Chapter Twenty: See No Evil (Please continue reading~)

Borrowed 35 gold lions from Ivy, of which 25 were used to purchase "Simple Production Procedures for Magic Scrolls" published by the June Flower Printing House in the Imperial Capital, and 10 were used for 20 sheets of energy-storing parchment for scroll creation.

Subtracting the savings he had accumulated over the past two years and the 50 silver antelopes he had just swindled from the minotaur gentleman, he still owed Ivy a total of 4 gold lions and 50 silver antelopes.

Of course, Ethan’s explanation to Ivy was that he needed to buy a textbook on screenplay writing. His dream had always been to become a staff screenwriter for the Imperial Opera House; once he was transferred to the Bureau’s headquarters, he planned to dedicate his spare time to stage play creation.

Fortunately, Ivy, who was usually fond of getting to the bottom of things, seemed preoccupied. After lending him the money, she simply waited for him on the deck, not caring at all what he had used the funds for.

He had ultimately given in to his darker impulses.

Carrying the bag, Ethan suddenly realized a serious problem.

Before they set out, Ivy had claimed that the treant Old Mu was a dangerous figure and that one wrong move would lead to an abyss of no return. Yet, after some interaction, the most dangerous thing Old Mu had done was aim the nozzle of his "Dark Creature Repellent 3.0" at him; beyond that, he had shown no intent to swindle him of his money.

However, when Ivy offered to lend him money without charging interest, a door to a new world opened for Ethan. Once a person's desires and evil thoughts are stirred, they become difficult to resist.

Ethan offered a self-critique in his heart.

Still, the path of an Elemental Evoker is long and arduous. Apart from recording elementary elemental spells, "Magic of Fireballs and Ice Arrows" also briefly mentioned the principles of magical construction.

Every extraordinary path has its unique method of advancement. For an Elemental Evoker, constantly broadening one’s horizons, increasing one’s understanding of mysticism, and strengthening the connection with natural elements are the means to temper one’s magic. In the terminology Ethan had summarized for himself, it meant he had to improve his Intelligence.

The stronger his magic, the higher the intensity of the spells he could cast.

It was just that after transmigrating, he could not see his own character panel, and his only "cheat" was the ability to check the proficiency of his skills. Therefore, he could only judge his current magical strength through comparison. Conservatively estimated, he should be just a little bit stronger than the witch who had attacked the small town a while ago.

So, how should he improve his Intelligence?

The answer is to read more books related to mysticism; this was the experience Ethan had gained over the past two years.

He had already scoured all the works related to mysticism in the Riverwood Library, becoming an expert in the eyes of the townspeople without even realizing it. He felt this was not an impressive achievement at all; what he had access to were merely public resources available to everyone. It was just that few people in the small town were truly willing to read; they preferred to come to Ethan for consultation when they encountered problems, listening to the knowledge he had refined and summarized.

In Ethan’s view, there were roughly two ways to gain access to more mysticism.

First, through his position. As long as he was transferred to the Containment Bureau’s headquarters, all the mysticism books in the Imperial Library would be open for him to read. With the relatively leisurely nature of the administrative department, he would have plenty of time to read. His goal for the job was simple: retire once he had finished reading all the mysticism works in the Imperial Library.

Second, through wealth. As long as he could earn enough money, he could buy plenty of mysticism books in places like Hearth Bay, many of which would be skill-related grimoires.

The first goal was underway, and the second could not be neglected. That was why Ethan had gritted his teeth and bought "Simple Production Procedures for Magic Scrolls." As long as he could master the production process, he could turn fireballs and ice arrows into scrolls and sell them to others in Hearth Bay.

If things went well, this would be much faster than earning a salary.

His trip to Hearth Bay made Ethan realize that the principles of confidentiality and free trade there were very suitable for him. Thinking of this, his hand gripping the bag tightened involuntarily. He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous; after all, in his previous life, he was just a diligent worker with no experience in business. Everything had to be built from scratch.

But no matter what, Old Ethan’s Magic Scroll Shop was officially setting sail!

Ethan and Ivy each had their own thoughts on the way back. Everything went smoothly, and there were no accidents where Ethan sneezing caused Ivy to be teleported into someone's house or a sewer.

Ethan stacked the shopping bags on the crate. When they returned to the bottom of Ivy’s apartment building, Miss Chloe, who had been craning her neck, was already waiting at the door. Seeing the two, she hopped and trotted over happily. She took the initiative to nudge the crate with her head, carrying the infrastructure of the Riverwood Intelligence Station of the Containment Bureau into the house.

As soon as they returned home, Ivy took off her damp trench coat and rushed into her room in a flurry. Before long, the sound of water could be heard.

Ethan opened the crate to check the list of items inside.

The items in the box were truly "basic" infrastructure, consisting of only four types. He finally understood what the black, viscous solution filled with an ominous aura in the bottle actually was.

"Relief Spirit Blocker 2.0," a blocker formulated using the secretions of SI-0321, capable of effectively blocking the mental impact of most low-level curses on investigators.

A few words in the introduction made Ethan’s scalp tingle.

"Oral solution."

This thing was meant to be drunk.

He tried moving the bottled solution toward Miss Chloe, who immediately let out a startled "coo" and flapped her wings to hide under the table. See? Even Miss Chloe wouldn't drink it.

The remaining items were several manuals, all with "Glossary of Cursing and Containment Terminology" written on the covers. Ethan really needed this; these contained items were all cryptic codes. For example, without the glossary, he would have no idea what SI-0321 was.

However, Ethan soon regretted it.

When he curiously looked up the entry for SI-0321 using the number in the manual, what met his eyes was an object whose main body looked like a red balloon. Several tentacles were connected beneath the balloon, which seemed to be both its head and body. Five palm-sized eyeballs occupied the front of the monster, and in the center of the eyeballs was a protruding, trumpet-shaped mouth.

"Strabismus."

That was the name the Containment Bureau had given this eerie creature. The manual warned in the most prominent place that the creature was first witnessed after a noble party. The case resulted in 7 deaths, including the Duke’s youngest son, who had no obvious trauma; the cause of death was suffocation.

Immediately after, the manual stated in red font: "All investigators should not make eye contact with 'Strabismus' for more than 3 seconds."

Research showed that after making eye contact with "Strabismus" for three seconds, one would fall into hallucinations. Since all observers who encountered hallucinations had died, the Containment Bureau had no way of knowing the specific appearance of the hallucinatory world.

The "SI" number referred to containment items that displayed strong hostility toward investigators and were lethal.

As for the secretions of SI-0321, they were mucus extracted by researchers from the eyeballs of "Strabismus." They accidentally discovered that this mucus had the effect of blocking mental influence.

Ethan’s stomach churned. At this moment, he understood why some said ignorance is bliss.

Drinking this stuff was, roughly speaking, equivalent to sucking on the eyeball of a "Strabismus."

He didn't know what others thought, but he definitely couldn't bring himself to do it.

Unknowingly, the bedroom had quieted down. Before long, the sound of a door opening rescued Ethan from this nightmare. Ivy emerged wearing a loose white silk robe, steam still radiating from her body. Her short, golden hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, and the iconic tuft of golden hair on top of her head had temporarily vanished.

A faint, sweet fragrance permeated the air.

Ethan held up the manual and took the initiative to say, "I was previewing the content of my future work, but before work officially begins, I have a question."

"Ask."

"You said before that we would be staying in Riverwood for a while. I want to know, what is our real goal?"

"To find a magic book."