"Hey!"
Fors stared dumbfoundedly at Xio and Ashes as they finalized their decision. Her light blue eyes were filled with disbelief. "I'm still here! Aren't you going to ask for my opinion? Besides, this is my house!"
Xio gave Fors a discontented glare, thinking: Who do you think I'm doing this for? If it weren't for your monthly full moon episodes, would I have to invite a near-stranger and official Beyonder to live here?
"Ugh..."
Under Xio's sharp gaze made Fors shrank back and muttered quietly, "Fine, if you want to stay, then stay!"
She knew her current situation meant she stood to gain from this arrangement. After all, she was the one who needed to be wary of the blood moon and receive Ashe's treatment.
But it was still her house! Letting a man move in so casually—what about her reputation?
"No."
Ashes suddenly shook his head.
"You can't stay here?" Xio hesitated. "Is it because of some special requirement?"
"It's not that I can't stay, but I can't stay for free."
Ashes shook his head and explained, "How much is the rent for this place? I'll pay the market rate."
Xio and Fors exchanged a look, their expressions odd.
He could stay for free but insisted on paying…
"Are you sure you want to pay the market rate?" Fors thought for a moment and reminded him, "The Hillsdon District might not be as posh as the North or Queen Districts, but it's still in the top three in Backlund. Rent is at least 30 soli a week, plus deposit and utilities, making it at least 100 pounds a year! That's not a small amount."
"100 pounds?" Ember pondered and then said, "Let's calculate it at 100 pounds a year then. Count this."
He took out some money and handed Fors ten ten-pound notes.
"And this is for you."
He casually tossed a silver bracelet to Fors.
Fors caught the bracelet, which had three rough dark green stones on it. It was originally hers, now just returned to the owner.
"This..."
Holding the money, a hefty 100 pounds equivalent to several hundred grams of gold, Fors felt bewildered.
This was the first time she encountered someone eager to pay her.
"By the way."
Ashes continued before she could react, "Remember to give me a receipt, one for 200 pounds."
"Huh?"
Fors's expression turned odd. "Are you trying to cheat the church's subsidy?"
"How can this be called cheating?" Ashes retorted, "It's a fair trade, both parties willing."
"But 200 pounds is too exaggerated," Xio couldn't hold back any longer, questioning, "Won't the church suspect? That amount is enough to rent a place in the West End. There's no way a house in Hillsdon costs that much!"
"True."
Ashes pondered for a couple of seconds and decided to compromise slightly. "Let's say 150 pounds then, earning a bit less is fine. My heart is kind."
"Oh, and by the way, based on Backlund's market rate, an exorcism purification ritual costs about 20 pounds per session. This price is reasonable, right? Subtracting 20 pounds, I still need to pay you 80 pounds for rent."
"Of course, future treatments will follow this standard, 20 pounds per session."
"Uh?"
Fors hesitated for a while and then said softly, "But didn't we agree earlier? I become your informant among wild Beyonders, and you're responsible for curing my curse!"
"That's correct."
Ashes nodded but quickly added calmly, "But now I regret it because the rent is too high, so I need to earn some extra money. The original deal is off. I'll charge for each treatment, and you can charge me for each piece of information you provide."
"Each treatment costs you 20 pounds, and I will also pay you for valuable information."
After a pause, Ashes continued, "Provided I consider the information valuable."
Originally, the 'treatment and information offset each other,' meant Ashes would be spending resources to get information.
However, Miss Loretta had reminded him—
The Church of EverNight reimburses the information expenses incurred by NightHawks from wild Beyonders.
Given that, why should he save money for the Church of EverNight?
It's better to keep accounts separate!
The former is 'offsetting merits,' while the latter is a 'win-win'—
Ashes wins twice, getting both money and information, and can even get reimbursed.
As for insisting on paying rent?
That's because rent is also reimbursable!
Yes, as a special professional, having a few perks is quite normal.
"Are you trying to fleece the Church of the EverNight Goddess?"
Fors was completely stunned.
Not even insurance frauds could match this! This was blatant robbery!
How did the Church of the EverNight Goddess recruit such talent?
"Miss Fors is really kind," Ashes thought to himself.
Although he didn't care much about money,
Pure financial transactions still felt less troublesome—
Thanks to Al's teachings, Ashes knew that expenses for obtaining information from informants could be reimbursed.
So no matter how much Miss Fors charged for her information, he could always double it when seeking reimbursement from the Church of EverNight.
Just as Miss Loretta said, never miss any chance to fleece the...no, any opportunity backed by the Church of EverNight.
"Then..."
Xio took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't rely on Fors. She asked, "Since it's a separate transaction, if I provide information on wild Beyonder gatherings, how much would you pay?"
Ashes didn't hide his intent to 'cheat the subsidy' from the Church of EverNight. Given that,
Xio didn't mind cooperating.
"I'm not interested in that kind of information."
Ashes shook his head, "But I can report it to the church. If they are interested, they might give you a considerable reward."
"Not interested in wild Beyonders?"
Xio was surprised.
To official Beyonders, wild Beyonders are hidden threats.
Once wild Beyonders lose control, it often leads to chaos and bloodshed.
Beyonder gatherings typically mean multiple wild Beyonders congregating.
If NightHawks can get relevant information, they can round up these wild Beyonders.
To official Beyonders, this is a lucrative deal.
But Ashes said he wasn't interested. Is he really a NightHawk?
"What kind of information are you interested in?"
Xio wanted to help her friend and couldn't contain her curiosity. "I know a lot of people; maybe I can help gather information."
"Information?"
Ashes pondered for a moment and slowly asked, "How much do you know about the 'Lawyer' pathway?"
"Lawyer?"
Fors looked puzzled; she clearly hadn't heard of this.
But Xio's expression suddenly turned complicated upon hearing this.
"If it's information on that..."
(End of the chapter)
50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter