Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 27: The Chicken Farmer

『Ice Arrow (Proficient): Proficiency: 1/150』

When Ethan woke up and checked his proficiency panel, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

His Ice Arrow proficiency had jumped, something that had never happened before. It should have been a cause for celebration, yet it filled him with a foreboding sense.

What happened?

You know, even witches assumed to be above Tier Three can only provide 15 points of proficiency.

Could it be that he has awakened a new talent, "I Train in My Dreams"?

No, this is obviously impossible. The dreams he had were unrelated to training Ice Arrow. He merely dreamed of himself lying on a pile of golden lions, in a room sculpted entirely of gold, and this filled his face with a smile as he rolled indulgently on the golden lion pile.

Then, unsurprisingly, his waist was bruised.

Next, someone knocked on the door.

In his dream, Ethan leaped from the lion pile, excitedly rushing to the door—this was the ultimate goal of his life, achieving financial freedom, never having to work under the gaze of a boss, and marrying a gentle and virtuous wife, spending the rest of his days in a golden-built small house like in a fairytale.

So, what would his future wife be like?

Filled with expectation, Ethan opened the door.

Sunlight poured into the room, freezing his outstretched arms in place, as two people dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses came into view.

"Heisenberg, you are accused of twelve charges, including tax evasion, magic scroll smuggling, come with us."

...

What a nightmare!

The thought of magic scrolls immediately intensified Ethan's unease, and he suddenly considered a possibility—could it be that when others used the magic scrolls he drew, he could share in the proficiency gain?

However, causing his Ice Arrow to jump a stage is unimaginable; what could that pure-blooded noble child have done with his Ice Arrow scroll?

Could that idiot have tried out the Ice Arrow's triple combo power on the street in a densely populated city?

Looks like I should closely follow the "Horned Owl Beast Daily" recently.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The knocking sounded again, and Miss Keroy used her head to push the door of his room open a crack, peering inside. Upon receiving Ethan's gaze, she shook her wings and let out a soft "coo" nasal sound, making Ethan inexplicably imagine a maid coming to inform him of a visitor.

Huh?

Why did he have such an imagination?

Ethan stopped his wild thoughts, got out of bed, threw on clothes, and headed to the washroom for a quick freshen-up. By the time he reached the living room, Ave was already sitting on the sofa waiting for him, wearing that same heavy overcoat and gold-framed monocle, leaning back and browsing through one of the "Glossary of Curses and Containment Terms."

Hearing footsteps, she glanced up at Ethan.

"I admire you, managing to sleep until nighttime. Have you eaten?"

"No." frёeωebɳovel.com

"We'll eat on the way."

Ave stated in a tone that brooked no argument, causing Ethan's heart to skip. He glanced out the window at the pitch-black sky, not expecting that even after many years and coming to another world, he couldn't escape the fate of overtime. Yet he still held a flicker of hope, a dying struggle, and asked, "Now?"

"A letter came from the Gear City branch, saying there's a tricky case in Ximu Town. Banker Marshall's in trouble, likely linked to a cursed item. They want us to check it out."

Marshall.

Ethan silently recalled the somewhat familiar name, and with Ave mentioning the banker's title, he remembered a chubby, bald-in-the-middle middle-aged man. At a Guild annual meeting, this banker had given a speech on behalf of the Imperial United Reserve Bank.

It was all official jargon, and Marshall hadn't left too deep an impression then. That's when Ethan heard from the hunters that this man was the Ximu Town branch manager, and all business needed his approval.

"Recent statistics aren't optimistic. Unusual cases have increased by 20% compared to last year, with border cities up 44.6%. The disappearance and death rates of investigators are also rising annually."

This was a briefing sent with the commission letter and was specifically requested by Ave.

As she had predicted, ever since the Lindong Witch incident, unusual cases had sprung up everywhere like mushrooms after the rain. The Reception Bureau had increased investigation efforts, yet couldn't curb the rising case numbers. To this day, the investigation bureau was critically short-staffed.

Or more accurately, with the staggering mortality rate, fewer people were willing to work on the frontline. If they learned they'd be sent to the Empire's border, many investigators would immediately submit their resignation letters.

Ave speculated this was probably why the Gear City branch was so excited to hear they were establishing a base station.

They didn't expect anyone in this era would rush to the frontier village towns.

Ave put down the book and pointed to the coffee table, "Look, the identity cards have arrived."

The shining hard card paper and mithril-edged frame bore their investigator levels and codes, symbols of Imperial civil employee status.

On top was Ave's identity card:

"Rose," B-level Investigator.

Outstanding graduate from the Enlightenment Society, awarded Tier Two Scholar title during studies, Director of the Empire's Ximu Town Intelligence Station at the border, the beautiful and tenacious Empire Rose.

The Reception Bureau clearly valued Ave highly, providing high praise in the card's commentary and granting her a B-level Investigator title at the start, which is already middle management level in the Bureau. Though Ethan felt with Ave's identity, if she chose to stay long-term in the Bureau, she'd likely be promoted to A-level Investigator within a year.

This is the gap between people, the disparity of the world!

Next was Miss Keroy's identity information.

"Alpha Wolf," E-level Investigator (CI-0651-a).

A mysterious creature nurtured by CI-0651, omnivorous, mild-tempered yet with werewolf-like destructive power, able to easily crush, peck through granite, awakened to intelligence by a cursed item, with potential for continued growth and evolution.

"Oh, nice, Miss Keroy. They've rated you highly."

Ethan strung Miss Keroy's identity card with a cord, hung it around her neck, and gently patted her head. Miss Keroy happily nuzzled his hand, emitting joyful chirps.

Ethan's inner expectations were stirred.

Every word on the identity card made him realize he was a step closer to his career plan.

So how would the Reception Bureau evaluate him?

After all, the Ximu Town intelligence station was established through his and Ave's joint efforts.

Excited, he picked up his identity card.

"Chicken Keeper," E-level Investigator.

A person who raises a chicken.

...

Ethan fell silent for a moment, turning the card over multiple times, finally confirming that it truly had only one line.

"Miss Rose."

His vision plunged into darkness, "Was this identity card printed wrong?"

Compared to Rose and Alpha Wolf, he felt like he was just there to make up the numbers.

"No, it wasn't."

Ave shook her head, extinguishing his last hope, "This is your identity card."