Hearing the newsboys' cries, Wiggins froze in place as though struck by lightning.
His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he turned back in disbelief.
He saw Arthur beaming.
Middle and Gitt really had ties to the Count of South Los?!
Although Wiggins had grasped the key point the moment he heard "advocates" of the new law.
Even so, how could Maltz be certain that the reclusive Count would help?
What if the Count refused?
After all, apart from collecting taxes, the Count had previously paid almost no attention to South Los.
More questions surfaced in Wiggins's mind.
Then the Golden Fingers instinctively raised his head and looked toward 2 Kirk Street once more.
Arthur!
It had to be Arthur!
Arthur had persuaded the Count to agree!
As for how he had done it?
Don't forget who Arthur was!
Arthur was a Medium!
Wiggins sucked in a sharp breath.
Before the doubts in the Golden Fingers's heart could fade, more baseless speculation followed. Though he had already walked a long way, he turned toward 2 Kirk Street and bowed deeply once more before finally leaving.
Arthur saw it all clearly.
He even guessed what Wiggins had just imagined.
Arthur had no intention of explaining.
To Arthur, awe was a positive thing, and he was more than happy to let Wiggins maintain that sense of awe.
After watching Wiggins leave, Arthur, still in his pajamas, bought an ironed newspaper from a newsboy-these cost one Los more, but were more popular.
After all, hiring a butler cost far more than that.
Of course, the newspaper was not The Horn Newspaper.
The Horn Newspaper was not qualified to cover news this big. It could only be the South Los Daily-the Count of South Los held shares in it.
Arthur stood at the door and leafed through the newspaper.
The report was divided into two parts-
Police Officer Alade had murdered Chief Woolt and Police Officer Audo, and had already been shot dead by Maltz.
Meanwhile, several police officers in Shire District had been implicated and were now being held by Maltz.
That was the first half: just a few sentences, written as simply as possible.
Yet what those lines implied was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
Alade was a Third-Rank Police Officer, one of only two in Shire District. With the Chief dead and no deputy chief in place, a Third-Rank Police Officer held the highest rank.
Was this to make everything fall neatly into place?
Arthur continued reading as the thought crossed his mind.
The second half of the report introduced Maltz.
This section was exhaustively detailed, all but tracing his life back to infancy. Four full pages were filled with Maltz's life story.
There was no doubt that this was paving the way for Maltz.
Arthur felt a little envious.
Although he had appeared repeatedly in The Horn Newspaper, the South Los Daily was clearly better. Neither its circulation nor its reach could be matched by The Horn Newspaper.
The South Los Daily could even be found in the Inner Bay.
Naturally, the XP it brought would also exceed that of The Horn Newspaper.
But getting into the South Los Daily would not be easy for him.
Not only did the South Los Daily have its entry requirements, there was also the rule about exclusive coverage. Arthur did not want Scott, whom he now considered a friend, to lose his "Medium Investigates" feature.
Of course, it was also because Arthur wanted both!
He wanted to keep appearing in The Horn Newspaper and appear in the South Los Daily as well.
A little difficult, but not impossible!
Arthur thought of the Swordsmanship Tournament!
That was where he would truly reap the rewards!
But he needed more preparation, too.
Instinctively, his gaze shifted to the text that only he could see-
[The twists and turns of the Baby-Theft Case shocked the public. Their hatred of human traffickers made the people of South Los wish they could kill them in your place; XP +20] [More people have heard your name; XP +2]
Without hesitation, Arthur upgraded [False Swiftbird Swordsmanship].
He had made that decision yesterday and had no intention of changing it.
[Consumed 20 XP, False Swiftbird Swordsmanship Lv2 → Lv3] [False Swiftbird Swordsmanship Lv3: Through constant recollection and practice, you have perfected the form of Swiftbird Swordsmanship. Until you obtain further swordsmanship secrets, you cannot advance any further; effect: when you use your self-taught Swiftbird Sword Stance, the speed of your next strike gains an additional +0.3] (Note: this skill has reached its level cap)
His body and knowledge began to synchronize.
The familiar warmth flowed through Arthur's body once again.
Along with it came...
A bird's cry!
Upon hearing that cry, Arthur found himself seemingly flying, with countless birds soaring alongside him.
These birds had enormous bodies, astonishing speed, and blood-red eyes, while their beaks were filled with sharp fangs.
And him?
His body was long and slender, winding and coiling, with a pair of wings on his back.
But before Arthur could see clearly,
He was back at the entrance to 2 Kirk Street.
[Physique +0.1] [Spirituality +0.1]
The feeling of growing stronger in every respect returned. Although Arthur was not yet sure exactly what had changed with [Spirituality +0.1], the hearing granted by his 1.8 [Physique] was immediately apparent. Even through closed doors, he could clearly hear his neighbors' discussions.
"What were they trying to do?"
"Were they planning a rebellion?"
"A bunch of parasites!"
"Those damned blue-uniformed dogs!"
At first, their deductions had been "well-reasoned," but they soon devolved into curses.
Arthur shook his head.
Hearing those curses, Arthur knew the South Los Daily had achieved its goal... no, the Count of South Los had achieved his goal.
He should be able to take possession of those assets without trouble now!
Arthur felt no envy over that.
However, the Count of South Los, previously little more than a symbolic figure, was gradually taking on a more concrete shape in Arthur's mind.
Power wasn't simply something that could grant you things. It was a terrifying force that could strip away everything you had at will-and nobles who possessed that power...
What else did they hold?
Despite himself, a suspicion began to surface in Arthur's mind.
A suspicion people often overlooked, yet one so real it was cruel.
If that really was the case...
That would be the greatest problem of all!
Arthur raised a hand to rub his temples, a greater sense of urgency rising within him.
He needed the complete [Swiftbird Swordsmanship], or swordsmanship of the same caliber.
Help from Scott and the owner of the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club alone would not be enough.
Did he need to seek her out?
Arthur thought of Ms. Malinda Julius Caesar.
With her influence, finding similar swordsmanship should be quite easy.
But Arthur immediately shook his head.
She was far too dangerous.
Until he had sufficient strength or a suitable opening, he did not want to get too close to her.
Then he could only turn to...
Maltz!
After last night's events, his cooperation with Maltz had taken another step forward.
In fact, with each holding leverage over the other and both needing mutual support, they could now be called close-knit "allies."
What came next in a relationship like that?
Mutual benefit, naturally!
He believed Maltz certainly would not mind helping him with a little matter like finding swordsmanship while "planning a peaceful retirement."
After all, Arthur would make his "peaceful retirement" even more "peaceful"!
I needed to discuss our future plans with Maltz in detail!
As Arthur thought this, his gaze shifted to the door behind him.
The next moment, the doorbell rang-
Ding, ding!
A group of unexpected visitors had arrived outside 2 Kirk Street.
Arthur's eyes filled with surprise when he saw them.
Before you continue