Chapter 22: Triumph in the Mist, and Defeat in the Mist (Thanks to 'Seka Kaka 1' for the grand reward)

Dawn.

The prideful sun of daybreak shone upon the earth, instilling vigor and vitality, stirring Lundan Town into a bustle of activity.

In the minutes before the sun rose, the fog that had settled overnight began to slowly dissipate, as if they had an agreement, an unspoken understanding to never meet.

Wayne sat at his desk, frantically writing. These past few days, to keep his dog happy, he had been investigating the pet shelter and following up on reports, having no time even for keeping a diary, which kept him extremely busy.

Because it was a Doberman, Wayne named it Ah Bin.

Initially, he had prepared to call it Ah Do, but then he thought it unsuitable, mainly because the dog was not up to par, too tall, unable to fit under a car.

The pet shelter incident had basically come to a close.

The several staff members attacked by Ah Bin were in the hospital with high fevers. On the first day, the public expressed sympathy for them, but on the second day, the sentiment turned; being attacked by the vicious dog was purely their own fault.

The citizens were disgusted, especially the owners who had pets in the shelter, indignantly planning to go to the hospital to deliver some 'physical feedback'.

Seeing this, the dean couldn't let it continue, irresponsibly treated the staff members' fevers, and sent them out of the hospital at the fastest speed.

Hospitalization was impossible; don't ask why, just know there weren't enough beds available.

The hospital's actions were quite unreasonable, even illegal, but with public outrage boiling over, nobody dared pick at the issue.

It was too much of a hot topic; one had to consider whether they could withstand the public backlash before speaking out.

On the other hand, being the center of attention also meant being in the spotlight, a prime opportunity for politicians to establish their public image. Sure enough, many members of the council joined the denunciation ranks, vehemently criticizing the pet shelter's lack of order and management, earning a hefty amount of reputation in the process.

By now, Lundan had already updated its animal protection version, there was still profit to be made from this trend, and henceforth, Wayne wouldn't need to spend money, as there would be plenty of financiers willing to foot the bill.

A few staff members were driven out of the hospital, and that night, Ah Bin did not return home. It had taken a liking to the game of chase, acknowledged Wayne's abilities, willingly became a groveling dog, and devoted its future to its master.

Having subdued the first Resentful Spirit, Wayne did not rush to form a contract with a second; his magic power was insufficient. Maintaining one dog was already proving to be a struggle, and taking on a second could likely result in a backlash.

Speaking of which, Ah Bin was actually quite easy to keep alive, consuming very little magic power each day.

Especially at night, when it could blend into the mist, greatly reducing Wayne's expenditure of magic power. In other words, the dog was considerate, aware of their humble household, and would hunt outside for its own food.

A dog doesn't scorn a poor home, that's just how dogs are. As for cats...

Uh, that's not to say cats are different. Actually, cats don't care whether you're rich or poor because, rich or not, cats look down on you.

Getting back on topic, Wayne was busy running around during the day and wasn't idle at night either, gradually figuring out the correct way to harness the Resentful Spirit.

Ah Bin became vibrant at night, able to move freely wherever the mist covered.

In the mist, Ah Bin's abilities were greatly enhanced, with its speed, strength, and endurance being remarkably astonishing. Using the mist as cover, it was not only capable of becoming invisible and sneaking around but also of exerting magic-like supernatural powers through the mist.

Succeed by the mist, fail by the mist!

Once outside the range of the mist, which was Lundan City, Wayne needed to use his own magic power to sustain Ah Bin, and this was a terrifying amount, far beyond what Wayne could supply by himself.

During the daytime, Ah Bin appeared lethargic and dispirited, with drastically reduced abilities, looking as if it were on its last legs.

In sunlight, the mist covering the bones would also dissipate, leaving nothing but a bare skeleton.

Similarly, Wayne could use magic power to boost Ah Bin with a night-time buff. And likewise, the consumption of magic power was terrifying; he couldn't afford to keep the dog during the day.

Therefore, Wayne only let Ah Bin be active at night. During the day, without needing a command from its master, Ah Bin would dig a hole in the backyard of the Detective Agency and bury itself.

