Pollock raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting such a question from Reyn.
"Our Demon Extermination Squad is a subunit of the Public Security Bureau," he replied. "We handle only monster and evil god follower cases. Not many missions, but very dangerous."
"How dangerous?" Reyn asked curiously.
He was considering joining the Squad if possible, absorbing souls during operations. But if too risky, better abandon it.
Pollock took several deep drags on his cigar before grimly saying:
"In the Demon Extermination Squad, from captain down, few serve over three years."
"You must understand: evil god or demon cases are never simple. If time to prepare, investigations go more-or-less smoothly. But we fear sudden situations like last night's most. One carelessness—and the whole team dies.
"I've served seven or eight years, witnessed three full squad wipes."
Pollock's face hardened, as if reliving those tragedies.
Reyn fell silent, hesitating whether to change his mind. He was just a level-one mage. Among low-rank superhumans, he had decent power, but facing mid- or high-rank foes meant certain death.
He didn't rush a decision and probed Pollock further on the Squad. He hid nothing.
Longsand had five Demon Extermination Squads. Each had five to eight members, not fixed—could recruit anytime. Regular fighters were usually low-rank superhumans, captains mid-rank. Over the five captains was a supreme captain—a high-rank superhuman.
Though total Squad strength didn't exceed fifty, all were superhumans. Thus, in the Public Security Bureau, they ranked higher than regular law enforcers handling petty crimes, despite the latter numbering dozens of times more.
Due to danger and specifics, Squad fighters, unlike regular enforcers, didn't need daily strict attendance. Squads assembled only for relevant cases or took turns on night patrols every few days. Otherwise, discipline was lax.
Moreover, Squad pay was extraordinarily high. A regular fighter got twelve gold shields monthly, plus hefty bonuses per successful mission.
Reyn cared little for pay—he wanted soul absorption opportunities.
Pollock answered openly, likely guessing Reyn's intent, and smirked:
"Reyn, I don't know your ties to Master Roger, but Demon Extermination Squad work is a good option, especially for new superhumans. Good pay, combat experience accumulation—all beneficial for your future.
"If we face a truly horrific foe, no one demands charging in. Life's more precious. Longsand always has stronger ones to handle it.
"I said few serve over three years, but that doesn't mean all died. Many leave voluntarily for better prospects."
"If you're interested, I can take you into my squad."
Pollock was confident about Reyn:
"With your strength, the supreme captain will surely give his approval, so don't worry about that."
Reyn nodded slightly. He knew that every captain had the right to recruit fighters into their squad, but the final decision rested with the supreme captain of the Demon Extermination Squad.
If he wanted to quickly increase his strength in Longsand, joining the Squad was the best choice. Absorbing the souls of those monsters didn't cause him any pangs of conscience.
Reyn hesitated no longer. He stood up and said seriously:
"In that case, Captain, I look forward to your support in the future."
"Excellent!"
Pollock was very pleased that he had managed to recruit a strong fighter into his squad.
They raised their mugs, clinked them, and drained them to the bottom.
Pollock thought for a moment, then said impatiently:
"Please pass the reward to Master Roger. I'll head back right now and report to the supreme captain. Wait for me at the tavern; I think everything will be settled by noon."
"As you say, Captain."
Reyn nodded in agreement, thinking that in this way Pollock was showing him his trust.
Pollock handed Reyn a pouch of gold shields and immediately left the tavern. Reyn returned to the courtyard and continued his training. Closer to noon, Roger finally emerged from his room, looking fresh and rested.
"Master Roger, this is yesterday's reward."
Roger took the pouch, glanced inside casually, and said:
"The Longsand Demon Extermination Squad is quite generous, unlike other cities where they always skimp. This reward includes your share too."
With that, he turned, entered the room, and soon returned with another pouch, which he handed to Reyn.
Reyn didn't stand on ceremony. He had put in effort the night before too, so this money was honestly earned. He weighed the pouch in his hand—there was more than a hundred gold shields inside, about a fifth of the total reward.
"Master Roger, if another lucrative job comes up next time, don't forget to call me," he said. Now he wouldn't mind participating in such outings more often.
"You think vampire lairs are that easy to find?"
Roger snorted and shook his head:
"I barely found a lead myself. I tailed them for half a day before discovering their hideout. Demon hunting is no easy job. If you want to make easy money next time, you'll have to point out a few monster lairs to me yourself."
Reyn's heart skipped a beat. With his Eye of the Soul, he could probably find several monsters, as well as followers of evil gods. Spending a couple of hours on the streets of the Rien district, he would spot at least seven or eight such.
"Followers of evil gods... Master Roger, are you interested in them?" he asked cautiously.
