Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 35: "Fooling the People"

The information sent from Gear City mentioned that the banker Mr. Marshall was a workaholic. He was proud to work at the Imperial Capital United Reserve Bank. At least his work attitude was impeccable. He went to work at the bank early the next morning after his laughing disorder was cured.

When Ivy and Ethan walked in, Marshall, dressed in a suit, was already sitting at his desk, which was piled with documents.

Miss Chloe waited for them under a tree outside the bank because the staff of the Imperial Federal Reserve emphasized to them that pets were not allowed inside.

Marshall looked up at the two of them, and frowned when he saw Ethan holding a piece of hard bread in his arms.

This is Ethan's breakfast.

On the way here, he explained to Ivy the many benefits of hard bread. This thing is cheap, very effective in filling hunger, and can be used as a weapon to attack others at critical moments.

If it were in the game, it would be an epic equipment.

Ethan wisely stayed at the door. He not only noticed the way Marshall looked at him, but also saw the other's tongue when he drank water.

It was still black, and looked like it was about to die from the poison.

"There is a hidden story behind Roxan's death."

Ivy explained the case. Before coming to the Imperial Reserve, they asked Captain Hagrid for the death list of Riverside Town. Based on Ivy's ability to reproduce, she found the names of Roxan's wife and daughter on the third page. The cause of death was the same as that of other Riverside Town residents. They drank the cursed water without any precautions.

The knowledge that the horoscope taught her was not enough to break the witch's curse.

"His wife and daughter died in Riverside, which was the direct cause of his taking his own life."

But there was one thing that Ivy and Ethan hadn't been able to discuss clearly.

Why was there a curse on Roxan's account book? Why did Marshall take his account book and conceal this crucial information in his letter for help to Gear City?

"Really? Is that so..."

Marshall stared at the death list for a long time, lowered his head and clenched his fists.

His reaction was beyond Ethan's expectations. He didn't expect that someone like Marshall would be sad about Roxan's death. But when he thought about it carefully, he understood a little. After all, Mr. Roxan had brought joy to many people in Riverwood Town, and perhaps Marshall was no exception.

"waste……"

Marshall's next words brought Ethan's thoughts to a halt. At first, they were just whispers, but then they became louder and louder. His reaction no longer looked like sadness, but anger. He slammed his clenched fist on the table, shaking the items on the table to the ground.

"Useless things, the scum of the lowest level of society, shameless scabby dogs! Don't they know how much effort I have put into them?"

When Ethan heard Marshall describe Rockthorn in such words, his brain went blank for a moment, and he even thought he was hallucinating, because he could hardly imagine that anyone would say such vicious words after knowing the truth of the case.

But Marshall's incessant cursing made it impossible for him to regard this as an illusion.

His incredulous gaze swept across Marshall's fat body, lingering for a few seconds, and then...

Take a deep breath and close your eyes.

The image of the cup on the table appeared in his mind, and the water inside was shaken everywhere.

Drinking water in the office is too dangerous and may pose a threat to personal safety.

According to the latest investigation report of the shelter, water is the most toxic substance in the world, and every deceased person has drunk water before death.

Ivy waited quietly for Marshall to finish venting before she spoke, "The information sent by the shelter mentioned that you took the initiative to request to be transferred to the Ximu Town branch."

Marshall's gaffe just confirmed her guess.

Why would a young nobleman from a prominent family take the initiative to make such a request? There were clearly many opportunities for him to live a comfortable and gilded life.

"Is it because the people in Ximu Town are nice? They don't like to read and have limited knowledge. Once they encounter a problem that they can't solve, they will easily trust others and regard anyone who is willing to help them as a lifeline... Even if such a group of ignorant and shallow fools accidentally get a treasure, they won't be able to discover it with their own eyes, right?"

Hearing this, Marshall paused.

Ivy came from the same environment as him and knew how much money the great nobles were willing to spend on a gifted young transcendent. They would invite those young people to their homes and treat them as guests. As long as they were willing, those wealthy families were willing to pay their tuition unconditionally.

This is the way the world has always worked.

It is also for this reason that the power of extraordinary people is often in the hands of powerful people, and each extraordinary person is a creation built up with wealth.

However, Marshall discovered a cheaper path.

During the growth process of the extraordinary people, they are burdened with huge debts, and then sold to the powerful people in the imperial capital by means of debt collateral.

Why can’t extraordinary people be used as a commodity?
When Marshall sent his idea to the head office, he received a response almost immediately. The head office was very optimistic about his plan and gave him the opportunity to realize his idea.

"If Roxan's account book is transported back to the Gear City Branch as a cursed object, the research department will study it, and naturally they will have to check every debt recorded in the account book."

Ivy expressed her guess, "It is true that training a magician requires a large sum of money, but how much exactly is it? Will it be so much that a future extraordinary person would have to sell himself to pay it off?"

In fact, Locksan had no idea about the money, nor did he understand to what extent the interest would expand in the future.

Little did he know that when the debt swelled to the point where it could not be repaid, it would be transferred to his daughter.

But the people in the shelter could see it.

They can even identify which loans among the many accounts are completely unnecessary.

From Marshall's angry reaction, it is not difficult to see that he believes that Roxanne's daughter can be sold for a good price in the future, which will serve as his stepping stone to the Imperial Federal Reserve Headquarters.

Ivy looked at the scattered documents on the table, among which was a debt transfer agreement.

There was a familiar name written on the agreement.

That was the name of Roxanne's daughter.

Debts do not disappear with a person's death. This is a rule set by the Imperial Federal Reserve. The living will take the place of the dead and bear everything they owe.

"As an investigator of the Confinement Bureau, you are meddling in too many matters."

Marshall glared at Ivy with a fierce look, "I don't need to explain the specific business of the bank to you."

"It is my duty to recover the cursed objects."

"About this matter."

Marshall raised his hand impatiently, "We no longer need you. Thank you for your hard work. The letter from Gear City should be arriving soon."

Before he finished speaking, the cry of a falcon was heard outside the window.

A kestrel landed outside the office window.

It brought orders from the Gear City Confinement Bureau.

(End of this chapter)