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Currently, there are three witches in this warehouse: Sherman, or rather, Shermane, trained by Trissy to get close to Viscount Stratford.
One is Trissy, who is focused on investigating Edessak's death.
One is "Saintess of White" Katarina Pelle, who is using Viscount Stratford to find and hunt Trissy.
At this moment, Hobert, wearing a mask made from "Order Crystals", entered openly through the warehouse door.
Xio, also wearing a mask, followed closely behind. Although her shoe inserts significantly increased her height, she still appeared much shorter than Hobert.
After Katarina saw Hobert, a mirror appeared before her, and she immediately prepared to escape through the "Mirror World"!
Katarina certainly didn't recognize that it was Hobert or a Beyonder of the "Creator", but because the Demoness Sect had currently become like a startled bird.
If it weren't for a mission like capturing Trissy, which absolutely had to be completed, she would definitely continue to lie low, minimizing or completely avoiding appearances.
But Katarina found that she couldn't enter the mirror. At this moment, Trissy suddenly became illusory. She looked at Hobert and revealed a sweet smile: "I wish you success!"
In an instant, she turned into an illusory mirror and shattered instantly.
It turned out she wasn't here in person, but was merely using a mirror to maintain her image.
Hobert used the "0-71" Calamity Porcelain Doll to completely cut off the surrounding "Mirror World", and the power maintaining her image was also interrupted.
At the same time, Katarina also had no way to escape from the "Mirror World" or use Beyonder abilities related to mirrors.
"Tampering!" Hobert tampered with the density of molecules in the air, forming a massive crushing force against Katarina.
The tampering and distortion at the molecular level was an attack method unique to Hobert, developed by referencing some of Rex's research.
The reason it's called "unique" is because although scientists in the Northern Continent already had the concept of molecules, Hobert, who had taken chemistry classes, knew more comprehensive knowledge about molecules than these scientists.
It was also precisely because Rex's understanding of molecules wasn't very profound that he only had some conjectures and research, only able to provide Hobert with a very good idea.
Bang~
The graceful body of the "Saintess of White" was replaced by a staff.
Facing the sudden pressure from the air, Katarina cautiously used her "Staff Substitute" ability to evade. But she quickly discovered that the substitute, which could originally be completed instantly, now required about 1.5 seconds to complete.
This was an experience Hobert summarized from dealing with Beyonders of the "Witch" pathway before, using the "Exploitation" ability to delay their substitution process, making the various "Substitution Techniques" that were most troublesome for witches change from instant completion to slow completion. This, on the contrary, was a good opportunity for attack.
Hobert extended his hand and pushed forward abruptly, using the abilities of "Magnification", "Tampering", and "Distortion" consecutively, causing the force of his push to instantly transmit onto Katarina, making her seem like she was hit by a large-caliber shell, and her entire body tumbled into mid-air.
But because of Hobert's continuous "Distortion" on her, Katarina only tumbled in place. After those 1.5 seconds passed, strands of spider silk appeared in mid-air, which allowed her to stabilize her form and evade Hobert's attack.
Katarina glanced at Hobert with some surprise, pondering how to escape.
She realized that the enemy before her's application of abilities related to the "Lawyer" pathway had reached an outrageous level.
Moreover, she also felt suppression from a higher Sequence, speculating that the enemy held a Sealed Artifact of the Angel level from the "Witch" pathway. First, she realized that the effect of her own attacks would definitely be very limited.
Not only that, it also greatly restricted her own abilities; for example, all magic related to mirrors was unusable.
Next, she guessed that this was very likely a Beyonder from the "Creator" faction. The Sealed Artifact in his hand should have come from the previous South Colsoncant Beyonder battle, a Sealed Artifact formed from the fallen Angel of the Demoness Sect.
Based on these speculations, Katarina now only had the thought of escaping.
In a corner of the warehouse, Viscount Stratford saw Katarina fleeing somewhat awkwardly, which was somewhat unbelievable. He was very clear how strong this beautiful "Witch" was.
