The Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens Borough.
The cold air was kept out by the windows and walls, and the room was warm and cozy, with an elegant fireplace.
Audrey Hall was being measured by fashion designer Mrs. Genia so that she could design her New Year's Ball outfit based on her recent physical and temperamental state.
At this moment, her personal maid Annie, leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"Ms. Islante has come to visit."
"So much feedback already?" Audrey was secretly delighted, but her expression remained unchanged, and she smiled faintly.
"Please ask her to wait in my studio, um, five minutes."
"An art studio?" Annie asked in surprise.
"Yes, I wanted to ask her to appreciate the oil painting I recently finished. She said that it's easy to express one's true thoughts and emotions when painting in a relaxed state," Audrey explained at a measured pace.
Annie suddenly realized:
"Yes, miss."
Less than five minutes later, Audrey entered the studio and saw Islante admiring the paintings on the wall.
"That's Mr. Sensi's ' Night of the Inner Soul,' a masterpiece that brings a sense of peace," she said with a smile, introducing it to Islante.
" Sensi's ' Night of the Inner Soul '? One of the top ten paintings in the 100 greatest works of the century, as selected by the Tussock Times last year?" Islante was clearly the kind of person who reads newspapers regularly.
As an Beyonder through the " Spectator " pathway, her memory is exceptionally good.
"Yes," Audrey replied simply, as if it were a trivial matter.
"I'm so lucky to see the real thing..." Islante looked up again at the oil painting.
She swallowed the rest of her thought, "This is worth at least an estate," not wanting to seem too vulgar.
Audrey didn't introduce the other paintings, but instead sent Annie away with an excuse, and gestured to the golden retriever Susie to "stand guard" outside the door.
Susie understood her Psychological Suggestion without any difficulty, wagged her tail, and ran off with a wobbly rumble.
Islante closed the door, returned to the easel, and before Audrey could ask anything, spoke first:
"We possess both the properties of the Human-skinned Shadow and the Potion recipe for the ' Wind-blessed,' but there's no need for us to sell them unless the other party offers an irresistible reward."
"Willingness to talk means there's hope! "Audrey eyes flickered slightly as she chuckled softly.
What do you hope to gain?
Islante smoothed a strand of hair and answered, already prepared:
"The properties of the Human-skinned Shadow cost 2500 pounds, and the Potion recipe for ' Wind-blessed ' costs 3000 pounds."
"That's a huge premium..." Audrey didn't find it expensive; she was just surprised that the Psychology Alchemists's premium exceeded 50%.
According to the " The Hanged Man," under normal circumstances, Sequence 6 Potion recipe costs less than 2,000 pounds. However, the High-Sequence, the fewer Potion recipes are available, making them extremely difficult to obtain. There is no normal situation at all. More importantly, even if you happen to come across one, it is very difficult to verify its authenticity.
At this point, Islante added:
"If the other party can exchange it for a magical item of roughly equal value, that's acceptable."
In other words, you want magical items more, and are willing to accept a price reduction for that... The " Psychology Alchemists " is one of the youngest Concealment organizations, and its experience in this area is clearly not as good as others... Audrey pursed her lips and said:
"I will relay the feedback, but I can't guarantee they will accept it."
She wasn't worried at all that the Psychology Alchemists discover that she hadn't been participating in Beyonder gatherings lately, because her schedule was quite packed with afternoon tea, music lessons, dinners, dances, equestrian training, language classes, and dance classes, giving her plenty of opportunities to meet different people. As a result, perhaps one of the dinners was a cover for an extraordinary gathering, or perhaps the music teacher was a senior Beyonder. It would be almost impossible for the Psychology Alchemists, which was hiding in the shadows and couldn't operate openly, to find out the truth.
At this point, Audrey asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Teacher Islante, I originally thought you wouldn't sell the ' Wind-blessed ' Potion recipe; it's already at Sequence 6."
"Heh, it might be more useful to us if it gets spread," Islante replied vaguely.
In her mind, Miss Audrey, though a new member highly valued by the organization, was still a new member, and there were many things she couldn't know.
Why? Audrey suppressed her doubts, smiled sweetly, and asked innocently:
"Professor Islante, if this deal goes through, can it be considered my contribution?"
Islante burst out laughing:
"Calculate."
Klein was "busy" for the entire morning until he returned to Minsk Street, filled his stomach, and prepared to rest. Only then did he have the time and opportunity to listen to the prayers above the Gray Fog.
Miss Justice also Human-skinned Shadow trait? It's true, either they don't come at all, or they come in pairs... The Psychology Alchemists, as a Concealment organization, has decent resources... Klein suddenly found himself in the happy dilemma of how to choose.
Although he only had £1,335 in cash, including the £500 that the " The Hanged Man " had not yet given him, this did not stop him from seriously considering the Psychology Alchemists's offer of a deal.
After thinking for about ten seconds, he first conveyed the words of " Justice " to the " The Hanged Man " to see what choice the other party would make.
£3,000? Alger Wilson, the " The Hanged Man," still in the City of Generosity of Rothschild, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, seemed to have been hit hard with a club.
