Chapter 7 - Shepherd’s Secret Continuation

Oswald didn't suggest accompanying her. Clearly, while he wasn't particularly optimistic about the time management and intelligence of the student he had trained, he had great faith in her martial prowess. This also corroborated Aiwas's judgment. Even though he couldn't see Hajina's attribute panel, one only needed a bit of imagination to realize… After all, she was among the top students in the nation's best school for superhumans. Despite lacking resources and early education, being able to keep up with such a cohort of elite students nationwide, and even standing out as one of the best, already proved her aptitude. Although she took pride in having become a capital inspector before even graduating, this fact in itself was not particularly impressive. The Inspector, while a profession wearing armor, held no substantial status. Their tasks primarily involved dealing with civil cases—patrolling streets, maintaining security, ensuring businesses met safety standards, investigating relatively simple superhuman cases, attending to public complaints, dispersing illegal gatherings, and arresting low-level superhumans. If encountering enemy spies, high-level superhumans, or cultists, they called upon the Inspection Bureau; while major cases involving violations by members of knight families were handled by the highest-ranking Arbitration Court. "Arbitrators" started at level thirty, all members capable of entering the Round Table Hall, consisted of young and robust knight councilors. They were extremely affluent, well-equipped, and experienced, the highest echelon of elite warriors in Avalon. Above them were the select top-tier powerhouses. Even though Hajina came from no distinguished background… in fact, she hadn't graduated yet and lacked experience and training, making her appear clumsy and naive. But from Aiwas's experience, with strong personal abilities, lacking background or lineage, being straightforward and pure wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Currently, she was sent to be a district inspector to gain frontline experience—partly to let her quickly accumulate experience and partly to lower her expectations of herself. Unaware of her own value, if she adapted to a job clearly beneath her qualifications and capabilities, then the leader who "promoted her exceptionally" would become a benefactor to be grateful for. After a few years, as she mingled in society and accumulated work experience, with her superhuman career level also climbing, she should, at worst, secure a position above district director before turning thirty. If things went smoothly, she could join the Inspection Bureau by thirty. Joining the Round Table before forty, knighted by the queen, wasn't impossible either. Aiwas estimated she should be around level twenty. This meant she mastered the second or even third-tier extraordinary abilities, at least ten levels above himself. With a level-twenty powerhouse in tow, tackling a level-ten mission posed no challenge. Just in case, Oswald handed Aiwas a handgun for self-defense in critical situations. It was a beautifully crafted lady's pistol. Its design was similar in style to Hajina's short sword, with a shell adorned with intricate silver thorns. It was about the size of a palm, not the typical revolver of this era, but a pneumatic magazine pistol. [Lady’s Grip +2] [Exquisite Weapon (Dark Blue)] [Firearm, semi-automatic pistol, capacity of five rounds] [8mm Bullets (5/5)] [Feature: Its weight and size are only 60% of handguns of similar power] [Elven Style: Significantly reduced malfunction rate, increased maintenance cost] [Module - Elegant Aim: Greatly enhanced accuracy] [Module - Nimble Shot: Extra reduced recoil] —That works too. A lady's pistol is fine. Originally intending to decline, Aiwas gleefully accepted upon seeing its attributes. Exquisite weapons are already the strongest crafted by mortal artisans! They're just one grade below the purple exceptional weapons, which require superhuman power to forge. Why ask for more? In the game, it was typically only after level thirty that instances would consistently drop blue gear, while purple exceptional weapons required ritual magic, alchemy to craft, or defeating high-level superhumans. Moreover, this gun's modules were quite impressive—the properties of blue gear had fixed traits and styles, with one to three random additional properties, some positive, some negative. With two positive attributes, and "recoil" and "precision" bundled together… this was a tool-type weapon usable even in mid to late stages. At the very least, it could rapidly fire non-damage special effect bullets and ritual bullets. Even with higher-level pistols offering potentially greater damage, such precision wasn't always achievable. But just before Aiwas left, Oswald suddenly stopped him. "Master said to remember to wear this. And put on