Chapter 19: I Love Inventing (Please Continue Reading)
The equipment issued to new investigators of the Stardust Society was surprisingly simple—only three items in total.
A candle, a leather whip, and a cylindrical object covered in long, sharp thorns.
This made Ron briefly wonder if he had walked into the wrong office.
Could it be that this vast logistics department was actually a pink, romantic façade?
Seeing the young man lost in thought, Sid Flores immediately realized the misunderstanding.
With a cool and serious expression, he picked up the candle and explained earnestly:
“Don’t underestimate the ‘Darkness Be Gone 3.0’—it’s an invention I crafted with great care!”
“Being an investigator is a dangerous job that inevitably involves dealing with bizarre creatures lurking in the dark. So please trust the wisdom of our logistics research team!”
‘Darkness Be Gone 3.0’...
The clever name made Ron deeply curious, and he couldn’t help but ask, “So, what does it do?”
A faint smile appeared on Sid’s usually aloof face. Instead of dismissing the boy’s ignorance, he elaborated:
“I infused this candle with the foot skin of dark goblins, the pus of plasma slimes, and the dung of specimen 3-071.”
“When lit, it not only provides a reliable source of light and warmth but also emits a stench so foul that no dark creature can bear it!”
As Ron watched in stunned silence, Sid broke off a piece of the candle and chewed it carefully.
“Ugh... and it’s edible! It smells awful, but tastes surprisingly good!”
“Think about it—when you run out of food and all you have is a cold pile of dung and a ‘Darkness Be Gone 3.0’ candle, which would you choose?”
Does this count as a meal?!
Ron’s scalp tingled at such a perverse thought. He hadn’t expected the life of an investigator to be so harsh.
To earn twelve golden lions a month, they even had to eat dung from time to time!
He silently resolved that once he was out, he would stock up on candies and cookies to avoid such situations in the future.
“Mr. Sid, I don’t think I’ll be running out of food anytime soon...” the boy said with a slight smile, choosing not to comment further on the strange candle.
“Hmph, you’re quite greedy. You’re already eager to see what else I have?” Sid challenged.
Ron’s polite refusal only seemed to excite Sid even more.
Because once again, he felt the fire burning in his chest.
His duty as head of logistics was to research all sorts of tools to reduce the mortality rate of Stardust Society investigators by any means necessary.
He certainly didn’t want to see Ron again lying cold in the morgue.
Putting down the candle, Sid turned and picked up the dark leather whip beside him.
His slender fingers gracefully traced the whip’s tight texture as he explained in detail:
“This is my invention too, called the ‘Pythagorean Theorem 2.0’.”
‘Pythagorean Theorem 2.0’...
Hearing that name, the blond boy was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected to hear such a familiar term in another world.
“The Pythagorean Theorem?” he asked at the right moment.
“Exactly,” Sid confirmed, then continued:
“Our Stardust Society not only deals with all sorts of anomalies but also confronts cultists of evil gods.”
Those tainted by dark deities either hide in the shadowy sewers or deep within the mountains.
“So, to gather intelligence, we have to pry information out of captured cultists’ mouths.”
“And the whip’s shape is not only easy to carry but also works perfectly with hooks. With a well-placed tug, the whole whip can smoothly lash out.”
?
What does that have to do with gathering intelligence?
Besides, the Pythagorean Theorem isn’t supposed to be like this—I’m not that illiterate, don’t lie to me!
At that moment, Ron felt his brain boiling, struggling to follow Sid’s train of thought.
Before he could ask, the logistics chief smiled faintly.
“I added capsaicin, concentrated capsaicin.”
Capsaicin!
Ron was stunned as this knowledge sneaked into his mind in a most unscrupulous way.
His overactive imagination conjured a scene.
A delicate blossom being gently struck by a rough whip soaked in capsaicin...
Just imagining it made Ron shudder in agony.
At that moment, he felt that brain surgery would be a walk in the park compared to this—Sid seemed to hold the “Forbidden Truth” itself.
Seeing Ron so shocked he was momentarily speechless, Sid wore a smug smile.
“You’re such a complete rookie. Can’t even handle this much?”
He gave Ron no time to recover.
Carefully, he picked up the long whip next to him—a slender cylindrical object covered with sharp thorns like a cactus—and smiled:
“This one is called ‘Easy Pleasure 1.0.’”
“I just invented it yesterday and haven’t yet gotten approval from the president for mass production.”
“According to data, about 30% of investigators who have prolonged contact with the ‘Mad Seekers of Truth’ suffer from mental disorders and spiritual contamination.”
“This is essentially caused by getting too close to the ‘Forbidden Truth,’ causing their minds to plunge into the ‘deep layers.’”
“After much contemplation, I finally found a way to counteract this contamination.”
“As long as you tightly grasp ‘Easy Pleasure 1.0,’ it stimulates your mind and firmly anchors you in the real world.”
“Also, I thoughtfully considered cases where both hands are occupied—you can completely shove it into...”
“Stop!”
Ron immediately raised his hand to halt Sid’s further explanation.
Such an extravagant demonstration was a bit too intense for someone underage like him.
Although helping others and fulfilling everyone’s dreams was Ron’s guiding principle,
At this critical moment, he chose to bravely say “No!”
“Mr. Sid, do you have... something more ordinary?”
The boy chose his words carefully, fearing his refusal might deeply wound Sid.
Having failed countless job applications himself, Ron was particularly sensitive about this.
But no sooner had he spoken than the worst happened.
Sid’s golden eyes grew distant, and the elegant smile at the corner of his mouth vanished, as if he had become a salted fish who lost his dreams.
“Now even newcomers don’t like my inventions?”
Ron thought he faintly heard such a whisper.
Seeing Sid so dejected, the blond boy pursed his lips, feeling a surprising pang of empathy.
He thought it necessary to do something at a time like this!
With a warm, fair hand, he placed it on the young man’s shoulder, prompting Sid to lift his head.
A strand of golden hair drifted into his vision, and then he saw a pair of resolute blue eyes.
What kind of eyes were these?
Eyes that neither abandon nor give up, filled with an indomitable faith!
“Sid, don’t give up on your dreams!”
“One person’s dislike doesn’t mean your invention has no value. Everyone’s rejection doesn’t mean they’re right.”
“You must live for yourself!”
Recalling the hardships he faced during his job hunt, Ron’s words were both earnest and inspiring.
They shook Sid, who had been about to give up his dreams and embrace reality.
“To live for yourself?” the silver-haired youth asked in confusion.
“Yes! To live for yourself. You must remember why you invented these things in the first place.”
The original purpose...
Sid opened his mouth but no words were needed—the answer had always been etched in his heart.
“To save more investigators who die from dangers!”
Hearing this, Ron smiled and nodded, then patted the logistics chief on the shoulder.
“Sid, your heart is in the right place, but you overlook human laziness and love for comfort.”
“Instead of letting investigators numb themselves in comfortable environments, why not let them gradually adapt in their daily lives?”
“That way, they won’t reject your inventions.”
To adapt to my inventions...
The blond boy’s words sounded like the most wicked whisper, loosening the muscles on Sid’s face and lighting a spark in his eyes.
“I know what to do now!”
He was thrilled, gripping the boy’s shoulder tightly, his gaze blazing with rekindled hope.
“Ron, from today on, you are my best friend!”
Sometimes, a man’s bond is just this simple.
(P.S.: Today’s Tuesday. Dear readers, please keep following and voting. I feel like the numbers are dropping, and I’m not sure if this will catch on. Please leave comments—this newbie needs feedback to know if the plot is working. QAQ.)