Sitting across the long, shiny table, Kiyotaka quietly read through the financial statements.
He had pulled the sleeve of his coat enough to cover his wrist that had Ember on it.
Sitting by his side was Viscount Glaint, and to his right was Count Hall.
He was a gentleman who had loose skin with an obvious potbelly, but it was quite obvious that he was rather handsome in his youth. He had blue eyes and a beautiful mustache, which made him look quite good.
Count Hall was the Count of East Chester, a hereditary aristocrat in Backlund. He was a trusted aide of the king and a respected member of the Cabinet, and one of the most influential members in the House of Lords.
So Kiyotaka was quite reserved in his demeanor and quietly did what he was here to do. However, most of his mind was allocated to something else that was troubling him, but he kept his emotions in check.
It was his encounter with Mr. Patrick.
'There is no mistake about it. He is the owner of that Devil Dog. According to Sherlock, Devil is the Sequence 6 of Criminal Pathway. And if this person has a dog at Sequence 6 from a Pathway that specializes in cruelty and crimes and murder, it goes without saying that he is above Sequence 6 himself.
It is possible that he is a demigod himself.
That slims down my chances of survival. From what information Sherlock has on Devils, it is quite clear that they can manipulate negative emotions in a person. All I need to do is turn that down currently is to take a hold of any residual emotions that stem from this body and fully curb them.
Only then can I shut down their main ability. However, seeing how much Sherlock improved upon his advancement from Clown to Magician, the array of abilities one can have upon reaching Demigod level or even at Sequence 6 and 5 would be absurd.
I stand no chance as it is.
I really need some powerful Mystical Item, or just like how Sherlock once did, I need a powerful bodyguard. These are the two obvious courses of action. The third and unconventional method would be hunting down a Beyonder that could counter the emotion manipulation abilities of a Devil.
But that is hard. I am a Sequence 9 myself. The most I can do, without help from someone is beat a Sequence 7 at best. After all, my abilities are more physical in nature, and they come at a drawback of wanting to burn everything to the ground.
The Lawyer's ability to twist and distort words and consider the fight a social event to pry for weaknesses in other people is good, but it won't matter if the other person takes control of me before that.
During my fight with the Rose Bishop, he was gaining control of me using his shadows. At that time, I got lucky that the man helped himself to some alcohol that I had mixed some nerve-numbing agents in. But if this Devil and the owner have abilities like that, I am truly doomed.
Sherlock won't be of much help either. His abilities are rather bizarre and confusing, and it makes killing him harder, but even he is a human in the end. A warm human capable of compassion, but more importantly, fear and other negative emotions.
Hmmm... This is really troublesome.'
"So, Mr. Holmes, what do you think?" Count Hall voiced his thoughts after seeing Kiyotaka stare at the financial statements intently for quite some time.
Kiyotaka snapped back to reality and instantly started speaking. "The audited statements have almost no discrepancy in them. The profit margin is rising, however, the sale volume is falling, that means that there might be some drastic cost cutting procedures.
It is a good sign, but since there is no record, it might just mean that the bank has not paid salaries, or some outdated payables. Once you acquire it from Mr. Patrick, the liabilities would transfer over to you, as is the nature of the establishment mentioned in the Trade License."
Count Hall bit into the classic pipe he was holding and then inhaled. Exhaling the smoke, he looked at Kiyotaka. "What do you suggest then?"
"Lower the price by £5,000. This would be contingent in case anything bad happens."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then you got a good deal. They have no way of explaining the drastic changes in costs. Even the fixed costs have been cut down by 23% It is a rather troubling matter."
Count Hall shook his head affirmatively and then tapped his thighs. "Well, I will send the proposal. I am sure Mr. Patrick will agree, as he is quite vehement on selling it as soon as possible."
Kiyotaka placed the Balance Sheet down and nodded. "If that is the case, then it is probable that he will allow for £5,000 to be reduced. £100,000 for a bank of this size is already considered a good market price."
Nodding satisfactorily, Count Hall looked at Glaint. "Thanks for bringing Mr. Holmes in. His advice was rather refreshing. Usually the accountants use jargons that are hard to understand and beat around the bush too much."
He looked at Kiyotaka next. "Thank you for coming. I will have the cheque deposited into your account. Just give Glaint your bank account number."
Kiyotaka cleared his throat. "I appreciate the kind words, but would it be possible that I can get this amount in cash? I might be travelling soon, since the winters are going to be in full bloom soon."
Count Hall nodded. "That is not a problem. Have you discussed the amount with Glaint beforehand?"
Viscount Glaint bristled. He forgot to discuss the remuneration with Kiyotaka beforehand.
Kiyotaka looked at Glaint from the corner of his eye and then nodded. "Of course."
"That is good. Please stay for lunch, if you wish to do so."
Kiyotaka looked outside.
'I don't sense any danger, but there are two higher level Beyonders that probably want me dead. It is better to stay here for some time.'
"I will take up on your generous offer then."
*****
MEANWHILE, NEAR THE DOCKS OF BACKLUND
Klein, wearing a thick sweater, a tan jacket, and a simple cap, made his way through the hustle and bustle of the city.
