Chapter 189: Why Does It Seem Angry?
As Lloyd’s thoughts drifted, he suddenly realized something—
’It seems that in the less than three months since I joined the Eighteenth District, the suppression Orbit has already failed three times, hasn’t it?’
’The first time was the giant cicada Weiya and I encountered—the one that felt like holding an entire summer in your hand.’
’The second time was when the Advisor suddenly went crazy, causing that bizarre "accident." Of course, the Advisor himself took responsibility for it.’
’And the third time is this current situation, attributed to an unexplained "lack of maintenance"...’
’Could it be my fault?’
Lloyd pondered guiltily.
’But on second thought, that doesn’t seem right. After all, I wasn’t even in the Eighteenth District when the third incident happened.’
’Hmm... I’m definitely overthinking it. How could a righteous, evil-hating young man like me possibly have the power to interfere with an Orbit of this scale? I’m giving myself way too much credit...’
’I should stick to my principles of being humble, low-key, reserved, and restrained!’
After making some excuses for himself, Lloyd adjusted his mindset and continued to the next cell.
He still trusted his marksmanship. The moment he saw his target, he fired three shots. BANG~ BANG~ BANG~
They all missed. The bullets flew off to who-knows-where...
"Son of a bitch, why?"
"There must be something wrong with this gun’s craftsmanship, right? Are the sights not aligned? Or is the rifling off?"
Lloyd cursed under his breath. Although the Demon across from him didn’t "mock" him, he went up and finished off the "eyewitness."
’Now that I’ve been seen, there’s nothing to be done about it...’
The good news was, the six bullets in the gun were now all used up. Balderes hadn’t sent any more, so for the next three Demons, he wouldn’t have to worry about them being killed by gunfire.
[Ding~ Madness Value +300]
[Ding~ Madness Value +300]
[Ding~ Madness Value +300]
Although Lloyd hadn’t dealt with these low-risk Demons for a week, his skills hadn’t gotten rusty. He finished the day’s work cleanly and efficiently.
In fact, after dissecting two Karmic Demons, his technique had even improved slightly, and his proficiency had increased. He was now a minute or two faster than he was a week ago.
Perfect. The Madness Value he’d gained today, added to his previous accumulation, was just enough for him to level up. He could add points again.
’Five points into [Rationality], add, add, add!’
[Ding~ Points added]
[User: Lloyd]
[Status: Normal]
[Madness Value: 16/5500, Max: 13500]
[Rationality: 135]
[Spiritual Power: 130]
[inspiration: 80]
[Cognition: 130]
[Systems: Twist LV3, Veto LV2]
[Mastered Skills: Focused Learning; Probe; Divination LV4; Dizziness Resistance LV5; Extraordinary Swordsmanship LV2; Twisted Realm LV6; Aggressive Speech LV3; Blessing Distortion LV4; Orbital Control (Twist) LV3]
[Unparsed Fragment: Unknown Fragment of unknown composition*1, current analysis progress 13%]
[Unread Books: *Book of Truth, Volume One*, current reading progress 20%]
’As expected. Every time I open my status panel, seeing these perfectly balanced stats of mine ignites a sense of pride and accomplishment in my heart!’
Lloyd sighed with emotion, then left Floor -3. He first returned to his office to take off his white lab coat, then suddenly remembered the Saint Statue in his pocket. He ought to return it to the depths of the file cabinet and store it away safely.
But as soon as he reached into his pocket and touched the Saint Statue, he felt a gentle force push his hand away.
’Huh?’
’Why won’t it let me hold it?’
Lloyd tried again. This time he managed to grasp it, but the feeling in his hand was cold and hard, like a stone. The previous warm, smooth, and delicate sensation was gone.
’What’s going on now?’
’Why does it feel like it’s angry?’
Lloyd couldn’t quite understand it, but he didn’t dare to recklessly speculate on the Saint’s intentions. He could only pull open the file cabinet as planned, preparing to put the Saint Statue inside.
But just then, another surge of power suddenly emerged from the Saint Statue. It condensed in the air, looking like a small, clenched fist.
Then, it bonked him on the forehead.
"Awoo↑ Awoo↓ Awoo↑ Awoo-hoo-hoo↑↓↑"
Lloyd grimaced in pain. He didn’t dare meow loudly like a cat, so he could only force out a few strangled yelps, sucking in sharp breaths of cold air.
Now Lloyd really didn’t dare to hide the Saint Statue in the file cabinet. He had no choice but to put it back in his pocket.
He didn’t dare to hold it or even touch it anymore. He truly couldn’t fathom the Saint’s intentions.
A vague sense of guilt and shame welled up inside him, as if he’d done something a total scumbag would do.
’But I haven’t done anything wrong! I’ve been diligently carrying out my duties...’
’Forget it, forget it. Don’t think too much, don’t ask too much...’
