"Goodbye, Father Utravsky."
Utravsky traced the symbol of the Earth Mother over his chest and said in a deep voice, "The Mother Goddess's Church will always welcome you."
After leaving the Harvest Church, Edward returned to Tingen and performed at the circus for two hours. Feeling his potion digest little by little, he went home in satisfaction and patiently awaited that evening's Extraordinary Gathering.
7:50 p.m.
The alley behind the Bravehearts Bar on Iron Gate Street, Backlund.
Wearing an iron-colored mask without any facial features, Edward approached a darkened room and knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern.
Seven or eight seconds later, a small wooden panel in the door was suddenly pulled aside, revealing a pair of brown eyes.
Those eyes studied Edward for quite a while before the door swung inward. A man wearing an iron mask stood there and asked hoarsely, "New here?"
Edward shrugged.
The man closed the door, handed Edward a black hooded robe, then led him through the dark living room into a sitting room on the ground floor. A single candle burned on the coffee table, its faint yellow light filling the room with indistinct shadows.
A dozen or so people sat on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table, all wearing Hood robes and iron-colored masks. The room was silent.
Time slipped quietly by. Someone with a very elderly voice, seated in an armchair, glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke.
"It's time. Let's begin. There's no need to wait for our late friends."
Edward couldn't help giving him another look. This had to be the great detective, the elderly gentleman from the Eye of Wisdom.
A man with a chubby face spoke first. "I'm looking to buy a marrow crystal from the Spring of Elves. Does anyone have one?" This was clearly the Fat Apothecary from the Life Council.
The Fat Apothecary looked around and muttered, "Damn it, nothing again. Then I'll offer four extra bottles... no, six bottles of medicine on top of the original price for a commission to find a marrow crystal from the Spring of Elves. Anyone willing to take it?"
A man with gaunt cheeks gave a sinister laugh. "The Spring of Elves comes from Sonia's Golden Spring. Getting the spring water is troublesome enough, never mind a marrow crystal. If you're commissioning someone to find it, the price should be at least twice what the raw material costs!"
"Black Snake, you're too greedy!"
The gaunt-cheeked man raised both hands and laughed. "No, no. Even if you really offered twice the price, I wouldn't take the commission. I'm only telling you the truth."
The Fat Apothecary muttered a few more curses before speaking again. "Then I'd also like to sell a batch of medicines. There are healing medicines, sedatives, and... heh heh, something to improve your performance in that department."
"Give me two bottles of healing medicine."
Several people bought healing medicines from him in succession, and the gathering grew considerably livelier.
Edward chose that moment to call out:
"I have two potion formulas for sale: the sequence 9 Hunter formula and the Warrior formula. Is anyone interested?"
Unfortunately, several minutes passed without a response.
That was only natural. Almost everyone who could attend the Extraordinary Gatherings held by the elderly gentleman from the Eye of Wisdom was already a Beyonder who had consumed a potion. Sequence 9 formulas were difficult to sell here.
He could only suppress his disappointment and speak again.
"Then I'm sure someone will be interested in these two Mystical Items."
Edward officially began selling the Harry Potter World's "specialties." "One looks like a wallet, and the other is a suitcase. Although they have no offensive or defensive capabilities, they contain separate spaces inside, allowing you to carry things with you, such as weapons, medicines, clothes, or even larger objects."
Everyone immediately showed keen interest.
"The wallet's interior measures eighty centimeters in length, width, and height. In other words, anything no larger than eighty centimeters can be stored inside and carried with you. The suitcase measures one meter inside."
Naturally, Edward wasn't going to introduce large-capacity versions right away. Business had to develop gradually, after all, and upgrades had to come one step at a time.
The Fat Apothecary asked, "I'd like to know what would happen if I put a stone weighing five hundred kilograms inside. It might take up less space, but wouldn't that make it even easier to crush someone to death?"
"Good question." Edward gave him a thumbs-up. "In fact, anything placed inside no longer has any weight outside. Whether it weighs five hundred kilograms, five thousand, or fifty thousand, once you put it inside, what you hold in your hand still weighs no more than a wallet."
"!!!"
For a moment, everyone's eyes widened, and a few people even began breathing more heavily.
If what this fellow said was true, this Beyonder Characteristic would be extraordinarily valuable.
The elderly gentleman from the Eye of Wisdom asked, "The price?"
"Hmm, bidding starts at eight thousand pounds for the wallet and seven thousand five hundred for the suitcase."
"And the negative effects?"
"There are no negative effects! However, both the wallet and the suitcase are made of ordinary materials, so be careful not to damage them."
"What?!"
An uproar broke out. It was hard to tell whether they were shocked by the prices or the absence of negative effects.
Truthfully, Edward didn't know whether those prices were high or low either, but he had to test the market when introducing them for the first time.
"Wait, why is the one with less space more expensive? Did you learn mathematics from a beggar on the street? Or has your brain overheated so badly that you can't even do arithmetic?" There was no question that the speaker was the Fat Apothecary.
Edward shrugged and smiled. "Actually, although the wallet has less space, it's easier to carry and conceal. The suitcase is the opposite. I think you can all work out which would be better if you found yourselves in a fight."
After considering it carefully, everyone realized that did seem to make sense.
"All right, these are the only two I have. Anyone interested should hurry and place a bid."
Everyone exchanged looks. For a while, no one spoke, but their shifting gazes revealed how much they wanted these two storage-type Beyonder Characteristics.
"Could you make it a little cheaper? Eight thousand pounds... for a wallet doesn't seem like a good deal."
