Chapter 24: Need for Money

When Shelley saw that someone was willing to take over her case, she recommended, "Detective, let the rookie handle this small case. This, this... this kid's abilities are quite impressive."

Thomas wanted to introduce himself to the detective since Shelley didn't know his name yet.

But before he could speak, Luke said, "You must be Wallace Thomas, right?"

Thomas was surprised that the detective could instantly say his full name.

As a rookie who had just joined, being remembered and valued by his immediate superior gave Thomas a sense of importance, and he stood up straight.

He said loudly, "Yes, Detective. I am Wallace Thomas, a member of the 135th class of the Royal Empire Intelligence Academy. I graduated with a score of 689."

"I interned at the Empire's Sosyal Castle on February 4, 2646."

"On March 9, 2647, I was transferred to the Bureau of Confidential Affairs in the Cape Harbor's Cape District, responsible for office duties."

Luke had already found some information about Thomas on his phone.

There wasn't much early documentation on Thomas, but graduating from the Royal Empire Intelligence Academy with a score of nearly 700 indicated that he was exceptionally talented from the beginning.

However, his humble background landed him the great opportunity of being assigned to the Cape District Bureau of Confidential Affairs.

Luke patted Thomas on the shoulder and said, "I'm also a graduate of the Royal Empire Intelligence Academy. In terms of seniority, you're my junior. I admire your proactive attitude when given the chance; it's to my liking."

"I'm handing this case over to you. Let me see what our high-achieving graduate from the Academy can do."

Thomas couldn't believe that the detective was being so approachable, not only giving him, a newcomer, this case but also treating him as a junior.

The honor and treatment overwhelmed Thomas, and he excitedly said, "Please rest assured, Detective. I will never let the Royal Empire Intelligence Academy down."

"Do well, and I have high hopes for you!"

Luke didn't waste too much time on Thomas. After all, heroes were born in troubled times, and he didn't know if his interference would hinder Thomas from becoming the future "Silence."

But Thomas's audacity made Luke optimistic about his future.

Opportunities were always given to those who were prepared and sought them out.

He could be trained.

After receiving the task, Thomas went to meet Helma to learn more about her son's situation. Shelley seemed to have something in mind and used the excuse of arranging people to support the Furious Axe Gang to slip away.

Luke returned to his office alone.

The confidential secretary, Karina, brought him a cup of coffee and placed a stack of files on his desk.

"Detective, these are the pending documents that require your signature before you took office. This one needs your seal immediately..."

"What is it? Why the urgency?"

Karina explained, "Detective, before you took office, our Cape District Bureau of Confidential Affairs was under the command of the Central Bureau. Now that you've taken office, command authority naturally needs to be transferred back."

"This is your seal, which was found on the 'Envelope' corpse."

Karina placed a seal on the table along with some other miscellaneous items that belonged to the former detective.

Luke briefly glanced at the transfer of command document, then picked up the seal and stamped it with the "Falling Star" mark.

"Has the body been taken care of?"

"It has been cremated." Karina pulled out a letter from the files and said, "This is a communication just delivered by the City Hall. They demand that we find the 'Heart of the Red Dragon Neil Colon' stolen from the City Alchemist Association as soon as possible."

Luke picked up the letter and asked, "Shouldn't the Security Bureau handle it if the City Alchemist Association has been robbed? Why does it concern our Bureau of Confidential Affairs in the Cape District? And even if the Bureau of Confidential Affairs assists, it should be the Central Bureau's matter. Why did it end up on our Cape District Bureau?"

Karina explained, "Detective, the Central Bureau claims that the thief who stole the 'Heart of the Red Dragon Neil Colon' entered our Cape District and disappeared. They also mentioned that this alchemical item is related to the Dragon Kingdom and if the Red Dragon Neil Colon is exploited, it could potentially cause a diplomatic incident."

"The City Hall has given us the task of finding this alchemical item. If it's not found in time, it will affect the City Hall's financial allocation to us."

"This case was originally under the responsibility of Captain Black Mamba..."

No wonder Shelley ran away so quickly. She wanted to pass this case to the new detective.

The Heart of the Red Dragon Neil Colon was in Clear Sky's spatial backpack.

Handing it over was definitely not an option.

As for the diplomatic incident the Central Bureau mentioned...

The Dragon Kingdom was merely a map filled with dragons. There was no governing body representing the Dragon Kingdom, so there was no question of diplomacy.

Since Red Dragon Neil Colon had signed a summoning agreement with Cape Harbor's Alchemist Association out of greed, both parties automatically assumed the risks of this agreement.

Life and death were fated, while wealth and prosperity were up to heaven.

The excuse given by the Central Bureau was purely an attempt to shift blame and pick a fight.

But the City Hall's measures to withhold funding truly put the Cape District Bureau of Confidential Affairs in a tight spot.

Poor!

Luke skimmed through the other documents, which included various expense applications and reimbursements that made up a significant portion.

After looking at them briefly, he said, "Alright, I understand the situation... You can go back to work for now, and I'll take a closer look at these documents."

"Yes, Detective."

Karina left the office.

Luke started thinking about where he could get some money. Only with financial independence could he be free from external constraints.

Money was needed to build his own "rabbit hole."

He flipped through the walkthroughs on his phone, searching for quick money-making projects.

There were many money-making strategies, but either they were too far away or would take too long.

And what was close in distance and time was... the Great Heist of the Shamrock Armed Airship.

The person who orchestrated the heist on the Shamrock Armed Airship was Lady Tassia from Fishbone Island. They not only stole ten tons of gold but also kidnapped several upper-class individuals from Cape Harbor.

The subsequent rescue operation for the stolen gold and hostages led to a captivating and complex story.

It was considered an outstanding plot that unfolded in the early era of the Cape Harbor region.

However, now that Lady Tassia no longer had the "Heart of the Red Dragon Neil Colon," would she still dare to target the Shamrock Armed Airship?