Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Inside the room, Suren looked at the photos in his hand and had to admit that the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were indeed somewhat strange.

If a mere copy possesses such bizarre power, he dared not imagine what kind of strange abilities the original might have.

Seeing Suren deep in thought, Charles smiled and steered the conversation back to the shipment: "As for that 'Tears of the Goddess,' I only saw it by chance at the 'Mist Exchange.' The craftsmanship is indeed quite good; it's just a nice collectible."

He strolled to the table, picked up the etching, and admired it in the sunlight. He casually remarked, "In terms of value, it's not even as good as this etching. I think it's just some blind guy who took a fancy to that 'Tears of the Goddess'."

Suren frowned; he didn't think the "Eternal Oath Knights" would be so bored. It seemed that everything this organization did had a strong purpose.

However, this was not something he needed to worry about right now. He looked at Charles, who was still admiring the painting, coughed, and said, "Then, Mr. Charles, shouldn't my payment be...?"

Charles put the painting down and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I get so carried away when we talk about collecting."

Loft, who was standing nearby, took out the contract from before and placed it on the table, while handing over a pen.

Charles took the pen, signed his name on the contract, and as the last stroke fell, the contract disappeared into the room as if burned by an invisible flame.

Charles then picked up the two ritual books and handed them to Suren with a pleasant smile: "Then these two books are yours. We can discuss any additional compensation, since you've helped me recover a lot of losses."

Suren waved his hand and smiled politely, "Sir, I don't need these two books for the time being. How about we settle the bill in gold pounds?"

Charles was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his smile. Although he didn't quite understand why Suren had suddenly given up, it was actually a good thing for Charles, since the content of these two books was relatively rare.

He turned his head and whispered something to Loft, who then took out a piece of paper slightly larger than a banknote. Charles picked up the paper, wrote something on it, and then handed it to Suren.

Suren took it and saw that it was a bearer check for £1000, belonging to St. Henley Bank.

It must be said that Charles was quite generous, but this was worth the risk Suren took, since this mission was no simpler than killing a "Dominator Demon".

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Suren, we didn't bring much cash with us this time, so this is the only way we can pay," Charles said apologetically.

Suren didn't mind, since he was planning to go to "Libraton" anyway, and the check was still usable.

He put the check away and asked casually, "I heard Mr. Charles is recruiting mercenaries?"

"Yes, because of that previous accident, we suffered heavy losses in manpower, and due to special circumstances, my caravan cannot directly take the church's steam train." Charles gave a knowing look. "I do have a special route, but it takes a long time and passes through dangerous areas infested with demons, so there will inevitably be some dangers along the way. Therefore, I plan to hire some superhumans. The manpower is almost ready, and we expect to set off the day after tomorrow."

Suren, of course, knew why Charles was unwilling to take the official train. After all, a businessman like Charles was likely carrying some contraband in his goods, which wouldn't withstand the church's scrutiny. Traveling through the wilderness, on the other hand, only required preparing the necessary documents in advance, which allowed for many tampering with the paperwork.

Charles looked at Suren with some curiosity and asked, "Why did you suddenly ask about this, Mr. Suren?"

"Actually, a friend of mine needs to go to 'Libraton' for some special reasons. If you could go with him, it would save a lot of trouble," Suren said, revealing his prepared statement. "As for his abilities, you don't need to worry. He is an 'Awakener,' and his strength is even greater than mine."

Charles hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Since you recommended him, then you can have him come here to see Loft this afternoon. He only needs a simple test."

"Could you please provide the name of your friend? I'll write it down," Loft said, taking a register from his briefcase in the room.

"Karen." Suren stretched out her right hand, her index finger writing the name in the air, "Karen Dantès."

Lovett nodded and wrote "Karen Dantes" on the register.

Seeing this, Suren didn't linger any longer. After greeting the two of them, he pushed open the door and left the room.

After leaving the room, Suren stretched out his right hand, his index finger tracing a line in the air. A pale blue light swept along his fingertip. He smiled with satisfaction and strode away.

Inside the room, Loft carefully gathered the items on the table one by one, and couldn't help but sigh, "Sir, this Mr. Suren is probably not as simple as he seems."

"Of course I know. After all, he was recommended by the leader of the 'Weavers of Fate,' how could he just be an ordinary 'Obscurer of Reason'?" Charles shook his head, a sharp glint in his eyes. "I wonder how that Mrs. Howard knew him. By the way, I heard that Viscount Howard recently found a mysterious relic?"

Lovett nodded: "It's said to be related to the documents unearthed in the 'Land of Lamentation' before. I heard that Viscount Howard has deciphered the address of the ruins and is currently heading to the family for help."

Charles scoffed dismissively, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Viscount Howard has always been ostracized by his family. He's never truly been accepted within the Howard family, and I reckon he'll be used by others in the end."

"This might be a good opportunity." Charles stroked his mustache, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "We might be able to get a share of the legacy."

Charles turned around. By then, Loft had already tidied up the items on the table. Watching Loft's retreating figure, Charles suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Wasn't another mercenary coming to report this afternoon?"

Loft paused for a moment, then opened the roster on the table and nodded, saying, "It's an awakener named Karen Dentis, recommended by the 'Mist Exchange,' who is marked as reliable and powerful."

"Since it was recommended by the 'Mist Exchange,' you can just go through the formalities this afternoon. We don't have much time left." Charles pondered for a moment, and could only draw the conclusion of a wealthy businessman. He stopped worrying and waved his hand somewhat irritably. "It's been almost a month since I left Libraldon. If I don't go back soon, all my businesses will go bankrupt."

Loft glanced at the roster, shook his head, feeling he had overlooked something, then closed the roster and stopped worrying about the origins of that "Karen Dantes".

All of this was, of course, caused by Suren. After his promotion, Suren's [Information Shackles] ability became even more powerful, to the point that he could make others overlook some obvious inconsistencies.

At this moment, he was walking towards the duty station, intending to solve the problem of lunch.

In fact, with Suren's current assets, there is absolutely no need for her to eat the pre-prepared food at the duty station just to save money, but this is also a subconscious habit of Suren's.

Pushing open the door of the duty station, Suren saw someone who shouldn't be there at this time—"Frostblade Saint" Leonard Esmond.