The Aurora Order's gathering was in the Nexus District, which was an hour's walk from the Artelia District. Two private carriages were hired to make the trip in 30 minutes.
Adryan paid 15 Argentum for the two carriages, but they didn't leave at the same time. One would go now, which he and Flora would get on, while the other would pick up the trio in another street in 20 minutes, with the explicit instruction not to see them.
With Flora sitting in front of him, wearing a dark hooded robe that concealed her white hair, Adryan - who had changed his appearance to a simple blond man with deep eyes - finally considered it a good time to close his eyes and breathe a little.
'This is one of the few gatherings I can attend without having 50 eyes on my back, and the only one where I can afford to go with Klein...' Not having his spy bird checking the area and telling him what he saw really got on his nerves.
'The sooner that rat dies, the better...'
He hadn't lied to Klein when he said that the Aurora Order gathering was one of the safest they could attend, but he may have understated it when he said it.
The reason was simple: It was the only gathering where it was impossible for them to meet the useless writer and the three-flavored soup that used him as a pot.
'Medici is a believer of the Rapper and seeks to obtain his help, but all his attempts are thwarted by Einhorn and Sauron, who won't let him. If they disagree on a decision, it will cause internal conflict, and they won't be able to do anything.
'They are inside the body of the Useless Writer, which means that he also does not interact with anything related to the Rapper, including the parties organized by the Aurora Order.'
Adryan knew he had to move carefully and calculate every step. The slightest mistake would lead to disasters he couldn't handle now.
While he was lost in thought, Flora turned her attention from the window to him.
"What sequence is the detective?" The white-haired woman whispered so softly that a normal person wouldn't have heard her, but the Conspirator's ear picked her up easily.
Blinking slightly, the blond man raised an eyebrow as he replied without saying anything else. His lips moved, "Sequence 8 Clown. The ingredients he ordered are for his promotion to Magician, so it will soon be Sequence 7.
"Why?"
Flora calmly shook her head as she turned her attention back to the window—a small smile on her face.
"No reason."
"..." Silently, Adryan stared at his partner for 20 seconds.
Having some idea of what the woman might be thinking at that moment, thanks to his not-so-proud readings of particular novels, the man couldn't help but stare at her in a daze.
On the other hand, the woman seemed to focus even more on what was happening outside, even though the curtain was almost completely closed, and nearly nothing could be seen.
Finally, Adryan broke the silence, speaking in his normal tone but with a hint of disbelief.
"You know I don't like men, right? You don't have to be jealous."
Ignoring how hot her ears felt, Flora looked a little deeper into the window. "... Shut up, Princess."
Nodding with his lips slightly raised, Adryan couldn't help but think about how Klein would be doing with Sharron and Maric.
'Their first meeting could be considered quite interesting...'
In the second carriage ...
"What is your relationship with our Boss?" Sharron asked, her voice a cold iceberg that seemed to freeze the spirit of her victim.
'Is this an interrogation?!' Klein couldn't help himself and swallowed some saliva. The heat he felt was already being missed because of the cold that replaced it.
He couldn't understand what he had done to deserve such treatment!
Rummaging quickly in his memory for a longed-for answer, the only moment that reared its head in the haze was when Chariot hugged him.
But why? It didn't make sense!
'!' Realization struck the detective, whose insides were quickly filled with horror.
'Does she think we're anything more than just friends?! Don't tell me Madam Sharron is one of those BL fans who I was warned so much about not to get involved with?!'
The scene in the warehouse room would be the dream of every fan of that toxic genre, and Klein could only tremble at the implications.
He didn't like men!
Klein controlled his body like a puppet, putting on his most serious, categorical, uncompromising face, conjuring up all his Clown powers.
"We're just friends."
The woman in the dark robes did not blink. Her icy eyes looked deeply at him for several seconds in silence.
"..."
Klein could only return the gaze as best he could without blinking.
After over 30 seconds, Sharron slowly closed her eyes and sank into her seat, an almost supernatural movement.
"That's good."
'Did I pass the test?' Barely containing his sigh of relief, the corners of the detective's lips trembled uncomfortably.
