Inside an unassuming house in Queens Borough.
Hugh and Fors casually found a place to sit and examined the items written on the blackboard. Mr. A, wearing a hooded robe, remained quietly and alone on the sofa at the front, looking down at everyone.
" Sequence 8 ' Sheriff ' Potion recipe, 450 pounds..." Hugh read the familiar contents silently and breathed a long sigh of relief.
One of her biggest fears is that she'll finally save up enough money, only to find that no one will sell her the recipe anymore!
"I got 400 pounds, plus my original savings of 150 pounds, that's enough... It's just that the main ingredients will definitely cost a lot more... Ah right, maybe I can change my circle and see if any Beyonder are interested in this formula..." Hugh suddenly perked up, feeling that he had found a way to make money.
Frankly speaking, if she didn't urgently need money to buy materials and concoct Potion to advance her cultivation level, she definitely wouldn't have leaked the recipe. On the one hand, most people always hope that there are few Beyonder in their own Sequence, making them special enough. On the other hand, with more competitors on the same path, the corresponding material prices will be driven up a lot, and the same applies to subsequent recipes.
After thinking it over carefully for a while, Xiu slowly became uneasy again, because it's normal for a recipe to remain unsold for a long time.
Moreover, the " Arbiter " pathway belongs to the royal Sequence and the military, and is strictly controlled in all aspects. The portion that is scattered outside mainly comes from a small number of impoverished nobles. Their recipes are rarely able to form a complete low-to-medium pathway, and they often only have one or two of them. In addition, the main materials are controlled and difficult to obtain, so there are very few Beyonder willing to choose this Sequence.
Hugh had been mingling in several mysterious circles in Backlund for quite some time, but she hadn't found a single " Arbiter " besides herself. This might be partly because the other party was very good at disguising themselves, but it also more or less said something.
Phew, thinking about Fors, I've been lucky enough that she hasn't encountered any of the " Apprentice " recipes for so long... Hugh saw Mr. A's waiter coming over, so he wrote a note to the man asking to buy the " Sheriff " recipe.
Before long, she was led to the study on the first floor. Before entering, she took a hooded robe from the servant and put it on.
The sellers in the study were dressed similarly, and they couldn't see each other's faces.
"This is the recipe for the ' Sheriff ' Potion. Where's my money?" the seller asked in a hoarse voice, pressing down on the note on the desk.
Hugh pulled out the cash he had already counted several times and pushed it to the other person.
After repeatedly checking the authenticity and total amount, the seller finally let go of the formula.
Hugh immediately stepped forward and swiftly grabbed the note.
Her gaze swept directly to the main material section, which was the most important part:
"A pair of eyes from the Demonic Worm of Fear, and the right paw of the Silver-White War Bear."
These are all extraordinary materials that everyone knows about but has never seen anyone sell... Xiu sighed, slightly melancholy, and left the study, taking off his robe.
Back in the living room, sitting down next to Fors, having fulfilled a wish, she gradually began to worry about the unknown name and the evil spirit that might be haunting her.
"10, no, 20 pounds, no, 30 pounds, please have someone skilled in exorcism perform a Purification ritual for me." Hugh made up his mind, whispered a few words to Fors, and beckoned Mr. A's waiter.
When the break time, during which they could freely communicate, ended, they saw that their own entry had been added to the list on the blackboard:
"Suspected of being possessed by an evil spirit, requesting help from someone skilled in exorcism, £30."
After a while, Mr. A's waiter came to the side of the two and quietly invited them to the living room on the first floor.
Inside, a man wearing a white hard-shell mask waited. He looked at the two people seeking help, their genders unknown, and chuckled softly:
"Let me start with a brief self-introduction, so you won't doubt my abilities."
"No, no need, we trust Mr. A," Hugh, his face hidden by a hood, said before Fors could speak.
She deliberately lowered her voice to avoid revealing her identity with a childlike tone.
The man wearing the white hard-shell mask shrugged and smiled:
"This is my habit. I am a believer in the Sun, as you know, and this is quite rare in Backlund, throughout the entire kingdom."
"Only at times like these can I live as my true self."
Due to the great conflict between the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Church of the Lord of Storms, the former has never been able to obtain the right to preach in the Kingdom of Loen.
"A follower of the Sun?" Fors's languid gaze vanished instantly. "This is the first time I've ever seen a living follower of the Sun! Um... I don't see any high-ranking diplomats."
"Should I feel honored?" The man wearing a white hard-shell mask spread his arms wide, craning them upwards in a gesture of praise to the Sun.
Fors did not answer his question, but instead smiled and said:
" The Sun's Attendants are professionals when it comes to exorcism and Purification, so we trust them completely. We can begin."
The man, who claimed to be a believer in the Sun, stopped talking and took out a badge with a " The Sun " symbol on it. He placed it on the round table in the center and then lit two candles using a dualistic ritual.
After completing the preliminary tasks step by step, he recited in a loud and exceptionally devout voice:
" Eternal Blazing Sun!"
"You are the inextinguishable light;"
"You are the embodiment of order."
I pray to you;
"I beseech you to grant me the light of Purification;"
"I pray that you will drive away the evil spirits."
Amidst the echoing Hermes incantations, Hugh and Fors saw a pure, warm, and bright light emanating from the Sun emblem.
