The woman fell silent for a few seconds before speaking in a hoarse voice. "I want to buy this Mystical Item, but its price is beyond what I can afford."
What a coincidence. Same here... Lorry said nothing.
After a brief silence in the room, the woman let out a forceful breath. "Even if I sell off some things, the most I can offer is 680 pounds."
"Although this Mystical Item has relatively minor negative effects, its Beyonder powers are rather ordinary. You can think about whether you're willing to sell it to me."
680 pounds-that's quite a gap from the 800 I had in mind. A whole 120 pounds, almost a middle-class household's annual income...
Ma'am, that's a pretty ruthless bit of haggling...
I really do need to think it over. Yes, think about selling it to someone else...
Lorry nodded slightly, left the room, and returned to his original seat.
Over the next twenty-odd minutes, three more participants invited Lorry into small rooms for private discussions, but their offers grew progressively lower.
The highest was only 650 pounds, even less than the first woman's offer.
As the gathering drew to a close, Lorry began to feel anxious and tried to locate the blonde woman in the crowd.
Just then, the attendant approached him again.
"The first interested buyer has raised her offer and would like to speak with you again."
The turn of events caught Lorry completely off guard. He could not help inwardly sighing in relief and devoutly praising the Goddess in his heart.
Inside the small room.
A hint of impatience showed in the blonde woman's eyes as she said in a low voice:
"On top of my previous offer, I can add a promise: I'll do one thing for you, provided it's within my abilities and doesn't violate my principles.
"We can ask Mr. A to witness it. Believe me, I have a fair amount of influence in Backlund, especially in the East Borough."
You don't actually need to make any promises. Your 680 pounds is already the highest offer... Lorry chuckled inwardly and feigned hesitation. Three seconds later, he slowly nodded.
"All right. Let's ask Mr. A to witness it."
The blonde woman's eyes lit up. She quickly stepped outside to summon an attendant, and with Mr. A as their witness, they completed the transaction for 680 pounds and a promise.
After she left, Lorry counted out another 500 pounds and handed it to Mr. A, receiving the Mystical Item called False Face from him.
My savings are over 200 pounds again... The corners of Lorry's mouth lifted slightly. He left the small room and asked an attendant to invite the seller of Roselle's Diary.
After some bargaining, he bought the three diary pages for 15 pounds.
Lorry felt considerably more relaxed after that. Deliberately altering his voice, he had several brief conversations with other Beyonders.
That continued until Mr. A announced the end of the gathering.
Lorry removed his disguise in a secluded alley and returned to Iris Street, where he took stock of his gains from that evening's Beyonder gathering in his study.
My cash is up to 230 pounds... I bought the Mystical Item I'd been longing for, along with three pages of Roselle's Diary. Too bad their contents are all useless... And all it cost me was selling the Bird's Beak, which seemed to have minor negative effects but was actually of rather limited use... I hope that woman will still be willing to honor her promise after using the Bird's Beak... Lorry sat in the reclining chair on the terrace, letting his thoughts wander.
He quietly cleared his mind for a while, then took his ritual materials to the first-floor bedroom.
"May the Goddess bless me!"
Lorry drew a deep breath and devoutly tapped four points over his chest. Then he arranged the altar, lit three candles with a match, and added the hydrosol he had prepared in advance.
Sizzle!
Pale white mist rose, and a faint fragrance began to spread.
Then he picked up the silver ritual dagger.
"In the name of the Evernight Goddess,
"You are sanctified!"
-This was a necessary step in establishing a spiritual environment.
Next, Lorry began reciting the obscure, tongue-twisting incantation in a low voice.
"I pray for the power of Evernight;
"I pray for the power of crimson;
"I pray for the Goddess's favor;
"I pray that you grant me a quiet and peaceful environment."
"O Night-Scented Herb, herb of the red moon, please convey your power to my incantation!"
"O Moon Flower, herb of the red moon, please convey your power to my incantation!"
"..."
An invisible wind blew from the altar, racing around the bedroom like a lively sprite and setting the curtains, papers, and other objects fluttering.
Uh, does this count as a success or a failure...? Lorry stared at the scene, dumbfounded, unsure what expression he should wear.
Suddenly, he froze.
At some indeterminate instant, all the surrounding sounds vanished almost simultaneously. The room became so quiet that he could even hear his heartbeat.
Lorry strode to the window and pulled the curtains open.
Several pedestrians and a carriage were passing along the street outside. The pedestrians' mouths kept moving, and smiles occasionally appeared on their faces, as though they were discussing something pleasant.
But the extraordinary thing was that he could not hear a single sound.
"The ritual worked!"
Lorry exclaimed excitedly, utterly certain of it.
He traced the Crimson Moon over his chest and began devoutly praising the Goddess.
The Steam Cathedral's bells won't wake me up tomorrow morning... And the Soundproofing ritual doesn't just let me get a good night's sleep. If it can block sounds from outside, it can naturally contain sounds inside the room, too... Fighting, for instance, or interrogation... Lorry lay on his bed, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.
Inside a house in the Hillston District.
Having spent all her savings at the gathering, Xio Derecha had been forced to make the rounds of various bars in the East Borough and take on several new commissions.
By the time she returned home after all that running around, it was nearly eleven.
She changed her clothes and entered the living room. Noticing that the light in the other bedroom was still on, she went over and pushed open the door, only to find her friend clutching her hair.
"Uh, Xio, you're back?"
Fors, who had shoulder-length curly brown hair and pale blue eyes and was wearing pajamas, gave an embarrassed smile and quickly lowered her hand.
"Mm."
Xio answered with a nasal murmur. Her gaze swept over the paper in front of Fors, and she noticed that only two lines of words had been written on it. The rest was blank.
Then she looked at the few strands of brown hair beside it.
She sighed almost inaudibly.
"If you don't break that habit, sooner or later you'll be spending your writing fees on hair-growth tonic."
"Ahem, Xio,
"You know that's not really the main reason."
Fors gave a dry cough. Not wanting to keep discussing her hair, she changed the subject. "By the way, how was tonight's gathering? Did you buy a suitable Mystical Item?"
Sure enough, Xio took the bait and replied excitedly, "I did!"
With that, she took the Mystical Item out of her pocket and put it on to show her friend, explaining its Beyonder powers and negative effects as she did so.
As she listened, Fors's expression froze like that of a wax figure.
She looked at her friend's excited face and sighed deeply before saying in a subdued voice, "Xio, have you considered one thing...?"
Before you continue