Maric, who saw the whole exchange, sighed slightly before addressing the detective.
"Please, Mr. Moriarty, don't take it personally. She loves romance novels and, to quote the Emperor Roselle, she has already 'shipped' Mr. and Mrs. Flora." He said, emphasizing with his fingers and a flat expression.
With his mouth open and not knowing what to say, the clown looked at the spectral woman. His image of her was utterly fragmented.
Before, she was a cold woman whose gaze could freeze even the air and whose doll-like appearance made her look more like a knife.
Now, he couldn't see her as anything other than a woman in gothic clothes sitting in a library reading a book with a pink cover and hearts with an exaggeratedly intense gaze.
His mouth was still hanging open, and failing to close, Klein felt he had entered the workshop of the ridiculous.
'Is it a requirement that the team of a Demigod has such eccentric members?!'
...
Nexus District. Martyr Street. Half an hour later. 12:40
Taking a seat at one of the many tables, Adryan looked around the gathering place.
'It's not that different from Backlund. It seems that the Aurora Order has a strict plan to follow.' Raising an eyebrow, the man nodded in agreement.
Organizing a different table arrangement for each gathering you control would undoubtedly become tiresome, so he wasn't surprised to see a little repetition.
His eyes didn't move far from the table, but out of the corner of his eye, he observed all the participants who had come here.
Some dressed in costumes as heavy as his and Flora's, with thick robes and masks, while others wore simpler costumes. Others wore nothing, their faces uncovered.
Adryan was sure it was either Facelees or some artifact of the same kind; of course, they could also be bold enough to be their true appearances.
'Sometimes the most effective disguise is none at all...' His eyes bored to the large blackboard at the side, and he couldn't help but snort inwardly.
*All information related to Adryan Kenway. 8,000 sassem. Room 12.
'At least they pay well. Maybe I should give some details about myself and take the money for myself?' Raising an eyebrow, the man decided to note this idea for later.
"Don't even think about it." The harsh whisper of his partner made the Conspirator roll his eyes.
"You're no fun."
Sighing, he looked bored at the board and the information on it.
He had already written his request on a sheet of paper and handed it to one of the facilitators, who had already written it on one of the many boards on the wall. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for them to call his name and give him a room.
Although his attention was not focused on the podium at the back of the room, it was almost impossible for him to ignore its great emotion.
Seated on an elegant chair with crimson cushions, what appeared to be a woman in a black hooded robe obscuring half of her face rested her cheek against his knuckles.
Although her robe hid her figure, one could still see how well-sculpted she was.
The delicate chin and thick red lips that could be seen from under the hood's darkness gave a hint of the beauty hidden beneath it, and the very shadows seemed to invite someone to try to explore them to devour them.
From what he had heard in the conversations around him and the information obtained by Miss Casper, her name was Miss L. She had been leading this gathering for the last 10 years.
'It seems that it is a requirement to be beautiful to be part of the Aurora Order; so far, there has never been any record of anyone being ugly there.' The blond man did not know how to take this information.
Although beauty was evident, what stood out most about the woman was undoubtedly the joy and happiness that seemed to emanate from her. Since he had arrived, she had been singing softly.
'They are definitely a team of lunatics. They don't even try to hide that they've achieved something.' Applauding and criticizing such an action, the redhead whistled in respect.
Anyone who looked at her would immediately know that the Aurora Order had achieved something. Those without inside information would never know what it was.
'I bet some of the people sitting here are a team of Wise Owls. Monitoring and watching the movements of the organization...'
It would be idiotic if, after what he revealed, the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom did not treat the threat with the seriousness it deserved.
And if they really were Wise Ones, they would let the Aurora continue with gatherings. That way, they could easily control them. It would be a colossal mistake to dismantle them and make them move in the shadows.
'It is much easier to prepare for the danger you see. You have to worry about the hidden snake in the hole.'
With that final thought, Adryan closed his eyes and decided to rest until the gathering began...
Ding ding!
With the ringing of the bell, the gathering officially began.