After acquiring the Blue Avenger " and becoming its captain, he sometimes Acting as a pirate and sometimes as a law enforcer, secretly eliminating several pirate groups. Even so, the total value of the spoils he obtained did not exceed 2,000 pounds, some of which had to be distributed to his Sailor. Of course, this did not include the captured ships and cannons, which had to be handed over to the Church of Storms.
This often made Alger sigh that most pirates were not actually wealthy. They were used to squandering their spoils as soon as they got their loot, with spirits, roast meat, prostitutes, marijuana, and gambling draining their pockets.
Unless you encounter a pirate crew with Beyonder, it's really hard to get rich quick... Alger paced back and forth a few times before quickly making up his mind.
He took out a mask that looked like it was made of gold from the pocket of his inner clothing.
The mask had roughly drawn facial features, and the way they were arranged resembled those of primitive people from an ancient jungle.
Alger sat down, humbly reciting the honorific name of " The Fool," and concluded by saying:
"... I am willing to exchange this magical item for the ' Wind-blessed ' Potion recipe."
"Once the user puts on this mask, they will become extremely calm, without any emotional fluctuations. They will also gain extremely strong regenerative abilities, exaggerated speed and outstanding strength, and master a certain amount of dark magic and primal curses."
"Its drawback is that with repeated use, the wearer will become less and less human, increasingly cold-hearted, and eventually regard themselves as a god."
Klein sat in the Fool's seat, looking at the 500 pounds in front of him, five thick, snake-like strands of dark blue hair, and an antique golden mask. He tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the long table, carefully considering what magical items he could exchange for them.
" The Eye of All-Black "? Definitely not. That's the main material for Sequence 5, " Marionettist." We're just waiting for Little " The Sun " to find a way to remove the mental pollution...
The " Black Emperor " brand? This is something that can't be brought to light, and its value is many times greater than the Human-skinned Shadow" attribute...
Mr. Azik's bronze whistle? Currently, it only serves to summon messengers; it's an important communication tool and can't be sold...
The bronze whistle of a member of the Spirituality Religion, containing white feathers left inside the coffin? It can only summon a messenger, and the recipient on the other end of the messenger seems to be in danger...
A " The Sun Brooch "? This is something I'll use myself; it will effectively make up for my shortcomings...
A " Master Key "? It involves Mr. "Door," and there are too many Concealment surrounding it. Furthermore, purely from a practical standpoint, it differs significantly from the characteristics of the Human-skinned Shadow "...
Biotoxin Bottle? This suits my spiritual state perfectly; if used correctly, it could even allow me to take on a group of Beyonder single-handedly...
Demon Hunting Bullets, Purification Bullets, Exorcism Bullets? These aren't magical items; they're consumable weapons with much lower value...
The Book of Secrets? That's not some magical item; the Psychology Alchemists should have plenty of similar knowledge...
Currently, only the " Interrogator's" Beyonder Characteristic is available for sale, but the buyer wants magical items, and the transaction takes place in Backlund, which could easily expose the information about the rogue " Black Emperor "...
Klein took this opportunity to sort out what he had and finally came up with a complete idea.
He first manifested Mr. "World," Manipulation the other party into assuming a praying posture, and responded hoarsely:
"I accept the price of £2,500, but give me two days to raise the funds."
Immediately afterwards, Klein threw the images of the Hanged Man and the World into the crimson star that symbolized Miss Justice.
After receiving a reply from Miss Justice that there were no problems, Klein waited patiently on Minsk Street for an entire afternoon.
It wasn't until Twilight was almost over that Carlson, a member of " Machinery Hivemind," rang his doorbell.
Klein didn't ask any further questions and followed the other person to the Leverage Church near the West Balam Dock, then entered the three-story house next to that building.
The sign here is:
" Backlund Machinery Research Society ".
Good academic... Klein suddenly thought of Blackthorn Security Company and smiled.
Led by Carlson, he passed through some strange contraptions and found himself in a windowless room.
The long table in the room was filled with many items that possessed strong Spirituality properties, including the characteristics of Human-skinned Shadow and a " Ghost Picture Frame " covered with a black cloth, but none of them had the characteristics left behind by those Beyonder after their deaths.
Clearly, the higher-ups at " Machinery Hivemind " didn't want me to know about the immortality and conservation laws of Beyonder Characteristic... Klein wasn't surprised at all.
"You can choose one," Ikanser, who wasn't wearing a hat, said, pointing to the long table.
Klein observed it "carefully" several times, then sighed and said:
"I don't have what I want."
"If converted to gold pounds, how much would I get?"
He had already decided not to obtain the Human-skinned Shadow trait from the " Machinery Hivemind ".
While this could be explained by the need to create certain magical items or experiment with unique Ritualistic Magic, there is ultimately a chance of exposing his own Sequence. Given a better option, Klein did not want to take that risk.
So, he plans to just take the money!
This would not only help him raise the 2,500 pounds demanded by the Psychology Alchemists, but also effectively dispel the " Machinery Hivemind's" wariness.
Ikanser visibly relaxed, straightened her hair, and replied with a smile:
£1,500.
"However, we encourage you to choose money, so the total is £2000."
Klein immediately flashed a genuine smile:
"Good!"
PS: Requesting guaranteed monthly votes~