Chapter 156: Unexpected Gains
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The previous battle hadn't drained much of Hobert's strength, so he could calmly use the "Spirit Necklace."
The room immediately grew cold, and Hobert's eyes turned completely black. He saw the dissipating spirituality of the stranger, and the surroundings rapidly disappeared, transforming into a vast gray fog.
Hobert grasped the other person's spirituality and began silently chanting in his heart: "Your name and identity."
"Your name and identity."
"..."
After chanting seven times, the gray fog revealed the scene Hobert wanted—a hand holding a document. The deceased man's name was Wayne, and he was an employee of the Feynapotter Embassy.
"You cannot carry this document with you; it will remain with me until your return to the country." A voice said, "You will disguise yourself as a merchant and cooperate with the ambassador's actions."
The scene faded, and the gray fog returned.
Hobert was stunned. Why would a Feynapotter spy be here?
He then asked, "What was your purpose for coming here tonight?"
"What was your purpose for coming here tonight?"
"..."
The gray fog revealed another scene—inside an office, a middle-aged man with Feynapotter's signature mustache and thinning hair angrily said, "The matter with Count Vincent is already frustrating enough, and now those two idiots are causing trouble at this time!
"Have them smuggled out from the dock tomorrow and send them to the Southern Continent. Never let them return."
The scene disappeared, once again turning into the gray fog.
Count Vincent? Could the theft at Count Vincent's estate be related to the Feynapotter Embassy?
As for those two cultists, Hobert had some guesses. To confirm his suspicions, he asked, "Who was the middle-aged man who appeared just now?"
"Who was the middle-aged man who appeared just now?"
"..."
The gray fog changed again, showing a lavish hall. The middle-aged man with the mustache appeared much younger than in the previous scene. A man in his thirties pointed at the middle-aged man and introduced him to Wayne: "This is Mr. Tim, the ambassador to the Loen Kingdom."
The scene turned back into the gray fog.
Hobert noticed that the man's spirituality had thinned due to the mediumship, which put his mind at ease.
Exiting the mediumship, Xio and Fors had already packed up the body. One of the ladies had spent much time in the East Borough and was used to seeing dead bodies on the street, while the other had once been a surgeon, so neither was afraid of corpses.
Hobert nodded to them. He and Xio carried the body while Fors led the way.
Though Xio was short, she was quite strong, effortlessly carrying a body and walking swiftly.
The gunshots from earlier had alerted the security personnel, but they didn't dare approach right away. It wasn't until the security captain arrived with a double-barreled shotgun that they came to investigate.
By then, the only thing they found was a corpse with a shattered head, as Hobert and the others were already scaling the wall.
It wasn't until they got into the carriage that Xio and Fors's faces started to relax into smiles.
Xio smiled and said, "This mission went smoother than expected."
Fors let out a breath, "Ever since meeting Hobert, I've been dragged into all kinds of fights."
She smiled, "But I quite like it. We earn bounties and take down cultists!"
It was only then that they noticed Hobert's serious expression.
Fors sensed something was wrong. "Did you discover something unusual during the mediumship?"
Hobert leaned forward and whispered to Xio and Fors, "That stranger was a staff member at the Feynapotter Embassy, or more accurately, a spy."
Xio and Fors didn't immediately react, which was understandable. Who would associate cultists with an embassy?
After a few seconds, Fors reacted, "You mean... that the cult is backed by the Feynapotter Kingdom?"
Hobert nodded, "That's highly possible."
A beat later, Xio caught on. "I've always heard that embassy staff from foreign countries often engage in espionage and sabotage.
"I never really believed it, but it turns out it's true!
"Feynapotter Embassy staff secretly organizing a cult in Loen to disrupt our peace!"
There was a moment of silence in the carriage before Fors broke it. "What do we do now? Should we go hide in the countryside for a while?"
While disrupting Feynapotter's conspiracy and taking down cultists was satisfying, they were ultimately just a Sequence 8 and two Sequence 9s. If the Feynapotter ambassador wanted to retaliate, he could easily have them killed without anyone knowing.
"No, act like we know nothing." Hobert replied, "This mission has military backing, which is our protection. The Feynapotter ambassador won't make a move on us lightly.
"After all, relations between Loen and Feynapotter have never been good. The ambassador and his staff in Backlund are under tighter scrutiny than those from other countries.
"We might be watched for a while, but as long as we treat this mission as a simple cultist elimination, the ambassador won't make any trouble over a dead spy."
Fors nodded, "If the ambassador retaliates, it only proves his connection to the spy."
"Exactly," Hobert said, "So for now, I'll keep working at the law firm, one of you keeps thinking up... new book ideas in your armchair, and the other keeps working as a bounty hunter."
Fors looked at Hobert, "Were you about to say I've been slacking in my armchair?"
"No," Hobert chuckled, "I know you're hard at work thinking of new stories."
Xio turned to the window, stifling her laughter.
After settling on their plan, they followed through, taking the two bodies to Xio and Fors's previous rental apartment.
As for the information about Count Vincent revealed during the mediumship, Hobert didn't plan to share it with Xio and Fors.
Hobert had a theory—the recent theft at Count Vincent's estate was likely orchestrated by the Feynapotter ambassador.
The reason was simple: it was a test for Count Vincent. Aside from sending a few petty thieves to rob Vincent's residence, Ambassador Tim probably had other ways of testing him, though Hobert wasn't sure what they were.
As for why Count Vincent was being tested, Hobert could understand. It was clear Vincent was serving the king, likely helping George III construct one of his tombs.
The Feynapotter royal family, being Arbiters themselves, had probably sensed something unusual in George III's recent actions.
Hobert thought to himself, 'They might be the ones who least want to see George III become the Black Emperor.'