Chapter 24

“Hiss… it’s getting a bit chilly…”

As the sky began to lighten, hardworking Leon got up, yawning as he walked on the way to work.

After being greeted by the cold autumn wind, his mind cleared a little. Leon instinctively pulled his neck in and wrapped Anna’s big scarf around him again, then couldn’t help but think about what happened last night…

Melanie’s question from yesterday was ultimately left unanswered, with Leon mumbling some vague nonsense about understanding when she grew up, barely fobbing her off.

Even if he had explained it to Melanie, there’s no way the young girl would’ve understood. However, for ordinary people, knowing less about the Clearing Bureau and anomalous items means fewer chances of encountering “another world.” So naturally, it’s best to keep things hidden when possible.

But though Melanie’s query ended there, it wasn’t entirely meaningless. At least it helped Leon clear up a small doubt—what exactly did the Bureau Director lose?

…

According to the intelligence provided by the “Materialist Soul,” anyone who possesses the anomalous item known as “Memoryless Love” will inevitably lose one of three types of love: parental love, filial love, or spousal love.

Now it seemed that the director had lost the love from children, yet judging from her behavior yesterday, she clearly liked kids very much.

After all, while his home at Veteran’s Lane wasn’t part of the slums, it wasn’t exactly a great location either. Around were noisy, dirty companies and a prison housing many serious criminals. The number of residents was already few, and children even fewer. There wouldn’t be any candy shops nearby.

So, the colorful-wrapped milk candies she bought for Melanie must have come from a department store four or five streets away. That she went so far just to buy candy for two kids she’d just met meant she certainly didn’t dislike children.

Hmm… For someone who really likes kids, not being able to have their own is bad enough, but having children and constantly forgetting them? That must be pretty cruel.

Shaking his head sympathetically, Leon prepared to quicken his pace towards the Clearing Bureau, then take the Black Goat to visit the nurse suspected of possessing an anomaly, but was stopped by a sweet aroma of burnt coffee.

A handcart with stools and a table, a huge tin hot water boiler with a copper faucet, a coal stove glowing with red flames, and several sawhorse-style low tables and benches…

Amidst the coffee scent filling his nostrils, a small space wrapped tightly in old canvas, shielded from the biting autumn wind, radiating warmth, suddenly caught his eye.

A coffee stall…

Eyeing the warm little stall that looked especially inviting against the gray, cold morning, Leon hesitated, finally succumbing to the tempting aroma and stepped into the tent, finding a seat at a table further inside.

“Boss, a cup of coffee and two slices of thin bread.”

“Alrighty!”

The boss, pulling out a handle-less cup, skillfully shook in some coffee powder, then used a cloth to turn the steaming copper tap and poured in hot water. With three fingers gripping the stirring stick, he swirled it twice, placing a steaming black liquid in front of Leon.

“Customer, do you want butter on your ‘two thins’? If you’re interested, I also have ham slices, freshly fried this morning, still hot.”

“Hmm… how much extra for the ham slice? Is it expensive?”

“Not at all! Super cheap!”

Wiping his hands on his grimy apron, the fifty-something boss chuckled, holding up one dark finger.

“One copper coin without ham, two copper coins with!”

Two copper coins… adding one ham slice costs another copper coin? Are you robbing me? I could buy an entire ham at the department store for less than a silver coin!

Speechless, Leon glanced at the seemingly honest but actually shrewd coffee stall owner and pouted. “Ham’s fine, but just butter the bread… and make sure it’s thick!”

“Got it!”

Having failed to sell the extra item, the boss’ face didn’t show disappointment. Instead, he cheerfully took out a long loaf of bread, swiftly slicing off two super-thin pieces. He dipped a brush, smaller than one used for shoe polish, twice before tossing the slices onto the stone slab above the charcoal stove to toast.

Damn… doing business with you is such a rip-off.

Looking at the two slices of bread that were almost transparent, Leon felt like he’d been scammed, realizing he had encountered a master scammer.

But since he was already here and didn’t want to leave the warmth of the fire, he didn’t object, instead picking up the steaming coffee and cautiously sipping a small mouthful.

Mm… so good… feels like coming back to life…

As his hands warmed from the hot cup and his empty stomach was warmed by the coffee, Leon contentedly closed his eyes. Meanwhile, the crafty boss delivered the “bread slices.”

“Customer, your order is complete. That’ll be one copper coin.”

