Chapter 51: The Diviner

The reply from the Gear City branch was as prompt as ever. The very night she mailed her letter, Ivy received their response. A peregrine falcon landed on her windowsill, bringing her one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.

The good news was that her application for the reimbursement of alchemy consumables had been approved.

The bad news was that the branch director, deeply concerned about her mental state, had sent along a psychological evaluation form.

In the letter, the director also tactfully suggested that if she could no longer cope, he would gladly help recommend her for a position at the Imperial Capital's headquarters.

Holding the evaluation form, Ivy felt the blonde hair on top of her head bristle in a silent roar of fury.

First of all, letting a little hen become an alchemist was Ethan's idea!

The person who truly needed a psychological evaluation was Ethan!

Right now, Ivy genuinely wanted to slam both the reimbursement request and the psychological evaluation form right into Ethan's face, then lock him in a pitch-black room to thoroughly test what on earth was wrong with his mental state. However, angry as she was, she ultimately dismissed the thought, genuinely fearing that Ethan might fail the psychological examination.

That would spell massive trouble.

Frontline investigators dealt with cursed objects year-round; even with the aid of blockers, their minds inevitably suffered the consequences. A mentally unstable investigator posed an extreme threat both to themselves and their companions, making the psychological assessment of investigators a matter of utmost seriousness.

Once an investigator failed the evaluation, they would be forcibly recalled to the nearest branch for isolated treatment until the Containment Bureau deemed them fully recovered.

Yet, according to reports from previous years, the treatment efficacy was far from ideal. Only seventy percent of investigators made a full recovery following treatment; twenty percent fell victim to blocker addiction in a desperate bid to suppress their mental abnormalities, forcing an early retirement—which was already considered a relatively respectable outcome.

The remaining ten percent of treated investigators either developed intense self-destructive tendencies or grew dangerously violent, launching attacks on the medical staff.

Before the sky turned completely dark, Ivy marched aggressively next door and ordered Ethan to go into town to buy a crucible. With that command issued, she locked herself inside the study, spreading the psychological evaluation form flat out on the desk.

Then, she began answering the questions!

She regretted it now.

She really should have just covered Ethan's expenses out of her own pocket, sparing herself from leaving the folks at the Gear City branch with the impression that her mental state was somewhat abnormal.

Meanwhile, Ethan had secured the funds approved by the Gear City branch. He had to emphasize that the Containment Bureau was unequivocally an exceptional workplace, and Ivy was an impeccable supervisor. He had originally prepared himself to pay out of pocket for Miss Chloe to learn alchemy, never expecting his boss to wave her hand and approve the reimbursement directly.

The crucible required for alchemy was nothing extraordinary; it was readily available in the town's market. As for the materials needed for crafting low-tier potions... well, Ethan had no idea where Miss Chloe managed to dig them up. The small animals he encountered seemed to come pre-installed with a "foraging" trait.

Zhao Cai could dig out introductory textbooks on elemental evocation, while Miss Chloe excelled at tracking down all sorts of herbs.

Walking alone down the street, he was soon drawn to a commotion rising from the market place. From a distance, he could see crowds packed tightly around the glow of candles and lanterns. This was the first time Riverwood Town had been this lively since the news of the witch's existence spread, and with night fast approaching, the people gathered in the market showed no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Captain Hager certainly would not want such a situation unfolding in the town.

Although Miss Betsy was hardly likely to make a comeback, an even more terrifying enemy had surfaced on the horizon.

Reliable intelligence indicated that the deranged serial killer of the Dream-Eruption had very likely arrived at the border.

If Captain Hager were to—

Well, Captain Hager already knew.

The moment Ethan drew closer, he spotted Hager at the edge of the crowd, standing on tiptoes and stretching his neck as long as Miss Chloe's. After observing for a moment, Ethan deduced that Hager had no intention of dispersing the crowd; rather, he was standing in line.

