Chapter 467: Classic Three-Option Choice

Unaware of what had happened after his departure, Leon, having reclaimed his seized documents and already absent half a day without cause, rushed to the Clearance Bureau without even stopping for lunch.

Although the Clearance Bureau didn't track attendance, as this was his first workday after returning, many tasks delayed for several days by hospitalization needed to be resumed.

Specifically, these included wrapping up the Sacred Spirit of the Scale Gold Cult's attack, using the pretext of visiting Ryan's family to investigate the whereabouts of the sheep offal, squeezing in time to advance his shooting badge progress, and fulfilling his promise to help Senior Emma after the incident at Red Brick Road Hospital.

Oh, and today happened to be Friday; according to the Lazy Witch's Broom, a feline creature would knock on his door at 3:30 p. m.

Later, he'd need to take leave again to buy something to entertain it, ensuring the Witch's Broom functioned properly; if time allowed, he might as well scout out Happy Apartments—if safe, he could even practice his parkour badge proficiency…

As he mentally tallied the tasks awaiting him, Leon suddenly felt a pounding headache, his opinion of the secret police sinking further.

As a probationary new hire who'd only been working a little over a week, he'd already taken four full days of sick leave, then vanished without a word for half a day, and now planned to take more leave this afternoon—even if the red-haired director was easygoing, she'd surely…

…

"No problem, go ahead!"

Without even hearing out Leon's full explanation, after merely learning why he hadn't shown up that morning, the red-haired director signed off with a single stroke, granting him another half-day leave with unusual ease.

"These are acts of God—taking leave due to accidents is perfectly normal. Don't think so poorly of me~"

Watching Leon relax slightly, the red-haired director's throat moved slightly, then she shifted tone with a smile:

"But while your leaves are all justified, they've been a bit excessive. Reporting so many absences before year-end might make our bureau look lax… How about we skip recording this leave and switch to another arrangement?"

Another arrangement?

Leon blinked, then raised his head to see the director's narrowed fox-like eyes—immediately, he grew wary, hesitating:

"Actually… I don't absolutely need leave today. If it's really unavoidable…"

"Oh, come on! Do you think I'd harm you?"

The red-haired director gave him an exasperated glance, then smiled warmly:

"Relax—it's just adjusting your work hours.

I propose we don't record your leave, but replace it with an after-hours field assignment. No field allowance, though. How's that sound?"

So… it means I'm trading my half-day leave for overtime after work?

After pondering the director's terms, Leon found nothing obviously wrong—but those narrowed fox eyes always made him uneasy.

"I can accept it… but may I ask a few questions first?"

Eyeing the suspiciously smiling director, Leon ventured:

"How far is this field assignment?"

"A bit distant from the Clearance Bureau, but still within the capital."

"Will it take a long time?"

"Not long. With your… level, a single night should suffice."

"Will I face dangerous enemies?"

"No. It's just the kind of investigation you're best at." "Then…"

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Why so many questions!"

Irritated by Leon's endless queries, the red-haired director glared at him:

"Emma's enough to give me a headache! Can't you stop copying her? Fine—if you're worried about danger, I'll go with you myself. I've got nothing else to do these days."

Go with me?

Hmm… The Clearance Bureau had one director, twelve board members, then twelve Zodiac Branches. The red-haired director's strength was astonishingly high—if she came along, problems were unlikely…

After considering her offer, Leon couldn't think of any hidden trap or reason to refuse, so he nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll take the field assignment. But I've got several unresolved tasks—could we delay it by two days?"

"Mm, no rush, no rush… Wait, don't leave yet—I've something else to tell you."

Seeing he'd finally become a useful partner, the delighted director called Leon back, smiling:

"The corpse of that toad from the Scale Gold Cult and the coins it spat out are excellent materials. If nothing goes wrong during crafting, you'll soon possess a powerful anomaly."

"That's fantastic!"

Hearing this, Leon—who currently owned two functional anomalies and relied solely on his gun for offense—beamed with anticipation:

"What ability will this anomaly have? Do you know?"

"I don't know. But I can guarantee you'll be the first to find out."

Smiling at Leon's confusion, the director explained with a grin:

"According to headquarters, the toad's rank was high enough to produce a very advanced anomaly.

But since it was too badly damaged and its power too depleted, it can't retain all the concepts it carried—only one of three primary concepts can be chosen as the anomaly's core."

Here, the director paused, then raised one finger:

"The first concept is money—or currency.

By melting together the toad and its spilled coins, then adding a touch of divinity to elevate its rank, you can create an anomaly based on money.

As the Sacred Spirit of the Scale Gold Cult, money was the toad's strongest concept. An anomaly forged from this concept won't be combat-capable, but its practicality will be astonishing—this is my top recommendation."

So… another functional anomaly?

Seeing Leon's frown at the mention of "no combat ability," the director's expression turned serious, her tone earnest:

"Leon, I know you desperately need a combat anomaly. But an anomaly's value isn't measured solely by battle.

Choosing this one means you'll never run out of money. Wherever you go, you can instantly produce the local currency and exchange it for anything you desire.

It's not limited to our world—down to the deepest ocean trenches, up to the far side of the moon, from lost ancient kingdoms of the past to future worlds spanning time—even the abyss teeming with demons.

As long as they possess intelligence and life, use something called currency, and agree to trade with you, you can pull out the exact amount and buy anything you want!"

(End of Chapter)