Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 31 Buying Out Life (Thanks to the leader of Become a Secular Man 0723!)

Ethan held the gas lamp in his left hand and the detector in his right hand, and explored every room. The pointer on the detector remained in the blue range at all times and did not make any harsh noise, which meant that everything was normal in the room.

Judging from the information sent by the Confinement Bureau, Roxan doesn't seem like he would turn into a ghost and come to claim lives.

The attack on the neighboring Riverside Town made everyone panic, so the staff of the Imperial Reserve immediately sent the body and the clown uniform and hood that Roxan usually wore for cremation as soon as they found the body. The guild sent three professional demon hunters to accompany them throughout the process, using the ceremony they used to treat their dead comrades.

The ceremony can allow the soul of the deceased to rest in peace and prevent it from turning into an evil spirit.

Ethan stayed in the haunted house for nearly an hour before he heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.

It was Ivy who came in, she looked a little tired.

"It was raining. Marshall said that the branch in Ximu Town had a social reception that day and invited Rocksang to liven up the atmosphere. The staff said that he got caught in the rain when he arrived and was completely distracted. His performance at the reception also went wrong. He knocked over a bottle of expensive red wine while performing acrobatics and was reprimanded."

Ivy tried to summarize the message Marshall conveyed to her in as concise words as possible.

After Ethan left, Marshall was still angry, so his words were not so...peaceful.

He thought that Lockthorn was a waste and a coward who couldn't even perform the most basic of performances. He became so depressed after being scolded and caught in the rain that he committed suicide.

Marshall felt nothing about Roxan's death. After Ethan left, he complained to Ivy that these scum from the bottom of society only caused them trouble.

They provided Roxan with a job and a means of making a living, but what was the result?
This ungrateful clown continued to cause trouble in the apartment after his death, greatly delaying their work progress.

Ethan expressed his own judgment, "He won't commit suicide over such a small matter."

Ivy mentioned that Locke made a mistake at work that day, so most likely the abnormality had occurred before that. Now, they only knew that Locke-san ended his life in this apartment, and they had no way of judging whether his death was also affected by the curse.

Ivy was a little surprised, "You know him?"

"I guess so. During the guild's annual meeting, I was the one who took over the work from him. In my impression, he is an optimistic and dedicated person."

To be honest, Ethan admires Roxan very much.

It was the existence of Roxan that allowed Ethan to witness a completely different life. If he had not been able to find a free place to stay in the guild when he first arrived in Riverwood Town, but had instead borrowed a large sum of money from the Imperial Reserve to buy a house, he would probably be living in huge debt every day.

For those who are unable to repay their debts, the Federal Reserve has thoughtfully prepared jobs for them.

Roxan is cheerful and good at making people happy, so he became the "official" clown of Creekwood Town. But in fact, all his jobs are arranged by the Imperial Federal Reserve. Where he goes, who he entertains, and the length of his work every day are all decided by others.

There is a popular saying in the guild.

When you owe money to the Federal Reserve, your life is equivalent to being bought out by them.

Until your debt is paid off, your physical strength, brain, and freedom will be controlled by the Lofik Consortium.

In this era, there is no Labor Law.

Ethan later learned that those who had no skills would be sent to the mines near Creekwood Town to do manual labor. A group of people also left when Gear City built a large number of new military factories. The working hours started at ten hours a day, and all the work was manual labor. Some people never returned to the town after they left, and soon no one talked about them anymore.

Being a clown is not an easy job. In addition to the high-intensity performances, Roxan has to rack his brains to think about how to make everyone laugh during his daily rest time.

A joke only has one life span, and he must constantly replenish his reserves.

These were all learned by the two men during their conversation after the guild's annual meeting. At that time, they were sitting in front of the fireplace on the first floor of the guild, with beer on the table for celebration. Roxan told Ethan many new jokes he had thought of and asked him to evaluate these jokes as an audience.

Rockthorn enjoyed it, he enjoyed the feeling of others being happy because of him.

Ethan also saw Roxan being criticized during his performance. The clown's identity was considered inferior in people's eyes. When the people from the Imperial Federal Reserve talked about him, they did not hide the contempt in their eyes.

This clown who always brings laughter to people reminds Ethan of a saying - there is only one kind of heroism in the world, and that is to still love life after recognizing the truth of life.

Ethan thought that if he and Roxon switched their life trajectories, the big banker Mr. Marshall would most likely be hit by a fireball on his way to work one day.

It now seems that even heroes can no longer hold on.

Ivy finished investigating the detector and said, "There is nothing unusual in the apartment. It may be that something Marshall did triggered the curse. It may also be the work of a witch."

"It could also be time-limited, such as the curse taking effect at a specific time."

Ethan added.

Ivy didn't know that Becky and her seven old housekeepers had been buried in the mud outside the cabin in the woods. She was always on guard against the witch and her minions sneaking into the town.

It’s a pity that the Imperial Federal Reserve burned Roxan’s body, otherwise the Scroll of Resurrection of the Dead could help them understand what he experienced in the few days before the end of his life.

"Yeah, that's right."

Ivy was stunned. She thought that this was probably why detectives always needed an assistant. Working with Ethan made her feel like she had grown another brain, and handling cases became much easier.

Just like now, Ethan has already formulated an investigation plan. "Miss Chloe and I will stay in the apartment, and you go to investigate where the deceased has been in the past three days and whether there is any abnormal behavior. After all, your other identity is the sheriff of the small town, and the residents are more willing to provide you with clues."

Ivy said noncommittally, "I'll bring you something to eat tomorrow morning. I won't forget this time."

After that, she thought for a moment and added, "I hope you and Miss Chloe won't dig up the body this time."

"I try my best."

Ethan had to emphasize that this was a world full of dangers, and this case involved some unknown cursed object, so the degree of danger was evident.

The only thing he could promise Ivy was that he would not actively create corpses.

But if a corpse tried to attack him while he was sleeping, the outcome would be beyond his control.

And now, as an E-level investigator of the Containment Bureau, he witnessed a familiar name hanging himself in this apartment, and it was natural that he had an instinctive reaction.

He wonders why Loksan died.

This case is so confusing that Ethan currently has no clue. Maybe he should try to solve the problem by process of elimination.

First of all, Miss Becky and her seven old housekeepers can be ruled out.

They have a solid alibi.

(End of this chapter)