Chapter 100: A Lucky Charm Worth 2000 Pounds
Alice suddenly awoke, sitting dazed in her chair with an expression mixing terror and bewilderment.
As a breeze blew by, Alice shivered involuntarily, realizing her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
This was only natural, wasn't it? She couldn't fathom what she had done to directly digest the "Disaster Priest" potion. Even for external acting, she should have at least played the role before!
Because of Shen Yinghuan? No, if that were the case, the "Lucky One" potion shouldn't have required her own digestion either.
Alice suddenly recalled what she had said to the "Hanged Man":
"I seem to have had a very long dream. When I first woke up from the dream, I couldn't remember who I was or where I came from..."
Thinking of the blank memories before and after swallowing the Sequence 7 "Lucky One" non-ordinary characteristic, and the inability to recall the reason for fainting after taking the Sequence 6 "Disaster Priest" potion, Alice suddenly doubted the truth of her earlier words.
Perhaps the lie she had casually uttered was actually the forgotten truth?
After a long while, Alice sighed and murmured, "Perhaps this is fate..."
Alice recalled the origin of the name Brielle Rose, that story called Sleeping Beauty, and her eyes gradually darkened.
If she had once slept like the protagonist in the story, where exactly had she been sleeping? Had she been asleep the whole time? Had she woken up in between, had she... perhaps walked around with a different identity?
When a second cold breeze brushed past Alice, she snapped out of her thoughts and decided to take a bath and change her clothes.
After all, sitting around pondering while wearing sweat-soaked clothes sounded rather pitiful.
...
The hot water soothed Alice's mind. As she relaxed, Alice decided not to dwell on those complex questions.
Since recalling those experiences was still too dangerous for her current self, she resolved to focus on advancing. She could revisit those memories once everything was no longer dangerous.
Sitting at her desk, Alice wrote down the name "Charlie King" on paper, a dangerous smile spreading across her face.
Charlie King was doomed.
However, her first task now was to locate Charlie King's position...
Alice attempted divination, but unfortunately, she received no insights beyond the fact that Charlie King was still in Backlund.
How strange... Did fate want her to be self-reliant this time? Oh wait, he was Sequence 5, so his anti-divination abilities should be quite strong...
Alice tapped the desk twice, deciding to commission a search for the person at the upcoming Tarot gathering.
...
Alice discovered news of the "Brave Bar" gathering in Thursday morning's newspaper.
Recalling the "Barbarian" potion formula on the Black Emperor card, Alice decided to check if the lady who was suspected to have a "Artisan" backing was still there.
After all, she still owed Klein 1500 pounds... Although she had 600 pounds saved with Klein, that wasn't enough!
At 8 PM on Friday night, Alice donned an iron mask and a hooded black robe, entering the living room of the "Eye of Wisdom" old gentleman.
In the candlelit living room, the "Eye of Wisdom" old gentleman looked up at the mechanical clock on the wall and chuckled, "Everyone's here today. Let's begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar voice eagerly spoke up: "I want to sell a non-ordinary item called 'Lucky Charm'. Its effect is... The side effect is... The price is 2000 pounds."
This familiar speech, recited as if from memory, made Alice turn to look at the seller involuntarily.
How many times had he tried to sell this thing? Had it been a month? Who knows how long he had been at it before... His tone and attitude clearly showed urgency, so why wouldn't he lower the price?
Logically, if he was worried about the three-month limit, couldn't he just lower the price or give it away to someone? Was he that attached to the 2000 pounds?
Alice looked at the owner of the "Lucky Charm" with pity. As expected, the transaction failed to materialize.
After all, there were too few people at such gatherings who could afford 2000 pounds... Ah, that's right!
Alice didn't believe the seller was unaware that it was almost impossible for anyone at this gathering to have 2000 pounds available. So... was his attempt to sell here a sign of desperation from the start?
If so, why wouldn't he lower the price?
Alice narrowed her eyes, giving the owner of the "Lucky Charm" a meaningful look - she suspected he hadn't disclosed all the negative effects!
After this failed transaction, the Fat Apothecary was the first to speak: "I need a supernatural creature for experiments, preferably a beast, and preferably one that's already subdued and not too dangerous."
A supernatural beast? What was he planning? Wasn't he an "Apothecary"? Oh, he must have advanced already. This must be related to the next sequence after "Apothecary"?
As Alice pondered, someone sneeringly responded to the Fat Apothecary:
"Who would keep a supernatural creature around? It's dangerous and easy to discover. Isn't it more convenient and discreet to just kill it and preserve the non-ordinary materials?"
The usually sharp-tongued Fat Apothecary immediately retorted:
"What a foolish idea! You can't guarantee that the supernatural creature's non-ordinary materials are exactly what you need or can be sold. It's better to tame it, control it, make it your assistant, and double your own strength..."
As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered, feeling he might have leaked some crucial secrets.
Tame... control...
Alice glanced at the Fat Apothecary, then at Klein whose career path was heading irreversibly towards Circus Master. Another profession from the same circus suddenly popped into her mind.
...What are you thinking?!
Alice quickly interrupted her dangerous train of thought and suggested to the Fat Apothecary:
"I think rather than inquiring here, you'd be better off raising a non-ordinary pet that you need yourself. That would undoubtedly be much faster progress.
"Of course, this assumes you have sufficient funds to prepare potions for your non-ordinary pet, as well as enough strength to deal with failed products that lose control."
The Fat Apothecary listened in a daze for a few seconds before responding:
"How luxurious. I'm struggling enough just to save money for myself and find the non-ordinary materials I need. Animals losing control after consuming potions is highly probable, and it takes multiple attempts to succeed.
"Anyone who can do that must own a mine or a bank."
Thinking of "Lady Justice", Alice fell into an odd silence.
She wondered if "Lady Justice's" pets were Sequence 8... After all, "Lady Justice" herself was already Sequence 8.
Let's congratulate Charlie King on his life officially entering a countdown (what?).