Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

Having been silenced by "Emperor Roselle's" quote, Hastur lost the interest to continue the conversation.

Maric said, "I usually come here every night."

"That's my good fortune." Hastur understood what he meant, and smiled as he got up and left.

-------------------------------------------

The next day, Hastur went to Backlund University in the morning, observed court proceedings in the afternoon, and stayed home to read in the evening.

Before bed, he gave the Son of Chaos another whip.

It was another fully scheduled day.

The information he had entrusted Glaint to inquire about also started to yield results. Both of the thugs who jumped off the building had suffered broken legs.

One of them mysteriously fractured his legs while fleeing, while the other broke both legs upon landing. In addition to confessing to their crimes, they kept shouting about the presence of evil spirits.

Hastur was quite satisfied with this outcome.

The Hall of Stars truly could interfere with reality, allowing his Sequence 9 power to set rules that influenced the real world.

However, those two thugs were just ordinary people, not Beyonders, so the test still needed to be intensified.

On the third day, early in the morning, Greg had someone deliver a message saying that the position of legal advisor at Bavart Bank had been arranged, and Hastur should drop by soon to register.

In order to receive his first paycheck as soon as possible, Hastur dressed neatly, switched to a new cane, and wore a recently unearthed mechanical watch set with gems.

After the incident with the three thugs, he had thoroughly searched the second floor of the house and indeed found quite a few valuable items.

As for the third floor, he hadn't gone up. If anything valuable was hidden there, it could stay buried in dust.

…

Bavart Bank, its largest shareholder was Count Hall, Miss Audrey's father. The Greg family was only the fourth largest shareholder, owning about six percent of the shares.

By the time Hastur arrived at Bavart Bank, it was already 9:40 a.m., past normal working hours.

"Late on the first day, how embarrassing," Hastur muttered inwardly.

As soon as he entered the bank, he was struck by the lively and crowded scene inside. In addition to the bank staff, there were many nobles and merchants handling their banking affairs.

Communication here basically had to be done by shouting because it was just that crowded.

"You must be Baron Hastur Campbell?"

Hastur hadn't stood there admiring the view for long when a middle-aged man in a white shirt and black vest, with neatly combed black hair and a friendly smile, approached him.

"Hmm, and you are?"

"Harley Thomas, a manager in charge of insurance at Bavart Bank. Lord Greg asked me to come and receive you, to help you get familiar with the environment here."

"Much obliged, Manager Harley."

Hastur smiled warmly and let Harley Thomas lead him around Bavart Bank.

According to Harley Thomas, the bank had five floors. The bottom floor was dedicated to handling deposits, withdrawals, personal loans, and other common services.

The second floor was divided into meeting rooms for handling business loans, insurance, investments, and similar services.

Only nobles and major merchants with certain status could go up there.

The third floor contained offices for bank managers like Harley Thomas to rest and receive VIP clients. It would also be where Hastur worked in the future.

The fourth floor was reserved for the bank president and vice presidents.

The fifth floor was where shareholder meetings were held. It was the most luxuriously decorated floor, but Hastur didn't get the chance to see it.

After a full tour, Harley led Hastur to his office. A plaque reading "Legal Advisor" already hung on the door, with his name printed in small letters below.

The office wasn't very large, about a third the size of Hastur's study at home. It contained a desk, and in one corner was a thoughtfully placed small bookshelf holding about twenty books, mostly related to banking law.

It was clear the room had been carefully arranged.

Hastur was quite pleased with it, especially since the office window overlooked a bustling commercial street. Looking down, he could see densely packed shops and crowds of people.

"This is your name card, representing your identity at the bank."

Harley handed over a small stack of name cards, each about three fingers wide. There were roughly thirty cards. Hastur smiled as he accepted them and pulled one out to examine it.

In the center of the card was the name of Bavart Bank, along with its official seal.

Below were Hastur's basic details: name, age, and position, no private information like address.

"Lord Greg has already spoken, you may come whenever you like. There's no need to request permission from anyone."

Harley almost said outright that Hastur was just holding a nominal position at Bavart Bank, he only needed to come once a week to collect his paycheck.

Even if he didn't show up, once four weeks of unpaid wages accumulated, the bank would send someone to deliver his salary to his residence.

That was a privilege granted by Greg.

Hastur nodded and said, "Could you help me find some commercial cases that aren't too urgent?"

Harley's smile froze momentarily before replying, "You just started today, and there aren't any cases prepared for you yet."

"How about tomorrow?"

"I can only promise within a week."

"All right." Hastur looked rather disappointed.

Harley, on the other hand, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his face once again beaming.

He had no desire at all for this young baron to actually do any work, he'd rather Hastur never show up at all, and just stay home waiting to collect his salary.

At the very least, this way, he wouldn't make any mistakes.

