Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

Chapter 111: The King's Procession

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After the middle-aged man left, Vico seemed to snap out of a trance, laughing as if nothing had happened. "You were right, the Grain Act has indeed reduced the income of many land-owning nobles."

Inwardly, Hobert thought to himself, "This is the terrifying power of a Spectator. That middle-aged man already knew all the details, yet Vico didn't even realize what had happened.

"If Christian hadn't given me the *Psychological Spoon* this morning, I would've fallen for it too."

Hobert absentmindedly continued chatting with Vico, all the while waiting for the approaching convoy.

After about two or three minutes, the sound of hooves echoed from the road. These horses were clearly well-trained, with barely any neighing.

Using the corner of his eye, Hobert occasionally glanced towards the road. There was a group of heavily armored knights passing by.

They were tall and imposing, their metal masks rendering their faces expressionless, making them resemble zombies.

Despite the grandeur of this procession, Vico, sitting just ten meters away, seemed oblivious to it. He continued watching the mountainside and chatting with Hobert.

After another two or three minutes, a second group of knights appeared.

Compared to the first, Hobert could distinctly feel the oppressive aura radiating from this group, indicating that many of them were Beyonders.

Flanked by the knights were two luxurious carriages, moving at a steady pace.

Both carriages bore royal crests and the symbol of a crown, signifying that their passenger was either the king or the crown prince.

This was the grandest sight Hobert had witnessed since his transmigration.

The irony was, despite such a large procession of knights and carriages passing by, Vico remained completely unaware.

Hobert felt like he and Vico were nothing more than two monkeys, being toyed with by these richly dressed individuals.

It took a full ten minutes for the entire convoy to pass by.

Hobert let out a sigh of relief. He figured this was the "surprise" that the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence had for him.

It was highly likely that King George III was sitting in one of those carriages. But why was the king in such a remote area?

Hobert speculated that the king was probably inspecting the tomb being built for him, or perhaps visiting it to establish a mystical connection.

As for where the king's tomb was located? Hobert had no desire to know!

He sighed again, reflecting that even though he had all his most powerful mystical items and Sealed Artifacts with him, they felt like a child's toys compared to King George III's royal guard, like the difference between a three-year-old and a giant.

Luckily, the king's entourage was moving discreetly; otherwise, both he and Vico would likely have been arrested for interrogation or, worse, executed on the spot. After all, they were lying in wait on the king's path, making it look as though they were plotting against him.

Then Hobert wondered, had King George III already integrated the Uniqueness of the Black Emperor?

When Hobert advanced to Barbarian, he still hadn't heard any distinct whispers. Could it be that King George III was only at Sequence 1?

The Augustus family controlled the Arbiter Pathway, and as a direct descendant of the family, King George III must have consumed potions from the Arbiter Pathway during his youth.

It was likely that he switched to the Lawyer Pathway only when he reached Sequence 2 or Sequence 1.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this switch from Arbiter to Lawyer that George III's influence over the Lawyer Pathway wasn't as significant?

Hobert's thoughts became increasingly scattered, and for the first time, he felt the oppressive presence of a high-Sequence Lawyer Pathway Beyonder.

He even had an urge to leave immediately, but doing so might attract unwanted attention. He forced himself to stay calm and wait for the thieves to be caught.

Vico noticed Hobert's distraction and smiled as he reminded him, "When you're on a mission, you need to stay focused. That's the mark of a competent mercenary.

"Look at me, even while chatting with you, I'm fully aware of everything around us. Nothing escapes my eyes."

Hobert could only laugh bitterly, thinking, 'Well, I don't know what to say to that. You just missed an entire regiment of knights passing right under your nose!'

Time flew by, and after another half an hour, gunfire rang out from one of the other ambush points.

Hobert and Vico immediately jumped down from their trees and ran toward the sound to provide support.

The gunfire came in bursts, growing closer and closer as the mercenaries chased the thieves in their direction.

When Hobert saw two of the panicked thieves running towards them, he quickly fired a shot into the air—both to scare the thieves and to signal the mercenaries behind them, letting them know his and Vico's position to avoid friendly fire.

When the two thieves saw Hobert and Vico, they immediately bolted in another direction.

But it was too late. Hobert quickly chased after them and struck one thief on the back with his cane. The thief's bag dropped to the ground, and he stumbled forward a few more steps before collapsing.

The other thief had already been subdued by Vico. At that moment, two mercenaries who had been chasing the thieves arrived, panting as they helped Hobert and Vico tie the two thieves up.

Vico asked, "Why are there only two?"

One of the mercenaries, still catching his breath, replied, "One of them kept running even after I gave a warning, so I shot him." He gave the captured thief a rough kick. "Still think you can run?"

The kicked thief let out a piercing scream, sounding like a pig being slaughtered.

Hobert, who had been quiet until now, noticed something—the bag that the thief had dropped contained the stolen goods.

A few pieces of jewelry had fallen out of the bag, including a simple ring with a ruby set in the center!

Hobert shifted his position to get a better look, avoiding the weeds on the ground. Yes, there was no doubt about it—this was the ring that Viscount Glaint had commissioned him to find.

He glanced at the other three mercenaries and the two thieves, thinking of using the Psychological Spoon to hypnotize them so they wouldn't notice him picking up the ring.

But then he reconsidered. If Count Vincent checked the stolen goods later and found the ring missing, it would certainly raise suspicion.

Hobert sighed. If only he knew the incantation to open the ring, he could retrieve what was inside and then throw the ring back.

But Viscount Glaint valued whatever was inside the ring so much that he hadn't shared the incantation with Hobert.

Weighing his options, Hobert decided not to take any risks. As long as he knew where the ring was, he could find another opportunity later.

With that decision made, Hobert joined in on the conversation with the other mercenaries, chatting and laughing with them.

A few minutes later, Simon and Harvey Hayden approached at a brisk pace. Simon led the way, while Harvey and the Hunter followed, dragging a third person—presumably the last thief.

Vico pointed at the bag on the ground and said, "Mr. Simon, this is the bag that fell from the thieves. It's been in our sight the whole time."

Simon walked over and picked up the bag, along with the jewelry that had fallen out. "Those useless inspectors are probably still combing the scene, never imagining that the thieves are already caught."

Vico laughed, "Relying on them to catch thieves is like asking a roadside fortune-teller for predictions."

Hobert thought to himself, Have you had a bad experience with a Seer? Or maybe you haven't yet, but should.

With the thieves apprehended, Simon generously offered payment. Harvey Hayden and the Hunter each received 50 pounds, while Hobert, Vico, and the other two mercenaries directly involved in the capture received 20 pounds each.

Even the ones who had merely watched over the horses and carriages, and those who had done little more than tag along, received 10 pounds each.

However, Simon only promised the payment for now. Hobert and the others would have to return to Backlund to actually collect it.

Simon then looked down at the two captured thieves and said, "They must have accomplices. We'll need to interrogate them."