Sunday, September 23, 1349
The reason why you have been called here is because you are suspected to be under the influence of something. We believe you are possessed." Daly spoke as Kiyotaka couldn't help but knit his brows together.
'Me? Possessed? How come?
Ah, did she see me scribbling over my own body last night? I had used a mixture of English numbers and Japanese Kanji to quickly scribble down the exact measurements of weight, materials and fuel required.
I had done it in a rush in a bid to quickly jot down everything before the influence of alcohol kicked in and it curbed my intellect. That is why I had quickly written and calculated everything. Once that was done, when I woke up in the morning, before I scrubbed myself, I had written everything down on a piece of paper that was still inside my bag.
Of course, while Inventor Leppard would not understand what I have written, I could use the piece of paper as reference material while making a blueprint alongside him.
It is possible that Daly had been using this strange apparition to keep tabs on me. And last night when I continued to scribble Kanji Symbols which do not match any of the languages of this world, that could make Daly and the others operate under the assumption that I am possessed by some evil spirit.
If "Kiyotaka Ayanokoji" can be considered evil, then I assume they are not that far off. Only the "spirit" part would be false, or perhaps not. Unless Soul comes under the umbrella of general spirits. Kiyotaka ruminated.
"What makes you say that?" Kiyotaka answered with a question of his own.
"We have sufficient proof and references. Besides, your behavioral patterns have changed. That is why I had asked in the beginning if you had observed a change in yourself, as if you did not feel like yourself." Daly replied and then leaned back comfortably. She crossed her right leg over the left and then heaved a deep, solemn breath.
Her chest moved in tandem as Kiyotaka kept his gaze on her.
After a moment of staring at each other, Kiyotaka placed his hands on the table between them. "I am unsure of what you mean. I have only heard about possessions in one of those tales told to children during bedtime. I have never heard a single occurrence like this from a reliable source.
Hence, when you say that I am, allegedly, possessed, it confuses me to quite a drastic extent. Even if I was possessed, and occurrences like this actually existed, I would have no way of telling it apart. However, from my own conscious knowledge, I have done nothing odd.
Unless you can call repenting in front of the Goddess as something odd and that a person is unable to repent."
Kiyotaka added the last part to make Daly trust him. Of course, this trust wasn't natural but something he was going to hammer inside her brain by threatening her with implicit sacrilege. Natch, he did it in a really subtle manner. He did not want to appear too aggressive with his "ad-hominem by association" approach—something closely related to "deflective-moral-framing."
Daly's purple lips parted, sticking to each other for a heartbeat before surrendering as parted with a delicate pull that left a trace of shine between them. However, she pressed her lips tightly again. She was shocked at how good this hedonistic profligate man was at using his tongue.
If she wasn't in a state of mourning, or well, in an attached to state to that man, she'd already have him in her bed, putting that talented tongue to a use far better than talking his way out of interrogations.
After about a minute of silence, Daly sighed and reeled her thoughts in. She did not reply to his previous statement. The reason was because if she had replied to his previous statements, it would definitely involve a "but" on her part and using that would be akin to very minute and indirect irreverence.
That is why she spoke instead: "Your pursuit of achieving good in your life and steering it towards a better tomorrow is commendable, however, we still need to make sure of it."
At this moment, Kiyotaka decided to drive another bombshell at her. "Which Church are you affiliated with?"
At this moment, Kiyotaka felt like there was someone watching him again. This time, the feeling was much more sinister than he had experienced before. And the source of this dread seemed to inexplicably thread back to Daly.
'That was an exaggerated reaction. Lady, you would've killed a normal person... or if it was someone else, it would have definitely made them lose control over their bladder. Of course, since I am aware of all of their surveillance, I am already accustomed to it.
However, the wave of dread right now was most likely a test. To see if I have some previous affiliations with Beyonders.
But that is a stupid move. A lot of members of gangs, more or less, have some know-how of the Beyonder world and Beyonder abilities. Testing if I am aware of Beyonders is testing like if humans breathe fresh air.
Well, I suppose that is not the right analogy since in Backlund, humans most definitely don't just breathe normal air. That reminds me... due to my previous way of living, not only do I have a chance of getting different kinds of STD's but also some kind of Cancer.
Sigh... this is just so abundantly miserable and sad.
Instead of letting Daly reply, Kiyotaka came to a preliminary judgement that he could act a little freely. From what he had observed so far, the church was not deeply involved in his matter. The tailing that he had experienced came from a personal investigation done by Soest and Daly.
Of course, the degree of involvement of the church was going to increase after the recent event of him frantically scribbling symbols all over him.
However, in this moment, he realised that the Church, or the duo of Soest and Daly had no intention to imprison him or do something serious to him. They wanted to pressure him enough to not do anything wrong.
Kiyotaka stood up from his chair. "I am ready to undergo any kind of examination you want to do. Be it medical or... mystical, if you wish to. I have no qualms against it. Although, if there is nothing, I wish to not be disturbed again.
Of course, the disturbance from my part would continue in the form of my worship towards the Goddess." He ended with a religious sentence once again.
He had gambled on his own insignificance and assumed that due to his own harmless nature, none of the Churches could discern his religion, coupled with the fact that while being a believer of Lord of Storms, he almost never attended a Mass.
'I wonder if doing so will have the Lord of Storms smite me with a strike of thunder. Obviously, this worry stems from the assumption that Lord of Storms is actually still alive and hasn't died.
After all, death was the only constant thing in the world.
Well, that is quite rich, coming from me.' Kiyotaka pasquinaded.
He wanted to ruminate over the reasons of his transmigration and the philosophy of life and death, but the throbbing veins on his head made him not want to do it. All he wanted to do at this time was head to the Bravehearts Bar and have a quick drink of Half-and-Half.
However, that had to wait as he wanted to be frugal with his money. At least until the project of "Alcohol Engines" had entered its adult phase and was close to completion.
Daly crossed her right leg over the left and her long, velvety and heavy dress ruffled without a sound. She tapped her thin finger, that had black polish over her nails, on the table before breathing out.
She then pursed her lips and an evanescent sultry look flashed past her eyes. "You can leave."
Kiyotaka nodded his head in the slightest manner and then turned around. He unlocked the door and walked through the hallway that was lit with torches and then walked up the stairs.
Back in the "interrogation room," Daly suddenly sank back in her chair. She had a distant look in her eyes as she started at the roof. It was unknown how much time had passed, but eventually, she straightened up. The moistness in her eyes was gone now as she stood up.
"There is nothing wrong with him. However, we need to keep occasional tabs on him." She spoke beneath her breath as the invisible spirit nodded its illusory head before its presence vanished completely.
******
Coughing loudly, Kiyotaka finally reached Inventor Leppard's home while trying to curb the pain in his chest.
The front door was already open. Without waiting, Kiyotaka entered through the small double doors and into the small lawn. After that he walked to the back, he saw that the window to the hall inside the house was open.
There, he saw Leppard who had completely engrossed himself in making a kind of simple chain that went around the back-tire.
He was already close to making the prototype for the Bike that Sherlock Moriarty had suggested. Seeing this, Kiyotaka couldn't help but ruminate inwardly. He felt that Sherlock Moriarty, who he was pretty sure was also The Fool, was a smart person.
He didn't base his reasoning over him fooling the members of Tarot Club, as he could see it happening to himself as well. If he was born in a world where Churches and Gods were very real and left behind tangible proofs and miracles, he too would've mistaken The Fool as a lofty figure who was a True God.
The reason why he had thought that Sherlock was a smart person was because the way he had integrated himself. From his perspective, if it was another transmigrator, they would've suggested something similar to him: An Alcohol fueled engine.
However, to keep his contributions and his involvement in the world as ambiguous and low as possible, he instead decided to go with the bicycle. Of course, he factored in the possibility that Sherlock was not at the level to make an alcohol engine from scratch, but at least, he could've put in some effort into it.
After all, Steam Engines were already a thing in this world.
There were a lot of other instances as well which made Kiyotaka hold Sherlock or Mr. Fool in high regard when it came to wariness and intelligence. This made Kiyotaka even more cautious of him.
Suddenly, Leppard looked up and his eyes widened after he recognized who was the person who had entered into his backyard and was now staring at him from the window. "Ahh, Williams. Hello! How are you?"
Kiyotaka tipped his hat. "Right as rain. And you, all right?"
Leppard gestured to the heaps of screws and bolts around him and then smiled. "Can't complain at all." He then arched his brows as if realizing something. "How impolite of me, please, please come in. The door is that way." He pointed towards the main door.
Kiyotaka pressed his hat on his chest and then, without saying much, he walked towards the main door. Once he was there, he unlocked it and went inside.
Inventor Leppard had already stood up from his original place. He was fiddling with some utensils as he quickly put a kettle with water and black leaves inside it. Once that was done, he quickly wiped his greasy hands over his apron and beamed at Kiyotaka.
