Chapter 524: Reopening the Justice League Gathering
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In this kind of cunning and forceful struggle, Hobert certainly didn't plan to leave any future troubles.
Moreover, as members of a noble family, they should be prepared to face this fate, just as every Beyonder implicitly agrees to join a life-or-death competition.
Besides, generally speaking, noblewomen basically fall into the category of spoils of war, which is why Grovee asked that question.
Although Hobert had previously said he wanted to seize all of Teuton's women, it was to plunge Teuton into deeper pain.
"Let those who want to go home go home," Hobert said. "Those who don't want to go home, send them to the lord's mansion on the other side and let the Madam handle it."
Hobert couldn't help but recall the scene that appeared in his mind during his promotion. He suddenly realized that it was the potion corroding his consciousness, and that he might also fall when corrupting others in the future.
In order to prevent this from happening, Hobert believed that he must stick to his bottom line and not let others fall, dragging himself down with them.
This is actually a process of resisting the potion, after all, the potion not only gives Beyonders abilities, but also affects their temperament and will.
Hobert suddenly realized that if it were in the past, he would definitely have questioned killing Teuton's sons, or felt uneasy about it.
But now, Hobert found that he didn't feel anything at all.
This was wrong. After all, they were several lives. It was okay to order their deaths for his own purposes, but he had to know what he was doing.
Otherwise, what was the difference between him and a tyrant who regarded life as worthless?
Thinking of this, Hobert frowned. After thinking carefully about the rulers of this world, they were no different from the tyrants in Hobert's memory.
Hobert didn't want to become like that himself. He made up his mind to strengthen his emotional training in the future, neither being too flamboyant nor too indifferent.
In short, he must maintain enough humanity to resist the erosion of the potion.
However, now was not the time to think about this. Hobert came to the main hall of Teuton's lord's mansion and designated it as the town government.
Hobert said to Grovee, the great contributor this time: "You have two choices. The first is to be the first mayor of Teuton Town, but you must also listen to the mayor's arrangements in terms of business."
"This position is relatively easy and suitable for retirement."
"The second option is to go back and rest for one to two weeks and help me establish an intelligence agency. This agency is directly under the lord's mansion, which means it only obeys my orders."
Grovee thought for a while: "I don't think I'm too old yet. I've finally met a wise leader like you, and I still want to work harder."
Hobert smiled: "Okay, after the handover with Conrad is completed, go home and rest for a while."
"Currently, your eldest son and second son are both fighting bandits. Among them, your eldest son is already a Beyonder, and he has chosen to become a 'Warrior'! You will have to wait until they return from bandit suppression before you can reunite."
"As for Dennis, he is currently in Backlund. I will bring him back in a few days."
Grove sighed inwardly: I didn't expect that in my fifties, my family and I would encounter such an opportunity!
He had long heard that Hobert had reused Albert and Corwin after seizing the knight's fief. Now Grove finally understood that this Earl used people regardless of their background, only looking at their ability and loyalty to him.
Even the two knights who had obvious opposition to the Earl when he first came to the territory were still accepted by the Earl after sincerely pledging their allegiance.
Hobert sat here, took over all of Teuton's property, and returned to the lord's mansion on the other side. He drank a few glasses of wine for dinner and celebrated.
In the evening, he naturally "danced" with Fors. After some intimacy, Hobert realized that although he possessed a certain divinity and had become indifferent in some aspects, his feelings and love for Fors had not changed.
This made Hobert realize that as long as he had time in the future, he should spend more time with Fors to keep his emotions in a lively state.
The two of them chatted intimately before going to bed as usual. Fors told Hobert: "The 'Magician' potion has finally been completely digested. I have already written to my teacher to tell him the good news and can get another extraordinary material from him."
"If everything goes well, I plan to adjust my state and complete the promotion next Monday or Tuesday."
Hobert smiled and said, "Our Lady of the Manor is also a 'Mid Sequence' Beyonder."
Then, the two talked about the "Justice League" gathering. While chatting, Fors fell asleep in Hobert's arms.
But Hobert didn't feel sleepy at all. Another reaction after becoming a demigod was: eating very little and sleeping very little.
Theoretically speaking, it is enough to eat only one meal a day and rest for only three hours.
Even if you use meditation to fall asleep, you will wake up after three hours.
Hobert estimated that the demigods of the "Sleepless" pathway should only sleep for half an hour a day, otherwise they would not be able to work 22 hours a day, and still have time to deal with their own life problems.
Since he couldn't sleep, Hobert began to think about some plans for the future. Having a few extra hours in a day suddenly seemed pretty good.
