I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Loki continued recounting the information he had gathered:

"Your Excellency, we have done our utmost and spent a considerable amount of money investigating Hermes over the past six months."

He stretched out his fingers and tapped them one by one.

"The first piece of news was that after May of this year, all the probes that had been extended were cut off."

May, Richard remembered.

In May, he raised his [Perception] skill to level 5 in the training room.

From that time on, ordinary investigative methods became ineffective against him.

Loki continued:

"Then, during the team battle on June 17th, all the Roman tables in the City of Seven Hills were destroyed."

"It is said that someone recited the name of the honored one three times that night, and after that, a path appeared from the depths of the curtain."

"We can't find out exactly who it is, and none of the people present will say."

"I used my information channels to inquire about the survivors of the Roman Table. I only found out that two people in Turin and Naples were doing well, but no specific information came back."

Someone inside the hall took a deep breath; it was one of the candidates.

This was the first time they had heard such news. They never expected that the table they would have to face sooner or later would be able to directly get help from an expert.

When Matthew was mentioned, Richard suddenly felt as if he had forgotten something.

Then it suddenly dawned on me that I had promised to write a story for Matthew.

I've been so busy these past few months that I completely forgot.

Matthew hadn't pressed him on it, so he hadn't really thought about it.

After his business trip to the Apennines ended, he felt he absolutely had to write that story down.

"Then there are speculations about his identity, which I hope you won't laugh at if I tell you."

In our speculation, our first thought is whether Hermes was the illegitimate son of some professor in the capital.

Upon hearing this, Richard truly couldn't hold back this time.

But Loki's explanation was rather rigid.

"You may not know this, but the old professor I'm talking about has been in the department for over a hundred years."

He has never been married and has no children, yet last year he suddenly wrote a recommendation letter for an undergraduate student.

This old professor wrote so few recommendation letters in his entire life that you could count them on two hands.

This spring, he again sought help from others regarding this student's situation.

Why would a scholar over 100 years old be willing to make a special trip for such a young person?

Richard's smile gradually faded.

Although the result was wrong, the process was correct. In any case, he realized that the old professor and he had a close relationship.

"Another possibility is that the other party was specifically placed in the academy by the Ministry of the Interior."

I heard that the Empire has established a special department this year called the Wartime Abnormal Affairs Coordination Agency.

It's common practice to send one or two extra people to the college at times like this, since the sign was only put up this year.

Another possibility is that Hermes came from the Rus' Empire.

This was Hela's suggestion. Her reasoning was that the person's methods of concealment were too clean, especially similar to those used by Ross.

Hela, sitting in the second chair, nodded but did not speak.

"We've investigated all three possibilities, but we can't get anywhere with them. After all, none of these directions are easy to deal with."

Loki spread his hands, looking helpless.

The funniest part of the whole thing, as Li realized, was that the Hunter himself had actually given up on investigating a long time ago.

On the night of April 30, he guided the hunter to a critical period for a master's promotion, tore off a piece of the master's signature, and allowed the master to gain a lot of benefits.

In addition to the three syllables contributed earlier, from then on, the hunter felt it was not necessary to really find this person. Instead, letting him grow slowly would be more beneficial to him.

In addition, considering the traces the hunter had discovered in the library of the masters of classical texts, he became even more reluctant to investigate further out of caution.

Only the Nordic table was still diligently investigating a task that was supposed to be scrapped months ago.

We've been investigating for half a year now, visiting many ports and inviting countless rounds of wine.

Then they came up with all sorts of outrageous speculations, and tonight they even traced it back to the person in question, and asked the person in question to help them continue investigating.

Richard suddenly felt grateful for every choice he had made in the past two years. These choices, intricately woven together, formed a vast net that effectively shielded him from the probes coming from the outside.

"Your Excellency." Seeing that the shadow remained silent, Loki began to speak incessantly again.

"We can discuss the payment. Right now, we're not exactly rolling in money, you can't hide that from you, but as long as we have what we need..."

"I'll accept this commission."

Loki was somewhat surprised when everyone in the hall looked over at the same time.

He was prepared to be turned down again, and then have the price raised several more times. Isn't that how all business deals are made?

"The esteemed envoy is actually willing to accept."

"Of course." Richard nodded.

"But from now on, any news about this person must first pass through my hands, and I will remove any duplicates for you."

I will help you correct any mistakes, and I will screen any information that comes from elsewhere before giving it to you.

