Upon hearing the Fat Pharmacist's question, Klein laughed inwardly but remained cold on the surface:
"It starts from the moment you make the first payment."
Dakwer first unhesitatingly pulled out a large wad of cash, then counted it with a pained expression:
"This is 300 pounds.
"You can now fulfill the agreement."
Klein took the banknotes and nodded:
"No problem."
Dakwer immediately relaxed a lot, like a drowning man finally catching a lifebuoy.
Half an hour later, at the "Tiyana" Hotel, Dakwer stared blankly at the powerful adventurer, Gerlman Sparrow, who said to the night-duty receptionist:
"Change to a luxury suite."
After speaking, Klein stepped back two paces, seemingly making way for the Fat Pharmacist.
Dakwer swallowed his saliva and asked hesitantly:
"Do I pay?"
"During the mission, all expenses are borne by the employer — that's the rule for an adventurer," Klein replied without changing his expression.
I believe you are an ass! If you call a few girls from the "Red Theatre," would I have to pay for them too? Dakwer thought for a moment, forced a smile, and said:
"We can just use an ordinary room; it's easier for protection."
"Then you can stay there yourself," Klein effortlessly played the role of Gerlman Sparrow.
Dakwer laughed twice, walked to the counter, and said without any expression:
"One luxury suite."
After checking in and entering the smaller bedroom, the Fat Pharmacist Dakwer opened the window to leave a "door" for
Confirming that the dice still showed a four on top and had not changed, Dakwer quietly let out a sigh.
……
In Backland, inside an ordinary house.
This was something he did every day, because he never knew what story "0-08" would weave while he was asleep, bringing about unexpected events.
After confirming he was not injured, Ince Zangwill put on his shiny leather boots and stood up.
He saw, as expected, "0-08" resting quietly on the desk, like the most ordinary and common quill pen.
However, it had been locked in a metal box with layers of symbolic and magical markings the night before.
Ince Zangwill walked over seriously, grasped "0-08" with one hand, and with the other opened the notebook beside it, finding that nearly a page of new text had been added:
"Ince Zangwill did not remember what he did last night, but he keenly detected some problems.
"He looked into the mirror and felt that his reflection was somehow strange, as if another Ince Zangwill had been born inside him.
"He lowered his head and saw something obviously abnormal in the crevices of his nails, but he could not recall what he had done last night..."
After reading this description, Ince Zangwill instinctively looked at the full-length mirror in the room, only to see that he still had one blind eye and his classical sculpted face had no wrinkles, but a hint of a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, forming a sharp contrast with his serious gaze.
At that moment, Ince Zangwill felt that his complexion was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and combined with that smile he had no idea how it appeared, he looked very sinister, ruthless, and eerie.
He raised his hands, lowered his head, and saw dark sludge dried in the crevices of his nails, as if he had been digging tree roots in the garden in the middle of the night.
Although he had switched from the "Death" pathway to the "Night" pathway and become a "Watcher," Ince Zangwill had not lost his previous extraordinary abilities; he was still a powerful spirit medium and a master in the necromantic field. So he immediately attempted to communicate with the spirits inside and outside the house to understand what had happened last night.
At that moment, the corner of his eye caught the last paragraph on the notebook:
"Ince Zangwill attempted to conduct a séance but sadly found he had gained nothing, as if someone equally professional had cleaned up all the clues. He was worried; he didn't know what trouble the 'him' from last night had gotten into."
Ince Zangwill's expression grew even more serious. He tried to perform a séance but, as expected, got no surprising results.
……
On Wednesday morning, outside the "Fragrant Leaf Bar" whose owner had been changed.
Klein went around to a quiet alley and met Usk Kent, who was carrying a small leather suitcase.
"Your bounty," Usk Kent threw the not-so-large suitcase over.
It wasn't really a bounty in the true sense; it was an advance from the military—since the former involved the Governor's office and the kingdom's finances, it required a lot of procedures and would take at least three days to complete.
Klein caught the suitcase, opened it on the spot, and saw neatly stacked bills inside, mostly ones and fives.
"Total 5400 pounds, no cut taken," Usk Kent forced a smile.
For any other adventurer, he would have given at most 4000 pounds, with the rest being income for the people in the process.
But the person opposite was a madman, with strength close to that of a Pirate General, and he was afraid of being shot on the spot, so he had to work without commission.