If Angel hears the name "Mr. A" and can't think of "Aurora Order", then her two months as Tingen City as Nighthawks have been in vain.
This sounds like the same naming style as Mr. C and Ms. D, which undoubtedly demonstrates the identity of the other party Aurora Order Oracle.
I just don't know if this Mr. A has any connection with the two Oracle who fought with Angel, or if I know that such a Nighthawks who repeatedly ruined Aurora Order's good deeds exists.
She was extremely glad that she was wearing a kitten mask. Otherwise, if she were seen by Mr. A and caught by Aurora Order, she would probably lie rotting in a smelly ditch in Backlund like Dominic said.
Unaware of the inner drama of Angel next to him, Dominic's eyes hidden under the clown mask looked around the gathering venue, resting on each unmasked member, as if looking for a certain target.
After the last two members, one tall and one short, two women who did not hide their faces entered the venue, and after waiting for a few more minutes, no new members entered the venue. Mr. A on the sofa whispered:
"The rally begins, state your demands, or request a separate deal."
Angel was just wondering how to "make a request" when Dominic had already taken a stack of notes from the coffee table next to her, took one for herself, and handed the rest to her.
"If you want to sell or buy something, or if you see your needs on the blackboard, you can write it on a note and a waiter will take it away."
He pointed to the two blackboards standing by the wall, on which many transaction details had been written.
"Human Face Rose, one flower, 280 pounds."
"Sequence 8 'Sheriff' formula for sale, 450 pounds."
"Want to buy Adult Widow Giant Spider's Silk Gland, price negotiation."
"Star Crystal, 30 grams, 80 pounds."
"Mummy Powder end, large quantity, 5 pounds per 10 grams."
"We need the formulas of 'Spectator' and 'Telepathist' Potion. The price can be discussed in person."
Comparing the prices here with Tingen City and Enmat Harbor Underground Market in my own memory, Angel found that prices in big cities are indeed much cheaper than in small places. Perhaps it is because Backlund's Beyonder Ingredients has a large transaction volume and transparent prices, while small cities often have prices but no market, and prices are inflated by others.
It's a pity that there is no Mystical Item. Maybe these things will be bought as soon as they appear. Maybe their owners are waiting for someone to take the initiative to buy them and sell them at a premium.
Two waiters walked among the members of the assembly, collecting or passing some slips of paper, and then posted the contents written on the slips on two blackboards. Each time a new one was posted, the contents would be shouted out three times in total, so that all members in the room would notice it and facilitate transactions.
Not long after Angel noticed that several members were passing notes, they were asked to leave the room by the waiter. Within a few minutes, they returned to the venue and continued to sit on the chairs and look at the blackboard.
After looking at Dominic who was engrossed in writing something, Angel also took the pen, wrote "Buy 30 grams of Star Crystal" on the note, and handed it to the waiter who came forward slowly.
The young waiter, who also had his face hidden under his hood, lowered his head and said softly:
"Star Crystal is on consignment here. If you need it, I can get it over now."
It turns out to be so convenient...
Angel nodded, carefully counted out 80 pounds of banknotes, and handed them to the waiter.
Within two minutes, the waiter came back and handed her a small bag with a pierced mouth.
Opening the bag, there was a piece of jelly-like crystal lying inside, which showed a little bit of starlight in the dim light of the room.
"If the weight is different than stated, who should I call? Mr. A?"
Although it was determined by the feel that this Star Crystal was not missing any weight, Angel still asked uneasily.
"Don't worry, Mr. A will not allow this kind of situation to happen in his party, especially consignment." Before the waiter could answer, Dominic came over and handed a note to the waiter, interjecting, "Give this to Mr. A and say that we are ready to trade."
"How are you going to trade the manuscript? Are you going to hand it over to the waiter like this?"
After the waiter left, Angel asked curiously.
"How is it possible? This is not a business worth tens of pounds. We have to go to a separate room next to it."
Dominic looked at Angel like an ignorant girl from the countryside.
No wonder someone is taken away from the venue by the waiter from time to time. It turns out that they are going to the side to conduct transactions...
Ignore this "Provoker"'s constant provocation, Angel thought secretly.
When no one passed the note again, Mr. A announced:
"The rest period begins, everyone can communicate freely."
Then the man in black robe stood up from the sofa, left the venue, and entered a small door nearby.
