Miss Audrey Needed a Bodyguard

One of the members of the Tarot Club, [The Magician] Fors's companion is Sequence 9 of the Arbiter Pathway. Despite having already digested the Potion, he is stuck and unable to advance because he lacks the Main Ingredient for Sequence 8.

Therefore, when Klein heard that Luther's harvest contained Beyonder Characteristic related to the Sequence, he became interested.

"I haven't sold it yet."

Luther shook his head.

Recently, due to MI9's investigation, all Beyonder Gathering have been suspended, so he naturally has no way to sell them. Moreover, the Queen has also reminded him that MI9 may be lurking in the gatherings, waiting for people selling related Characteristic to appear and then arrest them.

Therefore, although Luther now possesses a multitude of expensive Characteristic, he can only keep them and cannot exchange them for Pound.

"I have connections that can help you sell them."

Klein whispered, "Make sure it's kept completely secret, so no one can find out."

He was very confident. No matter how capable the intelligence agents of MI9 were, they would not be able to infiltrate the extraordinary gathering Above the Gray Fog, much less trace it back to him.

"Only."

At this point, Klein's face showed a slightly embarrassed expression. "I might have to charge you a small handling fee or something."

He has finished digesting his Clown Potion and is now seeking further advancement, requiring money to buy the Main Ingredient for the Potion.

Our Mr. Fool is a little short of money lately.

That night, after killing Rosago, Klein obtained all the Potion recipes from Sequence 7 to Sequence 5 through the Seer Pathway, as well as a corrupted Sequence 5 Main Ingredient. A single Sequence 7 Potion Main Ingredient costs between 500 and 700, meaning he would need at least 1000.

He had pounds in cash. So, Klein had no choice but to work hard to make money.

He felt a little embarrassed that he had made money off his former colleague.

"Transaction fees? No problem."

Luther nodded nonchalantly, "As long as you can guarantee absolute secrecy, I'll give you ten percent after it's sold."

Klein sold the materials for him, saving him a lot of trouble, so it was only natural for him to charge a commission.

Ten percent? That's 10%. The Main Ingredient Sequence 8 Potion costs about 600 pounds. If I sell it, I can get 60 pounds.

"Pounds..." Klein quickly calculated, then nodded, "Okay, no problem."

After discussing the matter, the two followed reporter Mike again. The three of them toured the industrial area and then headed towards the slums.

"This is outright murder!"

As Mike was visibly agitated. "They let unprotected female workers paint in highly toxic ceramic workshops all day long, and allowed workers who didn't understand safety procedures to operate powerful machinery. They were so careless! Didn't they know their arms and fingers could be cut off at any moment?!"

"It's common for workers to have their fingers cut off or their thighs crushed."

Luther said calmly, "When I was doing free medical consultations, the worst I ever saw was a worker who had been completely burned by high-temperature Steam. When he was brought in, his whole body smelled like cooked meat... The people who carried him were vomiting violently."

Mike imagined the scene and turned pale, but soon he discovered the key information in Luther's words.

"Mr. Anderson, you also did free clinics in the East Borough?"

He asked in surprise.

This gang's underground doctor is more humane than I imagined.

"Hmm, if you have nothing else to do, give it a try."

Is it free?

"We don't charge money; we just occasionally need them to offer their souls."

Haha, I really appreciate your humor.

Mike thought Luther was joking, but he wasn't in the mood for it at the moment, so he could only manage a wry smile.

They walked into a residential area where the flow of people began to increase, and street vendors set up stalls, loudly hawking their wares. At Klein's suggestion, the reporter clutched his wallet and carefully weaved through the crowd.

Luther's gaze swept casually across the area, finally settling on a particular vendor's stall.

"Freshly baked Garibaldi Biscuits, 1 pound 2 pence!"

He saw the young man who had tried to commit suicide by jumping into the river because of bankruptcy was now loudly hawking his wares and attracting customers, with his elderly mother beside him. The two were selling freshly baked, golden-brown cookies, which, combined with their previous identity as grain merchants, meant they were expanding into downstream channels. The two men were dressed in tattered clothes, but they looked to be in good spirits, skillfully haggling with the residents of the East Borough.

Sensing his gaze, the young man looked up at him. Luther had changed his appearance, so he naturally didn't recognize Luther as the one who had almost drowned him. He quickly looked away and continued shouting.

Meanwhile, in Backlund, Empress Borough.

"Audrey, your confinement period is officially over today."

The beautiful Earl Hall said to her daughter,

This woman was over fifty years old, but looked no more than thirty. Like her daughter, she was blonde and blue-eyed. Compared to her younger daughter, she possessed a more mature and elegant demeanor.

Very good!

I'm finally free!

Upon hearing the news, Audrey almost cried out. Fortunately, she remembered her manners, forcibly controlling her facial expression, lifting her skirt, and bowing gracefully to her mother.

"Thank you very much, Your Earl."

"Okay, no need to pretend anymore. Staying home for so long must be worn out, right?"

The Earl reached out and pulled her daughter closer, her eyes filled with a mixture of doting affection and helplessness.

"Hehe, it's alright."

Audrey smiled and nestled against her mother, "I know you did this for me, Mom."

"Good to know."

The Earl looked lovingly at her only daughter and sighed. Her daughter was good in every way, except that she was too obsessed with that other world and had even taken the risk herself, almost meeting with disaster.

She continued:

"Although your confinement period is over, I must remind you that things aren't very peaceful in Backlund lately. For your safety, from today onwards, you must have bodyguards with you when you go out."

"Bodyguard?"

Audrey was slightly taken aback. She felt a little dissatisfied because the bodyguards in her family were all under the orders of her parents and would definitely keep a close watch on her, without covering for her. In that case, it would be inconvenient for her to do anything she wanted.

Through "Mind Reading," she discovered that her mother's goal was firm, but her attitude was relatively easygoing. In other words, she had to ensure Audrey's safety, but how to ensure it was not very important.

"Mom, aren't the bodyguards at home supposed to protect you and Dad? I can hire my own bodyguards outside."

Hiring someone from outside? Is that reliable?

The Earl asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Of course they're reliable. I can ask a trusted friend... you know, someone over there, to provide a strong and reliable bodyguard. And the person we hire can come to our home for an interview first, just to put your minds at ease, is that alright?"

"That's fine. However, the people we hire must first pass our assessment..."

Audrey quickly convinced her mother by using her "Mind Reading" ability.

She wondered if Hugh or Fors could find her a powerful Extraordinary, or even have them do it. Either way was fine.

As long as I can get by with my mom, it's fine.