Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

Chapter 89: "Giant" Bishop

The mercenary clearly hadn't fully researched the use of the Mental Terror Candle; entering an opponent's mind was just one of its abilities. Its more important functions included dragging the opponent into the deepest layers of dreams and splitting personalities.

The mercenary quoted, "900 pounds!"

This was an excellent opportunity to snag a deal. Hobert immediately stood up and said, "I'll take it!"

He could confidently say that out of all the people at the gathering, only he understood all the capabilities and negative effects of this small piece of candle.

From its appearance, the Mental Terror Candle didn't look particularly special. A magical item that could enter an enemy's mind was worth around 1,000 pounds.

However, if the Mental Terror Candle only had that single ability, selling it for 900 to 950 pounds would be reasonable given its negative effects.

If its full range of abilities were known, the price could immediately quadruple or quintuple. Such a magical item, nearly on par with Sequence 6, would definitely have a premium.

This was the advantage of having a god's-eye view. Many participants at the gathering sensed that the candle seemed to possess more than just the ability to enter an opponent's mind, but they wouldn't risk betting that it truly had additional capabilities.

In recent weeks, numerous magical items had been traded at these gatherings, and most would use their money to purchase items they felt more confident about.

Only Hobert knew the specific details about the Mental Terror Candle, and he had to seize this opportunity!

The mercenary club had clear rules stating that if a transaction required authentication and notarization, a fee of about 10% of the transaction amount had to be paid for notarization.

Anyone proposing notarization had to pay this fee, so generally, no one bothered with it.

Of course, even without notarization, any malicious fraud against a transaction partner would still be punished.

Hobert could only consider this a lucky find without violating any relevant rules.

However, another officer was interested in the candle and stood up, saying, "I'll offer 950 pounds!"

Hobert immediately followed with, "960 pounds!"

"1,000 pounds!"

"1,010 pounds!"

The officer shrugged, "Fine, it's yours!"

This officer had a magical item and recognized the candle's uniqueness, but 1,000 pounds was his limit, as many more enticing magical items were available that day.

This time, Hobert didn't feel regret as he immediately announced, "1,010 pounds." His savings had dwindled to the point where his wallet could barely hold anything.

Of course, he didn't plan to sell; a bigger plan was forming in his mind.

The gathering lasted unusually long, resulting in numerous transactions, and it was around four in the afternoon when it finally ended.

After leaving the underground theater, Hobert first wrote a letter to Daly, agreeing to meet her the next day. Then, without pause, he hurried home to store the Mental Terror Candle before feeling at ease.

With no time to catch his breath, he took the two-wheeled carriage to the Harvest Church on Rose Street in the South of the Bridge.

This golden church had a prominent spire and a life emblem engraved on its outer wall, featuring a simple depiction of a baby surrounded by symbols of wheat, flowers, and springs.

It was already dusk, and the church was dimly lit, seemingly devoid of congregants.

As Hobert entered the church, he saw rows of neatly arranged pews, with candles lit on either side.

In the front row, there was a tall man in brown clerical robes, appearing to be in his forties or fifties.

The man had light and sparse eyebrows, with noticeable wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, cheeks, and mouth. He was bowing his head, seemingly in the midst of a devout confession.

Hobert approached slowly, "Hello, Bishop Utravsky."

"You know me?" The bishop raised his head. "I prefer others to call me Father, Father Utravsky."

"Alright, Mr. Bishop," Hobert replied. "I'm Hobert, a lawyer."

Utravsky assessed Hobert from head to toe. "I've heard about you from Xio, and your presence here suggests that there's new progress?"

Xio was the servant of the Harvest Church who had spoken with Hobert at Mr. A's gathering.

"Yes," Hobert said. "Before that, I need to confirm our previous debt relationship. You still owe me three-fifths of the Apothecary's potion formula, correct?"

"That can also be converted to 150 pounds in cash. Of course, neither of us would prefer a cash transaction, but it can help gauge the next deal."

Utravsky nodded in agreement, awaiting Hobert's next words.

Hobert continued, "I found a magical item you need at today's gathering."

He explained, "It's a candle that can access the depths of an opponent's and holder's mind, materializing corresponding scenes, as well as splitting personalities. Preliminary analysis suggests it possesses some abilities of both the Dreamwalker and Hypnotist.

"The first ability can pull an opponent into a scene favorable to the holder, and the second ability is exactly what you need; it can split your persona and eliminate it.

"The negative effect is that it can be used for a maximum of five minutes, after which the holder risks losing themselves in the dream world. Upon entering the opponent's mind, the holder's mind is also exposed, allowing the opponent to influence them.

"This magical item is priced at 3,800 pounds!"

Utravsky's expression revealed no sign of joy, as if the matter at hand had no bearing on him: "That's a fair price."

Hobert smiled. "If I buy this magical item, considering the risks I take and the intermediary fees, adding 50 pounds to sell it to you isn't unreasonable, right?"

"Not unreasonable!" Utravsky replied.

Hobert continued, "Adding the 150 pounds you owe me, that totals 4,000 pounds, while the value of the Apothecary's potion formula ranges from 230 to 250 pounds.

"Let's say it's 250 pounds, so even if you give me the Apothecary's formula, you would still owe me 3,750 pounds!"

Utravsky nodded. "Correct."

Hobert chuckled helplessly. "The Giant Bishop is indeed skilled at killing conversations!"

He had no choice but to ask, "Father, do you have this much cash?"

"No."

Hobert followed up, "Then how do you plan to repay the debt?"

Utravsky glanced at Hobert. "It seems you've already found a way for me to settle my debts."

Hobert smiled innocently. "I'm mainly thinking of you, Bishop. You're here to preach, not to do business, and it's hard to accumulate such wealth."

Utravsky showed little reaction, merely watching Hobert silently.

Hobert continued, as if performing a monologue, "Here's the deal. I have a friend… What's with that expression, Father? I really mean a friend, not referring to myself! I have a friend who got involved with a Beyonder family. Members of that family plan to send a Sequence 6 and two Sequence 7s after him. If you can kill or seriously injure the Sequence 6 on their side, you can clear 2,000 pounds of debt.

"If you can only hold off or drive them away, you'll still clear 1,000 pounds. If you can kill both enemies in the battle, you will clear all debts."