Loki was somewhat excited: "That's for sure... With the Envoy overseeing things for us, we'll save a lot of time."

In his mind, this envoy could not possibly be Hermes, and he even extinguished the thought the moment it popped into his head.

It's laughable to even think about it. How could the hunter say he wants to investigate someone, and then have that person come to them on their own?

How could such a ridiculous thing happen in this world?

So now that this special and distinguished envoy has come to offer to help them with the screening process, it's naturally the best thing ever.

Go to Must Search

"Also," Richard interrupted him again.

"If you go out and investigate recklessly and offend someone you shouldn't, the Hunter will not bail you out."

Upon hearing this, Loki's smile vanished completely, and he bowed again.

"Your Excellency is right. Investigating outside not only costs a fortune, but also yields nothing but nonsense."

From now on, this line of investigation will depend entirely on you, Your Excellency. Wherever you inquire, we will investigate.

Richard himself sat in the chair and nodded in satisfaction.

From tonight onwards, every piece of news about Hermes on the Nordic table will have to go through Hermes himself first.

Realizing this, the Hermes mask in his arms almost burned, and even began to tremble slightly.

Richard had a premonition that if things continued like this, the third divine weapon would probably be formed soon.

What could it be? Is it the kind of shepherd's flute that can hypnotize a hundred-eyed giant?

Or was it the harp invented by Hermes? Or perhaps the helmet of invisibility that He borrowed from Hades in mythology?

Although he already has enough ways to protect himself, no one would complain about having too many of these things.

Loki straightened up, a look of relief on his face as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Is there anything else you require, Your Excellency?"

Richard had his shadow hold up the deer antler token.

Inside the hall, the smell of frozen earth and horse sweat grew even stronger.

"Of course, the Hunter Master asked me to come here tonight mainly for another matter."

Loki's relaxed expression slowly faded: "What exactly is it for?"

Richard cut to the chase: "The Hunter wants you to join the Wild Hunt."

Upon hearing this, Tyr blurted out, "The Wild Hunt crew? Aren't those all dead bodies?"

Freya, who was standing next to him, realized something was wrong. She glared at him first, then looked nervously at the silent envoy.

Tyr realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly shut his mouth.

Richard knew what they were thinking.

They probably felt they had no value, so the hunters wanted to harvest them, turn them into dead, and then add them to the hunting party.

Richard and the others felt their fear build up for a while, until Loki turned his mask and was about to speak when Richard spoke first.

"Don't worry, everyone. The Hunter Master wants living people this time."

He didn't give the others a chance to ask further questions, and continued to steer the conversation in a direction that would benefit him.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to ask you first, how many matches has your table played against outside opponents this year?"

"Only two games."

Loki's smile vanished completely at this point.

"How many people died?"

"One, Fenrir."

"How did he die?"

Loki shut his mouth, and Hela answered for him.

"An old man with white hair came in carrying a book. By the time he left, our table was practically half-dead, and poor Fenrir even lost his life."

Richard nodded silently; this was exactly what he wanted to bring up.

"How many months ago was that battle?"

"About eight months."

"Have you recovered in the past eight months?"

Everyone was speechless, and Richard didn't need their answers.

"Let me do the math for you all. In March of this year, you swallowed up the Celtic table. It will take 3 to 4 months to digest what you swallowed, and as a result, outsiders took advantage of the situation."

Eight months have passed, and not only have you gained nothing, but you've also suffered numerous injuries. Do you still think this meal was worth it?

Loki remained silent.

"In the same year, Greece swallowed Rome, the whole table of people, gods and masks."

And they must have invited a top performer that night, am I right?

Since no one spoke, Richard continued.

"And at the table by the Black Earth River, the head scholar is a great scholar well-versed in the traditions of the Abyss."

Behind him stood an expert who started distributing ceramic shards to all the tables last month. Do any of you still have yours?

The atmosphere on the field became even more tense, and Richard pressed his advantage.

"Let me tell you about the other tables."

The Greek table is gaining popularity and its influence is steadily rising; the Black Earth River table is making moves everywhere, investigating and verifying information in various places.

The Roman table is gone, the Iberian table is looking for backers everywhere, the Ross table will do whatever it takes to get paid, and the German table has a new big shot behind it.

Ladies and gentlemen, having listed all of these, where do you think you fit in?

Freya pursed her lips and said with some difficulty, "Is Your Excellency saying these things on purpose to intimidate us?"

