Chapter 120: Handwritten Notebook and Employment

Rod was momentarily at a loss for words, half-amused and half-frustrated.

"And then what?"

He shifted his bottom slightly while asking.

This sofa wasn't very comfortable to sit on.

"At first, I thought they were just after those corpses. Only during negotiations did I learn that something bad had happened in the underground empire they belonged to, forcing them to leave, and they just happened to smell the corpses."

"What a coincidence? What is this underground empire?"

Rod still felt uncomfortable, so he shifted his bottom again.

Something was still off.

He reached out and touched, unexpectedly feeling something within the gap of the sofa.

He pulled it out—a small handwritten notebook.

It happened to be in an open state.

He saw the content at a glance—【Thus, the hero Orpheus, under the assault of the evil giant dragon, successfully protected the capital and won the favor of the imperial prince. Faced with simultaneous confessions from both the imperial prince and the strongest mage, how should she choose?】

"..."

It looked like a manuscript for a romance novel.

However, the female hero Orpheus?

Why does this name feel somewhat familiar?

Rod knew little about the novels of this world, having only read a few times in the novel section of the Snow Hill Evening Post.

Moreover, he had specifically picked out the bizarre genre.

"Rat-men originated from the underworld; they are residents of a vast underground empire called 'Ruined Capital'. Later, they spread across the continent. It is said that every rat-man city has a path leading to the Ruined Capital, which is how they were able to expand rapidly across the continent. In my opinion, they must have mastered some form of magic, and it is highly likely related to an alternate space."

Dimia over there was still speaking.

Just as he looked up, he happened to see the small handwritten notebook in Rod's hands across the desk.

Creak!

A sharp, grating friction sound of a wooden chair suddenly moving across the floor erupted.

In the next instant, Rod saw a 【Mage Hand】 sweep past in front of him and snatch the small notebook.

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

"No, it's fine!"

"Hero Orpheus, Orpheus! Oh! I remember now, is it the 【Carnivorous Hero — The Legend of Twin Orpheus】 serialized in the Snow Hill Evening Post!"

Memories gradually surged up from the depths.

This novel told the adventure journey of the hero Orpheus, who possessed a handsome appearance and was indistinguishable as male or female. Although he maintained a human appearance, he was actually a flower spirit.

As everyone knows, flower spirits are hermaphroditic; therefore, the focus of this novel lies in the tangled love and hate between him and various men and women.

Furthermore, the Snow Hill Evening Post did not have viewing ratings, so the explicit and violent index was maxed out directly.

Hero Orpheus was a promiscuous flower spirit; having three organs below the waist and using them simultaneously in bed was not uncommon.

After all, Rod only read the bizarre section, so it would be strange if this novel were normal.

"It wasn't me!"

Dimia lowered his head, threw the small handwritten notebook into a drawer, and then slammed it shut very roughly.

Rod suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and also realized that this place was not suitable for lingering.

It seemed the author himself was very unwilling for others to know his true identity.

He stood up.

"Hahaha, there are still matters in the forest. How much for the nutrient solution? I'll pay you."

"No need."

He saw the witch look up, her cute face covered with baby fat flushed with a light pink, looking at him with an expression of shame and anger.

"As long as you are willing to keep silent about what just happened."

One day later.

Under Sharon's lead, Rod arrived at the Magic Control Union again.

They moved from the main office hall, went up two floors, and signed an employment contract at a place resembling a human resources department.

At the same time, Sharon also brought him good news.

The cutting maze proposal for the 【Dark Vortex Rift Barrier】 has passed the audit; from today on, it can be officially released and personnel can be recruited.

"How to put it, except for quite tricky or special magical disasters, the Magic Control Union generally does not directly assign personnel. Instead, the project supervisor oversees it, and we, as investigators and analysts, issue bounties."

Sharon said this while leading Rod forward.

Passing through one office area after another.

This place was different from the bright lights outside; only the corridor was equipped with dwarf alchemical lamps, while inside, some desks used glowing plants as substitutes, and others had no lights at all.

Perhaps it was a racial issue.

After all, some races greatly dislike light and naturally possess dark vision.

"Then, the field team, which is the department Mr. Rod is currently in, will accept missions based on their own situations."

"Will there be a situation where no one is willing to accept a mission?"

"Generally not. 【Heart of Locke】 will perform the most precise calculations for each magical disaster, and the designed rewards are sufficient to attract field personnel."

The two arrived at a counter.

Sharon showed Rod's badge to the goblin employee inside.

They were there to collect some employment benefits.

"【Heart of Locke】? What is this again?"

"A new invention of the dwarves, a forging product. It can assess the level of magical disasters and the corresponding compensation through investigators' data. Since its appearance, the problem you mentioned rarely occurs."

"It sounds like something like an AI or a vessel spirit?"

Rod stroked his chin.

Facing his question, Sharon smiled and said:

"It's not as complicated as you think. The calculation method of the Heart of Locke is input jointly by the committee members. It has no other function; it is similar to the most ordinary Fireball spell. The incantation, spell components, and mana pathways are all fixed, yielding only the result of the Fireball spell. A vessel spirit is out of the question."

"I see."

"Moreover, that thing is as big as a room, made entirely of brass, and occasionally spews out a large cloud of high-temperature steam. What spiritual quality could it possibly have?"

After talking for quite a while, there was still no movement from the counter.

Sharon frowned and tapped the table.

That goblin poked his head out from the back.

"Why so slow? Aren't we just picking up some items?"

"Hmm," the goblin's expression was a bit troubled. "Let me confirm again. Is this Mr. Rod, the ranger of Windwall Forest in the Kingdom of Aethelorn?"

"Yes. Where are the items? You didn't swallow them, did you, Old Jack?!"

Sharon immediately looked very displeased.

If it were true, she would have immediately thrown the report letter at him to crush that guy.

"How could that be?! Everyone here knows my, Old Jack's, integrity. I'm not like that stinky cat-fairy, Alimu!"

"Then what's going on? Just say it."

"Ah, it was my lord Oona. My lord Oona collected Mr. Rod's items in advance. She left a note for you to go find her."

Sharon's expression changed.

"My lord Oona... Could it be the deputy head of the Containment Department, that 'nanny' mage of Committee Member Yulia?"

Seeing the goblin confirm it, she immediately forced out a bitter smile with great difficulty, and even her tail stopped wagging.

Seeing her reaction, Rod found it a bit amusing.

"What's wrong?"

"If we go to the Human Resources Department now and tear up your employment contract, should we still be in time?"

(End of this chapter)