Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 154 Arbitrator

"Are you looking for a place for our next gathering? I have some vacant property to offer you." Tessa, dressed in a simple lavender dress, appeared from the alley around the corner, as if walking out of the shadows, and stood beside Xio.

Hugh was startled.

Upon hearing this voice, Fors subconsciously pinched the dark green bracelet. This action had almost become a reflex after hearing this cold female voice.

Tessa's helpless voice came softly, "I'm your savior. Don't you think it's rude to react like this?"

In the gloomy weather, Tessa stood by the street, like a blooming violet. From Quinn's perspective, her face, her eyes, her refined and elegant demeanor, resembled a classical doll, so beautiful it felt almost suffocating.

"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary." Xio soothingly tightened his right hand, which was held by Fors, and said to Tessa, "Miss Perslan, are you shopping?"

"Shopping?" Tessa chuckled. "No, I was just wandering around with you guys, but you didn't seem to notice me. I heard you guys talking about where to get together next time, and I happened to have a suitable place, so I offered my suggestion."

Hugh, realizing the shamelessness of this beautiful yet dangerous woman, spoke so confidently, "Miss Perslane, I've already given you the location and time Captain Galadilla agreed upon. Is there something else you're following us for?"

Tessa followed Xio, walking slowly, and smiled sideways: "I thought we were friends. Is it abnormal to go shopping with friends?"

It's normal to go shopping with friends, but it's not normal to just randomly invite anyone to be your friend...

Xio secretly complained in his heart, but did not dare to show it. Firstly, he was a little afraid of this unpredictable woman, and secondly, this woman did save their lives, so this attitude was a little rude.

Having tacitly agreed to Tessa Perslan's presence, Xio naturally stopped thinking about the location. If Captain Galadilla knew that she was looking for a secret meeting place with a woman whose friend or foe was unknown, she would probably be furious.

Quinn kept thinking about how to get rid of this woman. If he could make her feel that following him was meaningless, she would leave on her own...

With this in mind, Xio decided to deal with the trivial commissions she usually accepted. Those commissions seemed boring and time-consuming to others. Fors had accompanied her on a similar commission before, and after that, she would rather stay at home and do nothing than follow her on other commissions.

This was also an excuse for Fors to leave safely.

So, Xio asked Fors, "I'm planning to take care of some commissions. Do you want to go back first?"

Hearing that Xio was going to deal with those commissions that made her feel extremely bored, Fors wanted to yawn and go home. However, seeing the woman smiling slightly beside Xio, she became a little worried about what would happen if Xio got into danger. She shook her head and said, "I don't have anything to do today, so I'll just go with you."

Fors was also muttering in her heart, that woman must have left on her own initiative because she couldn't stand the boredom that Xiu felt when handling the commission.

Hueneng has gained a reputation as an "arbitrator" in the East District. He mainly relies on charging low fees to help some needy groups solve some problems.

For example, helping poor people deal with unreasonable debts, or helping street vendors

These things are very trivial to do.

Going back and forth to find people, understanding the specific situation, considering the opinions of both sides or even multiple parties, and then trying to persuade them separately... Most of the time, it is difficult to persuade the parties involved, especially when it comes to gangs...

Moreover, Hugh did not appear to be very smart when handling these commissions. On the contrary, his performance could be described as clumsy, and he was often left speechless by the gangsters' various slick rhetoric.

At such times, Xio would simply resort to force.

Although only 1.5 meters tall, Xio is surprisingly good at fighting. While the characteristics of "Arbitrator" provide her with physical fitness beyond ordinary people, Xio is also very good at fighting.

Moreover, Xio also carried with her usual three-pointed spear. When facing a large number of people, she showed ruthlessness and ruthlessness, which made the gangsters feel cold in their hearts.

"Aren't you going to help?" Seeing the petite Xio surrounded by a group of ferocious men again, Tessa stood far away with Fors and asked Fors.

Fors shrugged and said, "This group has suffered at the hands of Xiou before. They just look fierce and want to overpower Xiou, but they don't dare to use force. Xiou said that this is a tactic she often encounters after becoming famous in the East District."

