Townsend Street at the border between Empress Borough and West Borough.
Hugh Derecha stood in a dark and secluded alley. Even without looking up, she could see the layers of gorgeous palaces and the towering Gothic clock tower in the distance.
It was the highest area in all of Baekeland, and it was also where the Rouen royal family resided.
In the Northern and Southern Continents, its status in the entire World was equal to or even slightly higher than Intis's White Maple Palace and the Feysac Empire's Aurmir Palace, but its name was neither romantic nor ancient.
It was called Sodela Palace. In ancient Feysac, the word meant "balance."
Xio retracted her gaze from the famous Bell of Order and looked to the other side of the alley.
In the shadows where the gas lamps couldn't illuminate, a figure slowly walked out.
The figure wore a golden mask that revealed the lower half of his face. He was none other than the mysterious person who had sold the Sheriff formula to Xio and entrusted her with some missions from time to time.
When Xio and Fors discussed it in private, they suspected that the other party was from MI9.
"Any luck this week?" the golden-masked man asked as per usual.
Xio shook her head.
"No, it's unlikely that anyone inquired about Capim before the incident."
She paused and asked with some reluctance, "Do you still want to investigate this matter?"
"Do you still want to investigate this matter?"
The masked man fell silent for a moment.
"There's no need, but if you hear anything related in the future, contact me immediately.
"I'll give you a new mission today."
"What mission?" Xio completely entered the state of a bounty hunter, prepared to assess the risk of the matter.
The masked man laughed.
"It's a very simple mission, and one that you've been dreaming of.
"Seek to purchase the main ingredients of Sheriff and Interrogator from all your circles, especially the special ingredients that can be concocted into potions. If anyone responds, we'll pay for it."
"The purchased ingredients will belong to me?" Xio blurted out a question.
This was what she was most concerned about.
"No, do you believe that such a simple mission can have such a high reward? Of course, if we can fish out the person we're looking for like fishing, it's not impossible to discuss the ownership of the potion's main ingredient, "the masked man said with a chuckle.
"But I don't know what the main ingredient of the Interrogator potion is …" Xio said hesitantly.
"I'll tell you later. This is also our advance payment. Even if we don't find the target, you will have the main part of the Sequence 7 potion formula. It's worth more than 600 pounds. I believe you have fully realized our generosity," the masked man said in a bewitching tone.
How generous … Who was their target, and why were they willing to pay such a high price to find him? Hmm, if he's from MI9, taking advantage of this mission to retrieve the Arbiter pathway Beyonder ingredients that are circulating on the market should also be one of his goals. There's no problem of wasting money … As a barely experienced bounty hunter, Xio instinctively thought of something.
After weighing the pros and cons, she nodded.
"I accept this commission."
"Very good." The masked man's tone turned relaxed as he surveyed the area. "The main ingredients of the Interrogator potion are the horn of a Black Flash Snake and the powder of the Spirit of the Lake."
After saying that, he slowly retreated and returned to the shadows, disappearing around the corner of the alley.
He really told me the main ingredient of the Interrogator potion … Xio was momentarily stunned.
It was only at this moment that she realized how much importance the masked man's faction placed on this mission.
I wonder who the target is. The main point seems to be the special ingredient that can be directly concocted into the Sheriff and Interrogator potions … With this in mind, Xio suddenly froze.
She recalled something. When she advanced to Sequence 8 Sheriff, she had used the special ingredient that could be directly concocted into the corresponding potion. It was a special ingredient that she had purchased through Fors!
This … This is their target? Xio instinctively decided to hide this matter and not tell the masked man.
She rubbed her cheeks that had baby fat on them and walked out to the streets, preparing to take a public carriage back to Cherwood Borough.
At this moment, she saw a brown carriage drive past, and her gaze was immediately attracted by the coat of arms on it.
The coat of arms' main body was a flower and two rings. There wasn't anything too special about it, but Xio stared at it in a daze, her gaze seemingly frozen.
Only when the carriage was far away did she retract her gaze. Her mood instantly turned extremely downcast. Even though she had returned to the apartment they rented together, her mood didn't improve completely.
Realizing that her friend was in a bad state, Fors poured two glasses of red wine and brought it over.
"What happened?" She sat opposite her and pushed one of the glasses of wine to Xio.
Xio looked down at the red wine and remained silent for a full two minutes before saying in a slightly hoarse voice.
"On the way back, I met someone I used to know."
"Who?" Fors asked cooperatively.
"Viscount Stratford." Xio answered every question.
Fors carefully recalled.
"This viscount seems to be the captain of the royal guards?"
