Chapter 175: Chapter 108: Give Me Back My Hard-Earned Money
At the mention of this, Clelia looked resentful, indignation brewing within her.
’I worked so hard to reach this level, yet it was completely ineffective against a Wizard Apprentice...’
"Why don’t you find them first, and then we’ll talk."
Wei’en didn’t bring up the matter of cooperation again. His strength was only at the captain level; getting involved in this would make him little more than cannon fodder.
’The right move is to find a way to pass the information to the higher-ups. Let the big shots in the city state get a headache over it.’
Besides, just as he’d said, if he really ran into some irreversible danger, he could just up and leave.
’Live and die with Caster? Now that would be crazy.’
"Just you wait..."
Clelia gave him a deep, meaningful look, then turned and vanished into the shadows, apparently determined to find every last one of the parasite hosts.
’She’s actually going?’
Wei’en shook his head. He just couldn’t figure out how that woman’s mind worked.
After eating, he washed up, changed into a set of clean clothes, and went to his workshop.
For once, Miss Zombie wasn’t waiting in the bedroom; instead, she was right by his side.
Wei’en looked at her curiously. "Something on your mind?"
"So... are you sure you don’t want to experiment on me?" Shawa asked, head lowered, squeezing the words out in her grating, metallic voice.
"...I’m positive. However, I have another job for you."
"Name it." Miss Zombie lifted her head to glare at him.
Wei’en had the driver summon the Mechanical Gate. He pointed at the Type-Zero that emerged and said, "Your task is to teach him some common knowledge."
"What kind?"
"Just teach him everything you know. And I mean about the real world, not the Undead Realm."
"Alright." Shawa beckoned to Type-Zero. "Come with me."
"Baba?" Type-Zero looked from Wei’en to the oddly moving Miss Zombie, its expression one of pure curiosity.
"Go on. Be a good student."
The driver also flew up to the Mechanical Puppet’s face and stared at it sternly. "You need to study hard, understand?"
"Mhm."
Once the undead and the Mechanical Life had left the workshop, Wei’en couldn’t help but sigh. ’Finally got them out of my hair.’
’What a weird fixation... wanting me to experiment on her every day. I’m not some kind of pervert.’
’Only seven o’clock...’
Wei’en pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. ’The gathering tonight is at ten, isn’t it?’
’Still plenty of time...’
He looked at the various tools in his workshop, pondering his next move.
Ultimately, he had to face the frustrating reality that with no money in his pocket, there was nothing for him to do besides study the runology and knowledge of Magic Potions in his head, or read through Jerry’s notes.
’Whatever. I might as well send a few token reports to my handlers.’
With that thought, he took out the "typewriter" and began to tap away at the keys.
"August 17, 1578 of the New Era. Weather: clear. Caster City State remains peaceful, as usual, aside from the discovery of a Bone-Eating Worm infestation..."
’This is the last time,’ he thought.
’If intel on something like the Abyssal Sect only gets me 6 pence, I’m going on strike!’
CLINK. CLINK.
"Huh? Ten... ten gold pounds?!"
Wei’en stared at the ten 1-gold-pound coins in the blue and white box. ’What’s going on?’
Receiving these ten gold pounds was an even bigger shock than when he’d only gotten 6 pence...
’Did that Liaison Officer go crazy, just like little Miss Zombie and Clelia? Did they take the wrong medicine or something?’
’And there’s a letter...’
"Dear Intelligence Officer of Caster City State, thank you for your report. Please continue to monitor the Bone-Eating Mother Worm situation. —Saral Brand, Klande Intelligence Department."
’Saral?’
’Have they changed the Liaison Officer?’
Wei’en stared at the gold pounds, thinking for a long moment, his expression growing darker and darker.
’If I’m not mistaken, the payments for all my previous reports... they were all shamefully skimmed!’
’That bastard!’
’That damn former Liaison Officer! How dare they skim money from a hardworking, low-level Intelligence Officer like me?’
Give me back my hard-earned money!!
...
...
What he didn’t know, however, was that at this very moment, the woman about to become his *former* Liaison Officer, a Ms. Olivia Tapia, was on a Steam Airship heading for Caster City State.
"I’m coming for you, you shameless little salary thief... you Mutated Mage who’s strayed onto a wicked path..."
Olivia gazed at the red moon outside the window, the same smile gracing all three of her beautiful faces.
