By the ti Hobert returned ho, it was already past 3 a.m.
As soon as he reached the second floor, he bumped into Donna, who was in her pajamas, yawning. "Back so late?"
Hobert smiled. "Working overti, occasionally."
Donna nodded and yawned as she headed to the washroom.
Hobert knocked on the study room door, and as expected, Christian was still waiting for him there.
Hobert briefly described the events of the battle that night and his gains, though he only shared part of the results from his communication with spirits.
Christian nodded. "The speed at which you're finding potion formulas has far exceeded my expectations.
"However, don't get cocky or overconfident. In the world of Beyonders, caution is a virtue that never goes out of style."
Hobert responded with a simple "mm," then added, "Father, I'm planning to move out. Sotis when I co ho late, I don't know how to explain it.
"Why not rent a place near the law firm? That way, if I'm working late, I can stay there."
Christian smiled. "When children grow up, ho becos a restraint."
He continued, "I don't mind you moving out, but you must co back to stay at least two days a week. And make sure to inform your mother tomorrow morning."
After leaving the study and returning to his room, a thoroughly exhausted Hobert changed out of his clothes and collapsed into bed. However, at 7 a.m., he awoke, nudged by his spiritual senses. He still had to et with the Nighthawks team today to discuss the deal regarding 2-355.
During breakfast, Hobert brought up the idea of moving out while he ate. His reasoning was solid: he'd been working "overti" quite frequently, and having a place near the law firm would save ti on the commute.
Plus, in the mornings, Donna and Tyron took different routes than he did. To avoid being late, Donna and Tyron often had to leave early for school.
Although his foster mother lissa was sowhat reluctant, she didn't object since Christian had already agreed. She simply reminded Hobert to co ho whenever he could and even promised that the family would help cover part of his rent.
After breakfast, a yawning Hobert arrived at the law firm, showed his face briefly, and then left to "visit clients."
He first headed to 192 Blanca Street, using his bestowed abilities to retrieve the black gloves and placed them into a cloth bag he'd prepared in advance.
Following Daly's instructions from the previous day, Hobert went straight to the Blackthorn Security Company.
At the reception, a lady in her forties greeted him. "Are you Mr. Hobert?"
Hobert paused. "Yes, I am."
"The captain and Miss Daly are already waiting for you in the office," she said, leading Hobert upstairs.
Curious, Hobert asked, "You know ?"
He didn't recall eting anyone at the security company last ti besides Daly.
The middle-aged lady replied tactfully, "Our security company doesn't have that much business."
Hobert imdiately understood: the company didn't get many visitors, and since he was the only one showing up this morning, she could easily identify him.
Upon reaching the office on the second floor, Thomas and Daly were indeed inside, waiting.
Once the office door was closed, Daly asked, "Tea or coffee?"
"Tea, please. Thank you."
After Daly poured the tea and took her seat, the three of them got down to business.
Thomas said, "Last night, I reported your situation to the Archbishop. After so discussion, the Archbishop has agreed to your deal."
He smiled. "This is the only deal involving a Sealed Artifact that the Church has made in over a century."
Hobert nodded. He had anticipated that the Nighthawks would agree to the deal—it was clearly in their best interest.
"However, we have one condition," Thomas added. "If 2-355 is lost or stolen, you are obligated to inform the Nighthawks team."
"No problem."
Thomas then retrieved a stone box from his drawer, which contained 2-355. "This stone box is also a mystical items, worth about as much as the Beyonder characteristic of a 'Briber.'
"If you need the stone box, we will only offer you two 'Barbarian' Beyonder characteristics and the certificate for an auxiliary officer.
"If you don't need the stone box, we will proceed with the deal as you requested yesterday."
Hobert was taken aback by the offer, sothing he hadn't anticipated.
Thomas was clearly trying to incentivize Hobert to continue working for the Nighthawks by offering the 'Briber' characteristic.
But what Thomas didn't know was that Hobert had other ans of obtaining the 'Briber' characteristic.
"I'll take the stone box!" Hobert swiftly made his decision.
Daly, sitting nearby, explained, "Since you've only borrowed 2-355 twice, and both tis for less than 12 hours, I didn't ntion the negative effects of the stone box.
"Now that you plan to keep the box long-term, you need to be aware that if you're in close contact with it for more than 12 cumulative hours, you'll begin to turn to stone.
"You'll need to rest for more than 6 hours before you can carry the box again. If the ti between two periods of close contact with the box exceeds 6 hours, the accumulation resets."
Hobert responded, "Thanks for the reminder."
Inwardly, though, he was cursing the Nighthawks for being overly cautious. What's so secretive about the negative effects of a simple stone box?
He had initially intended to inform Daly about the black gloves' negative effects, but now he decided against it—let them figure it out on their own.
The deal was smoothly concluded. Thomas also brought out a wooden box containing two 'Barbarian' Beyonder characteristics and two small certificates.
The first certificate had the Sacred Emblem of the Evernight Church on its cover, and when Hobert opened it, he saw his basic personal information inside.
The second certificate bore the insignia of a sword surrounded by a crown—this was a special certificate from the police force, and Hobert had been granted the rank of Sheriff.
Hobert chuckled. The second certificate was an unexpected bonus, and it would surely co in handy at tis.
When Hobert left the Blackthorn Security Company, his briefcase felt considerably heavier. He had finally secured 2-355, along with two 'Barbarian' Beyonder characteristics.
With the two Beyonder characteristics promised by Upton, this operation had been highly profitable!
Sitting in the rented carriage, Hobert began thinking of renaming 2-355. He wasn't an official Beyonder, so he didn't like these nurical designations for Sealed Artifacts.
After a brief mont of thought, Hobert decided to call it the "Teleporting Statue."
By the ti Hobert returned to the law firm, Xio and Fors had already arrived. He hosted them in a small reception room.
Hobert handed Fors a handwritten formula for the 'Trickmaster' potion. "This is what you've earned."
Fors scanned it quickly. She had been searching for this potion formula for a long, long ti. Now that it was finally in her hands, the paper felt incredibly heavy.
Two of the main ingredients listed were ones she'd heard of at Beyonder gatherings, but neither ca cheap—they both cost over 300 pounds each.
Hobert then turned to Xio. "Yesterday, I also acquired the formula for the 'Sheriff' potion."
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