Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam

In the following days, Ave was fully absorbed in the case of former investigators at the Reception Bureau being attacked one after another, spending her days locked in her apartment, not leaving at all. Ethan maintained a routine of going back and forth between two places, posting notices with Captain Hagrid during the day and advising hunters at the Guild not to leave the town lightly. At night, he explored Fireplace Bay.

The layout of Fireplace Bay was pretty much as he imagined, with a few merchant ships docked at the pier all operating as legal shops primarily for facilitating trade between different areas of civilization, and most products related to mysticism were at the lowest level.

"If you want to buy something a bit more potent, you’ll have to find a way to check out the town,"

said a young bartender, whose "stage name" was Shepherd. He was as skinny as a monkey, working in Fireplace Bay to help support his family. His father was originally a worker in the Imperial Military Industry and died in an explosion accident a few years ago. The compensation hadn’t been received for a long time, and his mother remarried and left. Now, he had to support three siblings alone.

So when Ethan gave Shepherd 3 golden lions as a bonus for every deal, they almost instantly became the best of friends.

With motivation, Shepherd worked more diligently. Not only did he help promote regularly, he also handcrafted small cards with Heisenberg’s name and the Magic Scroll Shop’s information on them.

As he put it, since his younger siblings couldn’t attend school, they had nothing to do at home, so it was better to let them help make some small cards.

Although Ethan greatly appreciated Shepherd’s help, he couldn’t help but fall into contemplation when he saw the beautiful and sexy lady on the cards.

If it weren’t for the "Old Sen Magic Scroll Shop" written on the card, he would have thought he was setting up some dubious business of ill repute.

Shepherd patted his chest and assured him that these cards were very popular in their city, almost everyone had one. They couldn’t afford to print cards themselves, so they went to the back alley of the Pink Lady Club to pick some up. After picking them up, they erased the original information and wrote down the information of the Magic Scroll Shop instead.

On the very night he received his bonus, Shepherd took his siblings to the city’s restaurant for a beef steak meal, and his siblings were now full of energy.

Seeing that Shepherd had spoken to this extent, Ethan didn’t object further.

And that night, he bought Shepherd a beer and also a piece of smoked meat sandwich, and they talked about the town.

Perhaps he could find there the teleportation magic materials he needed.

"How can one gain access to the town?"

"A Black Gold level savings card issued by the Imperial Reserve represents having at least 5,000 golden lions in savings."

The answer was expected. 5,000 golden lions were an unimaginable sum for the Empire’s lower-class people, yet for the nobles, it was merely a party ticket. Ethan heard that the town’s nobles might spend this much in a single night.

Their wealth was so immense that it couldn’t be filled in bags; the Lofic Consortium specifically provided them with channels for card consumption.

"What else then?"

"I’ve heard rumors that if you’re a certified Master of Mysticism from various associations, you should be able to get an invitation from the consortium."

The identity of a High-tier Transcendent allows one to move freely anywhere, but the title of "Master" typically means a third-level or above certified license; for someone like him without such credentials, no one would pay heed.

Noticing Ethan’s expression, Shepherd regrettably said, "Then there’s only the third route left, an introduction by someone you know. Aren’t you offering high-end customized services? If you meet some distinguished guests, maybe you could get a recommendation letter from them."

Ethan’s eyes lit up as this was the most plausible route he could take in the short term.

But, that still wasn’t good enough.

Ethan never believed in free lunches falling from the sky. Instead of waiting idly by the Black Sea, it was better to take the initiative to seek opportunity, "Give me a few small cards. If I succeed, I’ll give you 5 gold lions as a bonus."

"5 gold lions!? It’s a deal, don’t back out!"

Shepherd was quite taken aback by the figure, as among all the customers he had met, Ethan was the most generous to him. He hurriedly pulled out a thick stack of advertising cards from his coat pocket, giving Ethan a third of them.

His heart was pounding hard. With those 5 gold lions, he could hire someone to fix their leaky roof and buy some thick clothes and quilts, as winter was approaching.

"Do you think I’m that kind of person? We practically count as partners now."

"Partners? What’s that?"

"It means earning money together,"

Ethan said with a slap on his chest, "If I make a fortune in the future, you’ll certainly benefit."

Leaving that message, he took the cards and headed directly to the town entrance. Not approaching too closely, he waited beside a small path, which was the only way to enter the town. Those who came out of the town were all of high status across various nations, and he needed to find an opportune moment to meet someone who looked like they needed help.

And he waited like this for most of the night. freewёbnoνel.com

Seeing a little girl storming out of the town in a white lace dress and high heels, Ethan knew his chance had come.

This little girl, just over ten, clearly needed some magic assistance.

While running, she cursed non-stop, "What kind of magic expert can’t even handle such a small matter! A bunch of scoundrels, liars!"

A butler in a black tailcoat hurriedly followed behind her, a look of embarrassed smile on his face.

The little girl, exhausted from running, stood stomping her feet in anger.

Ethan, holding the advertisement card, seized the chance to appear in front of the little girl and with a smile, said the line he had rehearsed for a long time, "Miss, have you encountered any troubles?"

The old butler immediately stepped between the little girl and Ethan, casting a wary glance toward the guards stationed at the town.

"I overheard you mention a magic expert. I happen to know a little about elemental shaping magic. I can offer you customized services. Here’s my business card."

The old butler, quick on the uptake, took the card first and with just a glance made up his mind.

"Guards, there’s a pimp here!"

The severe look in the guards’ eyes aimed at those who would abduct minors instantly shattered Ethan’s carefully crafted encounter.

"Shh! Don’t shout, see clearly before speaking. I run a Magic Scroll Shop, dealing in magic scrolls!"

"Magic scrolls?"

The old butler raised an eyebrow with a sneer and turned to the little girl, "Miss, this is exactly the type of scammer I warned you about. They use sweet talk to lower your guard, then trick you into some filthy, nasty places!"

The guards nodded in agreement. A glance at the sexy lady on the card made everything clear.

They surrounded Ethan.

"This is sheer slander! We don’t even know each other. How can you assume my occupation?"

Ethan loudly defended himself.

"Slander?"

With a face full of disdain, the old butler retorted, "A glance at the card reveals everything. How can you still deny it?"

He didn’t even need to read the long introduction on the back, for he already knew the truth.

Ethan questioned him, "What exactly do you understand?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" The old butler’s eyes glinted as he gripped the card tightly and suddenly raised his voice, "I’m a regular at this shop!"

This bold declaration left the scene in silence, even leaving Ethan wide-eyed in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to respond.

The guards were the first to react.

Before the old butler could deliver more of his speech, they pressed his shoulder down.

——"Take this old man too."