The members of the assembly began to look for people to communicate with each other nearby, either whispering or making a lot of noise. The entire venue suddenly changed from the secret gathering just now to a market-like one. Angel could tell that many of the members here should know each other personally, such as the two ladies who entered the room at the end. They had gathered together in the corner of the room.
The waiter who passed the note before came to Dominic again and whispered:
"Mr. A please come over."
You?
Angel is aware of the word.
Maybe Sonia came with him before wearing a kitten mask, or maybe the exchange between the two just now was seen by Mr. A...
Guessing, Angel and Dominic followed the waiter to the door of the study room next door.
"Watch my face when you get in."
Dominic, who was wearing a clown mask, whispered to Angel and then opened the door.
Mr. A, who left just now, was still wearing a black robe and a hood, sitting at a cheap-looking desk. Behind him, the glass of the spacious window was covered with a layer of floating dust, making the last ray of sunlight at dusk appear even dimmer.
Angel noticed that there were not many books on the bookshelves in this study room. I don't know if it was because the owner lacked reading habits or there were other reasons.
"Your note just now said that the manuscript has been received?"
Mr. A's low voice interrupted her observation and thinking.
"Yes, are you ready with the money?"
Dominic took a step forward and asked.
"I need to verify the authenticity of the manuscript before I can continue trading. Recently, there have been many forged manuscripts in Backlund. I hope you will not deceive me."
After hesitating for a moment, Dominic looked sideways at Angel and nodded.
The latter took out the document bag from under his cloak, opened the sealing rope, pulled out half of the manuscripts, walked to the desk, and spread them out on the table.
Mr. A immediately stood up and came over. He did not reach out to touch the manuscript. Instead, he scanned the manuscript papers with his eyes, staying for a long time on some complicated formulas and skimming over the sketches.
He knows these formulas, or at least some of the principles... Could it be that this Aurora Order's Oracle was still a top student before he turned into a cultist?
Angel tightly protected the other half of the manuscript and carefully observed the movements of Aurora Order Oracle.
After quickly reading the manuscript, Mr. A nodded with satisfaction. "Okay, let's continue."
He watched Angel take back the manuscript papers, fold them neatly and put them back into the document bag, and then continued:
"Due to changes in circumstances, I offer two options for the transaction of this manuscript." He stretched his limbs and sat back on the chair under Dominic's doubtful gaze. "The first option is that I acquire the manuscript now and replace the 2,000 pounds with a Mystical Item. You can rest assured that its value is definitely higher than this amount."
Didn't we agree to buy this manuscript directly for 2,000 pounds... Angel turned her attention to Dominic. She could guess that the face of "Provoker" changed again and again under the clown mask.
"The second option," Mr. A said without paying attention to the reactions of the two traders, "Wait another week or so and purchase according to the original plan. As a price for waiting, I can add another 200 pounds, but during this period, you cannot sell the manuscript to others."
Just say that you have no money now...
Angel finally understands what Mr. A means. He is currently short of cash and cannot get cash, so he can either use Mystical Item to deduct it or wait until he has enough cash before trading.
Of course, facing a Aurora Order Oracle who is very likely to have Sequence 5, she did not dare to say such words, so she could only answer with a smile behind the kitten mask:
"Can we discuss it?"
"I didn't expect that this Mr. A could organize a secret Beyonder rally, but he couldn't even come up with 2,000 pounds in cash..."
Outside the study door, Dominic's eyes under the mask were a little impatient. He lowered his voice and spoke to Angel, for fear of being heard by Mr. A who was separated by a wall.
"What now? Wait a week?"
Angel asked.
She actually prefers the first option, provided that the Mystical Item provided by Mr. A is really worth the price.
After being approached by the police and Nighthawks, Angel vaguely felt that the manuscript of Difference Engine was a bit hot. There was a struggle between multiple forces behind it. The official Beyonder was tracking the spy behind the manuscript. The gang kidnapped the insider to find out the information. Even Aurora Order was eager to buy it.
In this case, the risk of waiting another week for an extra £200 is self-evident.
Dominic obviously also had these concerns. He lowered his head and pondered for a while, made up his mind, clenched his fists, and said:
"Then follow the first plan of Mr. A. Mystical Item is yours. You can give me the 600 pounds."
Huh? Wait, for 600 pounds, I think...
Angel suddenly remembered that he had just spent 80 pounds to buy Star Crystal. Including the remaining change in his pocket, he only had 530 pounds.
But Dominic had already opened the study door and walked in.
"Mr. A, we decided to choose the first option."