'Clean-up duty?'
Wei'en thought to himself, 'The scope of this logistics department is pretty broad.'
First, they were responsible for investigating supernatural incidents. If they could solve it, they solved it alone. If they couldn't, they handed it over to the Combat Department.
Then, after the fighting was over, they had to go back for clean-up… It was feeling more and more like being a police officer in his past life.
"Are there any benefits?"
"Er," Lisi's smile froze. She gave him a reproachful look. "Wei'en, has anyone ever told you that you should act a little dumber?"
Wei'en shook his head shyly. "No."
"Forget it. Clean-up duty is pretty much what you think it is."
Having her thunder stolen made it hard for Lisi to get excited. "For every incident we resolve, we get a substantial extra income."
'Extra income?'
"Tell me more."
Wei'en perked up. He could already smell the gold pounds.
"Like I said, we're dealing with supernatural incidents. After resolving them, we usually end up with some items that have Extraordinary properties."
Seeing his interest, Lisi felt much better. "Within the Investigation Department, we divide these Extraordinary items into three categories. The first is Extraordinary Creatures that have been corrupted and lost control."
"Their bodies contain organs with Extraordinary properties—could be their limbs, internal organs, facial features, and so on."
"During clean-up, we specifically dissect and extract these items. Depending on the degree of corruption and mutation, they can sell for anywhere from 1 to 15 gold pounds."
"Fifteen gold pounds? That much!"
Wei'en's eyes instantly took the shape of gold pounds. 'Now *this* is the right way to make money.'
Compared to that, the 6 pence from the Ghost Intelligence Department... not even a dog would want it!
"These items can be used as materials for making Magic Potions or Alchemy Items," Lisi said with a smile. "You should know, Wizards are all very rich."
"W-Wizards?"
'Are Wizards rich?'
Wei'en was skeptical. As a Wizard Apprentice, he could speak from experience—he was flat broke!
"Mhm, especially Wizards from the Ghost Soul School and the Blood Spirit School. They love using these kinds of mutated materials."
Wei'en asked thoughtfully, "So the Magic Potions and Alchemy Items they make are very valuable, right?"
"Of course. Why else would I say all Wizards are rich?"
At this, Lisi pulled a glass vial from her pocket with a look of annoyance. It was only the size of a fingernail.
"Look, this is their 'masterpiece.' They charged me three gold pounds for this tiny vial. It's highway robbery!"
Wei'en's eyes were instantly drawn to it, staring intently at the small vial. "What is that?"
'Highway robbery is great! Why do manual labor when you can just rob people?'
Lisi said through clenched teeth, "Spirit Summoning Potion, the proudest creation of the Ghost Soul School."
"Spirit Summoning Potion?"
Wei'en snapped back to his senses, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward Xiaoxi.
He remembered the letter from the school had mentioned another name for the Meditation Technique—the Soul-Devouring Technique. 'Could there be a connection between the two?'
"Its purpose is to awaken the dead. We usually use it on victims who have died in supernatural incidents."
Lisi explained, "This allows us to lock onto our target faster and avoid more serious consequences. It's expensive, but it's really helpful for our work."
Wei'en rubbed his chin. "Hmm, so that's what it's for."
'Alchemist!'
'I have to become an Alchemist! It's definitely a lucrative career path!'
"What about the other categories?"
"The second category is Extraordinary items from ancient times, like books recording Extraordinary knowledge, weapons and equipment with Extraordinary properties, and so on."
Wei'en nodded. That was also easy to understand.
The Gonzalez language text and the Meditation Scroll he received from the Ghost Soul School last night belonged to this category.
"And what's the value of these things?"
Lisi looked at him with a grin. "Wei'en, I didn't realize you were so concerned with 'money'."
"...I'm a little short."
Wei'en was a bit embarrassed. He'd love to grandly slap down a stack of gold pounds and tell her he was loaded, but unfortunately, his circumstances didn't allow for it.
"No need to be embarrassed. When we resolve supernatural incidents, we deserve to be rewarded accordingly. Otherwise, how could we improve our strength and protect the people of the city-state?"
Her words instantly made Wei'en see Lisi in a much more noble light.
"Of course, improving your strength is just a side benefit. The most important thing is to enjoy life, but in moderation."
Speaking of which, Lisi reminded him, "That's what Marco does. The moment he gets paid, he runs off to spend it all in Nocturnal City. Don't be like him."
"Marco is?"
"A colleague of ours in Investigation Department One. A real jerk with a terrible personality!"
Wei'en nodded impassively. "Don't worry, I rarely go out."
'Looks like I'll have to find a chance to get to know this 'Brother' Marco.'
"The last category, and also the most dangerous—Forbidden Items!"
"Forbidden Items?"
'The *General Knowledge for Wizards* book the ghost gave me mentioned something about not relying too much on forbidden objects...'
'That seems different from the 'danger' Captain Lisi is talking about, though.'
"That's right!"
Lisi's expression became exceptionally grim. "All Forbidden Items are extremely dangerous. Besides the Extraordinary Abilities they possess, the main problem is how difficult they are to deal with."
"There are a total of three hundred thirty-two known Forbidden Items, and every single one possesses terrifying power. Once these things break their seals, the consequences are catastrophic."
"For example, Forbidden Item 1-83, the Demon Clown, which appeared in Caster ten years ago... That time, almost everyone in the slums was wiped out."
At this, Lisi's expression grew somber. "To reseal it, our Secret Investigation Department sacrificed hundreds of Extraordinaries. Among them was the former Director of the Secret Investigation Department, Lord Abel..."