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The quill pen brushed lightly across the page, writing: "Dunn Smith was secretly tainted by the Antigonus family's notebook, and later, after entering Hanass Vincent's dream and seeing the clear image of the 'True Creator,' the corruption Dunn Smith suffered began to gradually spread. The Everni..."
The pale hand quickly lifted the pen. The quill pen had almost written "Evernight Goddess." After all, the quill was just a sealed artifact, and if it involved the Evernight Goddess in the story, it would definitely catch Her attention. Ince Zangwill, who wielded the pen, would surely meet a tragic end in Tingen City.
The pale hand crossed out the word "Evernight" and continued writing: "Klein's ritual was a great success, but due to his spiritual depletion, he didn't have time to inform Dunn Smith about Old Neil's ongoing ritual. Over time, Klein continually forgot to mention it to his colleagues due to various reasons, believing it wasn't that important. By the time he had the chance to explain, it was already too late.
"Old Neil's ongoing ritual would push him to the brink of losing control once again—maybe in three weeks, maybe in four. He would return to the edge of madness. His eventual breakdown was inevitable, as his ritual attracted certain gazes. As long as his ritual continued, the corruption would persist, and so would the risk of losing control.
"His breakdown would deal a psychological blow to Dunn Smith and exacerbate the secret pollution already affecting Dunn, leading him to actions Ince Zangwill anticipated...
"What's puzzling is, how did Klein realize Old Neil was on the verge of losing control? His fate took a strange turn here. Could it be because he obtained..."
The pale hand quickly lifted the pen again. He had a premonition that if he allowed the quill to continue writing, things would spiral out of control.
He quickly closed the notebook. This unexpected story had come to a temporary halt.
Ince sighed as he looked out at the lawn with his one eye. Why is it that the stories in Tingen City are always disrupted by uncontrollable forces? Especially this Klein—why does he keep messing up the carefully crafted stories?
---
On Tuesday morning, Hobert gathered the relevant materials and took the law firm's carriage to visit the client, Mr. Polly, in the western suburbs.
Mr. Polly was a man in his fifties, with thinning hair, wrinkled skin, and a pipe in his mouth, giving him a stern appearance.
"I'm going to ruin the Ailey family! I swear, I'll make them pay!" Mr. Polly muttered through his pipe, "Last night, yes, just last night, the giant dog he keeps in the basement escaped again and made a mess of my flowerbed. But that old scoundrel Ailey still insists he doesn't own a dog, let alone a giant one!"
After listening to Mr. Polly rant for a while, Hobert understood the gist. Mr. Polly and the Ailey family were neighbors, but they did not get along.
The root of their disagreement was religious—Mr. Polly's family worshiped the Evernight Goddess, while the Aileys followed the Lord of Storms. They had been neighbors for over a decade, and they had quarreled for just as long.
Recently, however, Ailey had allegedly been keeping a giant dog in his basement. The dog occasionally escaped and wreaked havoc in Polly's garden, even killing several chickens.
Yet Mr. Ailey adamantly denied ever owning a dog. Frustrated, Mr. Polly reached out to a friend to find a lawyer, and thus, Hobert became involved.
Hobert asked, "Have any neighbors seen this giant dog? Would they be willing to testify for you?"
"They've seen it! The Will family across the street and the Allens on the left both saw it, and they're willing to testify for me," Polly replied. "Go ahead, take Ailey to court, Hobert. Let him see how serious I am."
Hobert smiled and said, "Mr. Polly, I'm just a lawyer, not a judge."
He added, "Before going to the Magistrate's Court, I'll first have a conversation with Mr. Ailey. If he's willing to compensate you for your losses, it will save everyone trouble. But if he insists on going to court, we'll be ready for that as well."
Mr. Polly nodded. "Alright, lawyer, I'll follow your lead."
In truth, he wasn't keen on going to court, as it would be too much hassle.
Hobert asked, "How much compensation are you seeking from Mr. Ailey?"
"100 pounds! Lawyer, I want him to pay me 100 pounds."
"That amount is too high. A judge would never accept it," Hobert replied. "I recommend asking for 10 pounds in compensation and an additional 10 pounds for legal fees."
Twenty pounds was a sum a small landowner could handle. If Ailey had to pay 100 pounds, he would indeed be ruined.
Mr. Polly trembled slightly with his pipe in hand. "Goddess! You're charging 10 pounds for legal fees?"
"Didn't your friend explain our rates?" Hobert smiled. "This is already the lowest fee."
"Alright, alright, as long as Ailey is paying."
After settling the details, the two signed a contract. Hobert then asked Mr. Polly to take him to visit the Will and Allen families. As Polly had said, both families were willing to testify, having also seen the giant dog and been frightened by it.
Finally, Hobert went alone to visit Mr. Ailey. Ailey was at home, and when Hobert explained the reason for his visit, Ailey shouted from the doorway, "I've said it a hundred times! That old fool Polly must be going blind! We've never owned a dog. Fine, fine, if he wants to sue, I'm ready."
His voice was loud enough for Mr. Polly, on the other side of the fence, to hear clearly. "Old fool! We used to argue, but I still thought you were a man. Now you're just a clown refusing to admit the truth!"
Their argument prompted a series of barks, and by the sound of it, the dog wasn't small.
Mr. Polly's words made Ailey flush red. As the two men prepared to escalate the confrontation, Hobert quickly interjected. "Mr. Ailey, may I take a look at your basement? The neighbors have all seen it. The giant dog escaped from your basement."
"Fine, fine," Ailey replied. "Lawyer, I trust you. But let me tell you, representing Polly is going to be the stain on your career."
As he spoke, Ailey led Hobert to the outside door of the basement. The barking grew louder.
But when Ailey opened the door, there was nothing inside—just farming tools and miscellaneous items, with no trace of any animal!
Wait! Hobert felt a familiar, twisted sensation, much like the feeling when using the power of the Lawyer Pathway in the Nation of Disorder!