Fat Apothecary

Alice reached out to steady herself against the doorframe, quickly reorienting herself before smiling at Bogda.

Bogda, however, looked at her with respect. He counted out 6 Pence and said, "You are a Diviner worthy of respect."

"I'm merely a Lucky One who occasionally catches a glimpse of a corner of Fate." As Alice spoke, she absentmindedly pondered that sentence—why had "Huanhuan" written something like that?

Deep down, Alice had always felt it was something extremely important. And that sentence—perhaps the sentence itself was also extremely important...

Lost in her train of thought, Alice left the Diviner Club and began hesitating over where to go next.

"...Should I go take a look at that Herb Shop?"

Alice instinctively resisted the idea. After all, running into Bogda again on the road or in the shop would not be a pleasant experience for her.

...That's right! Alice slapped her forehead. Since she might run into Bogda anyway, why not simply follow him directly?

Using the tracking techniques she had learned, Alice quietly followed Bogda. When Bogda began walking from one end of Vlad Street to the other for the third time, Alice began doubting her decision.

Fortunately—this gentleman was troubled by his liver and could not make a fourth trip. Ah, This Is Truly wonderful...

Alice Sighed helplessly and rested near Rosen's Folk Herb Shop.

After Bogda's departing figure, carrying a packet of herbs, disappeared into the distance, Alice walked inside.

The Boss, who had been about to shout something toward the back door, paused. He looked Alice over, his expression turning somewhat strange as he asked, "Miss, are you... um, are you an adult yet?"

"?" Alice looked at him in confusion, clearly unable to understand what that had to do with whether she was an adult.

"I mean, you look very healthy." The Boss wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

"Hmm..." Alice looked at him thoughtfully. After turning it over in her mind several times without finding a tactful way to put it, she asked bluntly, "Do you know where I can find a Monster?"

"?" It was the first time Fat Apothecary had encountered such a straightforward Beyonder. He Trembled, looking at Alice's young face that still carried a trace of innocence, uncertain For a Moment what he should do.

"I mean no harm." Alice Blinked Her Eyes and decided to reveal a little. "I just... well, is it convenient to talk here?"

Fat Apothecary looked at Alice for a while. Perhaps Realizing that she did not seem to intend to make a move, he locked the door, set up a Wall of Spirituality, and only then looked at her.

"I accidentally became a Beyonder," Alice Explained.

"Accidentally?" Fat Apothecary's eyes were filled with distrust.

"I accidentally swallowed a Beyonder Characteristic, and then..." Alice explained haltingly, successfully watching Fat Apothecary's expression grow strange.

"Was it... a 'Monster'?" Fat Apothecary asked uncertainly. If it was a Monster, then finding him was indeed possible. Monsters often saw things they should not see because their Spiritual Perception was Too High, though they occasionally saw something useful.

"No, worse than that." Alice rubbed her brow in frustration. "I swallowed the Beyonder Characteristic of a Lucky One."

"That is...?" Fat Apothecary had some guesses. He Remembered his teacher saying that the Monster Pathway could make people lucky, but it was Not Clear which Sequence this was.

"Sequence 7 of the 'Monster' Pathway," Alice Replied.

"..." Fat Apothecary Opened His Mouth, wanting to say something, but it seemed that he had briefly lost control of both his speech and facial muscles. He could only maintain a Stunned expression as he stared at Alice.

"I now believe that the Monster Pathway Really Can improve one's luck," was Fat Apothecary's first sentence after recovering his ability to speak. "How can I contact you?"

"I guess you'll pack up and move away tomorrow," Alice Guessed. She successfully saw the flesh on Fat Apothecary's face quiver. "I said I mean no harm. I merely want to learn more about this Pathway and meet Beyonders of the same Pathway. You can contact the School of Life first. If there's no problem, you can find me at the Church of the Night, or write to..."

Alice left behind an address and contact information, then left the Herb Shop Without Hesitation. She was not worried that nothing would come of this—Even if they suspected it was a trap, someone would come investigate Alice's circumstances.

And besides...

Alice thoughtfully Lowered Her Head to look at herself, though she could not see anything that way.

"Perhaps the real problem with that first matter was actually me?"

On Monday morning, Alice heard shocking news at Blackthorn Security Company.

"So, the captain entered that Hainas Vincent's dream, and that person died before he came out?"

"Yes," Leonard Replied.

Alice immediately jumped up and went to find Dunn.

When she entered Dunn's office, Dunn was sitting behind his desk as usual. Alice quietly observed Dunn—mm, he Looks as though he should be fine.

"What do you want to ask?" Dunn asked after Alice had studied him for quite some time.

"I heard Leonard talk about what happened Last Night, and I was a little worried about you..." Alice explained her behavior.

"I see." Dunn gave Alice a gentle look. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"...Can you tell me what you saw In the Dream?" Alice was still somewhat uneasy, so she Pressed On.

"..." Dunn fell silent for a moment before answering Alice. "It was not a pleasant memory... In Hainas Vincent's dream, I saw a massive cross filling the sky, with a naked man nailed to it by black iron nails..."

Alice listened carefully to Dunn's description. The man hanging upside down on the cross easily made her Remember a certain image—the Hanged Man Tarot Card.

Thinking of Dunn's coma, and of how Tarot Cards were said to be related to the Twenty-Two Divine Pathways, Alice suddenly Recalled Again that sentence—"Cannot Look Directly at God."

What if the captain had truly seen a certain god In the Dream? Especially when it sounded like an evil god...

The thought surfaced uncontrollably in Alice's mind. As she had already begun suspecting that Dunn's doomed fate was related to losing control, it seemed increasingly terrifying.

She looked at Dunn and the dense shadows enveloping him. Pressing her lips together, she abruptly asked a question entirely unrelated to the topic: "Captain, do you think the names of Sequence Potions are merely meant to reflect their effects?"