Chapter 333: The Tracker

In the suburbs of North Borough, in a soon-to-be-abandoned three-story

medical school building.

Even at three o'clock in the afternoon, the fog and the clouds had

already darkened the whole of Backlund, as if a storm was approaching.

Along the dilapidated corridor, the gloomy light shone in diagonally,

penetrating the windows and causing everything to appear silent and

scarred. It was eerie and terrifying.

This was Audrey's second time here, and she was no longer as nervous and

tense as before. She turned her head left and right in her surgical cap

and big mask, habitually observing the environment, observing every

detail of this place.

Viscount Glaint was walking beside her and gradually turned

apprehensive. He couldn't help but whisper, "Why do I find that this

place is a little strange...

"Could there be evil ghosts?"

As a mysticism enthusiast who had only half a foot in the Beyonder

circle, the only Beyonder phenomenon he had witnessed was Fors's passing

through walls and the opening of a door. He was still unsure of the

existence of wraiths and shadows.

However, this didn't stop him from being afraid of similar monsters!

Fors turned her head and shot him a glance as she held back her

laughter.

"Most of the participants of this gathering are Beyonders. If there

really are evil ghosts or spirits, they would definitely be very happy.

It usually implies ingredients or servants."

Noticing that Viscount Glaint was obviously relieved, she purposely

added, "Of course, I'm only talking about the weaker kind of ghosts. A

truly formed shadow might be able to kill everyone here without making a

sound. And even if you run, all you can do is run back and forth between

the three stories without being able to leave. It's like entering a

maze."

Xio nodded in approval.

"I've once encountered a similar wraith. I ran in circles while in the

cemetery without any means of escaping. During this process, there were

baffled people who would turn their heads for no reason, only to suffer

a sudden death. If not for one of the Beyonders carrying a sun charm,

perhaps you wouldn't be seeing me here today."

Viscount Glaint shivered as he looked out the window. At this moment, a

withered tree branch hit the glass and made a light sound as it was

blown by the cold wind.

Glaint almost shouted out loud, as he frantically inched towards the two

Beyonders, Fors and Xio.

Audrey resisted smiling and quietly watched this scene from the

sidelines. In her heart, she thought, *I have met Mr. Fool who is close

to a deity. I know the City of Silver in the Forsaken Land of God, I

have heard of all kinds of terrifying monsters in the depths of the

darkness. Why would I fear wraiths and shadows?*

*However... I really haven't met a ghost yet. Pui! Audrey, what are you

thinking? It's better not to come across this kind of thing!*

*Unless I become a Psychiatrist with Beyonder powers capable of

influencing other creatures, or if I obtain mystical items that can

restrain ghosts and monsters...*

The four of them couldn't help but increase their pace and quickly

arrived at the gathering venue for the day.

Before she entered, Fors found an opportunity to bend her back and

whisper into Xio's ear, "You did well cooperating with me just now. You

actually made up a story so quickly that's enough to frighten others.

"Look at the spots which aren't covered by Viscount Glaint's mask. It's

so white that you can't see any colors."

Xio turned her head as she answered blankly, "I didn't make up the

story.

"That was something that happened to me before I came to Backlund."

"..." Fors was stunned for a moment before she blurted out a question,

"For real?"

"Why would I lie?" Xio's puzzled face was obscured by the mask.

Fors turned her head and took two steps forward and suddenly shivered.

At that moment, Glaint didn't wish to stay in the creepy corridor any

longer. He reached out his hand and pushed open the door to the

gathering venue.

As the creaking sound echoed, he saw the concrete floor and the smell of

antiseptic coming into his nose. It made him frown.

Soon after, he saw a large pool in the middle. It was filled with a

clear, yellow liquid, and there were floating figures inside it.

Some of the figures were entirely naked. Some were rather complete while

others had half their skin ripped off. They had the brownish auburn

colors of beef jerky.

They were corpses!

"Ah!"

A man's shrill cry resounded in the room.

Gazes were instantly cast onto Glaint.

These gazes were all from the figures in white coats surrounding the

pool. They were also wearing surgical caps and huge masks, and only

their eyes and a bit of their skin were exposed.

Glaint's body swayed a bit. He wanted to turn around and run away, but

when he saw Audrey, Fors, and Xio pass him, as if nothing had happened,

in order to enter his room, he realized that they were pretending that

they weren't his companions.

As he took a deep breath, Glaint nearly vomited.

He looked outside and saw that the corridor was dark and gloomy, filled

with shadows, and that there wasn't a single living soul in sight.

With another shudder, Glaint hastened his steps and caught up with

Audrey and the others, finding a place to sit down as far as possible

from the pool.

After a few minutes, a figure wearing a white coat stepped out of the

line and used a wooden pole with a hook on the side to pull a corpse to

the side. Then, he directly dragged the corpse to the concrete floor.

He paused for about three seconds, took out a scalpel, and slit open the

body's abdomen.

As the gash deepened, a cold and hoarse voice suddenly sounded from

inside.

"Let the gathering begin."

... Glaint reached out with his hand to press down his mask. His throat

moved a few times and he almost vomited.

