Divination and Loans

After Cyril proposed his requirements, there was a brief silence in the hall. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the materials he needed were too low-end, the kind of thing these high-sequence big shots usually couldn't be bothered to notice.

Fortunately, this silence lasted only a short while before the member of the Psychology Alchemists who had proposed and pushed for the assassination of Duke Negan gave a response:

"Those are indeed rare materials. My warehouse should have some of them. If you are not in a hurry, I can help you keep an eye out and collect them; it will take about one to two weeks."

"It just so happens that there is a gathering among the council members of the Psychology Alchemists recently, which will also involve the exchange of Beyonder materials. If you are lucky enough, you might be able to gather all the materials in these two days."

He means he wants to help me collect the materials. Is this an attempt to win me over or a gesture of goodwill?

Even if we are both members of the Twilight Hermit Order, isn't he being a bit too polite? Is it for the sake of Hermes, or Adam?

"Spectators" are indeed very good at socializing. With just one encounter, he completely overturned my stereotypical impression of this Psychology Alchemists leader.

Collecting his thoughts, he looked at the middle-aged gentleman sitting two seats to his left, nodded gratefully to him, and then asked:

"Thank you for your help. You are truly a generous and decent gentleman."

"My needs are not urgent, whether it takes a week or a month. Besides, what price do I need to pay for these materials?"

The middle-aged gentleman smiled back at him: "I am very happy to provide some help to an outstanding junior like you. Especially since your politeness reminds me of those days I spent in Loen. Even now, those remain precious and beautiful memories—no, I should say, they are even more precious."

After a pause, he withdrew the nostalgic expression from his face and said with a smile: "Newcomers always get a little special discount. The four Beyonder materials will total 1,000 pounds. I will hand them to you once I have collected them all."

"There are two ways to trade. The first is to go to a few specific places and chant my name. The second is to chant the leader's name. We will be pulled into a special mental world where the exchange of goods can be completed."

"Once I have finished collecting the materials you need, I will send you a message through the internal channels of the Twilight Hermit Order."

Cyril nodded earnestly: "I understand."

Two Sequence 9 and two Sequence 8 Beyonder materials could indeed be bought for 1,000 pounds without a premium.

But how could the rare "Seer" and "Apprentice" pathways not have a premium? Plus, there was the other party's labor fee. By this calculation, I did indeed receive a newcomer's discount, and a very generous one at that.

The only problem is, how am I going to scrape together 1,000 pounds in a week or two? Even if I went to a bank for a loan, with my status, I wouldn't be able to borrow that much money...

I hope my luck isn't too good. If the other party gathers all the materials in two days, not only will I have to take out a loan, but I'll probably also become the first "Apprentice" to moonlight as a "Marauder."

The next morning, Cyril arrived early at 32 Weldi Street in the South Bridge District to discuss making and borrowing money with Owen.

On the single sofa in the living room, Cyril finished the entire cup of coffee in front of him in one gulp before letting out a long sigh:

"That's about how it went. I accidentally joined a secret organization whose name I cannot speak, and at last night's gathering, I was lucky enough to have someone take on my request."

"If nothing goes wrong, I should have all the main materials for 'Seer' and 'Trickmaster' in a week or two. If my luck is worse, maybe a month. If my luck is too good, it might be today or tomorrow."

Owen sat on the sofa to the side, pursing his lips and swallowing hard. Last night, he was still wondering if he had been too impulsive, handing over the potion materials he had worked so hard to collect without any insurance measures. But now, he suddenly felt he had been too malicious in his judgment of others.

We are best friends, after all, and I already took advantage of you when we swapped potion formulas earlier, so compensating you with the materials for an Apprentice potion is only right; I won't have any use for them once I start down the Seer pathway anyway.

I just didn't expect Cyril to find the "Seer" potion materials so quickly. I was still thinking about which Beyonder gatherings I could attend recently.

Collecting his thoughts, he hesitated and said: "I should still be able to afford the money for one Sequence 9 potion material, but Sequence 8..."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Cyril understood that the other party couldn't come up with any more money. Even after inheriting his parents' estate, he had spent quite a bit mixing in various occult circles over the past two years, and 600 pounds was a huge sum in itself.

Cyril wasn't too surprised, just sighed with slight helplessness: "I hope the progress of that person collecting the materials isn't too fast, so I can have some buffer time. Otherwise, I'll have to go to the bank for a loan."

Owen looked worried: "600 pounds is not a small amount. Even for a bank, without a guarantor or collateral, it's very difficult for us to get such a large loan as ordinary students."

"There isn't much of my father's remaining property that can be converted into cash in a short time. I can help you raise about 100 pounds at most."

Cyril smiled and shook his head: "It's fine, we can still rob the rich to help the poor."

"Huh? Rob the... rich to help the poor?"

Owen was stunned for a moment, repeating this strange phrase awkwardly before suddenly realizing.

"You want to rob a bank?"

"..." Cyril shook his head in silence: "We can't rob that."

"I mean, do you remember those Highlanders?"

"Gangs have always been a major cancer in the city. If we rob them, we can make money, eliminate evil, and do good, all without any moral or psychological pressure."

Owen swallowed his saliva. He was shamefully tempted. As a teenager feeling the pressure of an economic crisis, although he rejected the act of robbery in his heart, attacking gangs was different—this was the most common fantasy for a teenager.

Although tempted, he still hesitated on the surface: "Those are gangs. They have many people and are well-staffed, and they have weapons, maybe even firearms."

"And we are only the lowest-level Beyonders. Although we have some Beyonder abilities, we are essentially no different from ordinary people. A punch will hurt, and a bullet will kill."

Cyril smiled mysteriously: "A group has a group's way, and two people have two people's methods."

"Have you forgotten my 'Apprentice' abilities, and your magical item's divination and anti-divination?"

Owen was silent for two seconds, then nodded readily.

With the flexibility of an "Apprentice" and his own divination methods, as long as they didn't run into someone holding a firearm or get killed instantly by a powerful Beyonder, they could enter and leave most places in this world freely and secretly.

Thinking of this, Owen took out the Fate Crystal Ball again: "I'll divine the Highlanders' stronghold and the danger of the operation right now."

As he spoke, he held the crystal ball, which was emitting a deep blue halo, with both hands, closed his eyes, and muttered divination phrases that were hard to hear clearly.

After repeating it a few times, his voice suddenly stopped, and the eyelashes on his closed eyes trembled slightly, as if he had seen some scenes that made it difficult for him to remain calm.

A few minutes later, Owen put down the Fate Crystal Ball and said, unable to hide his excitement:

"I've found the stronghold of those Highlanders, though I only have a rough range. Still, I think that shouldn't be a problem for an 'Apprentice'."

"Also, we will encounter a certain level of danger during the operation, but it won't be fatal. This might be a side effect of the Fate Crystal Ball, so I think we should prepare in advance."

Cyril nodded calmly: "It's normal to have danger; this is a dangerous undertaking in itself. More than the danger, I'm worried about whether those Highlanders will be so poor that we end up with nothing to show for it."

"By the way, do you have a weapon?"

Owen nodded quickly: "I have a pistol I bought at a Beyonder gathering, with 50 rounds of regular ammunition and 10 rounds of special ammunition."

"..." Cyril fell silent once again.

...Am I the actual newbie here?