“Don’t be afraid, Mr. Goeckner. My daughter is chained up. She won’t be able to hurt you,” Atlas hastily reassured. He feared that Hyrum might be frightened away.
“A mere hysteria can’t scare me,” Hyrum replied. He immediately took out a packet of white powder and tossed it toward Effie. Effie inhaled the white powder, and immediately, she calmed down, her eyes gradually regaining clarity.
Atlas was thrilled by this unexpected development, not anticipating that Hyrum would swiftly subdue his daughter’s condition.
With Effie now restored to her normal state, Hyrum infused her with a stream of spiritual energy. After a moment, Hyrum’s expression turned grave, causing unease to settle in Atlas.
Stepping out of the arcane array, Hyrum addressed him, “Mr. Jablonski, your daughter’s condition is quite serious. If this continues, I fear she won’t have much time left…”
Hearing this, Atlas became panicked. “Mr. Goeckner, could you save my daughter? If you could cure her, I’ll do anything you ask. I can even retire from my mayorship and let you succeed me…”
Hyrum felt a surge of joy inside. Although he couldn’t be the mayor, he could certainly use Atlas to deal with Jared.
“Mr. Jablonski, your daughter’s condition is severe, but it’s not beyond treatment. It’s just that the treatment is somewhat complex, and I need to concoct a pill,” Hyrum said with feigned profundity.
“Mr. Goeckner, tell me what you need for the pill concoction. I will fulfill any requirement,” Atlas said.
“That won’t be necessary. I have my own mystical herb. However, there is one thing I would ask of you,” Hyrum stated as he looked at Atlas.
“Please tell me, Mr. Goeckner. I’ll even agree to ten things if you so require,” Atlas said, desperate to save his daughter.
“I have a grudge with a man named Jared Chance. He should be arriving in Salinsburgh City within a day or two, so I would like you to capture him and hand him over to me,” Hyrum said.
“No problem. I’ll give the orders right away. Anyone named Jared Chance who appears in Salinsburgh City will be captured.” Atlas nodded, showing little concern for who Jared was, as his daughter remained his priority.
Upon Atlas’ swift agreement, a smug expression crossed Hyrum’s face.
“Mr. Jablonski, there’s no need to bind your daughter now. The medicine I just administered will ensure she won’t relapse for three days. Within that time, I will concoct the pill to completely cure her,” Hyrum confidently declared.
“Thank you, Mr. Goeckner! Thank you so much,” Atlas expressed with excitement, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
Soon after, Atlas personally escorted Hyrum out of the mayor’s mansion, then issued the order to capture Jared.
Unaware of the warrant for his arrest, Jared, accompanied by Victor and Hamish, entered the mayor’s mansion.
Recognizing Victor, the guards didn’t hinder their entry. For Hamish, it was his inaugural visit to the mayor’s mansion, and he appeared quite thrilled.
Victor, leading Jared and the others, navigated directly to Effie’s room. His familiarity with the mansion’s layout indicated frequent visits.
Upon reaching Effie’s room, however, Victor found it empty. The empty chains and the arcane array put in place were gone.
“Butler, where is Effie?”
Victor’s expression turned serious.
He was worried that something might have happened to Effie, for he had watched over her since she was little and had grown quite fond of her.
“Victor, when did you get here?”
Atlas hurried over upon seeing Victor.
The latter’s expression remained stern as he demanded, “Where is Effie? What have you done with her?”
“Effie’s in her mother’s room. Where else could she be?” Atlas asked with a chuckle.
Stumped, Victor asked, “Aren’t you afraid Effie will have an episode?”
