The detective, who had been on leave, returned to Grimm Garden Street shortly after Klein and the others had finished their lunch. This also meant that his assignment was over.
Due to the visible improvement in Adolâs situation, Rogo Colloman was quite generous in the settlement of his pay, and he paid an additional fifty percent above the ten pounds which they had agreed upon.
As expected of a jewelry businessman to be this generous. However, compared to the other people in West Borough and Empress Borough, he isnât considered that rich. Grimm Garden Street is close to the suburbs, and itâs not too far from the cemetery. I can reach it in ten minutes if I run at full speed⌠Eh, Miss Bodyguard, noâMiss Sharron, is highly likely of being a Sequence 5 Beyonder. She charges one thousand pounds for three days, while I, as a Sequence 7 Beyonder, am only worth fifteen pounds a day. Thereâs still a big differenceâŚ
Of course, if I were to take on such missions every day, my income would be over 5,400 pounds a year, putting me at the top of the middle class. Even the top manager of the Backlund Bank makes 5,000 pounds a year⌠Heh heh, this is just pure fantasy. For most detectives, business comes sporadically⌠And the amount of Beyonder ingredients I need to advance to Sequence 6 is definitely more than 3,000 pounds. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt. For normal people, this is a huge sum of money, enough to sustain a good life!
The good news is that even if I grasp the âacting method,â digesting the Sequence 7 potion will take me somewhere between six months to three years. Even if I can quickly conclude the rules of a Magician, Iâll only be able to push forward that lowest threshold by one to two months. I still have plenty of time to save up and search for clues to these ingredientsâŚ
Wait. Miss Justice still owes me, uhâmy adorer 5,000 poundsâŚ
However, her financial situation isnât in good shape recently. It will be difficult for her to come up with a large sum of cash in the next few monthsâŚ
Klein took the three five-pound notes and left West Borough with thoughts running through his mind.
After returning to Minsk Street, he quickly burned the used paper figurine and made another two more.
In the evening, he took the steam metro to the Backlund Bridge district, and according to the numbers provided in the newspapers, he knocked on the door of the house where the gathering would take place.
Similar to the past few times, he put on an iron mask that covered only the upper half of his face, wore a hooded black robe, and followed the attendant into the activity room, where only one candle burned quietly.
At first glance, Klein noticed that the number of Beyonders present at this gathering was less than half of what it used to be.
I came at the exact time. Are the others late? This time, Klein didnât change his gait and picked a corner before sitting down slowly.
After a few minutes, the old Eye of Wisdom cleared his throat and said, âLetâs begin the gathering. The others shouldnât be coming.â
After saying that, he gave a brief explanation.
âAs the serial killer has yet to be found, the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind, as well as a large number of MI9 Beyonders, are out doing large-scale investigations and searches.
âUnder such a situation, itâs very normal and understandable for those friends to be unwilling to go out and participate in gatherings.
âFrankly, Iâm surprised by the number of people that showed up today.â
Sure enough, a circle of Beyonders isnât isolated; they would also be affected by current affairs⌠Klein looked around and saw that the fat Apothecary wasnât absent. His heart immediately relaxed.
The Apothecary nudged the metal mask on his face, calling out without much hope, âSeeking to purchase the Spring of Elves marrow crystals. Price is negotiable.â
âI have it,â Klein said without hesitation.
He was worried that someone else mightâve found this Beyonder ingredient, thereby causing the price of his stock of goods to fall.
Although Beyonder ingredients were rare, and it was rare for items to reappear in independent circles, one could never be too careful.
âSeeking to purchase the Spring of Elves marrow crystalsâŚâ The Apothecary didnât seem to hear the response.
He was halfway through the sentence when it suddenly struck him. He turned his head to look at Klein and blurted, âYou do?â
âYes.â Klein found his fiery gaze a little too overwhelming.
As he did so, he rolled up his black robe and took out an iron cigarette case.
Pa! Klein opened the cigarette case, revealing the faded, egg-shaped Spring of Elves marrow crystal.
âIf youâre worried, you can let the Old Mister Eye of Wisdom appraise it,â Klein added in a low voice.
This wasnât really necessary because it was obvious if something was a Beyonder ingredient or not. It was also quickly identified if something was contaminated or not.
However, if one was lacking in mysticism knowledge, a Beyonder ingredient could very easily be mixed up with similar-looking ingredients. When that happened, one needed an appraisal.
The Apothecary looked like he was looking at a beautiful lady he had been yearning for all this time. He looked at the Beyonder ingredient in Kleinâs hands, mesmerized. After a few seconds, he shook his head and said, âNo, thereâs no need! Thatâs it! Thatâs it!â
Klein curved the corner of his lips into a smile and named his price.
â300 pounds and clues to the Apothecary formula.â
âClues to the Apothecary formula⌠Itâs you!â The Apothecary was stunned for a moment before he finally understood who the man was.
It was the guy who made him bring the sedative for nothing!
Soon after, his heart pained, his regret similarly reaching its limit as he sighed emotionally. âYou really are a lucky guy!
âWhy didnât I choose that road of fortuneâŚâ
Iâm the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck after all⌠Klein lampooned himself.
