Chapter 302: A Clue

The detective, who had been on leave, returned to Grimm Garden Street

shortly after Klein and the others had finished their lunch. This also

meant that his assignment was over.

Due to the visible improvement in Adol's situation, Rogo Colloman was

quite generous in the settlement of his pay, and he paid an additional

fifty percent above the ten pounds which they had agreed upon.

*As expected of a jewelry businessman to be this generous. However,

compared to the other people in West Borough and Empress Borough, he

isn't considered that rich. Grimm Garden Street is close to the suburbs,

and it's not too far from the cemetery. I can reach it in ten minutes if

I run at full speed... Eh, Miss Bodyguard, no---Miss Sharron, is highly

likely of being a Sequence 5 Beyonder. She charges one thousand pounds

for three days, while I, as a Sequence 7 Beyonder, am only worth fifteen

pounds a day. There's still a big difference...*

*Of course, if I were to take on such missions every day, my income

would be over 5,400 pounds a year, putting me at the top of the middle

class. Even the top manager of the Backlund Bank makes 5,000 pounds a

year... Heh heh, this is just pure fantasy. For most detectives,

business comes sporadically... And the amount of Beyonder ingredients I

need to advance to Sequence 6 is definitely more than 3,000 pounds. Just

thinking about it makes my head hurt. For normal people, this is a huge

sum of money, enough to sustain a good life!*

*The good news is that even if I grasp the "acting method," digesting

the Sequence 7 potion will take me somewhere between six months to three

years. Even if I can quickly conclude the rules of a Magician, I'll only

be able to push forward that lowest threshold by one to two months. I

still have plenty of time to save up and search for clues to these

ingredients...*

*Wait. Miss Justice still owes me, uh---my Blessed 5,000

pounds...*

*However, her financial situation isn't in good shape recently. It will

be difficult for her to come up with a large sum of cash in the next few

months...*

Klein took the three five-pound notes and left West Borough with

thoughts running through his mind.

After returning to Minsk Street, he quickly burned the used paper

figurine and made another two more.

In the evening, he took the steam metro to the Backlund Bridge district,

and according to the numbers provided in the newspapers, he knocked on

the door of the house where the gathering would take place.

Similar to the past few times, he put on an iron mask that covered only

the upper half of his face, wore a hooded black robe, and followed the

attendant into the activity room, where only one candle burned quietly.

At first glance, Klein noticed that the number of Beyonders present at

this gathering was less than half of what it used to be.

I came at the exact time. Are the others late? This time,

Klein didn't change his gait and picked a corner before sitting down

slowly.

After a few minutes, the old Eye of Wisdom cleared his throat and said,

"Let's begin the gathering. The others shouldn't be coming."

After saying that, he gave a brief explanation.

"As the serial killer has yet to be found, the Nighthawks, Mandated

Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind, as well as a large number of MI9

Beyonders, are out doing large-scale investigations and searches.

"Under such a situation, it's very normal and understandable for those

friends to be unwilling to go out and participate in gatherings.

"Frankly, I'm surprised by the number of people that showed up today."

*Sure enough, a circle of Beyonders isn't isolated; they would also be

affected by current affairs...* Klein looked around and saw that

the fat Apothecary wasn't absent. His heart immediately relaxed.

The Apothecary nudged the metal mask on his face, calling out without

much hope, "Seeking to purchase the Spring of Elves marrow crystals.

Price is negotiable."

"I have it," Klein said without hesitation.

He was worried that someone else might've found this Beyonder

ingredient, thereby causing the price of his stock of goods to fall.

Although Beyonder ingredients were rare, and it was rare for items to

reappear in independent circles, one could never be too careful.

"Seeking to purchase the Spring of Elves marrow crystals..." The

Apothecary didn't seem to hear the response.

He was halfway through the sentence when it suddenly struck him. He

turned his head to look at Klein and blurted, "You do?"

"Yes." Klein found his fiery gaze a little too overwhelming.

As he did so, he rolled up his black robe and took out an iron cigar

case.

Pa! Klein opened the cigar case, revealing the faded,

egg-shaped Spring of Elves marrow crystal.

"If you're worried, you can let the Old Mister Eye of Wisdom appraise

it," Klein added in a low voice.

This wasn't really necessary because it was obvious if something was a

Beyonder ingredient or not. It was also quickly identified if something

was contaminated or not.

However, if one was lacking in mysticism knowledge, a Beyonder

ingredient could very easily be mixed up with similar-looking

ingredients. When that happened, one needed an appraisal.

The Apothecary looked like he was looking at a beautiful lady he had

been yearning for all this time. He looked at the Beyonder ingredient in

Klein's hands, mesmerized. After a few seconds, he shook his head and

said, "No, there's no need! That's it! That's it!"

Klein curved the corner of his lips into a smile and named his price.

"300 pounds and clues to the Apothecary formula."

"Clues to the Apothecary formula... It's you!" The Apothecary was

stunned for a moment before he finally understood who the man was.

It was the guy who made him bring the sedative for nothing!

Soon after, his heart pained, his regret similarly reaching its limit as

he sighed emotionally. "You really are a lucky guy!

"Why didn't I choose that road of fortune..."

