Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 47 Old Neil, who was short of money

Old Neil rubbed his temples:

"We've probably figured out why you committed suicide. The notebook is in Riel Bieber's hands, and things have been exposed. Whether you're alive or dead, it's unlikely to affect the subsequent developments. I think, I believe, the strange entity or mysterious force that caused all this won't pay special attention to you anymore, just like you wouldn't care about ants on the ground. Heh, as long as you don't try to make 'It' remember you."

"The news of our warrant for Riel Bieber's arrest will soon reach the Secret Order. They should be able to guess that this is related to the whereabouts of the Antigonus Family Notes. Believe me, these secret organizations that have survived for thousands of years must have all sorts of information channels. Therefore, their focus will shift to Riel Bieber's whereabouts, trying to find the notes before us. They will not, and cannot, bother you, track you, or deal with you again."

"Young man, congratulations! You have shaken off the shadows of the past and are about to embark on a new journey filled with sunshine."

Klein nodded repeatedly, looking both pleased and relieved, and said:

"I hope so."

The gloom that had hung over me ever since I arrived here seems to be truly dissipating...

However, to be honest, Klein was still a little uneasy, because he seemed to have some kind of bond with that notebook, so much so that he would coincidentally find traces of it when doing normal hostage rescue missions.

He was truly afraid that one day, the postman would suddenly deliver a package, and when he opened it, he would find that it was the Antigonus family's notebook!

He silently prayed, hoping that everything would unfold as Old Neil had described.

Upon hearing his answer, Old Neil immediately scoffed:

"You don't seem to be a devout believer in the goddess. Shouldn't you be drawing a red moon on your chest and saying, 'May the goddess protect us' at this time?"

"Mr. Neil, you don't seem to be either. True believers don't say 'A new journey full of sunshine'." After this period of "mystical courses," Klein and old Neil had developed a good friendship, so he didn't hold back his sarcasm.

The two exchanged a glance, chuckled in unison, and almost simultaneously tapped their chests four times, saying:

"Wow, goddess!"

Just then, the sounds of picks and marbles turning filled the air, and the doors of Blackthorn Security Company were opened.

The elegant Mrs. Oriana, with her stylish curls styled in an updo and her light green skirt swaying gently, walked into the reception hall.

"Good morning, Mr. Neil, good morning, Klein." She greeted them with a smile, carrying a calfskin handbag. "It's another sunny day, a lovely day."

"Good morning, Oriana, you're as beautiful as you have been for the past ten years or so," Old Neil replied with a smile.

Orianna narrowed her eyes and put on a stern face, saying:

"Mr. Neil, your praise is as infuriating as it has been for the past decade or so."

She emphasized the words "more than ten years".

"Really?" Old Neil looked at Klein with a puzzled expression, his face full of doubt.

Never mention anything that might remind a lady of her age… As a keyboard warrior who knows a little about everything, Klein instantly understood Mrs. Orianna’s concern and chuckled as he said:

"Good morning, Mrs. Oriana, you are beautiful every day."

"Thank you, our outstanding Hoy University graduate." Orianna smiled and nodded, then said, "The old butler has already paid the commission for the task. According to the captain's rules, half is extra funding, and the other half is for you and Leonard. Since you're not a formal team member, you can only receive 10% of that half. You can come and sign for it later."

"How much did he pay?" Klein asked, both pleased and distressed.

"200 pounds, that's what he said at the time. Lord, by the storm, I can't believe it, I can't believe it, that this matter was resolved just like that! This is harder than we dreaming! Why is your security company unknown? It's a disgrace to the entire industry!" Mrs. Oriana imitated the old butler Ceril's southern accent.

Klein thought seriously for a few seconds, then said humorously:

"That's not really fair to those kidnappers."

The two extraordinary individuals resolved the problem swiftly and effortlessly…it was like a fully armed adult bullying a few children…

"They're so unlucky, they must have lost the protection of the gods," Oriana chuckled. "I told the old butler that we were just lucky this time, that an informant happened to see the kidnappers taking the child into their hideout. So, don't have too high expectations of us, we're really just an ordinary security company."

Generally speaking, the more something emphasizes ordinariness, the more extraordinary it is... Klein chuckled to himself as he watched Mrs. Oriana pass through the partition and enter the accounting office.

Old Neil clicked his tongue, a hint of envy in his voice, and said:

"You're a lucky lad, you've only been with us a short time and you've already landed a £200 commission."

"Is this rare?" Klein asked in bewilderment.

Before, he was either studying history or mysticism, or wandering around outside, searching for clues with his inspiration.

"According to Oriana's statistics, we might not even get a commission once a week, and most of them are worth less than 20 pounds," Old Neil sighed as he rubbed the white crystal pendant on his wrist.

Then, he looked at Klein with a hint of expectation:

"If you encounter a similar request in the future, please remember to let me know."

Hearing Old Neil's words, Klein suddenly felt a strange sensation, so he asked directly:

"Mr. Neil, you seem to be short of money? How much do you earn each week? If it's inconvenient for you to say, please ignore my question."

