N-A-A Chapter 204 Gambling and the Witch
Chapter 204 Gambling and the Witch
Chapter 204 Gambling and the Witch
"I have the potion recipe for 'Assassin' Sequence 8 here," a woman said from the corner.
"How much?" Lorne asked immediately.
"600 pounds." The woman's voice was devoid of any emotion. "No bargaining."
After a moment, she added, "I know this price is a bit high. But it also includes the risks I took to acquire this formula."
Lorne turned his gaze over and scanned the woman for a few moments.
There seemed to be a faint, extremely delicate fragrance in the air.
This feeling is very similar to the feeling I get from Tracy. However, in terms of strength, he should be much weaker than Tracy—Lorne quickly analyzed in his mind.
But she must be at least a Sequence 7 or higher Extraordinary. The formula she presented shouldn't have any problems.
Seeing that Lorne remained silent, seemingly caught in a dilemma, the woman continued, "The recipe 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."
Don't agree too readily.
After what seemed like a long period of careful consideration, Lorne slowly said, "Yes, it's a deal."
The woman then handed a piece of paper with the recipe written on it to a waiter nearby. The waiter quickly walked to the central armchair 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 took out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his right palm. Then, he took out a uniquely shaped ring from the inside pocket of his jacket, which was inlaid with many tiny diamonds. The ring exuded a peculiar aura, making Lorne take a few more glances at it.
The old man, known as the "Eye of Wisdom," solemnly placed the ring on the middle finger of his right hand. He closed his eyes, as if contemplating something.
Suddenly, the tiny diamonds on the ring emitted a warm and dazzling light, like golden sunlight!
"True, effective!" the old man, the "Eye of Wisdom," announced in a deep voice. Then, he hurriedly took off the ring, as if wearing it for even a second longer would be a huge burden on him.
It must be an extraordinary item belonging to the "Notary" pathway, Lorne guessed to himself.
After the appraisal was completed, Lorne paid £600 in cash and subsequently obtained the recipe.
[Sequence 8: The Instigator]
Main ingredients: one heart of a Demon Throat Honeydew, one venom sac of a Dark Lurker.
Auxiliary materials: 100 ml of pure water, a pair of nasal tubes for Magic Throat Lozenges.
After memorizing the recipe, Lorne also took the opportunity to sell several extraordinary materials that he had obtained from that primitive island but no longer needed.
"I also have a silk gland from an adult Widow Spider. Is anyone interested?" Lorne asked again.
Upon hearing the name of the ingredient, the woman who had sold him the formula moved slightly, but ultimately remained silent.
A hush fell over the surroundings. "Hmm—this is already considered a rather valuable and extraordinary material." Lorne thought to himself. "This small gathering probably won't be able to handle it."
Then he raised another request: "I'd like to buy another magical item with greater destructive power or a high-sequence talisman."
"How much damage does it cause?" someone asked.
"At least, it should reach the level of Sequence 6 or above."
Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence once again. "A magical item of Sequence 6 or higher? Are you kidding me! How could something like that possibly appear at a small gathering like this? Seriously." The chubby man from before couldn't help but complain.
Even the old man with the "Eye of Wisdom" spoke up, saying, "Young man, a Sequence 6 extraordinary item is already quite rare. It's seldom seen circulating in the market. The chances of encountering one at a gathering are very slim."
Ultimately, it was just a small gathering—Lorne nodded in agreement.
However, right there, a man with a slightly hoarse voice suddenly chuckled, "I do have something here that might meet your requirements."
"But whether you can use it well depends on your luck."
"luck?"
This word instantly piqued Lorne's interest. As one of the "lucky ones" who had just finished digesting the potion, he wasn't afraid to take a gamble.
"What is it? Tell me."
The man explained:
"It allows you to hear the voice of a great being directly. If you are lucky and can decipher useful information from it, you will become very powerful. Well—of course, if you are unlucky and decipher a vicious curse, or—you cannot decipher any useful information at all, you will suffer unimaginable harm, or even death."
"If you can withstand the risks, you may gain terrifying power far exceeding that of Sequence 6."
"How about it?" the man tempted. "Want to take a gamble? 350 pounds, and you can buy it."
Before he could finish speaking, the old man with the "Eye of Wisdom" warned in an extremely cold tone, "Black Serpent! Don't mention that ominous item of yours again!"
The man known as "Black Snake" chuckled dismissively, "I haven't broken any rules here. I've already explained all the pros and cons to him. His final choice is his own business."
Opening a blind box? And a blind box with extremely high risks at that.
However, given my "lucky" abilities, perhaps I really should give it a try.
Moreover, it doesn't necessarily have to be used now. The detectives haven't come up with any results yet. But if things really come to the most dangerous and desperate situation, this thing might actually be a trump card.
Of course, it would be quite awkward if you opened a blind box and got a bomb, and ended up being killed by it instead of the enemy, since the "Catastrophe Priest" also has a passive ability to attract catastrophe.
Countless thoughts flashed through Lorne's mind.
Finally, he raised his head:
"make a deal."
::
After several more transactions, this small but extraordinary gathering gradually came to an end.
"Alright, that's enough for today." The old gentleman with the "Eye of Wisdom" sitting in the main seat said, "As is customary, leave one by one, with a three-minute interval between each other."
