Secret Gathering

July 15, 1346.

A week had passed since the Natsuhi "Hunt" banquet.

After returning to the manor from the banquet, Count Altair had begun attending banquets hosted by the conservative "old nobles" through special channels to gather information. Each time, he would only send less important intelligence to "George III."

Through Count Altair's introduction, Freya and the other two learned about the advantages and disadvantages of the 22 pathways.

Vera's chosen pathway, the "Monster" pathway, was relatively easy to discuss. The reason was simple: it brought enough luck, a very straightforward reason.

However, the pathways chosen by Freya and Irene made Count Altair feel helpless – both wanted to become Assassins.

Even though he explained that this pathway was very special, they were unwilling to change.

The reason was none other than that the "Assassin" pathway was indeed too comprehensive.

Helpless, Count Altair could only begin teaching them some basic knowledge. As for Black Panther, she was forcibly brought to listen to the lessons. In a month, she would be able to take the potion.

Once they were ready, Count Altair entered the treasury to find the necessary materials.

After finding enough materials, Count Altair led the three into the "laboratory" to begin preparing the potion.

The potion recipe for the "Monster" pathway was something he had found in the "Library."

Fortunately, he had looked it up when he had nothing else to do; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the recipe for this pathway.

After all, he was naturally unlucky and didn't have much interest in this pathway.

If Vera hadn't chosen this pathway, the recipe would likely have remained in a corner of the "Library," gathering dust. He never expected there would be a day he'd need this recipe.

As Count Altair prepared the potion, he casually said:

"Sequence Nine: Monster. Main ingredients: tail of a Colorful Carp, one Silver Clover."

"Auxiliary ingredients: 100ml of Murky River Water, three Common Clovers, 10 drops of Gou Suan Jiang pure dew, one Lucky Charm."

After all these ingredients were added, the potion for the "Monster" pathway formed a foul-looking substance that was difficult to describe.

Looking at the semi-finished potion before him, Vera asked with disgust, trepidation, and curiosity, "Count Altair, is this potion ready?"

Count Altair looked at her and said with a wicked grin, "Vera, stick out your hand."

Vera naturally extended her hand, not even asking what Count Altair intended to do.

Looking at the fair and tender little hand before him, Count Altair directly pricked her index finger with a silver needle. Then, he took her pricked finger and squeezed nine drops of blood onto the potion, letting them all drip into the semi-finished concoction.

Upon contact with the blood, the potion in the cup underwent a drastic change. It transformed from an indescribable liquid into a transparent liquid that seemed to contain a colorful aurora.

Seeing that the potion's appearance matched the description in the "book," Count Altair felt relieved and turned to look at Vera.

She was currently blowing on the index finger that had just been pricked, looking quite pitiful. Count Altair patted her lowered head and said, "Your potion is ready. You can take it."

"Remember what I said: after taking the potion, start meditating as soon as possible to control your Spirituality and power."

Vera looked up at Count Altair and nodded, her eyes conveying, "I understand, don't worry."

She walked to the table, picked up the potion, and drank it in one gulp. She then put down the cup and began meditating with her eyes closed.

Watching Vera's Spirituality gradually stabilize after its initial frenzy after taking the potion, Count Altair felt relieved.

Preparing the "Assassin" potion was simple. Count Altair had personally witnessed Vivian making it, and the recipe was straightforward, so he completed the preparation quickly.

After handing the two potions to Freya and Irene, he also instructed them to meditate and control their Spirituality after taking the potion.

Once their Spirituality calmed down, Count Altair found a place to sit and waited for the three to finish meditating.

Because Vera had taken the potion earlier, she emerged from her meditation state not long after Count Altair sat down.

Upon waking, she looked around. Seeing that her sister and Freya were still meditating, she didn't do anything extravagant. She walked directly to Count Altair's side and began waiting in silence.

After Freya and Irene emerged from their meditation, Count Altair began explaining the "Method of Acting."

Since he was of the Assassin pathway himself, he directly taught them his method, telling them to "act" according to it.

He didn't have much insight into the acting for the "Monster" pathway. He could only temporarily give Vera the Paper Crane from Little Snake and let her figure it out herself.

Since the three took their potions, Count Altair had an additional task every day: teaching them Mysticism knowledge. His daily life became waking up, eating, managing his businesses, eating lunch, teaching Mysticism, eating dinner, and sleeping.

Every few days, he also had to attend a banquet and report to "George III." Of course, Vivian would also come to stay for a few days when she had free time.

This intensity of life reminded Count Altair of the time he spent attending various "noble" classes.

Fortunately, the three learned quickly. When there was nothing left for him to teach, Count Altair directly arranged for combat coaches for them.

He asked his former combat class teacher, Anastasia, to train the three.

Anastasia had stopped coming to teach Count Altair at the end of June, citing that she had nothing more to teach him.

When Count Altair wrote to her this time, asking her to come and teach, she initially refused. Only when he explained that they were new students did she agree to come.

July 20, 1346.

Whenever Count Altair had free time during this period, he would hide his identity and attend "Secret Gatherings." These gatherings varied in size, and he even encountered someone selling a Sequence Seven Extraordinary Trait.

However, Count Altair didn't have much money on him at the time, so he didn't purchase it. He was unsure about anything above Sequence Seven.

After all, most of the extraordinary gatherings in Bexland were organized by various factions. If you couldn't find something at a True God Church gathering, you could try at other gatherings.

For example, I need to attend the Secret Gathering organized by Mr. A.

According to Hahn's introduction, this secret trading fair often features some Sequence Seven Extraordinary Traits. A small portion of the collections in my family's treasury were acquired from such events. If purchased in large quantities, there are discounts, and the quality is guaranteed.

After knocking on the wooden door with a rhythm of three long and two short beats, the main door slowly opened with a creak.

Once Altair entered, the gatekeeper casually closed the door.

Upon entering, he saw quite a few people sitting around haphazardly. Some concealed their appearances in various ways, while others were not afraid of their faces being exposed.

After a casual glance, Altair turned his attention to the blackboard used for trading.

"A pair of adult Manhal Fish eyes, 200 pounds."

"Sequence 8 'Constable' Potion Recipe, 450 pounds."

"Emperor Roselle's notes, three pages, 20 pounds."

Some items had already been crossed out, while others had notes indicating a desire to reserve materials for the next trade.

Altair was rather disappointed with this gathering; the items being traded this time were not what he needed.

Whether it was materials or Extraordinary Items, the level was too low; they would be of little use even if purchased.