Grace Lincoln was very lucky. As a specially approved temp worker, she had 5 points of bonus performance, worth as much as 250,000 yuan. In modern society, that would be enough for her to buy a decent car. But here, it was just enough to buy 5 liters of boy’s urine.

Jason Grant had no idea why the bureau was giving this girl such special treatment. When he first joined, all he got was a single line: “Work hard, the country needs your life.”

No matter what kind of conspiracy was behind all this, Jason Grant was the one who led Grace Lincoln down this path of no return. They arrived at the entrance of “Jinxiu Pavilion” in the center of Black Eden.

The three-story shop stood out in the central district, its retro style making it look like a work of art itself: official kiln red brick walls, multicolored glazed tiles, carved peachwood doors, bluestone floors—every corner seemed to have a different story to tell.

The most eye-catching feature was the grand signboard with the three golden characters “锦绣阁” (“Jinxiu Pavilion”) emblazoned on it.

Every investigator’s career started here. Everyone knew that in Black Eden, the shops on the outskirts only ever sold mid-range or mass-market goods, while the very best things could only be bought in Jinxiu Pavilion. It was like state-owned enterprises in real estate: they used their deep pockets to buy up the best locations on the market, then developed and sold them.

No one complained. For investigators whose futures were never secure, they were far too used to this law-of-the-jungle feeling.

Jason Grant led Grace Lincoln inside. The staff, dressed in Tang-style long dresses, immediately greeted them with smiles. Their graceful, lotus-like steps made them seem nothing like ordinary shopkeepers—one could easily mistake them for daughters of wealthy families.

“Is the manager here?” Jason Grant asked, clearly familiar with the place.

Suddenly, from the inner room of the shop, a white figure shot out at cheetah-like speed. Before Jason Grant could react, she leapt up and threw her arms tightly around his neck.

“Brother! You promised you’d come today, but you’re only here now. Laura Grant has been waiting since morning!” The girl wore a white lace dress, her slender legs wrapped in black-and-white striped stockings, golden wavy hair, and big adorable eyes—she looked like a doll crafted by a master artisan. Her outfit and appearance stood in stark contrast to the surroundings.

“It’s not that I wanted to be late, I just had work to do today.” Jason Grant tilted his head toward Grace Lincoln behind him, looking helpless. “She’s a specially approved temp worker. The princess asked me to bring her here for onboarding. She’s also my new partner.”

“Temp worker? Didn’t the bureau stop hiring temps?” Laura Grant said, hopping down to the floor. At only 150 centimeters tall, she looked at most 13 or 14 years old. At that age, even Jason Grant was still wasting away his years in school, but Laura Grant was already the manager of Jinxiu Pavilion.

In fact, hardly anyone in the Underworld Affairs Bureau knew her real age. Jason Grant only remembered that when he came for onboarding, Laura Grant already looked this petite, and eight years had passed since then—she hadn’t grown even a millimeter. Rumor had it that a curious investigator once tried to look into Laura Grant’s background, and that investigator was never seen again.

“Such long legs… Have you been taking calcium supplements since you were born?” Laura Grant frowned, staring at Grace Lincoln’s long legs, making Grace Lincoln a little embarrassed.

“Hello, my name is Grace Lincoln. May I ask your name?” Politeness never hurts, so Grace Lincoln extended her hand to Laura Grant, who could easily be mistaken for her little sister.

“Laura Grant doesn’t need to tell you that Laura Grant is called Laura Grant, because you don’t have the aura of a cultivator or a gifted person. Laura Grant doesn’t know if the director’s brain is waterlogged for making you a temp worker, and even specially assigning my brother as your partner, but Laura Grant knows the chances of us meeting again are less than 10%.” Laura Grant glanced at Grace Lincoln, her pouting expression more adorable than arrogant, making it impossible to dislike her.

“Sorry if my intrusion into your world causes you trouble, but I’ll do my best at my job.” Grace Lincoln kept her hand extended and smiled.

“Stubborn women are the worst…” Laura Grant said, but still grabbed Grace Lincoln’s hand and pulled her toward the inner room. “Come on, Laura Grant will take you to do your onboarding. Brother, wait for Laura Grant a bit.”

“Go ahead.” Jason Grant sat down near the entrance, took out some chocolate beans, and popped them into his mouth.

There were very few people in Jinxiu Pavilion today, and not many customers in Black Eden either—less than half the usual number.

After asking a staff member who brought tea, he learned that tomb robbers in Henan had unearthed the real tomb of Cao Cao, awakening over a thousand of his ghostly soldiers. The news was under wraps, and the Underworld Affairs Bureau was severely short-staffed, so a large number of investigators had been dispatched from the capital to assist.

Such external support missions were rare, and even if they happened, they had little to do with non-official employees like Jason Grant. The only benefit for him was that the usually noisy Black Eden had become quiet.

Meanwhile, Grace Lincoln was led by Laura Grant into a small room that looked like an infirmary, and was even asked to sit on a hospital bed.

“Here, drink this.” Laura Grant poured a glass of plain water and handed it to Grace Lincoln.