At the same time, Xio helped Shermane loosen the spider silk binding her. Shermane's beautiful eyes were misty as she questioned Viscount Stratford: "Everything you told me before was a lie, right?"
Viscount Stratford came back to his senses and smiled mockingly, "I can only say you are a naive witch."
Xio, wearing a mask, radiated an aura of anger. She raised her left hand: "Psychic Pierce!"
She wore a black glove on her left hand. That was the "1-107" Hobert frequently used before, a Sealed Artifact that allowed the wielder to use "Imperative Mage" abilities for three minutes.
Viscount Stratford immediately revealed a look of extreme pain and distortion. At this moment, he felt like someone was stirring his brain with a barbed iron rod.
Intense pain and mental damage made him kneel on the ground, while wailing, he took out a verdigris-covered cross with trembling hands.
He was about to pierce his finger to let blood flow out when Xio used the "Whipping" ability again.
Each strike of the Demigod-level "Whipping" was deep enough to expose bone. Viscount Stratford could barely hold the cross in his hand and had no strength left to pierce his finger.
Shermane turned her head away, unable to bear watching further. She mustered her courage and said to Xio: "Let him go."
Although she was wearing knight's attire and her height had changed, she still recognized that the person wearing a mask and avenging her was Xio.
Viscount Stratford immediately showed a grateful expression, but Shermane said: "I truly regret wasting my feelings on a scoundrel like you."
At this moment, Hobert not far away, while attacking Katarina with Beyonder powers, said coldly: "You will regret the decision to let him go immediately."
Almost as soon as Hobert finished speaking, Viscount Stratford, free from the "Psychic Pierce" and "Whipping" attacks, his eyes turned ruthless. He squeezed hard, piercing his finger with a few sharp points on the cross. The blood on the cross made it look exceptionally sacred. "Sunlight!"
Above his head appeared a pure sphere of light wrapped in countless holy flames.
Xio, who had been prepared, immediately said, "Banishment!"
What she banished was the huge pure fireball. At the same time, she drew her gun with the other hand and used an enchanted revolver to fire all six bullets.
Xio's marksmanship had always been excellent, and it was close-range shooting. All six bullets hit.
Even though the opponent was a "Disciplinary Knight", he was heavily wounded by the six enchanted bullets.
Xio stepped forward and raised her left hand again: "Psychic Pierce!"
"Ah~" Viscount Stratford's scream echoed in the warehouse again, only this time the scream gradually became weaker.
On the other side, on the Saint-level battlefield, Hobert, holding the "Calamity Porcelain Doll", had an absolute advantage. Katarina attempted to escape several times, but all attempts failed.
Hobert pressed forward step by step, unhurriedly. He "tampered" with the structure of water molecules around Katarina, turning them into hydrogen and oxygen gas molecules. Katarina's skin, which originally looked lustrous and elastic, immediately became dry and wrinkled.
She ignited black flames, wanting to incinerate Hobert's Beyonder attack.
But she quickly discovered that the black flames, which had been very effective against some strange Beyonder abilities before, surprisingly couldn't suppress the loss of water from her body.
This was because Hobert's tampering wasn't entirely a Beyonder attack. This was a "tampering" with the fundamental order of nature. It was as if all the water in her body decomposed at this moment, only then conforming to the relevant physical laws!
This was an attack that terrified Katarina. She could feel her body and organs gradually failing. Having no choice, she immediately used the "Puppet Substitution" technique.
Just like the previous time she used the substitution technique, in the following 1.5 seconds, she once again suffered Hobert's attack without any ability to retaliate.
Hobert waved his hand and once again "tampered" with the structure of hydrogen molecules around Katarina.
Whoosh~
A large fireball suddenly formed in the warehouse, and Katarina was immediately enveloped by the massive fireball.
"Magnification!" Hobert realized from the previous round of attacks that the "Witch" pathway was also quite resilient. So this time, he simply changed physical attacks into high-temperature attacks.
