Kevin fiddled with the small piece of metal in his hand, not finding it anything special. In fact, it looked quite ordinary.
It was a palm-sized, diamond-shaped piece of iron, resembling a reinforcement from an old wooden farm implement. It was grayish-black, weathered and worn. One side was smooth, while the other was marked with sinuous veins, resembling the kind of hieroglyphics typically used on fake artifacts to deceive people. Kevin could confirm that it was ordinary iron: he had tested it with a magnet. "Let me see." Vivian snatched the small metal piece without hesitation, turning it over and over before her eyes. Kevin finally realized what she was doing. "Do you recognize this thing?"
"...I'm not sure, but I think I've seen it somewhere," Vivian frowned. "It's not something like this, but I've seen the symbol on it. So, where did you get it?"
"I don't know," Kevin scratched his head. "I remember having this thing when I was very young, only four or five. A little kid wouldn't have noticed if there were more or less things in your toy box. I just remember that I must have found this myself, and for some reason, I treasured it so much back then that I couldn't bear to throw it away even after cleaning out the house several times."
Vivian was clearly not satisfied with this answer. She held the small metal piece, rubbing her fingers over the patterns on it. After two minutes of recollection, she looked up. "I definitely saw this symbol, a long, long time ago... I mean, at least a thousand or eight hundred years ago. But I can't remember the details." You know, my memory seems to be a bit flawed. It gets muddled over time."
Kevin swallowed. He didn't catch anything else, but he made out the words "a thousand, eight hundred years" and instantly felt delighted. "You're saying this could be an antique?! And possibly even a thousand years old!?"
Vivian rolled her eyes at Kevin. "You could try selling it at the antique market and see if anyone wants it."
Kevin smiled awkwardly, realizing this was another instance of his petty bourgeois mentality kicking in. He stopped talking about selling antiques, but he still treasured the small piece of metal. Even if it wasn't worth much, it was still a treasure just for the fact that it could give Vivian, a thousand-year-old demon, a fright.
Then the two of them continued to clean up the house. There wasn't much clutter there to begin with, and Kevin was a regular cleaner, so the job was done quickly. Before long, the items that needed to be moved were tossed into the small storage shed next door. Kevin also cleared out half a box of old junk that should have been thrown away long ago, and the basement was now a clean, new room. There was a bed, a table, a chair, and even an internet connection. The only thing missing was the blazing sun, which Vivian hated the most. The basement's only window was a small skylight on the top of the west wall, half-buried in the base of the main house. Direct sunlight streamed in only at sunset, a perfect fit for Vivian's lifestyle. Kevin still felt it was a waste to have a beautiful girl like Vivian (remember, vampire girls are always seventeen) living in the basement, but seeing the cleaned-up room was quite nice, his guilt eased a bit. More importantly, Vivian looked particularly happy. She enthusiastically brushed off the dust that had accumulated on Kevin's body from work, smiling brightly. "Landlord, you're such a kind person. Thank you. No one was so kind to me when I was trying to make a living out there. Back then..."
Okay, there's no telling how bitter the vampire girl's past was. Anyway, we know that this unfortunate girl has finally found a good life after thousands of years of hardship. At least, she thinks her current life is pretty good. This girl is ridiculously easy to please, just as easy to please as Lily. It might take a few days for Y'zaks to adjust to his new life here, and Vivian, the cook, would also need a few days to adjust to the sudden addition of a second glutton (the first was Lily, who could devour three bowls of noodles in one sitting). The adjustment period between the new tenants had just begun, and from Kevin's observation, things were stable for now: the Archdemon was a kind and peaceful individual, with a good temper that was completely contrary to his race. This meant Kevin didn't have to worry about his daily life becoming even more chaotic: God had mercy on him, with Lily and Vivian around; if there was another hot-tempered person in the house, Kevin would have considered sleeping on the streets.
Since there was no need to worry about a fight at home for the time being, Kevin naturally wanted to pay attention to things at his workplace: he hadn't seen Raven 12345 for several days, and a lot of problems had accumulated.
So, on a clear, blue-sky morning with a chill autumn breeze, Kevin boarded a shabby bus to Wangbatuozi. After a dusty journey, he arrived at that majestic and imposing place: Heaven's Office on Earth, or simply the Earth Office. Raven 12345's luxurious mansion seemed to remain unchanged forever, its space frozen in time on a misty morning. The scenery within the mansion was delightful, while beyond it lay a perpetually impenetrable layer of fog. Kevin occasionally fancied venturing into that thick fog, perhaps uncovering the secrets of this "divine realm," but the quest never materialized. He never even dared to mention it to Raven 12345. Who knew if that insane woman would smack Kevin with a brick after hearing his outlandish idea?
Kevin, led by a blue elemental servant, arrived at Raven 12345's office. Upon opening the door, he saw the goddess behind her desk, absorbed in studying a floating image. Her face alternately furrowed in thought and swung between a frown and a look of deep thought. Kevin was horrified: This unreliable person actually had moments of serious work!
By this time, Raven 12345 had sensed someone entering and looked up, casually greeting, "Hey, Kevin. Haven't seen you in a few days. You look fine. Are you jet-lagged?"
"Uh, not bad, not bad." Kevin couldn't quite get into the "mortal pilgrimage" state of mind he always felt when meeting this goddess. Over time, he'd gotten used to it, treating it like running into his department manager at work. "I came here to..."
"Don't worry, give me a detailed report on this mission," Raven 12345 waved his hand. "You were too brief the other day. I can't write a report."
Listen, how formal this is! Even God has to write a report...
Kevin cleared his throat and recounted his experiences in England the previous two days in detail, focusing on the undead beneath Joffold Castle and the half-baked witcher named Nangong. He felt that this was the biggest surprise of the mission, and therefore worthy of mention. After listening to this, Raven 12345 was silent for a few seconds before asking Kevin a question: "What do you think is the biggest challenge you faced during this mission?"
Kevin was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking frankly: "I'm just a mortal, I really can't handle such a demanding task. I feel like I still need some fighting power. Even if I don't have any, at least some self-defense skills will do. In the underground palace, I was nearly exhausted just running after Lily. Most of the time, let alone fighting monsters, I was just trying to avoid being attacked by them, which could be fatal! The physical enhancement you mentioned has indeed arrived, but isn't it arriving a little slowly? Or maybe you could give me a less demanding mission next time..."
"That's already the easiest task. The only remaining mission for the same period is to go to Betelgeuse to mediate the war. Are you going?" Raven 12345 rolled his eyes. "But it's true that you do need training and strengthening. Physical training alone can only give you a foundation. Real combat power requires training. Okay, I'll give it to you first..." Before Raven 12345 could finish, Kevin perked up. "Give me a secret technique, huh? I guess that's what I need!"
"Haha," Raven 12345 squinted at Kevin. "You...? And you think if I really gave you a secret technique, you'd be instantly super-powered? That stuff requires practice. Even a mortal needs two months of practice to master the formulas for casting a fireball. Arcane magic requires advanced math. You think it's like in the game, where you can just double-click a skill book and instantly cast an ice bolt? That's wishful thinking. A guy who normally groans over math problems wouldn't even be able to study a complete collection of forbidden spells. Just that 'Ten Years of Casting, Thirty Years of Simulation' question bank at the beginning would be enough to make him cry. So... do you still want the secret technique?"
Kevin: "..."