Baili Qing did not delve deeper into Yu Sheng's mention of "another accident" and did not press further about Ai Lin.
She only gave a brief explanation about the "Alice's Cottage."
"The puppets of Alice mostly exist outside the border, maintaining the balance in other places and seldom meddle in the affairs of the Special Operations Bureau. However, they do have established communication channels with the border, and there is a contact point located at the edge of the city—but ordinary people cannot find it, and the puppets generally do not accept unexpected visitors."
However, I can send someone over to inquire about Ai Lin.
If there truly is a puppet wandering out there, they should be willing to meet you.
"But this may not be quick; the puppets are quite busy and have their own missions. The contact point at the border is not always manned, so you might need to wait for a while."
Yu Sheng was not concerned.
"That's fine; as long as your Bureau is willing to help, I’ll thank you in advance for Ai Lin."
"Just a small favor," Baili Qing said lightly.
"Helping those who fall into difficulty from contacting the 'Extraordinary Domain' is part of the Bureau's duties. If you have any other needs, feel free to mention them."
Yu Sheng perked up at this: "Actually, there is something."
"Oh?"
"Could you help me get two ID cards?" Yu Sheng said quickly.
"If not, just one will do—preferably a real one."
Baili Qing looked puzzled. "…?"
"You should know that I recently rescued someone from another realm; I don't even know where she's from, and she has no legal identity here," Yu Sheng explained.
"I’d like to ask if the Bureau can arrange something for her. Also, there's Ai Lin; she also lacks legal status, but that’s not urgent. After all, given her current height, even with an ID, she can’t go out by herself."
Baili Qing's expression shifted slightly; perhaps it was the first time in many years as the director that someone had made such a request of her.
However, she quickly nodded.
"This isn't part of my job, but I can help; if that puppet really needs it, I can make arrangements. Of course, just like you said, she’ll probably only be able to keep the documents as a collectible… though they might come in handy in some situations?"
Yu Sheng repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
He could now confirm that this seemingly young female director was really easy to talk to and genuinely helpful.
Thus, he smoothly brought up another matter: "There’s another thing, regarding the person I rescued from another realm. I want to ask… can the Bureau help find out where she's from? Since you oversee such a large area, your information should be much better than mine."
"You can tell me about her first," Baili Qing did not refuse.
"The report had very few details. All I know is that she is a bipedal being with animalistic traits, and there are even hundreds of recorded groups with such characteristics in the Bureau's files."
"Wow, that many..."
Yu Sheng was startled but quickly reacted, recalling Hu Li's descriptions of her homeland.
"She said she comes from a place where immortals coexist with 'monsters.' From her description, the civilization there probably has a high level of advancement. She also mentioned a group referred to as 'Heavenly Beings,' claiming that they enlightened the people living on the ground..."
Yu Sheng recounted as many details as he could, including those chaotic bits, but considering Hu Li's state during the telling, he reminded her, "What I'm saying can only serve as a reference. She seemed like a child when she left her home, and having been trapped for so long, both her memories and thoughts are a bit muddled; there might be inaccuracies or exaggerations in her account."
"I… understand," Baili Qing nodded hesitantly after listening, even though her face lacked expression, the subtle hesitation indicated her mood seemed a bit complicated at that moment.
"Indeed, what you've shared sounds a bit… far-fetched. I'm not sure if the Bureau's records will contain any places fitting these descriptions."
She was careful with her words, but Yu Sheng caught her implication.
It was likely that the Bureau had no corresponding records.
"Just do your best. If you truly can't find it, there’s nothing to be done," Yu Sheng sighed.
"She doesn't really have any family anymore, and she doesn't cling to her hometown much. Just finding her homeland is simply a thought of mine."
"You seem quite passionate," Baili Qing suddenly remarked with a hint of admiration.
"Maybe?" Yu Sheng felt a bit embarrassed.
"In the end, it seems like I’m causing trouble for you."
"The Bureau always deals with 'troubles.' In comparison, we are more willing to interact with someone like you, the 'party involved,'" Baili Qing reflected.
"If all our targets were like you, the Bureau's work would indeed be much easier—at least the 'contact' part would be a lot simpler."