As the flames of the fire gradually turned redder, Katarina finally completed the "substitution" process.
Black flames ignited around her, immediately burning a large black hole around the flames maintained by Hobert, and she herself immediately emerged from the flames.
Hobert stared closely at Katarina and "distorted" her position with that of the "Substitute Puppet" she had just thrown out.
And that puppet was still in the flames, so Katarina was once again surrounded by deep red flames, while the ignited puppet fell to the ground, and the flames on it extinguished instantly.
As the flames turned deep red, it meant that under Hobert's continuous "Tampering" and "Magnification", the temperature around the flames had already reached several hundred degrees Celsius!
In the warehouse, Xio and Shermane were both parched by the scorching flames. Both looked at the beautiful ball of fire before them with some surprise, and at the same time marveled that the battle between Demigods had exceeded their imagination.
Xio realized it was very dangerous to stay here any longer. So she dragged the unconscious Viscount Stratford, pulled the still somewhat dazed Shermane along, and immediately burst through a hole in the warehouse wall to escape.
Whoosh~
As soon as the hole in the wall opened, a strong gust of wind immediately flowed in.
That was the oxygen from the surrounding five kilometers that Hobert was extracting. Even if Xio hadn't sensed the danger, Hobert would still have to remind them to leave, because next, this would be a space with an extremely high oxygen content.
Black flames reappeared on the orange-red flames controlled by Hobert. Her whole body was bright red, like a cooked lobster. Katarina, who was steaming all over, once again emerged from the flames!
As the color of the flames changed again, the temperature around them had reached seven to eight hundred degrees Celsius.
At this moment, crackling sounds echoed around. Strands of very fine spider silk were ignited and burned through.
That was the spider silk Katarina had secretly laid down while constantly dodging just now. She had originally planned that once there was enough spider silk, she would trap Hobert to buy herself one or two seconds of escape time.
At this moment, Katarina was also somewhat surprised. In her memory, spider silk at the Demigod level could not be burned through by ordinary flames!
Hobert, standing in place, suddenly brought his two separated hands together. He strengthened the "connection" between Katarina and the "Puppet Substitute" she had thrown out earlier.
On the puppet that had already been baked very dry, orange-red flames immediately ignited. At the same time, on Katarina, who was closely connected to the puppet, flames of the same color also ignited. She was once again surrounded by flames created by Hobert, infused with immense spirituality.
Consecutive attacks made Hobert realize that using burning and high temperature was most suitable for dealing with "Witches". Both spider silk and hair are things that are relatively afraid of fire.
Although they had been enhanced by Beyonder powers, the essential flammability of spider silk and hair still remained.
So Hobert continued with "Tampering", "Distortion", and "Magnification"!
The entire warehouse became as hot as a furnace. The goods inside were ignited one by one, and the flames on them quickly turned orange-red.
Because at this moment, the warehouse contained a large amount of oxygen, and Hobert was still continuing to "purify" the combustion agent for the flames.
So Xio and Shermane, who had already run far away, tried hard to breathe in large gulps, but it was as if there was no air around. No matter how hard they tried to breathe, their lungs sent strong demands for oxygen.
It wasn't until a thick mass of white mist appeared in the sea near the dock and instantly drifted towards the warehouse that the two Beyonders, who had fainted several times from lack of oxygen, seemed to come back to life.
That was because Hobert found that the pure orange flame, formed by gathering oxygen from a five-kilometer radius, still couldn't burn Katarina to death, so he simply had a large amount of water molecules in the nearby sea decompose into hydrogen and oxygen, and had the decomposed oxygen molecules instantly rush into the warehouse.
Katarina, covered in a layer of crystal-like ice, emerged from the flames again. At this point, she was in a very sorry state, her hair curled from the heat, and her clothes as fragile as cardboard that had been left in the sun for many years.
Although protected by the crystal ice, her body had started to show some signs of melting.
