The Warden of Sexy Witches

Chapter 324: Chapter 324 Smiling Balance_1

"It sounds rather formidable," Aiden nodded, "but I’ve never heard of it."

As a former superior Judge, Aiden was acquainted with quite a few information traders and societies, among them were large intelligence organizations with a reputation spanning the entire Southern Continent. As the ace investigator of the Autonomous State Heresy Tribunal, if there was any reliable source of information, he would have at least some knowledge of it.

But this so-called "Balance of Smiles," Aiden had truly never heard of it.

"That’s because we only serve a special clientele—those on the path to divinity. We sell intelligence concerning authority," Sophie explained, "You hadn’t heard about us because you weren’t on our candidate list for clients."

"So you mean I’ve recently caught your eye?" Aiden asked.

"About that..." Sophie was about to offer a polite reply when she received another warning from "The Codex" about the prohibition against lying, forcing her to admit helplessly, "We need to conceal our existence, we don’t make direct contact unless it’s with a client we deem especially valuable."

"So your goal is just to turn me into a client?" Aiden pressed.

"Well..." Sophie was vague in her response.

Not being able to give a definitive answer to that question meant that their goals were not, or at least not solely, to do business with him.

"Your main aim is to gather intelligence on me, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths," Aiden said.

"After all, intelligence on a big client is also an important resource for us," Sophie was compelled to admit.

"In other words, once you’ve gathered intelligence on me, you could also sell it to others, right? Like my enemies or someone who wants to take something from me?" Aiden’s gaze grew colder, "And you dare to assert you have no intent to harm me?"

The divinity in this world was finite, which meant that the struggle for divine power was destined to become a zero-sum game. While the process of striving to become a ruler sometimes entailed cooperation, like his and the Witch’s Assembly, the overwhelming theme was still survival of the fittest.

Exposing one’s intelligence in such a world naturally meant courting danger. If Mr. Bloodrobe knew he was getting close to the authority of "Order," he might well have come knocking to dispose of him first.

But Sophie, under the constraints of "The Codex" that forbade lying, claimed she would not harm him, which indicated she truly believed that.

"I won’t deny that we might sell your intelligence to others, but we can also sell the intelligence you want. If that leads to any disadvantage for you, the blame should fall on the one scheming against you. The meaning behind Balance of Smiles is that our position is always neutral; we don’t lean towards any party and maintain a smile for all clients," Sophie said, then showcased a perfectly standard professional smile, "I am the ’Balance of Smiles’ assigned receptionist for you."

"Neutral..." Aiden fell into thought.

He should have realized sooner that such organizations existed. The power of divine words was so potent, yet unknown to most, surely there were those capitalizing on it for profit. Not everyone aspired to absolute power, but certainly, the majority were interested in "gain."

An organization that professed neutrality and dealt with intelligence related to divine words, whose members themselves held the power of divine words, was like an unfathomably deep pool. What lay beneath the surface no one knew, but seemingly anyone had the chance to drink from its waters.

Such an organization viewed him as a client and even sent a designated "receptionist" to his prison for direct contact...

There’s value in further communication—Aiden quickly concluded.

Everything was as he had expected; an organization tied to authority sought him out, and moreover, it was one that upheld a position of utmost neutrality.

As for intelligence on authority, he mostly got it from Melifilia and Melissa, with only a small portion coming from the Witch’s Assembly.

In terms of sources of intelligence, he was considerably restricted by the "Conspiracy Goddess." Securing alternative channels of information could help him break through his current situation.

Moreover, he might glean information on Mr. Bloodrobe from this intelligence society.

"How do you charge for your intelligence?" Aiden inquired about the price.

"To explain a particular power of a specified authority, one thousand pounds per power. To provide the whereabouts of a specific divine word, two thousand pounds. For the location of a unique authority, ten thousand. And as for intelligence regarding an individual connected to authority... well, that depends on the specifics," Sophie listed out the pricing, then she added, "That’s quite cheap, right? When settling with money, we don’t accept any bargaining."

"..." Aiden fell silent.

His salary was not low, but these were still prices he could not casually afford, unless he misappropriated funds from the prison.

Only now did he fully appreciate how valuable the "Conspiracy Goddess’s" free services had been.

"Alternatively..." Sophie, perceiving Aiden’s thoughts, added, "An exchange of equivalent intelligence is also possible. You pose a question, then we will ask one too. Once you answer, we will provide the information—that’s negotiable."

Aiden thought for a moment and spoke, "Why don’t you first answer my question? What is your power, and how do you transform yourself into someone else?"

"That’s valuable intelligence as well, worth at least a thousand pounds," Sophie replied.

"You’re putting a price tag on it already?" Aiden wasn’t much surprised.

"But this kind of intelligence doesn’t involve the organization; it’s personal. I too like making money, but I’m not in need of this small change at the moment," Sophie said with a meaningful smile, "If you could offer me a drink, I might tell you straight away."

"You want a drink that badly?" Aiden asked.

"Actually... I might be considered a bit of a drunkard, and that’s a secret to keep from my fans," Sophie held a finger to her lips, "In the public eye, I am supposed to be..." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

"I get it, maintaining a celebrity persona, right," Aiden nodded, "Alright, as it happens, I have a bottle of decent wine here."

In truth, Aiden already had a rough idea of Sophie’s power but, to be safe, he still wanted her confirmation.

The condition Sophie Carter proposed was not too harsh, especially since he had previously obtained a bottle of wine as a reward from a certain goddess who owned a jewelry store, which he wasn’t sure what to do with.

Aiden fetched a bottle of wine from a locked storage cabinet. Seeing the bottle, Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise, "Eh? Isn’t that a collector’s vintage from the Griffin Winery from ten years ago!? Where did you get it?"