Audrey’s eyes beamed with excitement, but she replied in a reserved manner, “You know that I’ll soon fully digest the Spectator potion. I hope that I can get the formula for the Telepathist potion so that I can prepare the ingredients ahead of time. Hmm, I know that there isn’t much content for two pages of the diary, and it might not equal to the value of the Telepathist formula, so I’ll give you another page, hmm, I’ll also pay you a sum of money on the side…”
Hence, Audrey couldn’t maintain her Spectator state as she hurriedly added with a stammer, “That’s not what I meant! Mr. Fool, what I meant is that you can determine the compensation that you’d like. Yes, that’s what I meant!”
Backlund Bank was one of the seven major banks in the Loen Kingdom, and as such, it possessed the right to clear transactions.
The Loen Kingdom settled accounts with receipts to take care of cash transfer business between banks within the same city in a centralized manner. However, unlike banks in the Intis Republic, not all banks were part of the same league. The biggest seven banks held on to these rights. Hence, they were called the clearance banks, making other banks rely on them.
Transferring money from a different location, on the other hand, could only be done within the same bank. It would be completed by squaring accounts between branches. With the invention of the steam locomotive and telegram, the efficiency of these transfers had been enhanced drastically.
Just then, The Sun, Derrick Berg, suddenly spoke.
“The Telepathist potion formula? Telepathist that is followed by Psyche Analyst?”
Audrey looked towards him puzzledly. “You know of it?”
At the same time, Miss Justice saw a problem through her instinct as a Spectator.
The young man had used the ancient title “Psyche Analyst” instead of the modern term, “Psychiatrist!”
Derrick didn’t think that he behaved any differently but replied seriously, “I can get you the formula!”
Then, he felt guilty as he couldn’t provide it immediately. He tried his best to explain himself, “It’s a Sequence pathway that stemmed from the Dragon race. And our City of Silver was once ruled by the Giant King’s imperial household. As you know, the Giants and the Dragons are sworn enemies. Hence, the City of Silver has all of Sequence 9, 8, and 7. I have ways to get them.”
In fact, he could’ve easily stopped The Sun from exposing those matters. As long as he didn’t help in the simultaneous translation, Justice and The Hanged Man wouldn’t have understood him at all.
However, Klein took a different approach. He felt that it might help him consolidate his mighty and mysterious image in the minds of the three members effectively. Hence, he listened with a smile and didn’t make a sound.
She looked sideways towards the seat of honor on the long bronze table. She saw The Fool sitting on the high chair, engulfed in thick grayish-white fog. His right arm was placed on the armrest while he leaned sideways leisurely. He showed no shock, no curiosity, no thoughts, and no doubt. He only looked at them with a smile.
“The City of Silver, I’ve never heard of this place… Where is it?” Audrey probed while Alger listened attentively.
At that very moment, Derrick Berg’s head was filled with questions as well. He could tell that, besides the godlike Fool, Justice and The Hanged Man were some sort of Beyonder.
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, besides the people in the City of Silver, Derrick had never seen another living human.
So, he asked in reply, “If you aren’t residents of the City of Silver, which city-state are you from?”
Audrey trembled her lips, momentarily at a loss for words.
Obviously, Alger had misunderstood The Sun’s intentions as well. He didn’t know the other person was really just asking straightforwardly. So, he kept quiet too.
When Derrick didn’t receive any reply, he seemed to realize what was happening. He didn’t bring it up again and instead said,
“I will try to get the Telepathist potion formula as soon as possible. I would like to use it to exchange for the beginning Sequence pathway of the Sun.”
“Sun Sequence pathway? Sequence 9 Bard?” Alger asked in reply.
Derrick thought and said, “Probably, but I lack information about it.”
Klein who was watching from the side decided to get involved, because he didn’t want to risk anyone taking his business away.
He smiled and said, “I believe Miss Justice doesn’t have the Bard formula.”
Seeing Audrey nod, Klein continued with a faint smile, “I will give The Sun the Bard formula. The Sun will pass the Telepathist potion to Miss Justice as soon as possible. Try to get it done within the next two Gatherings. Miss Justice, please pass me the new pages of Roselle’s diary. Then, the deal is done.”
“Yes, according to the law of equivalent exchange, The Sun is on the losing end of this transaction, but as of now, he has only made a promise. When he really provides the Telepathist formula, Miss Justice can consider how to compensate him again, or I will compensate him while Miss Justice provides money to one of my adorers who needs to do somethings recently. Heh heh, that’s because The Sun might not necessarily be able to receive Miss Justice’s cash or ingredients as compensation.”
Klein intentionally added that final statement to redirect The Hanged Man and Justice’s focus onto the fact that Sun might not be able to receive her compensation. He also did that to place himself in an unfathomable position; then, everyone would ignore the adorer that lacked money.
“Neither do I.” When Derrick saw that he could obtain the beginning sequence of the Sun pathway, he nodded without hesitation. He couldn’t care less about the additional compensation.
Alger, who was out of the three-way deal, didn’t have the right to speak. Although he could get the formula of Bard, he would need to wait a week or two as well.
At that moment, Klein, who had successfully delayed the compensation to the next Gathering, or the following one after, pressed his palm forward happily. The Bard formula surfaced.
“Main ingredients: a Crystal Sunflower or an adult Flint Bird’s tail feather or a Fire Bird’s tail feather… A piece of Siren Rock or a Singing Sunflower…
Supplementary ingredients: a blade of Midsummer Grass, 5 drops of July Wine Juice, a blade of Elf Dark Leaf…”
He sent the formula before The Sun and saw the young man first crease his eyebrows and then relax.
Audrey looked at The Sun who was memorizing the formula, then she quickly willed the two pages of the diary that she had memorized.
The diary immediately appeared on the yellowish-brown goatskin and, with a flash, appeared in Klein’s hands.
Just like before, he started reading immediately.
“3rd November, Matilda is three months pregnant now. I even find those maidservants who come from the villages beautiful. No, I can’t lower my standards. Coincidently, Countess Florais has invited me to join a private party, hehe.
“8th November, Archbishop Fan Estin sought my help. Huh, what can I do for an archbishop?
“9th November, it turns out that there is actually a secret hidden within Sequence pathways. Archbishop Estin told me that after becoming a Sequence 5 Beyonder, the rest of the Sequences could be replaced with Sequences of the same level from one or two other pathways! In other words, it starts from the Mid-Sequence to High-Sequence! But this is only limited between those one or two pathways. If it’s replaced with a potion from a wrong pathway, semi-insanity is the mildest outcome, and one can’t advance any further.
“This way, one can begin substituting pathways from Sequence 4 onwards. Sleepless and Corpse Collector pathways. Yes, the Church’s Savant and Mystery Pryer pathways can also substitute for one another at a High Sequence.”