Sure enough, a man who looked like a leader walked out of the crowd, stood in front of Xio and spoke in an imposing manner, but after negotiations between the two sides, the leader finally accepted the "arbitration" result proposed by Xio with resentment.

"Stopping someone's money is very hateful... How come you haven't been retaliated against?" Tessa asked Fors.

After spending most of the day with her, especially after she treated her to lunch, Fors had seemingly let down her guard against Tessa and said with a smile:
"They've retaliated, but they still have to be able to beat us. The East District is known as a gathering place for the slums, and even among these gangs, there are no Beyonders."

The probability of an ordinary person who accidentally takes extraordinary characteristics or potions becoming an extraordinary person is very small. More likely, they will become the protagonist of an evil incident and be quickly dealt with by official extraordinary people.

In this age of mystery and secrecy, becoming a wild Beyonder with relative safety requires sufficient luck.

For example, when Fors was working in a clinic, she kindly took care of an elderly lady who lived alone. Later, when the elderly lady passed away, she guided Fors to become a Sequence 9 "apprentice" and left her with magical items such as a bracelet.

Xio, on the other hand, inherited Beyonder traits at birth and was a natural-born Sequence 9 "Arbitrator." Furthermore, when Xio was a child, her father, Mason Dill, was still alive. At that time, she lived a rather luxurious life in the Earl's mansion. Under her father's guidance, she also gained a certain understanding of the world of Beyonders.

These experiences are almost impossible for poor people to encounter.

Fors continued:
"Also, although Xio may not seem very bright, she always manages to strike a balance. Besides accepting trivial, unprofitable, and low-cost commissions, she mostly takes on wanted criminal missions to earn enough money to survive in Backlund."

"During this process, Xiu would share a certain amount of rewards with the thugs who could provide intelligence...so Xiu's relationship with these gangs is actually quite complicated."

While the two were talking, Xio conveyed the arbitration result to the girls hiding in the corner. Amidst their gratitude, he turned around and returned to the two of them.

"Do you spend a lot of time every day doing things like this just to get those people's gratitude?" Tessa glanced at the girls' grateful eyes that were still looking at her from afar and asked Xio.

"Maybe..." Xio said frankly, without any shyness, "They were all laundry workers from the countryside. When they first came here to rent a room, they owed money to a local thug. Even though it was just the cheapest room next to the sewer."

"The leader had evil intentions. When they paid him back, he deliberately doubled the debt to 10 soli. 10 soli... They went hungry every day and reduced their expenses to a minimum, only saving 3 soli this month."

"Ten soli is a high debt they cannot afford."

The purpose of these gangs is actually very clear.

In Backlund, one in six women aged 15 to 55 is currently working as a streetwalker or has worked as one in the past. "I once enjoyed a luxurious life, but later I was forced to live in a different place and endure a very difficult time with my family. But even in my most difficult times, I didn't fall to this level."

"But in this city of hope, I've seen too many painful things. I really want to change this situation, but I know my strength is weak, so... I do what my strength allows me to do."

Xio's expression didn't change much, but he looked like a knight from ancient times.

Do good deeds to the extent of your ability. This is actually a very difficult way to live.

Because human nature is complex, even if you do good deeds, most of the time the rewards may not be gratitude, and you may face human greed and unscrupulous demands.

"I once heard someone say, 'Good guys always get shot at.'"

Hugh's behavior and thoughts reminded Tessa of many questions that she had been thinking about in recent years.

Tessa suddenly became interested and told Hugh about something she had written down when she was talking to someone: "So that person once said, 'Those who can always be good people are wise.' Do you think you are a wise person?"

Xio looked at Tessa in confusion, "Wise man?"

She actually didn't understand what Tessa said.

Fors covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Xio lowered his head and thought carefully, finally understanding it and saying, "Maybe... I'm not a completely good person. I don't think I am a good person."

Hugh asked a question in return: "Will a good person become a 'bounty hunter'?"

