Jiang Ming leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cold metal ring in his pocket—a ring he had snatched off Samuel’s finger.
As a veteran webnovel enthusiast, he was very diligent about following the fundamental rule of looting the body.
However, he didn’t dare to put it on recklessly. This world was full of madmen who set restrictions on Alchemical Armaments. He had no desire to personally experience the trope of putting on a mysterious ring only to be cursed to death or controlled.
Just as he was using the lamp’s light to carefully examine the twisted dark patterns on the ring’s face, the door was pushed open.
Elvira walked in. She didn’t say a word, walking straight to the seat opposite Jiang Ming. She placed her hands flat on the table and looked directly at his face, her gaze steady and unwavering.
Jiang Ming felt a bit uncomfortable under her stare. Just as he was about to speak to break the silence, Elvira nodded first.
“I will tell you my story,” she said. “The story of my life.”
Elvira’s story wasn’t particularly long.
Two sisters were born in a poverty-stricken alleyway, depending on each other since childhood. After their parents disappeared in an accident, survival became their only mission. Then, on a rainy night when they were at death’s door and had no way out, they met a golden silhouette at the end of a filthy alley. A contract was signed then and there.
After that, they spent their time struggling to stay alive at the bottom of society. This continued until they were accidentally discovered by the Order Bureau’s field personnel. After an evaluation, they became contractors—basically outsourced labor. They didn’t have official positions, but at least they had relatively stable commissions and compensation that wasn’t too bad.
As for the status of a Cleaner, the Order Bureau’s attitude was quite simple. They didn’t care about your education or your background; as long as you could get things done, follow the rules, and avoid causing trouble, you were a good employee.
An Angel’s Contract? That was a matter between the individual and a higher existence. As long as it didn’t harm the general order, the Bureau turned a blind eye.
Jiang Ming listened quietly, neither interrupting nor offering judgment.
He had to admit that based on his standards of having read countless stories, Elvira’s past wasn’t particularly dramatic or bizarre. In fact, it was almost cliché.
But he had no right to judge. If he laid out his own story, it would probably be about the same. ‘A visitor from another world, stumbling through real dangers with game knowledge to survive — it’s exactly like the plot of some third-rate webnovel.’
Thinking about it that way, they were a perfect match in a sense.
As for the golden silhouette Elvira mentioned, Jiang Ming knew exactly who it was.
Mammon the Greedy.
Among those indescribable existences known as Angels, Mammon was a relatively special one.
Rather than a holy or terrifying messenger in the traditional sense, He was more like a merchant—a merchant who followed contracts, provided clear pricing, and possessed pure desires.
In the fragmented information of the game’s lore, Mammon’s image was always closely linked to transactions, costs, and Equivalent Exchange.
He didn’t often show hostility, nor did He necessarily harbor goodwill. He simply provided choices and then collected payment. Legend had it that He even preferred to be called “The Merchant Mammon” rather than “Angel Mammon.”
You want power? Fine. Pay the corresponding price. You want knowledge? That works too. Trade your most precious possession for it. No cheating the young or the old, payment upon delivery.
As for whether you could actually afford the price, that wasn’t a problem a merchant needed to consider.
“I heard you’re a Cleaner too?”
When Elvira spoke, a curious smile touched her face. After waking up, Elvia had already returned to her side and told her about Jiang Ming’s identity.
This caused the way she looked at Jiang Ming to change slightly. There weren’t many people chosen by Angels. Moreover, they were now companions who had waded through a life-and-death situation together.
Jiang Ming didn’t answer directly. Instead, a faint blue light began to flow silently within his eyes. That light itself seemed to be a silent form of confirmation.
‘I’m not really lying anyway,’ Jiang Ming thought. ‘After all, I really do have an invitation in my hand.’
Elvira watched the blue light that hadn’t yet faded from his eyes, and her smile deepened. It was a faint smile, but it seemed more genuine than any before, as if she had finally glimpsed the lantern of a fellow traveler on a lonely road.
“Let’s go.” She stood up and pushed back her chair. “I’ll take you to see the Order Bureau.”
She walked to the door, resting her hand on the frame as she turned her head to signal Jiang Ming to follow.
Elvira walked in front, her voice sounding clear and steady in the empty metal corridor.
“The structure of the Order Bureau isn’t complicated. It’s split into three core parts: the Field Department, the Decision Room, and the Internal Department.” She continued without stopping, “The Field Department is divided into five fixed action groups based on their functions.”
She slowed her pace slightly to ensure Jiang Ming heard her clearly.
“The First Group, Notarized Iron Law, is responsible for handling major conflicts and the breakdown of order caused by non-supernatural factors. They are the first wall of stability.”
“The Second Group, Raven-tongue Spies, specializes in intelligence reconnaissance, infiltration, and information analysis.”
“The Third Group, Night Watchman, the Canary you met is part of this one. They specialize in dealing with various supernatural events and physical threats. They are the Bureau’s primary blade.”
“The Fourth Group, Sky Wings, is a rapid response and global support unit. They excel at mobile defense and emergency rescue.”
“The Fifth Group, Special Operations Group, is responsible for handling unconventional, high-secrecy anomalous matters or those involving special rules. That’s the department I’m in.”
She stopped in front of a heavy alloy gate and pressed her palm against the identification panel on the side. A blue light swept over her, and the gate slid open silently, revealing a brightly lit central hall with an astonishingly high ceiling.
Several layers of circular bridges intersected, and personnel moved between the floors in a rhythmic flow. It was noisy, yet orderly.
“Is this really okay?” Jiang Ming asked. He wasn’t an official employee yet. Was it really okay to walk into another organization’s core work area like this?
“It’s fine.” Elvira shook her head dismissively. “The Director just spoke to me and granted you permission to look around here.”
“Do you want to go inside and see?” Elvira asked.
“Sure.” Jiang Ming nodded. He had actually been longing for a supernatural organization in a supernatural world like this since his previous life.
But after walking only a few steps inside, Jiang Ming smelled the scent of roasted meat. Immediately afterward, several voices arguing came from a nearby room.
“Auntie, did you stop taking your medicine lately? No, I definitely didn’t mean that in a bad way, really. I just thought you might need this bottle of medicine for hand tremors.”
“Auntie, please, stop the shaking. I just got back from a mission, and I’m literally starving to death.”
Complaints and pleas intertwined, occasionally mixed with the busy background noise of clashing spatulas and popping oil.
Jiang Ming’s lip twitched.
The mysterious fantasy he had just built up regarding the Order Bureau suddenly came crashing down.
Elvira seemed long accustomed to this. She didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, only calmly adding a final note.
“That’s the Internal Cafeteria for the Field Department. The Chef is very talented, it’s just that… she’s going through menopause lately, so her hands are a bit unsteady.”