After all, the flame had reached about a thousand degrees Celsius at this point, a temperature higher than the melting point of many metals.
As the oxygen molecules from the sea arrived, the flames in the warehouse turned golden-orange, and the temperature rose again. Katarina showed an extremely pained expression; she was constantly trying to use Beyonder powers to create frost around her to lower the temperature.
But the frost that just appeared immediately turned into gas. At this temperature, the crystal-like ice covering Katarina's body also began to melt.
As the ice receded, Katarina was immediately ignited. Amidst screams, she used her various 'Substitution' abilities to try and escape her current predicament.
But whether she used a cane, a straw doll, or a puppet for substitution, Katarina couldn't escape the fate of being burned!
Katarina in the flames stared intently at Hobert. At this moment, she was extremely unwilling. This "Demoness of Unaging," whose body had also undergone a qualitative change, couldn't believe that she would be burned to death by "ordinary" flames!
Of course, this flame was actually not ordinary at all. Flames of such high temperature could only be found in some special furnaces. Hobert used his Beyonder ability to make it appear in an open warehouse.
But it was indeed not a Beyonder flame! It had no damage from the Beyonder domain; it was just performing its "instinct," burning everything!
The light in Katarina's eyes quickly faded, her head burned into charcoal.
Hobert, whose face was also roasted orange-red and was breathing heavily, suddenly smiled slightly. The application of his Beyonder abilities just now was truly exhilarating! It was incredibly satisfying!
But at this moment, he knew full well that this battle was not over!
Hobert quickly threw out a beautiful black gem-like charm: "Connect!"
This was one of the preparations he made after Xio prayed to "The Creator." He created an Angel-level charm with the ability to "Connect"!
This charm, in addition to requiring black iron of excellent quality, also needed spiritual materials at the Angel level.
Hobert used a portion of the blood from the "Black Scaled Emperor Crystal Beast" inherited from Rex and utilized the authority of "The Nation of Disorder" to successfully create this charm.
An Angel-level charm of the "Lawyer" Pathway looked like a long, rectangular black gem, appearing dazzling and very beautiful.
As the charm transformed into illusory black symbols, Hobert severed the "Connection" between Katarina and her resurrection arrangements.
Just like the situation encountered during the South Colson Beyonder battle before, Katarina's soul was like a wanderer who had lost its dwelling place, lingering beside her charred corpse and letting out sharp shrieks!
Hobert, who was already prepared, drew his rapier and stabbed the Saintess of White's spirit body. This was her weakest moment, and it burst like a bubble.
This core figure of the Demoness Sect thus died in a burning warehouse.
Hobert took her Beyonder Characteristic, carried away a piece of her charred body, then used the "Distort" ability to crush her body, which was then carried away by a "Magnified" gust of wind and scattered throughout the entire dock area.
At this point, the flames in the warehouse, without the high-concentration accelerant, returned to their normal color.
Hobert waved his hand, causing the temperature in the warehouse to rapidly decrease, dropping below the ignition point of the flames.
When the surrounding people were attracted by the firelight to put out the fire, the flames had already been completely extinguished. Everyone worked together to open the badly burned door, and a cold wind rushed in. September was still one of the warmer months in Backlund, but everyone shivered from the cold.
On the cargo boxes in the warehouse, there was actually a thin layer of white frost?
This left everyone stunned. Wasn't there a fire? How did a layer of white frost burn out?
In the darkness, a very sweet voice suddenly let out a pleasant laugh: "Hehe, a 'Frenzied Mage'!"
...
Hobert caught up with Xio and Shermane by "Distorting" their positions.
Then, using "Distort," he instantly took them away from the dock area and quickly arrived at a forest on the outskirts of Backlund.
Hobert glanced at Viscount Stratford: "Not dead yet?"
Xio was about to say something, but Hobert had already waved his hand and distorted the Viscount's neck through the air.
"I, I..." Xio finally said, "I still wanted to ask him a few questions."
