Half-step Purgatory

Durin stroked the black cat on the armrest of his chair, sitting on the black leather sofa. Through the glasses perched on his nose, his gaze passed over the long table in front of him and settled on the man kneeling on the carpet:
"I understand, you've made money in Naples, your business has been very successful, and you've led a happy life. You've had those secret police, friends in both the law and the underground, and even the Royal Family speaking on your behalf."
"You don't need a friend like me, I know that. You're afraid of owing me a favor, and you don't want to get involved in troubles."
"But now you come to me and say, 'I beg you, Mr. Durin of the Corleon family, please help me seek justice, so that my life and my family will not suffer and sink into despair.'
Yet, in your eyes, I was nothing more than a second-rate artist involved in movies and music. Even at the brink of death, you still show me such disrespect, not even willing to call me by my title... Keeper of Secrets."

Durin's Diary

Secretary Sola, after hearing how Pool had injured his back, felt a bit envious and wanted to hold Natalia too.


Durin issued a strict command, prohibiting his sister from vomiting a face full of icy slag on the old man. Only after his sister nodded in agreement did he pass her over to Secretary Sola.


"She's got a bit of heft to her, but Mr. Pool, you're really quite frail, aren't you?" Secretary Sola said while holding Natalia, even weighing her a bit, "This won't do. We've got to find a safer way for Pool. You can't just work your mind and not your body every day."


"It really is." Durin empathized, feeling no weight at all when his sister was on his arm, but when Pool took over, he almost managed to organize an event that would throw everyone's spine out of alignment.


"Then we'll be relying on Mr. Sola," said his mother, who was making sticky rice cakes with Mrs. Annie and couldn't help laughing upon hearing this.


Chapter 112: The Bottle Cap Conundrum