ALL NOVEL Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Origin of the Statue
Chapter 73: The Origin of the Statue
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Thomas said to Hobert, "Actually, I'd still advise you to give up your right to use the Sealed Artifact. This way, you could acquire the Barbarian or Briber Beyonder characteristics."
Hobert gave a barely noticeable nod. It seemed the Nighthawks had already found a way to extract the Beyonder characteristics from the Henry couple. Besides the two Sealed Artifacts, there were also two Beyonder characteristics—this case was quite a haul!
He then lamented that his own power was still too weak, which had led him to make the most cautious choice at the time; otherwise, all these gains would have been his alone.
Moreover, dealing with official Beyonders, wild Beyonders were naturally at a disadvantage. In this operation, even though Hobert had made significant contributions, it was the official Beyonders who held the initiative when it came to sharing the spoils.
After a brief hesitation, Hobert made his choice: "I still prefer that Sealed Artifact. Once you understand its sealing method, you'll know why I'm so insistent.
"However, if possible, I'd like you to keep those two Beyonder characteristics for me. In the future, I hope to exchange them through purchase or by accumulating merits."
Such a choice had its pros and cons. As long as the official Beyonders were involved, he couldn't use the Sealed Artifact at will, but it also saved him the trouble of sealing the statue himself. Otherwise, he might have had to rent a house with a yard to provide a ten-meter range for the Sealed Artifact.
"It seems you understand our system quite well and even know about accumulating merits," Thomas smiled. "No non-affiliated personnel can enjoy the same treatment as regular members, but after consideration, I've decided to make some adjustments in handling your case.
"This is because you played a significant role in today's incident, helping two Nighthawks escape danger. Therefore, I'll do my best to meet your conditions as a token of our gratitude.
"First, we will provide you with a document confirming that you are our informant, which will help you avoid attacks from other official Beyonders.
"You'll need to make some contributions for the Nighthawks to become our non-affiliated personnel. Once you contribute more, I will issue you a formal member's credential.
"At that point, you will be the only member of our team allowed to act freely. Of course, you'll need to make enough contributions so that others have no grounds for objection."
Hobert haggled, "Can you just grant me a non-affiliated personnel status directly?"
Thomas shook his head. "Let me put it this way: we must at least conduct some assessments of you and observe you for a period of time. Only after confirming that you won't engage in any wrongdoing will we issue you the non-affiliated personnel credential."
Hobert understood, "So, as long as I pass your assessments, I can easily become your non-affiliated personnel, but becoming a formal member won't be so easy."
Thomas smiled, "Daly was right; you're very clever."
Hobert then asked, "Can I designate Ms. Daly as my contact?"
"Of course."
"Alright then," Hobert said, "please provide me with your informant's proof document."
When dealing with official Beyonders, there's actually not much room for maneuver. For them, most problems encountered have established precedents or systems for resolution.
As Thomas said, unless Hobert's performance was impressive enough to convince everyone to amend the rules for him.
After receiving the document, Hobert arranged a way to contact Daly and wrote down the negative effects and sealing method of the statue.
Thomas sighed, "This is a Sealed Artifact designed for the Lawyer pathway; no wonder you're so adamant about it."
Hobert asked Thomas to wait a moment while he wrote an application for the statue, stating the reason as: research.
After receiving the application, Thomas said, "I can't give it to you today; come back tomorrow morning."
Hobert glanced outside. Night had quietly fallen, and it was no longer suitable to enter the Chanis Gate.
Hobert stood up, "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow morning. Can I leave now?"
"Of course."
Once outside the church, Hobert spotted the carriage waiting for him, with the butler standing by the door. "Young Master."
Hobert smiled, "Thank you for your hard work."
Christian must have already negotiated with the Nighhawks, or Captain Thomas wouldn't have been so accommodating.
After returning home and having dinner, Hobert followed Christian to the study and detailed his experiences from the day.
"It was a close call," Christian commented. "Your choice was correct; collaborating with the Nighthawks is more beneficial than causing a rift and trying to seize the Sealed Artifact to escape."
Hobert then recounted his previous day's actions with Xio and Fors, sharing the information he had obtained with Christine.
Finally, Hobert asked, "Father, can you help me defeat the Tamara family's pursuers and obtain the Sequence 7 potion formula and Beyonder characteristics?"
Christine smiled, "You're just like Rex, always getting into trouble.
"According to Rex's requirements, you must complete this trial on your own. However, if you truly can't manage, I can help."
Hobert hadn't expected his father to have such a card up his sleeve. "Alright, I'll think about it."
The next morning, Hobert first went to the law firm to thank Barton for relaying the information, then he set out again to "visit clients."
Taking a cab to the Backlund Nighthawk team headquarters in the North Borough, Hobert, who had exited through the church's back door yesterday, now saw the Nighthawks' sign hanging that read "Blackthorn Security Company."
Hobert suspected that the Nighthawks were using this name as a disguise. Upon entering, he found an old-fashioned front desk and a seating area.
Daly was already waiting in the seating area. She pointed to a black box beside her. "This stone box can effectively seal 2-355—oh, that's the statue from yesterday. The only time you need to switch holders every twenty minutes is when you take 2-355 out to use it; if it's in the box, you won't have to worry about the twenty-minute limitation."
2-355? So the statue, in the eyes of official Beyonders, possessed the power of a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact?
Hobert nodded. "Got it."
He couldn't help but feel that official Beyonders had a lot more methods at their disposal.
After agreeing on the time for returning 2-355, Hobert carried the stone box back to his rental unit. After confirming that no one was following or spying on him, he took out 2-355 and transported it to the Nation of Disorder via sacrifice.
As he grasped 2-355 in the Nation of Disorder, the Sealed Artifact immediately resonated with the Nation of Disorder.
The material of the statue indeed came from the Nation of Disorder. As Hobert held the statue, he felt that there were many such materials in the Nation of Disorder, but his current control over it was far from sufficient, and he couldn't utilize those materials.
Soon, an image of his first time picking up 2-355 appeared before him. After watching the orderly scene of the Nation of Disorder again, the image shifted, and a massive figure appeared outside the sky of the Nation of Disorder!
Hobert immediately understood that this was the information recorded by 2-355 that he could only see from the outside!