Looking at the bread slices in the small plate that were practically see-through, Leon reluctantly paid, though feeling somewhat dissatisfied. Unable to resist, he shot a sarcastic remark:

“Boss, your knife skills are impressive. You must be making quite a profit, huh?”

“Hehe, just scraping by.”

Apparently used to such snarky customers, the boss didn’t get upset. Instead, he smiled humbly, pointing to the stove behind him.

“You see my stove? It burns only the finest charcoal, and I keep feeding it to ensure the coffee is always piping hot whenever a customer comes. The cost of charcoal is part of the price!”

That’s true… but with your audacity to charge a copper coin for a single ham slice and your bread-cutting skills rivaling those of a master chef, the extra cost of charcoal is probably more than compensated for. You’re definitely making a profit.

“To be honest, early morning customers heading to the city administration district care less about saving money and more about the warmth.”

Seemingly trying to turn Leon into a regular, noticing his indifference to his explanation, the boss pointed across the street and patiently elaborated:

“My coffee might not be the sweetest or strongest, but its temperature is unmatched. My stove burns the hottest, warming even outside the tent.

Moreover, to prevent burning your hands while keeping them warm, I use thick ceramic cups instead of thin iron ones that need to be put down immediately after holding. I guarantee that no matter how you come, you’ll leave feeling thoroughly warm.

Otherwise, why do so many people come to my stall compared to others? Because what I’m selling isn’t just a cup of coffee but a touch of warmth during a cold morning. Isn’t that the truth?”

“Oh, and don’t tell anyone what I’ve told you!”

Suddenly realizing he’d revealed some “trade secrets,” the seemingly innocent boss waved his hands, looking modest.

“This little coffee stall, I plan to pass it down to my daughter. No matter how she fares outside, she’ll always have something to fall back on. If others learn these tricks, she’ll be in trouble!”

“…”

I believe you, alright! You’re so sharp, how could you reveal everything? Not to mention, your coffee isn’t sweet at all, but I followed the sweet smell here, meaning there’s definitely something else going on in your pot. If I tried to copy you, I’d probably go broke! Tsk… But despite being stingy, you’ve put a lot of thought into it, so you deserve the money.

Impressed by the coffee stall owner’s value-added business philosophy, Leon gave him a thumbs-up, quickly finished his bread and coffee, then stood up and hurried toward the Clearing Bureau.

Not long after he left, a doll-faced girl in a professional skirt suit followed the sweet aroma down the street.

Seeing the affable-looking coffee stall boss, the girl’s big watery eyes lit up, and she rushed over, grabbing the boss and complaining,

“Hmph! Why should I care about his little stall?”

Hearing the doll-faced girl’s words, the previously kind-hearted boss twisted his nose, transforming into a stubborn old man and retorted,

“What? Do you look down on my little stall? Let me tell you, if it weren’t for this little coffee stall, our family of three would’ve starved to death long ago. How could we have today?”

“Aww! No one looks down on your stall! But why insist on setting it up today?”

Frustrated by her father’s sudden sulking, the doll-faced girl helplessly said,

“Our gas company’s pipeline cracked, and we just paid out a large sum of money. Then Water Power Corporation had issues too, right when we’re dealing with trouble.

Mom’s furious because you’re running around instead of focusing on company matters, and now you’re out here setting up a stall in the morning…”

“What’s there to deal with? What’s earned is earned, what’s lost is lost! Stop scheming! And why control the two hours I spend here? Can’t I change course if the company goes under?”

The coffee stall boss became even angrier upon hearing this, blowing his nose and glaring, saying, “Besides, I warned you from the start: we shouldn’t have gotten involved in municipal projects!

Although they make fast and stable money, bringing in a large sum every year, the main decision-making power doesn’t lie with us. We can only suggest, not decide. Is that acceptable?

I knew from the beginning that following those bastards’ ways, something would eventually go wrong! We should’ve stuck to our honest grocery business, which has high risks and thin profits, but at least we could supervise it closely, and resolve issues easily if they arose.

But your mom insisted, thinking our reputation would make others behave better. She plunged ahead recklessly, and I couldn’t stop her! In the end, those bastards saved on filtration costs, dumping sewage directly into public water pipes! Causing diarrhea medicine to sell out across the capital! They showed no restraint! Those bastards have no shame!”