As a best-selling author, she would receive invitations from aristocrats who liked literature from time to time. She would participate in afternoon tea and banquets, and due to her professional habits as a writer, she would definitely take the initiative to understand the more famous aristocrats.
It was at such gatherings that she met Viscount Glaint.
"Yes, he was … was once my father's deputy," Xio said with some difficulty.
"Your father?" Fors knew that Xio came from a declining aristocratic family and had some secrets, but she wasn't aware of the exact situation.
Xio picked up the glass of red wine and gulped it down. She choked and coughed a few times.
After a while, she said,
At its most illustrious, it even served as the Earl of the Summer Palace. "
"Earl of the Summer Palace? What position is that? "Fors asked, half out of curiosity and half as a way to ease her friend's emotions.
"It's equivalent to being the spokesperson of the royal family, a noble closest to the throne." Xio recalled with a radiant expression. "From then on, our family had the fiefdom that a true Earl should have. When it came to my father, although he wasn't as illustrious, he was still trusted by the former king, the Mighty William VI. He was the commander of the royal guards and the captain of the royal guards."
Her tone gradually turned gloomy with unconcealable pain.
"But seven years ago, he was accused of participating in a rebellion and was eventually sentenced to death by hanging. He was stripped of his title and fiefdom.
"My family declined as a result. Many members even died for no reason. In order to live, we changed our surnames and left East Tucker County …
"I didn't believe that my father would rebel. He was so loyal to the royal family that it exceeded his faith in the Goddess! For … In short, I left my mother and brother and came to Baekeland to find an opportunity to improve myself. I hoped to restore my family's glory and my father's reputation. "
Xio was very vague about some of the matters in the middle, but Fors didn't mind as she sighed.
She sighed and said, "This will be very, very difficult."
She immediately put on a smile.
"But I'll support you!"
And I still have the mysterious Tarot backing me! She added inwardly.
…
Tingen City, 2 Daffodil Street at night.
Melissa, who was doing math problems, turned her head to the door and looked at Baansen, who had just taken off his half top hat.
"Where did you go? Aren't the results going to be announced tomorrow? "
"I'll be able to find out tonight, and I happen to know two employees from the city government who are in charge of the exam," Baansen said with a curl of his lips.
In early December, he had registered for the Government Employee Unified Exam. He had chosen a relatively uncompetitive position, and in the process, he had built friendships with a few government employees and quite a number of examinees through his eloquence and social skills.
"How did it go?" Melissa subconsciously put down the fountain pen in her hand.
Baansen's expression immediately sank, but before Melissa could speak, he revealed a bright smile.
"Passed!
"And it's near the front!"
"That's great …" Melissa stood up and paced around. "You have to start preparing for the second round of exams at the end of January. This is in Baekeland, so I have to pack your luggage in advance … When do you plan on setting off?"
Seeing his sister worrying about this and that, Baansen walked into the living room and smiled.
"My plan is to go to Baekeland together after the New Year and rent a house there.
"Regardless of whether I pass the exam or not, I plan to stay in Baekeland and try my luck. You can transfer to a technical school in Baekeland during the New Year holiday to prepare for the entrance exam of the Baekeland University of Technology in June."
Just a month ago, Baekeland Institute of Technology had been restructured and officially upgraded to the University of Industry and Technology.
Melissa listened quietly and subconsciously pursed her lips.
She looked around longingly and replied in a very soft voice:
"Alright."
…
Friday afternoon, the Quelaag Club.
Klein walked out and hired a carriage to go to Prince Edessak's Red Rose Manor.
That was the place Talim often went to a few days before his death. As a qualified detective, it would be a waste of the 100 pounds he received if he didn't do some investigation.
No matter how lazy I am, I still have to put on a good show … Klein sat in the carriage, admiring the gradually less polluted scenery outside the window as he muttered.
After the morning's practice, he had a general grasp of the extent of the improvement in various aspects. Flame Control, Flaming Jump, and other Beyonder powers had increased by about 30%. The power of Air Bullet and the length of the underwater breathing pipe had even doubled. Divination and combat had also been significantly enhanced.
Paper Figurine Substitutes and Damage Transfer hadn't changed much, but due to the increase in his spirituality, the number of times he could use them had increased.
As he staggered, he finally arrived at Red Rose Manor. He explained the reason for his visit to the two soldiers guarding the entrance.
After passing the message, he met the old butler from before.
"You can ask everyone here." The white-haired, meticulous old butler paused and added, "Except for that lady."
This is also my wish. I don't want to get involved in trouble … Klein relaxed and smiled.
"Alright!"
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