She put down her fork, picked up the large wooden mug, and took a sip of beer. "Stories are only interesting when you hear them firsthand," she said calmly.
She stood up, put on her hat, and headed outside.
"If I feel like hearing a story, I'll come find you. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Edward watched her disappear from sight and muttered:
"I only met her this morning, and I ran into her again this afternoon... Like hell I believe that was a coincidence. For fuck's sake, all I did was casually use an idiom. Even that could get someone watching me? What rotten luck."
Eight o'clock the following evening.
Edward entered the Extraordinary Gathering hosted by the elderly Eye of Wisdom alongside several people wearing iron masks.
The old detective seemed to recognize Edward at a glance and nodded slightly in greeting. Edward responded politely, then chose a sofa near the middle and sat down.
As time passed, more and more people gathered in the sitting room. Soon, he spotted someone who appeared to be Klein entering.
Our Mr. Fool radiated wariness from head to toe: wariness of his surroundings, wariness of people, and wariness of everything unknown.
"All right, almost everyone's here. Let's begin."
As soon as the old detective finished speaking, everyone began putting forward their initial requests. Most wanted to purchase materials, while a small number sought formulas, though these were mainly below Sequence 7.
After some bargaining, several deals were made, gradually livening up the quiet, stiff atmosphere in the sitting room.
"A bunch of wild beasts have appeared in the sewers lately. They've ruined all the herbs I went to so much trouble to plant."
The Fat Apothecary began airing his complaints. "But I get the feeling they aren't actually after my herbs. Several groups