Illari was stunned in place, Paul's words spun in his mind like a Magic Spell.
A mix of feeling flattered, ambition ignited, and a subtle fear of betraying Bloren fiercely churned within him.
While Illari was in a daze, assistant Paul added:
"Of course, if you reject Sir's olive branch and choose to always follow Mr. Bloren, I can understand and sincerely admire your loyalty."
He bowed slightly.
Illari opened his mouth, the panic disappeared, but a sense of loss suddenly surged within him.
He said uneasily, "I... I'm not... I need to think about it."
Assistant Paul showed a sympathetic smile, "Then I'll always be waiting for your reply."
By rights, at this moment the topic should pretty much end.
Illari looked eagerly at the assistant, waiting for him to say goodbye.
But assistant Paul turned to the poppet beside him and said, "Such a sophisticated creation. To be honest, I expected to see seams or material joints on it."
The previously nervous Illari suddenly seemed to have switched on something, and his speech became fluent:
"Traditional Alchemy indeed has similar methods... Of course, I'm not saying we stitch with needle and thread, but rather there's a clear demarcation when different materials are amalgamated."
"However, the uniqueness of these poppets lies in the fact that about seventy percent of their skin layer is active clay... I've mixed three mineral powders into the clay, and furthermore, the Transfiguration Spell must be applied in one go..."
"But the toughest part is still injecting thought into them. You have to give them some ideas, but not too much, else their form becomes unpredictable — I once created one determined to self-destruct..."
Illari was completely immersed in elucidating Alchemy and didn't notice Paul's fleeting expression of satisfaction behind his glasses.
"So all these poppets are your creations, right?" Paul asked, "I didn't hear any contributions from Mr. Bloren in this process."
Illari's face flushed as he stammered, "Well... Mr. Bloren certainly helped a lot... For instance, he provided all the materials..."
He was too embarrassed to answer the previous question.
Assistant Paul didn't pay much attention to this point, he sensed an opportunity and promptly asked, "So apart from the materials, he didn't even provide adequate remuneration? I can hardly believe it!"
Illari looked at him, blinking in bewilderment.
"Well... We Scourers don't have salaries, we're driven by our ideals and beliefs to join together..."
Of course, typically Illari was provided with food and lodging by the organization. Being quite a homebody himself, as long as he had enough Alchemy Materials, he hardly needed money for anything.
And when other members had to go out, Bloren or previously Thorne was not stingy with expenses, even cab fares and cigarette purchases could be reimbursed.
Until the businesses controlled by the Scourers were targeted by the national tax bureau, their financial situation suddenly became precarious.
In fact, many Scourers members still held normal jobs in society, enough to sustain their lives, so only when the organization needed them would someone reach out.
Illari knew all this well, but in assistant Paul's gaze, he felt like he and other Scourers were complete fools.
"So... do you know exactly how much Bloren earned thanks to the conveniences provided by the Scourers?" Paul slowly asked.
Illari cautiously responded, "Very... A lot?"
"Indeed... Quite a lot."
The man across seemed even reluctant to discuss specific numbers with him, soon shifting the conversation to Illari's favorite Alchemy:
"By the way, how can these creations differentiate whose orders they should follow?" Paul asked, "I noticed sometimes they obey Mr. Bloren and other times they listen to your directions."
"That's right, there's a Contract Magic."
Illari said with a touch of absent-mindedness, "Every poppet can contract with two or even more masters, that's how they're designed."
"Naturally, Mr. Bloren is their master, but I... I'm their creator and maintainer, so Mr. Bloren specially permits me to establish a contract with them too."
Assistant Paul was even more surprised; he pushed his glasses back up which almost slipped, and looked at Illari.
Although he didn't speak, Illari felt even more uncomfortable.
Because the other's gaze was overtly saying: "You tirelessly labor for others, creating things, and in the end, you still have to beg for the right to be credited?"
Illari: "..."
The logic was indeed sound, but before it was pointed out, why did they all feel it wasn't an issue?
As Illari displayed an expression akin to stepping in something unpleasant, assistant Paul considerately shifted the focus, asking:
"Then can you add new loyalty subjects to these poppets? Such as... Mr. Bloren's partner, Sir William Stonefield?"
Illari speaking under his breath, said, "...Yes. I would need a sheet of parchment with the handwritten name of that Sir."
"Please wait a moment."
Assistant Paul hurriedly left the room.
Illari dazed for a moment, suddenly realized—
That Sir is in the manor right now!
He just didn't want to meet Mr. Bloren, so he had the assistant claim he was in a meeting.
[...The person we genuinely want to cooperate with is you, not Yodel Bronlin.]
Assistant Paul's words reverberated in his ears and suddenly gained some credibility.
—Indeed, Mr. Bloren, though the leader of the Scourers, his followers were all but buried; what kind of leader is he?
Moreover, that man is cunning, ruthless, merciless, always prioritizing benefits, collaborating with him always risks betrayal.
[But I'm different.]
Illari proudly thought, [I'm only interested in Alchemy, I won't vie for power or wealth, nor will I ask for excessively greedy demands.]
[I am the superior collaborator.]
His heart thumped with excitement.
The Werewolf Poppet nearby crossed its arms against the wall, tilting its head to observe Illari's ever-changing expressions, intriguingly guessing his thoughts.
Suddenly, hearing footsteps approaching, the Werewolf Poppet immediately straightened up, standing beside like a wooden statue.
Soon Paul pushed the door open, carrying a piece of fine parchment, folded with care.
He handed the parchment to Illari, smiling as he asked, "Could you demonstrate for me? Regarding the... contract of authority transfer."