"I'm selling potion formulas," Ebner announced.
"The Sequence 9 'Seer' and Sequence 8 'Clown' from the Seer pathway," he added.
"Two hundred fifty pounds for the former, four hundred fifty for the latter."
This was the plan Ebner had settled on after much consideration. Despite recalling several potion recipes, he had complete starter formulas for only a few paths: "Spectator," "Bard," "Reader," and "Seer." Other paths, like "Apothecary" and "Sailor," only had primary ingredients recorded in Lord of the Mysteries, with no specifics on the auxiliary materials.
Selling the Spectator formula was risky, given that the pathway involved the Psychology Alchemists—a well-connected secret organization in Backlund—along with the terrifying entity behind them, Adam. Ebner had no intention of exposing himself to their attention. As for Reader, the host of this gathering had ties to the Church of Knowledge, so Ebner didn't want to test their tolerance. And while the Bard sequence would have been an easy choice, it was the same formula Klein, the protagonist in the novel, would eventually sell here. Considering Klein's impoverished circumstances as a "God" in the future, Ebner couldn't bring himself to rob him of a source of income.
This left the Seer path. Although technically controlled by the Secret Order, the low-Sequencer formulas had long since leaked. And with their leader, Zaratul, trapped in the Nation of Evernight, the organization wouldn't likely care about minor matters like these.
"A Seer sequence… I need that. I'll give you six hundred fifty pounds for both formulas, if that's acceptable," a woman in the corner of the room finally spoke after a long silence.
The offer was within Ebner's expectations. Glancing around to confirm no one else intended to bid, he replied, "Agreed. But I must insist that you not resell these formulas at this gathering in the future."
"Fine. The 'Eye of Wisdom' can bear witness," the woman replied.
Knowing that "Eye of Wisdom" had a Sealed Artifact that could verify authenticity, Ebner took out two pre-written potion formulas and handed them to a nearby attendant. The attendant brought the folded papers to the man sitting on the single-seater sofa—"Eye of Wisdom" himself.
The old man opened the papers without glancing at them, setting them on a small side table. Then, he took out a handkerchief, wiped his right palm, and removed a ring encrusted with tiny diamond-like stones from his pocket.
The ring's intricate and beautiful design centered around a green gem, resembling an eye. Just a glimpse of it triggered Ebner's Pure White Eye to almost activate on its own. Fortunately, after two nights of practice, he had enough control over his "golden finger" to avoid fainting on the spot.
"I believe this ring is another product of the Reader sequence's Beyonder characteristics. If I ever get a chance to analyze it with the Pure White Eye, I might never have to worry about future formulas again."
While Ebner's mind wandered, "Eye of Wisdom" had slipped the ring onto the middle finger of his right hand, his eyes closed in concentration as if preparing something.
Suddenly, the green gemstone on the ring flared with brilliant golden light, as bright as sunlight.
The elderly man extended his right hand, allowing the gemstone to touch the potion formulas.
Golden rays grew purer and more intense, eventually transforming into a seal-like imprint.
"Genuine and effective!" the old man declared, immediately removing the ring and setting it aside, unwilling to wear it a moment longer.
With the "certification" complete, the transaction concluded quickly. Ebner received a thick wad of cash, all in ten-pound bills.
"Six hundred fifty pounds is quite a sum… Too bad it's going to be spent so soon." Ebner thought, not giving anyone a chance to interrupt as he continued, "Who here has Garra fish eyes or Manhas monkey brain slices? I'll offer a fair price for them!"
At his question, the room fell silent for a moment before the woman who had bought the Seer formulas spoke up. "The Manhas monkey is a creature unique to the dream world and difficult to hunt. But I can provide brain slices—ten grams for one hundred pounds, no haggling."
Gritting his teeth at the high price, Ebner quickly counted out twenty ten-pound notes and said, "Here's two hundred pounds; I need twenty grams."
"Deal!" The woman, apparently pleased with his straightforwardness, pulled two tin boxes from her coat and handed them to the attendant for "Eye of Wisdom" to verify.
Once the elder confirmed their authenticity, Ebner exchanged his cash for the boxes. A bit flustered, he realized he hadn't brought any containers for the supernatural ingredients.
Seeing his discomfort, the woman laughed lightly and said, "The tin boxes are worth little; consider them a gift."
Feeling even more awkward, Ebner forced himself to calmly put the boxes away and scanned the room, hoping for news about the Garra fish eyes.
But no one else spoke up.
