The storage of the Four Elements inside the Grey Space was tremendously huge—a number so exaggerated that even if Wayne exerted himself to the fullest, the other party could easily satisfy his desires.
This was undoubtedly good news for Wayne; he felt content, but The Book of Greed was not. The demonic eyes at the corners of the cover were like bottomless pits that could never be filled.
Without the Grey Space, Wayne couldn’t imagine anyone else who could satisfy this gluttonous tome.
He couldn’t possibly become a gigolo for the Goddess, could he?
It wasn’t out of the question, getting along with everyone had its benefits.
On the other hand, this was also bad news for Wayne; his cheat was inherently lacking and required later reshaping. The Ancient Silver Coins were a token of Planck, and sooner or later, he would have to take them back.
Moreover, Wayne was genuinely afraid that The Book of Greed would drain the Grey Space dry.
Geniuses are pursued and celebrated, while monsters only end up dissected on a lab table. If he really drained the Grey Space, Planck might not be so easy to talk to anymore.
For the time being, the Grey Space was vast in scale, and The Book of Greed was just an anthill on a thousand-mile dyke; short-term changes wouldn’t lead to qualitative transformations.
He could still draw from it!
Wayne had considered transforming into the Death Knight, snatching the Ancient Silver Coins from Planck or Austin, keeping the benefits for himself while pinning the blame on the Death Knight.
But he was afraid the Liberty Mage Alliance might have other contingencies; after taking the Ancient Silver Coins, he might be unable to connect to the Grey Space, so he reluctantly abandoned this thought.
He was still too weak.
The weak are indecisive, while the strong don’t need to think too much—a simple "Let the virtuous one possess it" would suffice.
Compared to the Dark Knight, Wayne would much rather be the Son of Krypton. Who needs substance or depth? Mindless excitement is the real thrill.
Now, regarding the hexagram inside Wayne, having all points of the hexagram lit up only meant he had moved beyond the beginner’s concept; it did not mean the hexagram could immediately form connections.
He still needed to absorb elements until the Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Void, and Self within him achieved perfect balance; everything would naturally fall into place, and the hexagram would take shape on its own.
Every Mage’s balance is different; some have intense desires, others are clear-minded with few wants. Wayne had an excessive amount of the Fire Element within, absolutely one of intense desire.
Initially, he was very wary of the descriptions in the book and of Hefei’s take on those with strong desires, portraying that Mages with intense yearnings easily stray from the path, unable to resist external temptations, with a higher probability of going mad.
Now, well, let it be what it will be; there’s nothing wrong with having strong desires.
After all, he is The Book of Greed; following the path of clear-mindedness would be self-destructive.
Wayne slowed down his plundering of the Earth, Water, and Wind Elements, trying to find his own balance. He was now a Fire Element cream puff, so full it might overflow at any moment. According to the setting for those with strong desires, his craving for the other three elements wouldn’t be that extreme.
There’s no reason to max out the other elements too if the Fire Element is already at its peak; it’s too balanced, even unrealistic to consider.
As for the case, Heidi worked during the day and returned home at night, entrusting the heavy responsibility of finding her father solely to the two detectives. Every time they met, she greeted them with a smile, showing no sign of urgency.
If the principal parties aren’t worried, the detectives are even less so. They were busy investigating daily, not having a moment of rest.
Wayne was busy in pretense, wandering around Dragonheart Island, stumbling upon the King Kong Crew, shooting the last few scenes, and taking the time to meet with Veronica and Willy to boost rapport.
Kurt was genuinely busy, with no shortage of visits to bars and inns day after day.
Had he been an ordinary person challenging heavyweights daily, he would have been out like a light and unable to get up, but somehow he was still fine. If he hadn’t been a Mage, it would be hard to explain his abundant energy.
He really played out the essence of magic!
The time came to August 20th; Heidi couldn’t sit still and invited Wayne and Kurt to join her for lunch at a restaurant opposite her company.
She had discovered a secret passageway in her company, highly likely to be her father’s hiding place.
Although everyone knew the score, they still had to play their parts. Wayne and Kurt expressed disbelief; they had conducted an in-depth investigation into Bart Manor in recent days and had never considered the possibility of Mr. Bart hiding in the company.
"Damn, that old coot fooled us!" Kurt expressed frustration, regretting that their investigation had gone astray, wasting precious time.
Heidi was also outraged; she had been sitting in her office every day, yet her father had managed to deceive her for so long.
After an adequate prelude, the group moved on to the main topic.
The Bart Family’s company was a shipyard; that afternoon, all employees were given a day off. Heidi hoped that the two Mages could open the secret passageway. After the contract was fulfilled, she would lead a team of security personnel to take a stand against her family and put an end to the endless dealings with the devil.
Of course, if the two Mages were willing to help, they had the right to share in the Giant Dragon’s hidden treasure.
After a friendly negotiation, the parties signed a profit-sharing agreement, crystal clear on paper, a holy contract inviolable by all, not to be reneged by anyone.
Everyone was satisfied; there was a bright future ahead, and the lunch ended in high spirits.
A shipyard far from the port coast where finely processed parts were transported to the seaside to be reassembled. The process of packaging, transportation, and disassembly at each step required time and money, adding an unnecessary expense due to a significant problem with the location selection.
Especially since this was a new facility, deliberately split and relocated from an old factory.
Heidi, dressed in a light and efficient business suit, led the two detectives to the factory’s reservoir, accompanied by Marina, a professional model—who wore a black long dress and radiated a rather elegant demeanor.