"Would you like some tea? I just put some over... oh, have you eaten?"
'He is quite talkative.' As Kiyotaka heard the man drone over pleasantries, he looked at the pot in which the liquid was brewing and politely nodded. "A cup of black tea would do."
Before Leppard could say anything, Kiyotaka walked a little closer to him and glanced at the prototype that he had made. "I see you have made quite the progress."
"Yes, yes, I have! I plan on inviting Mr. Sherlock Moriarty soon enough. Once we can patent it, I have a few people in mind who can serve as the early investors and can help us boost this business in one fell swoop. Of course, I would remind him of your investment of £50 when I call him in a few days. Then we can do a formal contract.
If you want to do it earlier, we can do it right now as well, of course, it depends on you.
Ah, would you require an accountant or a lawyer to help you with the matter?"
'Lawyer... It does remind me that one of the twenty-two Pathways is named as Lawyer Pathway. I am not sure what abilities it can provide to a person; they can be related to persuasion, I assume? To persuade a judge that their client is not guilty, or the opposition needs to be hanged.
I wonder if there is a Pathway who has a Sequence 9 named Accountant. Judging by the Sequence names, most of these are corresponding to real life professions. Seer is a job in this era, so is marauding, Lawyer, Arbiter.
Of course, not all are the same. Hmm. Could it be that The Fool is from Seer Pathway? He satisfies the criteria for it very well. Since Seers usually talk and pose as charlatans, he is not very different. He doesn't look like the kind of person who has embarked on the Apprentice and Marauder pathway.
This leads to an issue of me being in the same group as him in the future. Well, I have already decided. I can't go back now.'
Snapping back to reality and seeing that Leppard had been waiting for a long time for the answer, Kiyotaka made himself scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. "Apologies. The prospect of someone agreeing to listening and considering my "eccentric" ideas made me not sleep all night long. That is why my cognition is very slow at the moment."
Then he straightened his posture. "Replying to your previous question, no, I would not require an Accountant or a Lawyer. I can tell at a glance that it will be something that will not be limited to common people."
Leppard seemed a little lost.
Sensing this, Kiyotaka sighed inwardly at the simplicity of people of this era. If not for Roselle, these people would've still been stuck in the distant past.
"If you can alter the designs a little, they can cater to nobles as well. Not to mention, if they don't want to use cars, and prefer a much sleeker commute, horses and carriages are a waste of time and space. The roads and streets can't accommodate them as well.
That means they will soon turn to bicycles, with a much more premium feel to it. So, there can be normal bicycles and those with a flagship feeling to it. It will cover a wider market."
Leppard's eyes looked like it reflected stars.
After a moment, Kiyotaka sat down and Leppard brought some black tea for him.
Once they had their tea, Kiyotaka began explaining the ideas he had for the engine.
"An engine fueled by alcohol? How is that even possible?"
"Alcohol is flammable. I do not understand why not."
Leppard ruminated over it. "It is flammable, yes, but that's the exact reason. Once you ignite the fuel—alcohol—you can only use it until it is not burnt out. How will you even isolate it for burning further? Also, with such a huge amount of fuel, won't it explode?"
"That is a fair concern, but let me set your mind at ease." Kiyotaka turned to look him in the eyes. "Picture a lamp, Mr. Leppard—a simple oil lamp."
Leppard closed his eyes, but he kept tapping his finger on his knee.
"Does the whole reservoir of oil burst into flame when you light the wick? No, because the flame is fed only a small amount at a time, drawn up through the wick. An alcohol engine works similarly. The fuel is stored safely in a sealed vessel, for convenience's sake, let's say, a brass tank, and delivered in measured doses to a combustion chamber, much like how a steam engine controls its coal fire.
The principle is this: alcohol, whether its spirits distilled from grain or wine, burns readily when mixed with air. In an engine, we can make and use a mechanism which can be a piston and cylinder.
A spark, or even a small flame can ignite this mixture inside the cylinder, creating a rapid expansion of hot gases. This force will drive the piston, which turns a crankshaft, and thus, mechanical work is done.
It's not one great conflagration but a series of small and controlled bursts. There would be hundreds of thousands in a minute while each of them will use just a drop of fuel.
As for your fear of explosion, I have a solution too. The tank is kept separate, with pipes and valves to control the flow, much like the governor on a steam engine who regulates pressure. Alcohol's flammability is no more dangerous than the coal fires powering the Steam Locomotive.
