Goodbye, Miss Hugh

Hobart took a carriage to the Law Firm. Even after sitting down in his office chair, his shoulders still felt a little sore.

After composing himself, he first wrote down everything he needed to do that week on a sheet of paper, then roughly arranged their order of priority.

He planned to investigate Zachary, whom Mr. Robin had mentioned, first. This case was relatively complicated, so he could begin looking into it now and sort through the clues and evidence afterward.

The other three cases Barton had given him were much simpler by comparison and could be put off for a while.

As for how to investigate Zachary, Hobart thought of a possible breakthrough: Veil, a Gang Leader in the East End.

Since Zachary was also a Gang Leader in the East End, Veil, as someone in the same line of work, should know something about him.

At around nine in the morning, Hobart hired a Rental Carriage and first made a trip to the Mercenary Club.

Thanks to Lawyer Barton's reputation, Hobart's Gun License had been processed that morning. He went to the club and bought a revolver.

He believed the revolver would come in handy during his investigation of Zachary.

At around ten thirty, Hobart took a carriage to the Blue Knight Bar in the East End.

The place was the same as ever. Though it was morning, he could hear uninhibited laughter coming from inside from a long way off.

The moment he opened the door, thick odors and clamorous noise washed over him. Hobart first saw a short figure walking toward him, and only when she came closer did he recognize Hugh, wearing a men's hat.

"Mr. Hobart, we meet again," Hugh said with a smile.

The moment she spoke, the bar immediately fell silent.

"Indeed, Miss Hugh. I'm glad to see you and Veil can 'get along peacefully'!" Hobart said as he watched the drunks around him. What was wrong with them? After roughly one or two seconds, one of the drunks suddenly said, "Mr. Hobart, I dislocated my arm when I was young. Ever since then, I haven't been able to do heavy work. Do you think there's any hope for it?"

As he spoke, he exposed his emaciated arm and asked Hobart to diagnose it.

Hobart froze on the spot. Did he really look that much like a doctor? Another drunk said, "Mr. Hobart, I injured my leg last year. It hurts terribly whenever the rainy season comes. Do you think..."

Hugh suddenly shouted, "I've said it many times already—he isn't a doctor!"

Though she was very short, her voice and Aura were astonishing, leaving the drunks afraid to meet her gaze.

Hobart sighed inwardly. When it came to dealing with this sort of situation, an "Arbiter's" Extraordinary Ability was more useful than a "Lawyer's." In the same circumstances, a "Lawyer" would need to "persuade" them one by one.

At that moment, Veil jogged over. "Sir, what brings you here?" His attitude was exceedingly respectful.

Hobart understood then. He had asked Emlyn to treat Veil's injuries, and Veil had naturally concealed certain details. That was why everyone had mistakenly taken Hobart for a doctor with magical medicine.

Having figured it out, Hobart smiled at everyone. "I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but I'm a lawyer. I can make the culprits who injured you lose everything, but I can't cure your illnesses."

Upon hearing the words "lose everything," everyone instinctively shrank back. No one dared ask Hobart to diagnose them again.

Only then did Hobart turn to Veil. "I've come to ask you about a Gang Leader named Zachary."

Veil was taken aback. Rather than answer Hobart's question, he looked toward Miss Hugh. Hugh, who had already reached the doorway, halted, then walked back step by step.

Hobart immediately understood. "Miss Hugh, are you here to ask him about Zachary too?"

Veil looked at Hugh, then at Hobart, before smiling. "Yes, sir. I've only met Zachary a few times. His territory is around the Azalea Bar. You can go there and ask around."

Hobart looked at Hugh. "Miss Hugh, are you planning to go to the Azalea Bar?"

"That's right." Hugh did not hide her purpose.

"I think we can go together."

The two spoke as they headed outside. Veil let out a sigh of relief. Those two people he could not afford to offend were finally leaving.

When Hobart reached the door, he suddenly turned back to Veil. "Do fewer things that betray your conscience. Next time, you might not be as lucky as you were this time."

Veil was initially stunned. It was both a warning and a reminder. He hurriedly replied, "Yes."

But Hobart did not hear Veil's response. By the time Veil answered, all that remained were the creaking double doors and the receding figures beyond them.

Hobart and Hugh walked briskly down the East End's dilapidated streets, which were filled with vagrants.

Hobart smiled. "Let me guess. Miss Hugh, did you receive a commission concerning fraud involving shares in an insurance company?"

"That's right," Hugh said coolly. The men's hat atop her head suited her current temperament perfectly.

"We have a common goal." Hobart coaxed her along, using his Extraordinary Ability as well. "Perhaps we can exchange clues, or pursue a deeper cooperation."

When Hugh had returned to the bar, she had already considered exchanging information with Hobart. As for working together, she had not felt much enthusiasm for it.

Yet she did not know why, but upon hearing Hobart's invitation, she suddenly felt as though she could not wait to agree. "Fine, but on one condition."

"Go ahead."

"Could you stop walking so fast?"

Hobart looked at Hugh's two short little legs. "My apologies. I failed to consider a lady's feelings. Then, shouldn't we find somewhere to have a proper talk? After all, I just got you out of prison."

This time, Hobart's Extraordinary Ability did not work. Hugh smiled. "I'll thank Miss Audrey. I doubt that noble lady will treat you poorly."

"Please forgive me, but I cannot agree with your view," Hobart said. "I resolved your trouble in a single day. Isn't that efficiency enough to deserve some gratitude?"

Hugh pointed at a café not far away. "I won't argue with you over this. Since you insist that I thank you, I'll treat you to a cup of coffee as a token of my appreciation."

"A-argue?" Only then did Hobart belatedly realize why he was arguing with Hugh over such a trivial matter. Then a thought occurred to him. Could this be a side effect of the "Lawyer" Potion?

While Hobart was lost in thought, Hugh had already entered the café ahead of him. He hurried after her.

Each of them ordered a cup of cheap coffee. Xue spoke about the commission she had received; it was more or less the same as Hobart's guess. She had also taken on a case similar to Mr. Robin's situation.

Hobart summarized, "Zachary's targets are all middle-class people."

He continued, "This class has savings, but no influence. Even if they're swindled out of all their savings, unless there are obvious leads, the police won't put much effort into investigating.

"If the same thing happened to a Noble, a little pressure would be enough to make the police handle the case with utmost seriousness."

"I had a similar suspicion." Xue took a sip of coffee. "So this is definitely a premeditated, carefully planned scam."

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