*I'm the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck after

all...* Klein lampooned himself.

The Apothecary sighed and changed his posture.

"That's too expensive. 200 pounds and a clue to the formula."

"The clue to the formula is only a bonus because I cannot confirm its

veracity. Therefore, 300 pounds, not a penny less, I believe it's needed

elsewhere." Klein smiled. "This price is actually very fair. If it were

anyone else, they might've offered 400 or even 500 pounds, and you

might've even accepted that price."

"I'm not that foolish. I can still wait..." The apothecary grumbled

before saying, "The clue can be verified by Old Man, uh---Old Mister Eye

of Wisdom."

"It must be something that exists objectively, something that has

detailed information before I'm able to appraise it. Just a clue isn't

among these conditions," Eye of Wisdom said.

*Divination, on the other hand, can roughly determine whether the clue

is effective as long as it doesn't involve powers two or three Sequences

above myself...* Klein silently said to himself.

However, he wouldn't reveal his expertise in divination at a Beyonder

gathering.

"Alright then... 300 pounds plus the clue. You lucked out!" The

Apothecary took a deep breath and pulled out a thick wad of cash. He

then counted the corresponding amount and then asked the attendant to

bring him a pen and paper before he started writing.

After he was done writing the clue, he crumpled the paper into a ball

and handed it along with the cash and some items to the attendant.

Klein was suddenly stunned when he saw the attendant walk over.

In addition to the cash and clue, there were also four glass tubes

filled with what seemed to be pure liquids.

"What are these?" Klein asked, perplexed.

"Have you forgotten? Your sedative, the sedative I specially concocted.

It's ten soli a bottle, two pounds for four, so the cash there is 298

pounds," answered the Apothecary. "If you're worried about my sedative,

you can have it appraised."

*I really forgot... I did all of that to gain Miss Sharron's trust, and

now that she's not here, well... It's fine; maybe a sedative would be

able to handle some unexpected situations...* Klein stopped

talking, took out the Spring of Elves marrow crystal, took the items,

counted the cash in front of everyone, and determined their authenticity

with the faint candlelight.

A total of 298 pounds... That's right... Seeing that his

wallet could no longer hold any more cash, Klein could only roll up the

bills and slip them into his pocket.

After putting away the sedative, he unfolded the note and glanced at the

clue.

"On the south side of the Bridge, on Rose Street, at the Harvest Church,

find Bishop Utravsky. As long as you help him complete a mission, you'll

be able to get the Apothecary formula."

*Harvest Church. That's one of the few cathedrals of the Church of Earth

Mother in the kingdom. This Church also grasps two Beyonder pathways:

"Planter" and "Apothecary"... The clues match well...* Klein

thought as he refolded the note.

As the gathering continued, it was unknown whether the female Beyonder

with the Artisan backing her wasn't present, or she just didn't have any

new Beyonder weapons to sell. There were no signs of her, leaving Klein

disappointed. Now that he had 509 pounds in hand, he wanted to equip

himself nicely.

After many transactions were aborted, a man sitting on a stool said in a

low voice, "A friend of mine was unfortunately discovered in this

investigation. He's imprisoned in a particular Lord of Storms cathedral

by the Mandated Punishers. I wish to hire a few helpers to rescue him."

Eye of Wisdom immediately replied, "Stray Dog, give up that thought! A

cathedral's Mandated Punishers and Sealed Artifacts are enough to

destroy all of us here.

"Your friend's fate has already been decided. Don't let yourself be

trapped in the same situation."

Stray Dog looked around and realized that no one responded to his

request. He couldn't help but thump his thigh, growling, "But, what did

he do wrong?

"He's an excellent physician. He's saved a lot of patients and has never

hurt anyone! Just because he consumed a potion and became a Beyonder,

he's to be imprisoned in a place where the sun never shines. He'll even

become an experimental subject for the Mandated Punishers?

"Why?

"Why..."

Stray Dog's agonized questions echoed in the room. Even the Apothecary,

who couldn't keep his mouth shut, remained silent.

Sigh... Klein, a former official Beyonder, could only sigh

deeply in his heart.

*Without the spread of the "acting method," wild Beyonders are ticking

time bombs...*

*But if the "acting method" is popularized, then the situation would

become even more chaotic and bloody... After all, there are the Laws of

Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility and Conservation...*

In this heavy atmosphere, the gathering came to an end. Klein, who had

gotten nothing else, spoke again.

"Who has revolvers and bullets that come augmented with different

Beyonder effects?

"For example, purification, demon-hunting, etc."

He didn't specifically fix the caliber of the bullets because he didn't

have a gun yet. He could simply wait until he bought the bullets before

matching the corresponding gun.

In the midst of the silence, a female Beyonder sitting in the same

corner replied in a low voice, "I can help you ask, and I'll give you

the answer at the next gathering."

It seemed to be the lady with the Artisan backing her... Klein

sighed.

"Alright."

After the gathering ended, he didn't return to Minsk Street directly.

Instead, he went to East Borough and changed his clothes, heading to the

border between North Borough and Hillston Borough.

It was where the suspected member of the Numinous Episcopate, Kapusky

Reid, lived.