Chapter 249 – The Rental Office
By evening, Gideon packed away the last remaining ten-year holy water and closed his stall.
After the three of them had left earlier, quite a few customers had stopped by. The lower-grade holy water sold out quickly.
Of course, to most of those buyers, even those "lower-grade" bottles were considered premium goods.
Only the ten-year holy water remained unsold. Many people had asked about it, inspected it carefully—but no one was willing to actually pay the price.
Gideon had originally considered preparing more high-grade stock.
Now it seemed even one bottle was difficult to move.
---
Heading to the Rental Office
After leaving the Materials District, he didn't head straight out of the Guild. Instead, he walked toward the Rental Office.
This was another Guild rule.
For one-day rental contracts, once the contract expired, the stall owner had to personally visit the Rental Office to settle accounts.
On one hand, it was to pay the processing fees.
On the other, to return the rental key.
Gideon, of course, was there for the latter.
---
Inside the Rental Office
A crowd had already gathered outside.
Though Gideon could have used his gold coin to receive priority service, he chose to queue like everyone else.
Over half an hour later, it was finally his turn.
"Sir, please place the key here. Once we verify the fees, the resentment points will be credited to your account," a young staff member said with a polite smile.
Gideon nodded and took the key from his pocket.
"Please have a seat."
The employee carried the key into the accounting section, where specialized equipment processed transaction data.
After inserting the key, the screen displayed:
Materials District
Revenue: 52,000 resentment points
Processing fee: 7,800 resentment points…
Just as the young employee prepared to proceed, another line popped up at the bottom of the screen:
Processing fee waived.
He gasped.
"Seven thousand eight hundred points completely waived?!"
Nearby, an older employee wearing black-rimmed glasses turned his head.
"What was waived?"
"This customer's settlement—7,800 resentment points in fees completely exempted," the young employee replied.
"Must be one of those big names from the leaderboard," the older man said casually.
"That's one of the Guild's privileges for top-ranked exorcists. You just started today—this is part of tomorrow's training material."
The young employee's eyes filled with admiration.
"Those top-ranked exorcists are incredible. Just a single day's stall rental, and they earn this many resentment points."
"A single day?" The older employee frowned slightly in thought.
"Probably selling evil relics. That kind of material has always been in high demand."
But the young employee shook his head.
"No—it was holy artifacts."
"Holy artifacts?"
The older man's expression immediately changed.
"Let me see."
He stepped closer to the screen, his brows knitting together as he examined the details more carefully.
The Guild's Materials District selling high-grade holy artifacts in that volume—
That wasn't something ordinary.
And certainly not something random.
The matter, it seemed, was more interesting than it first appeared.
He stepped forward and took over the young employee's station, then began reviewing the rental contract details.
The next second, the black-rimmed staff member clenched his fist.
"Who approved this contract?!"
"I… I did." The young employee raised his hand timidly. "Is… is there something wrong?"
"You!" The older man lowered his voice sharply. "Didn't I tell you? Any materials can pass—but high-grade holy artifacts are the one exception!"
Just then, the staff corridor door swung open and a woman walked in.
"What's going on? I could hear the arguing from the hallway. This will leave a bad impression on our clients."
She pulled a small suitcase behind her, as if she had just returned from a trip.
"Manager Meryl, there's something you need to see." The black-rimmed staff member approached and handed her the contract.
Moments later, Meryl frowned.
"Explain to the customer that they may not sell such items again. If they're dissatisfied, we can offer compensation in resentment points—deduct it from my temporary allowance."
She set the contract down.
"And have you investigated the buyer's identity?"
The black-rimmed employee hesitated, his expression uneasy.
Seeing this, Meryl immediately walked to the accounting terminal.
After pressing a few buttons, a name appeared on the screen:
Buyer: Miss Catherine
Resentment Ranking: #89
Meryl's heart sank.
"Is the customer still outside?" she asked coldly.
"Yes… waiting."
She was about to speak again, then glanced at the new young hire.
"You step outside first."
"Yes, ma'am."
Once he left, she lowered her voice.
"Invite the customer in later. He must retrieve all the holy artifacts sold today. As for the reason… tell him there were issues with the batch."
"But…" The black-rimmed employee hesitated.
"Can you say what you mean in one sentence?" Meryl snapped.
"Sorry…" He lowered his head.
"If we do this, the customer's reputation will be ruined. No one may ever visit his stall again."
Meryl replied, "If we don't, you know what Mr. Beron will do."
"We could compensate the customer more generously."
The employee swallowed. "But the customer outside… he's Anonymous 947—the one who refreshed the live leaderboard a few days ago."
"His information has already been classified as restricted. Managers and below can only see his ID number. Even his real identity is inaccessible."
Meryl's eyes widened.
She had heard about that incident.
She'd assumed the Guild would respond—but she hadn't expected they would raise the confidentiality level this high.
"This just became complicated…"
---
Outside the Rental Office
"Hey! What's taking so long? Is there only one person working in there?"
"Yeah! There are so many of us waiting!"
The line had grown longer. People were getting impatient.
Some even began targeting Gideon.
"Hey, kid! You didn't sell fake goods, did you? Why's the settlement taking so long?"
"Move aside if you're done—we've all been waiting!"
Gideon ignored them.
It wasn't his fault. He certainly wasn't going to take the blame for the Exorcist Guild.