Shermane, who was standing nearby, remained silent, her expression unchanged.
Hobert, however, said, "Psychic Piercing is more reliable than asking questions."
As he spoke, he drew his rapier from his cane again, grabbed at Viscount Stratford, and pulled up a spirit body of Viscount Stratford, who looked pained and somewhat illusory.
Hobert gave Xio a look.
Xio stepped forward and asked, "Do you know Mason Dere?"
Based on some clues, she had investigated and found that this Viscount Stratford seemed to have some connection to her father's death. While tracking this Viscount and continuing her investigation, she saw Shermane, who had already become a woman, being taken to the warehouse at the dock.
Xio's spirituality naturally sensed the danger in the warehouse, but out of concern for her friend, she thought of asking "The Creator" for help.
In Xio's view, aside from liking men and wanting to be a woman, Shermane was quite reliable in other respects.
Shermane had several times preferred to take significant risks or face considerable bounties rather than betray Xio, making her one of Xio's more trusted friends.
"Yes, I know him." At this point, without the pained expression but appearing blank, Stratford answered emotionlessly.
Xio had experience with Psychic Piercing and started by asking some relatively simple questions: "Who is he?"
Actually, she didn't need to, because the rapier in Hobert's hand was of extremely high authority, and there was no need to follow such rules.
Stratford replied, "He was the former Captain of the Royal Guard."
Xio took a deep breath, masking the complex emotions of excitement, anticipation, and fear in her heart: "What did Mason Dere die from?"
This was the question she had wanted to ask for eight years. For these eight years, she had been searching for the answer every moment, yet she was also afraid that the answer wasn't what she wanted, afraid that her father had indeed participated in that rebellion and was therefore executed.
Viscount Stratford did not immediately answer Xio's question, as if struggling for a moment.
Hobert injected more spirituality into the rapier, and it immediately emitted a chilling, pale white light.
Stratford, who had a high hairline, immediately stopped struggling: "He discovered His Majesty the King's secret and failed to notify the three major Churches; he was executed on the spot!"
Xio was stunned for several seconds before she seemed to understand the answer.
Although this answer frightened her, it made her anxious heart return to its original place.
"His Majesty the King's secret?" Xio muttered softly to herself, then asked, "What secret?"
At this point, Viscount Stratford struggled slightly again, then said with a blank gaze, "That secret is..."
Suddenly, his spirit body trembled violently, and his confused eyes regained their focus.
Immediately afterward, the spirit body and body in front of Hobert and the others suddenly completely disintegrated, turning into a powdery state.
These powders suddenly tumbled, as if about to explode.
Hobert immediately took action, using the "Disorder" ability to interrupt the explosion process.
Thus, on the ground in front of them, only a pile of colored powder and a "Disciplinary Knight" Beyonder Characteristic remained.
Hobert waved his hand, and the Beyonder Characteristic appeared in his palm.
He said to Xio, "I will keep this for you until you accumulate enough merit to exchange for the advancement Beyonder Characteristic here.
"But before that, to prevent the royal family from leaving a mark on the Characteristic, some processing is needed."
Xio nodded: "Thank you."
Hobert raised his hand again, and the pile of colored powder began to burn, immediately emitting a smell like burning hair in the air.
He used the "Exploit" ability to speed up the burning process, and the pile of powder instantly turned into a heap of black powder.
Hobert then buried this heap of black powder five kilometers underground. He glanced at Shermane: "You won't be foolish enough to come and pay respects to him, will you?"
Shermane was slightly startled, then showed a somewhat forced smile: "Please rest assured, I won't."
As she spoke, she held a cross with thorns in her hands and presented it to Hobert.
It was a bronze-green cross ornament, a style not found in the Northern Continent or the Fifth Epoch, but Hobert was quite familiar with it. This was an ornament that a "Christian" priest or bishop would wear.
It just looked very ancient, full of a sense of antiquity.
Hobert remembered that this mystical item would repel other Beyonder items held by the wielder, so he took out a "Crystal of Order" and had Shermane place the cross on the "Crystal of Order."