Soon, there was movement. The facilitators began shouting the ingredients on the boards for everyone to hear. Once they had said them three times, they moved on to the next one.
After a while, one of the workers approached him and handed him a small note.
He took it and opened it and saw only two words in Hermes.
Room 19
Knowing what this was like, he got up from his seat and followed the worker, waving goodbye to Flora with a simple hand gesture.
Arriving at the numbered room and entering it alone, he noticed that it was similar to the rooms in Backlund but slightly different.
Two sofas where one could sit if one liked, a small table and in the corner a shelf full of books.
A figure, also covered by a thick robe, was sitting on one of the sofas. From what he could discern, it was a man. He was elegantly seated, his back straight, and his head held high.
Adryan's brow furrowed gently under his mask. His nose detected a familiar coppery scent.
'Blood?'
Following that, he immediately noticed that he couldn't smell the man on the sofa—he had no scent!
'A vampire or a faceless... Neither sounds right. Of course, it could also be a potion...'
With a thought, the threads that covered his body like armor increased in number and hardness. His fire ready to be summoned if the situation called for it.
Hiding his mistrust behind a calmer, expressionless face, he asked, "The teeth of the Forest Hunter or the True Root of a Mist Treant?"
"True Root of a Mist Treant!" The man's surprisingly delicate voice unsettled the Conspirator somewhat.
Ignoring the previous episode, Adryan nodded.
'No faceless. Vampire then?' Nobody who could control their voice would choose that one.
Boredly, he went to the sofa opposite the man and sat down, crossing his legs, his foot moving without interest.
"How much for it?" As he spoke, some threads came loose from the invisible armor covering his support foot.
The threads slipped under the wooden floor and carefully and calmly moved toward the man before him.
"It's a difficult material to obtain even for a- Uhum- even for someone like me, so 1900 sassem seems more than fair to me." Blinking a little, the man tried to continue as if nothing had happened.
Adryan's foot paused like his threads.
Under his mask, his eyebrow rose a little higher. Nodding slightly, he reached into his tunic, pulled out a thick wad of 100 sassem yellow bills, and began to count with boredom.
It wasn't his money; there was no need to haggle over the price.
The possible Vampire in front of him stared at him open-mouthed.
Ignoring the look he was receiving, Adryan took out 1900 sassem and handed it to the man, who took it somewhat tensely.
Although his tunic covered his face, his regret at not asking for more money was as clear as the summer sky.
Adryan did not care about the man's emotions. He held out his hand. "The root."
"AH. Of course, forgive me." Adjusting his posture, the man carefully reached into his tunic, pulled a metal container, and extended it to him.
Adryan took it and opened it, confirming that the object was what he had paid for. Adryan closed the container and reapplied the wall of spirituality around it.
Without saying anything else, he calmly got up from his seat. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"W-wait! You're looking for the teeth of the Forest Hunter, right?" The man's desperate voice stopped him, and Adryan became increasingly confused.
"Do you have them?"
"N-no, but if I checked my warehouse, I probably would have them!" Seeing that he was almost gone, the man quickly added.
"Probably is not a yes." Clutching his head, Adryan growled slightly in frustration.
"I assure you, sir. My warehouse is top quality! A material like that is sure to be there! It's just that I don't always check the list of what's there, so I'd have to go and see... But it would only take a short while! I can deliver it to you tonight! I just need time!"
'Are you that desperate for money?' Sensing that he had seen the truth of what the man was looking for, Adryan just growled and nodded with clear frustration.
"Let's do this. I'll take your deal if I don't get the teeth at this gathering. But only IF I don't get them.
"Ten minutes before the gathering ends, I will post an announcement that I am looking for 18 pages of Emperor Roselle's notebook. If you see that announcement, it means I accept. Just take the option and take a room." With that, he shrugged.
"I don't need to mention what it would mean if it's not on the board, do I?"
"You won't regret it!" The man said with a big smile, white teeth shining.
Adryan didn't smile back or say anything. He just looked at the man's larger-than-normal fangs, nodded, and left.
Walking down the hall, he held out his hand and boredly scratched his chest.
