Hearing Kotoko bring this up, Luo Shu relaxed his posture, even crossing his legs as he looked at her with an amused smile.
Noticing his change in demeanour, Kotoko's heart immediately sank. Her face fell as she said:
"You're making me really nervous with that expression..."
"Don't tell me you're trying to raise the price at the last minute?"
"Let me tell you, that kind of price gouging is utterly despicable and damages our friendship. Three favours means three favours. At most... one more. Any more than that and I'm walking away..."
Watching Kotoko cautiously raise a hand to show four fingers, Luo Shu suppressed his laughter:
"Let me confirm - you need the Flame Demon's tears, correct?"
"That's right..." Kotoko looked slightly puzzled.
Although she knew she hadn't contributed much to this matter, considering that just one drop of Phoenix Tears could secure three Hero Rank interventions from a Top Tier Class, it should still be quite a bargain, right?
Kotoko Iwanaga felt slightly guilty but tried to calm herself and treat her client as gently as possible:
"This shouldn't be difficult for you, since you've already captured the Flame Demon, right?"
"Or perhaps you need me to wait a while? Of course, I'm not saying I can't wait, but the longest I can accept is six months. Within half a year, I have compelling reasons to obtain the Phoenix Tears..."
While listening, Luo Shu nodded to show his understanding, then turned to Yukino Yukinoshita beside him:
"Yukino, bring the photo from the first cabinet."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita turned and left the reception room, heading to Luo Shu's office next door. Soon, she returned with a photo.
Instead of taking it himself, Luo Shu gestured for Yukino to hand the photo to Kotoko Iwanaga. As the latter accepted it with some confusion, Luo Shu picked up his black tea, took a sip, and said with a smile:
"Though I don't know whether you obtained the Flame Demon's intel through divination or other means, I imagine your previous searches couldn't have yielded much information, could they?"
"Well, that's because the Flame Demon was in the Abyss. Getting detailed intel on things there would be nothing short of a miracle..."
Kotoko Iwanaga took the photo from Yukino Yukinoshita and glanced at the girl in it.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the young, childish-looking red-haired twin-tailed girl with cream cake smeared on her face:
"So this is the phoenix the Phenex Society wanted to summon, codenamed Flame Demon?"
"Quite adorable~"
"Honestly, it makes me want to take her home and raise her."
Luo Shu nodded in agreement. If one overlooked the childish, crybaby personality, the child-form Kotori Itsuka was indeed quite cute.
"The photo has a strand of hair with its follicle attached. If you're skilled in divination, you should be able to bypass the information block the Abyss previously imposed, right?"
Hearing this, Kotoko Iwanaga examined the photo, flipped it over, and immediately spotted a small piece of tape securing a lock of red hair on the back.
"Pulling hair from a child... In a way, Luo Shu, you're quite a ruthless man."
Despite her teasing remark, Kotoko Iwanaga carefully removed the hair and rubbed it between her fingers, saying:
"To be honest, my divination skills are pretty mediocre. This ability is actually a technique I copied a few years ago from a famous divination witch in Europe during a trip there."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita, who was standing nearby, asked in surprise:
"Like the previous technique?"
"That's right."
Kotoko Iwanaga glanced up at Yukino Yukinoshita, nodded thoughtfully, and then explained: "My Class's core focus is actually the power of wisdom. I can't disclose the specifics of my abilities, but essentially, I can study and replicate the innate talents of various races or the unique techniques exclusive to certain sorcerers."
"Through analysis and transformation, I can adapt their abilities into techniques that I can use myself or make universally applicable."
"The 'Hidden Technique' is something I developed by studying mountain spirits."
"I can't explain the exact principles, but you already know the effects of the Hidden Technique."
"It creates a false version of oneself in the outside world while the true body slips into a small alternate dimension. Inside that space, one doesn't need food or water to survive, but upon returning to reality, the energy expenditure must be compensated for."
"Additionally, the duration of the 'hidden' state can't be too long—if it is, there's a risk of starving to death upon returning to reality."
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at this, surprised:
"So, you can cancel the 'hidden' state yourself?"
Kotoko Iwanaga spread her hands at this point, looking utterly innocent:
"I can, but I can't guarantee where my corpse will end up if I do. If it appears in the Union's lab, I'd be completely done for~"
Hearing this, Luo Shu also imagined the scenario of Kotoko Iwanaga appearing in such a place.
Would she end up getting hunted by the Union?
As Luo Shu was lost in thought, Kotoko Iwanaga tugged at her hair while divining and remarked:
"Speaking of which, though I've mastered the divination abilities of the Witch of Prophecy through replication, my research time was too short, so I can only divine surface-level things... Hmm?"
Kotoko Iwanaga, still holding onto a strand of red hair, froze. Her expression was like a child who'd just been told they were found in a trash can—utterly blank and staring vacantly ahead:
"The owner of this hair... isn't a phoenix?"
"Even though they have a rebirth-from-flames ability, even though their vitality is terrifyingly strong, even though their blood contains immense life force... but their race isn't a phoenix..."
"Doesn't that mean...?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu nodded sympathetically: "Yes, you've wasted your efforts."
"What a shame. Though the Flame Demon is indeed a Flame Demon, and though she resembles a phoenix, she isn't one—she's an unknown variety of Spirit."
"Truly unfortunate~~"
Kotoko Iwanaga's eyes widened, her expression gradually numbing.
"No way... How can something so absurd happen? The people at Phenex Society are XXX.XXX.XX? They could mess up this badly?"
Watching Kotoko Iwanaga break down and even swear, Luo Shu calmly sipped his tea before casually remarking:
"Though, now that I think about it, it's strange—the Hidden Management Department recently seems to have indeed taken in a phoenix~"
The distraught Kotoko Iwanaga immediately brightened, then suddenly realised something, her face twisting as she stared at Luo Shu: "Mr Luo Shu, may I ask who this phoenix you've captured is?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu smiled cheerfully under Kotoko Iwanaga's tense and suspicious expression:
"That one~"
"Her name is Ravel Phenex~"
"A very cute little phoenix~"
After speaking, Luo Shu added words that stabbed straight into Kotoko Iwanaga's heart like a blade:
"And she's a genuine pureblood too~"
As the words fell.
Kotoko Iwanaga seemed to lose all expression.