"Detective, by sharing my identity with you, I consider you one of my own, do you understand? I will provide you with appropriate shelter and assistance, and what you need to do is help me with tasks. Of course, for now, it's just playing cards for me, after all... you can't do other things."
This was a very fair transaction.
"Of course, Madam, it is my honor. I look forward to our next cooperation."
Xia De replied with the etiquette he had learned this afternoon. Cooperating with such a reasonable high-level Ring術士 was truly the best thing.
This was what his hometown called "win-win," and it wasn't about one side winning twice, but both sides winning.
"You don't have to worry about the Founding · Silver Moon. No one will trouble you because of this card."
Miss Jialinna said again, then paused and asked Xia De:
"Since you helped me achieve victory, and I've secured the two slots for naval deployment, I naturally won't go back on my promise to you. What relic do you need? Describe it, as long as it's not too exaggerated and its level is below Secret Keeper Level (Level 3), I think I can find it."
This statement itself was a bit exaggerated, and Xia De was very curious about the stories and power of the Witch Council. But regarding the choice of relic, he had already thought it through:
"It needs to have the function of extracting energy or similar entities, whether physical or non-physical, from a living body itself, and then injecting it into the user's body. As long as it has this function, it's fine. Whether it's the primary function or if there are severe side effects from use, these are not currently considered."
Xia De had said this to Old John, who ran the pawn shop. This was the guarantee for obtaining the next drop of divinity.
"Similar to the vampire ring from last time? I think I know what to give you. I need to prepare it. Tifa will deliver it to you before the end of next week."
Miss Jialinna said, and Xia De breathed a sigh of relief. If the other party could immediately produce what he wanted, he would be very worried that they had completely seen through his secret. With a new relic, the next time he encountered an evil god, he could...
The voice in his head laughed.
"Bah, bah, why would I curse myself?"
"Also, regarding the promise to introduce you to a part-time job... Tifa, please invite Mr. Dak Anlos."
The black-haired maid quietly walked out from a room inside the study. As she brushed past Xia De, she gave him a strange look.
Soon, Mr. Anlos followed the maid into the room. He was also a guest at tonight's rhode cards salon, with an ordinary build, ordinary looks, ordinary clothes—everything was ordinary. He was a bit shorter than Xia De. The only thing worth mentioning was that his eyes were very bright, making him appear exceptionally shrewd.
"Mr. Hamilton."
Mr. Anlos sized up Xia De and extended his hand. After they shook hands, the former said with a practiced Tobesk accent, smiling:
"Very good, strong palm, but no gun calluses. From the palm lines, you must have done heavy labor for a long time in the past, but the way you exert force and the marks on your fingers show that you've been holding a pen frequently recently."
Seeing Xia De look at him in surprise, Mr. Anlos introduced himself:
"Tonight, Duke Lucas didn't invite me here; Miss Jialinna invited me. She said she wanted to introduce me to a good young man, and he is indeed very good."
"So you are..."
From inside the door, Miss Jialinna also introduced:
"This is Mr. Dak Anlos. He has work that doesn't require you to do anything but still allows you to receive reasonable compensation. I've considered your profession and lifestyle, and you'll be satisfied with this job."
Mr. Anlos nodded:
"Can you tell what I do? Hint: hidden in the dark, holding a gun..."
Xia De raised an eyebrow. A very reasonable answer popped into his mind, but considering the Outsider's inherited identity, such an answer seemed a bit too much like a joke:
"You are the Milita..."
"...ry Intelligence Six Divisions' current Chief, Dak Anlos. Although I have a noble title, you can usually just call me Mr. Anlos."
When discussing his profession, Mr. Anlos's expression became slightly more serious.
"Hmm... hmm?"
Xia De believed that his expression at that moment must have been exceptionally colorful, but he also believed that if Sparrow Detective could have lived to see this scene, his expression would have been even more colorful.
"Detective, this is the job I'm introducing you to. Anlos, is that alright?"
Miss Jialinna said from inside the door. The middle-aged man bowed slightly in the direction of the inner door:
"Miss Jialinna, that's perfectly fine. Guaranteed by you to be of good background, a Detective himself, and skilled at rhode cards—he's practically the best MI6 agent."
He looked at Xia De again:
"It would be better if he looked a bit uglier. The student-like demeanor about you doesn't quite fit the identity... No, it's perfect, actually. This sense of mismatched temperament is the most authentic. It's a pity you're just on the payroll as a nominal employee."
He patted Xia De's shoulder, seeing that Xia De's expression was still a bit strange:
"Mr. Hamilton, is there any problem?"
"Problem... No, it's just... nothing."
He answered hesitantly, truly not knowing what to say, while Mr. Anlos began to introduce the benefits:
"You were introduced by Miss Jialinna, so you'll skip the probationary period directly. You don't have to do anything, just remember to write a report periodically. It's 1 pound per week, tax-free..."
It wasn't extremely high, but it was quite good, equivalent to an annual salary of 52 pounds.
"Monthly reimbursement limit of 20 pounds."
As he spoke, Mr. Anlos winked at Xia De, who suddenly realized that the main benefit was here. With this calculation, the annual salary would approach 300 pounds.
If he wasn't a Ring術士 and didn't plan to save money for the future, this amount would be enough for him to live a very carefree bachelor's life.
"I won't assign you tasks; you're just on the payroll. But remember to report tomorrow to pick up your handgun, ID, and gun license. These procedures still need to be followed for accounting purposes... Oh, we don't have uniforms, so you don't need to pick one up."
Saying this, he slipped Xia De a note, and after confirming that Xia De had seen the address clearly, he immediately snatched it back, tore it up, and ate it.
He ate it right in front of Xia De.
After doing all this, Mr. Anlos waved his hand at him:
"You also need to understand, in our line of work, one must be cautious. From now on, your contact point will be this address, and your salary will be issued monthly. Although you don't need to do anything, you can act outside under the name of MI6, just remember not to go too far."
Mr. Anlos smiled, and only then did Xia De have a chance to speak:
"Yes, sir, of course."
He felt his throat was a bit hoarse.
"Remember to go directly to that address tomorrow. Write each report carefully, and remember to add at the end: Therefore, I suspect this matter is related to the southern espionage case."
After speaking, he turned and left the room, not even giving Xia De a chance to talk to him.
This ordinary-looking gentleman was very decisive. His enthusiasm for Xia De probably all came from Miss Jialinna's connection. The Outsider would not naively believe that he could easily win the favor of a senior kingdom intelligence officer.
But all of this was enough.