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Zeff had to admit: the Monster was being oddly accommodating here. Considering how much leverage Gohvis had over him, holding his daughter captive, there was obviously quite a different approach that the man could have decided to take.

But then, maybe Gohvis was just trying to use the carrot before resorting to the stick.

Zeff didn’t really want to find out, though it certainly would’ve clarified a few things about the mysterious character of this man in front of him. Was it worth pushing for, he wondered? To gain vital information?

No. Not yet, at least. Not before consulting Ax and the others.

And so, he found himself holding his tongue yet again. Probably the wiser course of action in the presence of these juggernauts.

Yet, somehow, he still couldn’t help feeling disappointed in himself.


Chapter Two Hundred Ninety-Three: ‘Considerations of yore...’
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“...This is too generous, lord.”

“No, it isn’t. I broke your arm, officer. Truthfully, this isn’t even close to enough. If there’s something else you want from me, just say it, and I’ll try to make it happen.” Hector bobbed his head a little. “As long as it’s not too crazy.”

The uniformed police officer on the other side of the table just looked at the check in front of him. The man hadn’t said very much since arriving here at Warrenhold.

It had taken Hector quite a while to track this guy down, in part because he’d been so damn busy and kept forgetting about it. But once he’d finally remembered to tell Ms. Rogers about it, the task hadn’t taken very long at all.

This man here was Officer Fred Michaels of the Klein City Police Department. And he was the poor guy whom Hector had injured during that time period when virtually every member of law enforcement in Atreya had been hunting him down.

It had been a sloppy, frustrating mistake, and Hector had been wanting to make amends for it ever since.

Fred, however, wasn’t giving him much to go on, here. The man merely remained stone-faced throughout this whole meeting.

Hector could only imagine what might’ve been going through the guy’s head. When Ms. Rogers told him that she’d put in a request for Fred to come to Warrenhold, Hector had actually gotten a little upset with her. He’d intended to go to Klein himself, not make the officer come all the way here, but by the time he learned of the situation, it was too late. Fred was already on his way.