Beyonder Gathering

Beyonder Gathering

In an era when information did not travel particularly fast, gatherings organized by clubs were an important channel for people in a given profession or social class to obtain information.

Although Hobart had never served in the military and had no plans to enlist in Loen, he still wanted to learn some firsthand information about the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent.

Moreover, judging from the information on the Information Wall, this gathering would likely involve trades in Extraordinary Materials and Extraordinary Items. Transactions at the military-backed Mercenary Club would certainly include many Extraordinary Items suited for combat, making this an important channel for Hobart to integrate into the Beyonder world.

Thus, Hobart took this gathering very seriously. But why were so many people gathering in the Basement instead of on the third floor?

He checked his Pocket Watch. It was only 1:20, still more than an hour before the gathering time Anas had told him about.

After a brief thought, Hobart came to a realization. He set down his Newspaper and walked to the Basement entrance, only to be stopped by a Waiter.

The Waiter was tall and rugged-looking, more like a bodyguard.

The Waiter said, "Sorry, sir. This area is only open to certain members."

Hobart became even more certain of his guess. There was also a gathering being held in the Basement, but it was a Beyonder Gathering, while the gathering on the third floor was for ordinary mercenaries.

That made sense. Otherwise, with large numbers of ordinary people at the gathering, Beyonder transactions would have to be conducted secretly, as though they were illegal dealings.

Hobart asked, "What do I need to do to participate?"

The Waiter replied, "Prove yourself."

"How?"

The Waiter spread his hands without answering.

Hobart immediately understood. He activated Spirit Vision and examined the Waiter before him. The Waiter's left shoulder sat slightly lower than his right, and his left arm was deliberately, or perhaps unconsciously, protecting the area beneath his left armpit.

Hobart reached a conclusion. "If I attacked beneath your left armpit, I could definitely knock you down more easily."

The Waiter paused in surprise. "That's right. I injured my left armpit on the battlefield. Y-you have proven your ability. Please."

Hobart smiled and nodded, then descended the Stairs step by step.

The Basement was larger than he had imagined, resembling a small theater. There was a stage on one side and rows upon rows of seats on the other.

Given the history of this building, it might truly have once been a small theater.

Many people were already seated. Unlike other Beyonder Gatherings, most of the participants here knew one another, so there was no need to wear masks or hoods to conceal their faces.

They sat together in small groups, chatting as they waited for the gathering to begin.

Hobart found a corner and sat down. It was his first time attending such a gathering, and he only intended to observe. After all, he had nothing to sell and not enough money to buy anything.

At 1:30, an elderly man with gray-white hair emerged from the Back door behind the stage. He wore formal attire beneath a cloak and a Golden Mask. Hobart noticed that the man's shoes had unusually long toes, while his clothing was clearly out of step with the times, as though he had stepped out of a classical Oil Painting.

Yet the authority emanating from him made people afraid to look directly at him for long, even causing them to lower their heads unconsciously in his presence.

Hobart immediately made a judgment. This was a powerful Beyonder of the Judgement pathway! The old man's appearance instantly silenced everyone's discussions.

"Begin!" the old man ordered as he sat in the chair at the center of the stage.

The gathering officially began. A Middle-aged Man with a Little Mustache in the front row was the first to stand. "My mercenary squad has just accepted a mission to retaliate against the Fosac Empire. We are currently short one teammate skilled in Spirit Communication, at least Sequence 8, with combat experience in the 'Warrior' or 'Hunter' pathways."

Someone asked, "Where are you planning to retaliate against those sons of bitches?"

"I cannot disclose the exact location," the Middle-aged Man recruiting members said. "I can only tell you that it is in the Southern Continent."

"Not at sea?"

The Middle-aged Man did not answer, but everyone understood that the Loen Kingdom had no intention of retaliating against the Fosac Empire at sea.

Many people immediately signed up, and the Middle-aged Man asked all applicants to go to the Second floor for interviews after the gathering ended.

Next, a Young Man stood and said, "About half a month ago, an extraordinary incident occurred on the West Bank of the Tasok River north of Backlund, where a small forest disappeared and then reappeared. I believe everyone still remembers that news. Last week, I led a team to investigate the site and confirmed that it was a Fourth Epoch ruin of the Trensoost Family.

"We believe there should be Extraordinary Items or Extraordinary Characteristics within the ruins. For unknown reasons, they have become active recently. We now need to recruit a teammate from the 'Corpse Collector' pathway to deal with any evil spirits that may be inside! We also need a teammate from the 'Lawyer' pathway to deal with the side effects of Extraordinary Items and summarize their Rules of use."

Hobart was somewhat tempted. The Trensoost Family was a Beyonder family that controlled the "Black Emperor" pathway. Whether the ruins contained Extraordinary Items or Extraordinary Characteristics, they were most likely related to the "Black Emperor" pathway.

That was why they were recruiting someone from the "Lawyer" pathway—namely, a teammate from the "Black Emperor" pathway. With someone from that pathway, it would be easier to summarize the side effects and Rules of use of Extraordinary Items.

Hobart very much wanted to participate, but he was still too weak. Taking part in such an operation would be extremely dangerous, so he could only give up this opportunity.

After that, some people formed teams to investigate cult organizations in South Wales County, while others formed teams to explore the Southern Continent.

None of those interested Hobart, so he did not look into them further.

Only after the recruitment process ended did everyone begin the trading portion.

People stood up to speak, explaining what they wanted to sell or buy.

Just as Hobart had expected, most of the items being traded were Extraordinary Items useful in combat. However, their prices were steep, and he could not afford any of them at the moment.

Some people also sold Extraordinary Characteristics. These were mainly from the "Warrior," "Corpse Collector," "Prisoner," and "Hunter" pathways, the four pathways belonging to the Loen Kingdom's main Beyonder adversaries.

The "Warrior" and "Hunter" pathways mostly came from their longtime enemy, the Fosac Empire, while the "Corpse Collector" and "Prisoner" pathways mostly came from local Beyonders of the Southern Continent.

The gathering did not end until after three in the afternoon.

Although the elderly man seated on the stage had only said, "Begin," and, "That will be all for today," his presence alone made everyone feel reassured about trading here. The mercenaries forming teams also held a basic degree of trust in one another.

As he left the Basement with the crowd, Hobart silently made up his mind: I still need to work hard to make money! After returning home, Hobart once again began studying the three cases Barton had given him. At present, being a Lawyer was the only work that could provide him with an income.

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