"What?" Fors touched her earlobes, wondering if she had heard wrongly.
The beautiful, naive, curious, and scatter-brained Miss Audrey actually assigned an assassination mission!?
Furthermore, the target is the ambassador of Intis, a powerful country in the Northern Continent!
Xio was slow on the uptake as she hesitantly said, "Our strength i-isn't enough to complete this mission."
The first thing she considered was the difficulty of the mission!
Audrey ignored her question and allowed her to imagine the reason. She said, with faint dimples showing, "I'm not asking you to take the job. I just wish for you to find a Beyonder with the strength to complete it. For example, Mr. A, I'll pay you 4000 gold pounds for this. Of course, this is only my initial offer. The details are negotiable.
"If it eventually succeeds, I'll pay you 500 pounds. Even if the mission ends up failing, you will receive 200 pounds due to the risk you have taken."
Her uninvested annuity and the rest of the bounty was around 13,000 pounds. However, any large utilization of it would certainly attract the attention of Count Hall, and even the Varvat Bank would investigate. She had calculated that 5000 pounds was the tipping point, and it was best not to exceed it.
4000 gold pounds... Xio heard her own heavy breathing, but she quickly became depressed, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to complete the mission herself.
Just 500 pounds to seek out other Beyonders in our names while maintaining it a secret... Miss Audrey is the most generous and beautiful lady I've ever seen! Xio quickly returned to reality.
While feeling enticed, Fors's mind was filled with questions.
Why would Miss Audrey delegate such a mission?
Is there some internal strife among nobles?
Is this the precursor to inciting a war?
Is Count Hall representing some important figure in a bid to make the situation turn chaotic?
...
The duo quickly contacted Mr. A using a previously agreed-upon channel. At three o'clock in the afternoon, when the rare sunlight shined through the fog and lit up the whole of Backlund, they arrived at the house where they had previously participated in gatherings. There, they saw Mr. A sitting with his legs up and his hood over his head, but he gave off a condescending air.
"You said that you have something important to talk to me about?" Mr. A's eyes move back and forth between the two ladies.
I heard that some female Beyonders would use their bodies to trade for potion ingredients with Mr. A... He's really a disgusting pervert... Fors curled her lips and said, "There's a large transaction; I wonder if you're interested in it?"
Mr. A scanned Xio's face and chuckled.
"Tell me. Let's see what this large transaction is."
Holding back the urge to draw her triangular blade, Xio answered with the tone of a tribunal, "Assassinate the Intis ambassador to the Loen Kingdom, Bakerland Jean Madan."
Mr. A fell silent, but since his expression was obscured by the shadow of his hood, Xio and Fors couldn't guess what he was thinking.
After a while, he slowly leaned back and said with a deep voice, "So, what's the reward?"
"4000 pounds. In addition, we will provide the relevant information such as Ambassador Bakerland is a Sequence 6 Conspiracist of the Hunter pathway, or that his weakness is lust." Xio tried her best to make Mr. A believe that there was hope in completing the mission.
Mr. A chuckled and said, "I can accept this mission, but the reward must be raised."
"The first choice—the potion formulas to Unshadowed, Cataclysmic Interrer, Prophet, or Manipulator. Of course, their price is higher than this mission. There's no need for the complete formula. A partial formula will suffice.
"The second choice—10,000 gold pounds. Heh, this is the bounty of Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos. Bakerland's strength definitely isn't as strong as he is, but he has powerful aides. Besides, believe me, he definitely has mystical objects on him."
A reasonable price, but that's also an exaggerated price... Xio and Fors looked at each other and said, "We shall return and discuss it. At this time tomorrow, we'll give you our answer."
"Sure." Mr. A made a gesture of farewell.
After being led out by an attendant, Fors murmured in puzzlement, "Those are High-Sequence Beyonder formulas?"
"Frankly speaking, I find it strange. I thought Mr. A would only want formulas or potion ingredients. Money shouldn't be a necessity for him."
Xio turned to look at her friend.
"Fors, you really are a naive clinical doctor and author. You must know that Mr. A has many subordinates. They need a house to sleep in, stomachs to fill, clothes to buy, and the need to vent their desires. All of this has to be bought using money. Besides, to some nobles who have declined, what wouldn't they sell if there are gold pounds to be made?
"Without his men, Mr. A would be just as scary, but he will be rather lacking in intelligence.
"That's what all the small gangs in the East Borough know."
Fors frowned and said, "Xio, you're not that stupid after all..."
In the evening, the two of them met the familiar large golden retriever at a predetermined location and passed Mr. A's reply to Audrey.
When Audrey finished reading the note, not only did she not feel stumped, she even let out a long sigh of relief.
It was simply wonderful for her that she could finish the ambassador with just 10,000 gold pounds!
For the time being, I can only use 5000 pounds. I'll still have to pay Xio and Fors 500 pounds... Well, first of all, I'll borrow 6000 pounds, no—8000 pounds. I can't expose any problems with my daily expenses. Then, I'll pay him back over four to five months, with interest of 1000 pounds... Before the new year, I will be quite poor, having only 1000 pounds to use a month... Audrey quickly made her decision. Then she burned the original slip of paper and wrote on a new piece of paper.
