In a small alley in the Backlund Bridge Area, Hugh once again encountered the Military Intelligence Section 9 agent responsible for contacting him.
"This is the reward you earned for your merits, a total of 2,500 pounds. Heh, I managed to get you an extra 500 pounds." The man in the gold mask tossed a bulging envelope to Hugh.
Hugh caught it accurately, without counting, and instinctively pressed it before sincerely saying:
"Thanks."
The man in the golden mask waved his hand and said:
"You're welcome. This is a good thing for me too. If you keep dwelling on the past, I'm worried I might end up in a military court one day."
Will you continue to stay in Backlund?
"Yes, I've gotten used to life in the big city. Once the war is over, I'll bring my family here," Hugh said, recounting words he had already planned.
"When the war ends..." the man in the golden mask repeated Hugh's middle sentence with a slightly strange tone, then smiled and said, "May God protect us so that we can all live to see the end of the war."
The "lord" here refers to the " Lord of Storms ".
"I worship Goddess," Hugh replied earnestly.
"You understand what I mean," the man in the gold mask waved his hand and said, "So, are you still planning to take on Military Intelligence Section 9's commission?"
"I won't turn down an opportunity to make money." Hugh scratched his slightly frizzy hair, speaking in a way that was half-serious and half-joking.
"Hmm." The man in the golden mask nodded. "During the war, the main task is dealing with spies from various countries. If there are any suitable missions for you, I will contact you."
"Okay." After replying, Hugh left the dark alley without lingering.
After watching her figure disappear, the man in the golden mask looked into the shadows in the corner and said:
"She was probably just used by some force, and was abandoned after they stopped investigating what happened back then."
A deep voice came from the shadows in the corner:
"That's how it seems on the surface, but in reality, there's no need to investigate or worry about anything. Even if she manages to find out the truth and spread it, it won't affect His Majesty the King's affairs anymore. Heh, the Church of Evernight has already tacitly approved."
"That's for the best..." the man in the golden mask sighed silently.
Back at their lodgings on the edge of the East Borough, Hugh said to Fors, who was sitting on the edge of the bed reading the newspaper:
"I received £2,500."
Fors put down the newspaper, his eyes flickered slightly, and he focused on calculating before saying:
That's enough.
Hugh already had over 600 pounds in savings, and with this 2,500 pounds, after deducting necessary living expenses, he would have 3,100 pounds left to spend freely.
She paid 2,000 pounds for the " Judge " Potion recipe and 3,500 pounds for the Beyonder Characteristic, meaning she was still 2,400 pounds short, which Fors would lend her.
After lending out this money, Fors's savings will decrease to 780 pounds. However, this will not affect her much. She already has the Potion recipes and main ingredients, and she will not have any major expenses for a long time. Occasionally, she can earn some money by renting out " Lemano's Travel Notes ".
"Hmm." Hugh nodded. "I'll complete the transaction as soon as possible and strive to advance to Sequence 6 as soon as possible."
Having seen that her friend's matter had been settled, Fors turned her worries to herself:
"I don't know when I'll be able to fully digest my ' Scribe ' Potion. Now that war has broken out, having the ability to ' Travel ' will make me much safer."
"The focus of the ' Scribe ' role is definitely on ' Record.' Once I become a ' Judge,' you'll have a new extraordinary ability to Record repeatedly, which should speed up the digestion of the Potion," Hugh said, pulling up a chair and sitting down thoughtfully.
Fors sighed:
"I suspect that besides the extraordinary ability to ' Record,' one also needs to ' Record ' the scenery and customs of different places, so that it can be matched with the subsequent ' Traveler.' But now that war has broken out, going inland is fine, but going to other places will definitely be difficult and dangerous. Alas, the price of bread has gone up, almost a quarter penny more per pound, more expensive than before the repeal of the Corn Laws!"
"Indeed." Hugh thought about it seriously and agreed with Fors's summary.
The two fell silent. After about ten seconds, Hugh suddenly had an Spirit Intuition:
"Actually, there's a very simple way."
"What?" Fors sat up slightly and blurted out the question.
"You can pay that person to take you on a ' Travel '." Hugh carefully avoided mentioning specific code names or names. "Each time, he'll drop you off in an unfamiliar place for three or four days, or even a week, before picking you up. In no time, you'll be able to Record all sorts of customs and traditions. Moreover, you can rent some magical items from him or from them to ' Record ' extraordinary abilities. This will both enhance you and help you digest them."
"That's right!" Fors' eyes lit up.
She then realized that her use of Tarot Gathering was at a very superficial level.
After the initial surprise, Fors's brow gradually furrowed, because this method meant she would have to deal with "the world," Gehrman Sparrow, frequently, and the thought of that mad adventurer made her shudder.
As expected, nothing comes without a price... To digest the Potion, she had no choice but to take the risk... In the end, Fors made up her mind and planned to make the request at next week's Tarot Club.
