She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 56 Secret Conversation

The misunderstanding between the Montague father and son has been cleared up, and the reason for the family's crisis has been explained, but the conversation in the study has not stopped.

Anastasia stayed behind alone, not because she was stubbornly staying in the study to be Mike's wicked stepmother, but because Bill Montagu had some questions for Anastasia.

"First of all, please allow me to express my gratitude."

Similar to Iniz Blatt, Bill Montagu started by expressing his gratitude.

“You pay, I do the work; it’s a business deal, Mr. Montagu,” Anastasia said. “A fair deal.”

“No, you’ve misunderstood,” Bill said. “My gratitude isn’t for protecting Mike’s safety, but for your help to her, which is outside the scope of business.”

Having been attacked twice and personally killed his own kind, coupled with recent changes, it would be difficult for Mike Montagu not to grow. Although his growth is still far from enough, he is much stronger than before.

"Anatasia, I heard about you from the priest," Bill continued. "You came to Gloria suddenly three months ago, and your previous experiences were completely blank."

Anastasia remained silent. That old geezer Lawrence was being a bit too secretive. Didn't he have any sense of confidentiality at all?

"Please don't misunderstand, the priest told me this because he thought I might be able to offer you some help within my capacity," Bill continued.

Anastasia remained silent. Although Bill Montague was in a precarious situation, he had been in Gloria for so many years and might actually know some things that were unknown to others.

Anastasia thought about it for a long time, and decided to trust the old man Lawrence this time, and also to trust Bill Montagu this time.

“Mr. Montagu,” she said, “what do you know about the unofficial Beyonder organization?”

"An unofficial organization of transcendents..." Bill thought for a moment, "The first one that comes to mind is 'Hades,' an openly known assassin organization."

Anastasia felt that the assassin organization that was out in the open was definitely not Hades she was looking for.

"It's said that the leader of Hades is a calamity, but no one has ever seen him make a move," Bill continued. "The Hades organization is very high-profile, but their leader is very low-profile, even mysterious."

Anastasia believed that this mysterious ruler of the underworld was either a natural disaster or just a charade, and was nothing at all.

Next, Bill Montagu named several unofficial Beyonder organizations, but these organizations all operated in a high-profile manner, just like Hades, and Anastasia had even dealt with one or two of them.

"Mr. Montagu, are there any organizations that operate in a low-key and mysterious manner?" Anastasia asked.

"Nightingale," Bill Montague said. "It's a mysterious and low-profile assassin organization, and it's said that all its members are women."

At this point, Bill Montagu even showed a lingering fear on his face, as if he had been assassinated by members of the Nightingale.

He continued, "A friend of mine was assassinated by Nightingale. The assassin disguised himself as a prostitute and killed him in bed. Being assassinated is bad enough, but what's worse is that he died completely naked, lying there on the bed."

Anastasia was not concerned about Bill Montagu's dead and socially bankrupt friend, but was very interested in the Nightingale organization composed of female members.

As we all know, three women make a drama, and it is not easy to integrate a group of women into an organization, let alone a group of female transcendents whose state is even more unstable. The difficulty is doubled.

Of course, Anastasia's main interest in Nightingale stemmed from herself. Under the influence of the mutation, Anastasia became a highly efficient and precise killing machine, and being female, she perfectly matched the characteristics of the Nightingale organization.

"Besides the more aggressive unofficial groups, I know of two less dangerous ones," Bill said. "These two groups are deeply hated by the wealthy in New Town, and many are urging the police and the Bureau of Investigation to arrest and prosecute them as soon as possible."

Although they weren't particularly dangerous, they were still hated by the wealthy residents of the new city. Anastasia could roughly guess the nature of these two organizations.

"Are both of these organizations thieves?" Anastasia asked.

"That's right, both organizations are thieves who specialize in stealing the valuables of the rich and then distributing them to the poor," Bill said. "The difference is that one organization specializes in burglaries, while the other mostly operates in public places."

"It sounds like a Robin Hood-like figure robbing the rich to help the poor," Anastasia said. "The poor people who receive help must be incredibly grateful to them."

"They can generously help the poor, but they shouldn't use our money for their own good," Bill said. "And who should bear the cost of our losses?"

