Chapter 144: Proactive Contact
Hobert allowed his thoughts to wander as he began to reflect on his earlier battle with Qilangos.
He suddenly realized that, despite possessing sealed artifacts and three mystical items, he lacked one crucial thing—a mystical item that could help him escape!
Hobert mused that if he had a sealed artifact or mystical item with the ability to "travel," he could have happily grabbed Xio and Fors, and they would have "traveled" away together. Who would stay and fight Qilangos in a life-or-death struggle?
However, possessing a mystical item with "traveling" capabilities was equivalent to Sequence 5.
The key issue was that Sequence 5 of the "Apprentice" Pathway was notoriously hard to kill, and acquiring such an item would likely cost more than ten thousand pounds, far beyond his reach.
Hobert sighed. Just recently, he thought he was no longer short of money, but now he realized that the nine hundred pounds he had, which might be considered wealthy for an ordinary person, was far from enough for a Beyonder.
As a result, Hobert felt a renewed drive to earn money. He planned to frequently check the bulletin board at the mercenary club for suitable commissions once he returned to Backlund.
As these thoughts swirled, sleepiness gradually overtook him, and Hobert finally fell asleep, although his battle with Archer had left his mind strained, causing him to dream all night.
---
In the Southern Continent, in the Nonexistent Town.
The morning sunlight pierced through the mist, casting a warm glow in the council chamber halfway up the mountain.
The chieftain and several family elders sat as still as wooden statues in their seats.
The demigod elder Chester broke the silence. "So, you're saying that this mysterious being possesses at least the power of an angel?"
Calvin responded, "It seems so. The mysterious being interrupted the descending power of the enemy's angel."
Elder Bowen speculated, "Could it be that Elliot found some kind of loophole...?"
As he spoke, he realized it was unlikely. Even if a loophole were found during the enemy's descent, without a sufficiently high level of existence, it would still be impossible to force back the angelic power.
"No." Calvin corrected. "The mysterious being appeared before me and punished me.
"Elliot said: 'Do not test God!'"
The council chamber fell into silence once again. If they had an angel or even a god-level figure backing them, they wouldn't need to keep hiding in the Nonexistent Town.
Years ago, due to insufficient intelligence, the family had provoked the "Rose School of Thought," only to later learn that the organization was backed by an angel-level figure.
But at the same time, such power could also represent an existential disaster. Even if they combined all the family's strength, they might not be able to stand against this mysterious being.
Several seconds later, Calvin spoke again. "The mysterious being didn't allow me to completely lose control, and he enabled Elliot to complete the spirit channeling process. This clearly shows a response to our probing, and the gesture was filled with goodwill."
"Regardless of our choice, the mysterious being has already taken notice of us," the chieftain croaked. "In that case, why not attempt to contact this mysterious being?"
There was another silence, but this one was different from the earlier tension, as everyone tacitly agreed with the chieftain's suggestion.
"How should we contact the mysterious being?" Bowen asked.
Calvin, having prepared for this, replied, "For example, we could offer Elliot a seat among the elders."
---
Hobert yawned and got up to wash. Despite dreaming all night, his spirituality and energy had been well-restored.
While enjoying breakfast, he glanced at the morning paper, where the front-page headline reported Qilangos's death.
So, last night was indeed the day Qilangos met his end, and Audrey had quite a haul.
Hobert skimmed the rest of the newspaper but found nothing particularly noteworthy, so he focused on his meal.
After breakfast, Hobert went once again to Dominic's company.
Dominic greeted him with a broad smile. "Lawyer Hobert, I was just about to send for you."
It turned out that one of the kidnappers Hobert had injured yesterday had inadvertently let slip during interrogation that there was a mastermind behind the abduction. The police followed this lead and found out the mastermind was none other than Mr. Claude.
This morning, Claude had already been arrested and jailed. Dominic had just received the news that Claude confessed to orchestrating the kidnapping.
As a result, Dominic and Claude's lawsuit was no longer necessary, as the prosecution would take over the case against Claude.
Naturally, Hobert's services were no longer needed.
However, Dominic was generous, paying Hobert a legal fee of 150 pounds and even adding a 30-pound tip to express his gratitude for saving Elizabeth.
Hobert hadn't expected the case to resolve itself so neatly.
Dominic smiled. "I'll also be attending the welcome banquet Mr. Ulysses is hosting for you tonight. Elizabeth will be there too—she's been saying she wants to thank you in person."
"You're too kind," Hobert smiled back. "It's my honor that you'll be attending the banquet tonight."
---
That morning, the Blackthorn Security Company received a new commission: to follow Lady Sharon and uncover evidence of her crimes.
Captain Dunn handed the case over to Klein. Under Leonard's guidance, Klein went to the Hound Bar and found a gang leader, paying five pounds to have his men take turns tailing Lady Sharon and documenting her daily activities.
Fortunately, this expense could be reimbursed.
As Klein left the Hound Bar, reflecting on the situation, he suddenly remembered that Old Neil's house wasn't far from there, and Old Neil had been off sick for two days. Today, he was supposed to visit the doctor.
Klein checked his pocket watch—it was nearly eleven. He wondered if Old Neil had returned from the hospital.
Since he was already nearby, Klein decided to visit Old Neil.
After a twenty-minute walk, he arrived outside Old Neil's house. Klein's spirituality immediately sensed something was off. The sun was high in the sky, yet Old Neil's curtains and door drapes were still drawn.
Could Old Neil's condition have worsened?
Klein hurried to the door and knocked. There was no response.
But inside, it sounded like someone was whispering.
"Old Neil!" Klein called out, but still received no answer, though the whispering continued.
Could Old Neil's condition have deteriorated so badly that he couldn't even get up to answer the door?
Klein took out a piece of paper he carried, flicked his wrist, and the paper instantly became as hard as steel. Using the "steel paper," he slid it through the door to unlatch the lock.
As he pushed the door open, he immediately saw Old Neil pacing in the dark.
Klein didn't approach right away because he noticed that Old Neil seemed to be circling around a small altar.
Thud—
The door suddenly shut on its own, and the candles on the altar next to Old Neil flared up like torches.
In the bright flames, Klein saw Old Neil clearly. Two eyes devoid of any emotion had appeared on his cheeks.
Klein instantly realized that Old Neil was once again on the verge of losing control, and this time, it was far more severe than before.
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