In summary, after being transformed by The Book of Greed, the Resentful Spirit transitioned into a Resentful Spirit-turned-Magical Being, becoming Wayne's currently strongest ally.

...

Once he had some time, Wayne began to work on the investigative documents for Caforno Town, removing large portions of text, erasing any traces of the supernatural, making the document appear to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Afterward, Wayne opened his diary and honestly recorded the praises from his client. He also dedicated a small section to extolling his own strong moral character and high professional standards.

Inspiration burst forth, and his thoughts flowed like a spring; the more he wrote, the more engrossed he became, scattering nearly five thousand words onto the pages before feeling a lingering sense that there was still more to say.

It didn't matter that he had no readers for the time being; as long as he kept updating persistently and placed the diary in a prominent spot, someday, a beautiful girl would surely discover its charm.

"Just like that, too much is as bad as not enough, any more, and the readers would get tired of it."

Having taken care of that, Wayne pushed open the door of the Detective Agency, waiting for business to come knocking.

No money left!

Desperate to please the dog, he'd spent all his savings, and the money he'd earned from the young lady went straight into it, leaving him once again facing the embarrassing predicament of being unable to pay the rent.

Wayne didn't see anything wrong with it; when it comes to money, you can't be stingy when it's time to spend. He just felt aggrieved—why hadn't the young miss come to alleviate his poverty when his house was down to nothing but potatoes?

Wayne sat waiting for clients, pulling out the day's newspaper to catch up on the latest with the animal shelter, while also browsing the recent bizarre stories.

As a detective, Wayne subscribed to a massive number of periodicals and had formed the habit of listening to the radio.

Recently having changed careers to become a Mage, he had started paying attention to the gossip columns, looking for clues and truths hidden within the pages, from the perspective of a Mage.

All this was information!

"Sequential missing persons cases, suspected to be human trafficking—it seems the victims are mostly young women aged between sixteen and twenty-four..."

"Another artisan was stabbed and killed last night; this month's third violent attack targeting artisans. After many years, the shadow of Jack the Ripper looms over Lundan again..."

"The police have called for a reduction in nighttime travel recently..."

Wayne went through the pages one by one, frowning, "Good heavens, no, the Goddess above, please ensure that these scoundrels run into Veronica on their night strolls."

"Speaking of which, the missing persons and the assaults on artisans all happen at night, the perpetrator mustn't be an ordinary person."

Wayne squinted his eyes; it was necessary to get Ah Bin moving a bit, to stop relentlessly chasing those few employees to bite. A bunch of scum, just play with them in your spare time; immersing too deeply was like mocking oneself!

"Wayne, I'm here!"

The Detective Agency's door brought in the spirited voice of Ronica; looking up, Wayne saw her bounding in with liveliness.

Disappointed at not sight of Veronica, Wayne wore his sentiment plainly across his face.

Ronica all huffed up, shook her fists, snatched the newspaper from Wayne's hands, and began to read, "I bet the offender isn't average at all, but a scoundrel from the Liberty Mage Alliance, especially those Black Sorcerers who occasionally attack women to collect sinister, bloody magical artifacts."

Wayne nodded his head; he shared the same sentiment.

"Let's not focus on that. Do you know about the top news lately? The largest animal shelter in the eastern district has closed down; it's very close to the warehouse area, we even passed by it before." Ronica flipped through the newspaper swiftly.

"I've heard something about it."

"A bunch of bastards, if they fell into my hands, I would definitely break their legs," Ronica said through clenched teeth.

No need for that!

Wayne shook his head; he encouraged the young girl to be compassionate. If their legs were broken, they couldn't run, and then Ah Bin wouldn't be happy.

"Let's not talk about these upsetting matters, what brings you here today?"

"I came to bring you a gift!"

Putting down the newspaper, Ronica placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin, looking for praise.

Where was the gift?

Wayne glanced over, noting she was quite well-endowed; though she might not measure up to Chris, she was definitely stronger than Veronica.

To be fair, while the generosity wasn't quite what he had anticipated, well...

It wasn't entirely out of the question!