Spoils

Chapter 36: Spoils

Once he entered the Lawyer state, Hobart immediately felt his spirituality grow lively again.

Waving the forged contract in his hand, he said, "This is evidence of your fraud. Although the police didn't catch you, and you're unlikely to face legal punishment again, I will still sue you! I'll make you understand your crimes!"

Xue, who had already begun searching, gave Hobart a strange look. She felt as though she understood what he was doing. After all, she herself liked being an "Arbiter." Maybe Hobart liked being a "Lawyer"? Yet she did not fully understand.

Hobart's lawsuit continued. "It was precisely your shameless fraud that bankrupted my client, forcing him to move to the slums!

"To make up for your crimes, Miss Arbiter and I will confiscate all your property and your Extraordinary Characteristics. If the money you swindled cannot be recovered, then aside from the necessary handling fees, all your assets, including your Extraordinary Characteristics, will be used to compensate Miss Arbiter's and my client..."

Just as he said this, Zachary's right eye suddenly opened. The eyeball, carrying an evil gaze, rolled out of its socket on its own.

Zachary was already dead, yet he still seemed able to sense the gaze of that eyeball.

Clearly, most of the contamination had gathered in this eyeball, causing it to mutate. It could also be understood as a Sealed Artifact whose abilities and side effects were not particularly powerful.

Since external power had contaminated Zachary's eyeball, it did not affect the integrity of the Extraordinary Characteristics on his body.

"Your eyeball too!" Hobart said. "Your eyeball is also confiscated! It will be used to compensate Miss Arbiter's and my client.

"If the money you swindled is recovered, then these properties of yours will compensate Miss Xue and me for the effort and money we spent finding you, as well as the risks we bore in this case.

"Although the mastermind, Hayman, has yet to receive the punishment he deserves, one day, I will completely seek justice for my client, Mr. Robin!"

Xue gave Hobart a peculiar look. This was the first time she had heard of a lawsuit that even demanded the defendant's eyeball.

After completing the lawsuit, Hobart felt clear signs that the Lawyer Potion within him was being digested.

He immediately came to an understanding. As a lawyer, one did not necessarily need to seek justice for one's client in a courtroom. When the defendant paid a price because of one's lawsuit, that was when a lawyer's value was demonstrated.

From the moment a client and lawyer formed a commission relationship, they reached a kind of spiritual agreement. Therefore, as long as the commission was completed beyond expectations, one could receive spiritual feedback.

Now, Hobart had completed the commission beyond expectations. The defendant, Zachary, was dead, and all his property would be confiscated. Given his crimes, he did not actually need to receive such severe punishment.

Then the first rule of the Lawyer's Code was: complete commissions beyond expectations whenever possible, no matter the method or means.

Xue had already searched the place once. "I only found over 20 Pounds in cash."

Hobart nodded. "The money Zachary swindled was probably all spent on materials for the Potion."

Generally speaking, the Extraordinary Characteristics of Sequence 9 would emerge very slowly. Hobart did not know whether it was because of his "lawsuit" and Spirit Communication, but in any case, the Extraordinary Characteristics on Zachary's body emerged faster than expected.

The Extraordinary Characteristics of a "Secret Supplicant" looked like a lump of black paste. If one approached it or stared at it, it felt as though many people were whispering beside one's ears.

For the needs of the Ritual, Zachary had bought some herbs related to Mysticism. Hobart poured out the herbs from the two Iron Boxes, using one to hold the Extraordinary material and the other to hold Zachary's Mutated Eyeball.

After discussing it with Xue for a few moments, Hobart set a fire there and thoroughly destroyed the corpse and evidence.

Only after leaving the abandoned factory did Xue sigh. "This was definitely the most exciting thing I've done in all my time as an 'Arbiter.'"

After killing someone and setting fire together, the trust between them increased considerably.

To avoid drawing the Coachman's attention, they walked a long distance before hiring a Rental Carriage.

Both of them were utterly exhausted, but they could not rest yet.

After telling the Coachman to go to Vasek Avenue 109, Hobart quietly told Xue everything he had seen about Hayman during Spirit Communication.

However, Hobart did not mention the Potion Recipe. He did not intend to sell the recipe, only to keep it in mind. For example, if he heard that someone was buying the materials in the recipe, he would know that person was a "Secret Supplicant," and very likely someone with a Connection to the Aurora Society.

Since he had no intention of exchanging the recipe for monetary compensation, Hobart did not share it with Xue.

When Xue heard that this case might be connected to the Aurora Society, she said worriedly, "I heard those people are all extremists. We..."

Xue lowered her voice. "We killed one of their people. Will they retaliate against us?"

Hobart smiled. "Miss Xue, this is Backlund. All three major Churches have High Sequence Beyonders stationed here. Trust me, the Aurora Society is more afraid of being exposed than we are.

"Besides, Zachary was clearly one of their peripheral members. If I'm not mistaken, the Ritual Hayman told him about was itself flawed.

"Zachary was hateful, but he was also a complete tragic figure, played in Hayman's palm all along.

"As long as we do not investigate the Aurora Society's secrets, they will not risk exposure to retaliate against us over such an insignificant person."

Xue let out a sigh of relief. Hobart's reasoning was sound, and she thought so too.

Hobart added, "We've already spent two or three hours finding and dealing with Zachary. It's unlikely we can catch Hayman now.

"However, Hayman must have fled in a hurry. Hopefully, he left enough valuables in those two residences to make up for our client's losses."

Then he took out the two Iron Boxes. "I know a very reliable Beyonder Gathering. I can sell these there, and we'll split the proceeds equally.

"Before that, let me estimate their value. Sequence 9 Extraordinary Characteristics are generally worth 300 Pounds, but few people are willing to consume the 'Secret Supplicant' Potion, so these Extraordinary Characteristics may only sell for 270 Pounds to 280 Pounds!"

Xue's eyes lit up. She had not expected this lump of paste to be worth so much! Wild Extraordinary knew of the existence of Sealed Artifacts, and many people also knew of Extraordinary Characteristics, but few knew the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation. Thus, they had no particularly concrete understanding of Sealed Artifacts or Extraordinary Characteristics.

She cleared her throat. "Well, I also know a very reliable Beyonder Gathering. Should we go together..."

"Is it the gathering hosted by Mr. A?" Seeing Xue nod, Hobart smiled. "Miss Xue, if you don't want to suddenly die miserably at home, then give up on that idea!"

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