The customs issue could be resolved within a week. That only left the Port Authority controlled by the Eddington Family and the Dock Office controlled by the Hawthorne Family. Those did not seem difficult to handle either. Of course, he still had to deal with the Great Witch of Fate.
"Come to think of it, I still do not know that Belinder woman's name. If I knew her name, I could learn her true identity."
For the afternoon meeting, were you still not going to let her see you?
"Of course. Turning into a cat will do. As long as I do not let her observe me up close, she will not be able to tell whether I am male or female.
As long as she thinks I am a woman, I can keep pretending to be a Witch's follower until the other Great Witches come to explain things for me. It is not just because I want to avoid trouble. There is also..."
After leaving the bookstore, Shade looked up at the thick black clouds shrouding Moon Bay City:
"I know myself that I have been a little too greedy. Since my fate has become entangled with so many Witches, I should restrain myself. I know how much I owe them."
Yes, you had always known.
Because their detailed discussion in the bookstore had taken some time, Shade did not return home for lunch. After settling the matter of lunch simply at a nearby tavern, he wandered around the central district of the city centered on the Moon Bay City Council and Belinder Big Ben. On one hand, he observed the nearby terrain; on the other, he wanted to determine whether the Witch Miss Belinder had arrived early.
While Shade was wandering around during the noon hours, he brushed