Garden of Eden

At Cyril's home on Weldi Street in the South Bridge District, Cyril was playing with the children when he suddenly froze.

He saw the familiar room and Little Thomas, who was sprawled on top of him making trouble, rapidly fade away, replaced by a bustling modern city. The people here were rather unusual, though.

They were either crocodiles in formal suits and bow ties, briefcases in hand; aristocratic white-haired Western dogs in gorgeous gowns, their faces covered in exquisite makeup; frogs dressed as coachmen; pythons who looked like scheming merchants; wandering crows...

"...Garden of Eden?"

After a brief daze, Cyril immediately reacted and found information about this place in his memories.

A peculiar place deep within the Mind World, seemingly born under Adam's influence.

No sooner had the thought arisen than he heard a familiar voice beside him. "It seems you already know this place, so there is no need for me to explain further."

"Although this place cannot ignore the distance between people as the Twilight Hermit Order does, it can still allow two people separated by great distances—or even more people—to communicate and trade face-to-face to a certain extent."

"I have been drifting at sea recently, so returning to land to meet you for a trade is somewhat inconvenient. Thus, I requested some assistance from the leader and had him bring you here. I hope my actions have not caused you any trouble."

The moment that voice appeared, the corresponding figure and the purpose of seeking him out naturally surfaced in Cyril's mind.

A member of the Twilight Hermit Order—the one who had accepted his commission to help find potion ingredients. Clearly, the other party had already gathered all four of those relatively rare materials.

Such efficiency. As expected of the leader of an organization.

But just a few words made so much information surface in my mind. The Spectator's abilities really are convenient!

After silently marveling for a moment, Cyril turned toward the carriage that had appeared behind him at some point and come to a stop. He lightly nodded at the elderly gentleman in formal attire, whose upper body was visible through the carriage window.

"Of course not. Rather, this was a pleasant surprise. It allowed me to witness such an unfathomable place in the mysterious world."

The gentleman in the carriage seemed quite satisfied with his answer, and his smile deepened enough to add a few more wrinkles to his face.

"If you like this place, I can give you a beacon. With it, you will be able to enter here on your own when the time is right."

Cyril froze for a moment, not expecting him to say that, but he quickly recovered and chuckled.

"Then thank you... Ah, sorry, but I do not seem to know how I should address you, sir."

The gentleman in the carriage chuckled and nodded. "Baros Hopkins. It is one of the identities I use most often now."

"Baros Hopkins..." Cyril murmured the name, then seemed to react a beat late as he said in surprise,

"Baros Hopkins, the King of the Black Throne, one of the Four Pirate Kings?"

"That is truly an unbelievable identity. I never thought I would one day come to know such an important figure."

Baros Hopkins's expression remained unchanged as he replied calmly and amiably, "Child, compared to a King of the Five Seas, you already know the truly important figures of this world—and more than one."

He placed extra emphasis on the final part, seemingly hinting that the important figures he spoke of were not limited to the Twilight Hermit Order's convener.

Interesting. If he has not read my memories, then could the important figure he mentioned be Hermes, who has long since become an Angel?

Hmm, even if he had read my memories, I have only met and actively spoken with two Angels.

Could I interpret this as Hermes having hinted at, or even instructed, him to help me find potion ingredients?

He quickly reined in all his thoughts. Thinking too much in front of a high-ranking Spectator was not a good thing. You could not tell which thoughts were your own and which only seemed to be your own.

From the carriage, Baros Hopkins looked at him with an unchanged expression. Only after seeing that his thoughts were no longer wandering did he slowly say,

"I have gathered the Beyonder materials you need. I wanted to ask when you would like to complete the trade."

Cyril pondered before asking, "Would tonight work? I do not have enough cash on me, so I need to make a trip to the bank."

Baros Hopkins nodded noncommittally. "No problem."

"How about ten tonight? Bring this with you and say Adam's name. We will meet here."

As he spoke, a pure white fox mask appeared in his hand. The corners of the fox's mouth wore a sly, sinister smile, as though it were watching him with ill intent.

Yet it was not frightening. Lacking sufficient detail, the pure white mask looked more like an unfinished work.

The moment Cyril received the mask, he felt rejection from his surroundings. His figure rapidly receded until he faded out of the Garden of Eden.

In reality, Cyril, who had been resting one hand on Little Thomas's head, suddenly came back to his senses.

He lowered his head and looked at Little Thomas, who was trying to run and jump while pushing against his palm. It seemed that only an instant had passed.

Then he looked at his other hand. At some point, a pure white fox mask had appeared there.

"It really is... magical!"

After quietly sighing, he bent down, picked up Little Thomas, and returned him to Beth, who was chatting with Haven in the downstairs living room. Then, using the excuse of taking a nap, he returned to the upstairs bedroom and shut the door.

After reminding him to rest well, Beth took Little Thomas. Only Haven beside her was watching him with a suspicious look.

Just how long had this guy been unable to sleep last night, for him to be this sleepy today?

Should I prepare some calming medicinal soup for him?

Back in his room, Cyril adjusted the blankets and pillows on the bed, making it look as if he were sleeping with his head tucked beneath the covers.

Although Haven and the others probably would not disturb him after he shut the door, Little Thomas was an unpredictable factor. It was better to make more preparations.

After finishing this, he changed into another coat, poked his head out the window to look around, found an inconspicuous corner, then walked directly through the wall to the corresponding spot. He turned the ventilating window there into a "door" and flipped himself out.

Bang!

In the alley behind the house, Cyril moved his ankles. This had been even easier than he expected.

Although Apprentice was not a potion specifically meant to strengthen the body, the height of a mere second floor could no longer trouble a Beyonder.

After moving some distance away from his home, Cyril hailed a carriage by the roadside and headed for the bank.

"I earned 400 pounds selling a formula at the gathering organized by old Mr. Eye of Wisdom. Though I spent some afterward, I still have around 350 pounds left."

"Then there are the 113 pounds in savings from Haven. With a loan of 150 pounds that I should be able to obtain from the bank based on my identity, that will be just enough to pay for the main ingredient of the Trickmaster."

"Then I need to make a trip to Owen's place and inform him. He should gather the supplementary ingredients for the Seer this afternoon. They are all common things, so it will not be difficult. I also need to prepare the 200 pounds for his ingredients."

After arriving at the bank by carriage, Cyril successfully obtained a loan of 150 pounds thanks to the thorough and enthusiastic service of the staff. He also withdrew Haven's savings before hurrying to Owen's home.

After clearly explaining matters to Owen and receiving the 200 pounds for the ingredients, he rushed back home without stopping and silently returned to his room using the Apprentice's abilities.

After checking that the bed was unchanged and confirming that no one had entered after he left, he let out a small sigh of relief.

At ten that night, he successfully obtained the potion ingredients from Baros Hopkins.

Since he had already slept enough during the day, Cyril could only "energetically" accompany Haven and Beth in idle chatter, teasing Little Thomas from time to time.

Only after everyone had returned to their rooms, either to sleep or focus on other matters, did he finally have the chance to sneak out of the house with the Seer potion ingredients.