Chapter 33: Heimdall Is Very Safe

Inside the Director’s office,

Jiang Ming and Elvira had just left when someone spoke up.

“Someone is here to see you, Director.”

“Who is it? Don’t they know I’m busy? Tell them to go find that old fellow Charlie; he’s bored out of his mind.” Rex did not even look up. His voice was muffled behind a pile of documents, dripping with undisguised irritation.

“Well… Director,” the person outside paused, their voice dropping lower. “The other party holds a Secret Order of the Holy Moon Empire. Personally, I suggest… you see them yourself.”

The tip of the pen stopped on the paper.

Rex fell silent for two seconds, sighed, and dropped the pen onto the desk with a light clack.

“Someone from the Holy Moon Empire?” He rubbed his temples. “Fine, let her in.”

Although the Order Bureau remained independent of both the Holy Moon Empire and the Rhine Alliance, he had to take this meeting out of both courtesy and protocol when a formal secret order was involved.

The door was pushed wide open.

A figure draped in a dark traveling cloak stood at the entrance, their form hidden beneath the voluminous garment, yet the slender silhouette of a woman was still discernible.

Her aura was exceptionally restrained, but at Rex’s level, he could still easily sense the strength of her Soul Source. The Holy Spear Rank.

‘Strange,’ Rex thought to himself. ‘Since when did the standard for the Holy Moon Empire’s secret envoys drop to the Holy Spear Rank?’

As far as he knew, anyone authorized to represent the Empire with a secret order should at least be someone at the White Tower level.

The visitor closed the door behind her, the soft click of the latch sounding particularly clear in the silent office.

“Show your face.” Rex did not stand. He simply leaned back slightly, his gaze piercing through to the face hidden beneath the hood. “I’m not used to discussing business with those who hide their faces.”

His tone was flat, yet it carried the natural pressure of someone long accustomed to a high position. Given his former role as the commander of the Holy Moon Empire’s Punisher Legion—a military official second only to Lord Protector Jiang Ming—he truly had no need to be overly polite to any envoy unless the Empress herself arrived or Jiang Ming reappeared.

The person under the cloak seemed to pause.

Then, a fair-skinned hand rose, fingers catching the edge of the hood and pulling it down gently.

The hood slid back.

Cascading snow-white hair poured down instantly, shimmering with a silver-like Glimmer under the cold lights of the office. Between the strands of hair, a face gradually became clear.

Rex’s pupils constricted sharply.

He stood up from his chair almost instantly, the documents on his desk fluttering from the sudden movement.

He opened his mouth, a name nearly bursting forth.

However, the woman standing there moved her raised hand to her lips, pressing a slender finger against them in a silent gesture for him to be quiet.

She smiled, her pale eyes gazing at Rex.

“Rex,” her voice was very soft, “we have plenty of time ahead of us.”

***

“Thank you.”

The moment they stepped out of the Director’s office and the door closed behind them, Elvira stopped and turned toward Jiang Ming. Her voice was quiet but exceptionally clear.

Before she could say anything else, the spirit of Elvia appeared beside her. The two moved in perfect synchronization, giving Jiang Ming a deep bow.

The spirit in white and the girl in the dark gray uniform expressed the same gratitude with identical postures in the cold, metallic corridor.

Jiang Ming was stunned for a moment before waving his hand awkwardly. “It’s nothing. Just consider it… a return gift for when you saved me right at the last second.”

He forced a casual tone, avoiding their overly solemn gazes. That gravity made him feel as though the small favor he had performed was heavier than he had imagined.

He did not particularly enjoy that feeling.

“So,” he quickly changed the subject, “where are we going now? This is my first official mission, so I’ll need your guidance on the procedures.”

Elvira straightened up, the ripples in her red eyes returning to their usual calm. She looked at Jiang Ming, glanced at the file folder in his hand, and nodded.

“To the Hagdam Workshop,” she said, turning to walk toward the other end of the corridor. Her steady voice drifted back to him. “To collect the standard equipment for your mission and… to check if your Key permissions have been synchronized and activated.”

Jiang Ming followed her lead, and the two walked side by side through the corridor of shifting light and shadow. Their footsteps echoed rhythmically, accompanied by the distant, faint hum of the Order Bureau’s massive machinery in operation.

Inside the Heimdall Alchemical Workshop.

Just as they stepped through the door, a dull explosion accompanied by a wave of heat roared from deep within.

Immediately after, an airtight door nearby slid open with a hiss. Two figures, covered in soot with hair standing on end, crawled and rolled out. Their skin was indistinguishable except for the whites of their eyes, yet they brandished a still-smoking crystal fragment in their hands, hoarse voices erupting in manic joy.

“It worked! I did it — !”

Dust filled the air, and the scent of ozone, sulfur, and a suspicious burnt smell wafted through the room.

Jiang Ming’s footsteps faltered. For a moment, he suspected he had walked onto the wrong set.

Was this really an Order Bureau workshop and not the stage for a mad scientist’s comedy?

Elvira, walking ahead of him, did not even turn her head. She only glanced sideways, throwing a line back in her usual calm tone.

“You’ll get used to it.”

She did not spare another glance for the two “charcoal” people who were still jumping and shouting. She walked straight to the reception desk and handed over the mission file along with Jiang Ming’s new identity card.

The technician behind the counter had grease on his face. He took the items, scanned them, then looked up to size Jiang Ming up. He grinned, his teeth appearing exceptionally white against his stained face.

“A rookie? D-rank mission, basic set, right? Wait a moment, I’ll have it ready in a flash.”

As he spoke, he turned around and hollered toward the back. “Old Joe! Stop messing with that broken furnace of yours! A rookie’s here for his gear!”

A grunt of annoyance came from the depths, followed by more clanking sounds of metal hitting metal.

Jiang Ming stood there, watching the two “charcoal” men stumble away while still leaning on each other and immersed in the ecstasy of their success. He looked at the surrounding metal wall panels, which clearly bore the scars and repairs of multiple explosions, before finally looking back at Elvira’s calm profile.

“Is it always…” Jiang Ming chose his words carefully, “…this lively here?”

Elvira looked back, the never-ending furnace fires of the workshop reflected in her red eyes. The corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.

“Yes,” she said. “Always.”