In an apartment building several streets away from where Hugh and Fors lived.
Klein, having returned from Serenzo Restaurant, sat at the table, quickly flipping through today's newspaper, summarizing and extracting the more important information:
" The Sonia Sea Fleet of the Feynapotter Empire has withdrawn from Pritz Harbor, and its whereabouts are unknown..."
" Amyrius of the Ministry of Defense stated that coastal defenses would be strengthened, and the three ironclad fleets would not be rushed back to port, but would instead take multiple detours to avoid ambushes..."
" The Two-Headed Giant Legion Feysac, invaded the Amanda Mountain Range of Winter County, but encountered fierce resistance and failed to breach several key fortresses..."
" Feysac's Conquest Fleet attacked heavy industrial cities such as Constant on the eastern coast of the Sonia Sea, resulting in a large-scale naval battle with the kingdom's Sonia Sea Fleet, with losses on both sides..."
" The Feysac and Loen colonial armies of East Balam are fighting in several locations..."
"While other countries have not yet made a clear statement, ambassadors in their respective capitals are busy making contacts and urgently conducting diplomatic mediation... Radio waves carry various important messages, crisscrossing between different cities on the Northern Continent..."
Still in the early stages of the war... Klein was not optimistic that the diplomats could end the war, so he put down the newspaper and pondered how he could gather information about the " Black Emperor " ceremony of George III:
"Logically speaking, before the ' Blood Emperor ' Alista went mad, his actions tended to be reasonable. In other words, it's impossible for him to build nine mausoleums in one Concealment place, as this would easily allow someone to wipe them all out, leading to the failure of his resurrection."
"Therefore, in the area surrounding Backlund, and elsewhere in the kingdom, there should be eight more similar tombs that have not yet been exposed and may not be as well-protected as Number 1 Ruins, which could present an opportunity..."
" The Evil Spirit ' Red Angel ' might know something, but I can't contact Him right now. Putting aside the question of whether reciting His name would be dangerous, the act itself would expose my intention to prevent George III from becoming the ' Black Emperor,' which would be too much for a dreadful ' Conspirer ' to exploit."
"The ' Mystery Queen ' might have some channels and clues, but I can't rely solely on her... The Church, at present, probably doesn't know exactly how many secret ruins of the ' Blood Emperor ' exist, or where they are..."
"Start by targeting key figures around the king, such as the royal Demigod deeply involved in this matter? They would certainly be on guard, and the Angel of the Augustus Family and that ancient, Concealment Angel would likely be watching closely, one openly and one covertly... Furthermore, if any royal Demigod were to meet with misfortune, George III would inevitably guess that someone wanted to prevent him from becoming a god..."
"By the way, ' White Witch ' Katarina is easier to deal with and less 'obvious' than the royal Demigod..."
"Well, theoretically speaking, George III, who has already received the tacit approval of several major churches, no longer needs to cooperate with the Demoness Sect, nor is it necessary. If it weren't for certain reasons that the two sides were already completely bound together, the first thing he would do now would be to sever ties with the Demoness Sect."
"Of course, He most likely wouldn't directly betray the Demoness Sect. On one hand, Witch are also skilled in intrigue and wouldn't be unprepared for this. On the other hand, if He angered the higher-ups of the ' Demoness Sect,' George III's ' Black Emperor ' ritual might not be so safe. After all, this is a Concealment organization with a true god, a '0' level Sealed Artifact, and Angel."
"As long as George III is still sane, the right thing to do is to deliver what is due as agreed, then send the Demoness Sect members away. During this process, the key memories of the Demoness Sect members should be erased with the help of the Angel in the mind realm and even the Angel King."
"In this way, even if the ' White Witch ' Katarina 'disappears' for a period of time, it will not arouse the vigilance of George III, and he will not even know about it."
"From the perspective of the Demoness Sect, the matter is over, and the major churches have tacitly approved it. The ' White Witch ' and the others no longer need to hide and avoid each other as they had for some time before, and can move around more freely. For me and the ' Mystery Queen,' this gives us an opportunity."
"Hmm, ' Vice Admiral Ailment ' will likely reappear. Judging from her appearance and the ' White Witch's' attitude back then, she and Katarina should be related by blood..."
Thinking of this, Klein sighed, turned his gaze to the window, and muttered to himself:
"Hopefully Anderson and Danitz can find that pirate general as soon as possible..."
"Hopefully, the ' City of Miracles ' in ' The Groselle's Travels ' can effectively counteract the influence of the mind realm..."
All he can do right now is wait patiently.
The Raging Sea, Seros Island.
Danitz said to Anderson with a delighted expression:
"I've heard some information: to the southwest of here, along an off-the-beaten-path shipping route, there's an island that's poorly stocked but Concealment enough."