The "Crystal of Order" immediately seemed to come alive, forming a small box that sealed this Sealed Artifact.
Xio also took off "1-107" and her mask and handed them to Hobert.
Hobert put away the Sealed Artifacts: "Alright, let's go back. Where are you going?"
Xio gave a Cherwood Borough address. Hobert used "Travel" to send them back to Backlund, waved to Xio, and then entered the spirit world again.
As soon as Hobert left, the faint sense of oppression disappeared, and Xio and Shermane both breathed a sigh of relief.
In a small alley not far from here, Xio had a secret hideout.
After arriving at the hideout, Xio warned Shermane very seriously: "You are not allowed to contact that 'Witch' again! Her making you a Beyonder is clearly using you."
"Okay, Xio." Shermane immediately stated: "Although I am very grateful to her for helping me realize my long-held wish, I also know she is very dangerous!"
Shermane said seriously: "Thank you, Xio, thank you for saving me."
Xio's expression was no longer so serious: "It was... it was the mysterious person wearing a mask who just left who saved you."
"You must have invited him." Shermane said apologetically: "I know you must have paid a corresponding price."
Having help at the Demigod level, merely being willing to provide assistance, itself possesses extremely high value.
"You don't need to worry about that." Xio knew that Hobert wouldn't ask for an unacceptable price: "What are your plans next?"
Shermane sighed: "First, I'll hide in the countryside for a while and come back after the matter of Stratford is completely forgotten."
Xio, however, said: "Perhaps you can also hide in the East Borough. I can use some connections there to hide you in the slums."
She said: "Of course, you also need to help me manage the intelligence network I've painstakingly built in the East Borough."
Shermane was startled: "You're building an intelligence network?"
Every bounty hunter, although they all want to have their own intelligence network, their financial resources are completely unable to maintain the operation of an intelligence network; they can only maintain a cooperative relationship with informants.
In many cases, these informants are an unstable factor, because it means the bounty hunter could be betrayed at any time.
"I met a mysterious person who is willing to invest in an intelligence network in Backlund." Xio said: "So far, our cooperation has been very pleasant."
...
Hobert returned to his study and first sacrificed the spoils to the "Nation of Disorder."
He casually placed the two Beyonder characteristics onto the corresponding stone platforms, finally picking up the cross.
This thing was useless in his hands except for being pulverized into Beyonder characteristics, and even if it was pulverized into Beyonder characteristics, it could only be sold to the Church. Unless he wanted to establish a deep cooperation with the Church, handling a demigod-level Beyonder characteristic in this way did not maximize its value.
Hobert thought for a moment, realizing he could trade with "The Fool," considering it payment for "The Fool's" assistance.
Originally, Hobert had planned to ask Klein, who was still a demigod at the time, for help during his advancement, and the compensation had already been discussed.
However, it now seemed that Mr. Fool's assistance was still needed, or rather, he would need to ask Klein, after becoming an angel, to act above the Gray Fog, which would require providing additional compensation.
Setting the cross aside, Hobert returned to the real world, had a servant bring a pot of tea, and began reading the reports from Longtail Island and the South Colson region.
In the latter half of the night, around two in the morning, Xio quietly entered the Earl's mansion, climbing in through the study window.
Hobert was not surprised by Xio's arrival.
Xio was not surprised by Hobert's waiting.
Hobert pushed the documents in front of him aside, poured Xio a cup of tea, and said, "Sit."
"Thank you, Hobert," Xio said, sitting in the chair opposite Hobert, her feet still a little distance from the ground. "If you hadn't been there tonight, I wouldn't know what I would have done."
Then she asked, "What kind of compensation should I pay you?"
Hobert was prepared. He took out the intelligence Xio had investigated before and said, "Kill these two people."
Xio said, "They are two Sequence 7s. That doesn't seem sufficient to pay for your assistance."
