"Thank you! Have a safe journey!" the toll booth operator wished to Ace passing him the toll receipt. Receiving it he politely replied, "Thank you! Have a good day!"
Pressing on the gas, Ace sped out of the toll booth. Then, comparing the time stamps on the toll receipt in his hands with the toll receipt on the dashboard he received when entering the city, Ace learned it took them thirty-three minutes to complete their mission and head home. This also meant Emi had more than half an hour left in her summon time.
Ace pondered if he should pull over at a motel to use Emi's remaining summon time. Then, his mind wandered, wondering if doing it with Emi would be considered masturbation or sex— worse incest. After all, she was a product of his powers. Feeling that he wasn't horny enough to find an answer to that, Ace focused on the road.
Until Dame Wasp broke the silence, "Master, I accessed the online maps to see if we can shorten our route, it seems you will not be able to make it back in time to pick up your cousin."
"About that, call Mandy and turn on the speaker," Ace ordered Dame Wasp taking out his phone and placing it on the tray in the center console of Buick. With the revelation about his relation to his Toy summons Ace had almost forgotten about picking up Danny. Being reminded by Dame Wasp he decided to make arrangements since he could not make it there on time.
"Hey, Ace. What's happening?" Mandy answered with a touch of enthusiasm in her tone.
"Mandy, I need a favor—" Before Ace could finish, Mandy interrupted him saying, "Hey, hold up! What's that sound? Ace, are you behind the wheel? Don't you know it's risky to drive and talk?"
"Okay, I will keep this short. I was supposed to pick up Danny at school, but I'm running late. Can you swing by the school and pick him up for me?" Ace requested Mandy as he did not know anyone else to ask for help without getting an earful.
"Sure, but you owe me a date," Mandy agreed in exchange for a date.
"What, no way. I might as well try my chances asking Danny to take the school bus," Ace immediately regretted calling Mandy for help.
"Sure, give that a try. I will be damned if he lends his Buick to you a second time," Mandy dared Ace knowing Danny's history with the school bus.
"Fine, one date," Ace caved understanding he would not be Danny's favorite person if he made him take the school bus.
"It's just a date. What are you worried about, you big chicken?" Mandy laughed successfully extorting a date from Ace.
Ace hung up on Mandy without replying, only to receive back-to-back texts from her.
[Mandy: Looking forward to our date. I can't wait to see your moves. Don't make me wait too long.]
[Mandy: FYI, I'm going all out and expect nothing less from you. Don't you dare cheap out on me.]
[Mandy: Braless Mandy in a backless red dress with a deep v-neck.img]
[Mandy: Braless Mandy teases nipples and cleavage in a fancy red dress.img]
[Mandy: Braless Mandy's seductive cleavage in a red dress.img]
Feeling all riled up by Mandy's provocative pics, Ace decided to pull over at the next motel he spotted and calm himself using the remainder of Emi's summon time. His previous dilemma seemed meaningless now.
"Good job, Agent Hundred Eyes," A middle-aged female agent with a lean figure complimented collecting the list of number plates Agent Hundred Eyes had recorded.
"Thank you for relieving me, Agent Big B," Agent Hundred Eyes politely thanked the agent preparing to end her shift.
"One minute agent, what's with this numberplate you wrote down separately?" Agent Big B pointed out going through the list.
"Ah, I almost forgot. This one is a restored Buick Grand National. The driver was in the city for about thirty minutes and left on a different route. However, my innate curse tool sensed a second presence in his car even though the toll cameras showed he was alone in the car, both times. So, I made a point to note down his number plate," Agent Hundred Eyes reported in a single breath. Then, she added, "Also, I think you should add a separate section to the list so that I can record such cases."
"The vehicle belonging to this number plate was not in the city for more than forty-five minutes and left through a different route, am I correct?" Agent Big B asked her enthusiastic colleague. Seeing her nod, she took a correction fluid and erased the written number plate before her fellow agent's eyes. She was quick, the latter could not react.
"Agent Big B, what are you doing?" Agent Hundred Eyes exclaimed in shock seeing her colleague's actions.
"Agent Hundred Eyes, please follow the rules. You can't go ignoring them. The list doesn't have additional sections for a reason. Next time this happens, things will not end with a verbal warning," Agent Big B warned her colleague sternly to ensure she would understand the gravity of this matter.
There was a specific procedure for using the numberplates to find the unregistered curse masters and coerce them to register. These procedures were designed so that the said curse master would not connect their identity being leaked to the CIB to their recent visit to the curse mall. The planning and manpower it took to execute them perfectly was insane. Still, over the years the CIB had perfected their act. They can't risk it all by breaking the rules they had in place to protect themselves.
"What?" Agent Hundred Eyes stared at Agent Big B in disbelief as she felt she would be commended for showing initiative but instead received a reprimand. Feeling wronged, she could not help but ask, "Isn't my job description to report possible unregistered curse masters?"
"No, it is not. Your job is to monitor the city's toll booth surveillance feeds and record the number plates of vehicles following the conditions decided by the higher-ups in the department. Nothing more nothing less," Agent Big B coldly stated only to hear her colleague snap at her, "Why hire me for something like that, won't computer software be more disciplined, accurate, and cheaper than me?"
"For that, we will need more advanced surveillance cameras at the toll booths. However, worried that we might use facial recognition software, the Curse Council has seriously regulated the type of tech we can use near its cities. The department handbook has all this mentioned in it. Did you not read it?" Agent Big B blamed her fellow agent for slacking off and not doing her homework.
"What department handbook? I did not get one," this was the first time Agent Hundred Eyes heard about the department handbook.
"The head agent should have given you one. Sigh, sir Cloud must have forgotten to hand you one. Collect it from him later," Agent Big B sighed learning of her superior's oversight. Then, she advised the newbie, "I understand you are eager to prove yourself with your work but I am warning you, don't rock the boat. If the outside world gets the slightest hint of what we are doing here then the entire CIB will be done for.
I know you feel this job is not worthy of your abilities but you alone are doing the job of two dozen agents. By recruiting you, the department is considerably reducing the risk of a whistleblower and saving a ton on staff pay, resources, and insurance. Hence, your high pay.
My advice to you, use this opportunity and leisure time to train and increase your tier. A Knight tier has no voice in the CIB but it is a different story for an Ocean or Sky tier. If that doesn't work for you, just keep your head down and follow the rules, because these rules are there to protect the likes of you, me, and the entire CIB. Not to mention this is what you signed up for."
"I will keep that in mind," Agent Hundred Eyes nodded and excused herself. However, she had not given up. She consoled herself with the belief that if her guess about the Buick Grand National being driven by a curse master was correct, he would eventually visit the curse mall for supplies. She would catch him then.