Chapter 47: The Money-Hungry Old Neil

Chapter 47: Money-Strapped Old Neil

Old Neil rubbed his temples and said

"The reason why they committed suicide has probably been clarified, and that notebook is now in the hands of Riel Bieber. Since the matter has been exposed, whether you are alive or dead, it will be difficult for you to influence future developments. I think—I believe—that the eerie existence or mysterious power that caused all this will no longer pay much attention to you, much like you wouldn't care about an ant on the ground, haha, as long as you don't try to make 'Him' remember you."

"And our pursuit of Riel Bieber will soon reach the Secret Order. They should be able to guess that this is related to the whereabouts of the Antigonus family notebook. Believe me, these secret organizations that have survived for thousands of years certainly possess all sorts of information channels. Therefore, their focus will shift to finding Riel Bieber in an attempt to snatch the notebook before we do. They won't, and cannot, continue to harass, track, or target you."

"Young man, congratulations. You have escaped the shadows of the past and are about to embark on a new journey filled with sunshine."

Klein nodded repeatedly as he listened, saying with both joy and relief

"I hope so."

The gloom that had hung over him since he transmigrated here seemed to truly be dissipating...

However, to be honest, Klein was still somewhat apprehensive, because there seemed to be a certain degree of bond between him and that notebook, to the point where even during normal hostage rescue missions, he would discover residual traces by sheer coincidence.

He was truly afraid that one day, a mailman would suddenly deliver a package, and upon opening it, he would find that it was the Antigonus family notebook!

*I hope everything develops as Old Neil described...* he prayed silently.

Hearing his answer, Old Neil let out a scoff

"You don't seem to be a devout believer of the Goddess. At a time like this, shouldn't you be drawing a red moon on your chest and saying, 'May the Goddess protect us'?"

"Mr. Neil, you don't seem to be one either. A true believer wouldn't say 'embark on a new journey filled with sunshine'." Having gone through this period of "mysticism lessons," Klein had established a good friendship with Old Neil, so he shot back without hesitation.

The two looked at each other, shared a knowing laugh, and almost simultaneously tapped their chests four times, saying

"Praise the Goddess!"

Just then, the sound of a plectrum and marbles rolling echoed, and the doors to the Blackthorn Security Company were opened.

The elegant and refined Mrs. Orianna had her fashionable curly hair pinned up, and she walked into the reception hall with her light green skirt swaying gently.

"Good morning, Mr. Neil. Good morning, Klein." Holding a small calfskin handbag, she greeted them with a beaming smile. "It's another sunny day, a good day."

"Good morning, Orianna. You are as beautiful as you were over a decade ago," Old Neil responded with a chuckle.

Orianna's eyes narrowed, and she pulled a stern face

"Mr. Neil, your compliments are just as irritating as they were over the last ten years."

She placed heavy emphasis on the words "last ten years."

"Is that so?" Old Neil looked toward Klein with a look of utter confusion.

*Whatever you do, never mention things that remind a lady of her age...* As a "keyboard warrior" who knew a little bit of everything, Klein instantly understood Mrs. Orianna's grievance. He spoke with a light chuckle

"Good morning, Mrs. Orianna. You are beautiful every single day."

"Thank you, our excellent University of Hoy graduate." Orianna nodded with a faint smile before turning to say, "That old butler has already paid the remuneration for the commission. According to the Captain's regulations, half belongs to extra funds, and half goes to you and Leonard. Since you are not an official member, you can only receive ten percent of that half. You can come sign for it in a moment."

"How much did he pay?" Klein asked, feeling both happy and pained.

"200 pounds. That's what he said at the time. Oh Lord, Storm above, I truly cannot imagine, cannot believe, that this matter was resolved just like that! This was harder than us having a dream! Why does this security company have no reputation? This is an absolute disgrace to the entire industry!" Mrs. Orianna imitated the old butler, Mr. Cleric, and his Southern-accented mannerisms.

Klein thought seriously for a few seconds and said humorously

"That's actually quite unfair to those kidnappers."

Two Beyonders had resolved the problem in a manner that could be described as relaxed and pleasant... it was like fully armed adults bullying a few children...

"They were too unlucky; they must have lost the protection of the gods," Orianna chuckled softly. "I told that old butler that we were just lucky this time, that a contact happened to see the kidnappers bringing the child into the hiding spot. So, please do not have too many expectations of us; we really are just an ordinary security company."

*Generally speaking, the more one emphasizes being ordinary, the more extraordinary one is...* Klein thought to himself with a smile as he watched Mrs. Orianna pass through the partition into the accounting room.

Old Neil smacked his lips beside him and said with a hint of envy

"You really are a lucky lad. You've only just joined us, and you've already encountered a commission worth 200 pounds."

"Is that rare?" Klein asked back in confusion.

Previously, he had either been studying history, studying mysticism, or wandering outside using his intuition to search for clues.

"According to Orianna's statistics, we might not even encounter a commission once a week, and most commissions are valued under 20 pounds," Old Neil replied with a sigh, rubbing the white crystal pendant on his wrist.

Then, he looked at Klein with implicit expectation

"If you encounter a similar commission in the future, please be sure to notify me."