"Exactly."
"It may be convenient to carry things around, but it has no other uses. With that much money, I'd rather buy something more useful to arm myself."
"It's too expensive! It's simply not worth it!"
The Fat Apothecary chuckled. "The price isn't its problem. It's yours."
Chapter 46: The Abraham Attack
"..."
Several people immediately glared at him.
Five minutes later, there were still no bids.
Edward, however, felt reassured. As the Fat Apothecary had said, these people weren't refusing to buy because the items enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm were bad. They were simply too poor.
That made sense. Most attendees at this Extraordinary Gathering were low-sequence Beyonders. How could they casually produce several thousand pounds?
With that thought, he looked around and said, "All right. I'll come to future gatherings whenever I have time anyway. If anyone wants one then, just find me. But I can't guarantee someone else won't buy them in the meantime."
He paused. "Next, I also have a batch of medicines with various effects. There are medicines for healing injuries, relieving pain and stopping bleeding, clearing your head, stabilizing your emotions, and growing hair."
The Fat Apothecary immediately complained, "Hey, buddy, I only asked a couple of extra questions! Do you really have to steal my business over that?"
Edward spread his hands helplessly. "I just happen to know how to make medicines too. Besides, mine might not be as effective as yours, so I'll sell them more cheaply."
"...%&%"
The Fat Apothecary swore under his breath.
Soon, several people bought a few bottles after asking the prices. Some bought healing medicines, others bought medicines to stop bleeding, but surprisingly, the hair-growth medicine sold best.
Edward earned nearly two hundred pounds in one go.
After confirming that no one else wanted to make a purchase, Edward spoke one last time.
"Finally, I'd like to buy some lava octopus blood crystals, mandrake juice, and hemlock juice. Also, if anyone has a Beyonder Characteristic with defensive capabilities for sale, feel free to contact me."
Edward wasn't short of ways to attack for now. Even if he couldn't win a fight, he could escape with Apparition. What worried him was being ambushed and killed in a single strike.
A woman whose face was completely hidden in the shadow of her hood spoke. "I can ask around for you, but I don't have any at the moment." After a pause, she continued, "I have two weapons for sale. One is the Rending Great Axe. When swung, it produces wind blades with a rending effect, making it useful both at range and in close combat. It will last another two years. Three hundred and eighty pounds, or I can add money to trade it for the sequence 8 Barbarian formula."
Several strongly built people were visibly interested, but none spoke first.
"The other is the Corrosive Dagger. It produces a corrosive effect when it strikes a target. If you hit a vital organ, it can kill someone very quickly. It will last another three years. Two hundred and fifty pounds."
Before long, the two Beyonder weapons were bought by a large man and the sinister Black Snake respectively. As for Edward, who had spoken first... he had long since been forgotten.
With no other choice, he raised his hand again. "Ahem, if anyone has any of the things I just asked to buy, please contact me whenever you like."
Unfortunately, only the Fat Apothecary gave him a few extra looks.
The sitting room soon fell silent again. The sinister man called Black Snake spoke with a laugh. "Backlund has been growing more chaotic lately. Certain lunatics in particular seem to be desperately searching for something."
The Fat Apothecary said impatiently, "If you have something to sell, just say so."
"I was rather lucky. A couple of days ago, I happened across a pirate who had returned from Bayam. He lost control while being attacked by two lunatics, and all three died." At this point, he took an ugly, palm-sized doll out of a black cloth bag. "This is what I found at the scene. The Church seems to call it a 'Sealed Artifact.' I call it the 'Taunting Doll.'"
"What does it do?"
"When thrown, it taunts everyone within fifty meters. Anyone at sequence 7 or below will be compelled to attack it. Even sequence 6 Beyonders will have their attention forcibly diverted, and sequence 5 Beyonders will be affected to some extent."
Everyone present was immediately astonished. For people at their sequences, this effect was far too powerful!
Only the Fat Apothecary stopped to think before asking, "Sorry, if I heard you correctly, you said everyone... including the user?"
Black Snake shrugged. "That's right."
The elderly gentleman from the Eye of Wisdom, who had remained perfectly composed throughout, spoke. "What are the negative effects?"
"Every time you use it, you'll be more susceptible to its taunting the next time. If you use it repeatedly, the doll will become the only thing you can see."
"Hahaha! Then why buy it? To put it on your grave as a souvenir when you die?" the Fat Apothecary mocked mercilessly.
"It can save your life at a critical moment, can't it? Besides, if your opponent tries to escape, you can use it to force them back with its taunting." Black Snake looked around after finishing. "Three thousand five hundred pounds. Anyone interested? Once you advance to sequence 5, you can essentially ignore its effects. Why not consider it?"
Sequence 5?
The people here would probably never advance to sequence 5 in their entire lives!
A few people had initially been interested, but they immediately lost interest upon hearing the price.
Edward stared at the ugly doll, his thoughts racing. The Taunting Doll's effect is essentially hard crowd control. Everyone only thinks it isn't worth it because it affects friend and foe alike and has severe negative effects. But what if I could ignore its taunting?
When he advanced to sequence 8 Trickmaster, he had gained the [Unrestrained] effect: he could expend spirituality to remove control effects imposed on him, with a higher success rate the smaller the sequence gap.
The Taunting Doll's ability to force someone to attack it should count as a control effect, right?
If I really could ignore it, this Beyonder Characteristic would be perfect for me.
Edward suppressed his excitement, only to think of another very practical problem: he didn't have enough money!
Before you continue