Transcendent Dawn

Chapter 628: Chapter 0628: Dossier (Additional 7600, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Qingyang City, the Demon Bureau office.

The Demon Bureau is one of the most important institutions in Great Luo, with branches in various states, prefectures, and cities. It is the front line in the fight against demons and monsters.

The protective magic artifacts and talisman papers in the villages mostly come from here.

Standing under the towering office gate, Xu Changqing shows some reverence.

Although people like Zhou Quan can sometimes emerge from inside, for the most part, the overall image remains undisputed.

“This is a restricted area of the Demon Bureau, no outsiders are allowed to enter at will.”

He stood outside for just a moment when two gatekeepers barked, “If you encounter a demon, enter through the left side door. The notices for major demons are on the right side door.”

“Here you go.”

Xu Changqing threw out a badge, a ‘semi-magic artifact’ given to him by Master Danyunzi when he left the mountain.

According to his grandfather’s evaluation, a ‘semi-magic artifact’ is a magic artifact made from the materials left by demons. However, due to the crude methods used by the craftsmen, it falls far short of real ‘weird creatures’ and magic artifacts.

However, it can still be used minimally.

The badge seems to be made of bronze and iron, warm to the touch. The front is engraved with Great Luo Demon Bureau Rank Eight Vice Captain, and the back is Xu Changqing’s name, origin, and appearance.

Being a ‘semi-magic artifact’, it is extremely difficult to forge.

Its ability is to set up a mediocre defense forcefield, which can either block demons for the time it takes to burn an incense stick or withstand a ‘Demon’ strike.

Well, it’s better than nothing.

“So, it is the Daoist from the Heixuan Sect! Please come in!”

The soldier collected the badge, took a glance, and felt a sudden sense of alarm. He was glad he hadn’t underestimated the man earlier and hurriedly invited Xu Changqing into the office.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

‘The Demon Bureau commander of Qingyang City, named ‘Jiang Yufeng’, has unknown cultivation levels…’

A bit of information flashed through Xu Changqing’s mind, and he asked, “Where is Commander Jiang?”

“Mr. Jiang went out early this morning to investigate a case in the city. At the moment, the office is under the charge of Mr. Pan.”

The soldier who was leading the way answered in a low voice.

Qingyang City is a big city, with one seventh-rank commander and four eighth-rank vice-captains in its Demon Bureau. Along with even more ninth-rank inspectors, they specialize in investigating demons and protecting the people.

However, there was a vice-captain in the Demon Bureau of Qingyang City who died in duty last month. There are only Pan Shu, Cheng Fei, and Yuan Henshan left as commanders now.

“Well, I’ll go see him.”

Xu Changqing followed the soldier to a hall.

As soon as he entered, he felt something was wrong with the surroundings.

Gloomy, cold…

Behind the curtains and windows, there seem to be countless pairs of eyes peeking in.

“Hmm, a decent magic artifact, it’s a pity you can’t seize it for refining!”

Su Lu commented in Xu Changqing’s mind.

“Magic artifact? Is this the power of a magic artifact?” Xu Changqing asked in his mind.

“Hmm, do you think becoming a Daoist is that simple? Most of these eighth-rank Demon Bureau vice-captains are probably just ordinary people or Spirit Refining Martial Artists, or plain Talisman Masters, but they have obtained fairly powerful magic artifacts. They’re a little stronger than Zhou Quan…

Su Lu commented.

Xu Changqing had also heard Danyunzi mention ordinary talisman masters among regular people, and had little respect for them.

This is because they have not yet chosen the Daoist path and are completely reliant on their own past experiences, making it hard for them to truly grasp the ‘Dao’. Compared to cultivators, it’s just like the difference between regular technicians and engineers.

“This is probably the standard arrangement in the imperial court… After all, they have an unlimited number of people. As long as there are suitable magic artifacts and they are not lost, they can always promote a new commander after the previous one dies.”

Su Lu said.

“But most ‘weird creatures’ are very terrifying, even the side-effects of the ‘magic artifacts’ are not necessarily tolerable…”

Xu Changqing refuted in his mind.

“You forgot that it’s the imperial court. They have as many people as they need. Even if they try one by one, there will always be suitable candidates to control the magic artifacts!”

Su Lu answered with a chuckle.

Xu Changqing fell silent.

A Spirit Refining Martial Artist holding a powerful magic artifact could indeed pose a threat to him.

The power of the Great Luo imperial court was unfathomably deep.

“Haha… The arrival of the Daoist from the Heixuan Gate has truly brought much honor to us.”

Just then, a hearty laugh sounded.

With the voice, a middle-aged man in black armor entered the hall, “I am Pan Shu. In the future, we will be colleagues. I hope we can look out for each other.”

Contrary to Xu Changqing’s expectations, the man was emaciated, with a pale, bloodless face—a stark contrast to his hearty voice.

‘This… is that the side effect of the magic artifact? Isn’t it too terrifying?’

He thought to himself.

‘Hehe… What do you think a weird creature is?’ Su Lu sneered: ‘From the perspective of the imperial court, even if it consumes their lifespan, if they can make use of weird creatures, they consider it a magic artifact.’

“I am Xu Changqing, vice captain.”

Being of equal rank, Xu Changqing directly greeted Pan Shu with a bow.

“I received the official document saying that you were arriving this morning, and I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly… I’ll immediately have someone prepare a room and attendants for you. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Pan Shu laughed heartily, showing a hint of flattery.

Although they were both eighth-rank vice captains, Xu Changqing was a cultivator from the Daoist sect who was bound to become a prominent figure as long as he didn’t die.

On the other hand, Pan Shu was just a Spirit Refining Martial Artist. Additionally, due to controlling a magic artifact, his body was frail.

“Thank you very much, Brother Pan.”

After Xu Changqing changed his address, his tone became much warmer.

“When Commander Jiang returns, we will all go to the Heavenly Fragrance Building to welcome you and help you settle in,” Pan Shu said with a laugh.

“No need, I prefer quiet…”

Xu Changqing’s eyes shifted slightly: “Where can I find the bureau’s archives? I would like to review them first…”

This was his obligation, but he was a bit hasty.

Pan Shu was taken aback: “Why the rush? You can look at it tomorrow.”

“I’ve come down from the mountain this time with the determination to kill demons and exorcise evil spirits, until my last breath!”

Xu Changqing stated firmly.

His intense tone left Pan Shu somewhat startled: “…Alright, I’ll have someone take you to the archives.”

As he watched Xu Changqing’s departing figure, Pan Shu’s expression became slightly peculiar.

…

The Demon Bureau, archive room.

In the huge loft, a large amount of paperwork was stacked.

Each document detailed the time, location, casualties, and evaluations of demon attacks, all very detailed and complete.

Looking at the paperwork that almost filled the entire building, Xu Changqing felt a sense of suffocation.

“These… how many lives have been lost because of these…”

“Sir, these are only the ‘Yellow Level’ archives from the past twenty years. According to the official documents, every ten years we clean up and summarize the unresolved archives, and the rest are stored in the official archives. The state archives are cleaned every hundred years…”

A junior official in charge of paperwork said at his side.

“Oh.”

Xu Changqing gave a faint smile: “I’m not familiar with the rules, so don’t mind me. Just bring up the most recent archives, I want to take a look.”