Chapter 669: The Bureau
Agent Axe woke up to the sound of his alarm clock.
"Ugh~"
He groaned and reached for the snooze button, but then he remembered that he had an important day ahead of him. He forced himself to get up and get ready for work.
He put on his black suit and tie, his badge and his gun. He then checked his appearance in the mirror and nodded.
"Not bad..." He said to himself.
Agent Axe was a man in his thirties with brown hair and green eyes. He had a sharp and handsome face, a muscular and fit body, and a confident and charismatic demeanor. He was one of the best agents in the Arcane Bureau, having solved many cases involving cursed Artifacts, strange Magic Items, or any problems related to the items in the world of Arcanists.
After wearing his jacket, he finally felt satisfied as he looked like a professional agent of the Arcane Bureau, the organization that oversaw the world's Arcane Magic, Arcanists, Magic Artifacts, and other things that cause strange phenomena.
He grabbed his briefcase and went out to walk to one of the Bureau's bases, located in a secret underground facility.
He was quite lucky since his apartment was close to the secret entrance. It was located in a tailor shop that led him underground.
After passing through several security checkpoints, he was greeted by his colleagues and made his way to his office.
He checked the newspapers on his table and searched for any news regarding any possible problems that Magic Artifacts may have caused to ordinary people.
If these problems weren't too difficult, he could pass them to the Faction's Orders. Of course, there are also chances that he had to inform the Churches as well, or perhaps he could act on his own if it was an emergency.
"Agent Axe, for you..." One of the staff in the office suddenly approached him and handed him a piece of paper.
It was a letter telling him that he had received a new assignment.
After expressing his gratitude, he read the details of the new assignment.
'What?'
His eyes widened as he learned what he had to do.
He had to escort Vale, the Shadow Immortal, to the headquarters!
Vale was an Immortal who had ascended without the help of any Immortal Spirits.
It means that his path as an Immortal was unpredictable unless they learned which Immortal Law he had chosen.
Anyway, what was even more surprising was that Vale had already helped the Bureau stop a Demon Saint invasion by closing one of the gates at the northern region of the Milton Kingdom!
'How did he do it?' Agent Axe couldn't help but feel curious.
Vale's action was such an incredible feat since closing the gate was almost impossible unless the Demon Saints on the other side decided to do so.
Agent Axe could only shake his head as he decided not to overthink. He wasn't an Immortal and was simply a Second Class Arcanist who had graduated from Mortimer, the Academy of Transformation Arts.
Nonetheless, the Bureau wanted to debrief Vale and perhaps, learn more about him and his abilities.
Agent Axe felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. He had never met an Immortal before.
Even after working for the Bureau for several, he never had a chance to meet the members of the Council!
Thankfully, his recent achievements and his acknowledged mastery of Transformation Arts allowed him to be selected for this mission.
He wondered what Vale was like and how he would react to the Bureau's interrogation. He hoped that Vale would cooperate and not cause any trouble.
He looked at the time and saw that he had to leave soon. He had to meet Vale in the city, where he had been staying in a hotel.
He quickly packed his briefcase and left his office.
***
"My only request is that the Bureau gives me information about the locations of the gates that lead to the Abyss... I have no interest in going to the Bureau." Vale said as Agent Axe laid out their plans.
They were currently at a hotel in a city called Coulston. It was a city in the eastern region of the Ruri Kingdom. From what Vale heard from Agent Fox, this was where the main headquarters for the Ruri Kingdom Branch of the Bureau was located.
During this time, Vale had a companion on this trip.
Apparently, when he got back to the castle after taking care of the Demon Saints, he told his companions about his plans.
Chad, Faith, Lisa, and Pearl expressed their desire to follow along...
But he clearly couldn't do that, and he preferred to work solo. Unfortunately, they firmly objected because of how risky it was.
Finally, he gave in and agreed to take one to appease them.
"Ahem..."
Agent Axe cleared his throat and smiled professionally. He then nodded to Vale's words.
"You're right... I read the letter that was sent to him... If I can, I also don't want to take up your time by going to the Bureau. But the information you requested takes a lot of time to gather, and not just anyone can access it. The higher-ups then thought that you might want to see the place in case you discover something intriguing... As you're aware, we also seize Magic Artifacts as part of our job... Some of them were seized because of their curses, mysterious origins, and unknown powers." Agent Axe said while keeping his smile.
Vale frowned as he heard Agent Axe's words. He didn't fully trust the Bureau or their intentions.
After all, Sage Merlin, who seemed to be a terrible person, was treated in high regards in the Bureau.
Because of that, he had a feeling that they wanted to use him or his Shadow Divinity for their own purposes.
He then looked at the person who accompanied him on this trip.
Lisa stayed by his side, smiling and waiting for his decision...
Vale sighed and replied to the Agent.
"Fine. I'll go to the Bureau with you. But only for a short time. And only if you promise to give me the information I need... I also don't like how you're disguised while meeting me... So, can you remove that now?"