Shortly after Klein and the others finished their lunch, the detective who had taken leave returned to Green Park Street, which meant the commission he had accepted had come to an end.
Because Atru's condition had shown significant improvement, Logue Karrmann was quite generous when settling his payment, adding a full fifty percent premium to the base of 10 pounds.
"As expected of a jewelry merchant, he's really generous. But compared to others in the West Borough and Queen's Borough, he's not that rich. Green Park Street is close to the outskirts, even close to the cemetery. I can run there in ten minutes at full speed... Well, the bodyguard lady, no, Miss
"Of course, if I had tasks like this every day, my annual income would exceed 5,400 pounds, putting me at the top of the middle class. The head manager of the First Bank of
"The good news is that even with the mastery of the Acting Method, digesting a Sequence 7 potion takes six months to three years. Even if I can quickly sum up the rules of the 'Magician', it'll be at most a month or two earlier than the minimum time. I still have enough time to save money and gather clues for the materials..."
"Wait, Miss Justice still owes me, well, my marionette, 5,000 pounds..."
"But her financial situation hasn't been great lately. It'll be hard for her to come up with such a large sum of money within a few months..."
Klein left the West Borough holding the three 5-pound notes, his thoughts very scattered.
After returning to Minsk Street, he quickly burned the used paper figurines and made two more to replenish them.
When evening came, he took the steam subway to the Backlund Bridge area. Following the number provided in the newspaper, he knocked on the door of the gathering house.
Just like the previous times, he put on his iron mask that only covered the upper half of his face, donned a black hooded robe, and followed the attendant into the living room, where only a single candle was burning quietly.
Looking around, Klein noticed that the number of Beyonders at this gathering was nearly half of what it had been in the past.
I timed it perfectly. Are the others just late? Klein didn't change his walking posture or habitual movements this time. He chose a corner seat and slowly sat down.
A few minutes later, Old Man "Wisdom Eye" cleared his throat and said: "Let's start the gathering. The others probably won't come."
With that, he briefly explained: "Because the murderer in the serial murder case hasn't been found, most of the Beyonders from the Nighthawks, the Mandate Punishers, the Machinery Illumination, and
"In this situation, it's very normal and understandable that these friends are unwilling to go out or participate in gatherings."
"Frankly speaking, I'm a bit surprised that so many people came today."
So the Beyonder circle isn't isolated; it's affected by current events... Klein surveyed the room and saw that the plump Pharmacist hadn't missed the gathering, which relaxed him quite a bit.
The Pharmacist adjusted his iron mask and shouted a bit hopelessly: "I'm looking to buy an Elf Spring Medulla Crystal. The price is negotiable."
"I have one," Klein said without hesitation.
He was worried that someone else had also found this Beyonder material, leaving his goods to gather dust.
—Although Beyonder materials are scarce and duplicates rarely appear in a single circle, it's better to be safe than sorry.
"Looking to buy an Elf Spring Medulla Crystal..." The Pharmacist seemed not to have heard the response.
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly froze, then sharply turned his head to look at Klein, his eyes burning as he blurted out: "You have one?"
"Yes." Klein couldn't quite bear the intense gaze.
While confirming, he rolled up his black robe and took out an iron cigarette case.
*Pa!* Klein opened the cigarette case, revealing the faded egg-like Elf Spring Medulla Crystal inside.
"If you're not sure, you can ask Old Man 'Wisdom Eye' to appraise it," Klein added in a deep voice.
This wasn't really necessary, because it was obvious what it was, and whether it was contaminated could be quickly discovered once it was in hand.
However, if one wasn't knowledgeable enough in mysticism, it was easy for a Beyonder to mix up similar materials. In such cases, appraisal was needed.
The Pharmacist looked at the extraordinary material in Klein's hand with the same fascination as if he were looking at a beautiful woman he had long desired. After a few seconds, he shook his head and said: "No, it's not needed!"
"This is it!"
"This is it!"
Klein slightly curled his lips and offered his price: "300 pounds, and clues to the Pharmacist's potion formula."
"Clues to the Pharmacist's potion formula... It's you!" The Pharmacist was stunned for a moment before finally understanding who the person opposite him was.
It was the guy who made him take a trip with a sedative for nothing!
Then, he became extremely heartbroken and regretful, sighing: "You really are a lucky dog!"
"Why didn't I choose that path of luck back then..."