Otherwise, if a mistake were made, the only person who'd suffer would be him. No one would hold a baron accountable, let alone risk offending Lord Greg.

After seeing Harley off, Hastur sat alone in his office chair, leaned toward the window, and enjoyed the street view outside.

After a dozen or so minutes, he got bored and pulled a book from the shelf to read.

The content of these books was very basic, including some commercial cases the bank had handled in the past, likely internal publications exclusive to the bank.

The more Hastur read, the more he was impressed by the bank's prowess. They based everything on Loen law and then formulated corresponding commercial rules, leaving room in every rule to avoid trapping the bank.

Even if someone read through Loen law and all the bank's regulations, even if they were in the right, it would still be very difficult to win a case against the bank.

The bank only allowed itself to be the winner, no second possibility.

Especially in matters of insurance, the bank played the game masterfully. As long as it didn't want to pay, it didn't have to, not even a penny.

But in general, the bank wouldn't make it that obvious.

Hastur read very attentively, only stopping when Harley knocked on his door. Glancing at his watch, it was five past twelve.

Bavart Bank's normal working hours:

Start at 8:30, break at 12:00, back at 1:30, and finish at 6:00 PM.

An eight-hour workday, very much in line with Emperor Roselle's style.

"There's a place nearby that serves Dixie Bay pies, really good, worth trying." Harley invited Hastur to lunch.

Hastur, of course, wouldn't refuse such a kind offer. He also wanted to try just how tasty the Desi pie really was.

They went down three floors to the bottom floor, which was still crowded. The bank staff were divided into two groups: one handling business, the other taking their meal breaks.

With Harley respectfully leading him, Hastur stood out, especially given his good looks. Many female bank employees cast interested glances at him.

Hastur had gradually learned to be immune to such looks.

Harley joked with a smile, "Good thing we're in Backlund. If this were Intis, those girls would've started fighting over you by now."

"No, they'd patiently wait until nightfall, then make their move with a stick in hand," Hastur replied with a laugh.

In his mind, he now had a rough understanding of Intis, Roselle's birthplace.

No wonder Roselle was so "playful", if he managed to remain chaste in the open-minded atmosphere that swept across the Northern Continent, he was either impotent or a living saint.

"When I've made enough money, I'll take a trip to Intis to experience the local customs. I've heard they're quite fond of our reserved and introverted Loen charm."

Thinking of a wonderful encounter in Intis, Harley smiled even more broadly.

Hastur smiled but said nothing. He didn't tell Harley that in Intis, it wasn't just noble ladies and young misses who were enthusiastic, noble men were too.

At the restaurant, Hastur finally got to try Desi pie, and it was indeed savory and rich, leaving a lingering flavor in the mouth. The most outstanding part was the chopped apple pieces. Their sweet and slightly sour taste greatly stimulated the taste buds and balanced out the pie's greasiness. One bite, and the flavor was endless.

He also ordered a glass of sweet iced tea. Desi pie paired with sweet iced tea, even The Fool would approve.

"When I hire a cook at home, there need to be at least three, one for desserts, one for Intis cuisine, and one just for snacks like Desi pies. That's what I call enjoying life."

As he ate the pie, Hastur dreamed of future life.

After receiving his first week's salary from Bavart Bank, he planned to hire a butler, a chef, and a maid.

Seeing Hastur eat with satisfaction, Harley finally relaxed. He had thought that a noble accustomed to fine foods might look down on something as humble as a Desi pie.

After lunch, Hastur and Harley strolled the nearby streets, returning to the bank shortly before 1:30.

With nothing to do, Hastur resumed reading the book from the morning, On the Relationship Between Banking and Law.

After 3:00 PM, Harley had someone deliver a dessert and a cup of marquis black tea.

At 6:00 PM, Hastur clocked out and went home on time.

For dinner, he opted for a light vegetable salad, plus a small lamb rib.

In the evening, he read, then whipped the Son of Chaos once before bed.

For six consecutive days, Hastur arrived at Bavart Bank at 8:30, opened his office, and began reading. After lunch, he returned to his office to continue reading until 6:00 PM when he went home.

No matter how he urged in the first five days, Harley refused to let him take on any commercial cases. Until the sixth day, with no other choice, Harley finally gave him a commercial case from six months ago.

Goodness, the defendant in that case had already been arrested a month ago for suspected fraud, and all follow-up procedures had concluded.

Hastur placed the case file on the desk and rubbed the corner of his eye. He finally understood Harley's dilemma and didn't press him any further.

However, he decided not to come to work for the time being. It was simply too boring.

Missing Professor Wayne's lectures for this was not worth it. Even sitting in the courtroom observing would be more interesting than staying here.

The seventh day was a regular day off, and Hastur would receive his first weekly salary.