Still under the curious gazes of countless students, Mozo walked into the library with a helpless sigh.
Fortunately, Miss Audrey hadn't acted too intimately with him. Otherwise, these hormone-driven creatures would have lined up one by one to pick a fight.
That said, these people were surprisingly resilient. Last night, all they knew was that there had been an earthquake, yet today they were already back to school as if nothing had happened.
Then again, life goes on. Even after an earthquake, people still have to live. And it hadn't even been a major one, just a series of mild tremors.
Shaking his head, Mozo took his usual seat, opened the book he planned to read, and quietly began flipping through the pages.
But clearly, someone had other plans.
Before long, a somewhat unexpected figure approached him. The man sat down across from Mozo and spoke directly.
"I'm Kott, from the House of Nobles. Mozo, would you be interested in stepping outside for a talk?"
Mozo frowned slightly and looked up at the noble young man with a pure gold brooch pinned to his chest. Others might not know, but Mozo did.
Aside from being a noble, this guy was also a well-known figure in the school paper under the pen name Partygoer.
Back then, Mozo had investigated him for quite a while because of that name. After two and a half years of effort, he had only managed to confirm that it was just a coincidence.
To put it bluntly, this "famous figure" was nothing more than a gossip-loving tabloid writer.
Still, Kott seemed to have information about him and Audrey. Mozo even suspected that the man might be a Beyonder.
After a moment of thought, Mozo closed his book.
"If it's just a conversation."
Kott smiled immediately.
"I know a quiet place nearby."
He led Mozo to a pavilion not far outside the library. Mozo was familiar with the place. It used to be lively, with people coming and going all the time.
But for some reason, today it was completely empty.
After sitting down, Mozo asked,
"What do you want to talk about?"
Kott glanced around, then sat opposite him. He tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table as if weighing his words.
"Could you tell me what exactly happened in the Old City?"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere changed.
Mozo grew slightly more alert.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Kott scratched his head and sighed.
"Alright, I'll be blunt. I know you're a Beyonder, and I know you had dealings with the Inspectorate last night. But I don't know much beyond that, so I want to know more."
Initially, Kott had only guessed that Mozo was an independent Beyonder.
But last night, while he was at home, his butler had suddenly woken him up, saying that people from the Inspectorate were looking for him. They wanted to use his family's connections to urgently transfer a piece of property.
Kott's family operated in the real estate business and held considerable influence both in the Special District and the capital. They also had close ties with the Inspectorate, since the daughter of the Inspectorate's chief was Kott's sister-in-law.
Mozo continued to play dumb.
"I still don't understand what you're talking about."
Kott rubbed his temples with a wry smile, then took out a document and placed it in front of Mozo.
"This is a copy of a property transfer agreement I handled urgently last night. It clearly states that the Inspectorate will transfer one of their properties in the capital to you as compensation."
"Of course, this alone doesn't prove much. But I already suspected you were a Beyonder. And with what happened last night, I'm guessing something major occurred in the Old City. And you played an important role in it."
At this point, even Kott himself felt a little dazed.
After finishing the job for the Inspectorate last night, his intuition had suddenly urged him to perform a family divination.
And the ritual that had failed generation after generation in his family had actually succeeded.
Hearing this, Mozo nodded in understanding, then asked curiously,
"In that case, as a noble, shouldn't you be able to get more reliable firsthand information from the Inspectorate? Why come to me instead?"
As he spoke, Mozo quietly observed Kott. At the same time, his hand subtly moved toward the gold-devouring revolver.
If Kott could access this matter through the Inspectorate, then he should have better sources. Why take the long way around and ask him?
Unless he didn't want the Inspectorate to know he was investigating this.
Still, transferring a property in the capital as compensation… The Inspectorate really was generous.
Kott hesitated again and again before finally taking out a piece of parchment.
"I need you to sign a contract with me. It will ensure that neither of us reveals this matter to a third party. You can take a look."
He handed the parchment over.
Mozo glanced at it, and his heart immediately filled with disbelief.
"A contract from the Formless Courtyard?"
Kott looked both surprised and delighted.
"You know what this is? That's great. Then you should also know it's a safe and binding two-way contract."
Originally, Kott had been worried about how to explain that this was a legitimate and secure mystical contract. He hadn't expected Mozo to recognize it immediately.
Mozo, however, felt a strange mix of amusement, helplessness, and something close to wanting to cry.
The Formless Courtyard.
An ancient and mysterious Beyonder organization.
But that wasn't the important part. There were plenty of such organizations in this world.
What made this absurd was that the Formless Courtyard was one of Mozo's own creations from his countless dream operas.
So all of this had been real all along.
And yet he had only realized it recently.
He had even spent two and a half years investigating Kott.
Since he understood its origin and function, Mozo signed his name without hesitation, then pushed the parchment back.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything you know."
"Unfortunately, I can only tell you what the Inspectorate already knows."
Because of the contract, Mozo couldn't give vague or misleading answers like before. But for the same reason, he didn't have to worry about Kott leaking the information.
The Formless Courtyard was a fair and silent witness.
Kott thought for a moment, then nodded.
"That's acceptable. Go ahead."
He straightened his clothes and sat upright across from Mozo. Through a special divination, Kott had confirmed that this silent witnessing would be his stepping stone to passing the trial and becoming an official member of the Formless Courtyard.
At that thought, his heart surged with excitement.
At last.
At last, he would become part of this great organization.
His family's long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled in his hands, the hands of a so-called wastrel.
Gods above, Primordial, this was unbelievable. This was incredible.
He could already see his glorious future after joining the Formless Courtyard.
Meanwhile, Mozo did not speak immediately.
Instead, he calmly extended his hand and rubbed his fingers together in front of Kott.
"I need to confirm my payment first."
Kott's mouth twitched.
The grand surge of ambition he had just felt froze instantly, then vanished without a trace.