Still, he was curious. He was only settling a few transactions—why was it taking this long?
Could it be… that guy from earlier? he wondered.
Moments later, a woman walked out.
"I am Meryl, head of the Guild's Rental Office."
She gave a slight bow.
"My apologies for the delay. We've increased staffing. Customers who need settlement may proceed to counters Three and Four."
Two employees immediately moved into position.
She then turned to Gideon.
"Sir, please come with me. There are a few details regarding your settlement that need clarification."
Gideon narrowed his eyes, studying her.
Meryl had long pale-gold hair, a black fitted blazer, a matching skirt, and subtle gold embroidery—every inch the professional manager.
There was a ring of scars around her wrist, faint traces of evil energy lingering there, suppressed by the charm bracelet she wore.
Gideon frowned slightly but nodded.
---
Inside a Private Consultation Room
Meryl avoided eye contact.
"I'm sorry, sir. We may be unable to process your settlement."
"Oh?" Gideon sounded unsurprised. "And why is that?"
"We… would like to discuss something with you." She brushed back her hair and stepped closer.
"Would you be willing to contact the buyers and repurchase the holy artifacts you sold today? We're willing to pay double the price."
"As you know… evil incidents have become increasingly frequent. The Guild is actively collecting high-quality exorcism items."
"Of course, we'll also compensate the buyer."
She finished speaking and waited.
On the surface, it sounded reasonable.
From an exorcist's perspective, he would earn more money and gain goodwill from the Guild.
Few would refuse.
But Gideon frowned.
After what happened earlier, he didn't believe this was coincidence.
Still, he replied calmly:
"That's a small matter."
Relief flashed in Meryl's eyes.
"There's no need to trouble the buyer. I happen to have additional stock. You can take it all."
Her smile froze.
"If possible, we'd still prefer you retrieve the sold artifacts," she pressed. "The more we have, the better. We can help you contact the buyer."
Gideon's expression cooled.
"Once something is sold, it's sold. Why would I take it back? The buyer wouldn't agree."
"The Guild has a recall policy," she explained. "If the seller believes the goods are defective, they may apply to retrieve them."
After hearing her out, Gideon asked flatly:
"So you want me to ruin my own reputation?"
"We'll compensate you—"
"Does the Guild know you're doing this?" he interrupted.
She fell silent.
"In that case, I decline. May I receive my rightful resentment points now?"
Meryl clenched her fists, then forced herself to speak.
"I was presumptuous. However, your settlement isn't complete. Please return tomorrow afternoon."
"Is that so?" Gideon's tone carried faint amusement. "Then I'll return tomorrow. Please have my points ready."
He left without another word.
Meryl watched him go, her gaze conflicted.
---
Late Night – Staff Quarters
In a high-end suite, Meryl opened a safe and removed a wooden box.
Inside were three silver amulets.
She took one, locked the rest away, and entered the bedroom.
On the bed lay a little girl with the same pale-gold hair, her features resembling Meryl's.
Her eyes were closed, and faint evil energy seeped from her body.
As Meryl approached, a black shadow rose from the girl's head, forming a face—half the girl's, half that of a malicious spirit.
Meryl frowned and placed the silver amulet on the girl's forehead.
White light radiated from it.
The black shadow twisted around Meryl's wrist instead. Pain contorted her face—but she did not withdraw her hand.
The amulet darkened rapidly.
The shadow above the girl faded… until it disappeared completely.
Meryl exhaled in relief.
She leaned down, gently touching her daughter's forehead.
A knock sounded.
Her hand trembled before steadying.
She closed the bedroom door and opened the front door.
"Why did it take so long?" Beron stepped inside without waiting.
"Sorry. I was reviewing documents," Meryl said quietly.
"You know why I'm here."
"For the high-grade holy artifacts."
Beron suddenly smashed a cup onto the carpet.
"So I should assume this happened with your approval?"
"No! Absolutely not!" she panicked. "I was out today. A new employee handled the contract."
He said nothing.
"It was my negligence. The employee has been dismissed. Please… give me another chance."
Beron approached her, idly playing with her hair.
Her body trembled, but she didn't resist.
"My demand is simple. Remove that seller. Retrieve every artifact he sold."
"I tried. He refused."
"Then use authority to make him agree!" Beron snapped.
"He's the one who refreshed the leaderboard. The Guild has raised his confidentiality level."
Beron's eyes flickered.
"So?"
"Don't forget who saved your daughter," he said coldly. "Those silver amulets work well, don't they?"
Meryl fell silent.
"If you want her to live, remember your position."
"…Sorry."
"But forcing him may alert the Guild. And the Vatican—"
"Shut up." He grabbed her hair suddenly.
"Whether it's the Exorcist Guild or those exorcists, before the name of the Zadok family, they are nothing but slaves. Especially some nameless brat with 'potential.'"
Her head struck the cabinet.
He spat, then left.
From the bedroom doorway, the little girl whispered:
"Mum?"
Meryl wiped her eyes and forced a smile.
"Go back to bed, sweetie."
After Beron left, she stood alone for a long time.
---
The Next Afternoon
Gideon arrived on time.
Meryl greeted him again, dressed in the same outfit.
"I apologize for yesterday. Your resentment points have been fully calculated."
"To compensate for the inconvenience, we've prepared something additional for you."
"Please… come with me."