"right!"

The answer was so straightforward that Freya was left speechless.

"If I don't explain the situation clearly, you might not realize how dangerous you are right now."

Tyr spoke up as well: "The envoy has come tonight to...?"

"I'm here tonight to offer you a solution, of course. Joining the Wild Hunt is the best solution."

Richard then pulled out another book, which the old scholar had casually handed to him.

I think they were saying something like, "Young man, when you can't reason with those people, you can read this to them."

He initially thought it was some powerful incantation, but when he unfolded it, he found it was actually a list.

"Let me give you a few examples first, just listen to them."

Does anyone know Heinrich von Osterheim?

No one answered.

"This man was registered in 1473. When he joined the Wild Hunt, he was just a professional hunter. His family was so poor that he had to borrow weapons and equipment from others. He stayed in the team for 7 years."

Seven years later, he became the chief military officer at the Viennese court, and died a highly skilled officer.

Upon hearing this, Tyr's breathing became rapid without him realizing it.

"Now let me talk about the second one, Magdalena Stein."

Freya looked up when she heard that it was a woman's name.

Richard smiled inwardly and continued speaking.

"This lady was registered in 1551; she was of the Hidden Direction."

Before joining the team, she also worked part-time as a midwife.

This one didn't directly participate in the battle, but she did many things that hunters couldn't do.

She followed the team for 19 years, and after that she opened a shop in Nuremberg, where she has been deeply rooted ever since.

Even today in Nuremberg, you can still hear many psychics saying that they were once students trained by that woman.

This woman, too, started as a professional and became a master after leaving Wild Hunt.

Freya pursed her lips and said nothing more.

"Let me give you one last example, Olaf Swane."

Tyr suddenly raised his head: "The ancestor of that powerful family in the North?"

"Yes, he was also a hunter. He followed for 11 years and received three things: two mounts and a hide that allowed him to walk on the sea in winter."

He later returned to his home island, and his descendants used these experiences to become experts.

That's why you all reacted immediately upon hearing this name today.

Someone took a deep breath, and Richard chuckled inwardly. What he had just said was all about survivor bias.

Countless people have joined the hunting register over the hundreds or thousands of years, but only a handful have actually survived.

Most people are lucky if they can find a place in a hunting party after they die.

But he has already achieved his goal. The examples he just gave, such as those who were so poor that they had to borrow equipment, those who delivered babies, and those who fished, were all people who were doing poorly.

The shadow rolled the paper up again.

"As you all have seen, they were not as good as you when they joined the team, but they all achieved the same results."

As soon as these words were spoken, some of the candidates, who were still draped in curtains, began to stir.

Freya also asked the question.

"Your Excellency, what good will it do us to follow that group for one night?"

Richard was just waiting for him to ask that question.

"There are about 4 to 5 Wild Hunt nights a year, and each one is not necessarily a single night, but may be several nights in a row."

For example, the Twelve Nights of Yul, the Three Days of the Four Seasons, Halloween, and Wolberg.

The number of deaths can increase if there is a major disaster or war, and it has increased twice this year.

Throughout the night, we would hunt down evil creatures and lost spirits, as well as various materials and loot that swirled up from the rift between the two realms. All spoils would be distributed according to merit.

Are there any missions that don't require direct combat?

"Of course, that's my role, and I even got more than those who led the fight."

Freya narrowed her eyes.

"There is another additional benefit, which you have probably read about in the book, and that is luck."

I don't need to elaborate on how important luck is on the mystical side.

If you're lucky enough, you'll always have a better chance of surviving than those around you.

In the midst of a wild hunt, the prey's last bite before it's gone is its destiny.

In recent years, people have been dying all over the Old World. If your team were to go out, how much would you be able to gather?

Tyr's one hand was now clenched into a fist.

Freya then asked how to contact them during future night hunts, who would receive the notification, who would report the profit sharing, and who to contact if anything went wrong.

Now for the main point: at this stage, the negotiations are considered complete, and everyone has agreed to join.

Richard had his shadow twirl the list halfway between his fingers.

"That's up to the hunter."

Everyone looked over.

Richard set a rule that from then on, everyone's gains would only be known to themselves, the Hunter, and the old scholar, and they would no longer go through Loki and Hela's side.

Hearing the other party's hammer fall decisively, leaving him no room for rebuttal, Loki's face twitched slightly.

"Your Excellency..."

"I know what the chief is going to say," Shadow interrupted him.

