At 7: 30 PM in Backlund's Empress Borough, outside a house that seemed to belong to a particular noble.
Xio, who had changed into her traditional knight training attire, stood there with her good friend Fors, waiting for Viscount Glaint and Miss Audrey to arrive.
Fors waited in boredom as she subconsciously took out a cigarette to pass the time. However, Xio, who was beside her, sniffed and said,
"Smoking is harmful to health."
Seeing the seriousness on her face, Fors guiltily didn't argue. Instead, she changed the topic.
"Xio, you really didn't do anything last night when you went to Ebner's room?"
Xio rolled her eyes at her and replied, "If you hadn't slept so soundly, I would have dragged you along."
"What you said suddenly makes me a little afraid…" Fors pretended to look terrified, but she saw that Xio had no intention of continuing the conversation. Instead, she asked in concern, "Are you still worried about chanting that honorific name? Was the exorcism ritual held by Ebner in the afternoon ineffective?"
Xio shook her head and whispered, "That's not the case. Although I'm not sure if the evil spirit has been expelled, that ritual gave me courage… I'm not that afraid anymore."
"Then why do you look uninterested?" Fors asked in puzzlement.
"I just suddenly understood why Ebner didn't want to tell me the truth… Other than my lack of strength, it was mainly because I was too rash in my actions. If he had really told me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to hold myself back from provoking someone I shouldn't have… and even implicated you and him."
Actually, I think Ebner was referring to himself when he said he wasn't strong enough. With his personality, if he felt that he was within his control, he would definitely say it…
Fors lampooned inwardly, but on the surface, she changed the topic again. She said with a smile, "Speaking of Ebner, he was the center of attention at the banquet last night… According to what I know, many tabloids were planning on making up stories about him on the front page. In the end, it was Admiral Hell and the Black Tulip that saved him. Compared to this huge matter, no one paid attention to a detective."
Xio rolled her eyes at her friend once again and ruthlessly lampooned, "You're also one of those female leads in the news, right? And the one that appears the most."
Seeing her good friend finally return to "normal," Fors heaved a sigh of relief and said indifferently, "I don't read those tabloids… The stories they fabricate aren't as good as mine."
Just as the two were bickering, a low-key carriage stopped in front of them. Following that, a man and a woman got out of the carriage. They were none other than Viscount Glaint and Miss Audrey.
Glaint wore a hooded robe and hid his face deeply in the shadow of the hood. When he saw Xio and Fors, he greeted them warmly and asked curiously, "Is this really a place for Beyonder gatherings? It looks no different from ordinary residences."
If this wasn't ordinary, should he hang a banner and brazenly post the title of the gathering? Was he afraid that the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind had too little to do?
At some point in time, Fors had the habit of complaining, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she tried her best to maintain a smile as she pointed at Xio.
"Xio is an excellent persuader. She can help you get what you want."
In other words, I've even found someone to bargain for you. Do you think I'll bring you to an ordinary residence to have fun?
With a blue boat-shaped bonnet in her hood and a thin black veil hanging down to cover her face, Audrey also felt that her friend's question was lacking in standards. She might even be despised for implicating herself. In order to save her image, she smiled and called out to Fors,
"Miss Xio, can I trust you?"
"With the Goddess protecting us, you don't have to worry at all." Xio straightened her back and drew a crimson moon on her chest.
"May the Goddess bless me." Audrey nodded and tapped her chest four times.
After that, the four of them didn't say anything else. They took a few steps forward and knocked on the wooden door between three long and two short steps.
With a creak, the main door slowly opened. Audrey, who had entered her Spectator state, saw many people sitting in a mess inside. Some of them used various methods to conceal their appearances, such as relying on hoods and masks, while others didn't care at all and calmly exposed their facial features.
Almost instantly, Audrey noticed the black-robed man sitting on an armchair.
This man was also wearing a hood, hiding his appearance in the shadows.
He silently stared at the guest, giving off a feeling of looking down from above.
Very confident, but his eyes are disgusting. His gaze keeps moving over my body like two slippery tentacles trying to peel off my clothes… Audrey's senses were sharp, and she observed meticulously. She calmly made a judgment, but she nearly got goosebumps.
At this moment, Fors introduced in a low voice, "That's Mr. A, a powerful Beyonder, the convener of this secret gathering."
As for Xio, she didn't pay attention to Fors's description of the other two. Her gaze stopped on a couple who had just entered the entrance.
Although both of them wore black robes and hid their faces in their hoods, Xio easily recognized them with her Sheriff's powers. They were the people she had seen at Ebner's party last night.
"It seems to be the girl I first saw in the activity room. She had a chaotic, crazy aura around her… I remember her name was Irene? The other man should be Detective Zreal."
Xio mumbled to herself before returning her attention to protecting Audrey and Viscount Glaint.
On the other side, Detective Zreal didn't notice Xio sizing him up. His gaze was focused on a blackboard in the room.
"Tears of Babies, Flowers, 200 pounds."
"Mummy powder, 10 grams, 5 pounds."
"Fish slime. Thirty milliliters. 29 pounds."
"Sequence 8 Sheriff potion formula, 450 pounds."
"Third-generation difference machine manuscript clue, 300 pounds."
…
Detective Zreal was excited, but he didn't seem satisfied on the surface. He only secretly wrote down his request and price and handed it to the attendant beside him.
But at that moment, he suddenly heard an inaudible voice.
"The lead on the differential machine has appeared again!"
Zreal was shocked and quickly turned back to look, only to find that the one who spoke was a man with ordinary looks and only seaweed-like blue hair that was very eye-catching. He did not wear any concealment and just openly showed his face.
Perhaps the face itself is fake… As Detective Zreal speculated, he had a bad feeling that his purchase this time wouldn't go smoothly.
As expected, the note handed over by Mr. A stated that he was to wait for the free exchange phase and bid with another buyer.
Detective Zreal let out a breath and suppressed his slightly irritated thoughts. He turned to look at his companion who had brought him into this gathering, Miss Irene, who was still an ordinary person.
However, he quickly realized that the lady had been staring at the organizer of the gathering, Mr. A, and she actually looked distracted.
"What's wrong?" Detective Zreal patted her in surprise and asked. This was the first time he had seen this lady reveal such an expression.
"I saw that man's face just now… He's really good-looking!" Irene answered subconsciously.
Mr. A, who was sizing up all the ladies present, clearly sensed Irene's gaze. He raised his head slightly, so that the shadow of his hood no longer covered his face, and then gave Irene a meaningful smile.
…
Audrey was originally disgusted by Mr. A's gaze and felt disgusted as though she had eaten a fly. When she sensed that he had shifted his attention, she heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the other blackboard in the room.
"Need a pair of adult Manhal fish eyes."
"Powder left behind by wraiths, 165 pounds."
"Emperor Roselle's notebook. Three pages, twenty pounds."
Upon seeing this, Audrey left the Spectator state in shock and excitement. There was only one thought in her mind:
These prices, these prices, they were too, too cheap! The Beyonder ingredients didn't even exceed 300 pounds!
Compared to the transactions with Mr. Tower and Mr. Hanged Man at the Tarot Club that easily cost more than a thousand pounds, these were too cheap!
I really want to buy them all…