Lloyd shook his head hard, then ran to the Military Supply Office while rubbing his forehead, where he found the Military Supply Priest, Andrew.
First, he placed another order for materials to make a music box: the three specialty products from the City of Serenity—[Dream Flower Juice], [Bottled Thoughts], and [Intelligent Worm].
Andrew’s face immediately lit up with a smile. He readily agreed, promising to guarantee quality and quantity and to have the items delivered as soon as possible.
He just didn’t offer any discount...
Lloyd didn’t fuss over it and asked:
"Has the Orbit downstairs been a bit unstable recently?"
"Yeah, everyone was on edge for a few days. But thankfully, nothing serious actually happened. Now that you’re back, everyone can relax," Andrew replied.
"What about the other towers? Number 3 and 6? Did this happen there too?"
"Not that I’ve heard. Their Orbits are more ’economical’ than ours. After all, they’re mainly used for experiments, so not many Demons are sent there. But who knows, maybe they’ll have problems later too? I hope nothing terrible comes of it..."
Hearing this, Lloyd asked in confusion:
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"Because the Chief Judge left! We don’t have a powerhouse holding down the fort anymore. Although they seem to still have a few Tier Five individuals over there, they’re nothing compared to the Chief Judge. So naturally, it won’t be as safe," Andrew explained casually.
"This... What does the Orbit’s operation have to do with the Chief Judge? I’ve never read about anything like that in the books."
Lloyd quickly continued asking, thinking he might have triggered some ’hidden setting.’
But Andrew just laughed and replied in a teasing tone:
"My dear genius, not everything is written in books. This is just something I’ve noticed after working here for so many years, you know? Places with a High-ranking Powerhouse stationed there always seem to be a bit safer... Of course, there’s no theory to back this up. It’s just my own observation and feeling."
Hearing him put it that way, it sounded a lot like anecdotal evidence.
Lloyd didn’t pay it too much mind. He changed the subject, taking the Revolver from his waist and placing it on the table.
Andrew’s eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
"Whoa! This is a top-quality piece! Where’d you get it?"
With that, he eagerly picked up the Revolver, gave it a couple of cool spins in his hand, and then expertly inspected the rifling, sights, and cylinder. Finally, while caressing the grip, which had an excellent feel, he exclaimed in admiration:
"This is truly a flawless work of art. Is it the masterpiece of some great craftsman?"
"A friend gave it to me. Is it very valuable?" Lloyd asked casually.
"It’s not a question of being valuable or not. It’s that it’s extremely hard to come by—it’s priceless... You should know, this revolver design is the latest style, and it hasn’t become widespread yet. There aren’t many people who can make a gun like this..."
"What’s more, this is a精品 from a master craftsman, which is even rarer. To a gun lover, this is practically as significant as a first love!"
Andrew gave the gun high praise, then eagerly asked:
"Are you looking to sell it? I can give you a very fair price!"
Lloyd smiled and shook his head.
"I don’t plan to for now. It’s just that I’m out of bullets. I was wondering if you could get some for me."
Andrew immediately lost interest. He pouted, handed the gun back to Lloyd, and said listlessly:
"Since it’s a new model, the bullets might be a bit tricky. I’ll have to ask around. Wait for my word."
He looked as if his first love had just married someone else...
Lloyd had no choice but to offer some encouragement:
"Don’t be like that. When I get a chance, I’ll also try to ask around for you, see if that master craftsman has any other works."
Andrew instantly regained his spirit and vitality, even looking radiant. He shot up from his seat and slapped Lloyd hard on the shoulder.
"My good brother! I knew you were the only one in our Eighteenth District I can truly count on!"
He looked as if he’d just been introduced to a new first love...
After bidding farewell to Andrew, Lloyd thought about going to the library to borrow some books and return to his old, quiet, routine life.
But as soon as the elevator doors opened, the reek of alcohol hit him in the face.
It was followed by a standard bout of passive-aggression:
"Well, well? Look who’s back? Isn’t it our very own ’Evil-Hating Senior Lloyd’?"
Lloyd was long used to her style. He wasn’t angry, just smiled and offered a greeting:
"Long time no see, Meditis."
"Oh, my, my. For Senior Lloyd to still remember a little drunkard like me, I’m truly overwhelmed by the favor, you know?"
Meditis said as she walked out of the elevator, turning to glance at the completely empty bulletin board not far away.
"Tch~ If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered coming down."
Seeing this, Lloyd thought it was a good opportunity to ask her about the Orbit failure as well, so he said:
"I heard the Orbit downstairs has been unstable lately. You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?"
"Hee hee, are you worried about me? It’s useless, you know~ A bad woman like me won’t care no matter how much you worry. You should go fawn over a woman like Weiya instead..."
’No... I...’
Lloyd was left speechless by her antics.