the cloak." He handed Aiwas a black neck guard and a black cloak with a hood. Aiwas squeezed the neck guard and quickly identified its material: "Asbestos?" "Recently the Garrote Gang is rampant. If you plan to go outside the White Queen District, it's best to wear something to protect your neck." Oswald, appearing like a tall and thin specter, earnestly stated: "They strike quickly, and Lady Hajina might not protect you at all times. The hood is to conceal your identity—preventing those with ulterior motives from remembering your face." Reluctantly, Aiwas put it on. He'd heard of the Garrote Gang. They were an upgraded version of regular robbers. To leave no witnesses who could track them and to improve efficiency, they lurked at desolate spots or alleyways, suddenly emerging to strangle passersby with a thin cord, dragging them into the shadows. Once successfully strangled, they stripped the victim of all valuables before fleeing. Citizens couldn't report immediately, and even finding the body was difficult. The direct kill method, unlike suppression or intimidation, prevented getting counter-killed by low-level superhumans. Though asbestos is carcinogenic… survival took precedence. After all, he wouldn’t be exposed to it long-term. It's just that his level was too low. If he were level twenty or thirty now, would he still fear petty thieves? Watching Aiwas don the neck guard and cloak, the old butler handed him a thick wad of bills: "This is the investigation fund from Master. You shouldn't need too much for the first investigation." Aiwas could hear Hajina lightly gasp beside him. He quickly counted. There were twenty large, silver-white mildly reflective bills, featuring crossed scepters and a sword, with a white crown in the foreground, symbolizing the God of Sovereignty, the "Silver Crowned Dragon." There were also twenty medium-sized red bills: ten with five red candles and the number "5," and another ten depicting a single candle and the number "1." These represented the God of the Path of Devotion, served by the church, known as the "Torchbearer." These were unique to the Avalon Kingdom but could be used in other nations. A "White Crown" matched the purchasing power of a thousand yuan, convertible into twenty "Red Candle" bills of 1 unit. A "Red Candle" bill of 1 could be converted into ten small, brown "Bronze Hourglass" bills, the lowest denomination, symbolizing the God of Balance. In Avalon, only extraordinary professions from these three paths were legal. Therefore, a copper coin's value translated to roughly five yuan, with a red 1 unit note equivalent to fifty yuan. Ordering roasted beef in a restaurant cost about six bronze hourglasses; smoked pork was two copper coins. A new set of durable clothes, excluding shoes, cost roughly seven red notes. “Remember to separate red notes and white notes. Ideally, keep them in three pockets.” Oswald advised, “If low-denomination red notes suffice for payment, don’t reveal you’re holding many high-denomination white notes—you’re not very mobile, and you don’t have a servant with you. More people might target you. The ‘White Crowns’ are for bribing high-value targets; avoid using them if possible. “If red notes run out, you can exchange white notes for red ones at the bank. Worried about mistakes, Hajina can hold them for you.” “I’m not a ‘lady’…” Hajina murmured quietly but didn’t refuse. Unhesitatingly, Aiwas handed the whole wad of white notes to her: “You hold them.” Even just temporarily holding them, possessing such a large sum still thrilled her. In terms of quantity, twenty white notes weren't actually that much. Tuition for one semester at the Royal Law University cost a full sixteen "White Crowns"—she had handled such sums before! At least for her first two semesters, her family scraped together the tuition. It was from the second year onwards that she received a scholarship to cover her fees. Moreover, they rarely used white notes for daily transactions. The most commonly used denominations were the copper coins and red notes. Just holding a white note felt unfamiliar to her. But what really made her nervous was her fear of losing the money. In fact, she had lost money before. When she was very young, she was running wildly in the street and accidentally lost her tuition money… her mother cried that day. It wasn't a heart-wrenching cry but rather silent tears being wiped away in a corner. That scene was deeply etched in Hajina's memory. Since then, she no longer ran recklessly in the streets. Whenever she felt like running, it was as if weights were tied to her legs. She searched through several pockets before finding one she felt somewhat secure in, though she didn't dare remove her hand from it, instead protecting it with her elbow and frequently checking with her hand to make sure the money was still there. Her other hand rested near her cherished short sword. With such