"Let's leave first. If it really is him, we'll have to change our plans."
She recognized the man. He was the director of the Lia Harbor Sheriff's Office, its highest-ranking official.
As long as no supernatural incidents were involved, Benny Hoyland was effectively the highest authority in the public eye.
"Go back for now. I'll find you once everything's ready." With that, Annie strode away without looking back.
He wasn't the sort to leave his fate in someone else's hands. That went against Joey's principles.
After parting ways with Annie, he headed unhurriedly to the Sheriff's Office.
In the reception hall, he presented himself as a private detective and secured a meeting with Benny Hoyland.
They sat facing each other in the director's office on the second floor, freshly poured tea on the desk between them.
Watching the expression on the director's face, Joey knew exactly what he was thinking.
He was simply weighing whether Joey's claimed identity was genuine.
The identity he had presented was this:
He was a private associate of Nome, a Senior Investigator from the Holy Hall. Nome's position as a Punishment Priest was real; even a cursory investigation would confirm it.
There was another point in his favor: Nome was already dead, which made fabricating this identity even easier.
Besides, the Holy Hall governed through mutual checks and oversight, preventing any one faction from gaining absolute control.
Las Vegas covered far too much territory. Without such a system, Transcendents could easily deceive their superiors and keep their subordinates in the dark.
Benny looked at the excessively young Joey and asked sternly:
"How can you prove who you are?"
Joey lifted his tea, took a small sip, and answered without haste:
"Nome, a Sequence 6 Punishment Priest of the Church of Light, from Ishlandon."
"Through an