The crux of the matter lies in the containment, which has already been done in the Steam Engine. We just need to tailor it to the amount of distilled alcohol."
Leppard ruminated over his words. For about five minutes, Leppard kept staring at his feet.
Kiyotaka didn't interrupt him. He quietly picked his tea and took a sip from it. He then turned his head and looked outside the window.
The sky was blotted with fog and the grey clouds that covered the sky made this time of the day even darker. The scene outside almost felt like night. At that moment, the gas lamps outside also lit up, providing some kind of illumination to the street.
Kiyotaka blankly stared at everything. His mind was relaxed at this moment with no signs of withdrawals or any other bodily anomaly. This was a rare moment of solace for him. He finally felt a little normal, and his nerves had considerably calmed down, causing the fog over his brain to settle down, much like the smog outside.
After what felt like forever, Kiyotaka placed the cup of tea down, having drunk it all down and then casted a cursory glance at the newspaper. His eye fell on a specific section, however, he didn't let his gaze linger for too long.
Leppard's tea had gone cold, and he was still tapping his finger on his knee in a charily manner.
Finally, he looked up and shook his head, as if shaking the dust over his brain. He didn't look directly at Williams and instead replied with a shaky voice, as if he was still reeling from some kind of sudden epiphany: "T-That is entirely feasible..."
"God... why could I not think of it before? The isolation of fuel and control of combustion is so feasible and readily available to us! How could I not think of it before?! I am ashamed... truly ashamed!"
Kiyotaka, who was sitting with a solemn look, cleared his throat. Hearing this, Leppard composed himself and sat straight.
"Wonderful, your idea is simply wonderful! But engineering would require us to have precise measurements. Also, the exact blueprint of Steam Engine is with the single company that makes those engines and is further tied in with the Church of God of Steam and Machinery."
Kiyotaka hummed in response. "I can help you make the blueprint for it. I have a general idea of how it works."
Once again, Leppard was dumbfounded. In his heart and mind, a sudden thought appeared.
'C-Could it be... could it be that he is a secret Blessed of the God of Craftsmanship? Yes! It has to be! Or else how could a person even come close to thinking of such a creation with all possible problems accounted for?! P-Praise the God!'
Without any regard for norms, Leppard tapped his chest in a triangular manner in a non-exaggerated manner. He was truly blessed with a knowledge that far-exceeded conventional norms of thought. It was a simple thing, but even then, no one had thought of it. To nitpick something readily available right under the noses and turn it into a revolutionary object, this was definitely a miracle.
Meanwhile, Kiyotaka couldn't help but frown.
'Do not do that in front of me... I have already left Church of God of Storms and have joined the Evernight Goddess faith... at least on paper. I don't want the Goddess or Lord of Storms to smite me. Please don't add the third biggest religion's God to my vexingly scabrous situation as well.'
Leppard adjusted himself and reined in his wildly flailing thoughts and theories. He stood up and patted his thighs. "I will get to work right away! Let's not make any delays!" He claimed enthusiastically.
Kiyotaka, who wasn't in a hurry to leave, stayed seated. "Mr. Leppard, aren't you forgetting something?"
Leppard stared at Kiyotaka for a long moment. Realizing that the man was too engrossed in planning for the future and had forgotten the real agenda of today's meeting, Kiyotaka decided to remind him: "I had made an investment of £50. I would like it if you could make it official."
He paused for a moment. "Preferably in the presence of other investors as well, so they are not kept in the dark. I do not want any additional trouble to germinate when I have already spent quite a bit of money into the project."
Leppard's eyes widened as if he had just remembered it. "Oh no, I forgot! Apologies, really... I will send Mr. Pacheco Dwayne a letter right now.
Ah yes, you would not know him. One of Mr. Moriarty's mutual friend, Framis Cage, is also interested in buying some shares. He has a personal lawyer named Mr. Pacheco Dwayne. He is a very accomplished Solicitor. While there are still some days before Mr. Cage acquires the shares from me and Mr. Moriarty; Mr. Dwayne can surely help us resolve this matter.
And besides, a Lawyer can never say "no" to money. Heh-heh, those folks are quite well-off purely because of this attitude. Please, stay seated. I will bring something shortly to eat. We can get started on our—your idea as soon as right now."
Kiyotaka merely nodded his head. "Sure."
While he wanted to go back after giving instructions, Kiyotaka realised that by staying here, he could sort his supper and dinner without spending a single penny.
