"One adult Honaquis Gray Goat horn crystal, one intact Human-faced Rose, adult Honaquis Gray Goat... Tsk, why is it Honaquis again? Could it be that the Antigonus family stationed themselves in the Hornacis Mountain Range because of this kind of goat? Come to think of it, Dragon Bar seems to have both of these materials? Is that another coincidence? Or did the Secret Master Association sell off some Extraordinary Materials earlier to raise funds?"
Klein recalled the Potion Formula he had mooched off Mr. Devil and felt deeply conflicted.
The total price of the main ingredients for the Clown Potion exceeded five hundred pounds. Although Miss Justice had promised to provide some "compensation," who knew how much it would be? After all, even a Sequence Eight Potion Formula only cost around 450 pounds. And he still had to collect Emperor Roselle's Diary.
At that moment, Klein had a strong impulse to report obtaining the Clown Potion to the Church. That way, he could exchange the merits he had accumulated earlier for the potion.
But his reason told him that he absolutely could not do that, because he had no way of explaining both digesting the potion and obtaining its formula at the same time.
If it were only one of those things, he could still explain it away as a coincidence. But when both were put together, anyone would suspect that he had received "support" from some secret organization that possessed the Seer Sequence and had become a double agent hidden among the Night Watchers.
"I can only find a way myself... Speaking of which, Mr. Devil gave me his contact information. That means I can communicate with him as 'Mr. Fool's Blessed.' But that doesn't really help with gathering Extraordinary Materials, and I still need to give him a Flaring Sun Charm in exchange for the subsequent diaries..."
Thinking of the expense of making Flaring Sun Charms, as well as the price he would have to pay to take out that scepter, Klein's head began to ache even more.
But on second thought, a subtle idea occurred to him—
Although Sun Talismans were consumables, their power rivaled the full-force strike of a Sequence Six Beyonder, and they were especially effective against ghosts and the like. Their price should not be low. If he made a few more...
But then he thought of how talismans from the Sun Domain consumed gold, as well as his pitifully small salary... He had clearly thought it was a huge sum of money before.
"Perhaps I can use the excuse that 'Old Neil isn't around, so I can only try making talismans myself' to get part of it reimbursed. But that definitely won't be enough. As expected, I still need to discuss the price of the goods with Mr. Devil before deciding... I also need to find a way to borrow that Mutated Sun Scepter. Hmm, perhaps I can ask Mr. Azk about that... I also happen to need to tell him about Lamud Town."
With that in mind, Klein took out a sheet of paper and prepared to write a letter. After hesitating slightly, however, he first took four steps backward and arrived Above the Gray Fog. He then conjured a piece of parchment and wrote a divination statement—
"My letter to Sno von Pandax will be intercepted or read by someone else."
After repeating it seven times, Klein opened his eyes and watched the pendulum rotate counterclockwise, feeling slightly relieved. However, considering that divination was not omnipotent, he wrote another statement—
"The matter of my writing to Sno von Pandax will draw the attention of others."
The pendulum rotated counterclockwise once more. Mr. Fool considered several more divination statements and only returned to reality to begin writing his letter and inquire about the price after confirming that there truly were no blind spots left.
Meanwhile, Miss Audrey was comforting the Dog of Imagination, which had once again been scorned by a cat, while beginning to contact Viscount Grellint. Though he had failed to attend the Beyonder organization gathering, he had already obtained the Apothecary formula he wanted.
"However, as a lady, directly visiting a gentleman would obviously be quite improper. Hmm, he's someone who can never sit still. He should still be holding salons or balls lately. Perhaps I can take the opportunity to spread the news that I wish to become a Psychiatrist, and also assign Xio and Fors the task of investigating Zilingus..."
Audrey quickly devised a plan that killed several birds with one stone. Although she did not lack the thirty percent reward from selling the formula, Viscount Grellint was her friend, for one thing, and for another, she needed a social platform to attract the attention of the Psychology Alchemists.
After refining her plan a little, Audrey called for her maid and asked her to see whether Viscount Grellint had any salons or balls planned in the near future.
This was not a strange request. After all, as an aristocratic young lady who had yet to hold her coming-of-age ceremony, Audrey's only opportunities to leave home in her daily life were to attend informal social dances or literary salons.
Furthermore, the tense atmosphere in Backlund had finally begun to ease recently. As a young person, it was perfectly reasonable for her to want to go out and get some fresh air.
"It has been a long time, Madam Norma. Your beauty still puts the stars to shame." On the other side, Sno bowed slightly and performed a hand-kissing salute toward the tall, dignified middle-aged lady before him.
"Oh, dear little Sno, there's no need to be so polite. Come and take a look at Hill for me. I know you've only just returned to Backlund, but he's been lacking energy lately, and I don't trust those quacks to touch him..."
Madam Norma spoke in an exaggerated tone as she walked ahead, leading Sno to the large dog named Hill.
The aristocrats of Backlund—or rather, most landowning aristocrats of this era—were keen on raising foxhounds. As a byproduct, some dogs with less pure bloodlines but gentler temperaments would be included as gifts. This had led to the habit of pet dogs being kept in the homes of Backlund's powerful aristocrats.
Hill's minor ailment was no problem for Sno. As he examined the dog, he chatted casually with the well-maintained noble lady. However, Sno could clearly sense that she was constantly, intentionally or otherwise, sweeping her gaze over his face and body with a scrutinizing look.
It was not the aggressively predatory gaze of a wealthy older woman, but rather... well, it felt somewhat like Miss Audrey's, the feeling belonging to a Spectator.
Though compared with Miss Audrey, Madam Norma was far less discreet about it. Or perhaps it was only because Miss Justice had the Gray Fog concealing her?
After chatting casually for a few moments, Sno subtly changed the subject. He had to admit that communicating with a Spectator was very easy, because she would notice his tendency to change the topic and cooperate accordingly. Thus, without much effort, Sno got to the point:
"I heard that a certain Viscount Grellint is very fond of literary salons. I recently wrote a novel and had it published in the Tussock Newspaper. I hope to find a platform where I can get acquainted with senior figures in the circle. Would it be convenient for you to introduce me?"
Though the Demoness of Pleasure had more tricks up her sleeve, the Faceless was true earthly bliss! Have one, and you have them all. Oh, Xio's kind wouldn't do, but after another advancement, she probably would. After all, a Trick Master could even turn into animals... Of course, none of that was the point. Inner charm was the real charm—being able to freely control tiny muscles and alter one's shape... Ahem, I can't say any more.
Before you continue