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Chapter 76: In Hand
"Maybe... I shouldn't go up after all."
After suspecting that the voice urging him upstairs wasn't Chief Olivia, but rather her Anomaly, Leon furrowed his brow and mulled it over. Then, he cautiously called out.
"By the way, Chief, I brought you a fine bottle of wine. Would you like to come down and try it?"
"Thank you."
Upon hearing Leon's offer, the "Chief" politely expressed gratitude before continuing.
"I'm not in a convenient position right now. Could you bring it up instead?"
"... "
Not rushing down for the wine? That was definitely suspicious.
Based on his understanding of Chief Olivia, Leon had easily discerned the truth. His guard immediately shot up.
Though unsure of Chief Olivia's exact capabilities, he could make an educated guess from The Black Goat’s behavior. It might constantly snipe at her, but it never once questioned her strength.
At its peak, The Black Goat’s Contamination Value likely exceeded 56. Therefore, Chief Olivia’s abilities were undoubtedly higher—probably over 60.
As for himself...
Well, no point in comparing.
He was just a Probationary Worker with a Contamination Value of a mere 0.9, far below the minimum average standard. If the entity upstairs was indeed Chief Olivia's Anomaly and had somehow gone rogue, the only question was whether he'd die horribly or even more horribly.
Stay calm. Whatever happens, do not panic.
Realizing he might be dealing with a rogue Anomaly, Leon took two deep breaths. He then quietly retrieved a bottle of wine and activated [Martyr of the Wine Realm] to maintain his composure.
Quickly turning around, he slowly retreated toward the Cleansing Bureau's entrance while calmly responding.
"If it's inconvenient for you, I won’t disturb you. I'll leave the wine here for you."
"That's alright."
Hearing Leon's response, the "Chief" chuckled, her tone growing eerier.
"Come up. What I’m busy with concerns you. You won’t be disturbing me. As for the wine, drinking it or not doesn’t really matter."
"I’m fine. You can continue what you’re doing."
"What are you talking about? Didn’t I say to come up?"
"Uh-huh, alright. I’ll be right up."
The moment he heard "drinking it or not doesn’t really matter," Leon’s hair stood on end. While keeping the conversation going to placate the rogue Anomaly, he activated [Parkour Novice], sprinting toward the Cleansing Bureau’s exit with unprecedented speed.
"Bang!"
"Leon..."
Just as Leon barreled through the heavy doors of the Cleansing Bureau, Chief Olivia, furious and red-faced, appeared at the second-floor window. She thrust her hand out toward his fleeing figure.
"You get back here..."
...
"So this is the promising newcomer you told me about."
After sizing up Leon, the silver-haired elderly woman smiled and extended her hand.
"I’m the one who crafted your Anomaly. According to Bureau regulations, I must conceal my real name to avoid curses from evil gods or other entities. So I can't tell you my name, but you can call me Taurus."
"..."
Taurus... Chief Taurus? So it wasn't an Anomaly gone rogue; Chief Olivia was simply entertaining a guest upstairs?
Looking at the kindly old woman before glancing at the scowling Chief Olivia, a bewildered Leon instinctively shook her hand.
"Hello... I'm Leon..."
"Mm-hmm, I know. 'Leon Value,' right?"
After withdrawing her hand with a smile, the elderly woman studied the youthful-looking Leon with evident approval.
"The standard you proposed has piqued my interest. Could you explain how the 'Leon Value' is measured?"
"Well... that’s not actually called the 'Leon Value'..."
Given his badge system, Leon didn’t want too many people knowing his name and drawing unnecessary attention. He quickly tried to correct her, aiming to revert the term back to Contamination Value.
But before he could finish, Chief Olivia smacked the back of his head, hissing a warning into his ear.
"Director."
"Huh?"
Idiot.
Glaring at Leon, who had dashed off after barely two sentences, ruining everything, Chief Olivia gritted her teeth and corrected him again.
"This is one of the twelve Directors of the Bureau. You should address her as Director."
"Heh, just a title. No need to be so formal."
Waving off the formality, the silver-haired Director glanced at the glaring Chief Olivia and teased,
"Olivia, didn’t you tell me you’ve been sober for quite some time? Why did this youngster bolt the moment he heard you weren’t drinking?"
"Well... though I've quit drinking, people still remember it vividly. Hehe... please excuse the misunderstanding... hehehe... let's talk business first."
Covering up with a blatant lie, Chief Olivia mentally added another strike against Leon before earnestly praising him.
"Director Taurus, Leon isn’t just talented in studying Anomalies; he handles unusual situations adeptly too.”
“You’re aware of the incident involving the Sacred Spirit of the The Scale of Gold, so I won’t elaborate. Beyond that, on his first day, Leon neutralized a rogue Contaminated Individual and later astutely deduced the location of another Anomaly from subtle clues.”
“Even today’s incident shows his acumen. A less cautious person would have gone upstairs as requested, but he detected something amiss and swiftly made the correct decision to stabilize the situation while retreating.”
“These details, along with his record of independently handling Sacred Spirits, should illustrate his potential."
"Mm-hmm, very impressive."
Having listened attentively, the silver-haired Director nodded approvingly.
"With steady progress, this young man might become an ace like Emma someday... Keep it up, young man. Don’t let Olivia’s efforts go to waste."
Smiling warmly at Leon, the silver-haired Director snapped her fingers lightly. Then Leon felt something hard pressed into his palm.
Looking down, he was astonished to find a necklace with a golden toad dangling in his hand.
[Name: Sacred Spirit Pendant (Holy, Interference, Whisper)]
[Appearance: A necklace with a golden toad pendant. If you meet its gaze, you'll find it glaring at you with intense hatred.]
[Ability: Holy Belief, Will Interfering Reality, Mental Impact]
[Cost: Requires payment of a certain "currency." The type isn’t limited to money. Greater payments enhance effectiveness.]
[Record: Material sourced from The Scale of Gold’s Sacred Spirit “Golden Wealth-Exchanging Toad.” After being destroyed by the Sixth Bureau’s Probationary Worker Leon Lion, the remnants were forged by Director Taurus of the Cleansing Bureau into this Anomaly.]
[Evaluation: Through the crafter’s exceptional and cruel techniques, the toad’s originally dissipating powers were partially preserved. Instead of consuming vast amounts of stamina and willpower, activation now requires equivalent payment.
Note: Often, "cost" does not mean "burden," but an equitable exchange where both parties benefit.]
[Contamination Value: 48 (0.9)]
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