Fortune Teller was the entry-level Sequence 9 of the Seer Pathway. Its ability granted the user a measure of luck.
Joey was disappointed. What he really wanted was the Pathway of Light, or the Imperial Knights' Giant Pathway. Both were powerful combat pathways. Still, what could he say? It was better than nothing.
The Fortune Teller potion formula required two main ingredients, Agate Worm saliva and Silver Laurel blossoms, along with several supplementary ingredients to blend them.
"Joey, I have some Silver Laurel stamens I can give you. As for the rest, you'll have to find them yourself."
The Silver Laurel was an unexpected windfall. He had never even heard of either main ingredient, and since this wasn't the pathway he wanted, Joey wasn't particularly interested.
Given his current circumstances, though, he had no way to obtain a higher-sequence potion formula. He could only give it a try. Perhaps he could switch to another sequence later.
With that settled for the moment, Joey buried the pieces of the shattered Foundation Stone around his hut. They could still serve their purpose that way.
He prepared to visit Udir's farm. They had captured that Mythical Creature, and he had no idea what they intended to do with it.
With his previous experience, sneaking in went smoothly. Udir clearly had great faith in his abilities. Despite the earlier incident, he hadn't even posted guards. The farm's entire backyard lay within the range of his Dust Veil Master ability.
What puzzled Joey was that the culture-dish facility, which should have been destroyed, was now not only intact but replanted with fresh specimens.
Under the magical fluorescent light, the plants grew well, without the slightest sign of mutation. Everything indicated that these were normal specimens.
A farmer could never have had the resources to acquire such things. Even if Udir sold every blood crop he had, he still couldn't have afforded them.
Especially since the blood-crop seeds in the outer city produced only low-grade blood, which fetched poor prices.
Where had things gone wrong?
Suddenly, a sound rang out! Joey hurriedly concealed himself.
Udir had a cigar in his mouth and a bottle of liquor in his hand. His steps were unsteady as he took occasional puffs and sips, humming a little tune. He seemed to be in an excellent mood.
Joey had heard that cigars could only be bought in the inner city, never mind liquor.
It was as though Udir had become rich overnight.
Tap, tap, tap!
The footsteps gradually receded. This would have been the perfect chance to leave, but Joey stayed and cautiously followed him instead.
Beyond a long, narrow, pitch-black passage stood an iron cage. Inside, the monster that had chased Joey lay dying on the ground, its body riddled with needles. Crimson blood was being drawn out and collected in a bottle.
Udir stroked the monster's fur as though it were a precious treasure. It no longer had any strength to resist and could only whimper softly.
"It won't be long before you regain your senses."
Roar!
The monster seemed to be protesting in its own way, but it couldn't even stand.
"Thanks to the Beyonder Characteristic you provided, I now have plenty of food."
In the faint fluorescent glow, Joey could see both of the monster's heads. The one associated with divinity had fallen completely silent, while the human-faced head glared viciously at Udir.
Bzzzt!
At the sound, the mocking look vanished from Udir's face. He snapped to attention, much of his drunkenness evaporating, and pulled a stone glowing with pale green light from his clothes.
After a flash, the stone's faint glow formed a curtain of light. Within it stood a figure whose face was indistinct.
The person's voice brimmed with authority. "Beckett, the higher-ups are very pleased with how you handled this matter. Your application to enter the city will be approved soon."
Udir bent low. "Thank you, sir!"
"Beckett, are you certain they're all dead?"
"I'm certain. Alyssa Daniel was burned to death, and the other person is in my hands."
"Oh?"
The person beyond the curtain of light was clearly displeased.
"Rest assured, sir. He's already lost control. He's nothing but a mindless Mythical Creature now."
He turned the Image Transmission Stone to point its view at the iron cage.
"Hmph. You'd better not be lying to me. Otherwise, the consequences will be more than you can bear."
Once the call ended, Udir abandoned his earlier humble manner and furiously smashed the Image Transmission Stone. His eyes blazed with rage.
He snatched up an iron whip from nearby, opened the cage, and began beating the monster inside, venting his brutality.
"A mere lieutenant! What gives you the right to order me around? Once I get into the inner city, I'll kill you. I'll kill you!"
Udir's face twisted savagely, his eyes gleaming with malice. The iron whip hissed against flesh, tearing away a chunk with every lash.
Joey felt that Udir had gone mad. There was no reason left in him at all.
But something else concerned him more. What exactly had Udir done to earn the right to enter the inner city?
Udir vented his fury for well over ten minutes before finally staggering away.
Only then did Joey cautiously emerge. He began examining the monster, now a mangled mass of flesh. The tubes attached to its body were still drawing blood.
After inspecting the place inside and out, he finally understood what Udir was using the blood for. He was actually watering the seeds in the culture dishes with it.
The blood of a Mythical Creature could nourish seeds. That was truly strange. Mythical Creatures were creations of the Mother Goddess of Depravity. They were frenzied, bloodthirsty, and devoid of reason, driven only by a beast's urge to feed.
By all logic, Mythical Creatures, Night Demons, and mutated plants shared the same origin. Yet this creature's blood not only failed to accelerate mutation, it even allowed seeds to grow healthily.
This cultivation method was probably a major secret of the inner city. It also confirmed something else from another angle.
The inner city possessed fertile, unmutated land and could easily sustain itself. Yet every so often, it sent troops-or independent adventurers ventured out-into the depths of the darkness to hunt Night Demons. The main reason was probably to harvest the monsters' blood.
No wonder crops in the outer city could never survive for long without mutating. They lacked an energy supply.
There was one thing Joey couldn't understand. If the inner city possessed this knowledge, why didn't it make it public?
Across all of Senegal, the inner city's population accounted for only a tiny fraction. Ninety percent of the people were like Joey, struggling on the black soil every day just to put food on the table.
He crouched on the ground, staring at the creature in the cage and racking his brains, but ultimately found no answer.
"I remember you!"
The sudden voice gave Joey a real fright.
"Who? Who's talking?"
Had Udir come back? He began looking around for an escape route.
Fight?
What a joke. This was Udir's home turf. Granted, a Dust Veil Master had no combat power to speak of, little different from a Fortune Teller. Both were pathetically weak in the early stages.
But one shout from him would bring more than a hundred people rushing in.
"You don't need to be nervous. There's no one here!"
The voice came from below him. Joey lowered his head and stared in astonishment. The one speaking was actually the Mythical Creature.