"The process of killing these two people should involve a certain amount of danger," Hobert stated frankly. "In my opinion, this is a relatively fair trade."
"Alright," Xio smiled. "Then I can only repay you later by providing you with some intelligence."
She still felt that while Hobert could refuse, she could not fail to offer.
Hobert did not refuse. "Trissy... the witch who was turned into a mirror in the warehouse. There's a high probability that she will contact you through Shermane.
"When that happens, tell her that the fact I didn't turn her into a Beyonder characteristic is already a favor to her.
"But that's all. There is no possibility of cooperation between us."
Xio realized at this point that Shermane must have gotten involved in a high-level trouble, so she asked, "What does Trissy want to do?"
"She wants to avenge her lover," Hobert smiled. "Although I admire her courage and loyalty, especially in this cold world, she is definitely a brilliant and unique firework.
"But we are not on the same path."
He had no intention of saving this witch, and even Shermane was saved by accident. He couldn't possibly kill Shermane after leaving the warehouse just to avoid some trouble, could he?
Trissy was different from Shermane. In Hobert's view, Trissy's death might not be a relief for her.
Xio was somewhat confused but realized it was better not to get involved, as she had just learned the truth about her father's death and still had many things to do.
So Xio asked, "Hobert, do you know the secret of His Majesty the King that Stratford mentioned?"
Hobert raised his hand, creating a space for private conversation. "I know, but I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because it is a secret of the organization."
Xio immediately asked, "What kind of mission do I need to complete to get the relevant intelligence?"
Regarding this, Hobert was also prepared. He feigned a helpless smile. "This isn't about a mission. It's about reaching a certain status or obtaining a certain position within the organization before you can be told this intelligence.
"This means you have to become a devout believer of 'The Creator,' which means you have to be deeply bound to us!
"As your friend, I naturally know you don't wish to join any organization, but also as a friend, I hope you can understand that I also have my difficulties."
"I'm sorry, Hobert," Xio said sincerely. "You have always helped me, and yet I have often put you in a difficult position."
Hobert shrugged slightly. "That's nothing."
Xio thought for a few seconds before saying, "Are you, I mean, are the members of 'The Creator's' power—ahem, uh, the great 'Creator's' power—all as normal as you?"
She felt her description wasn't quite accurate, but she couldn't find the right words to describe her question for a moment.
Seeing the difficulty on Xio's still somewhat immature face, Hobert reminded her, "You mean, are they all like me, without any negative effects?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Xio showed a happy smile, but then she seemed to realize it wasn't appropriate to smile at this moment and immediately restrained her smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that I've seen many members of cult organizations and have some concerns."
She had actually inquired about this before and received some answers. She just wanted to hear Hobert answer the question in person today.
"As you can see," Hobert smiled. "I, like Angus and the others, and even hundreds of other Beyonders, have always been completely normal."
He explained, "The reason those cult members you mentioned are so abnormal is that their deities are abnormal. Under the influence of their deities, they become very abnormal.
"And we don't have such concerns."
Xio took a deep breath. "Then can I join you?"
Hobert said seriously, "Of course you can. As I said before, you are the talent we urgently need. It would be best if you could join."
Xio then asked, "So after I join, how can I get the intelligence I want?"
"Become my intelligence officer."
"How can I become your intelligence officer?"
Hobert countered, "Do you want to become my intelligence officer?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then you are now."
"Huh?" Xio didn't react for a moment.
Hobert continued, "Your first task is to establish an intelligence network covering all of Backlund! Tomorrow I will bring you a few Beyonders. You can choose and see if there are suitable people to become your subordinates.
"After the intelligence network in Backlund is established, you need to go to Trier, to Feynapotter, and establish intelligence networks in the capitals of every country."
He instructed, "Also, you must remember that you only have one superior, and that is me."
Xio nodded. "I remember."
She also reacted at this point and immediately got into the zone.
Hobert breathed a sigh of relief: The intelligence problem was finally completely solved.
