Chapter 120: Handwritten Notebook and Employment

Luo De was momentarily dumbfounded.

"And then what?"

He shifted his buttocks slightly as he asked.

This sofa wasn't comfortable at all.

"At first I thought they just wanted the corpses, but during negotiations I learned their underground empire had suffered some misfortune, forcing them to flee—and they just happened to smell the corpses."

"What a coincidence? What's this underground empire?"

Luo De still felt uncomfortable, so he shifted his buttocks again.

Still wrong.

He reached out and felt something in the gap of the sofa.

Pulled it out—a small handwritten notebook.

It was open right at the page.

His eyes immediately caught the text—【Thus, the hero Ophir successfully defended the capital against the evil dragon, won the favor of the imperial prince, and now faces simultaneous confessions from the imperial prince and the strongest mage—how should she choose?】

"."

It looked like the manuscript of a romance novel.

But a female hero named Ophir?

Why did that name sound familiar?

Luo De knew little about novels in this world, having only glimpsed a few in the fiction section of the Snow Hill Evening News.

And he'd only picked the weirdest ones.

"Rodents originated in the underground world, as residents of the vast underground empire known as 'The Ruined Capital.' Later, they spread across the continent. It's said every rodent city has a path leading to the Ruined Capital, allowing them to expand rapidly. In my view, they've mastered some kind of spell, likely tied to another dimension."

Dimia was still speaking over there.

Just as Luo De looked up, he caught sight of the small handwritten notebook in Dimia's hand across the desk.

Squeak!

A wooden chair suddenly scraped noisily across the floor.

The next moment, Luo De saw a 【Mage Hand】 sweep past him and snatch the notebook.

". Sorry, it was stuck in the sofa."

"No, it's fine!"

"Hero Ophir Ophir—oh! I remember now! Isn't this the serialized novel from the Snow Hill Evening News—【Carnivorous Hero: The Twin Ophir Chronicles】!"

Memories slowly surfaced from deep within.

The novel tells of the adventures of Hero Ophir, whose beautiful, androgynous appearance hides the truth—he is a flower spirit.

As is well known, flower spirits are hermaphroditic, so the novel's focus lies in tangled romances with both men and women.

Moreover, the Snow Hill Evening News has no age ratings, so its explicitness is maxed out.

Hero Ophir is a promiscuous flower spirit with three genital organs; using them all simultaneously on bed is not uncommon.

After all, Luo De only read the weird section—this novel being normal would be impossible.

"It's not me!"

Dimia lowered her head, hurled the notebook into a drawer, and slammed it shut with brutal force.

Luo De suddenly felt embarrassed and realized this place was no longer safe to stay.

Clearly, the author very much did not want their true identity revealed.

He stood up.

"Hahaha, there's still work in the forest—how much for the nutrient solution? I'll pay you."

"No need."

He saw the witch lift her head, her baby-faced, adorable cheeks flushed with a faint pink, glaring at him in shame and indignation.

"As long as you keep quiet about what just happened."

One day later.

Under Sharon's guidance, Luo De returned to the Magic Control League.

They moved from the lobby up two floors, signing his employment contract in a place resembling the personnel department.

Sharon also brought him good news.

The 【Dark Vortex Labyrinth】 planting scheme has been approved and can now be officially published and recruit personnel.

"To put it simply, unless the magical disaster is extremely difficult or unique, the Magic Control League rarely assigns personnel directly. Instead, project leads supervise, and we—as investigators and analysts—post bounties."

Sharon walked ahead as she spoke.

They passed through various office zones.

Unlike the brightly lit exterior, only dwarf alchemy lamps were installed along the corridors; inside, some desks used glowing plants for light, others had none at all.

Perhaps it's a racial thing.

After all, some races strongly dislike light and naturally possess darkvision.

"Then the field teams—your current department, Mr. Luo—take on tasks according to their own circumstances."

"Could there be cases where no one wants to take a task?"

"Generally not. 【Lok Heart】 calculates the exact level of each magical disaster and sets a sufficiently attractive reward for field personnel."

The two arrived at a counter.

Sharon showed the goblin clerk Luo De's badge.

They were here to collect their employment benefits.

"【Lok Heart】? What's that?"

"A new invention by the dwarves—a forged device that evaluates magical disasters and determines appropriate rewards based on investigator data. Since its introduction, your problem has rarely occurred."

It sounded like an AI or spirit device.

Luo De rubbed his chin.

Sharon smiled at his question.

"It's not as complicated as you think. 【Lok Heart】's calculations are all manually input by committee members. It has no other function—it's like a basic fireball spell: fixed incantation, materials, and mana path, yielding only the fireball result. No spirit involved."

"I see."

"Besides, the thing is room-sized, entirely made of brass, and occasionally spews huge clouds of hot steam—how could it have any soul?"

After speaking for a while, the counter remained silent.

Sharon frowned and tapped the desk.

The goblin poked his head out from behind.

"Why so slow? It's just fetching something."

"Hmm," the goblin looked uneasy, "Let me confirm—this gentleman is Luo De, Forest Warden of the Windwall Forest, Kingdom of Aiselong, correct?"

"Yes, where's the stuff? You didn't swallow it, Old Jack?!"

Sharon's face darkened instantly.

If he had, she'd file a formal complaint and bury him under it.

"Impossible?! Who doesn't know Old Jack's reputation here? I'm not that stinking cat spirit Alim!"

"Then what's going on? Spit it out."

". Sigh—it was Lady Oana. She took Mr. Luo De's items ahead of time and left a note telling you to find her."

Sharon's expression changed.

"Lady Oana… could she be the nanny mage of Commissioner Yulia, deputy head of the Containment Department?"

Seeing the goblin nod, she forced a bitter smile, her tail frozen stiff.

Luo De found her reaction amusing.

"What's wrong?"

"Should we go back to personnel and tear up your employment contract now? Still time."

(End of Chapter)