Unofficial member

The man in the black trench coat lifted his teacup and took a small sip, but a look of distaste soon crossed his face, and he set it back down.

He turned sideways, his gaze settling on Lorry as an inscrutable smile returned to his lips. "As a gesture of goodwill, let me offer you a reminder."

"In the past, MI9's usual approach to Beyonders who refused to submit to its authority was... recruitment." He paused, then added, "By preserving their corpses, of course."

Preserving their fucking corpses? You might as well just say you purify them... Lorry grumbled inwardly, unfrightened by the man's words.

He looked up at the man and let out a soft breath. "I doubt anyone would waste too much time on a Beyonder Characteristic."

The man in the black trench coat seemed a little disappointed by that answer.

He clicked his tongue and continued:

"That's right. Considering you only recently became a Beyonder, you haven't done much harm to this city or caused us too much trouble.

"So we've decided to give you a chance."

"To join MI9?" Lorry asked thoughtfully.

He felt that would be a decent option.

Although joining would certainly impose some restrictions on him, looked at another way, it would also mean having official backing from then on.

At the same time, he could accumulate merits and exchange them for subsequent formulas and ingredients.

"...Er, of course not!" The man in the black trench coat faltered for two seconds before replying irritably, "What do you think this place is? You can't just join because you feel like it!"

"I mean becoming one of our unofficial members."

"An unofficial member... a temp?" Lorry felt a little let down. For a moment, he had almost thought he could land a permanent government job.

The man in the black trench coat considered this, then nodded.

"More or less.

"Though, to be precise, you'd be an informant."

"You won't have a fixed salary or any formal official status, but you can accumulate merits by completing assignments and exchange them for rewards.

"For instance, subsequent potion formulas for the Marauder pathway, Beyonder ingredients that are difficult to purchase through conventional channels, or Mystical Items."

At this point, amusement flashed through his eyes, and he teased:

"You should be glad you showed some nerve earlier.

"As far as we know, that duke has no subordinates from the Marauder pathway, nor does he have any related potion formulas in his collection.

"Beyonders of this pathway have always been scarce. The formula seized from the Percival Family might be your best hope of advancing.

"And it belongs to us as spoils."

"Sequence 8: Swindler?" Lorry's eyes lit up despite himself.

He had thought Baron Percival was making empty promises and doubted there was really a formula. He had never expected that part of the man's claims to be true.

"You know quite a bit... That's right. Swindler."

The man in the black trench coat smiled leisurely. "Actually, that's not all. We also found some other interesting things in that Hunter's memories."

"They might very well involve formulas for Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6 of the Marauder pathway."

"So... would you like to be our informant?"

Lorry nodded without hesitation.

"Of course!"

The man in the black trench coat snapped his fingers, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"A wise choice."

Hearing this, Lorry inwardly mocked himself, thinking:

As if I have a choice. Even if you didn't have the subsequent formulas, I'd still have to chicken out and comply... Staying alive matters most, after all.

I don't want to become a Beyonder Characteristic.

The man in the black trench coat coughed lightly, setting aside his earlier flippancy as his expression turned serious. "Good. From today onward, you're an unofficial member of MI9. Remember my name: Vera."

"From now on, I'll be your direct superior. There are a few things I need to tell you."

With that, he uttered several words in Ancient Hermes:

"Sounds are forbidden from reaching the outside world from this place."

As his words fell, Lorry keenly noticed the space around the edges of the office distort slightly, as though invisible barriers were forming there.

The man in the black trench coat spoke solemnly:

"First, your identity as an informant is confidential. You will communicate only with me.

"Without my permission, you are forbidden from contacting outsiders in your capacity as an unofficial MI9 member. Any violation will be dealt with internally as a breach of confidentiality.

"Second, I will give you assignments from time to time.

"If you complete them, you'll have a choice between two rewards. You can take money directly, or accumulate merits to exchange for other things.

"These include, but are not limited to, Beyonder ingredients, potion formulas, Mystical Items, formal status as an official member, and so on.

"Third, you may also conduct investigations and uncover incidents on your own.

"After becoming an unofficial member, you must report information to me regularly. If the information you submit proves useful, you will also receive a reward.

"The specific rules are the same as in the previous point."

"Fourth, the means of contacting me are as follows..."

"..."

"Tenth, this is a badge I made. Consider it a perk for being my informant." As he spoke, the man in the black trench coat reached into his pocket, took out a round black button, and tossed it to Lorry. He then explained, "It's a single-use item."

"If you encounter danger you can't handle, you can activate it with your spirituality. That will allow me to sense it and locate you through a mystical connection."

"As long as you hold out long enough, help might arrive."

"Provided you're still within Backlund."

"Note that the farther away you are, the weaker the signal becomes, and the easier it is for others to interfere with it."

Got it. It's basically a device for summoning backup... Lorry nodded slightly, accepted the round black button, and carefully put it in his pocket.

"Also, this is Duke Negan's reward for you." The man in the black trench coat took a white pendant adorned with a gold chain out of his pocket.

It was wrapped in a sheet of white paper simply folded in half.

"It's called Sunfire. Its specific Beyonder effects and negative effects have already been examined by a specialist through divination. Everything you need to watch out for is written on this paper."

"Read it yourself when you have time. I won't waste my breath."

Lorry reached out to accept it and put it in his other pocket.

The man in the black trench coat pursed his lips.

Seemingly thirsty, he turned, picked up the cup of water that had gone cold, and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

He let out a satisfied breath and said, "Now there are just two things left. No, one last thing-dealing with the poison in your body."

As he spoke, he took a gold pocket watch out of his pocket. It swayed gently, reflecting a dazzling golden light beneath the lamp.

Just then, Lorry suddenly heard a distant call, as though someone were calling his name. Vera's voice beside his ear also gradually grew indistinct.

He felt overwhelmingly sleepy, and his eyelids slowly closed against his will.

"Freshly baked Desi pies! Tasty and cheap!"

"Black bread! White bread!"

"Piping-hot meat soup! One bowl will keep you warm all day!"

"..."

A clamor of hawkers' cries rose and fell. Still half asleep, Lorry frowned deeply and sat up, mumbling with irritation written all over his face.

He raised his right hand and gently pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind slowly clearing.

Suddenly, his right hand froze.

As though remembering something, Lorry abruptly raised his head and quickly surveyed his surroundings. He discovered that he was sitting on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

He got out of bed, strode to the window, opened it, and poked his head outside.

The street outside was unfamiliar, too.