They were midway in the gathering with all kinds of trades---either a

success or failure---happening, Audrey, who had been calmly observing

all this time, finally opened her mouth and said, "I want the Spectator

potion formula."

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt several gazes sweep over

her. However, they quickly moved away and didn't linger for long.

After several seconds of silence, the transaction was aborted.

Around four in the afternoon, it was getting closer to night.

"Why was there nothing at all..." Glaint didn't maintain his

aristocratic demeanor as he slumped against the wooden wall of the

carriage and sighed.

This Beyonder gathering had left a deep impression on him, making him

feel as if he had taken a huge risk.

But even so, he was still unable to buy the horn of an adult Flying

Unicorn and the venom crystal of a Royal Jellyfish.

Fors secretly pursed his lips and said, "That's normal. Although

Backlund is the easiest place to get ingredients, if you can't join

every Beyonder gathering, there will still be situations in which you

won't be able to find what you want for a long time. It requires either

luck or patience."

"Mister Viscount, think about Miss Audrey's Spectator potion. She hasn't

received any clues to date."

*Sometimes, you can encounter the ingredients, but you would lack the

money to buy them...* Xio, who was sitting to the side, thought

in exasperation.

Audrey consoled Glaint, "When I get back, I'll go to my family's vault

and do a search. Maybe there's something you want."

She had brought the Rainbow Salamander's pituitary gland with her today,

but she hadn't encountered the spinal fluid of a Farsman Rabbit.

Therefore, she had only exchanged it for 320 pounds in cash. It was to

prepare for Susie's advancement.

Glaint nodded, and just as he was about to open his mouth, he saw Xio

sitting up straight. She frowned and said, "It seems like someone is

following us!"

"I trust your intuition. What do we do now?" Fors asked, looking around.

*Following us? Why follow us? All we did was sell one Beyonder item and

obtain a few hundred pounds in cash. Even if someone wanted to rob us,

we shouldn't be the top targets... Although Glaint acted like a rookie,

we didn't... In addition, the gathering's organizer had done a lot of

things to ensure the safety of the members and to prevent anyone from

being followed. Unless... the person who sent the tracker is the

organizer! Last time, everything seemed normal. Hmm, what's the

difference between the two occasions...* Audrey's mind raced

when she suddenly came up with an idea.

*Perhaps it was my request to purchase the Spectator formula that

attracted the attention of the Psychology Alchemists.*

*It's impossible for them to randomly sell the Spectator formula, so

what would inevitably follow is recruitment into the

organization.*

*And recruitment isn't a simple matter. One has to be wary of any

quasi-Nighthawks or quasi-Mandated Punishers, or spies sent by other

hidden factions.*

*If they don't observe the target and conduct an investigation, the

organization would quickly be destroyed!*

After pondering for a few seconds, Audrey said to Fors and the others,

"Prepare to be attacked.

"Pretend as though you didn't notice the tracker.

"If we can successfully return to Empress Borough, don't worry about

exposing the identities of Glaint and me. Both of you have to leave in

secret."

Her green eyes swept over Glaint and she added with a smile, "A lot of

people know that we are mysticism enthusiasts, so it's normal for us to

find an opportunity to participate in a Beyonder gathering. Even if the

tracker is an official Beyonder, they won't suspect anything. We are

just regular people, so all they will do is warn us through other

channels."

*But I'm already at Sequence 8... Phew, in order to come into contact

with the Psychology Alchemists, I have to take a little risk... It's

likely the official Beyonders won't target me for seeking to purchase a

formula. They shouldn't be able to bypass the gathering organizer and

track us down. I want to believe in my own judgment!* Audrey

cheered herself on.

"Okay," Viscount Glaint mumbled as he agreed.

The horse carriage continued on as usual, going in circles a few times.

In the end, Audrey and the others changed to another carriage as they

had planned.

Throughout this process, the tracker never attacked.

When they reached the back door of Viscount Glaint's mansion in Empress

Borough, the two nobles used their usual means of returning. As for Fors

and Xio, they each relied on their own skills to leave.

About ten minutes later, Audrey, accompanied by her huge golden

retriever, Susie, and her maids, openly left through the front door, in

her own carriage.

As she listened to the sound of rolling wheels, she was unable to

confirm if there were still people following her. She could only let her

thoughts wander.

*It's obvious that the daughter of Earl Hall isn't a spy of any Beyonder

faction...*

There's nothing wrong with her past...

Her love for mysticism is well-known...

*Her status and identity can provide assistance that's different from

other people...*

*Perhaps, in two days, there will be members of the Psychology

Alchemists who will try to come into contact with me...* Audrey

thought with some anticipation and some nervousness.

Although he said he was making preparations, Klein spent two days at the

Quelaag Club as if nothing had happened. He even played a game of cards

with the equestrian teacher, Talim, and the others, winning a few soli.

Before he went to bed, he didn't forget to visit the outside of Lawyer

Jurgen's house to make sure if there were no lights and to feed the cat.

At eight o'clock on Friday night, he put on his iron mask and wore his

black-hooded robe and entered the activity room of Old Mister Eye of

Wisdom.