Chapter 73: The Convenience of Official Organizations

Bai Liqing didn't press Yu Sheng on what "another surprise" meant, nor did she question him further about Ailin.

She only gave him a general explanation of "Alice's Cottage."

"Alice's dolls mostly wander outside the Borderlands. They maintain balance elsewhere and almost never interfere with Special Affairs Bureau matters, but they do have a fixed contact route with the Borderlands—a contact point on the edge of the city. Ordinary people can't find it, and the dolls generally don't accept visitors they don't know.

"But I can send someone over to inquire about 'Ailin' first. If there really is a doll stranded out there... they should be willing to meet with you.

"It won't be quick, though. The dolls are very busy and have their own missions. The Borderlands contact point isn't always staffed. You'll have to wait a while."

Yu Sheng didn't mind. "No problem. As long as the Bureau is willing to help, I'll thank you on Ailin's behalf first."

"It's nothing," Bai Liqing said calmly. "Helping people who fall into trouble after coming into contact with the 'supernatural realm' is part of the Bureau's job. If you need anything else, you can tell me all at once."

Yu Sheng perked up immediately. "Then there actually is."

"Oh?"

"Can you help me get two ID cards?" Yu Sheng said quickly. "If not, one will do—preferably real ones."

Bai Liqing: "...?"

"You probably know there's an extra person at my place now. I rescued her from an Otherworld recently. I have no idea where her hometown is, and she has no legal status here," Yu Sheng explained. "I wanted to ask if the Bureau has a way to arrange something for her. Also for Ailin—she doesn't have legal status either, but that's less urgent, because at her height, even if she had an ID card, she couldn't go out on her own."

Bai Liqing's expression seemed a bit subtle. Probably this was the first time in all her years as director that someone had made such a request. But she nodded after a moment. "That's not my responsibility, but I can help. If that doll really needs it, we can arrange one. Of course, like you said, she'll probably only be able to keep it as a collectible... but it might be useful in certain situations?"

Yu Sheng thanked her repeatedly. He was now truly certain that this young-looking female director was easy to talk to and actually helped when asked.

So he took the opportunity to bring up another matter. "And there's one more thing, also about the person I rescued from the Otherworld recently. I wanted to ask... could the Bureau help me find her hometown? Since you manage such a large area, you must have much better information than I do."

"You can tell me about her situation first," Bai Liqing said without refusing. "The report only has a few details. I know she's a humanoid creature with beast-like traits. In the Bureau's records, there are up to three digits' worth of groups with those traits."

"Damn, that many..." Yu Sheng was startled, but quickly recovered and began recalling everything Huli had said about her homeland. "She said she comes from a place where immortals and 'demons' coexist. From her description, the civilization level there is probably extremely high. She also mentioned a group called the 'Heavenly People,' who she said enlightened those living on the ground..."

Yu Sheng relayed as much detail as he could, including all the messy parts. But considering Huli's mental state when she told him these things, he added a few caveats. "Take all this with a grain of salt. She was apparently a child when she left home, and after being trapped for so long, both her memory and thoughts are a bit confused. There's definitely some mistaken or exaggerated parts in her story."

"I... understand," Bai Liqing said after listening, nodding a little hesitantly. Despite her lack of expression, the hesitation showed that her mood was a bit subtle at the moment. "Indeed, what you've described sounds a bit... whimsical. I'm not sure if the Bureau's archives have any records matching these characteristics."

She phrased it politely, but Yu Sheng caught her meaning.

There probably was no corresponding record in the Bureau.

"Try your best. If we really can't find it, that's fine," Yu Sheng sighed. "She doesn't have any family left anyway, and she's not that attached to her homeland. Finding her hometown is really just a thought of mine."

"You seem very enthusiastic," Bai Liqing remarked suddenly.

"I guess so?" Yu Sheng felt a bit embarrassed. "In the end, this 'enthusiasm' of mine is just making trouble for you."

"The Bureau is always dealing with 'trouble.' Comparatively, we'd rather interact with 'parties' like you," Bai Liqing said with a sigh. "If the targets we faced every day were like you, the Bureau's work would be much easier—at least the 'contact' part would be a lot simpler."

Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Clear thinking, able to communicate, won't suddenly attack, won't suddenly drop dead," Bai Liqing sighed, spreading her hands. Maybe complaining about work was the greatest sincerity in any office worker's heart. Her gesture at that moment seemed quite human. "If someone can hit three out of four, they're already a rare 'quality customer' for us on a normal day."

Yu Sheng: "Your work environment at the Bureau is that intense?!"

Bai Liqing didn't speak, just sighed again.

Yu Sheng had never worked at the Bureau, but he immediately understood that sigh. And he didn't have the nerve to tell her that he really only hit three out of four himself...

Bai Liqing quickly returned to her official business demeanor. "I've answered many of your questions—any others?"

"Questions... not for now," Yu Sheng thought for a moment and adjusted his sitting posture. "So next, should we proceed with the 'registration' process you mentioned earlier?"

"Generally speaking, 'ordinary people' who have come into contact with Otherworlds need to register at a Bureau service point and undergo basic checks and evaluations, accompanied by a contact officer we assign. However... since this is a special case, I can exercise a bit of my director power and skip the red tape," Bai Liqing said, her colorless eyes examining Yu Sheng. "But I'd like to hear first what your plans are for the future."

Yu Sheng lowered his head to think, then looked up seriously. "If I register as a Spirit World Detective or Independent Investigator, what conveniences would that bring?"

Bai Liqing showed no surprise, as if she had already anticipated this turn. She simply nodded and answered, "Simply put, you'll gain access to intelligence sharing from the Bureau regarding all legitimate supernatural organizations or individuals within the Borderlands, usage rights to a large number of support facilities, a communication platform with other organizations or individuals, a 'legal identity' recognized by other powers, and most importantly—passage permissions."

Yu Sheng unconsciously leaned forward. "Passage permissions?"

"There are many 'points' in the Borderlands that connect to 'distant places,' and most of those points are regulated. Activating these connection points or entering certain restricted areas requires passage permissions. Of course, I assume your 'door' can probably bypass those issues, but legal passage means you can get more intelligence support. If you want to deal with Otherworlds, 'intelligence' is far more useful than any combat ability in most cases. And..."

"And?"

"And you might at least consider those of us who have to work overtime at the Bureau," Bai Liqing suddenly sighed. "From now on, if you can swipe a card to get somewhere, don't open a door."

Yu Sheng was suddenly embarrassed.

Fortunately, he had thick skin. After a moment of awkwardness, he adjusted and nodded solemnly. "I've always been one to uphold order."

Bai Liqing didn't say anything else, just took it at face value.

Then she looked seriously into Yu Sheng's eyes. "Anything else to ask?"

"What are the requirements for registering as a Spirit World Detective or Independent Investigator?"

"Independent Investigator is simple. Clear thinking, mental preparation to face death, experience surviving in Otherworlds or basic knowledge on the subject, and we just need to confirm that you're not doing this suicidal job out of madness. Those are the conditions. Spirit World Detective has slightly higher requirements. Besides the skills necessary for an investigator, you also need a legally valid 'registered group.'"

"Registered group?" Yu Sheng thought for a moment. "Oh, I see. Like the 'Fairy Tale' organization behind Little Red Riding Hood?"

"You can think of it that way," Bai Liqing nodded. "So most people who survive Otherworlds and want to continue dealing with the supernatural start as Independent Investigators. Finding an organization willing to take in a clueless newbie is very difficult. In many dangerous Otherworlds, the danger posed by a clumsy newcomer can even exceed that from encountering an entity. Of course, there are exceptions—for example, when a group of people encounters an Otherworld together and all survive, but that's rare."

"Are there restrictions on registering such an organization?" Yu Sheng asked curiously.

"At least two members qualified as Investigators, at least one member with experience fighting entities, a stable contact location and method, and—the name must not contain words or special punctuation that violate public order and morals. Plus declarations about lawful operations and not endangering the order or safety of the Borderlands. That's about it."

Yu Sheng was stunned. "...That's it? No other requirements?"

A slight smile seemed to appear on Bai Liqing's face.

"This is a fight against Otherworlds and entities—surviving what lies beyond human reason is the only effective 'standard.' We don't need to set any thresholds. 'Survival' is the biggest threshold."

Yu Sheng let out an "oh" and rubbed his chin. "Seems like the threshold is pretty low..."

(End of chapter)