Shrugging, Ebner sat back to watch as others presented their items or requested purchases, observing one deal after another, some successful, some not. Unfortunately, nothing piqued his interest.
Beyond the Garra fish eyes, what he needed most at the moment was knowledge on ritual magic and relevant occult information—precisely the kinds of skills a Reader would need to master.
As time passed, the gathering drew to a close, and "Eye of Wisdom" began arranging exits, spacing members' departures by three minutes. The location had at least five exits, and attendants directed people along different routes to ensure they left at intervals.
Half an hour later, only two people remained in the sitting room: "Eye of Wisdom" and Ebner.
Sensing the elderly man's intrigued gaze, Ebner tensed instinctively. He had expected that "Eye of Wisdom" might notice him. After all, the Reader path was controlled by the Church of Knowledge, and as their operative in Backlund, "Eye of Wisdom" would undoubtedly know the potion formula for Sequence 9.
"Relax, young man. You must realize that if I meant you harm, you'd already be dead. After all, you're just an ordinary person!" With a smile, "Eye of Wisdom" beckoned him over, adding, "Besides, I happen to have something you need."
Momentarily surprised, Ebner then felt a surge of excitement. His trust in "Eye of Wisdom's" character was solid, and any tension he'd felt was simply due to the man's overwhelming power.
"Do you have Garra fish eyes?" Ebner asked, barely containing his anticipation.
"From the looks of it, your body's been tainted with a Beyonder characteristic. No wonder you're in such a rush to gather potion ingredients. Let me guess—it's the Sequence 9 Reader characteristic, or you'd likely be dead if it were from Sequence 8 or above." "Eye of Wisdom" eyed Ebner for a moment before responding.
"Well, it's actually Sequence 8… but the original owner really did die," Ebner muttered to himself, then feigned a hesitant nod.
Satisfied with his deduction, "Eye of Wisdom" replied, "Indeed, I do have a pair of Garra fish eyes." He emphasized "pair" to signal his knowledge of the complete formula.
Resisting his excitement, Ebner asked, "How much would you need to part with them?"
Instead of answering directly, "Eye of Wisdom" asked, "Other than Loen, what languages do you know?"
Ebner froze for a second, but catching on to the elderly man's interest in Reader-like quirks, he replied, "Hermes. And I know a few words in Ancient Feysac."
"That's acceptable. Do you know any rituals?"
"Yes, I can perform the ritual for creating a 'Spiritual Wall.'" He also knew others from the novel, though he hadn't practiced them.
The old man nodded approvingly, a smile on his face. "You seem like a studious young man. Excellent!" He paused, then continued, "As for the price of the Garra fish eyes, how about we make a wager?"
"What kind of wager?" Ebner asked, somewhat wary. He didn't like to gamble—he rarely won.
"Today, you only need to pay one hundred pounds, and I'll give you the eyes. But I'll also give you a set of materials on Ancient Feysac. If, by next Wednesday's gathering, you've mastered half of it, I'll reward you with books on occult knowledge. But if you fail, you'll owe me another hundred pounds. How about it? Care to take the bet, young man?" "Eye of Wisdom" said, smiling.
So he's already set the next gathering date… Today is Thursday, which gives me nearly six days until Wednesday. With the Pure White Eye, I should have no trouble learning Ancient Feysac. Plus, this seems to be a test rather than a trap. After weighing his options, Ebner nodded in agreement. He didn't really have a choice if he wanted the potion materials.
After pocketing the bills, "Eye of Wisdom" took out a few small metal boxes and said, "The box on the left has the Garra fish eyes. The other two are for storing your brain slices. Since the woman who sold them to you is of questionable background, I doubt you'd want to bring her items home unshielded, would you?"
Recalling how Klein, the protagonist of Lord of the Mysteries, had used his own button to track and ambush people, Ebner quickly nodded in agreement, transferring the Manhas monkey brain slices to the new containers. While "Eye of Wisdom" was still a stranger, he was more trustworthy than the mysterious woman.
After finishing, Ebner sighed with relief and even joked, "What if I decide to skip the next gathering? How would you know if I've learned those materials?"
"Eye of Wisdom" looked at him deeply, replying with a hint of amusement, "Trust me, if I truly wanted to find someone, it's much easier than any Seer."
Maybe, but in the novel, your deductions didn't even come close to Klein's divinations… Ebner lampooned inwardly. But outwardly, he accepted the challenge, taking the Ancient Feysac materials from the formidable Sequence 7 Knowledege Keeper and famed detective, with utmost deference.
(End of Chapter)