Lady Flux turned her gaze to the screen. She enquired, "I understand there was a character who embarked on a heroic crusade during the flood incident. Has that character been identified?"
Anderson_Shoeberry replied, "Unfortunately, we have been unable to verify the character's identity."
Lady Flux furrowed her brows. She asked, "Why?"
It seemed illogical to her that with the available technology, identifying a character who traversed the streets on a flying sword would remain problematic.
The other characters seated at the table had a glazed look in their eyes. Anderson_Shoeberry sighed, acknowledging that he was left to deliver the embarrassing explanation to Lady Flux's query.
Anderson_Shoeberry stated, "Lady Flux, our surveillance systems couldn't properly register the character. However, we have managed to confirm that the sword the character flew upon was the Black Riot."
Lady Flux queried, "Are you certain the character wasn't Merlin_13?"
Anderson_Shoeberry responded, "Based on testimonies from multiple eyewitnesses, including a few people who were ranked at Awakened Transcendent and Transcendent tiers, the character in question was not, or did not resemble, Merlin_13. However, Merlin_13 was observed during the incident…"
Lady Flux interjected, saying, "I am aware of that."
"Merlin_13 is deceased. No one circumvents the system when it comes to the death penalty," she added.
A doorbell echoed within the room. Everyone's attention shifted to the door.
"Who is it?" Anderson_Shoeberry asked.
A holographic image appeared before the door. It was the real-life image of the person behind the door, Rodrygo. He was the same Rodrygo from the AR gaming pub Ivan had visited yesterday. Although his image was visible in the room, the real Rodrygo on the other side of the door could not see what was happening inside.
Rodrygo announced, "Mr Anderson, I have information for sale."
Lady Flux's gothic armoured summon materialised behind her. The intensity of the green glow in its eyes increased, causing the other special characters seated with Lady Flux at the table to become invisible.
The door unlocked and swung open. As the door opened, Anderson_Shoeberry observed that only Lady Flux was seated at the table, and a person in gothic armour stood behind her. He controlled himself from expressing his shock at this development.
Meanwhile, the other characters who had become invisible noticed they were enveloped within a barrier. They all felt that the barrier prevented them from being perceived by the outside world. They all noticed Anderson_Shoeberry's subtle shocked expression. They gazed to their right at Lady Flux. Lady Flux met their gaze with a nod and a smile. The expression from the Pillar of Calamity tier character was soothing, easing their tensing nerves.
They also noticed a green glow casting light on Lady Flux's back. They followed the glow to its source and met the green eyes of the gothic armoured summon staring back at them.
"What the bloody hell!" Brainboss_7 flinched to his left, startled by the sight he beheld.
The other characters had similar reactions but were more controlled and silent.
Rodrygo walked into the room. What immediately drew his attention as he crossed the threshold was the gothic armour summon behind Lady Flux. It awed him, and he couldn't take his eyes off it as he entered the room.
"Rodrygo?" Anderson_Shoeberry said with a reprimanding tone.
Rodrygo snapped out of his awe. He had an elated smile on his face; he was delighted to see the summon in person. He had seen the summon in videos and had wished he would be privileged to see it one day in person. His wishes had come true.
"Good day, Lady Flux," Rodrygo bowed, greeting Lady Flux.
"Is that really the Grimm Bastard?" He asked, hoping the summon was indeed the Grimm Bastard.
Grimm Bastard vanished from sight.
"Yes, it is the Grimm Bastard," Lady Flux replied.
"Brilliant," Rodrygo calmly exclaimed.
He took out his phone and sent some videos to Anderson_Shoeberry's contact. Yesterday at the gaming pub where he worked, many guests had visited to rank up in their facility. Rodrygo acted as a sort of informant there; he sold information about 'interesting' visitors to Anderson_Shoeberry. However, he was a loyal customer of Anderson_Shoeberry and had never sold information to anyone else.
In the presence of Lady Flux and under the secret observation of the other special characters seated at the table, Anderson_Shoeberry and Rodrygo reviewed every video. The video that most intrigued them was the one featuring Ivan. What made it intriguing was Ivan drawing out the C-rank switch-axe.
Grimm Bastard appeared before the screen and reached out a hand to touch the position where Ivan's kit bag had appeared. The glow in its eyes dimmed when it touched that location. It abruptly turned its head 180 degrees and spoke to Lady Flux in a voice imperceptible to others.
It said in a disjointed manner, "Calamity tier weapon in bag."
Lady Flux remained composed. She began formulating a plan to keep tabs on Ivan. She was not planning to rely on Anderson_Shoeberry and his team for this task, as she did not trust Anderson_Shoeberry.
====
Ivan and Daiyu had arrived at Ivan's apartment building, and they proceeded to enter his flat. Ivan walked straight to his bed and collapsed upon it.
He shut his eyes and said, "No comfort rivals the comfort of one's own bed."
Daiyu stood in the room, feeling nervous. She was apprehensive about how to disclose her feelings to Ivan. She felt that opening up now was ill-timed; conversely, she felt that if she delayed, she might never have the opportunity.
Daiyu sat down beside Ivan on the bed. She drew a deep breath before she proceeded to speak. She said,
"Ivan, I have something I deeply wanted to tell you."
"Uh-huh," Ivan murmured, half-asleep.
"I like you, and I want us to be more than friends." Daiyu spoke each word slowly and deliberately.
"Right," Ivan nodded in his half-asleep state. He did not immediately process the information.
Ivan's eyes jolted open after a few seconds. He sat up to look Daiyu in the face, needing to know if she was jesting.