Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

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Hobert felt that a previously tense nerve in his body suddenly relaxed, and his mind felt much lighter as a result.

At the same time, he was clearly aware that this wasn't yet the digestion of the potion, but merely a slight loosening, probably just a precursor to digestion.

This recent impersonation was a spontaneous idea from Hobert. After receiving feedback from Arbiter Xio, it resulted in this unexpected effect.

In that brief moment, Hobert realized that the combination of Lawyer and Arbiter was almost the perfect match for digesting potions.

Although Xio didn't know the "acting method," she had been an Arbiter for quite some time, and her potion had long been digested. Therefore, she didn't experience the process of potion digestion, nor did she have the same insight as Hobert.

Darkholm, lying on the ground, immediately begged for mercy: "Sir, Madam, it was those people who just ran away that forced me to do this! Please forgive my recklessness! I-I'm willing to give you all my possessions as atonement."

Hobert snapped back to reality and coldly said, "You don't know Zachary's whereabouts, which means you're of no use to us. Miss Xio, I suggest breaking his left leg. His right leg seems to have been injured before, so if we break his left leg, it will be symmetrical."

"Zachary is my best friend! He told me many secrets!" Darkholm frantically said, "Before he left, he said that after this job, he would receive a blessing from God and gain unparalleled power!"

Both Hobert and Xio paused.

Darkholm hurriedly continued, "Yes, that's what he said. He said his body would undergo a qualitative transformation. The next time we meet, he will be a powerful figure beyond my reach."

Hobert and Xio exchanged a glance. This sounded like a description of becoming a Beyonder. Could Zachary have gained the opportunity to become a Beyonder after completing that swindle?

This suggested there was an organization behind him. Could Heyman be a member of that organization? Was he Zachary's superior?

Hobert stared into Darkholm's eyes. "You know Heyman, don't you?"

"N-no, I don't! I don't know him!"

Although Hobert's Beyonder ability didn't produce the expected results and didn't make Darkholm reveal information about Heyman, Hobert could sense Darkholm's inner struggle and determined that he was lying.

Hobert didn't expose him on the spot: "I'm sorry, but the information you've provided doesn't satisfy us. Today, you must pay for what you've done."

Miss Xio cheerfully added, "When it comes to breaking someone's leg, I don't think anyone is better at it than me."

Hobert was taken aback, remembering that when they were arbitrating against Weir, they also had to break his leg. He couldn't quite understand why Xio was so enthusiastic about breaking people's legs. Could it be that she couldn't stand others having longer legs than hers?

Darkholm continued begging for mercy, loudly shouting some information he thought was valuable, but none of it piqued Hobert and Xio's interest.

With one strike of her cane, Xio broke Darkholm's left shin, causing him to writhe in pain on the ground.

Many of the tenants in the courtyard quietly opened small slits in their windows or doors, wanting to catch a glimpse of the two heroes who broke the local bully Darkholm's leg.

It was hard to imagine that such a small lady could have so much strength, while the tall gentleman seemed to be merely watching.

Darkholm's screams not only surprised the tenants but also filled them with satisfaction, as if a weight had been lifted off their chests.

After delivering the deserved punishment to the scoundrel, Hobert and Xio quickly left the courtyard. Xio, slightly disappointed, said, "The trail's gone cold."

However, Hobert smiled and said, "Not yet."

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. "I believe if we keep a close watch on Darkholm, we'll eventually gain something."

Xio was momentarily stunned, but since the trail had gone cold at this point, she was willing to trust Hobert's words.

She looked around, then pointed at a nearby building. "We can go up to the rooftop to keep an eye on him."

"Great idea."

Once they reached the top floor, Hobert witnessed how agile the Arbiter truly was. Xio leaped from the top floor and with a push of her arms, landed on the roof.

However, Hobert embarrassingly needed Xio's help to clumsily climb onto the rooftop.

From the rooftop, they could see Darkholm in the courtyard far below. He had long stopped screaming. At some point, he had managed to stand up, hopping on one leg, loudly berating his subordinates.

Clearly, Darkholm wasn't as weak as he appeared.

After scolding his subordinates, Darkholm took the paper and pen handed to him, quickly scribbled a few lines, and stuffed them into an envelope.

Then, he selected a young boy from among his subordinates, gave him some instructions, and the boy eagerly nodded before leaving with the letter.

Hobert clumsily clambered down from the top floor, saying, "That letter must be key!"

Xio also realized what was happening. She guessed that Hobert had discovered something earlier and was pretending to leave, so Darkholm would expose the mastermind behind him.

Fortunately, the boy wasn't walking very fast. After a few minutes of following him, Hobert and Xio caught up.

The two patiently tailed him from a distance. After about half an hour, the boy deposited the letter into an abandoned mailbox.

By now, they had left East Borough and entered the factory-dense outskirts. The air here had a pungent odor, like someone was roasting sulfur.

The factory where the mailbox was located had been abandoned for unknown reasons, leaving only a few crooked mailboxes in front of it.

After the boy left, Hobert and Xio found a hidden spot to keep an eye on the mailbox. Now, all they had to do was watch this letter to find out who was behind Darkholm.

Hobert speculated in his mind that this person was likely Heyman. Even just knowing Heyman's address would be a crucial lead.

As they waited, time passed slowly. It wasn't until the sun had started to set that a man wearing a dark coat and hat cautiously approached, observing his surroundings before retrieving the letter from the mailbox.

The man's collar was raised, and his hat brim was pulled low, making it impossible to see his face.

After obtaining the letter, he left at an unhurried pace.

Hobert and Xio quickly followed. The man was likely a Beyonder, so they kept a safe distance.

After a couple of streets, the man, still walking leisurely, turned into a narrow alley where only two or three people could walk side by side. When Hobert and Xio reached the alley entrance, they realized the man had started running.

Damn! They'd been spotted!

The man had chosen the perfect moment to escape. He probably began running the moment he turned into the narrow alley.

By now, there was some distance between them, and the man turned a corner, disappearing from Hobert and Xio's sight.

Fortunately, the streets in the factory district were long, so when the two reached the new corner, they could still see the man in the distance.

There were a few workers on this street, including a middle-aged man in dirty work clothes, walking toward Hobert and Xio while curiously watching the chase.

Hobert sensed something was off, but there was no time to think. After a struggle, they finally caught up with the man.

Xio kicked him down from behind, but when they saw the terrified face beneath the clean coat and hat, they found ragged work clothes underneath.

Hobert realized something was wrong. "Why did you run?"

"S-someone gave me 1 pound in cash and told me to run in his clothes!"

Hobert immediately thought of the middle-aged worker who had been walking toward them. "We've been tricked!"