'It is a purely strategic approach to make sure Leppard doesn't mess up the basic steps. Yes...
That said, where is he going to distill the alcohol? I had asked Xio to help me find a space that had a giant place where I could ferment and distill alcohol, but I do not really have the money to do that.
Hmm, albeit that can be solved using Securities-Based Loan.
I can just pledge my shares which can be based on the company's current worth. Since Leppard has received the patent for the Bicycle, it will certainly have a high value. I can place my shares in this company to a bank or brokerage as collateral for a loan.
Then the bank can provide cash. It might range from 50-70% of the shares' value, depending on the company's risk profile and share liquidity.
Using the liquid money from there, I can rent some piece of land and then skyrocket the progress. Honestly, most of the materials required to make the first functioning alcohol-fuelled engine are already present.
All I need is a steady supply of distilled fuel for the R&D phase. Once that is done, it can be converted into its own kind of business, kind of like Petrol.
I sure am thinking like a true capitalist for someone who is freeloading on someone else for dinner.' Kiyotaka lampooned.
'I suppose I should thank Emperor Roselle for all this.'
********
The Crimson Moon hung high in the sky, blotted out by the thick smog and occasional patches of grey clouds.
Underneath the sky, on the streets where East Borough ended, Kiyotaka was walking as he suppressed the burp from his mouth. He had spent quite a lot of time loitering around Leppard's house and indulged himself in quite a lot of food.
While completely abstaining from alcohol was an impossible task for now, he still managed to restrain himself quite a lot and only drank an amount which did not affect his cognitive skills at all. Of course, that amount would've made any sane person tipsy, but for Kiyotaka this much was like using a droplet to water a hundred-year-old tree.
As he was walking home, he saw a little boy scurrying away. He was nimble and he ran in a way that made Kiyotaka think that the boy often had encounters that required him to run away while having perilous odds.
All-in-all, the boy was definitely a professional swindler or something else that required one to know the exact layouts of inner alleys and the city in general.
Not letting his thoughts get distracted by it, Kiyotaka walked simply ahead.
Since he didn't have anything else to do, he walked over to Bravehearts Bar. However, this time his intent wasn't to drink. Xio had informed him of a method which allowed him to see when the specific Beyonder meeting was going to be held, and when he was inside Leppard's house, he had cast the cursory glance at that exact section.
As he walked, he saw a man. The man had slight facial hair, a pair of brown eyes, black hair and an ordinary looking face. Kiyotaka almost stopped in his tracks but with great effort, he made himself not look at the man for more than a second.
Looking down, he shook his head.
'Anyways, thinking about the meeting, I don't have the funds to buy anything, but I can at least get the gist of things by being there.'
'Perhaps I can exchange the formula for Apprentice, Lawyer and Arbiter Pathway in exchange for some materials or some other Beyonder characteristic or Beyonder weapon... of course, I do not expect it to go so smoothly.
A Sequence 9's formula is at most worth £150-£250. Three of them could cost around £450 to £750.'
Once he arrived at Bravehearts Bar, he pressed his hat and nodded at the man behind the bar. The man tipped his chin as well, completing the wordless greeting.
Walking through the bar and then exiting through the backdoor, he took a left and then a right. At that moment, he came outside a dilapidated and abandoned house. Knocking three times in a row and then pausing and knocking again four times, he took a few steps back.
The door opened slightly, and a man looked over from the bolt-chain inside. "Identification?"
Kiyotaka drew a slight breath and in a monotonous-humorous tone spoke: "Holmes."
The man from behind the door frowned, however, he didn't let it linger for more than 2 seconds. He opened the door, revealing the inside. By this time, Kiyotaka had already donned the mask that he had bought from a cheap store, costing him a total of 2 Pennies.
It was a dull grey mask with a single black streak running from the bottom of his right eye to below his right jaw, akin to a scar from a sword battle.
Kiyotaka walked inside with a confident stride. He straightened his back, wiped his sweaty and clammy hands against his trousers and walked with the nonchalance of a person who knew what he was doing.
After taking three steps inside, he paused and looked back. From beneath the hollow spaces which were left for eyes on the mask, his pale blue eyes looked extremely captivating. Just by hiding his facial features, he looked like he was quite the beauty, and the dull lighting made his eyes feel even more ethereal.
"Follow me." The burly man who had opened the door for him spoke without a shred of hospitality and guided Kiyotaka to a living room. Lifting the lid that was hidden underneath the thick carpet, the man took the stairs and walked underground.
