The next day.
After his shift ended, Colin headed straight for the Guard Station in West City.
The previous night, Holt had told him that he needed to go see Minister Barton early in the morning to get his specific transfer orders.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
He walked into Minister Barton's office.
Unexpectedly, there was another person inside.
"Lord Berkeley, Minister Barton," he greeted respectfully.
"You're just in time, we were just discussing you," Berkeley turned his head and looked at Colin with a faint smile, "You've been called back to headquarters, Colin."
Beside him, Barton also took out a transfer order and handed it to Colin, patting his shoulder and speaking with a laugh:
"Holt recommended you to me, saying that your strength is not bad... When you get to headquarters, don't let us down here in West City."
Colin took the transfer order with a smile and looked down to check it.
'No wonder Holt told me last night that there was a high chance I would be transferred to headquarters... It turns out that it was his recommendation.'
The transfer order listed the date and address for reporting.
The date was the day after tomorrow, and the address... 28 Oak Nut Street?
"Minister, is this address a mistake?" he couldn't help but ask looking up.
28 Oak Nut Street was located in West City, and was even closer to his home than the West City Guard Station here.
"There's no mistake," Berkeley explained, "Last week, on the recommendation of City Lord Price, Wizard Lap ordered the Guard Station to be split into a new, parallel department—the Patrol Department."
"The former headquarters of the Guard Station is now the headquarters of the Patrol Department. The West City and East City Guard Stations have been slightly reduced, specifically tasked with handling Fierce Beasts and the strange creatures on the beaches."
"The new Patrol Department has also established three locations in the city center: east, west, and middle. You are to go to the West City Patrol Department.
However, both the East City and West City Patrol Departments are now managed by the city center's Patrol Department headquarters, so technically, you've been called back to headquarters."
"I see, thank you," Colin nodded.
He hadn't expected that so much had quietly happened while he was on duty.
...To think that a new department was established?
He wasn't surprised that Price managed to convince Wizard Lap to change the structure of the Guard Team.
After all, the Guard Team was essentially a force that Wizard Lap provided for Price.
In fact, although Berkeley was nominally in charge of the Guard Station in Blackstone City, the daily management orders were usually given by Price, with Berkeley's main responsibility being the Patrol Team within the Wizard Territory.
"Well, if there's nothing else, go home and rest. Remember to report the day after tomorrow."
"Alright."
Colin left the Guard Station, boarded a carriage, and headed home.
He pondered while eating the breakfast that Renee had brought.
'The establishment of the Patrol Department is clearly to strengthen the forces within the city... Perhaps this has something to do with Catherine's pollution?'
He pondered this in his heart but couldn't come up with an answer.
The clues were still too few.
But there must have been something happening behind the scenes that he wasn't aware of...
'I'm still too weak...'
Colin took the handkerchief offered by Renee and wiped his mouth.
Even though his strength had improved significantly compared to before, in this world, he was still at the mercy of his superiors, being arranged and carried by the tide.
He had just gotten used to the life on duty in West City, seeing fewer and fewer Fierce Beast attacks, the night shifts getting more relaxed, and now he was being transferred to a new post...
The only consolation was that he could stay in West City.
At least this way, he didn't have to think about moving houses.
...
Palm Street.
The basement at home.
Colin held two long, slender, pointed darts in his hand, inspecting them closely.
These cone bullets, just by their appearance, were somewhat similar to the bullets from his previous world and could perhaps be referred to as Cone Bullets.
These were new ammunition he had custom-made for his Arrow Shooting Skill, designed specifically for killing large creatures.
After actual combat, he had carefully reviewed the shortcomings exposed by the shuttle-shaped darts.
The Shuttle-shaped Dart, just like the armor-piercing rounds from rifles in his previous life, had strong penetration power. However, often it was this very powerful penetration that caused the kinetic energy to not fully impact the target, leading to less than satisfactory damage.
The two new large cone bullets that had been custom-made included one variety with a copper tip and a hollow interior.
Upon hitting the target, the tip would deform, causing a shift in the center of gravity, prompting the bullet to tumble unstably within the body of the target, thus releasing its kinetic energy to maximum effect and inflicting extensive damage.
The other type, a solid cone bullet, was used for piercing armor.
Using the same principle, Colin had also produced a batch of finger-sized hollow cone bullets and solid cone bullets to diversify his ammunition.
The shuttle-shaped darts he had previously used were thus phased out.
In this way, when facing different targets, he could choose the appropriate cone bullet.
*
*
*
28 Acorn Street
"This must be it." Colin looked up to survey the gray building in front of him before stepping inside.
Two days had quietly passed, and today was the day he was supposed to report to the Patrol Department.
Upon opening the door, he was met by a simply decorated hall.
A fat man was seated on a chair to the front left.
He was dozing off, with a plate of greasy, crispy pork belly beside him.
"Hello? I'm here to report for duty," Colin said as he took out his orders and addressed the fat man.
Flower slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Colin, took the paper orders from his greasy hands, and set them aside.
"Yeah, I know... As you see, I'm your future team leader, Flower..." He grabbed a piece of pork, put it into his mouth, and began to chew as his eyes closed once again.
"All right, stop standing there and bothering me. For everything else, go to the back room and find the deputy team leader to talk things over with you."
Colin remained calm and seemed indifferent. He nodded and headed to the room at the back, as directed by Flower.
It was attitudes like Flower's that were the common way for those higher in the hierarchy to treat those below them... Holt was an exception.
Knock, knock, knock—
Colin knocked on the door at the very back.
"Come in."
A somewhat sharp voice came from inside.
He pushed the door open to find a young man inside with mutton chop whiskers, slightly sunken cheeks, and a somewhat pale complexion.
He wore a silver badge on his chest, which meant he was likely an Intermediate Apprentice, like Colin.
"You must be Colin."
Before he could introduce himself, the young man took the initiative, smiling as he spoke.
"My name is Barney, and I'm your deputy team leader."
"...Deputy Team Leader Barney."
At hearing his title repeated, the smile on Barney's face grew broader.
"Welcome to the Patrol Department," he continued. "We're short-staffed here. I've heard you're quite strong, which is perfect because there's something I need you to do."
...
Two hours later,
Barney led Colin to the outside of the last pub.
"This is the last spot, Team Leader Flower's favorite grilled fish is from here. Remember that?"
"...Yes, I've got it."
"Do you also remember the other restaurants and pubs we visited before?"
Colin silently nodded.
It wasn't so much that he had tried to remember; rather, his memory had been greatly enhanced after being fortified with the Golden Four-leaf Clover... He couldn't forget anything Barney said after just one mention.
"Good. Your task is simple. At different times each day, buy various foods and bring them here." Barney nodded, satisfied, and then stressed, "Remember, first bring them to me through the side door."
In truth, such menial tasks did not require a wizard like Colin.
He merely wanted to make Colin understand the importance of his position as deputy team leader, to understand the meaning of hierarchy!
"Barney, is this all the Patrol Department does every day?"
He couldn't help but feel speechless and questioned with a frown.
"Deputy Team Leader Barney!" Barney scowled, interrupting him.
He paused, then adopted a serious tone to advise,
"You're young, you don't understand... There are no dangers within the city. I've been at the headquarters for several years and have encountered fewer than ten incidents. There's really no need to patrol as per regulations."
"Keep in mind our team leader, Flower, is second to none below the level of Peak Apprentice. If you please him, just..."
Colin's impatience grew inside, and he started to tune Barney out, unsure of what to say...