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Roy and the others returned to the ground, where they buried their three companions. They took only so food, water, and their grave robbing spoils. All their equipnt was discarded, and they began their return journey that very night.
After walking for more than an hour, they reached the location where they had left their carriage.
The two coachn had also been killed by the enemy, but fortunately, the enemy had not killed the horses or driven the carriage away.
So, one of the rcenary team mbers drove the carriage, and the group continued on their way back.
While two carriages had been needed to co, only one was sufficient for the return journey.
Only after the carriage left the mountainous area did Austin return the "Teleportation Statue" to Hobert. Once they reached the plains, villages lined both sides of the road, making it unlikely that the enemy would launch another surprise attack there.
Then, Austin laid out their spoils in the carriage and said to Hobert, "Thanks to you, we were able to bring all these things back. Choose a few more trophies for yourself."
Hobert nodded and selected a pair of red eyeballs obtained from the stone statue, the Wraith of Human Skin's characteristics, and a book from the tomb owner's sarcophagus.
Hobert suspected that the eyeballs were likely the core crystals of the Six-Winged Gargoyle, making the first two materials suitable for trading with "The World" at the Tarot Club.
As for the book, since the tomb owner had taken it into the coffin, it likely contained important content or research results. Generally, Beyonders of the "Seer" pathway were half-scholars, making this a valuable piece of Beyonder data.
As for the five Beyonder characteristics, Hobert glanced at them and saw that they were basically Sequence 9 and Sequence 8, possibly not even as valuable as the Six-Winged Gargoyle's core crystals combined.
After Hobert made his selections, Austin proceeded with the distribution. He divided the spoils into seven portions, with three of them to be converted into pounds and given to the deceased's relatives.
Austin then asked, "Mr. Hobert, if we need your help in the future, where can we find you?"
Hobert gave the address of the law firm.
Once everyone relaxed, they began to feel tired. Austin arranged the order for sentry duty and driving, then closed his eyes to rest. Soon, the sound of snoring filled the carriage.
Hobert did not sleep. He observed Austin and Pete, the three people who had entered the tomb and opened the tomb owner's sarcophagus with him. Asleep, they showed no suicidal tendencies or signs of being hard in their dreams.
This made Hobert wonder, could the tomb owner's curse have ended with Lena?
If so, Lena was truly unlucky.
Hobert gazed out the carriage window, gradually hearing the crowing of roosters, seeing smoke rising from farmhouses, and watching as the sky slowly brightened, with farrs beginning their work in the fields.
The horses had been pulling the carriage day and night and were very tired, so the group had not been able to return to Backlund overnight.
As the outside of the carriage began to brighten, Hobert noticed that the scenery outside was sowhat familiar.
At this mont, Austin knocked on the carriage and asked, "Is this the road back to Backlund?"
Pete, who was driving, replied, "Boss, I took the wrong road, but I saw the road signs just now. This road also leads back to Backlund."
Hobert saw an abandoned villa by the roadside: "I'll get off here."
Austin was taken aback and knocked on the carriage again, telling Pete to stop.
Hobert, carrying the oil painting covered in black cloth and his personal belongings, got out of the carriage.
In a corner by the roadside, he injected his spirituality into the newly acquired necklace.
This necklace possessed so of the abilities of a "Faceless": it could transform into another person's appearance, use "Paper Substitute Doll," perform divination, and create simple illusions.
Hobert was not yet clear about the specific negative effects, but based on his spiritual perception, they were not too serious.
Using the necklace's ability, he transford into Pete's appearance and went to the abandoned villa he had just seen.
This was the Henry family's villa. It was a case Hobert had taken on when he was Sequence 9. In this case, he had obtained the "Teleportation Statue" and established a cooperative relationship with the Nighthawks team.
Now, this ownerless villa had beco sowhat dilapidated. The police tape was still there, but the door fra of the villa was still empty, and the house was full of desolation.
It was estimated that this villa would remain abandoned, as it was unlikely that anyone would buy it after people had died there.
At this mont, Hobert's spirituality sensed that soone had co out of the villa behind him.
He rembered that the owner of that villa was Mr. Polly.
Sure enough, Mr. Polly's voice sounded from behind: "Young man, are you also here to find the owner of this villa?"
Hobert was taken aback, "Also"?
He turned around and smiled slightly: "Hello, sir. Yes, I am a distant relative of their family. I haven't been in contact for a long ti, and I happened to be passing by, so I ca to take a look. Have they moved away?"
Polly sighed: "They're all dead."
Then, Mr. Polly began to recount the process of discovering the Henry family's bodies. Perhaps because he had signed a confidentiality agreent, Mr. Polly only spoke about the general process and omitted so details that sounded like ghost stories.
Seeing that the ti was right, Hobert asked, "Has anyone else co looking for them?"
"Yes, soone ca to look for the Henry family so ti ago and asked about their situation."
Hobert imdiately thought: Could it be soone from the Solomon family?
He asked, "What did he look like? How old was he? I might know him."
"He looked quite old, with graying hair and beard, as if he had been traveling outside for a long ti, but he looked very healthy, walking as fast as the wind."
Hobert pondered for a mont, then took out the paper and pen he carried with him: "Does he look like this?"
He began to draw the "Frenzied Mage" who had taken a "Order Wood" in Tingen City.
In this era when photography technology was not yet widespread, fine arts was a compulsory course in universities and liberal arts colleges. Almost everyone who had attended school for a few years could draw a few strokes.
Hobert was no exception. Without the help of rituals, the portrait he drew had no artistic sense or the realism of a photograph, but it still captured the vicissitudes and weary look of the "Frenzied Mage"
Before he could finish drawing, Polly said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's the old man. You really know him."
Hobert smiled: "Yes, I know him. Did he say anything else when he left?"
Polly took out his pipe, packed tobacco into it, and thought for a mont: "He said so strange things, sothing about a family and how it was, and that he felt so disharmony, and that the source of the disharmony ca from Backlund."
Hobert nodded: "Thank you for providing the information."
He planned to stay at ho and in the office for the next few days, avoiding going out and running around carelessly, lest so "Frenzied Mage" find the "source of disharmony."
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