Grumbling for a while, seeing the sun rise and the temperature gradually rising with fewer customers, the coffee stall boss tapped the stove to extinguish the charcoal, packed up the tent fabric, and pushed the cart, walking angrily with his daughter, continuing to ask along the way,

“How’s the gas pipeline crack going? Did you properly apologize and compensate?”

“Done done! One family didn’t seem to want compensation, saying they weren’t seriously injured, so paying for their bandaging fees was enough.”

“They don’t want it, that’s their business, but our company caused the problem, so compensation must be given… Oh, what’s that family’s name?”

“The surname’s a bit unclear… Ah! Lane! Right! Leon Lane! A good person, though not wealthy, always smiling warmly and very gentle to his sister!”

…

“You’re asking about our new recruit? His name is Leon, Leon Lane.”

Aside from the coffee stall father and daughter, two other people were discussing Leon’s situation at this moment.

“Lane?”

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar surname, the petite woman in golden glasses blinked, taking a big bite of the sponge cake in her hand, curiously asking, “From the Lionheart Duke’s family? Aren’t you against nobles? Why did you hire him into your Virgo Bureau?”

“It’s just the same surname, actually two different things.”

After briefly explaining Leon’s surname, the red-haired bureau director frowned upon seeing the petite woman in gold-rimmed glasses eating a puff pastry, asking, “Why are you asking about him? Planning to poach him?”

“Kind of.”

Admitting her intentions openly, the petite woman in a black-and-white maid dress picked up a nut cake ring, licking the sweet almond powder on it, then grinned mischievously,

“I reviewed the file you submitted; this guy has a [Compulsory Intelligence Acquisition] ability higher than a Great Demon. Properly utilized, it’s quite remarkable, and which bureau director wouldn’t covet it?”

“…”

Glancing at her friend’s narrowed eyes in the mirror, the petite woman gulped down the cake ring, grabbed a piece of oil tea pancake, spread strawberry jam on it, and explained,

“However, rest assured, I’m not here to poach him. I want to make a small deal with him… Has the abnormality from that hospital principal been extracted?”

Ah, I see… you’re eyeing that patient-absorbing abnormality.

Glancing at the lion carving pattern clawing at dung balls on the gilded mirror, the red-haired bureau director paused momentarily, comprehension dawning in her eyes.

Beverly’s jurisdiction under the Leo Bureau includes a port occupied by uncontrolled infected individuals. Nearly ten thousand residents from over a dozen nearby villages have been forcibly afflicted with incurable diseases. Should the uncontrolled infected individual die, all of them would perish simultaneously.

Though the Leo Bureau reacted promptly, sealing off the port and preventing further chaos, they have no effective countermeasures against an uncontrolled infected individual holding ten thousand hostages. Using trump cards for this medium-scale event isn’t ideal, so they’ve left it unchecked for now.

But things are different now. The deceased hospital principal’s ability to absorb patients happens to be the nemesis of the uncontrolled infected individual. According to Clearing Bureau rules, those who complete cleaning tasks have priority in claiming extracted abnormalities.

So her sudden contact through the [Celestial Sphere Mirror] today wasn’t to catch up with an old friend but to warn her beforehand, ensuring Leon doesn’t compete with her for this abnormality…

Staring at her good friend munching cheese pudding in the gilded mirror, the red-haired bureau director blinked coyly, her fox-like eyes twinkling as she feigned difficulty, “This… I understand how important this thing is to you, but Leon witnessed the uncontrolled infected individual’s power during the cleanup process and is very interested in this abnormality, so…”

“Tch! Cut the crap!”

Knowing her friend’s nature all too well, Beverly rolled her eyes on the other side of the mirror, munching on a coconut bun while grumpily asking,

“Just spit it out, how much do you want to borrow this time?”

“Hey, this isn’t about money.”

The red-haired bureau director waved her hand, smiling sweetly,

“Leon is a newcomer, working hard to complete his first task. Hardly earning his first abnormality, something so meaningful as a memento, taking it away with just a word would be unfair, right?”

“…”

At this point, watching her friend’s sly fox eyes, Beverly on the other side of the mirror stiffened slightly, losing interest in the orange cream pie in her mouth.

Finishing her snack in a few bites, Beverly exuded the authority befitting a Leo Bureau director, slamming her hand on the table and roaring fiercely, “Spit it out! What do you want?”

“I want you to exchange the Witch’s Broom with him.”

“Pfft! Dream on!”

(End of Chapter)