Chapter 1717: Chapter 1717

The huntress from the black market was, in fact, a believer of the Righteous God, the Lord of War. Over the past year, she had flawlessly completed every one of Jenkins's commissions.

But she balked at this "kidnapping" request, insisting that she ran a legitimate business and wouldn't engage in illegal activities like abduction. When Jenkins reminded her that he was a regular client, the huntress's eyes lit up with recognition.

"A Believer of Lies."

She narrowed her eyes from her seat on the sofa. They were in the same dimly lit room above the black market, the space illuminated only by a single candle standing on the coffee table between them.

"That's me," he said with a taunting smile, settling into the soft cushions of his own sofa. "I seem to recall you once saying that if I paid enough, you'd even dare to lead a raid on an Orthodox Church. What happened to that? Since when did you get into 'legitimate business'?"

"Times are different," she countered. "Do you have any idea how many dangerous figures have gathered in Nolan? Not to mention how many people the Orthodox Churches have stationed in the city... But if you're willing to tell me what you've been up to lately, I can bring you the man you want in two hours. I guarantee no one will be the wiser. I don't need all the details, just a general idea. That information is quite valuable, you know. And don't think I'm taking advantage of you; it's not like I have any way to verify if you're telling the truth."

"Alright, no problem."

Jenkins agreed with surprising ease, and he spoke with an air of complete honesty.

He posed the question to the huntress from the Church of War and Victory.

The woman simply smiled without answering. Instead, she stood up.

"Wait here for two hours. I'll be back soon."

With that, she turned and left.

Magic Miss, seated beside Jenkins, listened intently until the footsteps faded away completely before she asked, "You just told her everything? Do you think she'll assume it's all a lie?"

"No," Jenkins replied. "The Orthodox Church already knows all of that. After all, there are quite a few believers of the righteous gods among the Believers of Lies."

If this so-called cult truly existed, then its only official members, Jenkins and Finney, were indeed believers of the Sage.

"The Orthodox Church has planted spies among you? They're trying to deceive a group of deceivers?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. The thought crossed her mind that the man sitting before her—the young believer of the Sage—could very well be one of those spies. But to follow that line of thinking was terrifying. Who were the real "deceivers," and who was truly being deceived? It was a question she dared not ponder.

"That's right. We have a mole."

This time, he was referring to Miss Stevel. Magic Miss nodded, her expression grim, as she once again confirmed the suspicions in her heart.

They didn't have to wait long. In fact, the huntress returned in less than an hour. She couldn't bring an ordinary person to her transaction point in the black market, so she led Jenkins and Magic Miss to a small room behind the bar at the market's entrance. The unconscious Mr. Joyce was lying on a small bed in the corner. Jenkins noticed a small, bleeding bump on his head.

"This is the man, right?"

The huntress asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"How should I know? I've never seen him before," Jenkins said, but he still pulled out his wallet. "But I trust you. This isn't the first time we've worked together."

He held out the agreed-upon sum, his wallet now comfortably full. He was no longer the financially strained young writer who had just arrived in this world.

"Keep your money," the huntress said, waving her hand in refusal. "The information you gave me was extremely valuable. This commission is on the house."

She turned and walked away without a backward glance, showing no interest whatsoever in why they wanted this man.

Jenkins watched her disappear, wallet still in hand, before turning to Magic Miss.

"I'd bet that even though she'll report what I said to her superiors, she doesn't actually believe a word of it. The truly valuable piece of intel I provided was 'the Believers of Lies are looking for an ordinary person.' Just you watch. If we don't resolve this by nightfall, the Orthodox Church will follow the trail and figure this all out for themselves."

"So you did lie to her?" Magic Miss said with a smile.

"How can you call it a lie?" he protested. "She obtained the information from me herself. I didn't say a single untruth, nor did I gain anything from her. Just because I'm considered a Believer of Lies doesn't mean I enjoy deceiving people."

He defended himself, stroking the yawning cat on his shoulder before walking over to the unconscious man.

"Now then, let's see what this is all about."

It was certain that Mr. Joyce was, in every sense, an ordinary man, but he was not entirely ignorant of the world of mystery. Upon waking from his stupor and realizing what had happened, his first reaction upon seeing two strangers standing before him was to bite down on the poison capsule in his mouth—a very classic method of suicide.

Unfortunately for him, the huntress had been thorough. He found nothing in his mouth to bite but his own tongue and cheek.

"I'd advise against suicide," Jenkins said, standing over him.

"If you kill yourself, I'll just drag your soul back with a necromantic ritual, set it ablaze with demon fire, and force the information out of you. Then I'll stuff your soul into the wick of an oil lamp, stick that lamp in an ancient tomb, and leave you to suffer the agony of a burning soul for the next thousand years, and then..."

The man was already trembling violently, but his lips remained sealed. Knowledge of the supernatural only made the threat more terrifying. Joyce couldn't tell if Jenkins was bluffing, but as a man living in an unenlightened age, he didn't dare gamble on it.

But his long-cultivated loyalty to Queen Isabella managed to overcome the terror in his heart. Though his expression was on the verge of cracking, he still projected an air of courage.

Seeing this, Jenkins stopped talking and motioned for Magic Miss to step back.

An aura, visible only to Jenkins and the cat, erupted from his body. He suddenly leaned in close to the man cowering in the corner. Thıs content belongs to Nove1Fire.net

"Don't be afraid," he whispered. "Look at me. Do I look like a demon?"

And just like that, he learned everything he wanted to know.