Chapter 57: Each Person’s Monday

Chapter 57: Each Person’s Monday

Nine-thirty in the morning, Iron Gate Street in the Backlund Bridge area, Bravehearts Bar.

After stepping down from his carriage, Emlyn White stood rooted in place, staring blankly ahead, nearly forgetting to dodge the sunlight.

At that moment, the bar’s front door was firmly shut, showing no sign that it intended to open.

As a Sanguine who rarely went out during the day and had only entered this kind of bar a few times at night, Emlyn had never considered that the place would not open in the morning. The moment he finished reading the note, he had excitedly turned around and left the Harvest Church, taking public transportation here in the hope of obtaining the intelligence as quickly as possible.

To save time, he had even endured the cramped environment and unpleasant smell of the steam metro.

At that instant, Emlyn felt somewhat angry, yet he also clearly knew that the mistake was his own. He could only keep his face stiff, slowly circle Iron Gate Street, and prove that he had not come for nothing.

Just as he was about to approach a rental carriage parked by the roadside, from the corner of his eye he suddenly glimpsed a familiar figure.

The other party wore a brown round hat and an old overcoat, carrying a shabby satchel on his back. It was the black-market arms and intelligence merchant Ian.

Heh-heh. My intuition really is accurate. I knew he would show up this early!

Emlyn’s anger turned into joy. Hands in his pockets, he leisurely walked over, blocking Ian’s path. With a light chuckle, he said, “Good morning.”

Ian looked up at the handsome man before him, slightly surprised, and replied, “Good morning, Mr. White. You were supposed to come in the evening.”

“Now also seems quite suitable.” Emlyn smiled in a good mood. “Ian, why is it that every time I see you, you’re wearing the same clothes and dressed in a similar way?”

Ian said without much concern, “It makes me look more mature, and very unobtrusive.

“Of course, the main reason is that I don’t have money.”

He added the last sentence in a joking tone.

“I look forward to seeing you wear that in summer too,” Emlyn said with a snort of laughter.

“Then I will take off the coat.” As Ian spoke, he removed two sheets of paper from his old satchel. They were the “wanted notices” Emlyn had previously given him. “Someone in the East Borough has seen this person.”

He handed one sheet to Emlyn. The person marked upon it was Argos.

Seeing that there was truly a clue to a believer of the Primordial Moon, Emlyn asked delightedly, “Where is he?”

Ian did not answer. He simply looked at him with a silent smile.

Already experienced, Emlyn immediately took out his wallet, counted out 150 pounds, and gave it to the other man.

“This is your payment.”

Ian smiled and said, “Still short by half.”

“Still short by half?” Emlyn nearly wanted to teach the black-market arms and intelligence merchant before him the might of the Sanguine, because the original agreement had been twenty pounds for an effective clue, and one hundred fifty pounds for a confirmed location.

However, he quickly grasped the meaning hidden in Ian’s words and asked back in surprise, “You found another one?”

“Yes.” Ian handed over the remaining paper. “While my friend was observing Argos and confirming his residence, he discovered that Argos met with this gentleman named Galis Kevin. Therefore, we have grasped the residences of both targets at the same time.”

“…Very good.” Emlyn emptied his wallet and scraped together another 150 pounds for Ian.

He felt exceptionally pleased, believing that both the Ancestor and Mr. Fool were blessing him. There had only been five targets in this batch. He had already hunted one, and now he had obtained clues to two more. As long as he succeeded, regardless of how the other Sanguine performed, he could declare himself the final victor.

Ian seriously counted and checked the banknotes, then lowered his voice and said, “Argos is on the third floor of the apartment at 6 Graystone Street in the East Borough, opposite the public washroom.

“Galis Kevin is also in the East Borough. He lives at 19 Whitewhale Street, in the room on the first floor near the staircase.”

“I will verify your intelligence. I believe you would not abandon your business here for a mere three hundred pounds.” Emlyn gave a light nod, half warning and half reminding him. Then he chuckled. “Why were they found so easily?”

Ian’s red eyes shifted slightly as he glanced left and right.

“First, many bounty hunters are my friends. They have an extensive network of informants in the East Borough.

“Second, the disguises of those two gentlemen are not good enough. They are in the East Borough, yet they are fairly conspicuous compared to the people around them. If they were willing to change into ragged clothes and do more than twelve hours of hard labor every day, then I believe they would be very difficult to discover in the chaotic East Borough.”

So that is how it is. To hide yourself, you have to pay attention to the differences in environment…

Emlyn silently muttered, feeling that he had learned another technique.

He did not plan to go to the East Borough immediately. Taking action during the day, even if he succeeded, would make it extremely difficult to retreat without causing any disturbance. In Backlund, that was quite dangerous behavior. It meant that he might have just slipped back home when Mandated Punishers or Nighthawks came knocking.

