He was so certain because the last time he'd visited the Collector, every doorknob except the one on the fourth door had been covered in a thick layer of dust. Even that fourth doorknob had only a few dust-free fingerprints on it.
That meant the Collector rarely visited her treasure vault unless she had acquired something new.
After all, with her size and weight, climbing the stairs wasn't easy, let alone navigating the corridor that had been built back when she was much thinner.
And Sally clearly wouldn't have time to deliver anything new to the Collector these past few days.
In Blackwater Town, Sally was probably the only petty thief who specialized in stealing occult items.
That meant the Collector probably wouldn't realize anything had been stolen for a while.
By the time she did, Lude would most likely have already taken the goods and gotten far away.
There was also a small chance she'd be dead before she realized it.
"Let's hear it, then. What do you want? Honestly, I didn't expect you to give me such a big surprise, so I'm guessing you want more than just some Sol. You must be after something else."
Lude knew the three of them. Silverback, that walking bundle of stats, had already opted to stare blankly into space, while Crow rarely spoke because of his throat. So Sally, with her sharp sixth sense, was usually the one who made decisions for the group.
Just as Lude expected, after a moment's hesitation, Sally spoke up. "Mr. Hastings, before answering your question, could we ask you something?"
"Sure."
Lude shrugged. "Ask me anything. I'll tell you everything I know. It's not like I have anything to hide."
Sally gathered her thoughts, then asked cautiously, "Before we met you, we thought the Collector's