'It really is like Earth. The obsession of secret societies with underground dungeons is just as prominent. First the Whitethorn Security Company and now this illegal Beyonder gathering... the more I think about it, the uncannier it feels...
Even before Emperor Roselle, there were 365 days in a year, 12 months in a year, 30 days in a month, 24 hours a day... MI9, dog breeds like Backlund Shepherds which are an exact replica of German Shepherds and high-end Golden Retrievers, Churches and so on and so forth...
I don't doubt the intelligence of an alleged parallel world or people of a completely different world, but there are way too many similarities.
That raises a question: Is it the future or past? The future would make more sense as continents and empires like Loen, Feysac, Intis, Feynapotter etcetera, etcetera never existed in my time or the history of the world I lived in. And the rapid progression in nuclear weapons in that time could've led to the ruin of mankind, specifically the era before the First Epoch of this world.
That begs the question how we arrived in an era of Mysticism and Supernatural abilities after the apex of scientific advancement? Why was I, who was still inside my room and was scrolling through my phone, inside the body of a dead alcoholic?
The theory can be debunked by saying that the moon is crimson, but that can be explained too. Due to the "supposed" nuclear war, it might be possible that might be gasses or particles in the Earth's atmosphere which might cause a permanent Rayleigh scattering of sunlight through Earth's atmosphere, making it appear permanently red.
Of course, instead of assuming it is the same world, it is much easier to just think its a different world. But I do not have any specific attachments to my previous world, so assuming that the previous one is gone for good works much more nicely for me.'
His monologue was interrupted by the "Go straight" from the burly man. Kiyotaka nodded.
"Thank you." He walked like a gentleman.
The burly man who'd led him down lingered near the entrance as his broad shoulders blocked the only exit.
Kiyotaka noted that the man's restless fingers were constantly twitching. It was different from his own twitching of hand, and it was more akin to the act of itching to draw a weapon.
Around the room, Kiyotaka noticed that the others were moving about with a rather glaring intent. They looked like regulars. There were a lot of eye-catching figures, such as a woman in a feathered mask, a man with a hood drawn low and having a long-nose metal mask and so on and so forth.
Kiyotaka stayed silent and quietly leaned against a cold stone pillar, letting the shadows swallow him.
At the far end of the room, on a platform suspended above the gathering was a tall figure in a crimson robe sitting on a high back chair. His face was hidden behind a featureless silver mask, but his presence was unmistakable.
'It's even more dominating than Ma'am Daly... there is a reason why he can host these illegal gatherings. Hmm, Xio said his name was Mr. A...'
Mr. A's presence was brimming with menace. Under the hood, he had a beautiful, devilishly feminine face and extreme madness and confidence in his cold eyes.
Kiyotaka felt those eyes linger on him for a heartbeat longer than normal, and a chill ran down his spine. He adjusted his stance, letting his hat tilt slightly to obscure his profile, and forced his gaze elsewhere.
'This man is trouble...' Kiyotaka suddenly started to sweat. It was his body's natural reaction.
At that moment, Mr. A's voice reverberated through the entire place: "Begin."
Kiyotaka didn't have a moment to process as the Beyonder meeting began. At the same time, people began to either barter items or buy and sell different things.
A man in a crow-like mask offered a bone-carved talisman-like Mystical Item. Another, cloaked in black, bartered revolver bullets etched with glowing runes that specialised in demon and spirit hunting.
Finally, after about 15 minutes, a lull fell over the space.
Kiyotaka, who was waiting for a moment like this, raised his voice, finally.
He spoke in a rather different dialect than his natural one. "I have three formulas to sell. They are complete formulas and are fully authentic. They are Sequence 9: Apprentice, Sequence 9: Lawyer and Sequence 9: Arbiter."
A series of murmurs rippled through the space. A woman in a velvet-textured mask tilted her head as her eyes narrowed behind the slits. "Three formulas? That's bold for a newcomer." Her tone had obvious skepticism but there was a hungry edge to it.
Kiyotaka tipped his hat in a sophisticated manner. "Boldness is a necessity in Backlund's underbelly, wouldn't you agree?"
The woman let out a slight chortle. It wasn't a demeaning one, but rather an impressed one.
Before she, or anyone else, could reply, Mr. A spoke up. "Apprentice, you say?" His voice was soft, almost too soft, and Kiyotaka caught the faintest tremor of interest... or suspicion, he couldn't really tell.
"A certain family guards that pathway very jealously. How did you come by such knowledge?"
