Chapter 204: Gambling on Luck and a Witch
"I have the Beyonder Potion formula for Assassin sequence 8 here," a woman said from the corner.
"How much?" Luo En immediately asked.
"600 pounds," the woman's voice was devoid of emotion. "No bargaining."
A moment later, she added, "I know this price is a bit expensive. But it also includes the risks I took to obtain this formula."
Luo En turned his gaze and scanned the woman.
In the air, there seemed to be a faint, extremely elegant fragrance.
"This feeling… is very similar to the feeling Tracy gives me. However, her strength should be quite a bit weaker than Tracy's," Luo En quickly analyzed in his mind.
"But at least she is a Beyonder of Sequence 7 or higher. The formula she brought out should be fine."
Seeing Luo En remain silent, as if deep in thought, the woman continued, "The formula is absolutely authentic."
At this moment, the Eye of Wisdom, who had been sitting in the main seat, interjected, "I can provide authentication for this transaction."
"I can't agree too readily…"
After what seemed like deep consideration, Luo En slowly spoke, "Hmm, it's a deal."
The woman then handed a piece of paper with the formula written on it to a nearby waiter. The latter quickly walked to the single sofa in the center and handed the folded paper to the Eye of Wisdom.
The old gentleman first unfolded the paper but didn't look at it much. He pulled out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his right palm. Then, from the inner pocket of his jacket, he took out a uniquely shaped ring inlaid with many tiny diamond-like fragments. The ring emitted a peculiar aura that made Luo En unable to resist looking at it a few more times.
The old gentleman, the Eye of Wisdom, solemnly placed the ring on the middle finger of his right hand. He closed his eyes, as if brewing something.
Suddenly, the tiny diamonds on the ring emitted a warm and dazzling golden light, like sunlight!
"Authentic and valid!" the old gentleman, the Eye of Wisdom, announced in a deep voice. Afterward, he quickly removed the ring, as if wearing it for one more second would cause him immense burden.
"It should be a Mystical Item of the Notary Pathway," Luo En speculated in his mind.
After the authentication was complete, Luo En paid 600 pounds in cash and smoothly obtained the formula.
[sequence 8: Instigator]
[Main Ingredients: One heart of a Demonic Throat Honey Badger, one venom sac of a Dark Lurker.
Auxiliary Ingredients: 100 ml pure water, one pair of Demonic Throat Honey Badger vocal cords.
After firmly memorizing the contents of the formula, Luo En also took the opportunity to sell a few Beyonder materials he had obtained from the primitive island that he didn't need.
"I also have an adult 'Widow Giant Spider' silk gland here. Is anyone interested?" Luo En asked again.
Hearing the name of this material, the woman who had just sold him the formula twitched slightly, but ultimately remained silent.
The surroundings fell into silence. "Hmm—this is already a relatively valuable Beyonder material. This small gathering probably doesn't have anyone who can afford it," Luo En mused.
Then, he spoke again, stating another need: "I'd like to purchase another Mystical Item with greater destructive power or a high-Sequence charm."
"How much destructive power?" someone asked.
"At least enough to reach the level of Sequence 6 or higher."
Upon hearing this, the surroundings once again fell into a deathly silence. "A Mystical Item above Sequence 6? What a joke! How could such a thing appear at such a small gathering? Seriously." The chubby man from before couldn't help but complain.
Even the old gentleman, the Eye of Wisdom, spoke, "Young man, Beyonder Items of Sequence 6 are already very rare. They rarely circulate on the market. The probability of encountering one at a gathering is very small."
"After all, it's just a small gathering," Luo En nodded, acknowledging the statement.
However, just then, "I do have something here that might meet your requirements," a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly chuckled.
"But whether you can use it well… depends on your luck."
"Luck?"
This word instantly piqued Luo En's interest. As a Lucky One who had digested his Beyonder Potion, he wasn't afraid to gamble.
"What is it? Tell me."
The man introduced it:
"It allows you to directly hear the voice of a great existence. If you are lucky and can decipher useful information from it, you will become very powerful. Of course, if you are very unlucky and decipher a vicious curse from it, or you simply cannot decipher any effective information, you will suffer unimaginable harm, even death."
"As long as you can bear the risk, you might gain terrifying power far beyond Sequence 6 from it."
"How about it?" the man enticed. "Want to take a gamble? For 350 pounds, you can buy it."
Before he finished speaking, the old gentleman, the Eye of Wisdom, warned in an extremely cold tone, "Black Snake! Don't mention that ominous item of yours again!"
The man called "Black Snake" chuckled indifferently, "I haven't violated the rules here. I've already told him all the pros and cons. Ultimately, how he chooses is his own business."
"Opening a blind box? And a highly dangerous blind box at that."
"However, with my ability as a Lucky One, perhaps… I really can try it."
"And I don't necessarily have to use it now. The detective hasn't found any results yet. But if it truly comes to the most dangerous, desperate situation, this thing might really serve as a trump card."
"Of course, if I open a blind box and get a bomb, and end up being killed by this thing instead of the enemy, that would be quite awkward. After all, a Calamity Priest also has the passive ability to attract Calamity."
Countless thoughts flashed through Luo En's mind.
Finally, he looked up:
"Deal."
::
After several more transactions, this small Beyonder gathering gradually came to an end.
"Alright, that's all for today," the old gentleman, the Eye of Wisdom, said from the main seat. "As per custom, leave one by one, with a three-minute interval between each person."
Hearing this, everyone began to leave the dim living room one by one, in order. Soon, only Luo En, the Eye of Wisdom, and the chubby man from before remained in the room.
Luo En turned to the man and proactively said, "Do you still have those healing potions you mentioned before? I'd like to buy some."
