"Sounds quite impressive," Aiden nodded. "But I haven't heard of it."
The previous Aiden, as a High Inquisitor, knew many information brokers and intelligence societies, including large organizations renowned throughout the southern continent. As the ace investigator of the Autonomous Prefecture's Inquisition, he should have had at least some knowledge of any reliable intelligence channel.
But this so-called "Smiling Scales," Aiden had truly never heard of it.
"Because we only serve a special clientele—those walking the path to godhood. What we sell is intelligence related to Authorities," Sophie explained. "You hadn't heard of us before because you weren't yet on our potential client list."
"Meaning I've only recently caught your eye?" Aiden asked.
"Well..." Sophie started to give a polite reply, then was immediately warned by the "Lying is forbidden" rule again, and had to confess helplessly, "We need to maintain our concealment. We don't directly contact potential clients unless they are deemed particularly valuable."
"So your purpose is just to make me a client?" Aiden pressed.
"Well..." Sophie became vague.
Being unable to give an affirmative answer to this question meant their purpose wasn't solely, or perhaps not at all, about doing business with him.
"Your main purpose should be gathering intelligence on me, right? Otherwise, there'd be no need for such elaborate measures," Aiden asked.
"After all, intelligence on major clients is also an important resource for us," Sophie had no choice but to confess.
"In other words, after gathering intelligence on me, you could also sell it to others? For example, my enemies, or someone wanting to take something from me?" Aiden's eyes turned cold. "And you still dare claim you mean me no harm?"
Divinity in this world is finite, which dictates that the struggle for it is destined to be a zero-sum game. The process of pursuing Dominator status, although occasional collaborations like his with the Witch Coven exist, is still largely governed by the law of the jungle.
The implications of exposing one's intelligence in such a world were self-evident. If Mr. Blood Robe learned now that he was approaching the "Order" Authority, he might come directly to eliminate him first.
But Sophie, under the Codex's rule forbidding lies, stated she wouldn't harm him, meaning she genuinely believed so.
"I don't deny we might sell your intelligence to others, but we can also sell you the intelligence you desire. If it results in adverse effects for you, the blame should lie with those plotting against you. The meaning of the Smiling Scales lies in our eternally neutral stance, never leaning towards any side. We maintain a smile for all clients," Sophie finished, displaying a perfectly standard business smile. "I am the representative assigned to you by the 'Smiling Scales'."
"'Neutral'..." Aiden fell into deep thought.
He should have realized earlier that such organizations would exist. The power of divine word was so immense, yet unknown to most of the world; how could no one capitalize on it for profit? Not everyone yearned for supreme power, but those interested in "profit" surely constituted the vast majority.
An intelligence organization related to divine word, claiming neutrality, with members possessing divine word power themselves... like a deep pool of water, no one knew what lurked beneath, but it seemed everyone had a chance to drink from it.
Such an organization considered him a client and even specifically sent a "representative" to his prison for direct contact...
Worth further communication—Aiden quickly reached this conclusion.
Everything was as he had thought before: an organization related to Authorities had actively approached him, and one maintaining a stance of absolute neutrality at that.
Regarding intelligence about Authorities, he primarily obtained it from Mephilia and Melissa, with only a small portion from the Witch Coven.
In terms of information sources, he was still considerably constrained by the "Goddess of Conspiracy." Finding other intelligence channels would help break through his current situation.
Moreover, perhaps he could inquire about Mr. Blood Robe from this intelligence society.
"How do you charge for your intelligence?" Aiden inquired about the prices.
"Explaining a specific power of a designated Authority: one thousand pounds per power. Providing the whereabouts of a specific divine word incantation: two thousand pounds. Providing the whereabouts of a Unique Authority: ten thousand. If inquiring about a specific individual related to Authorities... the fee depends on the specific situation," Sophie provided a price list, then added, "Quite cheap, right? For cash transactions, we don't accept any bargaining."
"..." Aiden fell silent.
His salary wasn't low, but these prices were still not something he could easily afford unless he embezzled prison funds.
Only now did he clearly recognize the immense value of the free services previously provided by the "Goddess of Conspiracy."
"If not using money..." Sophie, sensing Aiden's thoughts, added, "Equivalent intelligence exchange is also possible. After you pose your question, we will pose one in return. Once you answer, we provide the intelligence—this is negotiable."
Aiden thought for a moment, then said, "Finish answering my questions first. What is your Authority power? What method do you use to transform yourself into others?"
"That's valuable intelligence too, at least a thousand pounds," Sophie replied.
"Already putting a price tag on it?" Aiden wasn't particularly surprised.
"However, this information doesn't involve the organization, just my personal intelligence. I like making money, but I'm not short of this small amount for now," Sophie showed a meaningful smile. "If you could let me have a drink, I can tell you directly."
"You want a drink that badly?" Aiden asked.
"Actually... I could be considered an alcoholic. This needs to be kept secret from my fans," Sophie said, placing a finger vertically before her lips. "Outside, I'm..."
"I understand, the celebrity persona, right?" Aiden nodded. "Alright, I happen to have a bottle here that should be decent."
Actually, he already had a rough guess about Sophie's Authority power, but for safety's sake, he still wanted confirmation directly from her.
Sophie Carter's condition wasn't demanding. Conveniently, he had received a bottle from a certain jewelry store-owning goddess that he didn't know how to handle.
Aiden took the wine bottle from the locked storage cabinet. Upon seeing the bottle, Sophie's eyes widened instantly. "Huh? Isn't this the limited edition commemorative bottle from Griffin Winery ten years ago!? Where did you get it?"
Comments
Post a Comment