When evil gods hold a meeting in my head

Richard was taken aback by the question.

A Spirit Toucher? He roughly knew what that meant; it was nothing more than a superhuman who possessed mental abilities. But he was not, and could not be.

Because he had never even seen a potion, he couldn't be considered a true superhuman!

However, he suspected that... Anna was a Spirit Toucher, which was why she used illusions in various ways!

Richard's voice carried a perfectly timed hint of confusion: "What is a Spirit Toucher?"

Naansanho's index finger was still tapping lightly on the table, but the rhythm had slowed considerably: "Don't you know that there are many categories of extraordinary individuals?"

Richard hesitated before saying, "I'm not a superhuman. As for why I was able to fool Edmund, I can only say... I accidentally obtained a superhuman item..."

He was holding his right hand.

The silver surface of the ring on my middle finger gleamed softly in the indoor light, making it impossible to tell that it was made of newspaper. There was no fogging at the moment, and the overall appearance was just like an ordinary old piece of jewelry.

"It's probably best not to reveal everything..." Richard muttered.

At this moment, Naansanho showed a look of "I'm pretty lucky" and said, "I see."

"Yes."

Richard lowered his head: "I was in a hurry to save that parrot, and I didn't have any other choice. I know it was wrong, but..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but just silently looked at his ring.

He was indeed forced to do what he did at the time. Although the other party was Rosalie's friend, using supernatural items to control the consciousness of an innocent person was not something to brag about.

However, he had just witnessed Edmund's magnificent display...

Hopefully, the other party won't hold a grudge...

Observing Naansanho's gaze, which held neither blame nor praise, she continued, "At least you're not abusing your abilities, and you know where the boundaries are."

She looked away and pushed the metal box on the table aside to make room.

"Well then," her tone became more formal, "would you be interested in joining my team of illustrators?"

Richard raised his head.

"Your...artist team?"

Naan Hawthorne leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his shoulder. "Yeah, you didn't think I'd only run 'Steam Gallery,' did you? There will be many more... So, I need manpower to handle some miscellaneous, less complicated tasks."

"What kind of job?" Richard asked.

"We deliver paintings on a daily basis, or do odd jobs," Naansanho summarized simply. "The completed works need to be delivered to the commissioners. Some commissioners are in Metz, some are in the surrounding towns, and occasionally there are orders from the capital. My assistants are responsible for safely delivering these paintings to their destinations. If you'd like to join us, you'll become one of them, and this is the main part of our income."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "At the same time, you will also learn about the extraordinary abilities that you care about most."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gun appeared out of thin air in her palm.

That's a flintlock hunting rifle from a stranger!

Naan Sanhok did indeed possess extraordinary abilities! Moreover, he was an extraordinary individual whose malice wasn't that great!

Seeing that Richard didn't respond immediately, she added, "You don't need to explain or promote it. Just deliver it, confirm receipt, and then you can come back... It's that simple."

Richard fell silent.

This matter did sound simple, even too simple for a "team of artists" to handle as core work! But the more it seemed so, the more something felt off...

If it's just delivering goods, why would superhumans care so much?

Why did Naan Sanho personally recruit him?

"I need to think about it," Richard said thoughtfully.

Naansanho nodded, seemingly having anticipated this answer: "Of course."

As she spoke, she pulled a blank sheet of paper from the stack of sketches on the table, then took a sharpened charcoal pencil and placed it beside the paper: "However, it's not so easy to join my team. To become my assistant, you need to pass an assessment."

Richard looked at the blank sheet of paper, then at the charcoal pencil.

"What kind of assessment?"

"Find those rats." Naansanho drew the shape of a rat on a piece of paper. "The eleven that the outsider let in."

Richard paused for a moment.

He had assumed she would ask him to investigate the outsider's identity or track down some mastermind. He hadn't expected her to just find some rats?

"Are you sure?" he couldn't help but ask.

“I’m quite certain.” Naansanho raised his chin slightly. “Those rats aren’t ordinary animals, as you’ve probably noticed. They’re creations of the ‘Biological Instinct’ sequence; they won’t die naturally, nor will they leave on their own. They’re currently hiding in a corner of the hall, awaiting some instruction.”

She paused. "And I don't want these kinds of things in my gallery. Find one, mark it here. Find all eleven, bring this piece of paper to me, and the assistant intern position is yours."

"What if I can't find it?"

"That means you're not a good fit for this team yet." Naansanho's tone was calm, without threat or contempt, simply stating a fact.

Richard reached out and took the drawing paper: "What exactly does that outsider do? Is he part of some dangerous organization?"

He felt that the outsider was mainly targeting the great painter in front of him, but she didn't seem nervous at all...

I don't know if they're so capable they don't care, or if they're just incredibly carefree...

Naansanho's brow twitched slightly, as if he was considering how much to say.

"Believers of the New Wing Mechanical Church."

She felt the description was somewhat inappropriate, so she added, "Most likely."

Richard recalled the church priests he had met before… those people highly valued anger; perhaps this church was a gathering place for extraordinary individuals thirsting for potion recipes…

"They probably won't give up so easily..."

"Of course, because they hate people like me. As for why... you don't need to know yet, you'll find out later..." Naan Sanho interrupted Richard's question.

She didn't say anything more, but Richard had a feeling that things weren't that simple!

"So, what's your decision?" Naansanho steered the conversation back to the original topic.

It's only been a short time... how could there be time to consider it?

Richard looked down at the blank sheet of paper. He suddenly remembered the rope that had been cut in two, the blank moment when the stranger pointed a gun at his chest, and Edmund's back as he carried the corpse through the crowd!

He might need some more reliable power, not just borrowed, ever-draining power from supernatural items. Something more stable, something that truly belonged to him, would provide real peace of mind. And… Naansanho's team might be able to provide him with a wealth of potion ingredients, supernatural knowledge, and church secrets…

Finding eleven rats…that sounds much safer than dealing with an armed puppeteer! He folded the paper and put it in his pocket: “I’ll give it a try.”

Naansanho cautioned, "They won't sleep forever. The deaths of the outsiders have weakened their activity, but by tonight at the latest, they'll start...moving around. So it's best to find them all before the afternoon's guided tour ends."

"Understood."

Naan Sanho urged Richard to leave, but as he reached the door, he suddenly spoke again: "If you really don't understand the world of the extraordinary, then you should complete this test and join my team. This will allow you to understand everything you want."

"Let me find those damn rats for you first!"