Emlyn planned to come after the Tarot Gathering, between eight and nine in the evening, and decide when to act depending on the situation.

The previous believer of the Primordial Moon was fairly strong. These two should not be weak either. I am confident, but if I rely only on myself, it still feels not steady enough…

Thinking over the problem, Emlyn waved goodbye to Ian and took a rental carriage back toward the South Borough of the Bridge.

…

Storn City, capital of East Chester County.

Audrey stood behind the railing, watching male and female servants place the items she had brought from the family castle in their proper positions. The scene was lively but orderly, not chaotic at all.

Later, send someone to Associate Professor Michel and tell him I will visit the Antiquities Collection and Preservation Foundation tomorrow… I hope they have already obtained some items connected to the supernatural…

Audrey’s thoughts drifted for a while, and the corners of her lips could not help curving upward, proud of her original decision to donate funds and establish the foundation.

Her beautiful, jewel-like green eyes shifted, catching sight of the time on the wall clock. She hurriedly restrained her thoughts and turned back into her bedroom.

In a corner of the bedroom, the golden retriever Susie was lying on the ground, her forelegs crossed with a very elegant air.

Before her lay an open book, densely filled with line after line of words.

From time to time, Susie raised one foreleg, nudging the page so the book would turn. She read with great seriousness.

Every time I see Susie like this, I feel a little ashamed… Audrey, you must not slacken in your studies!

Audrey encouraged herself, then slowly approached, preparing to have Susie stand guard outside the door.

Susie raised her head, glanced at Audrey, and nimbly stood.

“I understand!”

After saying that, she trotted lightly out of the bedroom, not forgetting to close the door.

“…I haven’t even said anything yet.” Audrey blinked and murmured softly.

She had given similar instructions many times already. To avoid letting Susie notice that every Monday afternoon from three to half past three, Audrey would remain alone in her room and allow neither humans nor dogs to approach, she had deliberately done similar things at other times as well—pretending there was a gathering, pretending she needed solitude, and keeping the pattern deliberately irregular.

I have to say, Susie’s existence has effectively raised my motivation to study, my efficiency, and the rigor with which I handle matters… I cannot allow myself to be worse than a dog! But being better than a dog does not sound like praise either…

Audrey self-mockingly puffed her cheeks, sat down on the edge of the bed, and waited for the Tarot Gathering to begin.

…

Three o’clock in the afternoon, above the gray fog.

Beams of deep crimson light rose simultaneously on both sides of the long bronze table and quickly solidified into blurred figures.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~” Justice Audrey stood and curtsied in a cheerful voice.

The other members greeted Him one after another, receiving a nod in response from the existence at the head of the mottled long table.

As she sat, the Magician Fors could not help glancing at Mr. World at the very bottom, thinking about how she ought to begin speaking later.

Besides conveying her teacher’s answer to Madam Hermit, she had several things she wished to do. First, she wanted to tell Mr. World that, given the difficulty of the task, she could provide additional payment, though it would require some time because selling houses was never very quick. Second, after repeated thought, she had come up with a good method that could both earn money and improve her own strength. It was inspired by the World’s actions:

Renting out Leymano’s Travels!

When a member needed a similar item to temporarily increase their combat strength and handle certain situations, they could rent Leymano’s Travels from her. The rent would be divided into two parts. One part was cash, which would not be too expensive. The other part would be paid in recorded Beyonder abilities. In other words, the renter had to promise that when the magic book was returned, it would contain several more completed pages.

Of course, as the provider, Fors would record useful Apprentice abilities such as Door Opening in the book first, allowing the renter to receive corresponding help.

The most likely problem with this transaction was that the renter might not return it. However, within the Tarot Club, with Mr. Fool as witness, Fors believed no one would be greedy and foolish enough to do such a thing.

As for accidents like the renter dying and Leymano’s Travels being lost, those were low-probability events. Now that everyone knew they could request Mr. Fool’s help at critical moments, they were low-probability events within low-probability events!

How can doing business carry no risk at all… Later, I should also communicate with Mr. World and confirm the time period he wants to use it, so there won’t be any conflict…

Fors withdrew her gaze and heard Madam Hermit speak.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, I have two pages of Roselle’s diary this time.”

Ever since she established contact with the Queen of Mysteries, the acquisition of diary pages has become frighteningly stable…

Klein gave a slight nod and chuckled softly.

“Very good.”

After a brief silence, the Hermit Cattleya manifested two yellow-brown pages and watched as they jumped, as if traversing the spirit world, into Mr. Fool’s palm.

Klein then slowly lowered his gaze and looked at the diary in his hand:

“December 29th. It is almost a new year again.

“All the mausoleums have been completed. There is no turning back once the bow has been drawn.”