After hearing Ebner's explanation, Emlyn instinctively repeated what he had once said in front of Sherlock, "I am a profound and noble blood kin. I won't make a living off my looks."
"But as far as I know, some exquisite and high-end dolls can be quite expensive," Ebner replied casually, glancing at him with a relaxed air.
"How do you know that?" Emlyn's expression froze instantly. He instinctively looked toward Hazel, thinking she had told this detective.
But he quickly remembered this detective was Aetris's friend, and it was also he who had solved the "scam" case that Heidi orchestrated herself… He probably knew about his hobby long ago.
Noticing the change in Emlyn's expression, Ebner chuckled and said, "Priest White, I'm also friends with Cullen. And I know Lydia as well. I've heard a bit about your reputation among the blood kin."
Emlyn opened his mouth, trying to explain something, but ultimately didn't say a word.
Then, he deliberately cleared his throat twice and shifted the topic nonchalantly. "So, what exactly is this project you're talking about? And how much compensation are you planning to offer for my 'performance'?"
After a brief moment of thought, he figured that since he was a descendant favored by the Ancestor and was destined to become the savior of the blood kin in the future, a few necessary sacrifices were acceptable...
But Ebner simply shook his head with a smile and said, "This project is still in the preparation stage. When things are ready, the company will send a lawyer and an agent to discuss the details of the work and the salary with you."
"You can take this time to think it over."
His phrasing made the still-ragtag "film company" sound quite professional, and Emlyn was thoroughly thrown off. It took him quite a while to grasp what Ebner actually meant…
So, the exact profit is still uncertain? Emlyn suddenly felt as if he'd fallen into a trap of clever phrasing, yet couldn't figure out what exactly the other party had tricked him on… After all, he hadn't lost anything.
On the other side, after Ebner and Emlyn had preliminarily settled their intent to cooperate, he noticed that Bishop Utravsky had finished tending to the sick. Ebner stepped forward, exchanged a few pleasantries, then asked with a hint of implication, "Bishop, I'd like to know someone's whereabouts."
Bishop Utravsky lowered his head and looked at him with a gentle smile. "The Mother Goddess has already made arrangements. Go to the address written on this paper, and you'll find the person you seek."
As he spoke, he pulled a sheet of letter paper from his robe and handed it to Ebner.
Lilith didn't summon me this time? Is the Astral Plane getting busy? Ebner's mind turned with odd thoughts as he took the paper and glanced at it:
"36 Riverside Street, St. George Borough."
Dunn lives in St. George Borough? 36 Riverside Street… I remember the shooting club Kaspars first introduced me to was on that street… Though I stopped going after I met Xio…
Lost in thought, Ebner folded the letter and tucked it into his pocket. Then he made a simple Earth Mother Church symbol over his chest and offered a brief praise, "Merciful Mother."
After that, Ebner bid farewell to the half-giant bishop and returned to Hazel's side. He chatted for a little while longer before finally leaving Harvest Church.
After he left, Daisy, who had been watching from the sidelines, came up curiously and asked, "Pastor Macht, who was that gentleman just now?"
"That was Ebner Bryan, the 'hero detective' you're always talking about," Hazel said with a smile, withdrawing her gaze from the door.
"So he's Detective Bryan!" Daisy's eyes lit up, then she said regretfully, "I should've gone over to say hello just now."
Although half a year had passed, the residents of the East Borough still remembered how Ebner had destroyed the "Black Skeleton Gang" and saved many lives—though the credit had officially gone to the "Desolate One."
"We'll get the chance later… I just agreed to be the 'guide' for his new project… You can come along and help out when the time comes," Hazel said, patting Daisy on the shoulder with her normal hand.
That "help" would of course come with pay. Hazel knew Daisy's family was struggling financially, so she wanted to lend a hand in a way that wouldn't hurt the little girl's pride.
This kind of consideration for others' feelings was something the Hazel from six months ago would never have thought about, but now it came naturally to her…
Speaking of which, although Daisy and Freya's mother had gradually recovered under Emlyn's treatment, the illness she had suffered—as well as the "Life Elixir" Aetris had forced down her throat to delay her symptoms—left behind serious hidden risks…
According to Emlyn's assessment, Madam Liv would likely lose at least fifteen years of her lifespan.
Aetris felt somewhat guilty about this outcome, so she hadn't dared come to the church recently. But Liv, Freya, and Daisy bore no grudge—in fact, they were deeply grateful.
After all, without his potion and without him carrying Liv out of the East Borough with all his strength, she probably wouldn't even have had the chance to trade years of her life—she would've died in misery long ago.
…
West Borough, Intis Embassy
The mustached confidential secretary once again stepped into Mr. Owen's office and reported, "Special Envoy, I've made the arrangements. I've assigned the officers who are close to Mr. Sari some 'reasonable' tasks. They'll all be out of the embassy for the next two or three days."
"Very good… Fighting an 'Astrologer' in his own workshop would be unwise. Even I can't guarantee I could subdue him quickly. If the commotion attracts the Church or the Loen authorities, things could get messy… It's still safer to make our move when he comes to the embassy tomorrow."
Owen nodded in satisfaction, then as if recalling something, instructed his secretary, "Withdraw our men from around Sari's granddaughter for now, so he doesn't get suspicious."
"What if Mr. Sari receives news of Archbishop Ramier's fall before tomorrow?" the secretary asked anxiously.
"That won't happen. The 'Ageless Witch' can delay it for at least another day. Even the Steam Church in Intis won't get the news until tomorrow night, let alone Sari all the way in Backlund," Mr. Owen said confidently.
"As for his granddaughter, she's just a low-Sequence Beyonder. Once we've taken care of Sari, she won't be able to escape… In fact, luring her into the embassy might be even easier."
…
At the villa at 28 Ginster Street, Ebner had just returned when he was informed that Emma had sent him a letter. He took it with a bit of surprise, read it once, and immediately frowned.
"The letter seems to express feelings of longing and affection… but my relationship with Emma was never that deep… and she's not the kind of girl who writes this sort of thing… Hm, even in that 'dream' spread by the 'Magic Mirror' that night, she wasn't the protagonist…"
"Could this be a 'ciphered letter'? She's a 'Cryptologist' herself, so maybe she assumes I can decode the hidden message?"
"Is she trusting my deductive abilities… or testing my skill?"
Ebner wasn't in the mood for a puzzle game. He directly activated the "Eye of Pure White" and made his daily divination:
"The secret hidden in this letter."
As the pure white pupil suddenly lit up, he received a revelation from the River of Destiny:
"A cloud of calamity looms over a friend we both share."
(End of Chapter)