Townsend Street at the border of Queens and West.
Hugh Dearch stood in a dark, secluded alley. Even without looking up, she could see the layered ornate palaces and towering Gothic clock towers in the distance.
That was the highest terrain in all of Backlund, where the Loen royal family resided.
In the Northern and Southern Continents, and throughout the world, its status was equal to or slightly above that of Intis's White Maple Palace and the Feysac Empire's Ormir Palace, but its name was neither romantic nor ancient.
It was called Sederac Palace, and in Ancient Feysac, the word meant "balance."
Hugh withdrew her gaze from the famous Bell of Order and looked to the other side of the alley.
From the shadow that the gas lamps couldn't reach, a figure slowly walked out.
The figure wore a golden shell mask that exposed the lower half of their face. It was the same mysterious person who had previously sold Hugh the recipe for "Magistrate" and from time to time entrusted her with tasks.
In private discussions, Hugh and Fors suspected that they were from MI9.
"Any gains this week?" the man in the golden mask asked according to habit.
Hugh shook her head:
"No, no one inquired about Kapin before the incident."
She paused, then reluctantly asked:
"Should I still investigate this matter?"
The mask man was silent for a moment before saying:
"It's no longer necessary, but if you hear anything relevant later, still contact me immediately.
"Today I have a new task for you."
"What task?" Hugh fully entered her bounty hunter state, preparing to assess the risk.
The mask man laughed:
"A very simple task, also one you've dreamed of.
"You'll seek out in all your circles the main materials for 'Magistrate' and 'Interrogator,' especially the special materials that can be directly concocted into potions. If anyone responds, we'll front the funds."
"Will the purchased materials belong to me?" Hugh blurted out in return.
That was her primary concern.
"No, do you think such a simple task would have such a high reward? Of course, if we can fish out the person we're looking for, it's not impossible to negotiate that the main potion material obtained goes to you," the mask man said with a low laugh.
"But I don't know what the main ingredients for the 'Interrogator' potion are..." Hugh said hesitantly.
"I'll tell you later, and that will be our advance payment. Even if we don't find the target, you'll have the main part of the Sequence 7 potion recipe, worth over 600 pounds. I think you've fully recognized our generosity," the mask man said enticingly.
Truly generous... Who is their target, and why are they willing to pay such a price to find them? Well, assuming he's from MI9, another purpose of this task is to reclaim the extraordinary materials of the "Arbiter" pathway circulating in the market, so it's not a waste of money... As a moderately experienced bounty hunter, Hugh instinctively thought of some things.
After briefly weighing the pros and cons, she nodded:
"I accept this commission."
"Good." The mask man's tone became relaxed. He looked around and said, "The main materials for the 'Interrogator' potion are the horn of a flash-striped black snake and the dust of a lake spirit."
After speaking, he slowly stepped back, retreated into the shadows, and disappeared around the corner of the alley.
"He really told me the main materials for the 'Interrogator' potion..." Hugh was still somewhat stunned.
Only then did she fully realize the importance that the faction represented by the mask man placed on this task.
"I wonder who the target is, and the key seems to be the special materials that can be directly concocted into 'Magistrate' and 'Interrogator' potions..." At this thought, Hugh suddenly froze.
She remembered a fact: when she advanced to Sequence 8 "Magistrate," she had used exactly the special materials that could be directly concocted into the corresponding potion, materials she had purchased through Fors!
This... this is their target? Hugh instinctively decided to conceal this matter and never tell the mask man.
She rubbed her baby-fat cheeks and walked out to the main street, preparing to take a public carriage back to Cherwood Borough.
Just then, she saw a brown carriage pass by, and her gaze was immediately drawn to the coat of arms on it.
The main elements of the coat of arms were a flower and