"That expensive?" Of course, Obadiah only muttered that to himself.
He did not care about a million dollars, but paying a million for a single "yes" still rankled!
"Can you make a more precise prediction? I can pay extra!" Obadiah asked gravely.
Freddy studied Obadiah in silence for a few moments. "As you wish!"
Freddy pulled a silver-white book from the stack he had brought.
[Item: Silver Ring Book] [Effect: Processes known information in greater depth.]
"What is the most you're willing to pay?"
Obadiah took stock of his available cash.
"Ten million."
"All right, let's begin..."
The snow-white pages began to turn...
Blurry images flashed past in rapid succession.
Until... the moment just before Howard's car crash.
Freddy turned the page by hand.
An image of the car hitting something and being forced to stop.
He turned the page.
An image of Howard and his wife looking to the side in terror.
He turned the page.
A gun barrel appeared starkly at the edge of the image.
He turned the page.
Howard Stark was shot dead.
He turned the page.
The images became blurry again.
Obadiah said nothing. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes in thought. "I want to know who killed Howard and his wife. Can you do that?"
"Heh heh." Freddy gave a strange chuckle. "Of course I can, but you can't afford the price."
"I'll send you the ten million."
"No need." Freddy wore an inscrutable smile.
Obadiah used his usual business tactics to get closer to Freddy.
For a while, host and guest got along splendidly.
When the gathering ended, Obadiah was the first to take his leave.
Freddy stood there, watched him leave, then slowly vanished.
Another week passed.
Obadiah often invited Freddy over and treated him exceedingly well.