The Apothecary sighed and changed his posture.
âThatâs too expensive. 200 pounds and a clue to the formula.â
âThe clue to the formula is only a bonus because I cannot confirm its veracity. Therefore, 300 pounds, not a penny less, I believe itâs needed elsewhere.â Klein smiled. âThis price is actually very fair. If it were anyone else, they mightâve offered 400 or even 500 pounds, and you mightâve even accepted that price.â
âIâm not that foolish. I can still waitâŚâ The apothecary grumbled before saying, âThe clue can be verified by Old Man, uhâOld Mister Eye of Wisdom.â
âIt must be something that exists objectively, something that has detailed information before Iâm able to appraise it. Just a clue isnât among these conditions,â Eye of Wisdom said.
Divination, on the other hand, can roughly determine whether the clue is effective as long as it doesnât involve powers two or three Sequences above myself⌠Klein silently said to himself.
However, he wouldnât reveal his expertise in divination at a Beyonder gathering.
âAlright then⌠300 pounds plus the clue. You lucked out!â The Apothecary took a deep breath and pulled out a thick wad of cash. He then counted the corresponding amount and then asked the attendant to bring him a pen and paper before he started writing.
After he was done writing the clue, he crumpled the paper into a ball and handed it along with the cash and some items to the attendant.
Klein was suddenly stunned when he saw the attendant walk over.
In addition to the cash and clue, there were also four glass tubes filled with what seemed to be pure liquids.
âWhat are these?â Klein asked, perplexed.
âHave you forgotten? Your sedative, the sedative I specially concocted. Itâs ten soli a bottle, two pounds for four, so the cash there is 298 pounds,â answered the Apothecary. âIf youâre worried about my sedative, you can have it appraised.â
I really forgot⌠I did all of that to gain Miss Sharronâs trust, and now that sheâs not here, well⌠Itâs fine; maybe a sedative would be able to handle some unexpected situations⌠Klein stopped talking, took out the Spring of Elves marrow crystal, took the items, counted the cash in front of everyone, and determined their authenticity with the faint candlelight.
A total of 298 pounds⌠Thatâs right⌠Seeing that his wallet could no longer hold any more cash, Klein could only roll up the bills and slip them into his pocket.
After putting away the sedative, he unfolded the note and glanced at the clue.
âOn the south side of the Bridge, on Rose Street, at the Harvest Church, find Bishop Utravsky. As long as you help him complete a mission, youâll be able to get the Apothecary formula.â
Harvest Church. Thatâs one of the few cathedrals of the Church of Mother Earth in the kingdom. This Church also grasps two Beyonder pathways: âPlanterâ and âApothecaryâ⌠The clues match well⌠Klein thought as he refolded the note.
As the gathering continued, it was unknown whether the female Beyonder with the Artisan backing her wasnât present, or she just didnât have any new Beyonder weapons to sell. There were no signs of her, leaving Klein disappointed. Now that he had 509 pounds in hand, he wanted to equip himself nicely.
After many transactions were aborted, a man sitting on a stool said in a low voice, âA friend of mine was unfortunately discovered in this investigation. Heâs imprisoned in a particular Lord of Storms cathedral by the Mandated Punishers. I wish to hire a few helpers to rescue him.â
Eye of Wisdom immediately replied, âStray Dog, give up that thought! A cathedralâs Mandated Punishers and Sealed Artifacts are enough to destroy all of us here.
âYour friendâs fate has already been decided. Donât let yourself be trapped in the same situation.â
Stray Dog looked around and realized that no one responded to his request. He couldnât help but thump his thigh, growling, âBut, what did he do wrong?
âHeâs an excellent physician. Heâs saved a lot of patients and has never hurt anyone! Just because he consumed a potion and became a Beyonder, heâs to be imprisoned in a place where the sun never shines. Heâll even become an experimental subject for the Mandated Punishers?
âWhy?
âWhyâŚâ
Stray Dogâs agonized questions echoed in the room. Even the Apothecary, who couldnât keep his mouth shut, remained silent.
Sigh⌠Klein, a former official Beyonder, could only sigh deeply in his heart.
Without the spread of the âacting method,â wild Beyonders are ticking time bombsâŚ
But if the âacting methodâ is popularized, then the situation would become even more chaotic and bloody⌠After all, there are the Laws of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility and ConservationâŚ
In this heavy atmosphere, the gathering came to an end. Klein, who had gotten nothing else, spoke again.
âWho has revolvers and bullets that come augmented with different Beyonder effects?
âFor example, purification, demon-hunting, etc.â
He didnât specifically fix the caliber of the bullets because he didnât have a gun yet. He could simply wait until he bought the bullets before matching the corresponding gun.
In the midst of the silence, a female Beyonder sitting in the same corner replied in a low voice, âI can help you ask, and Iâll give you the answer at the next gathering.â
It seemed to be the lady with the Artisan backing her⌠Klein sighed.
âAlright.â
After the gathering ended, he didnât return to Minsk Street directly. Instead, he went to East Borough and changed his clothes, heading to the border between North Borough and Hillston Borough.
It was where the suspected member of the Numinous Episcopate, Kapusky Reid, lived.