Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

Bonus 1: Chapter 106: Speculation on Acting as a Barbarian

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Aethergrey314

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Hobert first wrote a letter to Bob at the almshouse, informing him of the court hearing time.

After dealing with the two letters, Hobert sat idly at his desk until the end of his workday.

During dinner, Hobert told his family that he had rented a townhouse at 192 Blanca Street.

The next morning, Melissa brought the butler and several maids to 192, instructing the maids to thoroughly clean the house and the butler to add a few pieces of furniture.

While supervising the process, Melissa told Hobert, "I discussed it with your father yesterday. We'll help cover 30 pounds of your rent every year.

"Once you become a fully fledged lawyer, renting will no longer be a burden for you."

Hobert understood their good intentions and did not refuse. He planned to give Christian or his foster mother a more expensive gift on their birthdays.

After all, his current cash had reached 943 pounds. His income was already higher than many lawyers.

Moreover, the main materials and potion formulas for Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 did not require money, and there didn't seem to be any major expenses on the horizon.

The only potential expense might be Hobert's plan to nourish his spirituality with Beyonder medicines.

Although the Nation of Disorder had helped him remove the damage caused by the black gloves to his spirituality, Hobert still felt uneasy and wanted to ask Viscount Glaint if he had any formulas for nourishing spirituality.

Around ten o'clock, Melissa left with the butler and maids. Hobert sat in his armchair, taking a deep, satisfied breath in the spotlessly clean rental house.

One thing Hobert appreciated about this era was that he didn't have to clean himself.

He then began his routine reflection. The recently concluded operation had been quite fruitful, with the greatest gain being the ownership of the "Teleporting Statue."

He had also gained the initiative to cooperate with official Beyonders, providing a good model for future collaborations.

Additionally, he had taken many precautions against divination, and interfering with the other party's "Astrologer" should not pose a problem.

Now, the most pressing matter was to think about how to act as a "Barbarian" and quickly digest the potion.

Based on his experience with playing the "Lawyer," Hobert had summarized that it was best to have some ideas about the role before practicing, which would help speed up the process of creating the principles.

So, what exactly is a Barbarian?

Through previous mediumship, Hobert had ruled out the option of being a "wild man."

In other words, playing the role of a Barbarian did not require him to live in the wilderness.

Then what does "barbaric" truly mean?

Rudeness?

Lack of reason?

A preference for using brute force?

Hobert frowned. None of these seemed to capture the essence of a "Barbarian."

The core of the "Lawyer" was the adept use of rules and loopholes. Therefore, the "Barbarian" should have some connection to this core concept, in line with the principles of acting.

For instance, one of the rules for playing the "Seer" was: mystery.

There were also concepts like "reverence for fate." In short, while potion names might not directly reflect their nature, the hidden rules for playing these roles were always interconnected.

Following this line of thought, Hobert realized that the opposite of "barbaric" was "civilized." Suddenly, his thoughts became clear!

Civilization represents order and rules.

Barbarism, then, represents the challenge to these orders and the breaking of these rules.

Hobert nodded in satisfaction. This seemed like a good line of reasoning, and he could find an opportunity to test it out.

After lunch, Hobert returned to the law firm.

After a while, he grew bored and couldn't help but reflect: when working, one always longs for rest, but when resting, it feels dull, and there's even a sense of guilt.

Shaking his head, Hobert decided to find something to do.

After some thought, he remembered that there was indeed something he needed to handle. Bill's case was scheduled for court next Thursday, and before that, he needed to communicate with the plaintiff to understand the compensation amount they were demanding.

This case was different from Bruce's. Bruce's case was about defending against the prosecution, while Bill's case involved a tobacco merchant suing Bill for drunk driving.

Since Hobert had nothing planned that afternoon, he decided to visit the plaintiff. He retrieved the document with the plaintiff's address and had the firm's coachman drive him there.

The plaintiff, named Kate, was a somewhat overweight middle-aged man. His tobacco company seemed fairly successful, occupying two floors of an office building.

The first floor was a product display area, also used for retail.

The second floor was the business area, with a dozen salespeople and a few administrative staff.

Kate was polite enough to Hobert but insisted on 100 pounds in compensation, not a penny less.

He smoked a cigarette and smiled, "Lawyer Hobert, I believe this is fate. That scoundrel has been causing trouble on the Tussock River for quite some time. Since he ran into me, I'm going to teach him a lesson! Not only do I want compensation, but I also want him in jail!"

Hobert responded, "If you believe in fate, then you should know that fate is just. Bill hasn't caused you that much harm. If your compensation demands are excessive, it could bring you bad luck."

"I won't debate this with a lawyer," Kate said. "I know you make your living with words."

He continued, "But let me tell you, based on my knowledge of mysticism... Oh yes, I'm an enthusiast.

"From what I know, fate is never just. Every blessing of good fortune means that someone else is unlucky.

"And Bill is clearly that unlucky person!"

Since the other party was interested in mysticism, Hobert engaged him in conversation. Kate's knowledge seemed more aligned with folk sorcery, full of misconceptions and extreme ideas.

Though their conversation was engaging, Kate, being a competent businessman, did not budge on his compensation demands.

Hobert didn't use his ability to distort the other's thoughts since its effects wouldn't last long. Kate would have regained his original thinking before the trial.

Moreover, Hobert was confident in this case and didn't see the need to take unnecessary risks.

After chatting for a while, Hobert stood up to leave. As he descended the stairs and reached the door, he unexpectedly encountered an acquaintance—Gal.

Gal smiled, "Lawyer Hobert, I didn't expect to meet you here."

He was holding a box in one hand and a small glass bottle in the other.

It seemed Kate truly was a mysticism enthusiast; otherwise, he wouldn't be dealing with someone like Gal, who sold mystical materials.

Hobert smiled and greeted him while taking a closer look at the small glass bottle. "Is that black thorn powder?"

"Your keen eye is impressive," Gal explained. "The box contains herbs that conflict with black thorn, so I have to carry it separately, even though both are stored in glass."

Hobert paused for a second, recalling that the Secrets Supplicant potion formula he had obtained from Zachary required black thorn powder.

Black thorn was a rarely used mystical material and herb. As far as Hobert knew, only the Secrets Supplicant formula required black thorn.

He quickly regained his composure, "Let's chat some other time."

Once in the carriage, Hobert instructed the coachman, "Take me to 51 Henry Street, Gal's Herb Shop."