Transaction

"Three hundred pounds each? And he wanted three in one go?! Mr. Devil was even wealthier than I'd imagined. He clearly said he was a down-and-out noble... Could being a veterinarian really be that profitable? If I got this money, not only would it solve my potion problem, I'd even have four hundred pounds left over! That was already enough to buy a house on Daffodil Street for twenty years under a leasehold arrangement!"

Upon hearing the amount Mr. Devil had reported, Klein's eyes immediately turned into pound signs. But then he thought of another problem—

"It's fine to notify 'my Blessed' now, but what if Mr. Devil asks me to pass messages to other people in the future? I definitely can't relay them as Mr. Fool, or it'd be far too beneath my status. Hmm... Maybe I could try manifesting the image and voice directly? Hmm, worth a try!"

With that in mind, Klein first returned to reality and tried to imitate Mr. Devil by praying to himself. Then he returned Above the Gray Fog, edited his own prayer, censored it, altered the voice, and only after ensuring that it could not reveal his identity did he package it up and send it to the Crimson Star representing Devil.

Inside a mansion in West Backlund, Sno spread yesterday's Backlund Morning Post across the table, frowning as he analyzed its contents.

As the tense atmosphere in Backlund gradually eased, advertisements from Ernst Trading Company purchasing goods had begun to appear in the Backlund Morning Post as well.

Just as he completely translated the code and carefully memorized it, everything before his eyes suddenly turned illusory. Dense grayish-white mist continuously emerged, and deep within the seemingly endless fog stood a high-backed chair that seemed to have always existed there, along with a vague figure seated upon it.

Just as Sno wondered whether Mr. Fool might fail to think of projection technology and choose to relay the message in such a demeaning way, a blurry figure in a double-breasted tailcoat suddenly appeared within the grayish-white mist. With his hands clasped before his forehead, he repeated:

"I accept this transaction. However, as payment for Mr. Devil providing Mr. Fool with diaries, one of them will be free. Producing the charms will take approximately one to two weeks."

"Praise Mr. Fool." Sno stroked his chest and bowed toward the high-backed chair deep within the Gray Fog. Then he returned to his home once more.

Only after the mist before his eyes had completely dispersed did Sno take a breath and chuckle.

"Mr. Fool was still too thin-skinned. At a time like this, he should've given me an anonymous account first and had me pay a deposit!"

Thinking this, he could not help but shake his head. He first had a lavish dinner at a nearby Intis restaurant, then went to Cherwood Borough to change clothes, finally arriving at Brave Man Bar at around seven.

"Didn't I tell you not to think about going to that gathering lately?"

The moment Kaspars saw Sno enter the billiards room, his expression turned unpleasant. Sno merely chuckled, then took out a coin-sized pendant from his pocket and tossed it to Kaspars.

Kaspars caught the pendant warily and asked strangely:

"What's this?"

"A little protective charm. It can automatically trigger a protective barrier. It can block three revolver shots. As for demon-slaying... Oh, I don't think anyone would use demon-slaying bullets on an old fellow like you, right?"

Sno spread his arms exaggeratedly. Kaspars immediately tucked the charm into his pocket, then frowned.

"You've become one of those people?"

"Mm." Sno nodded, but said nothing more.

Kaspars looked at him with an odd expression for a long while before finally nodding.

"Fine. I'll take this thing as your introduction fee! But the gathering won't start for a while yet. I'll go say hello first."

After saying that, Kaspars pulled a half-face iron mask and a hooded cloak from beneath the billiards table and had him put them on. Then he limped out of the room. About ten minutes later, he returned to the billiards room. Looking at Sno, who had already pulled up his hood and put on the mask, Kaspars nodded lightly and led him out of the bar through the kitchen's back door. After circling around an alley, they arrived before a pitch-dark house.

"I don't need to tell you what you should and shouldn't do around these people, right?" Upon reaching the door, Kaspars gave him another look. Only after receiving an affirmative reply did he step forward and carefully knock out the code Sno had seen in the newspaper. As a wooden panel on the door was pulled aside, a pair of brown eyes appeared behind it.

"You're bringing a newcomer at a time like this? I really don't know what you were thinking!" The person behind the door rebuked him in a rather nasty tone. Still, he opened the door, shot Kaspars a vicious glare, and gestured for Sno to hurry inside.

After passing through the dim living room, the two entered a sitting room on the first floor. A candle burned on the coffee table, its dim yellow light casting indistinct shadows throughout the room.

Seven or eight people wearing hoods and masks sat on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table. An elderly man, judging by the condition of his skin, sat on a single armchair, faintly forming the center of the entire room.

No one in the room spoke. Everyone stood silently, like statues. Only after another five minutes or so did the old man cough twice and say softly:

"Looks like this is everyone for today. Let's begin."

After the old man finished speaking, the room remained somewhat quiet. A moment later, someone whose hood outline clearly revealed him to be fat finally spoke.

"I want to buy a Medullary Crystal of the Spring of Elves. Who has one?"

That fat man was already in Backlund? Sno raised an eyebrow slightly. Though no one responded, he had at least broken the silence, and the trading slowly began.

Fewer than ten people participated in this transaction, and there were not many items for sale. After two trades, Sno finally spoke.

"I'd like to buy a contract. It doesn't need to be very binding; it only needs to be effective on Low Sequence and below."

No one responded to Sno's words. After all, a Notary was still a Sequence Six Beyonder. Although lowering the requirements to make it effective only on Low Sequence and below meant that it could be made using certain Extraordinary Items, it was still not something the participants of such a small gathering could provide.

However, they had never been Sno's real target.

After a brief silence, Old Master of the Eye of Wisdom seemed to have found an opportunity to show off his collection. He raised his head and looked at Sno with deep, wisdom-filled eyes.

"How much are you willing to pay for it?"

"I can consider anything below five hundred gold pounds." Sno quoted the price of a one-use Sequence Six Extraordinary Item, deliberately adding a thirty percent premium. At his offer, Old Master of the Eye of Wisdom nodded slightly.

"I happen to have a Mysterious Item that can produce Contract Paper for signing contracts. Once both parties read the words written upon it and leave their marks with spirituality, the contract will take effect. Anyone who violates it will suffer considerable injury, and the other party to the contract will immediately receive a warning. However, the contract must be written on the paper within three days. After that period, it will turn into an ordinary blank sheet. Furthermore, it cannot establish overly complicated contracts. One sheet of Contract Paper is worth two hundred gold pounds. Do you want it?"

"Of course."