Chapter 18: Hobart's Three-Part Honorific name

Chapter 18: Hobert's Three-Part Honorific name

Hobert's previous interaction with Weir, where he used his abilities, serves as a good example.

To influence Weir's thoughts, Hobert had to align with Weir's thinking, and even then, the extent of the influence was minimal.

Of course, it might also be because the potion hasn't been fully "digested" yet. Hobert speculated that if the "Lawyer" potion were completely "digested," his ability to distort others' language and change their thoughts might be enhanced.

However, Hobert realized that he was still too weak.

He had the ability to identify enemies' weaknesses but lacked the means to exploit them.

This is the reality of being at Sequence 9: possessing some extraordinary abilities beyond ordinary people, but in terms of "offensive" and "defensive" capabilities, only slightly stronger than a regular person.

Hobert decided that after work today, he would buy a cane. Previously, he had looked down on people who walked around with canes despite having no leg or foot issues.

Now he realized that a cane was a weapon, always ready to deal with sudden dangers. It was a "civilized cane" prepared to crack someone's head open if needed.

Then there was the revolver. Hobert clearly remembered the "power" of a handgun in the Blue Knight Bar.

But his marksmanship...

The next crucial step was to find a place to practice shooting!

With a gun and a cane, Hobert could face some dangers with confidence and even have the ability to fight against other Sequence 9 Beyonders.

He then thought that Christine should know a place to practice shooting, given that he was a senior officer. He would ask him during dinner.

Around three in the afternoon, Barton called Hobert into his office again and gave him three cases, which would be Hobert's main work for the next week.

After explaining the work, Barton curiously asked, "How do you plan to spend the reward you just received?"

Hobert smiled and said, "I want to buy a dress for Donna, a nice pen for Tyron, and get myself a gun permit."

"A gun permit?" Barton's surprise was evident.

"Yes, I think I might frequently visit the East District in the future. A gun has enough deterrent power there to save me a lot of trouble," Hobert said, half-truthfully.

Barton nodded, "On Monday, let Bogier help you get the 'gun permit.' He's quite good at it."

As the conversation ended, Barton smiled and said, "Congratulations, young man. You've withstood the test of money. It's rare to see a young person with such self-control."

Hobert smiled back but thought to himself: "60 or 70 pounds is hardly a test. If you gave me 600,000 pounds, I'd fall for it immediately."

After work, Hobert went to a department store, spent 10 shillings on a black wooden cane, and 2 pounds and 1 shilling on a pocket watch engraved with the symbol of the Goddess of the Night and a simple watch chain.

It wasn't that Hobert suddenly found his conscience and started believing in the Goddess of the Night. It was just that the cheap pocket watches only came in a few popular designs, and those related to the Goddess of the Night, the God of Storms, and the God of Steam looked more exquisite.

As someone who had traveled from a modern society, not knowing the time made Hobert uneasy, so he reluctantly bought a pocket watch.

Then, as he had mentioned in the afternoon, he bought a dress for his sister, a pen for his brother, a silk scarf for his foster mother, Melissa, and a pair of leather gloves for Christine. These cost him a total of 5 pounds and 2 shillings, making Hobert feel like his heart was bleeding.

His family was delighted with Hobert's gifts. Donna cheerfully said, "Hobert, now that you have money, can you often take me and my brother out for a big meal?"

Melissa sternly said, "Don't think about getting pocket money from Hobert." She then turned to Hobert and said, "We appreciate your thoughtfulness, but in the future, save your money and build your own savings."

Hobert nodded, "I understand, Mother." He then said to Donna, "If you want to go to the museum or bookstore, I'd be happy to pay for it.

"As for food outside, it's far worse than what we have at home."

Since starting work, Hobert had been eating lunch outside, costing about 1 shilling and 3 pence per meal, and the taste was quite unappetizing.

Donna was a bit disappointed, "The dishes at the Intis Restaurant are quite good and have an exotic flavor."

Hobert suddenly remembered that the Intis Restaurant in Backlund was owned by the daughter of Emperor Roselle. He thought he might visit it someday, but not now.

As dinner was ending, Hobert asked Christine where he could practice shooting.

Christine thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to join the Mercenary Club. They have a free shooting range, and you can get some valuable information or opportunities there."

Hobert had heard of the Mercenary Club, a semi-official club with many mercenary teams and retired soldiers as members.

As far as Hobert knew, tasks unsuitable for the military, such as reconnaissance, espionage, and assassination, were often posted at the Mercenary Club for mercenaries to execute.

There were also archaeological and commercial activities with certain dangers but without military protection, for which the Mercenary Club would post tasks to hire mercenaries to protect the archaeological team or caravan.

From what Christine said, it seemed the Mercenary Club also had a mechanism for information exchange.

