Chapter 723: The Second Best

"Mmm…"

Upon hearing the Red-haired Director's words, Li Ang's smile slightly froze, then he nodded with a hint of annoyance:

"When Senior Emma prepared to take down the Goddess of Wealth with her, the Goddess of Wealth directly swallowed my pendant—and even took away Senior Pion's… Pi … the Zhouyin."

"Boss, right now everything I have are support-type anomalies; I've got nothing that can directly kill targets. Next time you assign me a mission, I'll probably have to carry a sniper rifle to get anything done."

"No, I sent that crocodile down with you specifically to solve this problem… keep moving forward, and don't stray too far from me!"

After glancing at the gray, hazy sky above, the Red-haired Director let out a sharp whistle, scattering the crows circling overhead, then fixed his gaze on their flight path and strode forward into the depths of the Death Realm, carrying Emma.

"Li Ang, although you lost your Holy Spirit pendant this time, your actual gains aren't small—whether it's the Fork of the Lord of Desires, the Goddess of Wealth's tail, or that green bead that trapped Emma, all are items on par with your Holy Spirit pendant."

Walking the Path of No Return, the Red-haired Director kept his eyes locked on the Death-Reporting Crows above and spoke to Li Ang behind him:

"But the items you acquired are all troublesome. The Lord of Desires isn't dead yet; even if his weapon is broken, you can't use it. The Goddess of Wealth's serpent tail is merely raw material—you can't use it directly either."

"The remaining bead has none of these issues, but it was made by the Goddess of Wealth for herself. The cost for you would be too high—anyone without forty or fifty Li Ang points couldn't even activate much of its power."

"Yes…"

Li Ang, following behind the Red-haired Director, nodded and replied:

"That bead is called the 【Green Dream of the Underworld】, an anomaly forged from the shattered 【Elysium】 of the God of Agriculture and Livestock. It can temporarily open a vast emerald world with no exit, and the higher the user's Corruption Value, the larger the world it creates—the serpent spirit even opened an entire valley."

"I can use it directly, and even enter and exit the emerald world once it's opened, but if I seal it away and reactivate it myself, the emerald world I create would barely reach a few dozen square meters, and its stability wouldn't compare to the serpent spirit's."

"So either you can't use it, or it's unsuitable!"

After summarizing, the Red-haired Director continued:

"When you have good items but can't use them, you need an Anomaly Forger."

"And if you're asking who's the best forger, it's definitely Lord Taurus—but she's currently sealed away in the HQ and can't help. So we have to turn to the second best."

The second-best Anomaly Forger?

Li Ang blinked, then asked curiously:

"Boss, is this second-best forger in the Death Realm? Is he one of us from the Clearance Bureau?"

"Yes, he's indeed in the Death Realm—and he was once one of us in the Clearance Bureau."

"…"

Wait—once?

…

"Olivia! Ahahaha! You actually came to see me!"

In Li Ang's stunned gaze, a short, stout old man with a round, clumsy face suddenly sat up from the coffin the Red-haired Director had pried open, his eyes gleaming with delight:

"Since you're here, has the current Lord Taurus finally died?"

"Um… Lord Taurus hasn't ascended yet…"

"Tch!"

Upon hearing the Red-haired Director's answer, the round-faced old man's face fell. He reached for the coffin lid, intending to lie back down—but the Red-haired Director grabbed him firmly. "Don't touch my coffin! Let go right now!"

The old man, clearly harboring a grudge against Lord Taurus, snapped:

"Didn't I tell you? Don't come to me unless she's dead! Why are you breaking your word?"

"Third Generation, our original agreement wasn't like that."

The Red-haired Director, still gripping the coffin lid, shook his head:

"According to our original deal, I was to come find you once you became the best forger in the world again—and tell you the good news."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's not."

The Red-haired Director explained:

"Third Generation, something's happened in the Bureau recently. The current Aquarius Director is eyeing the Watch Palace and wants to replace Lord Taurus as its occupant to gain entry."

"To ensure the Watch Palace's safety, Lord Taurus has remained sealed within the HQ under the protection of the other two Directors—she won't emerge until her ascension. So now, you're once again the best forger in the world."

"Ah, in that case… that's acceptable…"

After hearing the Red-haired Director's explanation, the round-faced old man hesitated, then reluctantly stopped pushing the coffin lid shut and grumbled:

"Since she's not coming out, I'll Mianqiang count that as you keeping your word… So what do you want now?"

"To find the best forger, naturally, we need you to forge something."

Holding up the serpent tail and broken trident, the Red-haired Director pointed at Li Ang and said:

"Third Generation, he's a new Clearance Officer we recruited last year. During a rescue mission, his anomaly was destroyed—he now lacks a direct-attack anomaly."

"Could you use these two items as primary materials to craft him a custom one? If possible, make it low-cost—something a standard Level Three officer can handle—and ideally one that supports future growth."

"Tch… you've got high demands!"

Grumbling with displeasure, the round-faced old man rose from his coffin, scowled as he took the materials, then let out a surprised "Huh?"

"Divine limbs and weapons?"

After fiddling with the serpent tail and half of the trident using his bluish hands, the round-faced old man finally turned his gaze to Li Ang, frowning in confusion:

"This tail was just severed, right? Did you stumble into a battle between true gods during the rescue mission?"

"Strange! You look pathetically weak at first glance—and you only joined the Clearance Bureau last year. If you'd really wandered into a true god's battle, you'd be dead before you could take a breath. How the hell did you get such rare materials?"

"That's a long story."

Giving Li Ang a look that said "Don't you dare answer," the Red-haired Director quietly closed the round-faced old man's coffin lid, kicked the coffin away with his foot, then smiled sweetly:

"Third Generation, while you're crafting for him, I'll tell you what happened. How's that sound?"

(End of Chapter)