After receiving the Gatekeeper's permission, Lorry put on the black hooded robe the man handed him and followed him to the sitting room on the ground floor.
A round coffee table stood near the center of the sitting room. A white candle burned on it, providing the room's main source of light.
More than a dozen chairs were scattered around the table, most of them already occupied by people dressed just like Lorry.
An elderly man sat in an armchair, setting himself slightly apart from the others.
Lorry knew that this was most likely the elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom who had organized the gathering. He also had another identity.
A renowned detective in Backlund!
Following the Gatekeeper's directions, Lorry chose a chair at random and sat down.
At that moment, the elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom took out a pocket watch, glanced at it, and said, "It's eight o'clock already. Our friends who aren't here probably won't be coming tonight. Let's begin."
He turned slightly and looked at Lorry.
"You may speak first. That is the privilege of a new member."
As soon as he finished speaking, every gaze in the sitting room converged on Lorry. Lorry did not stand on ceremony. After a moment's thought, he stated what he needed.
"I'm very interested in mysticism and would like to collect some basic knowledge. Hmm, introductory material will do. It doesn't need to be too advanced."
"Of course, I don't want unverified knowledge or baseless speculation either."
The sitting room fell silent.
A man with a chubby face sneered.
"Collecting introductory knowledge of mysticism? Then you should go to a department store, not come here. I really have no idea how you managed to get in."
That attitude is unmistakable. Is this the foul-mouthed Apothecary? The corner of Lorry's mouth twitched beneath his hood, but he restrained the urge to snap back.
The elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom smiled from his armchair.
"Heh heh, truly useful knowledge is hidden in all sorts of places. We have to uncover it, collect it, sift through it, verify it, and finally absorb it into our own understanding."
"Outside the Churches of the Seven Gods, systematic books on mysticism are rare."
He rose and took a black-covered notebook from the bookcase against the sitting room's north wall. "These are some notes from my early studies of mysticism. They cover relatively simple introductory knowledge, along with a few basic forms of Ritual Magic. I no longer have any use for them."
"But their contents are by no means outdated. I guarantee that they are authentic and effective."
"If you want it, you'll need to pay fifty pounds."
Fifty pounds... Lorry heaved a silent sigh. "I need to think about it. I'll give you an answer before the gathering ends."
Then he looked around at the others again, took out the pouch containing Glowa's Beyonder characteristic, and showed everyone the translucent, sac-like object.
"Everyone, I also have this object for sale. It came from a battle and was part of my spoils. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is."
"But it certainly isn't an ordinary item. It possesses supernatural power."
Lorry likewise did not identify it as a Beyonder characteristic. His reason was the same as the Fool's had been: he did not want to reveal the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Indestructibility.
Besides, he truly did not know which pathway it belonged to.
The chubby Apothecary gave a snort and grumbled under his breath, loudly enough for everyone present to hear, "You don't even know what it is yourself, yet you brought it here to sell..."
Mr. Apothecary, have you really never been beaten up for that mouth of yours? A character on a page really is different from a living, breathing person. Why didn't I realize how badly you needed a beating when I read the novel...? Lorry glanced at the others and found that most showed no reaction. They were clearly accustomed to the man's manner.
"Heh heh, I think I can guess what it is," the elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom said with a chuckle. "If no one else is interested, I can offer three hundred and fifty pounds."
He first looked at Lorry. "Trust me, that's a fair price." After a pause, he added, "If you want to know what it is, you can pay for that knowledge."
Then he looked at the other participants. "The same goes for all of you."
Glowa was Sequence 9 at most. A typical Sequence 9 potion formula requires two main ingredients, each priced below two hundred pounds. That really is a fair offer... Thank you, Mr. Fool. If you hadn't stayed poor all the way to becoming the Lord of the Mysteries, I wouldn't be so sensitive to these figures...
Lorry chuckled inwardly, reined in his wandering thoughts, and nodded.
"I trust your integrity."
The elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom chuckled at that as well.
"Wait!"
Just then, a woman sitting in the shadows in a corner spoke up. She first cast an apologetic glance at the elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom, then named her price.
"Three hundred and sixty pounds."
The elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom shook his head slightly and did not raise his bid.
An attendant took the Beyonder characteristic and handed it to the woman in the corner. Soon, he returned to Lorry and gave him a stack of crisp new banknotes that smelled of printing ink.
There were exactly three hundred and sixty pounds, no more and no less.
My financial crisis is over for now! Even if I buy that expensive notebook, I'll still have more than three hundred and twelve pounds at my disposal!
That sum was roughly equivalent to a middle-class family's annual income.
Lorry counted out fifty pounds in banknotes and returned them to the attendant, then looked at the elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom. "This is payment for your mysticism notebook."
The elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom nodded and instructed the attendant to fetch the notebook.
"Let's continue trading."
Lorry tucked the notebook into his robe and gave the others a slight shake of his head.
"I don't need anything else for now."
Before anyone else could speak, the chubby Apothecary eagerly asked, "Has anyone brought marrow crystals from the Spring of Elves?"
His voice echoed through the sitting room, but no one answered.
I know this one... You still hadn't found it by the time Klein joined the gathering... Lorry mused cheerfully to himself.
The Apothecary waited for a dozen or so seconds, then sighed in disappointment.
"I've brought a few medicines. One can stop bleeding and speed up wound healing. Another can restore balance to the body and mind and recover a small amount of spirituality."
"If you need any, you can speak up at the end of the gathering."
He was about to shake his head to indicate that he was finished speaking as well.
Lorry suddenly raised his hand. After receiving permission, he asked, "Can you find a medicine with an anesthetic effect? A gas would be ideal."
"A medicine with an anesthetic effect..." the Apothe-
cary muttered with his head lowered. After a brief moment of thought, he answered, "I can try, but I can't guarantee success."
"You'll need to pay me one pound in research funds up front."
"If I fail, the research funds won't be refunded. If I succeed, I'll bring it to a later gathering, and you'll pay another pound."
"Probably the next gathering or the one after that."
"We can ask Mr. Eye of Wisdom to act as our witness."
The elderly man in the armchair smiled and nodded. "I have no objection."
Using my money to fund your own research. Aren't you clever... Still, although this fellow can't control his mouth, he really is quite capable... Lorry recalled the original novel, then nodded. "Neither do I."
The elderly Mr. Eye of Wisdom tapped the armrest. "Let's continue trading."
The woman in the corner who had just purchased Lorry's Beyonder characteristic spoke up. "I'd like to sell a weapon with Beyonder effects."
Before you continue