After dinner, Hobert returned to his room, locked the door, and prepared to explore the "Nation of Disorder" again.

'The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.''The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.''The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings,''The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.'" The black tide appeared before him again, and Hobert entered the "Nation of Disorder" by walking backward.

Through his recent explorations, he discovered that sitting on the "Iron Throne" allowed him to control certain powers of order and disorder.

For example, he could make a small chaotic area nearby orderly, turning the chaos into land, rocks, etc.

The power of disorder, on the other hand, could make orderly areas chaotic, mixing land, rocks, flowers, and trees together.

However, Hobert was still unsure of the extent to which the powers of order and disorder could affect the world outside the "Nation of Disorder."

So today, he planned to follow Klein's example and design his own three-part honorific, then pray to his own power to see if he could channel the power of the "Land of Order" into the outside world.

Thinking of this, Hobert couldn't help but laugh. Klein had followed Emperor Roselle's example, and now he was following Klein's.

Sitting on the "Iron Throne," the first part of the honorific had to refer to himself, starting with a title, like Klein's "The Fool."

This title had to be somewhat autonomous, as long as it had enough connection to future sequences. For example, the Goddess's honorific includes "Goddess of the Night" instead of "Goddess of Darkness." Similarly, the "Sun" refers to himself as the "Eternal Blazing Sun."

Only someone like Klein, a "beacon of fate," could call himself "The Fool" right from the start.

Following this logic, Hobert thought of himself as the master of the "Nation of Disorder," a necessary substance for the Black Emperor and Arbiter pathways to become ancient beings.

After coming to this world, Hobert could only choose the "Lawyer Pathway," and he had chosen the "Emperor" card of the Tarot Club, which seemed like a destined arrangement, perhaps by a god who controlled fate.

So the title should be related to "Emperor." Hobert pondered this, noting that in this extraordinary world, "Emperor" was a single word, but in his homeland, it was a compound word.

"Emperor" referred to the heavens or the supreme, while "Creator" referred to the act of creation.

Hobert had an idea: he could call himself the "Creator"! After all, "Supreme" and "Most High" didn't sound right, and "Heavenly" sounded like an insult.

With the title decided, the next part was the description, which was crucial and had to refer to himself.

"Not of this era" had already been used by Klein, and using it again might lead to confusion.

"From the past"? That seemed too vague.

After some thought, Hobert decided that since he couldn't find a suitable description for his origin, he would describe the "Nation of Disorder" instead. As the master of the "Iron Throne," describing the "Nation of Disorder" would also point to him.

Hobert quickly came up with a fitting description: Shadow of Order!

He remembered this was a direct description of the "Nation of Disorder" and also of the "Black Emperor," making it quite suitable for himself.

Thus, the first part of the honorific was decided: Creator in the Shadow of Order!

---

The following is a message from the author, who has returned from over 500 chapters ahead (￣▽￣) to discuss the issue of "Saints."

Due to the development of the plot, many readers have commented that the protagonist's behavior seems a bit saintly.

This made the author realize that many people's understanding of "Saints" has been skewed.

We can refer to modern Europeans and Americans, who often sacrifice their compatriots' interests to help immigrants and black people, and they apply double standards, being harsh on their own people while lenient towards immigrants and black people.

A "Saint" generally meets one of these two criteria.

Just like Cheng Xin in "The Three-Body Problem," who sacrificed her compatriots' interests for her personal reputation and so-called benevolence.

Nowadays, public intellectuals' criticisms of China are no longer widely believed, but the author has noticed that these people now like to shift concepts.

For example, the concept of a "Saint." If someone helps their compatriots or assists those in need within their capacity, does that make them a saint?

The author believes that as long as it doesn't harm their compatriots' interests, helping the weak is not wrong. Or, as long as it doesn't harm the interests of good people, helping the weak is not being a saint.

On the contrary, this is what the Chinese concept of "chivalry" entails! It may not be praiseworthy, but it shouldn't be criticized either.

The author didn't intend to discuss this issue, but seeing many people influenced by these concept-shifting arguments, where honesty and trustworthiness are seen as foolish, and helping others is seen as being a saint, he felt compelled to address it.

In modern society, we shouldn't easily help others, but being a refined egoist isn't necessarily correct either.

Cultural rise isn't just about making a few good movies; it's about each of us having a broad mind.

Finally, the author knows some will call these thoughts saintly, but he can only say that while the world is indeed dark, there is also light within it. We may not have the resolve to be that light, but we should try not to block it or let ourselves fall completely into darkness.

To prevent misunderstandings, the author clarifies that the light he refers to is not about being a saint but about those willing to help others in this utilitarian society.

"P.S.: If you find any mistakes or incorrect names, please let me know."

(End of this chapter)