9:30 a. m., Backlund Bridge Area, Iron Gate Street, Bravehearts Bar.
Emlyn White stepped down from the carriage and stood frozen in place, staring blankly ahead, almost forgetting to dodge the sunlight.
At this moment, the bar's main entrance remained firmly closed, showing no sign of opening.
As a Sanguine rarely ventured out and had only frequented bars a few times at night, Emlyn never imagined that the place wouldn't Door Opening in the morning. After reading the note, he excitedly turned around and left the Harvest Church, taking transportation to get here as soon as possible, hoping to obtain the information as soon as possible.
To save time, he even endured the cramped environment and unpleasant smell of the Steam subway.
At that moment, Emlyn was a little angry, but he knew clearly that he was the one who had made a mistake. He could only keep a straight face and slowly walk around Iron Gate Street to show that his trip had not been in vain.
Just as he was about to approach a horse-drawn carriage parked on the side of the street, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
The man, wearing a brown Round Tower hat, an old overcoat, and carrying a tattered satchel, was none other than Ian, a black market arms and intelligence dealer.
"Heh heh, my intuition is still pretty accurate! I knew he'd show up so early!" Emlyn's anger turned to delight. He put his hands in his pockets, strolled over, stood in front of Ian, and chuckled softly.
Good morning.
Ian glanced up at the handsome man in front of him, and replied with slight surprise:
"Good morning, Mr. White. You should have arrived in the evening."
"It seems appropriate now," Emlyn said with a good mood. " Ian, why do you always wear the same clothes and dress similarly whenever I see you?"
Ian said nonchalantly:
"This makes me appear more mature and low-key."
"Of course, the main reason is that I don't have money."
He added the last sentence in a joking tone.
"I'd love to see you dress like this in the summer," Emlyn scoffed.
"Then I'll take off my coat." Ian said, taking two pieces of paper from his worn-out satchel—the "wanted poster" Emlyn had given him earlier. "Someone saw this man in the East Borough."
He handed one of the papers to Emlyn, which was marked Argos.
Upon seeing a genuine clue about followers of the " The Moon Primordial," Emlyn:
Where is he?
Ian didn't answer, just looked at him and smiled without saying a word.
Emlyn, already experienced, immediately took out his wallet, counted out 150 pounds, and gave it to the other party.
"This is your payment."
Ian smiled and said:
"Halfway there."
"Still halfway there?" Emlyn almost wanted to show the black market arms and intelligence dealer in front of him the power of the Sanguine, because the original agreement was 20 pounds for a valid lead and 150 pounds for a location lock.
However, he quickly grasped the other party's hidden meaning and asked in surprise:
"You found another one?"
"Yes." Ian handed over the remaining piece of paper. "My friend, while observing Argos and pinpointing his residence, discovered that he had met with this Mr. Galis Kevin. So, we now have information on the locations of two targets."
"... Very good." Emlyn emptied his wallet and gave Ian another 150 pounds.
He was in an unusually high mood, feeling that both the Progenitor and Mr. The Fool were protecting him. There were only five targets in this group, and he had already hunted one. Now he had obtained clues about the other two. As long as he succeeded, no matter how the other Sanguine did, he could declare himself the ultimate victor.
Ian carefully counted and checked the banknotes, then lowered his voice and said:
" Argos is on the third floor of the apartment building at No. 6 Graystone Street in the East Borough, opposite the communal restroom."
" Galis Kevin also lives in the East Borough, at 19 Beluga Street, in the room on the first floor near the stairs."
"I'll verify your intelligence. I trust you won't give up this business for a mere 300 pounds." Emlyn nodded slightly, speaking with a mix of warning and reminder, then chuckled, "How could they be found so easily?"
Ian's red eyes flickered slightly as he glanced left and right and said:
"First, many bounty Hunter are my friends, and they have extensive informants in the East Borough."
"Secondly, those two gentlemen's disguise wasn't good enough. Although they were in the East Borough, they were noticeably different from the people around them. If they were willing to wear tattered clothes and do more than 12 hours of hard labor every day, I believe they would have been hard to spot in the chaotic East Borough."
"I see," Emlyn muttered to himself, feeling he had learned a new skill. "To hide yourself, you have to be mindful of the different environments."
He didn't plan to go to the East Borough right now, because even if he succeeded during the day, it would be difficult to leave without making a sound, which was quite dangerous in Backlund. It meant that he might be confronted by the " Mandated Punishers " or the " Nighthawks " as soon as he sneaked back home.
Emlyn will come over between 8 and 9 pm after the Tarot Gathering, and decide when to take action depending on the situation.