"Knowledge travels in strange ways." Kiyotaka simply said.
A low chuckle that was devoid of any visible warmth came from Mr. A. "Excellent. Excellent. Then what do you seek in exchange, Mr. Newcomer?"
Kiyotaka seized the moment. "A certain set of materials." Realizing the worth of Sequence 9: Apprentice from Mr. A, he decided to up his barter price. "In exchange for Sequence 9: Apprentice formula."
He excluded the Lawyer and Arbiter formula from his barter. This was because since the Apprentice Pathway seemed to be a secret and guarded by a secret existence, this means that it was worth quite a lot when compared to other Sequence 9 formulas.
The room was stirred with Kiyotaka's statement. A man in a bronze mask who had a rough voice with a Feysacian accent, spoke up. "Forget about Apprentice, did you just say Lawyer and Arbiter? Those are controlled by the military and the royal family. You're treading dangerous ground, offering those openly."
Kiyotaka opened his mouth to respond, ready to deflect with a quip but Mr. A cut him off. "I am not interested in the Apprentice Pathway formula, but I will deal with you regarding the Lawyer and Arbiter formulas. Of course, if the materials are cheaper than the formula, then I will give you the excess amount, and if it is more expensive, then you will have to pay the excess."
Kiyotaka was a little taken aback. "Very well," he said, nodding once. "I'll provide the formulas."
"I will buy the Apprentice formula." Someone from another corner spoke up. "How much do you want for it?"
"£500."
The woman from before scoffed. However, from a certain angle, the price was justified. Since this was a pathway that was closely guarded by the Abraham family. The people from this pathway are very extremely rare, only second to Seer and Marauder pathways.
"Deal." The man on the other end agreed immediately.
Kiyotaka wrote the Sequence 9: Apprentice formula on a piece of paper. It was then transferred over to Mr. A who checked the authenticity of it using an artifact that was in the shape of spectacles that seemed to be made of crystal.
Once it was confirmed to be authentic, the £500 was taken from the buyer and then the people working for Mr. A exchanged the items swiftly.
Kiyotaka took the money and counted them to be exactly 50 £10 banknotes.
Keeping the money in his pocket, Kiyotaka took the pen once again and wrote Lawyer and Arbiter Pathway formulas on it. Then, on a separate piece of paper, he wrote the ingredients that he wanted.
He did not hide the fact that he was looking for Lawyer Pathway ingredients.
Mr. A took the two pieces of paper and looked at them. The extreme madness in his eyes made Kiyotaka's head a little heavy, so he avoided eye-to-eye contact with him.
Mr. A took his merry time. After about 5 minutes, he looked at Kiyotaka. "The formulas outweigh the materials by a little. I am quite generous when it comes to dealings. In all honesty, the formulas of Sequence 9 are not worth more than 200 a piece, but since all the formulas that you possess are unique in some sense, I am willing to add a premium to it.
I will pay £50 in addition to the materials.
Since I have the materials on hand at the moment, it will be handed over to you at the end of the meeting. Do you accept it?"
'Not like I can deny... you have already seen the formulas.'
"I am fairly satisfied." Kiyotaka spoke in a gentlemanly manner.
Mr. A smiled which made a creeping chill run down Kiyotaka's spine.
'This is so jarring... this is the first time I have felt so nervous so many times in this world. This was never the case in my past life... It is so hard to get used to. That is all the more reason for me to become a Beyonder quickly and advance through the ranks.'
Mr. A leaned back in his high-back chair and the corner of his lips curved up. "In the future, I would like it if you could trade more of the formulas from Arbiter and Lawyer Pathways. Of course, I would give you a special premium for only dealing with me."
Mr. A's eyes swept over the crowd. This was a clear sign of commission issued solely to the man named Mr. Newcomer. At the same time, it also meant that no one else was allowed to buy a formula from these two Pathways.
"I will try my best." Kiyotaka dipped his head a little in a bow.
The meeting continued for a long time. Before the clock's hour hand almost landed on 11, the meeting was dismissed. Kiyotaka received the materials in different vials and containers. Hiding them inside the pockets of his coat, he quickly ran to his little place.
Locking the door after him, he quickly placed everything in front of himself.
He took out a small bowl in which he had last eaten the chicken in. Then he washed it thoroughly and then dried it until it almost started to shine. Once that was done, he quickly took out his first main ingredient: 1 Tongue of a Silver Fox.
