A Minister's office almost devoid of any signs of life.

A form titled "Relic Registration Form" was placed on the desk. Though it was said to be filled out, most of the sections were simply marked with the word "Unknown."

The youthful-looking Minister Matthew sat at his workstation, offering a brief explanation:

"The General Administration requires every investigator who acquires a relic to register the information. For now, just fill it out casually like this.

After all, your relic is too special, and many secrets have yet to be unearthed. We can complete it later.

Anyway, the Exploration Bureau has reached a preliminary cooperation with Vortex Town. You can come over anytime, and for any issues regarding relics, feel free to discuss them with me.

However, I spend most of my time in the Secret Room, so it's best to schedule an appointment in advance."

This last remark sparked Luo Di's deep curiosity, or rather, he's been curious ever since he came into contact with the secret room and lay inside the coffin.

"Minister Matthew, are you in retreat inside the secret room? It shouldn't be the kind meant for obtaining relics, right?"

"Of course not... The relic secret room is a very important area, limited to investigators who acquire relics, and can only be accessed after a strict inspection."

"Are there many similar ancient secret rooms like this one?"

"There is only this one secret room capable of relic transformation, but there are quite a few alternative ones.

The main work of the Technology Development Department is to decipher and analyze these ancient secret rooms to extract as much ancient knowledge as possible and integrate it with modern technology.

During joint operations, the Combat Uniforms used to resist the Outer Realm holes are a result of our technological integration and purification of ancient knowledge."

"I see! I was wondering how these Combat Uniforms that can counter Divinity were developed in such a short time..."

Luo Di continued with the topic, expressing all his doubts: "Minister, it's been less than a hundred years since the Corners reached us. Where exactly did these ancient secret rooms come from?"

"Although the formation of the Corners has only been less than a hundred years, the 'thing' that brought the Corners has a history far beyond human development.

The secret rooms, relics, and all the knowledge recorded inside all belong to that 'thing.'

In my view, these secret rooms serve as a medium, a medium to understand that 'thing.'

The other side has handed this medium to us, to humans whose minds haven't fallen, clearly hoping that we can ultimately understand its existence, rather than being seen as monsters.

Thus, in Corner exploration, I personally believe humans have a special advantage.

Luo Di, you must also make good use of your human identity, and while experiencing Fear on the monster side, focus on understanding the essence of Fear.

This special Relic might be a personal privilege granted to you by the Corners, make good use of it."

"Thank you, Minister. Once I discover the detailed information and usage of the unknown relic, I'll definitely report back to complete the archives.

However, I have one last small request.

I want to know what a typical relic looks like and what enhancements it offers to investigators."

Minister Matthew shook his head, "With your Perception, you should be able to tell that the present me is not my true body, but a bionic body shell, and this shell cannot exhibit relics.

Moreover, my relic is quite special, not suitable for use at headquarters.

Let me explain briefly.

Human development, similar to monsters, gains strength through the system of Fear within the pituitary.

But those investigators with 'Relics' can, through deep integration with relics, seek the source of Fear and express their own 'ancient fear state.'

Although this 'ancient fear state' cannot be maintained for long, it can greatly enhance the investigator's abilities."

"Ancient fear state?"

"That's correct, a fear state more attuned to the essence of the Corners, a more pure display of power.

Think about it! The creation of relics, why is it necessary to bring the mature monster's pituitary to the Five Finger Hall?

It's more about demonstrating our strength by handing over the monster's pituitary to the Corners.

Once acknowledged, you gain the relic.

The relic also serves as a 'medium' to access the essence of Fear, allowing us to present older, more direct forms.

Your relic is special, though we don't yet know the exact method of integration, it is undoubtedly a relic in essence.

You are still young, and it's fortunate that the Corners are presently stable, don't rush, take your time to explore its secrets."

"Thank you once again, Minister, for your enlightenment."

With Luo Di's departure,

Matthew's smile immediately reverted to an 'expressionless' state, which might actually be the bionic expression of a change of expressions, any excess expression would instead consume the body's energy.

If one observes the entire Technology Development Bureau, they would find similar bionic entities seated within several secret rooms.

It seems as though Matthew is assisting Luo Di in obtaining relics here, but in reality, his work in technological development has never been delayed.

