area51novel Chapter 203 Gatherings, Trade, and Recipes
Chapter 203 Gatherings, Trade, and Recipes
Chapter 203 Gatherings, Trade, and Recipes
"Achoo!"
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein, who was preparing for his next commission in the living room, suddenly spit out a huge spit for no apparent reason.
"What's wrong with me? It feels like someone's talking about me behind my back," he muttered to himself.
Klein was carefully wiping the brand-new camera in his hand. It was a crucial tool he needed for this commission.
Just these past two days, his landlady, Mrs. Starling, introduced him to another "catching someone in the act" job. He needs to use this camera to capture decisive evidence of her friend's husband's infidelity.
"Sigh—" Klein couldn't help but sigh. Why is it always this kind of work?
Fortunately, the pay this time was quite generous. It's just—taking these kinds of side jobs always feels a bit—
Just as Klein was pondering how to complete the filming mission without alerting the target, Irene slowly descended from the second floor.
"What is our great detective thinking about?" she asked with a smile, leaning against the stair railing.
"Just thinking about some detective work." Klein immediately put on a serious expression.
"Oh~ it seems someone's been taking on freelance work outside the guild again~" Irene said with a smile.
this--
Klein paused slightly as he wiped the camera.
Seeing this, Irene continued to "add insult to injury," saying, "I heard that someone messed up a commission in the guild a few days ago."
Now he's secretly taking on side jobs again. If the higher-ups find out—”
After a few seconds of contemplation, Klein said in a businesslike tone, "The detective identity is also a form of cover. So even if the higher-ups find out, I won't be in any trouble."
"And," he paused, then added, "you're still living here with me. I have to find a way to earn some rent."
Seeing Klein's serious expression, Irene could only sigh helplessly: "This is so boring. According to the normal script, shouldn't you be pitifully begging me right now, saying, 'I'll do anything as long as you don't report this,'?"
Upon hearing this, Klein's face instantly darkened. If it weren't for the "Joker's" ability forcibly controlling his facial expressions, he almost wouldn't have been able to keep his composure.
"Oh, right, about the rent you mentioned," Irene said, as if remembering something, "actually—it can be reimbursed."
"Reimbursement?" Klein was somewhat surprised to hear this familiar word.
"That's right," Irene continued, "All reasonable expenses incurred in carrying out missions can be reimbursed by the organization."
You can simply say that we're living together now, which is a kind of pretense. Then, the expenses incurred, including rent,
Gas costs, food expenses, travel expenses, and even the money you spend on bullets can all be reimbursed.
"Huh? You can... you can do that?" Klein's face showed an expression of disbelief.
"Then why didn't you tell me before?"
"Hmm—" Irene pouted and said, "You didn't even ask—"
==.
After paying the deposit for the investigation, Lorne left Detective Isengard's house.
He first went to a nearby coffee shop for a simple lunch. Then, seeing that it was almost time, he headed back towards the "Braveheart Bar".
He saw Kaspass again. The lame old man, upon seeing him, hobbled over to greet him.
"When does that party start?" Lorne asked.
"There's still some time," Kaspass said. "But for now, Maric is upstairs waiting for you."
Maric contacted me? He didn't have Kaspas reject my request outright; instead, he took the initiative to come to me.
To be honest, Lorne wanted to politely decline directly. But after thinking about it, he figured there might be some unexpected gains, or he might get some information about the Rose School.
So he agreed to the request.
At least, my divination results didn't show any major problems.
He went to the card room on the second floor again. However, this time he didn't see the group of strange "zombie" card players again.
They probably aren't trying to ambush me. Otherwise, my spiritual intuition wouldn't have failed me entirely—Lorne thought cautiously.
He spoke first, asking, "Have you thought it through? Are you planning to take my commission?"
"No," Marich shook his head, "it wasn't me."
Under Lorne's slightly surprised gaze, he continued, "I have a friend who is short of money recently, so she is willing to accept your request."
I can't help with the investigation. But—I can still protect your safety.
"She's stronger than me, so you don't need to worry about your safety. However—she's only willing to protect you for three days. And the price is 1000 pounds." Hmm, perfect timing. I've already commissioned Detective Isengard to investigate. My biggest fear now is that she'll discover something during the investigation, leading to some unexpected incident.
Marich's strength should be about the same as mine, both Sequence 6. Those stronger than him should be Sequence 5. — Lorne didn't think a Sequence 4 demigod would accept such a troublesome commission for a mere thousand pounds.
Sequence 5—is that what "vengeful spirit" means?
Lorne subconsciously scanned the surroundings of the room. However, he did not activate his "spiritual vision" to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
He pondered—Marich and his group shouldn't be the ones trying to harm me. They're probably the so-called "Temperance faction" within the "Rose School"—if a Sequence 5 powerhouse could secretly provide assistance, my safety would indeed be greatly guaranteed.
If it weren't for those "Sun" pathway talismans, that "Blood General" could have easily wiped us all out. But—three days is far too short. Detective Isengard simply can't possibly uncover any useful results.
After a moment of contemplation, Lorne said, "Three days is too short. I can increase the reward, but the protection period must be extended to at least a week."
Marich frowned slightly and subconsciously turned his gaze toward the direction behind Lorne.
Is that "vengeful spirit" right behind me? — Lorne wondered to himself, observing the other person's gaze.