He added, "As for your question just now, according to the relevant regulations, I can answer you now.
"The King wants to become a god. This process has caused many innocent casualties and broken many previously happy families.
"Although I don't have specific data, as far as I know, the royal family has been transporting slaves from the colonies to Backlund, and the vagrants in the East Borough are also reported to disappear mysteriously frequently. Over the years, the number should be in the hundreds of thousands.
"It seems there is a place that needs to be constantly filled with lives, and it seems like it can never be filled.
"Oh, right, do you remember the Capim case last year? According to reliable sources, Capim sold the kidnapped girls to the royal family!"
Xio listened quietly to all of this, finding that she wasn't too surprised.
"According to the spiritual mediumship of Stratford, your father was an upright man," Hobert said seriously. "Perhaps this was also his way of being loyal to the royal family, not wishing the royal family's reputation to face an irreversible crisis in the future."
Xio took a deep breath. "In my impression, he was indeed very loyal to the royal family."
At this moment, she didn't know whether to be angry or sad. "But they..."
Hobert said, "In the near future, we will find a way to terminate George III's process of becoming a god. Perhaps we can help you get revenge along the way."
Xio's anger and sadness were immediately replaced by surprise. "You, you are an Earl of the Loen Kingdom!"
Hobert nodded. "That's right. But who says an Earl can't disrupt the King's plan?"
Xio was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, she said, "Remember to notify me when the time comes."
"If the opportunity is suitable, I will definitely take you with me."
...
Longtail Island, Tortuga Port.
The morning sun shone on this bustling port. Several seagulls were calling and flying under the morning light.
As the "Blue Avenger" docked, Alger, who had completed the Church's mission, finally arrived at this port that had become famous on the Berserk Sea.
On the dock, Alger saw a few intelligence peddlers he had known before. They had previously hidden in secret strongholds in Bayam, but now they were openly exchanging intelligence on the dock, in the port.
The patrolling official Beyonders and constables seemed to turn a blind eye to them. Alger chatted with them for a few minutes and learned that as long as they didn't spread rumors unfavorable to Tortuga Port, no one would interfere with their intelligence trading.
But they encountered a new problem: intelligence had become cheap. Often, a group of intelligence peddlers knew the same information, while there were only one or two pitiful buyers.
Some intelligence peddlers even lamented that continuing to sell intelligence was less profitable than moving bricks on the construction sites in Tortuga Port.
Just as Alger was about to go to the food street the intelligence peddlers mentioned for breakfast, his spirituality sensed something. He looked at the sea and saw the space on the sea suddenly being cut open, and a giant ship appeared near the shore.
Everyone in the port saw the giant ship. An intelligence peddler exclaimed, "Storms above, is that the 'Tree of Flesh and Blood' that disappeared a few months ago?"
Alger's eyes narrowed. That was indeed the "Tree of Flesh and Blood." Since "Admiral of Blood" was hunted by "The Emperor," this ship had never appeared in people's sight again.
At this moment, someone else said, "My goodness, it must be a hundred meters long!"
The pirate ships in the port looked as small as sailboats in front of it.
"Leave the dock, make space!" At this moment, official Beyonders were gathering towards this area, shouting orders.
People didn't need the official Beyonders to shout; they all knew to run out of the dock. No one would be foolish enough to go out to sea at this time, because that would only run into the muzzles of the "Tree of Flesh and Blood's" cannons.
As Alger was hesitating whether to help, a huge mass of thick fog suddenly appeared on the sea. This mass of fog was like a giant snake, quickly "swimming" towards the "Tree of Flesh and Blood."
At this moment, the sea and the port seemed to fall into an unspeakable silence for a while.
Whoosh~
A silver-white ship shadow ten times larger than the "Tree of Flesh and Blood" rushed out of the thick fog. On its tall mast, a flag that had never been seen before was hung.
It was a triangular flag with a black crown pattern in the center!
The whole world seemed to move again, and the sea seemed to be boiling for it.
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