level +1]

[You have learned the name of the God of Contract, Yog Fred. Yog Fred’s attention toward you +1. Current Ranking: ???. Evaluation: A self-proclaimed fair and just... piece of trash. Special Reward: Source +1.]

PS: The next Chapter will be a bit late, before 2 AM. I’m giving myself a longer window this time.