"The head of the table must have someone in charge, but our rule is that no one can take charge on behalf of someone else."

These words caused a stir among the people in the room.

After weighing the options, Loki smiled again.

"Very well, Your Excellency, I, as the head of the household, have always been lazy about this."

From now on, the hunting supervisor will take over, and I'll be left with nothing.

Loki couldn't stop him at all.

The spoils were distributed by the Hunter Lord, and if Loki tried to stop it, it would be tantamount to saying in front of the entire hall: "I want a cut from the Hunter Lord," a statement that no one in the hall dared to utter.

"Then it's settled. Everyone goes their own way, no matter how much they've done."

Shadow rolled up the list and put it into his sleeve.

Loki chuckled: "Your Excellency, this table is just missing someone who knows the proper etiquette."

"Don't occupy a chair, don't participate in the position-swapping battle, just take care of the hunter's duties."

Richard didn't answer at first, pretending to be thinking.

"Your Excellency?" Loki urged again.

Richard hesitated for a long time (actually less than a second) before "reluctantly" agreeing.

Loki's arms swayed with laughter: "Did everyone hear that? From tonight onwards, the Hunter's side will be under your control. The spoils will not pass through my hands, and no one can come to me for them."

The official unofficial members of the Nordic group have been established.

Richard benefited greatly from agreeing; he would be seated at the Greek table and on the side of the Nordic table, thus gaining two intelligence channels.

He could legitimately keep an eye on Lillian, and this investigation about "Hermes" would always be written by him.

But if Hecate knew that her seat was part of Loki's table... well, it would be hard to explain.

In addition, Apophis is still searching, which adds to the risk of exposure.

Loki appeared to be completely outmaneuvered, but he dared not let his guard down.

The other party is indeed highly skilled; they might have some methods that I am unaware of.

Richard achieved such a good result mainly by taking advantage of an information gap and by exposing the hunter's identity.

But Loki was also constantly testing the waters, knowing that there would be plenty of opportunities to slowly escalate the conflict with someone like him.

Richard made the shadow turn around.

"Gentlemen, now that you've joined the hunting team, work together well. Who knows, we might just be able to overturn the Greek table and the Black Earth River table in the future."

"The spoils must be earned by oneself. (Note: at apt (the daredevil).")

When this widely circulated Latin proverb was uttered, the people in the hall reacted indifferently, merely nodding slightly in agreement.

Only Lillian suddenly raised her head, her eyes beneath the mask fixed on the messenger at the door, staring for a long time.

Richard made the shadow walk out the door.

"Let's go, the hunter has asked me to show you the scenery first."

He led the six people toward the door, feeling extremely uncertain.

He had finally managed to establish his authority within the hall, but if those idiots in the group continued to laugh and make a ruckus...

Then all the prestige he had painstakingly built up vanished in an instant.

"Give me some face, guys, at least don't say anything..." With a nervous heart, Richard pushed open the door.

There was no sound outside the door, but the entire Wild Hunt team stood on the clouds without missing a single member.

The wind came from the Alps, passing through the entire column without even lifting a single horse's mane.

Tens of thousands of riders stood densely packed on the clouds, with the front row less than twenty steps from the palace gate, stretching all the way back to a place beyond sight.

The orderly procession of men, horses, and dogs was incredible, especially the chilling gazes emanating from beneath their armor.

Tens of thousands of eyes stared coldly at the group of people who came out of the hall.

Loki walked to the palace entrance and dared not laugh anymore.

Tyr stopped as well, while Freya leaned against the doorframe, hiding half her face behind the door.

Hela looked up and saw that the borrowed gate to the underworld above her head had shrunk into a laughable crack in front of the real dead.

And those candidates, all wrapped in curtains, didn't dare to step out the door.

Richard took a step forward and slightly raised his hand.

The next moment, tens of thousands of hands in the Wild Hunt simultaneously turned their weapons around.

The axe blade faces inward, the spear tip faces downward, the bowstring is loosened and rests on the fingers, and the back of the knife faces outward.

Tens of thousands of iron objects changed direction simultaneously without making a sound; this silence was the most unsettling.

"...The esteemed envoy has arrived!"

This was the first time Richard had ever heard the old scholar's voice so loud.

The queue split in the middle, and the fires were lit one by one.

Two thousand lamps were lit on the cloud top, but the hunter still felt it wasn't enough.

The fire trail stretched from the threshold of the temple entrance all the way to the center of the procession.