Old Neil leaned back on the sofa and chuckled:

"This is not something to hide. I have been here for many years and currently receive a salary of £12 per week from both the church and the police department."

"12 pounds a week?" Klein blurted out in astonishment.

A weekly wage of £12, with 52 weeks a year, would amount to over £600 a year!

When I read the Tingen Morning Post and The Honourable before, they both mentioned that a senior barrister only earns around £800 to £1000 a year. And this is a senior barrister!

Benson's manager of the import and export company only earned £6 a week, which was considered quite a respectable salary.

"Yes, that's a pretty generous salary, and we don't have to pay income tax," Old Neil added with a smile.

Klein had heard from his brother Benson that if a weekly wage was over £1, one would have to pay E tax, which is the government and corporate income tax on employee salaries. The tax rates were 3% for the portion between £1 and £2, 5% for the portion between £2 and £5, 10% for the portion between £5 and £10, 15% for the portion between £10 and £20, and 20% for the portion over £20.

In addition, he saw in the newspaper that there were four other types of income tax: Category A was the capital gains tax on land, housing and other assets, including land rent and house rent; Category B was the income tax on agricultural income; Category C was the income tax on profits from bonds, funds and stocks; and Category D was the income tax on income from commerce, finance and professional trades.

"That's one admirable thing," Klein echoed old Neil's words.

"However," Old Neil shook his head, "for extraordinary individuals like us who frequently need to explore secrets, practice, and experiment with rituals, the salary is never enough."

"Aren't all the materials obtained through applications?" Klein asked in surprise.

Old Neil chuckled:

"There are limits, and sometimes you have to give a sufficiently legitimate reason. If you want to practice and try more in the mysterious field, you can only buy materials with your own money. You can buy them internally or go to some underground trading markets."

Klein's spirits lifted, and he immediately asked:

"An underground market for extraordinary materials? I thought, I thought the Church would definitely not allow them to exist."

I lack sufficient channels for obtaining materials!

With a secret organization taking shape behind him, he can't possibly handle everything within the Night Watchers, can he?

"This kind of thing is simply uncontrollable. Well, from the perspective of mysticism, all things have spirits and all things share a common origin. The materials we use come not only from extraordinary species, but also from normal animals, plants, and minerals. For example, the poison ivy, peppermint, and night-blooming jasmine in your 'Diviner' potion are things we often encounter in daily life. They may not have extraordinary properties, but they all have their own characteristics. After being mixed and blended, they can achieve certain effects. Therefore, this is not a transaction that the church can prohibit at will," Old Neil explained in detail.

Before Klein could speak, he continued:

"Moreover, extraordinary species are not only useful for their cores. Take the Lava Octopus, for example. Besides its blood, its eyes, its skin, and its tentacles are all good materials. Unless the Church uses its own people to capture them all, it would be a huge economic burden to hoard them and control their outflow. This is especially true for lower-level extraordinary materials. We can only try to prevent the more special ones from circulating."

Old Neil suddenly chuckled. "Another important reason is that it's always better to know about underground markets than not to know about them. As long as the secret organizations haven't been completely wiped out, this is a good strategy, and it can also help us obtain scarce materials. Of course, once such a market exists, there will definitely be contraband. As long as it's not too outrageous or too dangerous, we'll pretend we didn't see it and at most use it to enrich our treasure trove."

"Perhaps it's because the major churches are mutually restraining each other and can't resort to too drastic measures?" Klein speculated.

Old Neil grunted in response, without elaborating further.

"I am a 'fortune teller,' and I will definitely need repeated practice and more materials in the future. Mr. Neil, could you take me to see those underground trading markets?" Klein asked with a legitimate reason.

Old Neil looked troubled:

"Actually, most of the guys active in those places aren't extraordinary. There are nobles who like mystery, and wealthy people who yearn for that kind of thing... Uh, well, I have a £30 bill due soon, so it's not convenient for me to go there for the time being."

"Okay..." Klein never expected it to be because of unpaid debts.

After a moment, he carefully chose his words and began:

"Mr. Neil, do you need a loan? I have a reward of 10 pounds."

"Haha, no need, I have a way to solve this." Old Neil patted the sofa, slowly stood up and said, "Alas, old age is truly the most intractable enemy of living beings. Last night's night watch left me very tired. Hmm, this morning you can review the previous lessons and read more documents. Tomorrow, I will begin to teach you the basics of ritual magic."

"Okay." Klein stood up and took off his hat to see him off.

In the afternoon, seeing that Captain Dunn had not yet returned, Klein pretended that he was still looking for the notebook and wandered around the streets once again.

With the £10 payment, he no longer needed to wait for the funding to be disbursed and could go directly to the fortune-telling club!

The whispers and visions that occasionally appeared during meditation and spiritual visions made him eager to start "playing" them.

P.S.: It's Monday again, there will be another update at midnight tonight.

(End of this chapter)