Rewind to a few hours ago.
Before those two uninvited guests, Xia'an and Dabu, pushed open the heavy doors of the Siren’s Song.
Hastings Port, Seventh Agency Branch Building.
Sir Vere sat behind mountains of case files, rubbing his temples in irritation.
His original plan was to find that Moon Lord believer named Elias in this port city.
His intention was simple.
He wanted to have a "friendly" chat with the man in his official capacity.
The subject of the conversation, naturally, was that horrific cultist murder on the beach.
While Firth had been confirmed as a member of the Mist Veil Society...
But!
What exactly was the deal with that giant mutated siren?
That question was like a fishbone stuck firmly in the throats of everyone at the Hastings Port Branch.
To this day, they still hadn't received a definitive answer.
It wasn't that they hadn't tracked the monster's trail.
On the contrary, the investigators had practically turned the port's sewers upside down.
Those normally aloof investigators had held their noses, wading through ankle-deep, foul-smelling sludge.
They had tracked it all the way from the underground sewage system of Hastings Port to the outskirts of the city.
They followed it until they reached the vicinity of the wide Harpoon River to the east.
Then, the trail went cold.
Supposedly, the Harpoon River originated near the central mountain range in the interior.
Its tributaries were intricate, passing through several towns and cities of various sizes.
Once a mutant monster like that entered the vast and complex inland water system of the Kingdom of Velen...
It was practically like looking for a needle in a haystack.
It was almost impossible to find.
Over the next few days...
Sir Vere led his men, ruling out every possible coastal hiding spot for the siren until their eyes were ringed with dark circles.
Just as he let out a long sigh, intending to apply to headquarters to issue a maximum-level warning to all Seventh Agency branches in every town...
Warning them to be wary of an escaped monster that could crawl out of a toilet at any moment.
Unexpectedly, a letter landed on his desk.
News from Hope County.
The siren had been killed.
As Sir Vere read that brief battle report, he felt his blood pressure spike.
He was curious to the extreme about the origin of that siren.
He was even more filled with a desire to investigate the battle that had taken place in the Hope County sewers.
Because in that perfunctory battle report...
It was written in just a few sparse lines: The Hope County Branch, together with a "concerned citizen," had worked together to eliminate the siren.
A concerned citizen?
Sir Vere looked at those words and let out a cold laugh.
What kind of concerned citizen goes down into the sewers to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a siren?
He couldn't see the detailed combat process at all.
However...
Sir Vere leaned back in his leather chair, unable to stop himself from complaining inwardly.
Seriously.
That siren really freaking loved the sewers!
Did it have some kind of special fetish for human waste systems?
Regardless, the work had to continue.
Earlier today, when he returned with his team from the explosion site at Wayland Shipping...
Just as he was preparing to organize the charred evidence in the evidence room...
A letter bearing a special wax seal arrived at the branch once again.
The owner of the letter was Ms. Cecil, the special envoy from the Landon headquarters.
The letter had been urgently delivered to the branch manager.
It was also treated as the core suggestion for the Hastings Port Branch's work for the coming period.
In the letter...
Ms. Cecil's words were very sincere.
She described in detail the series of crazy events that had recently occurred in Hope County.
And, at the center of this storm...
That Moon Lord believer named Elias had played an indispensable and vital role.
...
After the brief meeting of the high-ranking officials concluded.
The Branch Manager's Office.
The heavy soundproof door was shut tight, and the room was thick with the smell of expensive cigar smoke.
"Sir Vere, there's a traitor in the agency."
The branch manager sat behind his wide desk, exhaling a cloud of thick smoke.
His very first sentence caused Sir Vere's heart to jolt violently.
Sir Vere's pupils contracted sharply, and his breath hitched for half a second.
But he forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, maintaining a stone-faced expression.
"In the meeting just now, there were some things left unsaid."
The branch manager tapped the letter on the desk, his tone chilling.
"Ms. Cecil's letter warns us severely."
"The Pendulum is lost."
"And those lunatics from the Mist Veil Society will undoubtedly make a major move next."
The branch manager stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gloomy sky outside.
"Today's Wayland explosion was a clear signal."
"I don't know what those rats hiding in the sewers are actually after."
