Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

Chapter 110: Catching Thieves

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"Hahaha! Did you all see the look on Jamie's old face?" Stan laughed heartily.

Naturally, the whole family was overjoyed. They hadn't expected the lawyer to resolve the issue so quickly.

They all felt that the 10 pounds spent were well worth it.

Stan asked Hobert, "Mr. Lawyer, how did you know the wild boars would definitely run toward my woodland? Jamie couldn't drive them away, even when he tried! Hahaha."

Hobert thought to himself: Of course, it was because I used my Beyonder ability to twist the thoughts of those three sows. The piglets simply followed their mothers.

Using his Beyonder powers to influence the sows' minds for a commission of just 10 pounds made Hobert feel like he was devaluing his Beyonder abilities, making them seem cheap.

Out loud, however, he said, "I happened to have read some books on the habits of wild animals. If it comes to hunting experience, I'm certainly no match for you, but I do understand the behavior of wild boars better. 

"Your woodland has the ideal conditions for growing the food they need, so when startled, they instinctively run toward your land."

Stan replied, "So knowledge really is power. I've been hunting my whole life, and I never knew these things."

By the time they returned to Stan's farmhouse, it was already around one in the afternoon. Stan's family warmly invited Hobert and the coachman to join them for lunch.

While they were eating, the sound of horses' hooves on the road—though not hurried—caught everyone's attention.

Three horsemen, dressed in riding gear, approached at a relaxed pace.

From a distance, Hobert recognized one of them as someone he had met before at a gathering of the mercenary club—the man who had introduced Hobert to the attendees as the "son of a brigadier general."

Hobert remembered his name: Harvey Hayden. He appeared to be the leader of the three.

As they drew closer, Harvey Hayden and the other two dismounted and politely asked Stan for some water.

Stan's family, always hospitable, took their water flasks and refilled them, even inviting them to join for lunch.

Harvey Hayden was about to decline the invitation when he noticed Hobert and greeted him with a smile. "Hobert! Fancy running into you here. How's your father doing?"

He had once served under Christian and seemed to hold some affection for his former superior.

"Thank you for asking, he's doing well," Hobert replied politely.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the water was refilled, and Harvey Hayden was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something: "We're chasing down three thieves, and we're short on manpower. Hobert, why don't you come along and lend us a hand? Once it's all over, we'll give you a share of the reward."

Hobert had known that Barton's case couldn't be this simple, but he hadn't expected the unexpected twist to involve catching thieves.

Seeing Hobert's hesitation, Harvey Hayden added, "Those thieves don't even have guns, and we've already got them cornered on a mountain.

"You'd just need to help guard one side. There's not much danger."

Stan, who lived nearby, was a bit concerned and offered, "I could help out."

"There's no need," Harvey Hayden smiled. "The thieves are armed with knives and daggers. For safety's sake, we professionals should handle them."

Then he turned back to Hobert.

Hobert could sense the sincerity in Harvey Hayden's gaze. "Alright, I'll finish this piece of bread, and then I'll join you."

In truth, Hobert had already decided to go with Harvey Hayden to catch the thieves, as he suspected Harvey might also know Rex. This could be a chance to extract some information about Rex from him.

Moreover, Hobert was also curious to see what surprises the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence would bring this time.

To prepare for any unforeseen events, Hobert had brought along the Teleportation Statue, the Wood of Order, and other artifacts. As long as he didn't encounter an enemy at Sequence 6 or above who was determined to kill him, he was confident in his ability to retreat unscathed.

After finishing his bread, Hobert bid farewell to Stan's family.

Stan happily handed over the commission fee and even gifted Hobert some jerky and wild vegetables.

Hobert shared a portion of the jerky with the coachman and instructed him to head back, as he had no idea when his business here would be finished.

Harvey Hayden led his horse, walking alongside Hobert as they headed to meet up with the rest of the group.

As they walked, Harvey explained, "Last night, a batch of jewels was stolen from the estate of Count Vincent. The count's son, Simon, immediately posted a job at the Mercenary Club, and nine of us mercenaries, myself included, were quickly assembled to capture the thieves.

"We followed the trail and tracked down the three thieves on the run, chasing them all the way here."

Hobert asked, "How could thieves dare break into the estate of a count?"

Harvey Hayden whispered, "I know it sounds unusual. Simon must be hiding something, but don't worry. I've seen the three thieves up on the mountain. Only one of them is a Beyonder of Sequence 9.

"As per Simon's task, all we need to do is catch these three. There's no need for us to get involved any further."

Hobert nodded. A seasoned mercenary like Harvey wouldn't want to get entangled in noble affairs.

A little further up at a fork in the road, Hobert and Harvey met up with the other mercenaries.

Harvey introduced Hobert to the group, "He's also a member of the*Mercenary Club. I pulled him in to help since he was nearby on another job."

The Mercenary Club had a strong reputation, and two of the mercenaries even recognized Hobert. With their vouching for him, the rest of the group quickly trusted Hobert.

Simon Vincent, the de facto leader of this operation, smiled and said, "We could use more hands. Welcome aboard."

After a quick drink of water, Simon began assigning tasks. First, he designated two people to stay behind and watch over the horses and carts, while Simon, Harvey, and a Hunter would lead the search of the mountain.

The remaining six were split into pairs, positioned to guard the three directions along the road, ready to intercept the thieves when Simon's group drove them out of the forest.

On the other side of the road lay deep mountains. If the three thieves had any sense, they wouldn't run into those treacherous woods.

Hobert was paired with a mercenary named Vico. They reached their designated spot and climbed two adjacent trees to wait with a vantage point.

After an hour of waiting, the two grew bored and started chatting casually to pass the time. They were discussing the Grain Act when Hobert suddenly felt himself slipping into a drowsy state. But just as quickly, he snapped back to awareness.

Before he could figure out what had happened, he noticed Vico sitting motionless in the tree, his eyes blank, his body completely stiff.

Feeling a faint warmth from the Psychological Spoon tucked in his clothes, Hobert realized he had just been subjected to a mental attack.

[T/N: Changed the name of the spoon]

At that moment, a well-dressed middle-aged man appeared, leaping up from the ground to the branch where Vico sat.

The man seemed unaware that Hobert was still in control of his own mind. He asked, "What's your name?"

Vico, eyes glazed over, responded mechanically, "Vico."

Hobert quickly mimicked Vico, pretending to be immobilized, as the situation was still unclear. It was safer to act as if he, too, had been controlled.

The man questioned Vico again, "What are you doing here?"

Vico recited their plan in detail, just as they had discussed earlier.

The man jumped back down to the ground, and Hobert overheard him speaking to someone else, "Confirmed. They're mercenaries hired by Count Vincent to catch the thieves."

"Then we leave them alone."

"Understood," the middle-aged man replied before leaping back onto the tree and instructing Vico and Hobert, "You will ignore the caravan that will pass through here shortly."

Vico, still dazed, nodded. "Yes."

Once again, Hobert felt the Psychological Spoon warm slightly, clearly shielding him from another mental intrusion. He quickly nodded along. "Yes."