Zachary's Letter

Zachary's Letter

Hobart suddenly realized that although the middle-aged worker's clothes and face were filthy, his hair was not. There were also obvious marks on his hair where it had been pressed down by a hat.

He slapped his thigh in frustration. How had he only noticed those details now? This was... this was the Swindler's ability! They could mislead people's thoughts, so although Hobart had clearly sensed that something was wrong just now, he had overlooked the suspicious details under the Swindler's influence.

Then Hobart felt somewhat annoyed with himself. If he encountered another Swindler in the future, he had to be bold and careful. They could very well slip away right under his nose.

Xue was somewhat discouraged as well. "What do we do now?"

Hobart told the worker lying on the ground, "The hat is yours. The trench coat is mine."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The man hurriedly took off the trench coat and handed it to Hobart. Then he got to his feet and limped away. Xue's kick had clearly injured him badly.

Hobart searched the trench coat and found two letters, a Pocket Watch, and a pipe.

The pipe was probably something the man used often. If they knew Divining Rod for Finding Objects, they could use it to find him. But Divining Rod for Finding Objects was an Extraordinary Ability Seers specialized in, while neither Hobart nor Xue had any Beyonder abilities suited to divination.

He then looked at the two letters. As expected, one had been written by DakHorm to "the esteemed Hayman."

The person who had escaped right before their eyes was Hayman! DakHorm reported that someone had been asking about Zachary's whereabouts and even knew Hayman's name. He also described Hobart and Xue's general appearances in the letter.

The second letter was also addressed to "the esteemed Hayman." Hobart skipped to the end and saw the signature: "Your faithful Zachary"! Zachary was still in Backlund! Hobart carefully read the letter again. "The esteemed Hayman:

"It has been eight days since I consumed the Potion, but why have the Whispers in my ears not weakened at all? It is as though a solemn voice is proclaiming a great declaration. Although I cannot understand what it is saying, the content fills my heart with surging emotion, and I cannot suppress my excitement. Could that sacred voice be the Lord's voice?"

"Besides the Whispers, there are people whispering in front of me, yet I cannot see them. My hiding place is clearly an abandoned factory, so why does it become so lively at night? Those voices are terrifying. They keep me awake night after night. If this goes on, those mad voices will crush me.

"I am sure you have a way to lessen these symptoms. Please, you must help me find a solution. At any moment now, I may push open the window and jump into the Tasok River. Perhaps that would be a release. Also, following your instructions, I tried those Rituals you mentioned. It seemed to succeed, because for one brief instant, I saw the Lord's kingdom.

"I can feel my strength increasing. It feels as refreshing as drinking a cup of icy water in the blazing heat of summer. I hope to gain even more power, and I await your further guidance."

The latter half of the letter was steeped in madness between every line. Both Hobart and Xue felt somewhat uncomfortable after reading it.

It was not hard to see from the letter that Zachary had become a Beyonder, though they could not yet determine which pathway he belonged to. Still, his condition seemed somewhat wrong.

Hobart pointed at the letter. "We now have two leads. One is an abandoned factory, and the other is somewhere along the Tasok River. Hmm, the area isn't very large."

"What about Hayman, who just escaped?" Xue asked.

Hobart thought for a moment. "Hayman leaving Zachary's letter behind was a form of protection for himself.

"Because the contents of the letter make it easier for us to find Zachary, there is a good chance we will give up pursuing Hayman.

"Besides, we know far too little about Hayman. We may need to go back and have a friendly conversation with DakHorm before we can learn more.

"But if we delay like that, Zachary may receive a warning. Then we will not find either of them. Either way, we should look for Zachary first."

Xue spread her hands. "So this is a Swindler? We clearly know his plan, yet we still have to proceed according to it?"

Hobart pursed his lips and smiled. "That's right. That's a Swindler. But he may not realize that as long as we find Zachary, whether Zachary is willing to talk or not, I have a way to get more clues about Hayman from him."

"We can't waste any more time. We can talk while we search. Ah, perfect. There's a Rental Carriage over there."

Hobart went over and exchanged a few words with the Coachman of the Rental Carriage. He quickly learned of three abandoned factories along the Tasok River.

Xue rarely handled this kind of Beyonder incident, so she was somewhat unable to keep up with Hobart's train of thought. But Hobart's reliability today made her follow in his footsteps with almost no hesitation.

After boarding the Rental Carriage, they moved much faster and soon arrived at the first abandoned factory.

Hobart took one glance and knew it was not the place. Too many Vagrants lived there. As long as Zachary had any brains at all, he would not try any Ritual Magic in a place like that.

The carriage continued onward toward the second target.

Inside the carriage, Hobart speculated, "Let's sort this out. A month ago, Zachary carried out a swindle involving several thousand pounds.

"Hayman was the mastermind behind it. He used a Potion to lure Zachary into working for him, and after the swindle was successfully completed, Zachary received the Potion he had long dreamed of.

"Zachary intended to consult Hayman about Mysticism whenever necessary, so he never fled elsewhere. Instead, he found a secluded place to master the Potion's power and wrote to Hayman frequently."

Hobart pinched his chin and glanced at Xue. "Anything to add?"

"The letters they wrote were all very neat." Xue adjusted her hat.

"What do you mean?"

"Most Gang Leader members in the East End are illiterate. Even those who can read and write only know a few common words. I have never seen a Gang Leader who could write a neat letter like Zachary and DakHorm."

Hobart pondered for a moment. "Perhaps when we have time, we should pay DakHorm a visit together. After all, his injuries were thanks to us."

Xue smiled like a carefree young boy. "You're right."

At that moment, the horse pulling the carriage suddenly let out a shrill neigh. No matter how the Coachman whipped it, it refused to move forward.

Hobart opened the carriage window and looked outside. The factory ahead gave him a deeply unpleasant feeling. Dozens of crows circled above it, adding a touch of eerie atmosphere to the abandoned building.

He straightened his trench coat, stepped out of the carriage, and said, "This is the place we're looking for!"