Tingen currently harbors many dangerous secret organizations. Whether it's the Aurora Order, the Secret Order, the witches set, or Amons scattered everywhere like cockroaches, any one of them could drag ordinary people into strange and perilous situations.
Roger pondered the current timeline. "The most restless witch in Tingen should be Tris—the one who uses Sequence 8 'Instigator' abilities. She caused the passengers of the Clover, after being plundered by the King of the Five Seas Nast, to fall into internal strife and slaughter each other."
He considered the timing. "Since the Clover passengers haven't returned yet, we can temporarily rule out trouble from this 'Instigator.' This means James is more likely involved in events connected to the Secret Order or Aurora Order forces."
As for why it wasn't Amon, the reason was simple: the star chart showed no signs that James had been killed or had his fate twisted. It only indicated he was in an urgent, mysticism-related environment.
Roger chose his words carefully. "Mr. Willis, according to the celestial movements, your son has fallen into danger that ordinary people would find difficult to understand."
"Danger that ordinary people find difficult to understand? What does that mean?" Willis immediately straightened, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"It refers to secret existences belonging to the spiritual realm and related events." Roger gestured toward the copper mirror beside him.
In Ruen, where religious faith was prevalent, the word "spiritual" wasn't unfamiliar to most people.
"Spiritual... you mean my son has encountered supernatural events?" Willis's voice rose sharply, filled with complete disbelief.
He had always been a profit-oriented businessman, frequently forcing factory workers into overtime and hiring child labor. Though Willis and his family identified as Steam believers, such people were typically mercenary and materialistic.
Born into a family of Evernight Goddess believers, he had later converted to the Steam Church to build connections and facilitate business. While Willis had heard of supernatural events, he'd always dismissed them as street gossip, never truly believing.
Now a Seer was telling him his son had encountered such dangers, so naturally his reaction was intense.
Roger saw Willis's distrust but considered that this was his first patron willing to spend 8 sule on divination. He replied patiently, "It appears so, but there's good news: James is currently alive."
Hope reignited in Willis's eyes. After mumbling a few words under his breath, he said, "Mr. Bonway, can you help me find James?"
"Are you hoping I'll work as a private detective? I'm a Seer," Roger asked with a smile.
Though divination included finding people, such commissions were somewhat unconventional.
"You could understand it that way. I don't trust the Tingen police right now, so I must prepare for all possibilities." Willis finished speaking, then complained, "If this were Conston, I could go directly to the police superintendent..."
Being a private detective wasn't impossible, Roger mused, ignoring Willis's muttering. Though he knew Willis was desperate and seeking any help available, if the man was willing to pay additional commission, he wouldn't mind helping.
But this carried significant risk. The "Arbiter" pathway at Sequence 9 specialized in mental interference and lacked combat ability, similar to "Seer." Since supernatural events almost inevitably involved Beyonders, encountering a Sequence 8 enemy or combat-skilled Sequence 9 would likely end badly for him.
Still, Roger decided to take the commission.
"It's possible, but requires additional payment." Roger nodded.
"Really?" Willis was stunned by the Seer straightforwardness. "How much do you need? I can afford anything under 30 pounds."
"30 pounds..." Roger had originally planned to charge 10 pounds, which would clear his divination club debt and cover rent for quite a while. For his first "offline person-finding" commission, the price should be reasonable.
But who knew the client would be so wealthy, immediately mentioning 30 pounds.
Roger showed no happiness; instead, he frowned slightly. "Generally, commissions involving supernatural phenomena carry life-threatening dangers. Without 50 pounds or more, no one would take them..."
Since Willis had mentioned 30 pounds, he naturally couldn't simply agree to that amount but should make the expense seem worthwhile.
"Then 50 pounds to find James within three days. Is that acceptable?" Willis answered without hesitation.
Roger felt he still wasn't bold enough.
"James is very important to me. Among my three sons, he's the only one qualified and capable of taking over my company. Fifty pounds is very appropriate," Willis explained further.
"This way of linking flesh and blood with monetary value really fits my stereotypical impression of most Ruen capitalists," Roger thought.
In this world, successful merchants with kind hearts like the future Sherlock Moriarty were few and far between.
"Acceptable." Roger exhaled and nodded.
Willis first paid Roger 15 pounds as a 30% deposit, then rose to leave.
"I await your good news," he instructed before departing.
Closing the divination room door, Roger held the banknotes, inhaling their faint special ink fragrance.
"The smell of money... This first bucket of gold isn't bad. I won't need to sell those ancestral jellies for now."
Roger joked to himself, feeling quite pleased. Even Bandit seemed to sense his mood, jumping onto the divination table and sniffing hard.
As for completing the commission, Roger already had a plan. He pocketed the money, donned his wide-brimmed top hat, called Bandit to his shoulder, and walked straight out of the divination room.
"Mr. Bonway, here's your 4 sule," Angelica handed him the banknotes—his share from the divination.
"How did your first customer divination in Tingen go?" She paused. "Mr. Willis seemed somewhat worried when he left, but much more relaxed than when he arrived."
"Of course, you should trust my abilities." Roger smiled politely, then asked, "Which divination room is Mr. Moretti in? I have private matters to discuss with him."