vigilance, she pushed Aiwas's wheelchair as they left Moriarty Manor. “Where are we going?” She instinctively asked Aiwas, “To the warehouse where the incident happened two days ago? Or Stone Arch Park?” “—No.” Noticing Hajina’s demeanor, Aiwas exhaled softly. “Those places must have been thoroughly searched. Any valuable information has probably been extracted by now. “We head east, to the Pelican Pub,” Aiwas stated. “…Where is that?” Hajina was evidently unfamiliar with the name. Or rather, apart from the streets near her university in the Red Queen District and the path from the White Queen District Inspection Bureau to Moriarty Manor where she currently worked, she knew nothing about the capital. Her monthly living allowance of 50 red notes was equivalent to the monthly wage of a laborer. Such an amount didn’t permit her to wander around the capital extensively. “In the Lauching District.” “Lauching District? Near the port?” Hajina’s expression changed as she suddenly remembered the pub’s name. She had indeed heard of this pub's name! When she first arrived in the capital, she was advised by a good friend not to visit Lauching District for no reason; she trusted this friend, so even when her roommates often encouraged her to visit pubs there, she was steadfast in her refusal. Of course, there was also the issue of not having enough money, and she was too embarrassed to let friends cover her expenses. Resolute in her choice to avoid such places, she automatically tuned out such talks, fearing temptation if she listened too long. Hajina recalled that the name she heard most was the “Pelican's Pub.” It was frequented by sailors from the Royal Navy on leave, a popular spot for her friends to find handsome men—young, strong, handsome, men who’d been at sea for long periods without female company. One could easily catch someone's interest. She had a roommate who even had a young sailor as a boyfriend, supposedly a sergeant, who constantly bragged about being on some secret mission… she wasn’t sure how true it was. If it were really secret, would he tell these college girls? Hajina didn't quite believe it. In her hometown, an old blacksmith often bragged about having lived in the capital, claiming to be knowledgeable and cultured. When she came to the capital herself, she realized the “lived there” meant he had wandered in as a twelve or thirteen-year-old apprentice, but left after just a few years due to impatience. His bragging demeanor was exactly like that of the sailor. Her roommate only mentioned the “Pelican Pub” once. Hajina remembered it distinctly because, for the first time, the roommate didn’t have that mischievous grin but spoke earnestly and seriously. What she had said was... going there to buy some materials. The Pelican Pub… was that a place selling some sort of materials? Hajina felt a surge of doubt but didn't voice it. She instinctively felt it was something unsavory, and didn’t dare say it aloud in Moriarty Manor—especially under the watchful eye of that elven steward. For a moment, Hajina felt tempted. She never dared visit such places before, fearing both the cost and potential danger. But now, she'd become stronger. Clad in the shining armor of justice and glory, with Aiwas holding investigation funds—she could finally explore the places she'd once been curious about but never had the chance to visit! After all, this was her first independent investigation. Hajina didn't have any particular plan; mentioning the warehouse and Stone Arch was simply because she happened to remember these spots. Even Kent, the bureau chief, didn’t require her to obtain any crucial intelligence in this investigation, only to ensure Aiwas's safety and to not act rashly. —Of course she would protect him! No special instructions were needed! “Lauching District it is, let’s go!” Hajina responded enthusiastically, “I will protect you—if any fool tries to mess with you, I’ll make sure they learn what justice and law mean!” Only when talking about this did her voice become loud and clear… even eager. With a weapon in hand, the desire to fight emerged. This was all within Aiwas’s expectations. Having trained for so long, reaching such a level, yet never truly facing an enemy… a bit of excitement was normal. “So, are you ready to kill, senior student?” Aiwas asked, squinting like a sly fox, his lips curling into a smile of unclear intent. Hajina paused at his words. Then, she replied seriously, “In fact, I have killed before.” Oh? Aiwas raised an eyebrow. That was an unexpected answer. “Then let’s go.” He didn’t press further, speaking softly, “My legs aren’t in great shape, so I'll have to rely on you to push me.” “It’s my duty.” Hajina breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied. Today's update still consists of nine thousand words, and it’s been officially signed! Please continue reading, donate, and vote for monthly tickets! (End of Chapter)