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Xio was momentarily stunned but quickly guessed, "Are you saying... Mr. A is part of the…"
She lowered her voice further, "—the Aurora Order?"
Hobert nodded. "Yes. I've heard that core members of the Aurora Order use letters as their codenames."
Xio forced a bitter smile. "I was even planning to take Miss Audrey to a gathering hosted by Mr. A tomorrow."
"That shouldn't be an issue," Hobert reassured her. "Their regular gatherings are a way to raise funds and secretly spread their faith. Not only will they not cause trouble at the gathering, but they'll also ensure it's orderly."
Xio let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know."
Hobert then pulled out the mutated eyeball. "This thing has many uses, but not many people know how to handle it. It's hard to say what price it might fetch. I estimate somewhere between 50 and 100 pounds.
"I happen to know a merchant who deals in Beyonder materials. He should be quite interested in this.
"Give me four or five days, and once I've sold it, we'll split the money."
Xio nodded. "Alright."
As they spoke, she pulled out the 23 pounds and 6 soli they had just found, splitting it into two equal portions—one for Hobert and one for herself.
By the time they arrived at 109 Vask Avenue, night had fully fallen. A red moon hung low on the horizon, as if watching over Hobert and Xio's actions.
They waited for the carriage to leave and made sure no one was around before breaking in. One armed with a gun, the other with a bayonet, they quickly searched the house.
The building had two floors. The ground floor contained a living room and kitchen, while the upper floor had two bedrooms and a study.
As expected, they didn't find Heyman. Since Zachary knew about this place, Heyman wouldn't risk staying here.
In the second-floor study, they discovered a safe. Hobert fetched some tools from the basement and pried it open.
To their surprise, the safe contained quite a bit of cash, jewelry, and gold.
Hobert made a rough estimate. "These valuables should be enough to cover the losses of our client.
"Given Heyman's fraud, I suggest we forcibly execute the compensation without informing him. We'll split the assets and compensate our client individually. I'll let you 'arbitrate' the matter."
"My arbitration is: follow your suggestion!" Xio wasn't sure if Hobert was joking or genuinely asking for her opinion. She felt like an old, blind judge who could only agree with the lawyer's advice, lacking judgment of her own.
When it came time to divide the loot, Xio felt overwhelmed. She was good at counting cash, but determining the value of the jewelry drove her to the brink of madness.
Thankfully, Hobert had no intention of cheating her, and the split was fair.
Finding this much wealth meant they had already exceeded their mission's expectations.
Both of them were exhausted by now, and they agreed to check the second address they got from Zachary the next day.
However, Hobert reasoned that the next location wouldn't be as fruitful. "This is South of the Bridge, where security is relatively good. That's why Heyman left some valuables here.
"Gaspen Street, though, is in the East Borough. If Heyman has any sense, he wouldn't stash anything valuable in a den of thieves."
Xio agreed. "It'll also give us a chance to 'visit' Darkholm tomorrow."
After neatly packing their share of the loot into small boxes, Hobert said, "Miss Xio, we're on the same boat now, so I need your contact address."
Xio didn't hesitate much before giving him her address, as they had already established enough trust.
They then each took a hired carriage and left Vask Avenue in opposite directions.
Back home, Hobert was utterly exhausted and famished. Dinner had long been over, but thankfully, his foster mother, Melissa, had left him some food in the kitchen.
After wolfing down the meal, Hobert carried his little box to his room and collapsed into bed.
...
When Xio returned to the apartment she shared with Fors, she exclaimed, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
Fors was sitting in the armchair, reading a magazine. Xio remembered that when she left in the morning, Fors had been in the same position, reading a magazine, with almost the exact same posture.
However, judging by the dinner on the table, hunger must have driven Fors out of her chair at least once, probably to the kitchen or washroom.
Fors put down the magazine and looked at Xio, who was wolfing down a piece of bread. "Why did you come back so late today?"
It was already ten o'clock. If Xio were just an ordinary girl, Fors would've been worried long ago.
Even though Xio was agile and capable, Fors still worried about her being out so late. After all, some clueless thug could easily find themselves on the receiving end of Xio's skills.
Xio mumbled between mouthfuls of food, "Wait until I show you something good!"
A few minutes later, after finishing the bread and downing the soup on the table, Xio let out a satisfied burp and opened the small box she had brought back.
Fors' eyes widened at the sight of the jewelry and gold. "Dear God of Steam and Machinery! Xio, did you rob a bank today?"
She quickly glanced towards the window. Thankfully, the curtains had already been drawn.
Xio beamed with pride. "I followed the clues from Mr. Esker's commission and traced the fraud case all the way to the mastermind behind it. These are the valuables we recovered.
"It's a pity, though—I was this close to bringing the fraudster to justice."
Fors gave Xio a strange look. "Someone must've helped you with the investigation, right?"
Xio was stunned. "How... how did you know?"
"Because you only know how to think with your muscles! There's no way you could've handled a case this complicated on your own!"
Xio gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Alright, alright. I did work with someone today."
She then began recounting her experiences. As Fors listened, it felt like she was hearing a tale. "You're saying a lawyer can channel spirits and knows a bunch of Beyonder knowledge that you can't even wrap your head around?"
"Exactly! I'm sure he's a Beyonder!" Xio said confidently. "And he must either be part of a secret organization or come from a family of Beyonders. Otherwise, he wouldn't know so much."
Fors nodded in agreement but soon grew anxious. "You witnessed him kill someone. To stop you from reporting him, could he send his family to kill you?"
"I don't think so," Xio replied. "I helped too."
"Still, you should be careful," Fors warned as she eyed the small box. "You've taken quite a bit of money. Even that could be enough reason to kill."
Now uncertain, Xio agreed, and the two quickly moved to a different residence for the night.