Swindler?

Swindler? Christine had not returned by dinner. He occasionally went out for social engagements, and everyone was used to it.

After dinner, Hobart followed his usual routine and observed Lafite. As always, Lafite was at the gambling table, sweating and throwing money away in his games.

Tomorrow, he would ask Justice to investigate. Once it was confirmed that Lafite really was a gambler, it would not be too late to take the next step.

After leaving the Country of Disorder, Hobart pondered Lafite's matter, the three cases in his hands, and tomorrow's Tarot Club gathering before gradually drifting off to sleep.

Southern Continent, upper reaches of the Hordis River, Town of Nonexistence.

Since people outside the town considered it nonexistent, the town was named Town of Nonexistence.

The Low Sequence Beyonders gathered according to custom, and clan members of the Middle Sequence examined their condition.

In this cursed family, most Beyonders died from Loss of Control or suicide. Very few truly died at the hands of enemies, which was why there was a weekly routine of checking the Beyonders' conditions.

Since the vast majority of them had died within the town, the family's Extraordinary Characteristics had suffered little loss over the centuries. On the contrary, they had accumulated a large number of Extraordinary Characteristics from other pathways through battle. If not for the curse, they could at least have established a Corpse Collector pathway from Sequence 9 to Sequence 6, as well as a Prisoner pathway from Sequence 9 to Sequence 5.

Elliot, a Sequence 8, stood among the Low Sequence group. He was also a priority inspection target, because during the routine examination a week ago, he had already shown signs of Loss of Control and had been forbidden from leaving the town.

Calvin, the Middle Sequence powerhouse in charge of the inspection, was Elliot's uncle. He could hardly believe his eyes. "Elliot, you... all your signs of Loss of Control have disappeared?"

Moreover, his entire body was in perfect order, in stark contrast to its previous disharmony.

Everyone turned to look. In Town of Nonexistence, Loss of Control was generally irreversible. Once signs of it appeared, one had to be closely watched, because complete Loss of Control was only a matter of sooner or later.

Elliot once again praised the mysterious existence on the Iron Throne in his heart. He had long prepared an excuse. "Thanks to Rex's Law—our Balk Family calls the methods Rex taught us for resisting the curse Rex's Law—I never expected those methods to play such a crucial role at a critical moment."

Some nodded while others were doubtful, but the routine inspection continued, and no one paid further attention to Elliot.

Calvin, however, shook his head. Rex's Law could have an effect, but not one this great. If he had not sensed that Elliot's curse was still present, he would have immediately reported this to the elders.

"Uncle Calvin, can I continue carrying out missions outside the town?" Elliot asked.

Only then did Calvin come back to himself. "Yes. You have no more problems. You may enter and leave the town freely."

No matter what, the disappearance of Elliot's signs of Loss of Control was a good thing.

As soon as the carriage reached the street where the Law Firm was located, Hobart spotted Mr. Robin standing at its entrance.

He was the Defendant from the first case Hobart had taken over. Last week, the Courtroom had auctioned off his house, and Mr. Robin had used the proceeds to repay his debts.

Bai Minglan Street, where the Law Firm was located, was a street where service industries such as various agencies and service companies were concentrated. These small businesses made their signs as flashy as possible and decorated their company carriages lavishly to draw the attention of potential customers and display their wealth and capability.

Those who came here seeking services were all well-dressed upper-class figures from Backlund, as well as middle-class people who valued appearances.

Luxurious carriages and finely dressed pedestrians passed by endlessly, but Mr. Robin was an exception. He still wore that shabby coat and a patched hat, looking utterly out of place on this street.

Hobart stepped down from the carriage. "Mr. Robin."

Mr. Robin nervously removed his hat. "Mr. Hobart, I... I hope to receive your help."

"Please come with me." Hobart led Mr. Robin into the Law Firm, intending to hear what trouble he had encountered.

Hobart shared an office with five other Lawyer Assistants. He had arrived earliest, and no one else was in the office yet. So Hobart invited Mr. Robin to sit beside his desk and poured him a glass of water. "What legal difficulty have you encountered?"

Mr. Robin gripped his hat tightly. "I don't know whether this counts as a legal difficulty, sir."

"Tell me about it."

"My investment cannot really be considered a failure. I was swindled," Mr. Robin explained. "Half a year ago, my cousin came to me and said that Mr. Zachary, who ran an insurance company, had encountered financial difficulties.

"To get through the crisis, Mr. Zachary was willing to sell part of his shares and was looking everywhere for investors.

"My cousin obtained authorization for 0.8 percent of the shares, but it required 1,600 pounds. He could not come up with that much money alone, so he asked me to purchase it with him. We would each pay 800 pounds and split the profits equally.

"Sir, this was an excellent investment opportunity for us. If we completed the transaction, I would receive around two hundred pounds in dividends every year, nearly as much as my salary.

"I asked around about Mr. Zachary's insurance company, and everyone said it was doing very well. So my cousin and I gathered 1,600 pounds and completed the share transaction."

At this point, Mr. Robin's expression turned bitter. "It was not until more than a month later that we learned the insurance company had never sold any shares, and there was no Zachary at that insurance company at all."

Hobart asked, "Didn't you Call the police? Do you still have the share authorization document?"

"It was only after we Called the police that we learned Zachary was the leader of a gang in the East End. He had disappeared half a month before we reported it," Mr. Robin said. "It was also through the police that we learned many people had been swindled just like us.

"We still have the share authorization document, but it has been proven to be forged." As he spoke, he took out a share authorization document.

Hobart's first thought was: Is a Swindler Acting?

After thinking for a moment, he said helplessly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Robin, but I'm not a police officer. I have no way to help you find a fugitive."

"No, no, no," Mr. Robin said. "I am not asking you to help us find him. My cousin and I have been searching for and investigating Zachary all along, and we accidentally learned that Zachary was actually working for a man named Hayman.

"We don't know how to find evidence to sue Hayman, so we came to ask for your help."

He continued, "If you can help us recover that money, we are willing to give you twenty percent of it as your legal fee."

Under Mr. Robin's eager gaze, Hobart said, "I cannot agree immediately. I need to investigate first. Leave me an address, and if my investigation makes progress, I will write to you."

He added, "Now tell me the details of your investigation process."

"Thank you for your help!" Mr. Robin said, his eyes reddening. They had already sought out quite a few lawyers, but none had been willing to help them. Hobart was the only Lawyer willing to learn the details.