I! Cleaner!

Ah?

After hearing the angry shout from the shopping bag, the boatman's perpetually smiling face suddenly froze. His eyes widened in shock as he pointed at the shopping bag in Leon's hand, stammering,

"It! It's it! You... you you!"

"What's wrong with you?"

After warning the Black Goat to shut its mouth, Leon looked over, somewhat puzzled.

"Hurry up and row the boat. There are other passengers waiting, and blocking their way wouldn't be good."

"No... it... it talked!!!"

"Talked? Who talked?"

"The goat head! The goat head you're carrying!"

"Did you mishear?"

The small red fork hidden in his chest pocket subtly vibrated twice. Leon slightly opened the shopping bag in his hand, letting the boatman peek inside at the "wooden Black Goat sculpture," and then calmly fibbed,

"This is just a sculpture. How could it talk?"

Wood... wooden sculpture?

The muscular boatman in a pink uniform carefully leaned over to take a couple of peeks. Once he saw it was indeed a wooden sculpture, his eyes filled with bewilderment,

"But I clearly heard just now..."

"You must be tired."

After switching to the Master Performer's badge, Leon looked at him with some sympathy, then gently comforted him,

"Is this job causing you a lot of stress? If you're not feeling well, just drop me off at the drink area and you can head back home to rest, no need to refund the remaining fare."

"No... there's no need, I feel alright..."

*Could it be... that I'm really too tired?*

Under the dual influence of the Lust Dream Invader and the Master Performer, the muscular boatman hesitated for a moment, even though the angry shout seemed to still echo in his ears. He accepted Leon's explanation and resumed rowing the small passenger boat.

...

Whew... managed to get through that.

Seeing the boatman didn't say anything more, Leon breathed a small sigh of relief. He then quietly reached into the shopping bag and gave the Black Goat's head a sharp pinch.

'You almost blew our cover just now, you know? If anything like that happens again, I'll keep you stashed away in the Mirror World!'

'It's just... that old guy called us ingredients! We're a Great Demon! Back then, we...'

'Alright, alright, I know you're a Great Demon, one step away from ascending to Godhood! Being mistaken for ingredients would, of course, make you angry, but this situation is special, so you better behave no matter what!'

Considering the upcoming mission required the Black Goat's soul vision, Leon refrained from berating it but instead sternly advised,

'Before I came, the Director specifically told me that safety is the priority for this mission. Our task is just to gather information, and we can't attract unnecessary attention, as that might be dangerous! Even though I have an Undying Body, the Director still reminded me to be cautious about exposure, which means this enemy is quite formidable, so we have to be extra careful!'

'Tsk... got it!'

Hearing that even the "red-haired woman" thought this mission was dangerous, the Black Goat shrank its neck a bit and added a note of caution in its heart, but it still spoke dismissively,

'If you ask me, she probably just came here for a drink, got so wasted she forgot her wallet, and was too embarrassed to tell you the truth, so she concocted some spooky mission to trick you into running an errand. Maybe there's really nothing going on.'

Haha, with the level of your guts when you were a Great Demon, if only you had half as much mouth, you wouldn't have been torn into seven pieces.

After listening to the Black Goat, Leon gave it a disdainful side-eye.

Even if the Director did lose her wallet, with Senior Jerry back in a few days, wouldn't it be easy to find it again? Besides, if she really needed money, she could borrow it from Senior Emma. Does she need to go through all this trouble to fool me?

'Alright, enough nonsense, time to get to work!'

Too lazy to argue with the still-defiant Black Goat, Leon took a deep breath as he looked at the three-story building sitting on the water in the distance. His expression serious, he pressed his finger to the goat's forehead and quietly activated the soul vision.

Boom!

It was like countless erratic neon lights lit up simultaneously, or like a dozen buckets of colorful paint were dumped onto a vast, dark canvas. Leon felt his brain throb slightly as a large mass of vibrant yet ill-defined soul flames flooded his vision.

Wild, chaotic, intoxicating, frenzied...

Just the one-ninth section of the "Pink Mystery" in front of him had nearly two thousand souls burning in a vivid, perhaps even descending, splendor.

'This place isn't bad; I like it!'

After taking a deep breath full of chaotic flavor, the Black Goat, disembarked with Leon, couldn't help but grin, chuckling,

'Maybe I misjudged that red-haired woman. With so many intense souls gathered, something extraordinary might be brewing.'

'Indeed, the Director is quite reliable when sober.'

Leon nodded in agreement, then tied up the shopping bag, picked up the goat head, and entered the predominantly pink three-story building. Hearing his footsteps, a smartly dressed attendant immediately stepped out from the waiting area behind the door, smiling,

"Good day, guest. Which floor would you like to visit?"

"Which floor... is there a difference between them? The higher, the better?"

"Not entirely."

The attendant smiled,

"Our Pink Mystery drink area aims to give every guest the best service possible. The floors are categorized mainly to let everyone have more fun.

"For instance, the first floor is an open drinking area, though slightly noisy, the atmosphere is great for those who want to drink heartily. The second floor is split into smaller sections, suitable for those who prefer quieter settings to gather with a few friends and sip leisurely. As for the top third floor, it's for guests who place great importance on the quality and taste, even the ambiance, of their drinks."

Got it, the first floor is cheap, the second is pricey, and the third is exorbitantly expensive!

Subtly clutching his wallet, Leon, who was already pained by the boat fare, nodded, carefully asking,

"Then the VIP area, which floor is it on?"

"Haha, just coming here makes you a VIP at our Pink Mystery. Our service is as attentive and detailed as possible, ensuring you have a wonderful and pleasant experience."

After some courteous yet confident expressions, the attendant elaborated,

"However, there are certain guests who refer to the top third floor as the VIP area... Do you have an appointment with a guest on the third floor? If so, I can take you up right away."

So... the VIP area is like a membership, and without a referral or sufficient status, access is restricted?

Detecting the subtle undertones in the attendant's words, Leon frowned slightly. He instinctively wanted to activate the Lust Dream Invader to have the attendant let him up to the third floor via a dream.

However, recalling the Director's repeated warnings, fearing the Anomalous Object's disturbance might be detected, Leon instead tapped his cuff link to retrieve the identity badge from the Ryan Family.

"Can this get me to the third floor?"

Is that... the Lion emblem? A five-feathered gold crown? Then that would make him... the Duke of Lionheart?!

Astonished, the attendant, trained in such matters, immediately recognized the badge's significance, and his eyes began to shimmer with fervor.

"Of course, it will!"

In a hurry to step aside, the attendant graciously stated,

"Your Grace, the Duke, since it's your first visit, we kindly ask you to register briefly, and leave a signature.

'Then, we'll attach any resulting bills to your signature and settle them with the Ryan Family while minimizing any disturbance to you... How does that sound?"

Hm? Does that mean if I spend here, you'll bill the Ryan Family?

Hearing today's expenses would be covered, Leon couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Trying to remain calm, he agreed, then followed the attendant to the main desk. He accepted a feather pen and, using his left hand, pressed it to the exquisite signature book...

"Sizzle..."

[Name: Aberrant Names Register (Corruption, Name, Location)]

[Appearance: ...]

Ah?