It was a slimy tongue which had multiple silver dots all over it. Just by touching it, even though it was through a cheap glove, Kiyotaka felt some odd sense of attraction to it. Then, he took out 20 grams of Labyrinth Lizard's scales powder and added them in. The two of them reacted in a rather strange manner.
As they began to bubble, he quickly added the measured Supplementary Ingredients one-by-one. 10 grams of Inkcap Mushrooms, 5 grams of Powdered Raven Feather, 15 ml of Essence of Bitterroot and 100 ml of Aged Brandy.
Once it was all done, he mixed it with a washed spoon.
The potion was black and white in color. Before he could consume it, he placed the bottle down and suddenly chanted in Ancient Hermes: "The Fool that does not belong to this era, The mysterious ruler above the Gray Fog, The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck... I pray for your loving grace..."
He chanted the full thing.
After a moment, he was quickly pulled above the Gray Fog into the ancient palace that looked like a residence of giants.
At the head of the long-mottled table, The Fool sat with his head resting on his knuckles. He yawned, not bothering to put up his persona of a lofty God. "What is it this time? Can't you let me sleep for once? Why do you have to wake me up in the middle of the night, every time?"
The Fool—Klein—was visibly agitated with The Emperor's antics.
"I apologise. I am afraid the matter was a little urgent, so I could not wait until the meeting tomorrow."
Klein suddenly felt bad. Clearing his throat, he crossed his fingers and hummed. "What do you need my help with?"
"I am about to consume my potion. Is there anything you would like to suggest to me before I do it?"
Klein was naturally curious as to which Pathway he chose, however, at the same time, he wanted his fellow transmigrator—no matter how dangerous he sounded—to not lose control. Purposefully harming someone without having proof of them being evil wasn't within Klein's personality.
"Yes. There are some. Let me confirm this first, did you—"
"I added the Main and Supplementary Ingredients in the correct sequence and inside clean containers." Kiyotaka answered before Klein even asked.
'Alright sassy.'
"Anyways, so once you consume the potion, you might hallucinate. When you do, you have to calm yourself down and cogitate. Once you enter the state of Cogitation, you have to think of two things: one from this world, and one from outside this world..." As Klein explained, a wistful look appeared on his face.
His lower lip suddenly trembled, and he bit down on it. After 5 seconds, he smiled as he felt Old Neil's silhouette looking at him from a very faraway distance and smiling.
Feeling the knot in his heart tighten, Klein smiled once more and explained everything that Old Niel had once done.
He explained to him about the non-physical parts of a human being split into four levels which included Spirit Body, Astral Projection, Body of Heart and Mind and Ether Body.
Then he told him about the inner layer of the Astral Projection represents the prevailing emotions, such as red representing passion and excitement, orange: warmth and satisfaction, yellow: happiness and extroversion, green: calm and peace, blue: coldness and stillness that one is in thought, white: brightness and an eagerness to improve, dark: worry, sorrow, and silence and purple: that spirituality is taking control of the lead, coldness, and estrangement.
At that moment, as he spoke and smiled warmly each time, while reminiscing over the old times in Tingen with Old Niel, Klein felt his Clown potion digest bit-by-bit.
He could almost feel it nearing digestion.
Once he had explained everything, he realised his state.
This elated his mood. As Kiyotaka was about to descend back to reality, Klein called out to him.
"Mr. Emperor?"
"Yes?"
"Good luck." Klein said with a smile, despite the gnawing feeling that by becoming a Beyonder, Kiyotaka might gain even more control over the Grey Fog.
At that moment, the Grey Fog moved away and was no longer masking his features.
It was a bittersweet smile.
Klein felt himself come at the very cusp of digesting the Clown potion.
************
Once Kiyotaka descended back into the real world, he quickly picked up the bowl in which the potion had been brewed and gulped it in an instant.
Then, he laid down and closed his eyes.
He planned on entering Cogitation before the potion could take effect!
A sudden tingling erupted in Kiyotaka's throat and mouth, as if his vocal cords were vibrating in an uncontrollable manner. His tongue felt oddly loose, almost like it would hang out of his mouth if he didn't control it.
Then, inside his brain, he felt the grey matter expanding!
His brain felt like it was tangibly mutating and growing in size!
Kiyotaka's forehead engorged to a grotesque extent and his tongue which had grown abnormally long rolled out of his mouth!
His eyes pressed even tighter as he tried to imagine 2 objects—one from this world and one from outside the world.
It was the "Cogitation" that Klein had suggested!