Following the energy sources of these bionic beings, one would leave the Technology Development Department and arrive at the floor where the Medical Rescue Department (Division Two) is located.

Inside a specially constructed metallic ward.

A man with only half a head remained sealed within a thermostatic chamber, where the biological technology inside could sustain the vitality of the half head.

Even so, the room was still filled with all sorts of monitoring equipment. The moment any parameter anomaly occurred, the experts from the Medical Department would promptly arrive to check.

Currently,

that half head smiled gently, "To be granted such a special relic by the Corners, apart from the anomaly of the monster's pituitary itself, there are likely other reasons.

If you've been involved in the videotape incident and touched upon the essence of the Corners.

Luo Di, you might be the real winner of the videotape incident, perhaps you've already obtained the 'qualification,' truly a wonder among the young.

With a human like you, there's a real possibility of winning the 'final selection,' putting the initiative in the hands of humans... Those sin-laden monsters simply don't deserve to co-win with us."

...

Luo Di left the office alone, heading to the rest area where his partners were waiting.

On the way, he once again took out his "unknown relic" for careful observation, upon touching it, there was no longer any fluctuation, as the mouse monster had long since been digested completely.

"Relic integration, ancient fear state...what kind of state will this thing achieve when integrated with me? What will become of my Black Door Killer?

Megin's soul repair hasn't even started, and now there's another matter.

Though, keeping busy is not necessarily a bad thing.

Since this peculiar relic needs to consume something, I have to find some high-quality stuff to feed it. Although the Outer Realm incident just ended, the Lame Walker died, but there are still many 'Corner Traitors' similar to Joke that didn't perish.

Perhaps there's a way to pinpoint these beings' exact locations, which would not only help clean up the Corners but also satisfy my personal needs.

I should ask Yu Ze, he should be the best at this."

While fiddling with the relic, Luo Di's left arm began forming metal, creating a suitably long metal chain.

Connecting the chain to the metallic palm atop the relic, it was manufactured into a pendant form.

He wore it around his neck, hanging in front of his chest.

After thinking about it, he still tucked the relic inside his clothes, concealing it.

When Luo Di returned to the break room, his teammates who should have been waiting there were nowhere in sight, with only a staff member from the Technology Development Department approaching.

"Detective Roddy, your friends have gone to the Cafeteria."

"How do I get to the Cafeteria?"

"Ah?"

In this employee's view, an investigator capable of obtaining relics and being personally received by the Minister must be a veteran, yet surprisingly, he doesn't even know the cafeteria's location.

"I'm an external investigator, I've mostly never stayed at headquarters."

"Oh~ directly head over from here, and take the elevator to the second floor! There's a very clear sign below, it should be easy to find."

"Thanks."

When Luo Di found the cafeteria area, he was surprised to see Wu Wen chatting happily with two people, even forming a connection with Song Huiwen, who lacked some human aspects.

Wu Wen was also the first to notice Luo Di's arrival, waving to greet him.

Just as Luo Di approached,

within five meters of everyone,

Yu Ze showed no change, continuing to eat his meat heartily,

but Wu Wen's expression suddenly froze, her behind shifting off the bench, unconsciously stepping back.

Song Huiwen, who had always maintained a human appearance, with her sharp teeth retracted, seemed to be provoked into revealing her monster form.

This appearance directly frightened the investigators at nearby tables, and if it weren't for Deputy Minister Yu Ze being present, the cafeteria would have almost sounded the alarm.

Wu Wen pointed to Luo Di's chest, "Is there something on you... is it a relic?"

Luo Di took out the pendant voluntarily, presenting it in front of everyone.

Despite being human, Yu Ze and the investigators in the cafeteria didn't react much, but the two ladies were further stimulated.

When seeing the deep red fleshy pendant, cold sweat even trickled down Wu Wen's face while Song Huiwen's hair stood on end, her sharp teeth hissing from her mouth.

"Such a big reaction?"

Not yet understanding the essence and effect of this thing, Luo Di didn't dare to recklessly absorb it.

Running out of options, he could only create an Iron Maiden casing to contain it in a Hell closure.

Once the closure was complete and entirely isolated from the outside, the two ladies finally returned to normal, though looking at Luo Di with slight caution in their eyes.

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