"Potions?" The man shook his head and said, "I only brought a few this time, and they've all been traded away. If you really want them, I can bring two more for you at the next gathering."
"By the way!"
"Do you want to buy more of those potions? I have a feeling you'll need them."
"Listen—I don't need them—I'm not that old yet, unless my partner is of a higher Sequence than me. Of course, I don't have a partner right now," Luo En complained in his mind.
Seeing Luo En remain silent, the Fat Man chuckled again, adding with a hint of mockery, "The premise is that you have to live until the next gathering."
"This guy really deserves a beating!" Luo En knew he was being sarcastic about him spending such a large sum of money to buy that so-called "blind box."
"However, being able to consistently sell various types of potions… could it be that he is the rare Apothecary that the captain mentioned before?"
At this moment, the Eye of Wisdom also looked at Luo En and said, "Young man, it seems you've indeed encountered quite a bit of trouble. Just as Emperor Rosell once said—desperate diseases require desperate remedies."
"Rosell… you even copy such sayings."
Luo En met the profound eyes of the Eye of Wisdom, hidden behind his mask, and felt as if he had seen the other person somewhere before.
He chuckled awkwardly and asked, "Sir, can I still attend the next gathering?"
"Don't worry," he immediately added, "I will absolutely not bring trouble here."
The Eye of Wisdom pondered for a few seconds before saying in a deep voice, "Yes. Young man, pay close attention to the Backlund Morning Post every day. When an advertisement for 'Ernst & Co.' acquiring goods appears on the fifth page of the newspaper, it indicates that a new gathering will be held here at 8 PM the following night. The knocking interval is—"
After listening to the series of secret signals described by the Eye of Wisdom, Luo En nodded, indicating that he had memorized everything.
"Alas, now is, after all, an era of scarcity in the mystical. Many rare Beyonder materials rarely appear anymore," the Eye of Wisdom suddenly sighed, as if to himself.
"Is this… a reminder that my act of selling those materials just now was a bit too high-profile?" Luo En mused.
1
Afterward, Luo En left. He first returned to the Bravehearts Bar and briefly greeted Kaspars, then walked back alone towards Rose Street.
But when he turned into a dark, deserted alley, his spiritual intuition was suddenly triggered!
He immediately stopped, turned around to face the deep Darkness, and said coldly, "Come out."
Suddenly, a phantom figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the wall, eventually outlining a slender, masked human figure.
Luo En recognized her; she was the woman who had sold him the Beyonder Potion formula at the gathering earlier.
"What do you want to do?" Luo En asked cautiously, his hand already discreetly reaching into his in arms.
"Don't misunderstand," the woman said. "I just want to… buy that 'adult Widow Giant Spider' silk gland from you."
"Buying something?" Luo En frowned slightly. "Then why didn't you say so at the gathering just now?"
The woman shook her head: "That would have been too high-profile."
"Is that so—" Luo En's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Are you afraid of being too high-profile, or are you—originally planning to kill and rob directly?"
The opponent's strength should only be Sequence 7. If it came to a direct confrontation, Luo En was not afraid of her.
Hearing this, the woman was slightly startled. After a moment of pause, she said, "Name your price. I—am in a hurry."
"Knowing you can't kill me, so you chose to pay for it instead?" Luo En speculated her intentions in his mind.
"But—you're in a hurry, but I'm not."
Luo En could sense an undeniable urgency from the other party. She seemed to be avoiding something, appearing somewhat agitated.
"1700 pounds," Luo En directly quoted a number.
This price was fair. After all, materials of this level would sell for over 1500 pounds even in Bayam. It was normal for the price to be higher when transported to Backlund.
But the woman shook her head: "Too expensive. 1000 pounds."
"No," Luo En decisively refused. The price difference was too great.
"If you can't accept my price, then let's not trade." With that, Luo En prepared to leave.
"Wait!" the woman immediately stopped him. Her tone suddenly became softer, "Can't you give me a little more discount?"
"If I give you a discount—"
"I can give you a little benefit, oh." Saying that, she extended her right hand, formed a circle, and waved it in the air.
A peculiar, slightly sweet fragrance permeated the surroundings.
"Trying to tempt me?" Luo En rolled his eyes.
"Many people have tried to tempt me. Your level isn't good enough. Besides, your benefit isn't worth seven hundred pounds."
Luo En, who had some resistance to charm, decisively shook his head.
"Hmph—"
Looking at Luo En's completely unmoved expression, the woman cursed inwardly. Then, she gritted her teeth and said, "I can add a Beyonder Potion formula for the Assassin Pathway Sequence 7 to this price!"
"Hmm—a Sequence 7 formula probably costs around seven hundred pounds as well, so this price is reasonable." Luo En's pupils slightly widened, feeling somewhat moved, but he still cautiously asked, "How do I know if the formula you give me is real or fake?"
At the gathering just now, there was still the Eye of Wisdom who could help authenticate. Now, there wasn't.
"Hmph—" The woman chuckled softly and said, "Because I myself am a Beyonder of the Assassin Pathway."
"Moreover, I can tell you very clearly. The subsequent formulas for this Pathway are only held by a very small number of people and are generally not circulated externally. Therefore, it's basically impossible for you to buy this formula anywhere else."
"Does that mean this Beyonder Pathway has basically been completely monopolized by a certain mysterious organization?" Luo En understood the meaning behind her words.
Somehow, he suddenly felt an indescribable "sincerity" from this Assassin.
"Could it be… she's a defector from some organization?"
A few minutes later, Luo En looked at the newly acquired note with the formula in his hand and fell into a long silence.
[Sequence 7: Witch]