At the Tarot Club, it was time for trades.
After "The Fool" Klein traded with "Little Sun" for the Solar High Priest Beyonder Characteristic, "The Hermit" Odys turned to "The Hanged Man." "I have the Ocean Songster potion formula you wanted."
Odys had obtained it in a trade with the elven woman Shatas.
A smile spread across Alger's face. "Name your price."
Odys had already decided. "Five thousand pounds."
Sequence 5 potion formulas generally cost between four and seven thousand pounds. A sequence as useful at sea as Ocean Songster would fetch closer to seven thousand, so Odys's price already included a discount.
After a moment's thought, Alger said, "Could we do this? I'll pay you two thousand pounds now, and you give me the formula. I'll pay the remaining three thousand once I've gathered it."
He paused, then added, "With Mr. Fool as our witness, you needn't worry that I'll default."
After his earlier purchase of Beyonder materials, he really couldn't produce five thousand pounds.
"Mm," Odys said. "Deal."
Once Alger received the potion formula, he hurried to read it.
But one glance brought a bitter smile to his face. The ritual for advancing to Ocean Songster required him to drink the potion inside an Obninsk Sea Monster's stomach.
An Obninsk Sea Monster was beyond Alger's ability to deal with. He couldn't help lamenting that even with the formula and main ingredients, preparing the ritual would be difficult.
Then he recalled some information he had gathered earlier. Addressing the figure at the head of the Bronze Long Table, he said, "Mr. Fool, I'd like to speak with Mr. Hermit privately."
Odys was taken aback when he heard Alger's request. He couldn't think what The Hanged Man wanted with him.
Once the private channel was established, Alger explained that he