He then added, "I can pay a maximum of £2500. I can pay a £300 deposit first. Then, half of the balance will be paid every three days. But the specific protection period, when it starts, will be up to me to decide. Uh—don't worry, it will definitely be within the next week or two."
Marich's gaze lingered on Lorne's back for a moment before he nodded slightly.
"Can."
After paying a £300 deposit, Lorne made an appointment with Marich to come back to him in a few days to officially start the protection mission.
He planned to wait until Detective Isengard's investigation made some initial progress before going to find the mysterious bodyguard. This way, he could avoid wasting precious protection time.
In truth—Lorne had also suspected that this incident might be caused by that damned "Catastrophe Priest's" passive ability again. But—usually, one should be able to sense in advance any "catastrophe" brought about by a passive ability. This sudden, unexpected intrusion into his home seemed rather unlikely.
He could only conclude that he had been targeted by someone for a long time.
Sigh—this world is truly awful. Everywhere is filled with danger, there's no sense of attachment whatsoever. Can't there be some heartwarming everyday moments?—he sighed silently.
He then ordered a South Wales beer, found a rather inconspicuous corner to sit down, and patiently waited for time to pass while sipping his drink.
It wasn't until it was completely dark that Kaspass limped over to his table and said, "You don't seem so stingy. How come you only ordered one beer and have been sitting here for so long?"
Lorne shrugged.
As the old saying goes, save where you should, spend where you should.
Besides, the situation is unusual lately, and he can't let alcohol cloud his judgment. Moreover, he genuinely doesn't like those expensive and strong liquors.
"Is that party about to start?" Lorne asked.
Kaspass nodded.
Lorne took out two one-pound notes from his pocket and handed them to him.
Kaspasse took it skillfully and said, "Come with me."
He led Lorne, limping, towards the bar's kitchen. From there, they entered the alley behind and circled around to a dark, poorly lit house.
He took out a rough, black iron mask from his pocket that only covered the upper half of his face and handed it to Lorne, chuckling, "Consider it a gift from you."
Uh, actually—I have one myself. Lorne remembered the pure white mask he had bought in Bayam before.
But he still reached out, took the iron mask, and put it on his face.
Just like with the previous "bottle," Kaspas also knocked on the door several times in a very regular rhythm.
A moment later, Lorne was led into the living room by a person who was also wearing a mask.
Inside the room, about a dozen people were already seated on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table. Without exception, they were all wearing hooded robes and identical iron-colored masks.
"I need someone to help me get rid of this den of beasts in the sewers," a chubby-looking man said shortly after Lorne sat down.
"I will offer four bottles of precious medicine as payment. Two of them can effectively stop bleeding and promote rapid wound healing."
He suddenly let out a low chuckle and continued his description: "As for the other two bottles—with a one-and-a-half-month shelf life, they can make any man rediscover the passion of his seventeen or eighteen-year-old self and become an extraordinary man in bed. Hehe, you know, the potion has a one-and-a-half-month shelf life—"
this-
This sounds a lot like the potion Roy King sold me back then. Could it be that the two of them know each other?
No, probably not. Roy King should still be in Bayam. It's probably just common knowledge in their industry. After all, those kinds of drugs are always in high demand, no matter where you are.
The gathering continued for a while longer, with some deals succeeding and others failing.
The overall quality of this gathering seemed rather average. It couldn't compare to the gatherings in Bayam at all.
After all, at the party in Bayam, you could meet a big shot like a "Star Admiral"—Lorne thought to himself.
"I want to sell two weapons," a woman said.
arms?
Lorne's interest was instantly piqued.
The "Monster" pathway's direct combat capabilities are indeed quite lackluster. But one thing is certain—its spirituality is basically the most abundant among all Beyonders of the same sequence.
He had previously made some rough comparisons. As a Sequence 6, his total spirituality was already roughly equivalent to that of "Iceberg General" Edwina, a Sequence 5.
Therefore, as long as the negative effects of magical items are not too outrageous, theoretically, his vast spiritual power can fully support the use of a large number of magical items at the same time.
"The first item is a runic steel sword. It was made by the Church of the Eternal Sun. It possesses powerful purifying and exorcising effects, making it a natural nemesis of undead creatures such as water ghosts, vengeful spirits, and zombies. It can still be used for another three years. Of course, its sharpness is also enough to easily kill any living person," the woman explained.
"500 pounds, or the Sequence 8 'Barbarian' potion recipe, and you can get it."
It can subdue vengeful spirits and zombies—perfect for me!
After all, the "Rose School" is basically full of undead werewolves and the like.
But—is it the "Barbarian" recipe again? I remember when I first came to this gathering, it was this female warrior who was selling weapons back then—could there be a "Craftsman" of considerable rank standing behind her?
Thinking of this, Lorne couldn't help but recall that he still had several extraordinary properties that he hadn't yet used.
He asked the captain to help him with some of them, but many more are still in his personal storage space, if only he could turn them into weapons.
Lorne said, "500 pounds, I'll buy it. Let those with wise eyes bear witness first."
"Okay." The woman nodded, agreeing to the deal.
With the bodyguards and investigation already arranged, Lorne now only has one thing left to do.
After a moment's thought, he spoke up: "I want a Sequence 8 potion recipe from the 'Assassin' pathway. Does anyone have one?"
An assassin? Upon hearing this, "Eye of Wisdom" glanced over.
Lorne looked around, but no one reacted.
Just as he was about to give up, a hoarse, somewhat deliberate female voice came from the corner.
"I have the recipe you need."
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