Westminster Bank

Malozov looked at Baron and said, "I know your true identity. You should understand that all I have to do is make one phone call, and those people will show up here immediately."

Jack said with a fawning smile, "We can talk about this, we can talk about this..."

Malozov said flatly, "Jack, last time you were at my Moscow Bank, you ’contained’ all the prized vodka I kept in my cellar. I haven’t settled the score with you for that yet."

Jack’s smile froze on his face. Wringing his hands, he stammered, "That was just an accident..."

Malozov looked at Baron. "You’ve shown up at Westminster Cathedral, so you must be planning to use your temporary identity to activate the smuggling elevator. However, according to the latest regulations, you’re missing the final file needed to certify you as an intern commissioner for Westminster Cathedral."

"Governor Howard’s three tests for you included only the interview and a containment exercise, but it was missing the final, most crucial part—the practical exam... I checked the date of your last visit to Westminster Cathedral. It’s been over two weeks, which is plenty of time for a practical exam."

’Practical exam?’ Baron remembered what Jack had said in the confinement room at Prole Manor. ’Is collecting Taboo Items the so-called practical exam?’

His heart sank. ’I should have grabbed more from that collection room when I had the chance.’

Malozov said, "So, I’ll give you two choices. Either take the practical exam, and regardless of your rating, I won’t report you to the Prole Court, or leave Westminster Cathedral and hand over the Black Card..."

"I choose the second option." Baron didn’t want to stir up too much trouble right now. While Westminster Cathedral was a powerful entity to have on his side, it wasn’t worth it if he lost more than he gained.

"The second option? You didn’t let me finish... After you hand over the Black Card, I will report you to the Prole Court."

"Isn’t Westminster Cathedral supposed to be a neutral organization?" Baron said in a low voice. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’my feud with Malozov shouldn’t be this intense.’

Malozov said, chewing on his cigar, "First, you stole the gold ingots from my bank in Moscow, and Howard didn’t return all of them."

"Second, the bounty on you in the newspapers was fifty thousand pounds. I see no reason not to collect that money."

’Only a fool would turn down easy money... How very Westminster Cathedral.’

Baron said, "In that case, I choose the first option."

"Then follow me."

Baron was escorted by several bodyguards to the so-called practical examination room. As they passed through the main hall of Westminster Bank, the large and imposing procession attracted the attention of nearby commissioners:

"Isn’t that... Governor Malozov from Moscow? What’s he doing with so many people? Are the Moscow People really planning to invade Britain, using Westminster Cathedral as a staging ground?"

"The administrative manager is there too... Who’s that woman with him? Her clothes look incredibly expensive..."

"Who’s that person surrounded in the middle? I can’t see their face. Is it being blocked by a Taboo Item...?"

"That guy Jack is being hauled along too. Are they going to execute him this time?"

"Come on, let’s go see..."

And so, the passing commissioners from various Westminster Cathedral departments all followed along.

A procession had soon formed, following them to a place called the "Taboo Item Containment Test Chamber."

Malozov said to Baron, "The test is simple. Take out all the Taboo Items you’ve contained on your travels since you last left Westminster Cathedral.

"This test chamber is inscribed with an Alchemy Technique that represents [Contact]. It can accurately determine the first time you came into contact with a Taboo Item, so don’t even think about trying to fool the test with Taboo Items you’ve contained before."

"Shall I open the door for you, Mr. L?" Malozov said with a smile. "I’m very eager to see the caliber of the S Level commissioner that Mr. Howard personally selected."

S Level commissioner... L...

The Westminster Bank commissioners started to realize. ’So that man just now was the legendary L?’

"The mysterious commissioner who got S Level on both the interview and the containment of Destiny test? I haven’t been able to see his face this whole time. He really is mysterious."

"An S Level mysterious commissioner? What in the world happened while I was away on business in the Arctic Ocean... How did the bank suddenly get another S Level? That makes seven of them now, right...?"

"Don’t you subscribe to the Westminster Times? I heard the betting pool for that issue nearly bankrupted a lot of Westminster Cathedral’s containment commissioners..."

"Now that you mention it, I know who you mean. The intern commissioner who was designated S Level because of his connections and can directly use an official A Level commissioner’s Black Card? I heard he’s a relative of Governor Howard. That impromptu betting pool was just a setup by the house...

"See that blond guy? That’s the notorious Taboo Item Thief, Jack. Rumor has it he was the bookie for that round. I just saw him walk in with L..."

"So what’s the deal with this practical containment test? Logically speaking, wouldn’t it be better to just rig things behind the scenes? With so many commissioners watching, it’s impossible to cheat, right?"

"Because the one administering the test this time is Governor Malozov of the Moscow branch. They say he and Governor Howard became enemies years ago. He’s probably planning to use this opportunity to expose L’s rating as a fake..."

"Hold on, the latest issue of the Westminster Times just hit the magazine rack, let me go check... The betting pool is open again! Let me see... This time there’s only one bet—whether the mysterious commissioner ’L’ can get an ’A’ on this containment test!? And the odds are still 1:9?"

HISS...

All the Westminster Cathedral commissioners who saw the newspaper were shocked and tempted, but they still hesitated, because they didn’t know if this was another setup by Westminster Cathedral.

Until the same few commissioners from before started loudly scheming again: