Chapter 102: A Request to Find Someone
After reading the diary entries, Mr. Fool's face contorted in pain. Fortunately, the gray fog concealed his expression, preserving his dignity.
As soon as Klein finished reading, Alice leaned forward and lightly tapped the table twice to draw everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a request to find someone," she announced.
Derrick immediately realized the upcoming transaction likely didn't concern him much.
*Find someone? Who could she be looking for?* Recalling Alice's earlier jest about hunting down Charlie kING, Alger had an inkling of what this might be about.
Setting aside the "World" puppet, both Audrey (who had some suspicions about Alice's identity) and Fors (who sensed Alice's special status) showed interest in listening.
"Mr. Fool, could you help me materialize a portrait of this person?" Alice asked, looking towards Klein in the gray fog.
Klein nodded slightly. With his assistance, Alice successfully manifested a portrait of Charlie kING. Klein tapped the long table, causing the portrait to appear before the others.
Seeing the portrait, Alger wore an expression that said "just as I thought," while Audrey, noticing Alger's recognition, grew curious.
"This man is named Charlie kING, a Sequence 5 'Winner' currently in Backlund," Alice explained thoughtfully. "I've mentioned him before at our gatherings. He's a subordinate of a 'Fate' angel, though given the current situation, I suspect that angel may already have their hands full."
Recalling a certain "Mercury Snake" who had accidentally transferred misfortune to others after breaking a leg, Alice shook her head with a "tsk tsk."
Alice's attitude and tone made no effort to hide her indifference, or rather disdain, towards that angel. This reinforced Alger's suspicions.
Noticing this as well, Audrey and Fors felt somewhat reassured about taking on this task. However, the best at playing along was still Mr. "World," who asked, "What's the reward? What abilities does he have?"
"300 pounds," Alice replied, glancing at the Fool's marionette. She decided to offer the 300 pounds she had just received from her main body. "You don't need to actively search... I suspect you'll likely encounter him by chance. Just remember to pray to Mr. Fool and inform me of his location when you find him. As for his abilities... are you expecting me to describe my own powers in detail?"
"What about a general description?" "World" inquired.
"He can bestow misfortune on others and likely make himself fortunate," Alice pondered before answering. "Additionally, he can directly attack the spirit of a Beyonder."
"I'll accept this commission," "World" chuckled in response.
"Why would we encounter him by chance?" Audrey asked curiously.
Alice glanced at Audrey with a cryptic smile. "Because I haven't yet secured the formula and main ingredients for my Sequence 5 potion."
"Huh?" Audrey blinked twice, feeling she hadn't quite grasped Alice's meaning.
Alice looked at Audrey meaningfully and asked with a smile, "What do you think 'Fate' means?"
The implications in Alice's words successfully startled Audrey. She glanced at Klein, still seated at the head of the bronze table, before smiling and saying, "I'll keep an eye out for this."
"Why are you so certain that the 'Fate' angel is already preoccupied?" Fors, who had observed the entire exchange, asked.
Audrey and Alger also listened attentively; Audrey out of curiosity, and Alger... well, Alger could be considered curious too.
"I saved that 'Fate' angel once," Alice replied, resting her chin on her hand. "At the time, they nearly got hit by a carriage... However, shortly after, they broke their leg and accidentally transferred misfortune to someone else."
The three, who had some understanding of angels, all wore expressions of disbelief. But Alice had no interest in further explanation. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Alger, asking, "What about you, Mr. Hanged Man?"
Alger calmly made his commitment: "I'm currently at sea. If I have the opportunity, I'll help you search."
In reality, Alger suspected that Charlie kING might not last long enough to be found and would likely become a non-human characteristic soon.
After Alice's request concluded, Fors eagerly looked at "World" at the far end and said, "Mr. World, I'll gather magical items or powerful Beyonder weapons from the Sun domain for you as soon as possible."
"What kind of deal did you two make in private?" Audrey, who considered herself close to Fors but knew nothing about this, couldn't help but ask.
This saved Alice the trouble of asking. Alice looked at Fors, who sighed and said, "Mr. World helped me find the formula for 'Magician.'"
*What did he divine this time...* Alice almost instinctively speculated.
Except for Alice, who was waiting for the formula to be delivered, everyone else increased their attention on "World" due to his ability to find formulas.
"World" laughed hoarsely and said:
"Miss Magician, before you make a purchase, it's best to recite Mr. Fool's honorable name and ask Him to relay the corresponding information to me. I've already requested this of Mr. Fool, and He has agreed to assist us.
"If the item you've chosen doesn't satisfy me, I might consider changing my request."
*What exactly is he trying to deal with...* Alice frowned. Although she was very curious, Klein showed no intention of discussing it with her. Given the current situation, Alice suspected she might encounter Charlie kING at any moment, so she had to suppress her curiosity.
After Fors stated "no later than tomorrow," Alger, as if he had prepared this question in advance, asked:
"I recently took on an investigation task. I wonder if any of you have relevant clues.
"In the past two or three years, in the Southern Continent, many indigenous tribes have been completely raided, with everyone taken away. On various plantations and islands at sea, slaves have also strangely escaped in some numbers.
"After the Northern Continent nations abolished the slave trade, such incidents haven't occurred for a long time. Have any of you heard any rumors about this?"
*The black slave trade...* Alice was slightly startled, quickly recalling the corresponding history from her memory. She couldn't help but frown—even if a segment of Earth's civilization truly existed in this world, there were too many overlapping points between the current civilization and Earth's.
A vague sense of unease rose in Alice's heart. After everyone shook their heads to indicate they had no information, Alice raised her hand, materialized the image of chopsticks, and asked, "Have any of you seen or heard of this type of utensil?"