… …
Friday morning, Backlund, 62 Empress Borough.
The carriages of Earl Wolfe and Earl Vincent entered Hobert's Earl's mansion half an hour before the gathering.
The carriages stopped, and Corali, the youngest daughter of Earl Wolfe, and Karl, the youngest son of Earl Vincent, got out respectively.
They were members developed by Audrey and Glaint.
At that time, Hobert also planned to open up relations with the Loen nobles through these members. Who knew that before he knew it, Hobert had already become a noble himself.
Then, Xio and Jessica arrived one after another by taxi carriage, and finally Viscount Glaint and Audrey's carriage arrived one after another.
After half a year, the "Justice League" gathering restarted.
The gathering was held in the study, but this Earl's study did not have many bookshelves, and it looked a little empty.
In the center of the empty study was a long table and eight chairs. The gathering members sat around the long table, chatting and laughing.
At ten o'clock, Hobert announced: "Let's begin!"
Everyone had already sat down according to their previous seats. Hobert sat at the head, and Jessica sat behind Hobert.
Fors and Xio sat on the left, Audrey and Glaint sat on the right, Coralie sat behind Audrey, and Karl sat behind Viscount Glaint.
Audrey looked at Fors opposite her, and Hobert at the head. The eye contact between the two showed their sweetness and affection, which made Audrey feel a little uncomfortable.
But she was very good at adjusting her psychological state and did not let anyone see her discomfort.
Viscount Glaint, one of the initiators, said first: "I have already entrusted Miss Xio with my needs before. I need the potion formula and main ingredients for Sequence 8 of the 'Apothecary' pathway."
Hobert said unhurriedly: "In Feynapotter, I have a good cooperation with the Church of the Earth Mother and can help you get the potion formula for 'Beast Tamer'. As for the main ingredients of the potion, I have them on hand."
Glaint knew that his problem was not difficult for Hobert. He asked with a smile: "About how much money will it cost?"
But Hobert said: "No need for pounds, I need you to do me a favor."
Viscount Glaint made a gesture of please speak.
"I plan to make some investments in Backlund and take over the governance of the territory as soon as possible," Hobert said. "But I lack some reliable subordinates."
"This made me think of the noble children who have received good education and have good vision."
"Well, I mean those noble children who have no right of inheritance and are not valued by their families."
"I heard that they have to find their own way after graduating from university or getting married?"
Glaint and Karl nodded at the same time, and Glaint said: "That's the case."
There are too many such noble children. After all, the noble's high-quality resources are also limited, and they are generally more fertile, so of course, limited high-quality resources must be used on those noble children who look promising.
The reason why Karl also nodded was that if he had not become a Beyonder and been valued by the family, he would have to make a living in the future.
Of course, it is not difficult for them to work in government departments or become department heads in a certain company. However, in that case, with their income and network resources, they will gradually move away from the previous noble family.
Now that he is valued by the family, the family will arrange a leadership position in a government department or a high-level position in a large company invested by the family. If he works harder, he will have a good life.
"Help me gather such a group of people," Hobert said. "I will conduct a simple interview with them and then train them. They will have a great opportunity to become the core management of my business in Backlund."
Becoming a confidant of an Earl is already a very good choice for a noble child who is not valued by the family.
For Hobert, this group generally feels that they have been treated unfairly and generally complains about the current social system. This group of educated and knowledgeable noble children is very easy to reform into high-end talents.
This was an idea Hobert had only last night.
Glaint, the Viscount, said, "This isn't too difficult. Is there anything else I need to do?"
For him, it was just a matter of a meal. If a Viscount hosted, the noble scions would definitely flock to it.
"I'll let you know when I need your help," Hobert said.
For him now, gold pounds were no longer the greatest need. The resources in Viscount Glaint's hands were worth more than gold pounds.
Another initiator, Xio, looked at Hobert and said, "I need the 'Interrogator' Beyonder characteristic."
She had already obtained the potion formula from the Masked Man of MI9.
Hobert thought for a moment and said, "As previously stated, 1200 pounds."
Karl, sitting behind Viscount Glaint, swallowed. He had recently heard that an 'Interrogator' Beyonder characteristic had appeared at a certain Beyonder gathering, and was quickly bought, with the final transaction price reaching as high as 2800 pounds!
"Or you can also pay with help," Hobert added.
Xio was taken aback: "What help?"
"In a while, I'm going to recruit a batch of workers from the vagrants or the poor in the East Borough. At that time, help me screen their character," Hobert said.
"This is too simple. I'll just pay with gold pounds," Xio didn't want to receive such preferential treatment. "When you need help screening, just give me a call and I'll lend a hand."
"You may have misunderstood me," Hobert smiled. "The number of people I want to recruit is not small, and the workload may be very large. Hmm, I may even need to assign you an assistant at that time."
Xio asked, "How large specifically?"
"Tens of thousands!" Hobert replied.
The other members all thought they had misheard. Audrey simply asked, "Hobert, what industry are you investing in? Why do you need so many workers?"
Hobert smiled mysteriously: "That's confidential for now."
This made Audrey even more curious.
Hobert then looked at Xio: "Of course, the overall recruitment work will be carried out in batches. Let's set a value. If the number of recruits reaches 10,000, it will replace the value of the Beyonder characteristic."
"I will pay you again for the portion above 10,000. If it's less than 10,000, it will be considered that you have completed the task."
For an 'Interrogator,' it is very easy to make vagrants tell the truth. Such screening is not difficult, but as Hobert said, the workload is very large.
Xio had a concept of 10,000 people. Even if she had an assistant, she would have to work continuously for more than a month to complete the screening work.
She nodded: "Okay, I'll pay with doing a task."
As a Sequence 8, Xio could easily earn around 200 pounds a month by doing bounty tasks. Sometimes, if she was lucky and encountered good tasks, such as the task she received from Hobert before, earning four or five hundred pounds a month was not a problem.
After becoming a Sequence 7, she could take on higher-value tasks.
Of course, an 'Interrogator' certainly couldn't earn 1200 pounds in a month, but making an 'Interrogator' work at high intensity for more than a month was worth that price.
Official Beyonders of the same level certainly did not have as high an income as bounty hunters, but official Beyonders had many benefits provided by the organization.
Taking Klein as an example, such as Captain Dunn's business guidance and some protection, such as Old Neil teaching him mystical knowledge, such as him being reimbursed for some of his private expenses, such as the main ingredients for potions, etc.
The safety guarantee alone could not be compensated by any amount of money.
After receiving Xio's reply, Hobert nodded: "After the gathering ends, I'll give you the Beyonder characteristic."
Xio added: "I hope to buy that mystical revolver."
Originally, she had finally saved enough money to buy the handgun and the Beyonder characteristic, but the money for the Beyonder characteristic was not spent, which made her very flush at the moment.
"No problem," Hobert said, "Still the originally agreed price, 1300 pounds!"
"Deal!"
Karl and the others didn't quite understand what the transaction just now meant, but Audrey realized that Xio and Hobert had just completed a transaction regarding a mystical item!
She really wanted to know the specific ability of that handgun, but because neither of them meant to explain, she didn't ask. However, Hobert had obviously given some discounts. At other gatherings, even at the Tarot Club, a mystical revolver couldn't be sold for this price.
Fors was about to advance to Sequence 7, and currently had no needs.
Audrey did need the fruit of the Hallucination Bell, but she knew that the chances of the "Justice League" acquiring this main material were slim, and it would also easily expose her as Miss Justice.
After several initiators had no transaction needs, the other members began to stir.
Karl was the first to raise his hand and said, "Earl, I have completely mastered the abilities of 'Arbiter,' and I really want to obtain the Beyonder materials of 'Sheriff.'"
Since he became a Beyonder, Earl Vincent had also begun to pay attention to the cultivation of this youngest son, so he gave him the 'Sheriff' potion formula in advance, but he had not been able to buy the relevant Beyonder materials or Beyonder characteristics.
Hobert nodded: "Prepare 600 pounds, and after the gathering ends, I will fetch the Beyonder characteristic for you."
"Also, at the Justice League meeting, just call me Hobert."
"Okay, Earl… I mean, Mr. Hobert," Karl nodded repeatedly with an excited expression: "I've already brought the money!"
He didn't expect that the problem that had been troubling him for several months would be solved so easily.
The dignified and graceful noble lady, Corati, also said, "Mr. Hobert, I need the next potion formula and Beyonder materials for 'Apprentice.'"
Hobert smiled: "As last time, I have the Beyonder characteristic here, and Miss Fors has the potion formula."
This transaction was concluded for 1200 pounds, with Hobert and Fors each receiving 600 pounds.
Finally, Jessica said, "I need the potion formula and Beyonder characteristic of 'Briber.'"
"I have also prepared them for you," Hobert smiled: "The formula is 1000 pounds, and the Beyonder characteristic is 1200 pounds!"
"No problem," Jessica said immediately.
"You can also pay with doing a task," Hobert said: "I may need to cultivate a batch of subordinates of the 'Lawyer' pathway in the future. Guide them so that they can digest the potion as soon as possible."
"Digesting the 'Lawyer' potion will replace 50 pounds of debt, digesting the 'Barbarian' potion will replace 100 pounds of debt, and digesting the 'Briber' potion will replace 200 pounds of debt."
Jessica smiled: "I haven't even digested the 'Briber' potion yet."
Hobert leaned back in his chair: "You will eventually digest it, won't you?"
Jessica pondered for a moment before saying, "Okay, I'm willing to pay with doing a task."
For her, it was just a matter of providing some guidance, prioritizing suitable cases to Beyonders for handling, and giving some guidance.
After this transaction ended, everyone realized that Hobert, who was sitting at the head of the table, was like a supplier, seemingly able to meet the needs of all the members.
Corati thought: I didn't feel very surprised just now. Maybe it's because at the previous gathering, Earl Hobert gave us a feeling of omnipotence.
And Audrey noticed even more that Hobert was more willing to have everyone pay by doing tasks: This shows that Hobert's financial situation is good, and he needs helpers more than gold pounds.
Jessica then peddled two Beyonder weapons, and Viscount Glaint sold several potions. The free transaction session ended.
Hobert said, "Let's move on to the intelligence exchange session."
Then he asked, "Does anyone know the detailed situation of Longtail Island?"
Karl was the first to say, "I don't know, but I can help you get the relevant information and deliver it to you tomorrow night."
His second brother worked in the Bureau of Land Resources, and it was not difficult to obtain relevant materials about Longtail Island. He planned to hire several people to complete the detailed transcription work this afternoon and all day tomorrow.
Hobert nodded: "Do you need any reward?"
"No need!" Karl smiled: "Being able to buy such an affordable Beyonder characteristic at the 'Justice League' gathering is the best reward."
Hobert glanced at Karl, who was somewhat reckless half a year ago, but was now much more stable, and nodded: "Okay."
Glaint sighed: "Fiefdom, ah, this is a place to yearn for."
Karl said, "Mr. Hobert, can you tell us about your great adventure in Feynapotter City? I heard that there was a very fierce Beyonder battle that day?"
"Yes," Hobert smiled: "But because my level was too low, I didn't participate in the main battlefield battle."
Fors smiled: You have to be able to participate in a battle at the angel level.
Audrey thought to herself: Who said you didn't participate? I'm sure the power of the 'Creator' must have been what you prayed for!
"My task was to control a Sealed Artifact, but the task failed," Hobert only intended to say this much: "Because the enemy was too powerful!"
Karl asked curiously, "How powerful?"
"Everyone should have the concept of a demigod, right?" Hobert asked after seeing everyone nod, and then said: "Those responsible for guarding the Sealed Artifact had at least five demigods and twenty or thirty Sequence 5s."
Everyone gasped, and Karl simply exclaimed in surprise: "So many people!"
Hobert smiled: "I was very lucky to be able to run out of there."
Glaint and Karl had already begun to imagine that fierce battle, but only the careful Corati noticed that since Mr. Hobert's mission failed, why was he able to receive such a generous reward?
However, seeing that no one else seemed to have noticed this, and Count Hobert didn't want to elaborate, she didn't ask about it.
After discussing some of Feynapotter's customs and anecdotes, the gathering came to an end.
Hobert asked everyone to wait in the study while he retrieved the Beyonder characteristics from the "Nation of Disorder." He then wrote down the "Briber" potion formula at the desk in his bedroom.
Returning to the study, Hobert gave the "Trickmaster" Beyonder characteristic to Corati and the "Sheriff" Beyonder characteristic to Karl.
He gave the "Briber" Beyonder characteristic and the potion formula to Jessica.
Finally, he gave the "Interrogator" Beyonder characteristic and the revolver to Xio. Afterward, Hobert saw everyone off. Fors, of course, stayed at the Earl's mansion, as she was now the Countess.
Xio also stayed behind. Using the tools provided by Hobert, she brewed the potion. Because she had digested the "Sheriff" potion very well, the advancement process was without risk.
After Xio gathered her spirituality, the three of them had lunch together. Dophis took Fors and Xio on a tour of the Count's mansion, while Hobert used "Travel" to reach Conant City and Upton's office.
The Balk family members, who were originally scheduled for about a month of learning, had their stay extended for a period of time and finally concluded today.
Upton had already calculated that even with the month-long extension, it only cost a little over 1600 pounds.
Hobert had previously paid 2000 pounds for tuition. He simply waved his hand generously, giving each student 12 pounds in cash to buy souvenirs, and he wouldn't ask Upton to refund the 2000 pounds of tuition.
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