230 Interrogation (1/2)
Empress Borough. In an unremarkable house.
Xio and Fors took a seat at random and examined the writing on the blackboard. Like always, Mr. A was sitting quietly, alone on the sofa at the front in his hooded robe, looking down at the crowd from a high vantage point.
Sequence 8 Sheriff potion formula. 450 pounds… Xio silently read the familiar content as she inwardly let out of sigh of relief.
The situation she feared the most was the lack of a seller when she had finally amassed the money with great difficulty!
I received 400 pounds from the split, plus my original savings of 150 pounds, that's enough… However, I'd definitely need a huge sum of money for the main ingredient… Ah right, maybe I can change circles and see if there are any Beyonders who are interested in this formula… Xio suddenly felt invigorated, and she realized that she had found a way to make a fortune.
Frankly speaking, there was no way she would leak the formula if she wasn't in desperate need for money to buy the materials to concoct the potion. On the one hand, most people always hoped that there were fewer Beyonders in their own Sequences, and on the other hand, the price of the corresponding ingredients would be raised significantly if there were many competitors who bid up the prices of the ingredients. It was the same with the subsequent potions.
After some serious thought, Xio slowly became nervous again, because it was normal for a recipe to be placed on sale for a long time without being sold.
Moreover, the Arbiter pathway belonged to the royal family and the military. All aspects were strictly controlled, and the leaked ones came from a small number of destitute nobles. There were hardly any complete formulas for the low to mid Sequences. Often, only one or two of them were complete and compounded with the knowledge that the main ingredients were controlled and difficult to obtain. Beyonders who chose this Sequence were rather rare.
Xio had been in some mysticism circles in Backlund for a long period of time, but she hadn't found an Arbiter apart from herself. On the one hand, the others might have concealed it well, but on the other hand, that might also explain the problems faced in this Sequence pathway.
Phew, but compared to Fors, I'm lucky enough. She hasn't encountered any of the subsequent recipes for Apprentice all this time… Xio saw Mr. A's attendant approaching and wrote a note saying that she was purchasing the Sheriff's recipe.
Before long, she was led to the study on the first floor. Before entering, she took a hooded robe from the attendant and covered herself with it.
The seller in the study was dressed in the same way, so they couldn't see each other's faces clearly.
”This is the formula to the Sheriff potion. Where's my money?” the seller asked with a hoarse voice as he pressed a piece of paper on the desk.
Xio pulled out the cash that she had long counted numerous times and pushed it to the seller.
After checking the authenticity of the notes and the total sum, the seller finally released the potion formula he held.
Xio immediately took one step forward and grabbed the note.
Her eyes swept straight to the main ingredients as they were of great importance.
”A pair of Terror Demon Worm's eyes. Silver War Bear's right palm.”
Beyonder items I know of, but I've never seen them being sold… Xio sighed and walked out of the study and took off her robe.
Back in the living room, she sat beside Fors. Having fulfilled her wish, she slowly began to worry about the unknown honorary name and the evil spirit that might be haunting her.
10, no, 20, no, 30 to request for someone skilled in exorcism to do a purification ritual for me. Xio made up her mind, and after exchanging a few whispered words with Fors, she beckoned for Mr. A's attendant.
After the end of the free communication break, she saw her request appear as an additional entry on the blackboard.
”Suspected haunting of evil spirits. Requesting the help of friends who specialize in exorcism. 30 pounds.”
After a while, Mr. A's attendant came to the two of them and quietly invited them to the living room on the first floor.
There was a man wearing a white mask inside. He looked at the two people who were wearing loose robes that concealed their genders and chuckled.
”Let me introduce myself first, so that you won't doubt my ability.”
”No, no, we trust Mr. A,” Xio, with her hood over her face, said before Fors could open her mouth.
She deliberately suppressed her voice to prevent her childish voice from revealing her identity.
The man with the white mask spread his hands and laughed.
”This is my habit, I am a believer of the Sun. As you know, this is not common in Backlund, or in the entire kingdom.
”It is only through moments like this that I can live as my true self.”
Due to the great conflict between the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Church of the Lord of Storms, the former had never been able to obtain the right to proselytize in the Loen Kingdom.
”A believer of the Sun?” Fors's languid look instantly vanished. ”This is the first time I'm seeing a living believer of the Sun! Eh… It's not like I can meet diplomats of higher standing.”
”Then, should I feel honored?” The man in the white mask spread his arms wide and held them up in a gesture of praise for the Sun.
Instead of answering his question, Fors smiled and said, ”In terms of exorcism and purification, the attendant of the Sun is a professional. Our hearts are at rest, so we can begin.”
The man who claimed to be a believer of the Sun didn't drone on. He took out a badge with the symbol of the ”Sun” on it and placed it on the round table in the center. Then, he used a dualistic ritual method to light up two candles.
After finishing the preparatory steps one step at a time, he chanted with a loud and abnormally pious tone.
”The Sun that is Eternal,
”You are an Inextinguishable Light.
”You are the Embodiment of Order
”I pray to you,
”Please bestow me with your cleansing glow.
”Please repel the evils spirits in this body.”
…