Roger glanced sideways at Reyn, thinking the young man wanted to use his Discord Seal to lure out assassins from the Shadow Blade.
"Don't get any illusions," he said coldly. "I have no desire to tangle with followers of evil gods. They're not like monsters. Killing them gains me nothing."
"Understood," Reyn said with a crooked smile.
It seemed he'd have to wait until he joined the Demon Extermination Squad and use his position to hunt followers of evil gods.
Soon after noon, Pollock returned and asked Reyn to follow him to the Public Security Bureau.
Leaving the "Basilisk" tavern, Reyn saw a car parked at the entrance. Its body bore a prominent emblem: a crossed sword and staff encircled by the initials of the Public Security Bureau. Flags with the same symbolism fluttered on both sides of the hood.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered around, pointing at the car, but no one dared approach. Anyone with even a bit of knowledge knew this was an official Public Security Bureau vehicle—a sort of police car from his past life.
An ordinary human sat behind the wheel, but his face expressed extreme arrogance. From time to time, he scanned the crowd of paupers, his eyes filled with contempt and a sense of superiority.
"Get in quick," Pollock said. "The supreme captain has time today; he's waiting for you at the Bureau. To save time, I borrowed a car from the Bureau's garage."
They got into the back seat, and the car set off immediately.
The slum streets were incredibly crowded; normally, even public buses often got stuck in the throng. But no one dared block this car's path. Everyone parted, and the vehicle smoothly exited the Rien district.
Watching the pedestrians part like sea waves before the car, Reyn couldn't help thinking that he too had tasted a bit of the privileges of those in power.
Pollock, long accustomed to such things, paid no attention.
Along the way, Pollock questioned Reyn in detail about his background and past, paying special attention to matters of faith.
Reyn's past was impeccable. Igmarsh City was nearby, so everything could be verified in a day. Moreover, he had previously studied at Kleyden Academy, and his detailed file was kept in the city hall, which the Public Security Bureau could request at any moment.
As for faith, everyone joining the Bureau underwent a faith check to prevent infiltration by followers of evil gods.
Reyn had nothing to hide. Lately, he prayed to the Goddess of Magic once a week, so he could be considered a moderate follower. In the Empire, this was the most respectable faith imaginable.
The car soon entered the Honiton district, where the Public Security Bureau headquarters was located.
According to Pollock, they hadn't placed the headquarters in Silverstar district because there was no need. Silverstar was constantly under the surveillance of the Mage Tower, and it also housed the duke's Secret Flame Guard garrison. It was the most secure place in Longsand, and the Public Security Bureau had no business there.
Soon the car entered the grounds of a vast building shaped like a "U" and stopped at the main entrance.
"Follow me," Pollock said, getting out of the car.
Reyn followed him into the Public Security Bureau building. They crossed a spacious hall and entered the inner areas.
"The Public Security Bureau consists of three main divisions: the Order Enforcers Squad, the Patrol Squad, and our Demon Extermination Squad," Pollock explained as they walked. "The Patrol Squad is the largest and best-equipped, but its fighters are members of the Silver Armor Knightly Order. They're only nominally part of the Bureau and usually stationed in a camp outside the city, so you won't see them here."
"The Order Enforcers Squad has about two thousand people—the very enforcers everyone sees on the streets. They're distributed across various city sectors. Most are ordinary humans; only the senior enforcers are superhumans, about two hundred of them."
"And finally, our Demon Extermination Squad. We usually gather here if there's a mission."
Pollock led Reyn to an area resembling a training parade ground. On one side rose a three-story administrative building with a sign at the entrance: "Longsand Demon Extermination Squad."
The building was sparsely populated, with only about a dozen people inside. Judging by their heartbeats, there were both superhumans and ordinary humans among them.
However, what caught Reyn's attention most was a structure like a stable next to the training ground. Beastly roars came from it.
Noticing Reyn's gaze, Pollock explained:
"Those are the griffons bred by our Squad. We use them only in the most emergency cases to reach the scene quickly."
"Griffons?"
Reyn was very interested. He had heard of these famous magical beasts. In the world of Ellunes, countless flying creatures existed, huge and incredibly strong, but only a few could be tamed and serve as mounts. Griffons were among them, and they could be bred in large numbers. The Empire even had the Griffon Legion—one of the elite military units of human states, formed at the Empire's dawn and covered in undying glory.
"When you join the Squad, you'll get a chance to fly on a griffon too. Last night, we reached the site so quickly thanks to them."
Pollock paused and sighed:
"However, in the Demon Extermination Squad, flying on a griffon isn't always a good omen."
Reyn understood what he meant. A griffon allowed maximum speed to the scene, but it also meant an emergency situation fraught with immense danger.
"Come on, the supreme captain is waiting for you in his office."