To normal eyes, it seemed like a simple movement, nothing special. But to certain unique eyes like his, a transparent and almost invisible thread was put into a vial, and the curious crimson tip it had was cut while another with a few hairs was hidden.
'If you're not careful of your surroundings, having a little blood and a few hairs stolen is too easy. You shake the target a little, and they won't know what happened...' Taking the poor guy he had tricked as an example, Adryan decided he would be more alert from now on.
Shaking his head and hiding the vial in his tunic, he quickly returned to Flora. The part of the Tree Ranch, which was his request, was deleted from the board, but the teeth one remained.
Now that Klein's part was completed, he could focus on the Little Sun commission. So, he took a piece of paper and a pen and wrote his request. He gave it to a facilitator and soon saw it on the blackboard.
*I need a powerful artifact with decent destructive powers—maximum to Sequence 7.
Thirty minutes later, a worker approached him and gave him a note.
Room 12
As he was getting up, Adryan wasn't surprised by this development.
This was a gathering of high quality, and an artifact of sequence 7 was sure to be here.
...
Tapping the briefcase at his side, the blonde nodded. 'Hope you like it, Little Sun; I promise this one won't break.'
This thing cost him over 6000 sassem, so Sun better take care of it.
As the participants arrived and left, Adryan noticed how a facilitator had just finished writing a request.
*I'm looking for all the Dark Patterned Black Panther's spinal fluid. Price to be negotiated.
'Well, welcome to your first gathering of lunatics, Klein. Get used to it because it won't be the last.' Laughing softly, he could only feel sorry for the man and himself.
After a while, one of the facilitators approached him and handed him a note, "It's from Miss L."
Her words caught Flora's attention, and she glanced at the woman on the podium, who was still singing. She was highly pleased.
'Hmm. They were taking their time.' Raising an eyebrow, Adryan took the letter with boredom.
Since the True Creator had placed an investment in him, it was obvious that, in a way, that guy was watching him.
At first, he thought it was because of the Burnt Band, but it seems that was not the case.
'The Rapper marked me in a different way than I thought...'
Shaking his head, Adryan opened the letter, and the contents made him press his lips together uncomfortably.
The Lord greets you, Adryan Kenway.
Please enjoy my humble party and tell me anything you desire.
I will give my all to make it happen.
"Fufu~" The giggle drew his attention back to Miss L, who looked even happier than before.
The dark woman raised a hand and waved innocently. Then, with much more enthusiasm, she continued humming.
"La la~ Lalala~"
Immediately after that, all the participants' attention fell on him. Some were more obvious, while others just looked sideways, but he could still feel the stares on him.
Seeing all the attention they had gained, Flora moved a little closer to Adryan, who closed the letter again. "What does it say?"
"Annoying things." With a click of his tongue, Adryan did not elaborate and placed the letter on the candle on his table, letting the fire consume it.
A movement identical to that of a lady burning the love letter of an annoying suitor.
Such an action did not bother Miss L at all, who continued humming.
'Lunatics, no doubt.'
...
Half an hour had passed since that strange and disturbing moment when a worker approached him with a letter.
Reading the room number, this time it was Flora who went.
Watching his partner leave, Adryan just shook his head. 'Better luck next time, Mr. Vampire.'
When he saw his teeth, any doubt about his path was resolved, a Sequence 7 Vampire.
Such desperation for money had undoubtedly left him confused and disoriented.
Guided by his words and the supposed warehouse, he should be doing well financially, so perhaps he was looking for something else.
'A formula or an artifact? Hmm.'
The only ones who controlled that pathway were the Rose School of Thought, the Life School of Thought, the Church of the Earth Mother, and the Sanguine.
Of these organizations, three could be considered good, while one was a plague to be exterminated.
Therefore, Adryan considered it worthwhile to investigate this individual, so he used his threads to obtain some of his blood and hair.
Shaking his head slightly, the blond man decided to wait for his partner to return.
30 minutes later...
Rising gracefully from her seat, Miss L smiled at everyone present. "That's as far as we go."