It flowed endlessly, turning into a tide, surging towards the two of them and engulfing them both at the same time.
A few dozen seconds later, everything returned to normal. Hugh and Fors felt warm all over, very comfortable and at ease, as if they had soaked in a hot spring or sunbathed.
Cherwood Borough, Ries Police Station.
Klein was crammed onto a low bench with a bunch of drunken thieves, looking quite undignified.
Suddenly, he felt a warmth coming from the back of his hand, which dispelled much of the chill of the Backlund night.
Looking down, Klein noticed that the four black dots symbolizing the mysterious space above the Gray Fog had not appeared.
"Who's so kind as to know I was a little cold just now..." he muttered, half-jokingly and half-doubtingly.
As a former inspector, he glanced at the thief handcuffed to the pipe on his left, then at the drunkard on his right who was threatening to vomit at any moment but kept yelling that he would hit someone. He sighed at his current predicament, wondering when he would be able to break free.
"There should be one more test next. If I pass, I'll succeed... Hopefully, the police's attention will be focused on the ambassador and the Zmanger Gang, ignoring the question of my identity and background as a lowly Detective. Theoretically, the chances are high, as long as Mrs. Summer, Lawyer Jurgen, and the others don't say anything that will interest the police... Well, they've only just met me, they can't possibly know too much..."
"I took Meursault's Beyonder Characteristic and hid it above the Gray Fog. Since he himself left no strange traces, no one can discover he was once an Beyonder, and therefore no one will doubt my strength... Hmm... It's been over an hour..."
As Klein tried to reassure himself, he saw the sheriff with the short, brown beard walking towards him.
" Sherlock Moriarty, come with me to the interrogation room," the sheriff ordered without explanation.
"They're here..." Klein thought to himself, and got up to follow.
After rounding the corner, the sheriff stopped in front of an iron gate and gestured for Klein to go inside.
Klein took a breath, then slowly exhaled, turned the handle, and opened the Door Opening to enter.
Inside was a small room with seemingly very thick walls. A small table was placed in the middle, with chairs on either side.
Under the elegant glow of the gas lamps on the wall, Klein could clearly see the Interrogator opposite him, a man wearing an unusual black shirt.
He wasn't wearing a vest, but rather a casual black coat. His eyebrows were sparse, his blue eyes were cold, and the lines of his face resembled sharp blades, so hard that they lacked sufficient softness.
The man pointed to the chair opposite him and said in a deep voice:
"I'll ask, you answer."
Before he finished speaking, Klein felt an unimaginable pressure, as if electric currents were coursing through his mind, forming barbed whips that relentlessly lashed his soul.
This "taste" is both painful and numb, seemingly originating from deep within the brain, making it irresistible and leaving one trembling and with weak knees.
Klein nearly fell, but quickly braced himself on the small table and sat down, his temple twitching intermittently.
This... this is an extraordinary ability... Ordinary people might think that what happened just now was a mental problem caused by their own tension and the intimidating presence of the Interrogator, but Klein clearly recognized that this was an extraordinary ability, an extraordinary ability to directly attack someone's mind!
He hurriedly recalled the information he had read before and quickly identified the suspect:
Sequence 7 of the " Arbiter " pathway, " The Interrogator "!
"The matter has been transferred to a special department of the military?" Klein thought with a slight sense of relief.
As long as it's not Nighthawks, everything is fine.
"Identify these photos and find the ambassador who met with Meursault." The cold, stern-faced man dressed in black spread out seven or eight black-and-white photos on a small table.
Klein felt as if an electric whip was being raised high within his mind, foreshadowing extreme pain that made him neither dare nor willing to lie.
Of course, Klein had no need to lie. After a quick check, he presented a photograph to the Interrogator, showing the middle-aged gentleman who was dressed extravagantly and had a very charismatic appearance.
The Interrogator glanced at it, made no comment, and asked again:
Was your previous statement entirely true?
Just as when he was forced into Dream Divination, Klein remained clear-headed and rational, refusing to succumb to the "whip" of his mind, and answered sincerely:
"All true."
The Interrogator leaned forward, resting his hands on the small table, and said:
When was the last time you saw Ian Wright?
"Yesterday, yesterday morning," Klein said with difficulty, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. "I tracked Meursault and found Detective Zerrell's body. Because I didn't want to deal with the police, I took Ian to identify the body and then let him call the police himself. Zerrell's body was in the sewer entrance at the right turn at the end of Iron Carbon Street in the East Borough."
After a brief silence, the Interrogator finally nodded, and Klein immediately felt the immense pressure and the "whip" in his mind disappear.
"You may leave now," he commanded in a flat, monotone voice.
Klein stood up, Door Opening, and went out, making no attempt to hide the unsteadiness in his steps.
He felt this was even more exhausting than fighting Meursault. The slightest mistake would completely crush his spirit, and he would obediently answer whatever the other party asked.
No, if it weren't for my special spiritual nature, which has allowed me to endure long-term tests of delirium and screaming, enabling me to remain calm and rational in certain situations, I would probably have collapsed by now... Klein returned to the corridor with a chill down his spine.
At this moment, the sheriff who had spoken earlier came over and said:
"Come with me to complete the formalities; Lawyer Jurgen is waiting to bail you out."
Whew... Klein let out a silent sigh of relief, completely relaxing.
He knew the danger had finally passed.
P. S.: Updated early, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!