Mentioning "bounty hunters" basically gives people the impression of violent elements lurking in the dark world - fierce, greedy, dirty and violent are the public's impression of this rare group.

"I'm just an 'arbitrator'. I always make what I believe to be fair arbitrations, but the arbitration results tend to favor those who are weaker."

"This is a very common thing... because those with greater power always grab more benefits, and those who are powerful and greedy will grab even more benefits without any bottom line. But my power is even greater, so they have to listen to me."

"Sometimes, those who are weaker than me will make unreasonable requests. In such cases, I will persuade them, and most of them will listen to me rationally."

After all, Xio is the "arbitrator," and the extraordinary people in this sequence possess a convincing appeal.

"Some are irrational. If that happens, I'll give up their commission. As for those who are even more irrational... basically no one dares to act that irrationally in front of me now."

Tessa looked at Hugh with interest.

Tessa's appearance made Fors, who had relaxed today, inadvertently pull Xio's hand again while using her other hand to subtly grasp the bracelet hidden under her sleeve.

Tessa's subsequent words made Fors relax a little. "I bought a bar in the East District. Since I don't manage it often, it's a bit messy. I'd like to hire you to be the manager. Are you interested?"

So they invited Hugh to be the store manager... Hugh suddenly seemed to be enjoying herself, Fors thought to herself.

Tessa looked at Xio, patiently waiting for his response. She had actually been a little puzzled as to why the Nighthawks would entrust such an important task as organizing a Beyonder gathering to a peripheral Sequence 9.

But through their interactions, Tessa discovered that Hugh Dilcha was a rare talent, and she began to consider prying him away from the Nighthawks. She added, "You're very proactive and have a clear sense of purpose. You can learn the rest slowly. If you agree, I can pay you six pounds a week."

Tessa knew it was difficult to pry the Nighthawks away from her, but a weekly salary of 6 pounds was a small sum for her. Even if she failed, it would be worth it to be able to hire a responsible store manager.

6 pounds...

Hearing Tessa's offer, Xio thought of her Nighthawk contract.

A Night Watchman's weekly salary was 3 pounds. Even in her situation, with the field allowance added in, it still didn't reach 6 pounds. Of course, the hidden benefits of a Night Watchman, such as the merit system and not having to fear official Beyonders, were not comparable to those of a bar manager.

Xio thought of Captain Galadilla asking her to infiltrate the underworld and gather information for her. Bars, especially those in the East District, were full of shady people, so becoming a bar manager would allow her to hide more easily...

So, can you accept this invitation?

Xio was a little tempted, but she finally said, "This... I need to ask my captain for instructions. After all, I am a regular employee. Miss Perslan, I hope you can understand."

……

In Earl Hall's luxurious mansion, Claire was a guest here as Galadilla.

The task of finding the reunion address was assigned to Hugh, the serial murder case was handled by Daly, and the lead on Viscount Press was handled by a private investigator... Claire, now free, decided to first ask Audrey for the 100 pounds reward for the Lanevus incident.

She was very short of money right now, with almost no cash on her, and she even owed money to Xiu to rent the party venue...

Claire had been planning to sell some of her unused Extraordinary items and materials at the next gathering to generate funds. However, she needed to secure the initial capital to rent a venue, so Audrey's £100 was crucial to Claire's needs.

After hearing Claire's reason for asking for compensation, Audrey remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"So, Lanevus was controlled by Captain Galadilla before being killed by the Church's Beyonder. According to Captain Galadilla, this can be considered as completing my previous commission. However... I can't confirm this. I'm sorry, I can't give you this 100 pounds."

As she said this, Audrey felt a surge of joy in her heart.

Claire had anticipated this. Her attitude towards Audrey had been rather rude for the sake of disguise, so it was normal for her to be retaliated against.

Claire suggested a way to verify this: "How about... Miss Audrey join the Night Watch? Then, within my authority, I can let you see a portion of the report on the incident. This section will include records of my involvement in killing Lanevus."

(End of this chapter)