Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

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Chapter 83: A New Commission

The interior of the ruins' entrance resembled an underground street, flanked by what appeared to be houses and shops.

For some reason, this cluster of buildings hadn't been buried by soil, remaining remarkably well-preserved, as if a giant bubble had formed underground.

Looking up, one could clearly see the dirt and rocks overhead, with a few tree roots reaching down.

Such well-preserved ruins often yield valuable antiques. Even if no Beyonder items were found, selling antiques alone would make Jacob's team a fortune.

This was why Jacob was eager for Christian to join. Low-cost, high-reward "business" like this tends to attract envy. Christian's involvement provided ample protection, and even if he had never been to an excavation site before, Jacob would ensure this general received a satisfying share of the profits.

The building where Rex left the message was the largest in the complex and looked like a noble's residence.

Pointing at the message on the wall, Hobert asked, "Why can't we make eye contact with the rabbits?"

"We don't know," Jacob replied with a bitter smile. "But we did find many rabbit holes in the ruins, though nothing strange about the rabbits themselves."

Hobert continued, "I remember you mentioned that two of your team members have already died, correct?"

"Yes, they died while exploring the underground portion of this building. At first, we thought their deaths were caused by some Beyonder creature…" Jacob explained, "Some Beyonder creatures love to make ancient ruins their habitat."

He added, "But when we conducted a mediumship, we discovered their spirituality was incomplete, making any effective communication impossible.

"That's when I realized the situation might be beyond our control."

Nodding, Hobert followed Jacob to the underground area, which, to everyone's surprise, was incredibly vast—perhaps even larger than the area above ground.

On the walls, there were emblem-like designs, featuring a black crown. Hobert speculated, "This looks like the Trunsoest family crest?"

"You are quite the learned gentleman," Jacob complimented. "I consulted some experts on the matter, and they confirmed this is indeed the symbol of the Trunsoest family."

He shook his head with a smile. "But the professors couldn't figure out why the Trunsoest family's ruins would appear in the northern part of Backlund.

"Their tombs and ruins are mostly found in the Feynapotter Kingdom and the Intis Republic. The mainstream theory is that the family of the Night Emperor originated in the western part of the Northern Continent.

"Backlund was never a major area of activity for the Trunsoest family. Even if these ruins truly belonged to them, they shouldn't have left behind any highly magical items."

Hobert was taken aback. He had forgotten that these long-fallen Beyonder families had been buried in the dust of history. Few people now knew that Trunsoest and Tudor once served the Black Emperor Solomon together and even briefly co-ruled.

Under pressure from Solomon's return, the Trunsoest family sought help from the Six Gods, eventually advancing to Sequence 0 Justiciar with their aid, leading to the division of the joint government.

Before the Trunsoest Empire was established, the majority of the Night Emperor's family members would have been in Backlund.

After walking for a few more minutes, the group stopped at a fork in the path. Jacob said, "There is unknown danger ahead. From here, we'll rely on Mr. Dofis to lead us."

Dorphis nodded.

Hobert looked down the corridor, uncertain of where it led. In the flickering light of the torches, it seemed as if some monster lurked in the nearby darkness, watching them all.

He reminded Dorphis, "Perhaps the relationship between the Tudor and Trunsoest families is closer than we imagine. Maybe in the Fourth Epoch, the Trunsoest family's power in Backlund was greater than we think."

Dorphis, without caring whether Hobert understood, coldly responded, "They were both families of Beyonders on the 'Lawyer' Pathway."

"Maybe it was an alliance formed under external pressure?" Hobert mused. "I recall that the Loen Kingdom and Feynapotter Kingdom were allies for a time."

Dophus gave Hobert a deep look, surprised that he had understood the underlying implication of his words. Not only that, but Hobert had also reminded him that for ruling Beyonder families on the "Lawyer," "Arbiter," and "Hunter" Pathways, political considerations sometimes mattered more than conflicts between their respective Sequences.

For example, tensions between secular governance and divine authority, or even rivalries between different gods, could force these ruling Beyonder families to make seemingly irrational decisions.

Dorphis grunted in acknowledgment, showing he understood Hobert's point.

On the side, Jacob was utterly confused by their veiled conversation. Although somewhat knowledgeable, Jacob could sense they were discussing something far more advanced than he could grasp.

The group returned to camp just in time for lunch.

Hobert planned to return to Backlund by carriage after the meal.

The camp's lunch was simple but had a unique flavor, consisting of wild vegetables and rabbit meat.

After finishing his meal and enjoying the surrounding scenic beauty, Hobert saw Jacob approach with a man in his thirties. "Mr. Hobert, I've heard that you're an undefeated lawyer. Would you be interested in taking on a criminal case?"

Hobert thought to himself: If it were last week, I'd definitely have "no interest." But this week, I am "interested," because I've just earned my lawyer's license.

As for Jacob praising him as "undefeated," that was true enough—Hobert had only taken three cases so far. One was a practice case that Barton guaranteed would be won, another was Sean's case, where Hobert found a legal loophole, and the only difficult one was Bob's case.

He wondered what Jacob would think if he learned about Hobert's actual "track record."

Politely, Hobert responded, "You flatter me. Let's hear about the case first."

Jacob introduced the man in his thirties behind him. "This is Darren, a foreman among the workers. He's encountered a legal issue and is seeking your help."

Hobert invited Darren to sit across from him. After some simple questioning, Hobert learned that Darren was seeking a lawyer on behalf of a friend.

About half a month ago, Darren's friend Bill was navigating a small boat on the Tussock River when he collided with another vessel. Since Bill had been drinking at the time, the owner of the other boat had filed a lawsuit against him for "drunk driving."

Hobert was secretly delighted—not at Bill's misfortune, but at the prospect of fully digesting his potion!