"The second option. An advance of 2000 pounds and the remaining 8000 pounds will be paid after the mission is completed."
...
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein saw Mary Gale again at tea time.
He had initiated the meeting through Mrs. Stelyn Sammer.
"Madam Mary, I found out that your husband went to the Quelaag Club while tailing him. However, I wasn't able to enter because I'm not a member of the club. Even so, according to my observations, about half an hour after your husband left, only one young lady came out. Her name is Erica Taylor, who lives at 126 New Year's Street, Hillston Borough. She used to work at Coim for a period of time and is currently unemployed. I took a picture of her leaving the Quelaag Club."
"She's unemployed; yet, she can live in Hillston Borough..." Stelyn sneered.
Mary wore a gloomy expression as she remained silent for a few seconds.
"You have to obtain material evidence of them being intimate. Oh... The Quelaag Club, right? I'll get two members to nominate you as a member, but you must fill in your particulars as ‘famous detective.' I can't get people to bring you in because it might not mesh well with the schedules of others."
"Alright." Klein hesitated, but still asked, "Who will pay the club fees?"
"I will be responsible for the initial fees. This is in return for your efficiency. If you wish to remain in the club, you will have to pay the annual fee of about 15 pounds yourself." There seemed to be a fire burning in Mary's eyes.
The fee is fifteen pounds a year, and the initiation fee is at least fifty pounds... A high-end club... Madam Mary, you sure are generous! Klein immediately nodded.
"I will provide you with the evidence as soon as possible."
...
After dinner, Klein went out again and continued to the Bravehearts Bar in the Backlund Bridge area.
There were two reasons for this. First, he wanted to show his helplessness in front of the military's special department and the police who were observing him in secret. He wanted to appear as though he was trying every method to save himself. Second, he also wanted to deceive the Mid-Sequence Beyonder from the Seer pathway under the Ambassador's command.
In matters involving the gray fog, Klein believed that the gentleman or lady would never be able to succeed in a divination, including his own resurrection and past events, as well as how he had successfully created the Language of Foulness charm through the help of the True Creator.
This is definitely a powerful item that can affect my opponent. Klein had to maintain his act of feeling unsafe and his act of madly grasping at all kinds of straw to mislead his opponent in order to increase his chances of victory.
Under the dark night, Klein entered the bar.
Before he could get a beer, he saw Kaspars, the old man with the brandy nose, standing in front of the rat-baiting ring with his arms crossed.
"Perfect timing. Maric is looking for you." Kaspars spotted Klein and limped over.
"Maric is looking for me?" Klein asked in shock.
Instinctively, he touched the Azik's copper whistle in his pocket and considered what excuse he could use to politely decline the meeting.
Or could it be that wrapping the copper whistle with one's spirituality wouldn't cause any zombie-like phenomenon? It wasn't like Mr. Azik hadn't been to the cemetery before, nor had any corpses attacked him... Klein tensed up.
Before he could come up with an excuse, he saw Maric, his face pale and his eyes filled with malice, walking over. He wasn't surrounded by any zombies.
Where are his zombies? Klein thought with a mixture of puzzlement and relief.
Maric pointed to the card room and walked over there first. Klein looked into the distance and followed him since there were no zombies.
"What's the matter?" Klein took the initiative to ask.
Maric, in a black vest and white shirt, sat on the card table and stared into Klein's eyes.
"Does that job of yours still stand?"
"Huh?" Klein wasn't able to react in time.
"I have a friend who is short on money and is willing to accept this commission. She's stronger than me and should be able to protect you. However, she can only protect you for three days. The price is 1000 pounds," Maric said in a low, slurred voice.
Why is a Beyonder willing to accept the commission only after I acquired the Language of Foulness... However, this is good as well. This will be able to confuse the ambassador's Beyonder. After he painstakingly defeats Maric's friend, my chances of success will become extremely high... The only problem is determining if Maric's friend is trustworthy... Hmm, I'll go above the gray fog to divine it... Klein pondered for a moment and said, "Give me time to consider it and save up the necessary funds. It's not a small sum.
"Also, it's best if the person protecting me is hidden. It must be confidential. As for the three days of protection, that is up to me. It's definitely within these two weeks."
Of course, the Seer would definitely be aware of it... Klein silently added.
As for money, he had already considered it from the beginning. If selling Meursault's Beyonder characteristic wasn't enough, he would ask Miss Justice for money. After all, he had made the preparations. Roselle's diary still had a lot of knowledge that could be sold. Of course, if the price was simply unacceptable, he could forgo it.
Now, although Meursault's Beyonder characteristic had become the Language of Foulness charm, I still have Miss Justice! She still owes me the money needed for Sequence 8 Light Suppliant as well as the intelligence regarding the Secret Order. Combining those together, 1000 pounds would be enough!
