Chapter 669: 669: The Mayor's Invitation

Chapter 669: Chapter 669: The Mayor’s Invitation

Other Derry Town.

The town’s residents primarily come from Western horror culture – a fact that indirectly breeds a higher number of demon-like monsters.

Because of religious beliefs, many Western horror cultural products often deal with evil spirits and invariably involve demons.

As for Togu’s previous whereabouts—the mysterious monastery outside the town—it must also be an area teeming with demons… Togu is just one of the many demons in the monastery.

En route to the monastery outside of town, Togu proposed:

“Master, I’m currently banished from Derry Town, and you’re not an employee of the monastery. It will likely be difficult to get into this private property… Moreover, we may not be protected by the law once we enter another resident’s territory.

...

Your relationship with the prosecutor seems quite good… Would you like to try getting into the monastery through her?”

Han Dong promptly refused: “Not for now.

Using your connections too often isn’t a wise move.

While I do have a friendly relationship with Miss Jane, we don’t owe anything to each other… The reason we cooperated in the hospital was because the death of Dean Richard would benefit us both.

But this matter at the monastery is unrelated to Miss Jane. If I were to call on her for help, I would end up owing her a favor.

Once that happens, I would be unable to decline should Miss Jane ever ask for assistance with a dangerous matter.”

“Hmm, the prosecutor seems to have the most secrets in the town.”

“What exactly do you remember about the monastery?”

When Han Dong asked about this, Togu fell silent for a while, “I hardly remember… those memories seem to be tightly locked away. Even if I were in the monastery, there are still many things I won’t be able to recall.

The only thing I remember is that there were definitely more demons in the monastery than just me.”

“Alright, let’s first go take a look…”

Suddenly, while crossing Central Street, Han Dong felt an odd sensation sweep over him… The bandaged red-eyed worker from Town Hall was walking out of a dark alley.

“Valen. Nicholas.

The mayor wishes to see you. We hope you can spare some valuable time to come visit him.”

“Alright.”

Since the mayor summoned Han Dong, he couldn’t refuse.

Han Dong was, after all, a valuable member of the town for revealing Dean Richard’s traitorous conspiracy. The mayor had summoned him for something good, which might even aid with Han Dong’s subsequent actions.

Moreover, Han Dong’s individual household registration was also achieved through the help of the town hall, so naturally, it’s linked to the mayor.

When Han Dong entered the forecourt of the town hall with the worker, he hesitated slightly due to the thousands of arms covering the whole building. He almost lost a bit of his wisdom.

Although Han Dong knew these arms were linked to the clerk, he still tried to ask his guide.

“What is this?”

“These are the arms of the clerk. They can effectively stop any outsiders attempting to invade the town hall, ensuring the mayor’s work isn’t disturbed by anyone.”

“Hmm…”

As Han Dong approached.

A few of the arms attached to the wall suddenly loosened and waved at Han Dong.

Just as he was about to step through the entrance.

Suddenly, a woman he recognized arrived from within the building. She was holding a handful of papers in her hands.

“You are… Ma Taotao.”

“Nicholas?”

The person Han Dong bumped into was the doctor from the Dragon City Team, also the only woman – Ma Taotao. Wearing silver wire glasses and a uniform, Taotao emanated an unusual sexiness, as if she was naturally endowed with the ‘fascination’ attribute.

However, Han Dong seemed to have immunity to her charm and was unmoved.

“You’re working at the town hall?”

“Yes, what brings you here?” Ma Taotao responded with a smile on her face, careful not to reveal the current progress of their team.

“We’re assisting the committee, and came here to get some information needed by Director Sam.”

“Oh, I have some work to do. I will be leaving first.”

“Alright.”

The seemingly simple exchange between the two was actually filled with mutual suspicion.

Ma Taotao also recorded Han Dong’s visit to the town hall, including her personal assumptions, so as to report back to Captain Huo Ziping.

On the other hand, Han Dong also perceived a lot of things.

The papers in Ma Taotao’s hands were all stamped with two seals.

One seal belonged exclusively to the town hall, while the other was a ‘palm seal’. The content of the document involved the missing residents of Derry Town.

“Palm Seal… It seems like they’re working for the clerk.

That means they’re still participating in the main storyline.

However, the difficulty of the main storyline is likely higher than the task I received from Sam. It’s a mission from the town hall.

Upon completion, they will obtain a household registration acknowledged by the town hall.

My current advantage isn’t as significant as I imagined. I need to seize every moment.”

Guided by the worker, Han Dong traversed through corridor after corridor, eventually winding up at a dark passage where even night vision was useless.

The Demon Eye could only penetrate less than five meters of the darkness.

“The mayor waits inside.”

“Thank you.”

The worker didn’t venture farther, only escorting Han Dong to the start of the dark passage.

Moving through the darkness alone, he might have been guided by familiarity with spaces, or perhaps the peculiarity of the Demon Eye. Han Dong quickly grasped the special nature of the dark passage and tried his utmost to clear his mind, ignoring the present passage.

Upon clearing his mind.

An unlocked wooden door appeared.

Twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open, he saw a classical-style office inside.

The hexagonal structure had bookshelves on each wall.

The shadowy mayor was sitting inside a circular office table, meticulously inspecting a world dossier he held.

Impossible to see through.

Even with the Demon Eye, the mayor was pitch black. The figure of the mayor was visible, but nothing more.

For some reason, Han Dong felt a sense of familiarity from the silhouette and aura. It was as though he had seen it somewhere before.

Of course, the pressure emanating from the mayor was indescribable.

Even if Han Dong joined forces with Dean Richard, the chances of winning against the mayor in a two-on-one fight were slim.

“Outsider, I know you can’t stay in my town for long… However, due to your contributions to the town, I am granting you permanent residency.”

“Thank you, Mayor.”

“I didn’t call you here without reason… If you just recklessly head to the monastery, you will surely meet a terrible end. Furthermore, you won’t be protected by the laws of my town.”

Han Dong seemed to understand some of what the mayor meant: “…Are you referring to matters relating to Togu?”

“Correct! Things should be kept separate. You revealing Dean Richard’s conspiracy indeed did a great service to me… But kidnapping Togu three years ago certainly did break the rules of Derry Town.

However, the clerk noted that it was you who baited Pennywise to the Connection Point at that time. Balancing the merits and the faults evens it out, so I will let bygones be bygones.”

“Understood…”

“Take this letter with you to the monastery. This will, to some extent, protect you from suffering direct harm… By the way, help me look into something.”

“Exclusive Storyline (Mayor): [Investigate the Monastery] has been triggered.”