Listening to Old Neil's words, Klein suddenly felt a strange sensation, so he asked directly

"Mr. Neil, do you seem to be quite short on money? How much salary do you get per week? If it's inconvenient to say, please ignore my question."

Old Neil leaned back against the sofa backrest and chuckled

"It's not something that needs to be hidden. I've been here for many years. Currently, I can receive a salary from the Church and the Police Department respectively, totaling 12 pounds per week."

"A weekly salary of 12 pounds?" Klein blurted out in astonishment.

A weekly salary of 12 pounds, with 52 weeks a year, meant that was roughly 600 pounds or more per year!

When he had read the *Tingen Morning Post* and the *Honest Man*, they mentioned that even senior barristers only earned about 800 to 1,000 pounds a year. Those were senior barristers!

Meanwhile, Benson's manager at the import-export company only earned 6 pounds a week, and he was already considered quite a respectable figure.

"Yes, such a salary is actually quite generous, and we don't have to pay income tax," Old Neil added with a smile.

Klein had heard his brother Benson mention that if a weekly salary reached over 1 pound, one had to pay Class E tax—the income tax for government and corporate employees. It was 3% for the portion from 1 to 2 pounds, 5% for 2 to 5 pounds, 10% for 5 to 10 pounds, 15% for 10 to 20 pounds, and 20% for anything above 20 pounds.

In addition, he had seen four other types of income tax in the newspapers: Class A was land, housing, and other real estate capital gains tax, including ground rent and house rent; Class B was agricultural income tax; Class C was tax on bonds, funds, and stock profits; and Class D was tax on commercial, financial, and professional industry income.

"That is something to be admired," Klein agreed with Old Neil.

"However," Old Neil shook his head, "for Beyonders like us who need to frequently explore the hidden, practice, and attempt rituals, the salary is never enough."

"Aren't materials applied for and provided?" Klein asked in surprise.

Old Neil scoffed

"There are limits on those. Sometimes, you must provide a sufficiently legitimate reason. If you want to practice and experiment more in the mystical realm, you can only spend your own money to buy materials. You can buy them internally, or go to certain underground trading markets."

Klein's spirits lifted, and he immediately asked

"Underground trading markets for Beyonder materials? I thought... I thought the Church definitely wouldn't allow them to exist."

He himself was lacking sufficient channels to obtain materials!

As someone with the prototype of a secret organization behind him, he couldn't solve everything within the Nighthawks.

"Such things are impossible to regulate. Well, from a mystical perspective, all things have spirits and all things share the same origin. The materials we use come not only from transcendent species but also from normal animals, plants, and minerals. For example, the belladonna, golden mint, and nightshade in your 'Divination' potion are things you encounter frequently in daily life. They might not possess transcendent properties, but they all have their own unique characteristics. Through blending and fusion, they can achieve certain effects. Therefore, this is not a trade that the Church can simply prohibit if they wish," Old Neil explained in detail.

Before Klein could speak, he continued

"Furthermore, transcendent species are not useful only for their cores. Just like the Lava Octopus, besides its blood, its eyeballs, its skin, and its tentacles are all excellent materials. Unless the Church uses its own people to capture them all, it would be a massive economic burden to completely stockpile them and control their outflow. The lower the grade of the Beyonder material, the more so. We can only try to prevent the more special ones from circulating."

Old Neil suddenly laughed. "Another important reason is that the underground markets we know about are always better than the ones we don't. As long as secret organizations are not completely annihilated, this is a good strategy, and it can also help us obtain scarce materials. Of course, once such markets exist, contraband will inevitably appear. As long as it isn't too exaggerated or dangerous, we all pretend not to see it, at most using them to enrich our treasuries."

"And because the major Churches keep each other in check, preventing them from using too drastic measures, right?" Klein speculated.

Old Neil gave an "mm" in response but did not elaborate.

"I am a 'Diviner,' and in the future, I will certainly need repeated practice and more materials. Mr. Neil, could you take me to see those underground trading markets?" Klein requested with a legitimate reason.

Old Neil showed a troubled expression

"Actually, most of the active characters in those places are not Beyonders. There are nobles who love mysticism, and wealthy people who yearn for it... Uh, well, I have a 30-pound bill due soon, so it's inconvenient for me to go for the time being."

"Alright..." Klein had completely not expected that unpaid debt to be the reason.

After a moment, he spoke cautiously

"Mr. Neil, do you need to borrow money? I have 10 pounds in remuneration."

"Haha, no need, I have ways to solve it." Old Neil patted the sofa and stood up slowly. "Sigh, old age is truly the enemy that living beings find most difficult to deal with. Last night's watch left me very exhausted. Hmm, this morning, you review the previous lessons and read more literature. By tomorrow, I will begin teaching you the basics of ritual magic."

"Okay." Klein stood up following him and removed his hat to see him off.

By the afternoon, seeing that Captain Dunn had not yet returned, Klein pretended he was still searching for that notebook and wandered the streets once more.

With his 10-pound remuneration, he no longer needed to wait for the disbursement of funds; he could go directly to the Divination Club!

The whispers and visions that appeared from time to time during meditation and Spirit Vision made him impatient to begin "acting."