Fors flipped through the calendar on her desk and circled the date of the upcoming full moon with her pen.
She made up her mind that as soon as she heard that illusory, terrifying whisper, she would intone the name of "The Fool" and endure the unbearable pain on the gray fog.
"Life is full of expectations…" She closed the novel in her hands and prepared to turn off the iron-grate gas lamp on the wall.
At that moment, before Fors's eyes, she saw the boundless gray fog, the tall figure within the majestic ancient palace, and a man praying devoutly.
Hearing the voice, she nearly jumped up, her heart filled with surprise and joy:
The recipe for "Conjurer" that I've been searching for years has been found just like this?
That recipe for "Conjurer" that I've attended so many different gatherings of Beyonders for, yet never found a clue to, has been found just like this?
And it hasn't even been a week since I made the request!
This, this is the Tarot Club… It's truly incomparable to ordinary Beyonder gatherings! Fors sighed with emotion, restraining her excitement and delight, and replied cautiously:
"Mr. Fool, is that recipe genuine?"
"Yes." "The Fool," looking down from his high-backed chair, said flatly.
Fors clenched her fist suddenly, subtly swinging it by her waist, and without much deliberation, said:
"That would be 'The World,' right?"
"Please tell him that I will find the item he needs as soon as possible."
When the gray fog dissipated and everything ended, Fors stood frozen for two seconds, then, unable to contain her excitement, stood up and paced back and forth in the room.
The Sun domain, items specializing in purification and exorcism… I've only encountered them twice before, but both times they were bought by others, and they might not be willing to resell… Hmm, at the gathering called by Mr. A before, Xio invited a follower of "The Eternal Blazing Sun" to perform a purification and exorcism ritual; he was at least Sequence 7, so he should have a similar item, or at least clues about it… I just don't know how many pounds it will cost. Although Mr. "World" promised to make up the difference, I might not even be able to come up with the upfront payment… Fors's thoughts gradually turned to her own financial situation.
She currently had 370 pounds in cash, mainly from the premium payment Viscount Glaint had paid for the "Apothecary" recipe. She also had 510 pounds in her bank account, totaling nearly 900 pounds.
A similar item might cost as much as 2000 pounds at the high end, or as little as five or six hundred at the low end, but that might not be the type Mr. "World" needs… What do I do if I find something suitable but don't have enough money? Take out a loan from the bank, or find a high-interest loan. If all goes smoothly, once Mr. "World" pays the difference, I can easily pay off the debt… Maybe I can borrow from Miss Audrey for a few days; she never cares about money and certainly won't charge interest… Fors quickly came up with a complete set of solutions.
Just then, Xio, who had been taking advantage of the late night to practice combat skills in a secluded place outside, returned to their rented two-room apartment. Seeing the light still on in Fors's room, she knocked on the door and asked:
"Are you staying up late to write the beginning of your new book?"
"Uh, Fors, you seem really happy. Did the publisher raise your pay?"
"No, no, no." Fors was stunned for a moment, then put on a smile and said, "I just received some news, a clue to the 'Conjurer' potion recipe, possibly."
"Really? You finally got it!" Xio didn't notice anything unusual about Fors.
Seeing her friend happy for her, Fors couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
I've become a member of a secret organization, and from now on, I have to bear the fate of constantly hiding things and deceiving my friends…
Is this one of the costs?
…………
On Saturday morning, Klein once again visited Repand the inventor on Sache Street in St. George District.
Since the patent for the bicycle hadn't been approved yet, he only paid the final 20 pounds and told Repand not to rush into discussions about subsequent investment and cooperation until he had the patent.
Repand agreed wholeheartedly; two of his previous inventions had been exploited under similar circumstances—before the patent was obtained, potential investors learned all about the product, then kicked him out, bribed the staff, and secured the patent first.
After leaving Repand's place, Klein arrived at the scheduled time at Aisenhouse Stanton's somewhat gloomy and dim house in Hillston District.
Today was the day the reward for the serial murder case would be distributed!
Passing through the living room, he entered the previous sitting room and saw the more familiar detectives, Castlana and Stuart, and sat down next to the latter.
"Sherlock, how much do you think we'll get this time? It shouldn't be less than for protecting Atreus. Of course, I didn't do much, so my share will be limited. Emperor Roselle said: no pain, no gain." Stuart pressed his fist against the beard on his chin.
Klein guessed with interest:
"At most, it could be a few hundred pounds; at least, not less than ten pounds."
And I'm the one who gets the most… if Aisenhouse Stanton is as trustworthy as he describes himself… Klein added in his mind.
At that moment, Aisenhouse, with graying temples and a gaunt, sharply defined face, wearing a white shirt and brown vest, entered the sitting room where a fire was blazing in the fireplace. Holding his iconic pipe, he sat down in his favorite armchair and smiled:
"Ladies and gentlemen."
"I just came back from the Backlund Police Department. They acknowledged our contribution and said we provided crucial help in solving the case."
"Although we didn't take part in the subsequent pursuit, we can still get half of the reward."
"In other words, we will split 1,000 pounds in cash!"