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Clear thinking, can communicate, won’t burst out in violence, doesn’t suddenly drop dead," Baili Qing sighed, open-handedly expressing her frustrations—it seemed every working person had a common thread of complaint.
Her gesture seemed quite human.
"Three out of four criteria make you a very rare 'quality client.'"
Yu Sheng exclaimed, "Is working at the Bureau always this tough?" Baili Qing fell silent, just sighing again.
Though Yu Sheng had never worked at the Bureau, he understood that sigh instantly and had no intention of telling her that he truly only met three out of four of those criteria...
Baili Qing quickly regained her formal demeanor.
"I've answered many of your questions—do you have any further inquiries?"
"I… have no more questions for now," Yu Sheng pondered and adjusted his sitting posture.
"So, should we proceed with the 'registration' process you mentioned earlier?"
"Ordinarily, 'ordinary people' who have interacted with the other realm need to register at the Bureau's office and undergo basic checks and evaluations, accompanied by the personnel we dispatch. However… since this is a special case, I can flex my authority as the director a bit and skip these tedious formalities," Baili Qing explained, her colorless eyes scrutinizing Yu Sheng.
"But I’d like to hear what your plans are first."
Yu Sheng thought for a moment, then earnestly replied, "If I register as a spiritual realm detective or an independent investigator, would there be any conveniences?"
Baili Qing showed no surprise, seeming to have anticipated this moment's direction, nodding lightly as she responded, "In simple terms, you will gain access to shared intelligence with various authorized extraordinary organizations or individuals in the border area, extensive support facilities, a communication platform with other organizations or individuals, a 'legal identity' recognized by other factions, and most importantly—the permission to pass."
Yu Sheng instinctively leaned forward.
"Permission to pass?"
"There are many 'points' in the border area connecting to the 'distant lands,' and most of these points are regulated. Accessing these connection points or entering certain restricted areas requires passing permission—though I guess your 'door' can probably bypass these issues. However, legal access means you can obtain more intelligence support, which is often more useful than any combat capability when dealing with the other realm. Also…"
"And what?"
"And you might consider the needs of those of us who have to work overtime at the Bureau," Baili Qing sighed suddenly.
"In the future, if a place is swipe-accessible, just don't open the door."
Yu Sheng felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned; after a short moment of awkwardness, he adjusted himself, nodding seriously.
"I have always been keen on maintaining order."
Baili Qing had nothing further to say, letting him believe it.
Then she looked earnestly into Yu Sheng's eyes.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"What requirements are there for registering as a spiritual realm detective or an independent investigator?"
"Being an independent investigator is simple: clear thinking, mental preparation for facing death, experience or basic knowledge of surviving in the extraordinary realm. We also need to confirm you're not doing it because you're insane. That guarantees your eligibility. The requirements for a spiritual realm detective are slightly higher; besides the necessary skills of an investigator, you also need to have a legal and valid 'registered group.'"
"A registered group?" Yu Sheng thought for a moment.
"Oh, I get it, something like the 'fairy tale' organization behind Little Red Riding Hood, right?"
"That’s one way to put it," Baili Qing nodded.
"Thus, most who survive from the extraordinary realm will start as independent investigators—finding an organization willing to accept an unfamiliar newbie is quite difficult, after all. In many dangerous realms, the risks brought by a clumsy newcomer can be greater than encountering entities. Of course, there are exceptions, such as when a group simultaneously encounters the extraordinary realm and collectively survives, but such cases are rare."
"Is there a registration limit for such organizations?" Yu Sheng asked curiously.
"At least two qualified investigators, at least one member with experience against entities, a stable contact location and method, and—no words or special punctuation in their names that violate public morals. Additionally, they must declare legality and not harm the order and safety of the border, and that’s it."
Yu Sheng listened in disbelief. "…That’s it? No other requirements??"
Baili Qing seemed to show a hint of a smile.
"This is about combating the extraordinary and entities—surviving while facing those which surpass human reason is the only effective 'standard.' We don’t need to set any thresholds; 'survival' itself is the biggest threshold."
Yu Sheng said, "Oh," touching his chin.
"That sounds like the bar is quite low…"
(End of this chapter)