994 Prelude (2/2)
Xio shot her a glance and said, ”I'm a bounty hunter. I have other missions.”
Upon saying that, she paused and said after some deliberation, ”Fors, do you think that Miss Justice resembles Miss Audrey?”
Fors was taken aback for a few seconds before she snapped back to senses. She subconsciously waved her hand and chuckled.
”How is that possible...”
Just as she said that, the similarities began flashing through her mind, her eyes widening in response.
After a while, she whispered, ”It's not impossible.
”Spectator pathway, Psychology Alchemists, noble lady, blonde hair and green eyes... She's the only noble I know that meets those criteria... Of course, I don't know that many nobles. Furthermore, I have no idea if the ones I'm familiar with have anything to do with the Psychology Alchemists...”
Xio silently listened to her friend and said after some thought, ”Fors, do you still remember the missions assigned to us by Miss Audrey? I originally thought that it was issued by Earl Hall, but on second thought, perhaps it came from the Tarot Gathering...
”Also, how did we know of Mr. Fool's honorific name? Do you remember? It was from books we borrowed from Viscount Glaint! In the book cover was a strange ancient slip!”
Fors nodded in enlightenment.
”If we could discover it, as a good friend of Viscount Glaint, Miss Audrey, has a chance of discovering it as well! This can explain why she joined the gathering...”
”Yeah,” Xio agreed with Fors's guess.
Fors opened her mouth and was just about to say something when she recalled that the matter with the Sanguine wasn't completely over. She immediately looked around warily and said, ”Xio, we should lessen our discussions of gatherings in the future.”
”As for Miss Audrey, we can visit her once every week or two. We can continue observing when the time comes.”
Xio snapped to her senses and nodded heavily.
”Alright!”
She then opened her door and went to a particular bar in East Borough and sat by the bar counter.
Rapping on the table, she said to the bartender who looked up, ”Any new missions today?”
The bartender gave a rough list without mentioning any investigations of a particular Mr. Ernes Boyar.
Indeed, I'll have to wait till tomorrow or the day after tomorrow... Xio looked around, retracted her gaze, and asked in puzzlement and concern, ”I haven't seen Sherman in a while. Do you know where he's been?”
Sherman was a young man who thought himself as a woman-one of Xio's informants.
The bartender chuckled.
”Perhaps he ran off with some man. You do know that he's happy to do so if a man fancies him.”
”This isn't something worth ostracizing him about,” Xio rebutted seriously, feeling a baffling sense of concern.
She then exerted strength in her palm and jumped off the high-stool, prepared to seek out Sherman in the places he was usually seen.
Backlund Bridge area, Iron Gate Street, Bravehearts Bar.
Holding down his hat, Emlyn pinched his nose as he passed through the crowd that exuded all kinds of smells before finding the red-eyed Ian in the card room.
”Mr. White, what is it this time?” Ian smiled as he led Emlyn into an empty billiard room.
Emlyn took off his hat and quipped, ”Something trivial. Help me put up a mission to the bounty hunters. The details of the mission is to track a man named Ernes Boyar. Figure out his daily activities. The bounty reward will be 100 pounds.”
”100 pounds?” Ian subconsciously asked.
For investigations like tracking, 100 pounds was quite a ridiculous reward. One had to know that if a bounty hunter was able to complete this mission on their own, they could rest for an entire year, even if they were supporting a family!
Emlyn nodded.
”The target is rather dangerous.”
After the discussion back with the Tarot Club, he had already thought it through. He believed that tracking Ernes Boyar was an easy mission. The Sanguine Viscount would definitely pretend as though he didn't notice anything and deliberately follow a fixed trajectory.
Therefore, this 100 pounds was in fact payment for Miss Judgment to take the risk of participating in this operation. Of course, to aid in the misdirection and concealment, it was almost certain that more than one bounty hunter would complete this mission, allowing them to earn different portions of the reward. All Emlyn could guarantee was that Miss Judgment would earn the most.
”I see.” Coming to an understanding, Ian extended his hand. ”Down payment, exact address, level of danger, looks and characteristics. It's best if you have a portrait.”
Ernes Boyar then gave 30 pounds in cash and Ernes Boyar's portrait.
”Red eyes?” Ian flipped through the pieces of paper in his hand and couldn't help but blurt out.
”Yes.” Emlyn nodded gently and looked around him. He suppressed his voice and said, ”There's also something else. Help me seek out clues regarding the Rose School of Thought members in Backlund.”
”...Rose School of Thought?” Ian was taken aback as he asked in puzzlement, as though he had never heard of the name.