"A normal set of main ingredients for a Sequence 7 potion costs between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds, but considering how popular ingredients for the Spectator pathway are, I'll need to charge 2,000 pounds."
Julian paused and looked at Miss Justice.
The price was fairly reasonable for a Sequence 8 Spectator, but considering that Miss Justice had yet to become even a Sequence 9 Beyonder, the main ingredients for the Psychiatrist potion were hardly an immediate necessity for her.
Thus, even as he spoke, Julian had already braced himself for her to haggle.
In truth, he could accept anything no lower than 1,700 pounds. After all, he hadn't contributed much to taking down that Psychiatrist, so he didn't want to ask for too much.
"No problem. That's a very fair price."
Yet to Julian the Tower's surprise, Miss Justice agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"How should I pay you?"
Uh... she just agreed?
No haggling?
Julian was momentarily at a loss for words.
Perhaps he was imagining it, but on the other side of the Bronze Long Table, Miss Justice actually seemed to let out a faint sigh of relief as well.
Honestly, Audrey had never imagined she could obtain the main ingredients for a Sequence 7 potion at this stage. It felt as though she had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.
And so she immediately began asking how to pay.
The scene had the distinct air of a filthy-rich oil state buying missiles from China-both sides were terrified the other would change their mind, and both felt they had hit the jackpot.
Although Julian had read the original novel and already had a general idea of Miss Justice's extravagant wealth, actually dealing with her made him realize he had still underestimated just how rich she was.
Two thousand pounds was an enormous sum, enough to easily buy two very nice houses with their own plots of land in Tingen.
Even in Backlund, buying a property would be no difficulty, so long as it wasn't in an area where high society congregated, such as Empress Borough or Hillston District.
And yet Miss Justice still seemed to feel little pain over the expense and readily agreed.
First, she currently had little real understanding of the value of potion ingredients. Second, Audrey was still very wealthy in the early days of the Tarot Club and hadn't yet fallen into financial straits from worshipping the god of poverty.
The third, and most important reason, was that Miss Justice seemed to understand she needed to pay a certain premium to participate in the transaction involving knowledge of the Acting Method.
The more readily she paid, the less wrangling there would be afterward. Anything money could solve wasn't a problem.
Maybe this is what it feels like to have a rich woman backing you...
Julian couldn't help thinking to himself.
The transaction left Alger the Hanged Man dumbfounded, his heart filled with both confusion and envy.
Even Mr. Fool, seated high at the head of the Bronze Long Table, found it unbelievable.
Earning ten pounds a week had already made him feel he had a promising future, yet someone else could hand over two thousand pounds just like that.
Was this what it meant for poverty to limit your imagination?
"I have an anonymous account at Tassock Bank. You can deposit the money directly into it."
Julian quickly recited his account number, then repeated it twice. Only after confirming that Miss Justice had written it all down did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Wonderful... now I have some hope of affording the next potion's ingredients.
Honestly, unless he had no other choice, Julian would rather not sell the Psychiatrist beyonder characteristic at this stage.
Considering how powerful the Spectator pathway's abilities were, he could easily find a way to turn it into a Beyonder item for his own use.
But Julian needed to prepare sufficient funds in advance for his advancement to Sequence 8 of the Four-Color Seer pathway. After all, buying the main ingredients for the Four-Color Seer potion had already cost him 700 pounds in cash.
Although those were only the main ingredients for a Sequence 9 potion, their rarity had pushed their price far above that of ordinary Sequence 8 ingredients.
Something like a "star hexagonal crystal dyed by an aurora," for instance, simply wasn't available even if you could afford it. It was exceedingly rare even on the Plains of Evernight in the far north.
Had a Feysac naturalist he knew, who enjoyed collecting minerals, not happened to have one in his collection, Julian wouldn't even have known how much longer he would need to wait.
Once the deal was concluded, Julian the Tower looked up at the somewhat uneasy Alger the Hanged Man and said with a smile:
"Mr. Hanged Man, it seems Miss Justice has already paid your share of this transaction. You can repay her with a favor when you have the opportunity. The details are for the two of you to discuss.
"Of course, this knowledge is worth far more than that... but since the esteemed Mr. Fool has already hinted at its main points, I'm merely providing a few additions, so this will suffice."
Hearing Julian's words, Alger came to his senses.
"No problem."
He looked at Miss Justice.
"If there's anything I can help you with in the future, please let me know."
"All right, Mr. Hanged Man."
Miss Justice nodded gently, then turned her gaze toward Mr. Tower, excitement and apprehension in her eyes.
"The technique Mr. Fool revealed just now is generally known as the Acting Method."
Julian observed how Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man held their breath, utterly focused. He smiled inwardly before explaining further:
"All potions possess different intrinsic spirits. These spirits are related to the core imagery of the potions' names and, in most cases, differ from the human spirit.
"These differences in spirit lead to conflict and incompatibility, which are the essence of a potion's side effects and its tendency to cause a loss of control.
"The so-called Acting Method involves a Beyonder who has consumed a potion consciously acting out the role embodied in its name... for example, Mr. Hanged Man's earlier advice that you do your best to remain an onlooker after drinking the Spectator potion was actually a manifestation of the Acting Method. He simply hadn't formulated a complete explanation of it.
"If we liken a potion to a fortress that only those close to its core imagery can enter, then the Acting Method is the key that brings a person's spirit and mind closer to that imagery, allowing them to bypass its defenses, enter the fortress, and ultimately take complete control of it.
"And we generally call this process 'digestion.' Someone who has completely 'digested' a potion
"will almost never lose control unless they actively court disaster. This also means they can consume the potion of the next Sequence in an extremely safe state."
Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice listened, utterly engrossed in this knowledge. Only after a long while did Miss Justice come back to herself and ask another question:
"Then, Mr. Tower, how can I tell whether I've digested my potion?"
"Digesting a potion is a gradual process. You'll have a very clear sense of it."
Julian explained:
"Once you've completely digested the potion, you'll know it clearly as well. That feeling is difficult to describe in words, but you'll understand after experiencing it once."
After a pause, he looked up at Mr. Hanged Man's robe, embroidered with ocean waves, and said pointedly:
"As a Beyonder of the Church of Storms, Mr. Hanged Man, you should understand very well how valuable this knowledge is.
"The fact is, the major churches deliberately ensure that knowledge of the Acting Method doesn't reach lower-ranking Beyonders. Even if someone happens to grasp it by chance, the church will require them not to divulge it.
"As a result, the churches' Beyonders advance to the mid-sequences with hidden risks, and barring unforeseen circumstances, most of them will never be able to safely advance to Sequence 6 or higher in their entire lives."
Deliberately controlling the spread of the Acting Method?
At that moment, Mr. Fool and Mr. Hanged Man both frowned.
Many thoughts flashed through their minds, but before Alger the Hanged Man could speak, Miss Justice's curious voice rang out again:
"Mr. Tower, there's something I don't understand.
"If the Acting Method can help Beyonders of the orthodox churches stabilize their condition and reduce their chances of losing control, why would the churches restrict its spread?"