The deputy manager, who was sitting on the sofa holding a cup of black tea, pondered for a moment.
"Does this mean..."
The deputy manager spoke with a frown.
"The Mist Veil Society is going to war with Wayland Shipping?"
"Haven't the two sides always maintained a cooperative relationship?"
Cultists and capitalists—that was a classic combination of bundled interests.
"It should be that they've developed irreconcilable differences over the matter of Moon Bay."
The branch manager turned around, providing an incisive analysis.
"Because internal intelligence suggests that within the underwater ruins at the center of Moon Bay..."
The branch manager lowered his voice.
"A Fifth Element lies dormant."
"What?!"
Sir Vere really couldn't keep his composure this time and let out an exclamation.
The Fifth Element?
That legendary substance capable of warping reality?
That thing was actually at the bottom of Moon Bay?!
He felt his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.
"But there's no need to worry for now."
The deputy manager blew on the steam from his tea, appearing quite calm.
"With the Pendulum lost, it won't be that easy to obtain."
"Consider it as having bought us some time."
"Furthermore."
The deputy manager set down his teacup.
"The ships of the Dawn Church are already on their way."
The deputy manager's sentence was like a shot of reassurance.
It allowed Sir Vere's racing heart to settle back into his chest slightly.
With the Dawn Church entering the fray...
The situation should be stable to some extent.
"Ms. Cecil also mentioned in the letter..."
The branch manager walked back to his desk and continued issuing instructions.
"...that we should provide appropriate assistance to this Mr. Rockland."
"He has already reached a cooperation agreement with Ms. Cecil."
The branch manager looked at Sir Vere.
"He is now Ms. Cecil's informant."
Sir Vere nodded.
"However."
The branch manager's tone shifted.
"Upon his return to Hastings Port this time, he seems to have used some kind of spell to hide his appearance."
That sentence...
Instantly made Sir Vere think of his experience at the Wayland Shipping office earlier today.
He immediately understood the connection.
No wonder.
At that time, the reading on the spirit-measuring instrument clearly matched.
But the appearance described by the Wayland manager didn't match Elias at all.
So he was using a persona.
"Therefore, Sir Vere."
The branch manager sat back in his chair and began to give orders.
"I want you to make contact with this person."
"Show our goodwill."
"And learn about some hidden issues that we hadn't noticed before."
The branch manager interlaced his fingers.
"This will also make it easier for both parties to exchange intelligence in the upcoming operations."
Sir Vere nodded expressionlessly.
"Understood."
But deep in his eyes, a flicker of hard-to-detect doubt flashed.
Just then...
The deputy manager, who had been listening, suddenly spoke up.
"Is that appropriate?"
The deputy manager looked at the branch manager and raised an objection.
"I feel that since it's a cooperation, we could just directly invite him to the branch."
"He is an informant."
The branch manager interrupted the deputy manager without mercy, his tone emphatic.
"It's best if we contact him in a private capacity."
"We can't exactly expose an informant directly to the light, can we?"
Listening to the conversation between these two big shots...
Sir Vere stood at attention on the surface, but his heart was already sneering.
He didn't know if it was his imagination.
Because of his own special noble status and his position within the agency...
He always felt that the branch manager's insistence on having him contact Elias personally seemed like it could be exploited for political gain.
This branch manager was no simple character.
Over the years, in the struggle for power and profit...
The branch manager had subtly sabotaged him during missions more than once or twice.
Contacting him in a private capacity?
If something went wrong, or if he was targeted by Wayland's people...
Wouldn't the blame be pinned entirely on his head?
"Want to make me a scapegoat?"
Sir Vere snorted coldly in his mind.
Fine.
Since you want to play this game, then nobody's going to have a good time.
After withdrawing from the office...
Sir Vere stood in the corridor and immediately made a decision that went against common sense.
He decided not to lead the team himself.
Instead, he would send Xia'an and Dabu—the two who were most interested in Elias's residual spirituality on the beach.
He would have them carry out this "private contact" mission.
Sir Vere adjusted the brim of his hat.
Dabu was an honest man who knew how to follow orders.
As for Xia'an...
She was someone even the branch manager had to be polite to.
After all...
Even if something really did go wrong during the contact process...
Who would dare touch Xia'an?
Rate on N.U.