He was also wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and his hair was neatly combed back, gleaming with the luster of hair oil.
His face no longer had a messy beard, so he could only plaster a deep-black stubble around his lips. His height was at least five centimeters taller than before
Smell of fish and sweat made the air reek as Klein pushed a handkerchief against his nose. He had received some intel, and had rushed towards the docks the moment he got it.
That was also the reason why he had left Kiyotaka alone in the house, without fully locking the door or leaving anything good to eat for him.
Before long, he had arrived in front of his destination.
Looking at the two-story building ahead of him, Klein crossed the street, pretending to not rely on the Clown's intuition to notice that several pairs of eyes were watching him.
He pushed open the door and saw that the Dock Union's layout was rather simple. There were no female receptionist or spacious lobbies.
He merely looked around, and walked with a quite confidence. He was about to move forward when someone walked in front of him. "Who are you? What do you want? We have not organized any strikes lately, so why are you here?"
Judging from his clothes, the man assumed that Klein was here to make a news about them and paint them in bad light, once again.
Klein smiled and was about to speak, when a familiar figure walked behind the giant man.
Although the man's skin had turned bronze, his ordinary round face had become angular, and his glasses had changed from a round frame to a gold-rimmed frame, Klein still found a trace of familiarity from his spirituality as a Seer.
Immediately afterward, his body trembled, and the smile on his face almost went out of control, despite his Clown powers being even more enhanced after he advanced to Magician.
"I-I have a really severe stomachache. May I ask, where the washroom is?" Klein asked with an awkward smile, holding his stomach with one hand.
The man—Rand, pointed to the door and said, "Go out, turn left. When you reach the end, you'll see the sign."
Klein smiled apologetically and walked out of the room, heading quickly for the washroom.
Inside, he selected the cubicle closest to the window, sat on the toilet, and locked the wooden door behind him.
He bent down, the corners of his mouth curving into a silent laugh. He laughed so hard he nearly couldn't keep his body straight. A drop of sparkling liquid fell onto the ground from his laughter.
Klein had confirmed that it was Lanevus!
This wasn't because of that small sense of familiarity, but because he felt another type of aura from the other party's body, one that left an extremely deep impression on him!
This was also the main reason why he had nearly lost control on the spot.
The trembling of his body originated from his instinctive fear!
The collapse of his emotions came from the horror and sorrow deep within his memories!
That was, that was... That was the aura of the True Creator!
*****
Kiyotaka helped himself to a little bit of everything.
He and Glaint talked about how Glaint was working to gather the ingredients required for the Sequence 9: Apothecary potion.
Kiyotaka used his "Eloquence" to have Glaint tell him the Apothecary formula. His memory and intelligence that had been boosted after becoming a Lawyer made it even easier to memorize it.
Sequence 9: Apothecary
Main Ingredients: Horn of an adult Flying Unicorn and 3 grams of Royal Jellyfish's Venom Crystal
Supplementary Ingredients: 100 milliliters of blood from an adult Flying Unicorn, 7 tentacles of a Royal Jellyfish, 10 grams of Arsenic powder and 10 grams of the Rhizome of Black Henbane.
Making a mental note to sell it later in the Beyonder meeting, Kiyotaka enjoyed the feast and made sure to fill his stomach. While there was no lack of money on his side, he still needed to move out of Klein's house and get himself another place, and possibly, another identity as well.
So he was trying to save as much as he could.
With Patrick and the Devil Dog's identities confirmed, Kiyotaka was sure that they would be planning to kill him soon as well. The time window, after some careful consideration, was not big enough for him to hunt another Beyonder for a Mystical Item.
The only option he could see himself having as of the moment was hiring Miss Sharron as his bodyguard and having the Rose Bishop's Beyonder Characteristic made into a Mystical Item. Albeit, if Flesh and Blood Magic's scope was what the Giant man showed, then he was in trouble.
'If the Mystical Item can inherit the blood curse part of his abilities, then it could be a little better. Or the flesh puppets. I do not need more physical enhancements.'
Once the entire dinner was done, Kiyotaka made his way back to Klein's house. He made sure to take different carriages. However, he was still sure that if the devil duo wanted, they could track him regardless.
Even after changing scents multiple times, Patrick was able to pinpoint the area in which Kiyotaka was living, even though he could not know where his exact house was.
Just as he knocked on the door, the door creaked open.
Kiyotaka's instincts flared instantly as reached out for the flames, ready to shoot giant fireball the moment he saw anything black or red.
Slowly, as he opened the door, he saw a figure sitting on the couch where he had laid down.
It was a decently handsome man with brown eyes, slightly long black hair, some stubs of facial hair, thin yet with a moderately muscular build.
It was Sherlock Moriarty.
He was sitting with his chin in his palm and covered in deep sweat. His brown eyes were strange, as if he was possessed.
He looked up at Kiyotaka with a tightened jaw. "I need your help, hunting someone."
Kiyotaka closed the door behind himself and locked it. Leaning against the door, his pale blue eyes locked with Klein's.
Kiyotaka's mind was astorm, however, he weighed his options and then removed his hat, hanging it right beside Klein's half-top hat.
"Of course."