Space-Time Inspector

"Business trip? Europe?" Harry Wilson looked at Raven 12345 with surprise. "How come there are foreigners among my tenants?"

Raven 12345 gave Harry a strange look. "When will your thinking catch up? I told you, they're supernatural beings, they don't have nationalities! Your vampire was born before cavemen could even walk upright. What nationality would she be?"

Harry slapped his forehead, admitting his Earthling mindset limited his imagination. He quickly asked, "Who, where, when, and does the org cover airfare?"

"Look at you," Raven 12345 said, giving Harry a sidelong glance. "Don't worry, all your expenses will be covered by the organization. I was going to open a portal for you, but considering you're a new employee and need some training, it's better to give you the funds and let you figure out how to get there yourself. As for what your 'client' looks like... well, I can't be sure yet.

 His arrival here was quite special, and he's probably in disguise. But the data terminal you carry will emit a recognition signal, and he'll find you. Also, don't worry about passports or other paperwork. I've already prepared everything for you through 'special channels.' You can take it with you when you leave."

Harry nodded repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, what about the two at home? They still fight every now and then... I really can't just leave them at home!"

Thinking about how much chaos Lily and Vivian could cause unsupervised, and how long his house would last in a battle between two superwomen, Harry broke out in a cold sweat. This problem had to be solved beforehand. He didn't want to come home only to have to call a construction crew to rebuild his house.

"Bring those two with you. They might come in handy. I've prepared their paperwork too," Raven 12345 said with a wave of her hand. "After all, that vampire has traveled the world, and the werewolf can help you fight. Consider this a team-building exercise. Don't worry about them refusing. I've looked into their situation-they're... free."

Harry was curious about what Raven 12345 meant by "team-building" and "coming in handy." A vague sense of crisis crept into his instincts, but he didn't ask for details. Raven 12345 liked to explain the present but never revealed future plans. He had learned that by now.

"Once you've got all the details, get going," Raven 12345 said, slapping Harry on the shoulder. "Check your bank account when you get back. The funds for this mission are already there. I'll send the specific meeting location and details to your data terminal this afternoon. This is a small task. Every rookie inspector starts with these trivial matters-consider it good training."

Before Harry could nod, the world spun like a bad rollercoaster ride. When he regained his senses, he was back on the road near Podunk. The lingering pain in his shoulder and the file folder that had somehow appeared in his hand confirmed that the experience wasn't a dream. Every time he visited that grand mansion, he felt like he was dreaming, mainly because the teleportation process was so unbelievable.

He remembered Raven 12345 mentioning that the funds had been transferred to his bank account and couldn't help but smirk. Never mind how she knew his account number-that woman was capable of anything. What really deserved  was the fact that working for a god still involved getting funds transferred through a bank account... it just didn't seem right.

"Oh, I forgot something!" Harry suddenly slapped his forehead. "I didn't ask about Vivian's blood magic failing!"

A couple of days ago, Vivian had tried to use blood magic to soothe Harry's "nightmares," but neither the magic nor the vampire blood had worked. Instead, Harry had absorbed both. This had been bothering him, but during his meeting with Raven 12345, he had been so caught up in her pace that he hadn't had a chance to ask.