Whether it was freight wagons or rickshaw drivers, all were weaving through the crowd—there were no traffic rules here, and pedestrians received no special consideration. Most of the time, drivers had to rely on their voices to warn off people blocking the way; getting scraped by a carriage was commonplace. Everything seemed so chaotic, yet full of vitality. Judging from the widespread use of steam power, William Green estimated that the technological level of Glorious Fort was roughly equivalent to Earth’s 18th to 19th century. However, what puzzled him was that he had never found any trace of electricity in the city. According to Earth’s history, this stage should already have sporadic electrical facilities, such as light bulbs and the like.

Not only that, William Green had also tried to create some small battery-powered gadgets, but without exception, all ended in failure.

Since he didn’t have much willpower at hand, he couldn’t conduct more experiments, so he could only temporarily set this doubt aside.

After all, treating this world as if it were Earth was very dangerous.

—William Green looked up at those beams of light, then quickly withdrew his gaze.

Even looking for just a little longer could attract the attention of certain beings.

For the source that received this willpower, the willpower itself was an absolutely untouchable forbidden fruit. Once any overstepping behavior was detected, with his current abilities, he would have no way to cope.

This was also the main reason why William Green never forgot to hide his identity.

…He wandered the streets for about three or four hours, but this time his luck was a bit worse—he didn’t encounter any wish-makers like John Stone again. Even though a few people had willpower swirling above their heads, the amount was negligible. Even without further inquiry, he could guess what these wishes were—like wanting to strike it rich, or to find a wife. Even if he could fulfill such wishes, the final reckoning would surely be a loss.

“Sir, sir, would you like to buy a newspaper?”

Suddenly, a somewhat childish voice called out.

William Green turned around and saw a newsboy looking at him eagerly. He didn’t seem to be of age yet, at most about 1.3 or 1.4 meters tall, with thin arms and legs, but the stack of newspapers in his arms was thicker than his own body.

“Sir, I have the Daily Post, the Pioneer, and the Jeddi Brothers’ News. Would you like to take a look? Only two cents each.”

Newspapers were a good thing, but he didn’t have time to read them.

At least not for now.

Just as William Green was about to refuse the newsboy, he suddenly caught a glimpse of willpower out of the corner of his eye.

It appeared as a faint white glow, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. If he hadn’t been close enough, he probably wouldn’t have noticed its existence at all.

Let alone those wish-beams that shot straight to the sky—this one was only about the length of a thumb, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.

The light came from the lower right corner of the newspaper.

A wish attached to an object?

William Green was slightly moved… Willpower wasn’t like a fixed indicator, always hovering above whoever needed it. It fluctuated with the wish-maker’s actions and state. For example, the willpower beam was most striking when someone was praying intently, and would dim when the wish was less urgent. Similarly, when a wish-maker poured great longing into crafting an object, some willpower could solidify onto the item. Those legendary ancient artifacts said to possess souls weren’t just baseless tales; it’s just that after the creator passed away, the willpower became a source-less stream, gradually dissipating over time. By his era, only the faintest traces of willpower could be found in museums.

Chapter 6: The World’s Number One Detective

“Sir, how about one?” The boy pushed the newspapers forward. “Give me a Jeddi Brothers’ News,” William Green reached for some change.

“Alright!” The boy’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly pulled out the requested newspaper and handed it to William Green.

Now he could see it even more clearly.

The spot imbued with willpower was a column about the size of a tofu block, featuring a missing person notice—thanks to his spiritual vision, cross-language reading posed no obstacle, and he could easily understand the content.

“Looking for missing reporter: Courtney Dean. He disappeared three days ago, male, thirty-seven years old, last seen wearing a newsboy cap, a linen shirt, and a gray fur coat. If anyone can find him, or provide detailed clues, the newspaper will offer a generous reward. If you wish to know more, please come to the newspaper office to speak with me in person. Address below.”

“Registered by: Judy.”

Looks like this registrant is quite anxious, William Green thought to himself. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough longing to attach a wish to the printed paper. Don’t be fooled by how weak the willpower on the newspaper was—considering that every copy carried it, the total would not be a small amount.

But to say it was much greater than John Stone’s willpower—that was unlikely.

After all, judging from the event itself, neither party involved was anyone important, so the wish’s upper limit was destined to be low.

If the person really was someone important, how could they possibly turn to the public for help in finding them?

But then again, he didn’t have any better options right now. He was in urgent need of a new contract, so why not go and check it out?