From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Chapter 107 The "Hardcore" "Word Collector"

A few days later, in the evening, the workers at the old relief center gradually left after dismantling the scaffolding, and the office phone rang.

Ligeia Shaw told Edmund over the phone that the second-tier guards he had commissioned to find a few days earlier had arrived at Dusk Harbor, and that they wanted to see their employer first before deciding whether to accept the job.

Half an hour later, Edmund walked into the second-floor office of the Shedding Club and paused at the door.

An elderly man with long hair, wearing a black Taoist robe, sat by the window. Around his neck hung large, bright yellow prayer beads, and a rather large black bird perched on his shoulder.

If you give him a staff, the visual effect would be that of a Gandalf who practices both Buddhism and Taoism.

The old man turned around, and Edmund could see that he was wearing a black robe, and the so-called rosary was a string of thumb-sized yellow pearls.

Of course, the bird was much larger than an ordinary crow, and its sharp claws, gripping the old man's shoulder, left almost no room for maneuver.

Ms. Xiao introduced him as "Mr. Nloyd Stanton Moses, a talk-taker of the second derivative path of the medium's journey," who has long been commissioned for legacy investigation, spirit escort, and private protection.

The old man stretched out his large, thin right hand: "Neud, my parents lacked restraint when the child was born."

As they shook hands, Raven suddenly tilted its head and said in Ms. Xiao's voice, "Please come in."

The maid outside the door then brought in a tea tray, and hesitated when she saw that Ms. Xiao had not yet spoken.

Neud took a cup of tea, and the raven let out a low coo. A few wisps of gray-black breath gathered from its feathers, and the bird shrank back into its shadow.

Edmund's gaze was met with a response.

【Mocking Raven (Possessed by a Whispering Spirit)】

[Spiritual creatures are among the more benign beings in the spirit world. This one is currently attached to a corvid, using its host's shadow to maintain its physical form.]

It can steal other people's voices, languages, and incantations, and then reveal them after altering their meaning. This ability has a rank restriction.

]

[A bond has been established with a human host; the current state is stable.]

Edmund's assessment of the guard quickly shifted to practicality. Spells were a high-priority means of combat, and the most feared thing in spirit world exploration was summoning and voices of unknown origin; the Mocking Raven's abilities were enough to save his life.

"Its name is Moro." Neud stroked the raven's neck. "When I adopted it, it was stuffing the country pastor's sermons into the miller's donkey's mouth. It was an interesting companion."

Moro added in a maid's voice, "Most of the time."

Ms. Xiao calmly took out an employment contract from the drawer. The silver thread on the scroll unfurled on the table, and Edmund could see the spiritual power that had been pre-bestowed upon it by the second-order arbitrator.

The three parties confirmed the terms one by one, and half an hour later, Edmund signed Ryan Hall at the end.

Neud signed with yellow ink, and Ms. Shaw, as the club's guarantor, made the final signature.

The silver threads on the scroll passed through the three names in sequence, shrinking into a small dragon pattern. The contract was officially in effect.

After leaving the club, the two got into a taxi, and Neud pulled out a pair of silver-gray sunglasses and put them on. With his attire, he looked like the oldest member of some religious rock band.

Edmund asked in the taxi, "May I ask you some special knowledge? Of course, I will pay you extra."

"Sure," Neud adjusted his sunglasses, "but I'm not short of coins lately, so you'd better prepare some sufficiently 'hardcore' music."

Unexpectedly, it makes sense.

"How 'hardcore' do you mean by that?"

"Ah, 'hardcore' is 'hardcore,' and you'll see when it's hardcore enough."

Neud earnestly advised, "Keep an eye on a few new bands in the Federation, and order the latest sound and synthesizer equipment from Orichalco. Knowledge has a price, but taste is even more valuable."

He's really hardcore, and Edmund thinks Rick would probably get along with him.

Back at the old relief center, Julian Weiss was already waiting in his office.

A cipher box lay before the attendant. He glanced at Neud and Moro, then handed Edmund a document bearing the royal seal.

Edmund asked Neudl to leave for the time being, then sat down and began to look through the documents.

The two individuals previously identified in the intelligence have been apprehended, and their testimonies corroborate the information provided by Edmund.

The document ends with an order personally signed by Conrad: Julian must fulfill the sanctuary portion of his oath of authority, protect Ryan Hall's personal safety in Twilight Harbor, and prevent any secret actions taken without the knowledge of the Royal Family.

Edmund felt a chill on the inside of his wrist, and the silver oath mark that had been dormant for many days briefly reappeared.

The prince's promise to place the stake on the scales was considered valid, but Julian did not let go of his doubts.

"Sahn and Moro possess information from different factions. Mr. Hall, why would the person in charge of finance and transportation be so familiar with the Order's internal rules?"

"Because the accounts need to correspond to the goods, routes, and recipients, that's what I'm responsible for," Edmund maintained his original stance.

"The more an organization values ​​secrecy, the more secrets it holds."

The attendant stared at him for several seconds, but received no further answers, so he had no choice but to open his notebook.

Edmund had already prepared the content.

"First, the Royal Family recognizes the Earl of Schenkel's procedure for confirming the last descendants of his family and provides the necessary legal support in the Court of Arms, the Port Authority, and the courts."

Julian immediately corrected, "The royal family can acknowledge the legality of the procedure, but cannot directly confirm bloodlines on behalf of the Heraldry."

"Yes, but make it clear that external institutions cannot deny the Earl's confirmation in the absence of counter-evidence."

The attendant wrote down a line, then looked up to signal for him to continue.

"Secondly, provide the necessary financial facilities, including protected project accounts and cross-border settlements. With the Earl's written consent, I have the right to access the Schenkel family's financial summary directly related to the Old Port project."

"You want the complete ledger? That's probably..."

'

"The scope I want is limited to the Old Port, the Black Crown, and related coastal assets, mainly to determine the original boundaries of Earl Schenkel's property."

Julian added "request" before "request," and Edmund changed it to "should be provided."

The two argued for several minutes over a verb, and finally settled on "obtained with the assistance of royal channels after the Earl's consent".

"Third, the Royal Family has designated me as a protected intelligence collaborator," Edmund continued. "The Ninth Bureau or other external agencies can request questioning, investigation, and transfer in accordance with the Plichni procedure, but they cannot bypass the procedure to secretly detain or take me away."

Julian closed his pen: "This is close to limited political asylum and requires Your Highness's final approval. The royal family will not obstruct a formal investigation with legitimate grounds."

"What I'm asking for is the formal procedure."

The two sides then began negotiating the terms regarding the notification period, the presence of lawyers, and the conditions for the royal family to revoke the qualifications.

Halfway through the conversation, a loud crash of shattering glass suddenly came from inside the courtyard, followed by a scream from the gatekeeper.

Edmund strode to the window and saw the manhole covers on the street bouncing one after another.

A thick black mist surged out from the cracks, rolling along the stone pavement.

Edmund watched helplessly as the thing crossed the courtyard wall and threshold, pouring into the old relief center.

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