The previous follower of the " The Moon Primordial " was quite powerful, and these two should be no less so. Although I am confident, I still feel it's not safe enough to rely on myself alone... Emlyn waved goodbye to Ian while pondering the problem, and took a taxi back towards the Bridge South Borough.
City of Stoen, the capital of East Chester County.
Audrey stood behind the railing, watching the male and female servants arrange the items they had brought from the family castle in their proper places. The scene was lively yet orderly, not chaotic at all.
I'll send someone to Associate Professor Michelle later to tell him that I'll be visiting the Antiquities Collection and Preservation Foundation tomorrow... I hope they've already acquired some items that are somewhat extraordinary... Audrey's thoughts wandered for a while, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, proud of her decision to donate funds to establish the Foundation.
Her beautiful, jewel-like emerald eyes darted around and caught sight of the time on the wall clock. She quickly suppressed her thoughts, turned around, and went back to her bedroom.
In a corner of the bedroom, Susie, a golden retriever, was lying on the floor with her front paws crossed, exuding an elegant charm.
In front of it lay an open book, its pages densely covered with lines of words.
Susie would occasionally lift one of her front legs and nudge the pages of the book, looking very attentive.
Every time I see Susie like this, I feel a little ashamed... Audrey, you can't slack off on your studies! Audrey encouraged herself, slowly approaching Susie to stand guard outside the door.
Susie raised her head, glanced at Audrey, and stood up briskly, saying:
"I see!"
After saying that, it trotted out of the bedroom with light steps, not forgetting to close the door.
"... I haven't said anything yet," Audrey blinked and muttered to herself.
She had given similar instructions many times. In order to prevent Susie from noticing that she would stay alone in her room every Monday afternoon from 3:00 to 3:30, keeping people and dogs away, she deliberately did similar things at other times as well, pretending to have parties, pretending to be alone, and maintaining a routine of chaos.
I have to say, Susie's presence effectively improved my motivation, efficiency, and meticulousness in handling things... I can't let myself be worse than a dog! But being better than a dog doesn't seem like a compliment... Audrey puffed out her cheeks self-deprecatingly, sat down on the edge of the bed, and waited for the Tarot Gathering to begin.
3 PM, above the Gray Fog.
A series of deep red figures rose simultaneously from both sides of the bronze table, then solidified into a blurred state.
"Good afternoon, Mr. The Fool, Justice," Audrey said in a light tone as she rose and bowed.
The other members followed suit, and each received a nod in response from the person at the head of the long, weathered table.
As he sat down, " Magician " Fors couldn't help but glance at Mr. "World" at the bottom, wondering how he should start the conversation.
Besides relaying the teacher's answer to the " The Hermit " lady, she also planned to do a few things. First, she would tell the "World" gentleman that, given the difficulty of the task, she could add a reward, but it would take some time, as houses don't always sell quickly. Second, after much thought, she came up with a good way to both earn money and improve her own strength, Spirit Intuition by the "World's" actions: renting out " Lemano's Travel Notes "!
When a member needs a similar item to temporarily boost their combat power to deal with certain situations, they can rent " Lemano's Travel Notes " from her. The rental fee is divided into two parts: one part is cash, which is not too expensive, and the other part is in lieu of the extraordinary abilities Record. In other words, the renter must promise that when the magic book is returned, there will be a few more pages written in it.
Of course, as the provider, Fors will Record the " Apprentice's" useful abilities, such as " Door Opening," so that renters can receive corresponding assistance.
The most problematic aspect of this transaction is that the lessee might not return it, but with Mr. The Fool as a witness in the Tarot Club, Fors believes no one would be greedy and foolish.
The death of the renter and the loss of " Lemano's Travel Notes " are rare occurrences, and with everyone knowing that one can ask Mr. The Fool for help in times of crisis, the probability becomes even lower!
How can there be no risk in doing business...? I need to communicate with Mr. "World" later to confirm the time period he wants to use it, to avoid any conflicts... Fors looked away and heard Ms. " The Hermit " speak:
"Dear ' The Fool,' this time there are two pages of Roselle's Diary."
Since making contact with the " Mystery Queen," the acquisition of the diary has been frighteningly consistent... Klein nodded slightly and chuckled softly:
"Very good."
After a brief silence, " The Hermit " Cattleya materialized two yellowish-brown sheets of paper, watching them leap into " The Fool's" palm with Spirit World Traversal- like motion.
Klein then slowly lowered his gaze to the diary in his hand:
December 29th, another new year is almost here.
"All the mausoleums have been completed; there's no turning back now."
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday.