Claud sipped at the golden cup and shivered, but even the delightfully luxurious taste of Schwarz's new creation wasn't quite enough to raise his spirits, which went for just about everyone else too.
The bartender glanced around, presumably checking that everyone had the same dazed expression on their face, before clearing his throat. "Holy Son Nero. Holy Daughter Clarissa. For what reason do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"Well, I was going to try out more of your drinks," said Nero, "but Clarissa here just happened to arrive at the entrance at the same time at me."
The Holy Daughter eyed Nero, and then said, "I'm here to inquire about the personage locally known as the Thief of Time."
Claud didn't quite believe their words, but this wasn't the time to call their bluffs anyway.
"You need to ask about the Thief of Time…" Schwarz pondered, and for a moment, Claud could see the question 'Why?' hanging off the tip of his tongue. "Very well. Do you need the relevant files?"
"Files, no. From what Caroline tells me, the Moon Lords is the premier underworld — well, it doesn't really seem like one anyone, but sure — organisation in Licencia," said Holy Daughter Clarissa. "I want to hear your opinions about the Thief of Time. Not the rumours that popped up around him. Your opinions."
"What opinions could a bunch of one-folders have about the Thief of Time?" Schwarz asked.
"Anything, really. Anything odd, anything your gut tells you. I'm interested in these things," the Holy Daughter replied quietly.
"But…"
"I'll pay you. And everyone here. Handsomely." She produced a bunch of green rocks, and then slid them to everyone else present with some mana. "Good enough? I do not understand the thoughts of most people, so feel free to tell me if it's not enough."
Claud picked up the clear-green lifestone floating in front of him, his lip twitching. For some reason, he seemed to be entering the phase in which lifestones felt increasingly less valuable…and for good reason too, since the lifestone in front of him was a high-ranked lifestone.
Other than Pure-Life Gems, all lifestones granted the same amount of lifespan, which was one month. However, the actual yield depended on quite a few factors, especially their purity and the consumer's saturation rate, which was why there was no given standard for how much lifespan one gained from nibbling on lifestones.
For that reason, high-ranked lifestones were really expensive. Sure, he had been gobbling a bunch of them down in a certain vault not too long ago, but using them to pay for some words were…very extravagant, to put it mildly.
Especially since lifestone mines were drying up.
"I-It's good enough," said Schwarz. "More than enough, actually."
"They're useless to me now," said the Holy Daughter. "If I can exchange them for information that might net me opportunities for pure-ranked lifestones, I consider such a trade worth it."
"Useless…saturation?"
"Saturation."
Claud bobbed his head up and down as the others expressed their amazement in varying ways. Reaching saturation for high-ranked lifestones was harder than it sounded. Unlike the low and middle-ranked lifestones, whose impurities meant that reaching saturation was easier, the purity of high-ranked ones were such that attaining saturation with them was a lot harder.
How long was Holy Daughter Clarissa's lifespan?
He glanced at her white garment and white hair, before noting that she was almost certainly older than her looks suggested. It was the same with Caroline and Nightfall; both of them were actually old monsters in the shape of youths, and—
"So, I take it that you are willing to share your thoughts, then?" the Holy Daughter asked, interrupting Claud's thoughts.
"…They are probably going to be quite off the mark, though," said Schwarz. "Me and everyone else here."
"No issue," she replied. "I just want to hear your opinions. The Lord governs cause and effect; I will make use of your words to seek out the truth."
Claud didn't quite like the sound of that.
"Okay then." Schwarz thought for a moment. "Anything that comes to mind, right?"
She nodded, before silently gesturing for him to carry on.
"Well, I thought that this whole thing about Tot felt a bit odd, really. How do I put it? If one were to objectively assess the recent events that he almost certainly participated in, it's clear that the entity we call Tot is profoundly dangerous. The Thief of Time is a very powerful folder, no? But…Tot's goals seem a little scattered."
"A little scattered?" Holy Daughter Clarissa asked. "Elaborate."
"Tot's first appearance, according to the famous storyteller Colidra, was in a slew of thefts executed against the nobles and rich people in this region," said Schwarz. "The Thief of Time would pilfer lifestones, and then distribute riches to the poor in need. But other than these thefts, as well as the one against Duke Istrel, no other incidents that involved himself have actually involved thefts. I'm not sure what to think of this, but maybe it's important."
"Colidra…do you know where I might be able to find him?" Clarissa asked, flicking a high-ranked lifestone at Schwarz at the same time.
"He should still be in town. I think he'll be at the small restaurant called Cat's Paw tonight," Schwarz replied immediately. "He'll be at my bar three days from now."
Claud couldn't help but roll his eyes at how readily Schwarz had given up the storyteller's location.
"Okay. Anything else?" Clarissa prompted.
"Nothing at the moment."
"Moving on, then." Clarissa's eyes roved around the table for a moment, before settling on Dia. "How about you, miss…Isolde? What thoughts or opinions do you have about Tot?"
"Huh?" Dia's eyes widened. "Me?"
"Did I stutter?"
"Well…Tot's really scary," Dia mumbled. "I don't have much opinions on him other than that part. Uh. Maybe Tot's recovering his past strength or something. That's the feeling I get."
"Recovering…what makes you think that?" The Holy Daughter pressed on. "Are you implying that his mana circuits were initially damaged and everything?"
"Well, as Schwarz said, the Thief of Time didn't seem to be that strong at first, right?" Dia replied. "So…"
She trailed off, and Claud frowned. He didn't quite understand why she wasn't taking this chance to talk about her own suspicions. After all, Dia herself must have been gathering clues and everything; wouldn't it be a good time for her to communicate her thoughts and opinions to the people who could possibly do something?
He decided not to think too hard about it.
"Regaining strength…" Clarissa nodded slowly. "Makes sense…but that must imply that the Thief of Time must have been far stronger long ago. Which such personage would fit the bill?"
She shook her head, and then moved on to the others. Lily and Farah didn't have much to add on, since their opinions were largely consistent with that of Dia's. As for Claud, he had simply done the same, which was pretty much the best way for him to avoid lying. He had a feeling that Holy Daughter Clarissa was intending to do something with the information she gleaned — she had hinted at that, after all.
"Hmm. How about you?" The Holy Daughter of the White God gestured at Risti. "Anything?"
"I don't have any opinions on this issue," said Risti, "but I do have a suggestion. According to eyewitness reports, the Thief of Time was capable of taking on ritual magic backed by the White God. I think your investigation should look into how such a thing is possible."
"Wasn't that a rumour?" Clarissa asked.
"It isn't," Risti replied. "Verified sources of information can attest to that fact, although I think you might want to find the involved parties themselves instead."
"You sound like you have a list." The Holy Daughter took out a lifestone. "Can I buy it?"
"You make a very tempting offer, but there's no list," Risti replied. "I believe you should be able to obtain the relevant intelligence by asking a certain department in the White Church. They should be able to provide ample evidence and their own thoughts."
"…Have we met?"
"Me? No, I don't think so." Risti smiled gaily. "But I believe that investigating the means behind Tot's ability to resist a divinity-backed evocation of Grand Cross should be your first and foremost priority. It might just yield more insights into the Thief of Time's true nature."
"I see." She got up, and Schwarz followed suit. "Thank you for your time and cooperation, everyone. I would like to commission everyone present in helping me search for the Thief of Time, and—"
"We're currently employed to look after this city," Schwarz cut in. "While we cannot afford to divert valuable manpower into looking for this highly dangerous person, if we do come across evidence pertaining to Tot, we can send them to you."
"Please do."
As Schwarz escorted the Holy Daughter out of Moon Mansion, Claud felt the tense atmosphere ease up, before stealing a peek at Holy Son Nero, who was nibbling on a biscuit. For some reason, his presence was a lot less scary.
Was it due to a difference in personality?
He wasn't too sure, but that had to be a key reason, if not the main one.