Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

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Hobert first went to 192 Blanca Street, where he used the bestowed ritual to extract the Beyonder characteristic of the"Secrets Supplicant from the Nation of Disorder.

Afterward, he brought the Beyonder characteristic to the Mercenary Club. Like last week, he practiced shooting for a while and then had lunch in the club's restaurant.

People in the restaurant were discussing the recent surprise attack in the Southern Continent, but it seemed like they only knew of the victory, with no details on the outcome.

At 1 PM, Hobert followed his plan and attended the Beyonder gathering at the underground theater.

Unlike last time, Hobert didn't sit in the corner but chose a seat near the front. After the elder with the golden mask arrived, he didn't rush into making any deals, waiting instead for those looking for teammates to speak.

This time, Hobert was much closer to the elder in the golden mask and felt the pressure emanating from him, a sensation that resembled a Beyonder on the Arbiter Pathway.

It was highly likely that this elder was a member of the Loen royal family or a high-ranking noble. After all, the Loen royal family had strict control over their Beyonder characteristics, making it impossible for a wild high-sequence Arbiter to exist. If one did, they'd surely be hunted down, and that person wouldn't have the leisure to preside over a gathering here.

To Hobert's surprise, the person who had sought teammates for an excavation last week appeared again at the gathering: "We've encountered new complications. This ruin is more difficult to excavate than we thought. We lost two teammates and still haven't found any leads. Therefore, we're asking for higher-level Beyonders to join the excavation. As for how we'll divide the spoils from the ruin, we can discuss that in person. By the way, does anyone know Rex Heller?"

Hobert froze. How did his original body's biological father get brought into this?

At this moment, a middle-aged retired officer spoke up: "Commander Rex was a legendary figure in the 'Southern Continent Corps' more than twenty years ago, but he's been dead for 21 years. Why are you asking about him now?"

The person looking for high-level Beyonder teammates was surprised: "We saw a message left by Rex in the ruins. We thought he was from the Fourth Epoch!"

The retired officer continued: "I suggest you collaborate with Commander Christian. Commander Christian was Commander Rex's best friend, and I'm sure he'd be interested in the ruin. His eldest son is also attending this gathering—this gentleman here."

The officer pointed at Hobert, and many people turned to look at him.

Hobert politely stood up and said to the officer: "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. How do you know I'm his eldest son?"

"Because there's a family portrait on the Commander's desk," the officer replied. "I've seen your photo in it."

The person looking for teammates immediately asked Hobert: "Sir, would you like to join the excavation? I can guarantee your safety."

Hobert, of course, understood the implication and directly replied: "I'm sorry, I can't make decisions on behalf of my father, but I can pass along your request."

"This is my address." The person quickly wrote down an address and handed it to Hobert. "If the Commander is interested in collaborating, please inform me, and I'll come to visit immediately."

Hobert glanced at the address, noting the name Jacob Otto below it, and put away the slip of paper. "No problem."

The gathering continued, and after most people had made their trade requests, Hobert stood up and loudly said: "I have an item I obtained near a Beyonder's corpse. According to a friend's evaluation, it comes from a Secrets Supplicant. Does anyone need it?"

He deliberately avoided mentioning the term "Beyonder characteristic," pretending to be unaware of the "Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility."

Following the gathering's rules, Hobert repeated his statement in a loud voice and then stood waiting. If no one approached him within half a minute, the trade would be considered failed, and Hobert would sit down immediately. Others would then have the chance to initiate their trades.

Hobert only had to wait a few seconds before a man in his thirties, a military officer, stood up and said: "Name your price."

"320 pounds," Hobert immediately replied.

The man shook his head. "My friend, or should I say Commander Christian's son, the item you're holding is a Beyonder characteristic. Normally, a Sequence 9 characteristic is indeed worth that much, and some sought-after ones can sell for over 400 pounds. But I don't think anyone here wants to become a Secrets Supplicant.

"I plan to buy it to have someone craft a Beyonder item from it because this characteristic grants high intuition and greatly improves the success rate of ritualistic magic.

"280 pounds is a fair price."

Hobert countered, "How about 290 pounds? That way, you won't lose out, and we can become friends."

"Alright," the man agreed.

The man immediately counted out 290 pounds in cash, and Hobert handed over the Beyonder characteristic. After verifying it, the trade was complete.

With so much cash on hand, Hobert considered going to the bank to open an account and deposit the money.

After the gathering, Hobert sat in the lounge and wrote a letter to Xio, arranging to meet her at the law firm the next day to "split the spoils."

Once home, Hobert took 10 pounds from the 290 pounds as a commission for selling the Beyonder characteristic, setting aside the remaining 280 pounds.

After dinner, Hobert informed Christian of the team request from the gathering. Christian only gave a faint "Got it" and said nothing further.

A new week began. As agreed, Xio arrived at the law firm where Hobert worked. However, Fors was still a bit uneasy, so she accompanied Xio.

Hobert found a reception room and first took out 80 pounds in cash. "This is from the sale of the 'mutated eyeball.'"

Then he took out 280 pounds. "This is from selling the Beyonder characteristic. I took a 5-pound and 10-pound commission from each transaction for the risk I took in fencing them. I hope Miss Xio doesn't mind?"

Seeing the two stacks of cash, Xio couldn't help but show a delighted expression. "Not at all. So I get...?"

"180 pounds." Hobert split the cash evenly. "I hope we can work together again in the future!"

Xio replied, "We definitely will!"

With this, she was one step closer to affording the Sheriff potion formula.

Fors thought to herself: He actually split the spoils equally with Xio. Seems like he's a reliable friend after all.

During the investigation of Zachary and Heyman, Xio had indeed contributed less than Hobert.

After Xio put away the money, she glanced at her friend and hesitantly asked: "Hobert, if—just hypothetically—I wanted to consult you about some mysticism knowledge, what would your fee be?"

Hobert was momentarily surprised, then smiled. "We're members of the 'Justice League,' so we should help each other.

"I'm heading to the countryside soon to gather some intel, and a reliable companion would be more than welcome.

"If you want mysticism knowledge, as long as it's within my scope of knowledge, I'll explain it in detail. The only payment I ask is that Miss Xio accompany me on my intel-gathering trip."

Xio immediately agreed, "No problem. We'll discuss what we want to ask you later."