The financial losses of the wealthy are naturally borne by the laborers at the bottom.

Great thieves rob the rich to help the poor, gaining a reputation for goodness; the poor are relieved, while the rich suffer losses.

However, the losses suffered by the wealthy will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the lower class, leading to even greater exploitation and perpetuating a vicious cycle.

"It seems Mr. Montague has also been targeted by thieves," Anastasia said.

“That’s right, the organization called the Starry Night Thieves sneaked into the manor and took the cash and gold bars from the safe,” Bill said. “They also burned a stack of bearer bonds to ashes.”

In the wealthy circles of the new city, if your home hasn't been burgled by a notorious thief, you'd be embarrassed to even greet people when you go out.

"So it was them. I've dealt with the Starry Night Thieves before," Anastasia said. "They're very organized, efficient, and highly professional."

Rather than calling the Starry Night Thieves an unofficial organization of transcendents, it would be more accurate to describe them as a thief company, because the Starry Night Thieves not only include transcendents, but also many ordinary people.

From selecting targets to scouting locations, and from burglary to recovering stolen goods, the master thieves have a complete and standardized process. This is an important reason why they have never been caught despite stealing from so many wealthy people. Compared to the police, they are far too professional.

"Even the most professional thief is still a thief; the essence remains the same," Bill said. "I have to admit that helping the poor is indeed a good deed, but it shouldn't be done by stealing from others."

In Bill Montagu's view, he could donate money to charity and improve workers' welfare, but he would not accept any form of "forced assistance".

"What about the other organization?" Anastasia asked, not wanting to discuss the Starry Night Thieves with Bill any further.

"The other organization doesn't have a name, but Newtown residents usually call them 'the orphanage,'" Bill said, "because the members are all children."

Compared to professional nighttime burglars, these immature kids seem very unprofessional. They are not good at high-level operations like burglary and can only use their children's identities to lull others into a false sense of security and steal when the opportunity arises.

Because of their lack of professional skills and young age, the children from the "orphanage" made many mistakes when they were stealing. If it weren't for the presence of a superior in the organization, these children would probably have been sent to prison by the police long ago.

Anastasia had little interest in the Starry Night Thief and the orphanage, nor did she want to discuss whether their way of doing good was right.

Seeing that Anastasia was not interested, Bill Montagu did not pursue the topic further.

Bill then mentioned several unofficial Beyonder organizations he knew, but these organizations were relatively small and did not quite align with Anastasia's self-assessment.

"Besides these organizations, there are also the major conglomerates in Gloria," Bill Montagu said. "These conglomerates can provide a very comfortable life for those who have transcended, and in turn, the transcendents provide protection for important figures in these conglomerates."

After saying that, Bill Montagu looked at Anastasia and carefully examined the young man in front of him.

She is a powerful transcendent being who has reached the level of a celestial calamity at a young age. Most importantly, she is humble and patient and can endure loneliness.

"Anatasia, with your abilities, you could be living a much better life," Bill continued. "I'd like to know, what's your reason for staying in the Old City?"

“Mr. Montagu, as you said before, I arrived in Gloria suddenly three months ago, and this city is completely unfamiliar to me,” Anastasia said. “The old town, with its mix of people, is obviously more suitable for me to settle down.”

More than three months ago, Anastasia, a newcomer to the city, had no money, no connections, and knew nothing about it.

In an unknown city, shrouded in mystery, Anastasia dared not act rashly. The old city had a high turnover of people and a diverse population, making her, a person of unknown origin, less conspicuous.

In addition, compared to the undercurrents and treachery in the new city, the straightforwardness and cutthroat competition in the old city are more reassuring.

"What about the Bureau of Anomalies?" Bill pressed. "The Bureau of Anomalies seems like a behemoth, but it's actually a castle in the air."

The top brass of the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations only knew how to fight for power and profit. Their infighting caused the Bureau to fall apart and lose its former glory.

"Find yourself a long-term meal ticket?" Anastasia said jokingly.

Seeing that Anastasia was unwilling to say more, Bill Montagu did not press the matter further. Everyone has secrets, which is normal.

"Speaking of conglomerates and transcendents, we have to mention our main adversary right now," Bill said. "What comes to mind when you hear the name Lonkinswit?"