The hunter took the horn off the saddle, raised it to his lips, and blew three notes.

As soon as the first note fell, tens of thousands of riders simultaneously raised their right hands and struck their left chests;

As the second note fell, tens of thousands of horses simultaneously raised their hooves and then lowered them, as if the entire sky of Bohemia were about to fall.

As the third note fell, the entire line lowered their heads, starting from the front row and moving down to a point where they could no longer see.

At the palace gate, Loki was both surprised and frightened, even wondering if this envoy was the incarnation of some great master.

The hunter pulled the reins to the side, and a horse was led out of the line.

The horse was half a head taller than any of the others around it, and it only had an old rein.

The old scholar led the reins across the fire path and handed them to the shadow.

"Your Excellency, please mount your horse."

"The hunter himself rode this horse."

The moment Richard took the reins, he heard the breathing behind him become heavier.

As for the horses given to the other six people, they were all freshly drawn from the queue; they were dark in color and of average size.

The old man who was leading the horse wanted sheepskin shoes. He didn't say a word tonight, just handed over the reins and went back to the line, stood up straight, and put his feet together.

What's he pretending for? This guy still has nothing on his feet. Richard couldn't help but chuckle in the shadows.

The old scholar spread out the roster: "Before the newcomers get on the horse... let the hunting dogs recognize their scent."

The pack of dogs moved, thousands of them advancing from below the ranks, between the horses' bellies, and from all sorts of unseen places.

They formed a line, surging from the front of the queue all the way to the palace gate.

The lead dog came up to Tyr; this giant dog was taller than Tyr’s chest at the shoulders and almost as big as a calf.

The giant dog's hot breath hit the man's face, and it took Tyr two seconds to realize that he had forgotten to breathe.

When the second head reached Freya, she finally came out of the door, her hands tightly clasped together in front of her chest, clearly very nervous.

The big dog playfully licked her face until it was covered in saliva before letting her go. Freya stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

The third head walked up to Hela, its huge mouth almost biting half of the dead man's face.

When he arrived at Loki, the dog that walked up to him was also very large.

The giant dog looked up at him for a long time before lowering its head to sniff him briefly, then turned and left.

As it left, its large tail lashed out and hit Loki right in the face.

At the palace entrance, Freya lowered her head, suppressing a laugh.

When it was Lillian's turn, it was the lame little dog that came.

It emerged from under the ranks, running erratically and knocking over the saddlebags of two people along the way.

It walked straight past the six people and instead lay down at the shadow's feet.

The old scholar, pen hovering in mid-air, glanced helplessly at the puppy: "It really likes Your Excellency."

"Mount up."

Seven people climbed up, and the old scholar said:

"Your Excellency, these guests are newcomers tonight. As is customary, let them see how we do things first."

The hunter raised the horn to his lips and blew two short notes.

The entire team split into three groups from the middle: the left group pressed down from the north side of the slope, the right group circled around to the south side of the slope, and the group remained stationary in the middle.

The pack of dogs walked close to the ground at the front, thousands of them scattered like a net.

The riders on the left raised their hands and pulled a bone from under their ribs.

On the night of April 30th, tens of thousands of bone arrows were tangled together, twisting the entire cloud over; tonight, only the left side remains.

The bow was drawn, and the sound of hooves echoed across the entire slope, striking the evil creatures and wandering spirits heading east.

The white light and all sorts of strange, malevolent creatures that had sprung up on the north side of the slope were instantly annihilated, and Loki gripped the reins tightly on his horse.

Seven men sat on their horses at the palace gate. Richard had his shadow turn around and glance at them, but none of them dared to meet his gaze.

Lillian, at the back of the line, moved her horse to a stop three steps away from the shadow.

A gust of wind blew into her sleeves, and she felt a slight chill.

She raised her hand and looked at it for a long time.

A layer of very fine bumps appeared on the back of my hand, and my fingertips started to tremble.

"Skadi, keep up!" Loki called out from ahead.

She lowered her hand, leaving the horse still lagging behind.

The two figures stood silently on the flank of the formation, while the rye field below retreated through the shadows of the clouds.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice carried away by the wind.

The shadow did not answer.

Lillian turned her face forward.

"...Never mind, I'm not stupid. I know what I should ask and what I shouldn't ask."

Richard was stunned, and it took him a while to realize what the other person meant.

These were the words Lillian said when they parted ways in that old house that winter. (See 210)