Even Ethan could perceive Hager's eager anticipation.

Hager was clad in guard armor with a longsword slung diagonally across his waist, clearly having changed his mind midway through his duties.

"What are you all doing here?"

Ethan squeezed forward. The wall of dark bodies blocked his line of sight, so he followed suit and stood on tiptoes. Gazing past a bobbing sea of the backs of heads, he vaguely made out a table set up beneath a flight of steps. A woman sat behind it, her smooth, long black hair flowing, a veil veiling half of her cheek.

She wore a robe of red and white tones—modest enough to be described as exotic attire—with an ornate ribbon cinched around her slender waist. Hanging from the end of the ribbon was a white-faced smiling mask, reminiscent of a theatrical jester.

Neither her hair color nor her attire resembled that of an imperial citizen.

On the table rested a glowing crystal ball, and sitting right across from her was a nervous-looking man whom Ethan recognized as the town's lumberjack, anxiously awaiting the revelation of his fate.

Ethan felt a prickle of alarm almost instantly and nudged Hager, warning him, "Don't you find it extremely suspicious that a foreigner suddenly appears in town during such a sensitive period?"

"I already investigated that the very second she arrived."

Hager waved a hand dismissively. "She's a certified magician through the Astrological Society, holding an officially issued badge."

"Still, holding a large-scale gathering in town during a sensitive time like this doesn't seem very appropriate, does it?"

"That may be true, but I can understand them. Who could possibly let pass an opportunity like this?"

Hager took a deep breath. He, too, had a matter he desperately needed clarified, and only divination could provide a definitive answer. "My good man Ethan, you see, I'm no longer a spring chicken. Surely you understand what I mean?"

"To be honest, not really."

"A man of my age should be settling down and starting a family. This has weighed on my heart for far too long, and today I must have an answer!"

Hager's overwhelming emotional intensity startled Ethan, causing him to take several steps back. "Hold on, if you're going to talk, talk—what are you grabbing my shoulder for?"

"Because you're my dearest friend, brother Ethan!"

"Alright, I get it."

Ethan extended a hand of rejection, placing it firmly between himself and Hager. The place was bustling with eyes and ears, and Hager was too incoherently emotional; if this triggered some bizarre misunderstanding, he would surely suffer nightmares for a month straight.

Ethan redirected his attention back to the dark-haired woman. She had already gleaned revelations of the future from the crystal ball, and the lumberjack, who had been sitting rigidly before her, saw his expression shift from anxiety to relief. Though the crowd prevented Ethan from hearing the specifics of their conversation, he could infer it was a favorable fortune.

When the lumberjack attempted to pay the black-haired woman a pouch of reward money, she gently declined. With no other way to show his gratitude, he pressed his palms together in a prayerful gesture.

Once the lumberjack departed, the black-haired woman placed her palm atop the crystal ball. Light and shadow intertwined, and she suddenly spoke, announcing the traits of the next "lucky soul."

The ash-haired young man standing at the very back of the crowd.

In an instant, gazes laden with a mixture of envy and jealousy converged upon Ethan.

Huh?

Ethan had not anticipated this at all. In truth, he had merely spotted Captain Hager and wandered over to exchange a few words.

"I just got here; isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Ethan raised a hand toward the black-haired woman, calling out clearly, "The gentleman right beside me is Captain Hager. There is something he desperately wants to know—"

"Twenty years."

The woman's voice was soft, yet it carried clearly to every pair of ears present. "He will not find romantic fate for twenty years."

The crowd fell into an instantaneous, pin-drop silence.

A single, simple sentence caused everyone's gaze to swivel unanimously toward Hager.

Ethan did the same.

He watched as Hager's jaw dropped wide open, as though struck by a catastrophic blow of fate. All his bliss and hope vanished in that very instant. Then, his entire person seemed to drain of color, weathering and withering away in the bitter winter cold.

Ethan froze in place.

I—I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to.