Chapter 273: Chapter 273

The clown's voice was as erratic and unpredictable as ever.

"It's a troublesome matter, related to the Orthodox Church... On second thought, just get me the Huntress. Is she available?"

"She is. One moment."

Having worked with the Huntress several times, Jenkins considered her swift and always capable of completing her tasks. The matter he wished to commission was important, so he needed someone with outstanding abilities.

"Oh, one more thing."

He called out again, stopping the clown who was about to go find her. Seeing him press out the candle flame with a ridiculous, grimy cat-paw glove, its cotton stuffing peeking through, Jenkins stepped forward and asked in a low voice:

"I need a completely secure, anonymous bank account that can be used throughout the Three Great Kingdoms. Yes, the kind for handling... difficult money. Can you provide one?"

"That's simple. Thirty pounds. I'll give you the account name and password in a moment. You can go to the Travelers' Bank to change them yourself, but I must remind you: if you commit a crime, do not implicate this place."

The clown, his face a mask of greasepaint, let out a derisive snort, then turned and walked step by step into the deeper darkness.

Jenkins wasn't familiar with the situation elsewhere, but he believed the underground black market in Nolan City probably wasn't the largest in the entire region. For safety, most illegal Enchanters wouldn't choose to settle in a large city. Instead, country towns or more remote, smaller kingdoms were the ideal choice.

Consequently, some rather large Enchanter black markets existed in the countryside. These markets were held periodically, but compared to the strictly regulated city markets, those unrestrained places were more prone to trouble.

This was all according to Papa Oliver.

The clown returned in just half an hour. He handed Jenkins a metal ring wrapped in a slip of paper. The top of the ring was set with a square piece of metal, and beneath the embossed design was a string of fine numbers. In return, Jenkins gave him thirty pounds.

The ring was actually a seal, while the paper held the bank account name and password. All three had to be used together to have full control of the account. The banking industry wasn't very developed yet; only the highest-tier accounts could handle transfers between different kingdoms. Even so, it still took some time for the branches to sync their data, and inter-regional transfers could only be completed in larger cities.

Furthermore, the annual fee for such an account was quite high. The clown told him he had to maintain a balance of at least eleven pounds and three shillings, or it would be frozen at the end of the year. All in all, it was a very troublesome affair.

When he saw the Huntress, she was already in the room lit by a single candle. Jenkins was now even more certain that the room was underground, as he could hear a deep rumbling sound from above. It was the sound of large, buried steam pipes passing overhead.

"The middleman said you specifically requested me. Does that mean you're not a new client? Or were you referred by an acquaintance?"

Jenkins remained silent, sitting stiffly upright on the sofa, a posture he did not normally adopt. Official source ıs novel{f}ire.net

As he expected, with him holding himself , she didn't recognize who he was.

"Alright, I have no intention of prying into your privacy. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Currently, there are a few Enchanters from the Church of Sun and Justice in Nolan. Their original purpose was to retrieve a special item, so they weren't particularly hiding their tracks. But things are different now... I need you to investigate what they've been doing lately. I don't need to know their objective; that would be too dangerous. I just want a record of their movements within a one-week period, starting from this week."

He was worried about startling them and bringing trouble upon himself, so he only wanted to know their current activities.

A smile of interest touched the Huntress's unusually plain face. "I don't commit crimes, you know."

"I just need them followed? No deep investigation?"

"You could put it that way."

"Tsk. Three hundred pounds."

A mocking smile spread across her face.

"Asking for a king's ransom?"

Jenkins didn't get angry, maintaining his detached attitude.

"A king? That's an interesting metaphor. But it's not a king's ransom, because you haven't been entirely truthful either—what are they really doing? I have to know that before I can act. Otherwise, there's no telling what might happen."

She had a point, but Jenkins certainly couldn't reveal that he had pocketed a drop of divinity that belonged to someone else.

"They're looking for something. Something even they don't know the nature of. That's the truth."

The woman fell silent for a moment, her brow slowly furrowing. Jenkins noticed a golden point of light in front of her begin to glow, though he had no idea what kind of ability was at work.

"If it's just tracking, then it's relatively simple. But this commission involves the Orthodox Church, so I'll be taking on some risk. Therefore, the price might be a bit higher."

"That's to be expected. I understand. But please, give me a reasonable price."

"Good, as long as you understand. Since it's for a week of their movements, then... fifty pounds."

Jenkins hesitated for a few seconds. His usual instinct was to haggle for a lower price, but he quickly made up his mind. "Done. But you absolutely must not be discovered."

He knew the price was fair. The last commission concerning the house had been twenty-two pounds, but while that task had been troublesome, it hadn't been certain to involve contact with Enchanters, hence the lower cost. This time, he was asking her to actively track Enchanters from an Orthodox Church. Fifty pounds stung, but it wasn't an exorbitant price.

As Jenkins took out the deposit, the Huntress sat across from him and teased:

"I don't mind who you are, but may the gods help you if you're a wanted criminal. Tracking might be unethical, but it doesn't seem to be illegal. I just hope your troubles don't end up involving me."

"I have no troubles."

"I'm not the least bit interested."

The woman shrugged, her body relaxing against the soft back of the sofa. But inwardly, she remained vigilant. After all, this stranger's commission was connected to the Orthodox Church.

"Could he be one of those recently active cultists?"

She wondered, looking again at the man sitting at the edge of the candlelight.

His face was a blank slate, betraying no particular professional air. But the more she stared at him, the stranger he seemed. As for what was strange about him...