Upon hearing this, everyone began to leave the dimly lit living room one by one in order. Before long, only Lorne, "The Eye of Wisdom," and the chubby man from before remained in the room.
Lorne turned to the man and asked, "Do you still have those healing potions you mentioned? I'd like to buy some."
"Potion?" The man shook his head and said, "I only brought a few this time, and they've all been sold. If you really want them, I can bring you two more at the next gathering."
"Oh, right!"
"Should we buy some more of that medicine? I feel like you'll need it."
"Listen—I don't need to—I'm not at that age yet, unless my other half is at a higher level than me. Of course, I don't have a other half right now," Lorne thought to himself.
Seeing that Lorne remained silent, the fat man chuckled again, adding in a slightly sarcastic tone, "On the condition that you can survive until the next gathering."
This guy really deserves a beating! Lorne knew he was being sarcastic about how much money he had just spent on that so-called "blind box".
However, being able to consistently sell potions with various effects, could he be the rare "pharmacist" the captain mentioned before?
At this moment, the "Eye of Wisdom" also looked at Lorne and said, "Young man, it seems you are indeed in considerable trouble. Just as Emperor Roselle once said—a desperate person will try anything."
Russell...you even plagiarize things like that?
Lorne met the deep eyes of the "Eye of Wisdom" hidden behind the mask, and felt as if he had seen the other person somewhere before.
He chuckled awkwardly and asked, "Sir, will I still be able to 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, "Alright. Young man, pay close attention to the daily *Backlund Morning Post*. When the fifth page features a picture of 'Ernst Trading Company' acquiring goods, it indicates that there will be a new gathering here at 8 PM the following evening. The interval between knocks is—"
After listening to the series of codes described by the "Eye of Wisdom," Lorne nodded, indicating that he had memorized them all.
"Alas, nowadays, it is an era of scarcity of mysteries. Many rare and extraordinary materials are rarely seen anymore," the "Eye of Wisdom" suddenly sighed, as if talking to itself.
Is this... a reminder that my actions in selling those materials were a bit too high-profile? — Lorne pondered.
1
Afterwards, Lorne left. He first went back to the "Brave Man's Bar" and briefly greeted Caspas, 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 around him, and said coldly, "Come out."
Suddenly, a phantom shadow slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner, eventually outlining a slender human figure wearing a mask.
Lorne recognized her; she was the woman who had sold him the potion recipe at the party earlier.
"What do you want to do?" Lorne asked warily, his hand already stealthily reaching into his robes.
"Don't misunderstand," the woman said. "I just want to—buy the silk glands of that 'Adult Widow Giant Spider' from you."
"Buying things?" Lorne frowned slightly. "Then why didn't you mention it at the party earlier?"
The woman shook her head: "That would be too high-profile."
"Is that so—" A cold smile curled at the corner of Lorne's lips. "Are you afraid of being too high-profile, or—did you originally intend to just kill and rob?"
The opponent's strength should only be Sequence 7. If it really comes down to a head-on confrontation, Lorne isn't afraid of her.
Upon hearing this, the woman paused slightly, then said after a moment, "Name your price. I'm in a hurry."
Knowing they couldn't defeat me, they chose to pay to take me down, right? — Lorne wondered to himself, trying to figure out the other party's intentions.
But—you're in a hurry, but I'm not.
Lorne could sense an undisguised urgency emanating from her. She seemed to be avoiding something and appeared somewhat agitated.
"Rank 1700," Lorne stated directly.
This price is fair. After all, this level of material would sell for over £1500 even in Bayam. It's normal for the price to be higher when shipped to Backlund.
But the woman shook her head: "Too expensive. 1000."
"No way." Lorne refused decisively; the price difference was too great.
"If you can't accept my price, then let's not do business." With that, Lorne prepared to leave.
"Wait!" the woman immediately stopped him. Her tone suddenly softened, "Couldn't you offer a slightly smaller discount?"
"If you offer a discount—"
"I can give you a little treat," she said, stretching out her right hand and making a circle in the air.
A peculiar, slightly sweet fragrance filled the air.
Trying to seduce me? Lorne rolled his eyes.
There are plenty of people trying to tempt me. You're not even qualified. Besides, your benefits aren't worth seven hundred pounds.
Lorne, who had a certain resistance to charm, decisively shook his head.
"spray-"
Seeing Lorne's completely unmoved expression, the woman cursed inwardly. Then, gritting her teeth, she said, "I can add a Sequence 7 'Assassin' pathway potion recipe to this price!"
"Hmm—a Sequence 7 recipe would probably cost around seven hundred pounds, so this price is reasonable." Lorne's pupils widened slightly, showing some interest, but he still cautiously asked, "How do I know if the recipe you gave me is real or fake?"
At the party just now, Haolie had the "Eye of Wisdom" to help with authentication. Now, that's gone.
"Hmph—" the woman chuckled softly, and said, "Because I myself am an extraordinary individual of the 'Assassin' pathway."
"Furthermore, I can tell you very clearly that the subsequent recipes for this method are only in the hands of a very small number of people and are basically never circulated to outsiders. Therefore, it is virtually impossible for you to buy this recipe anywhere else."
Does this mean that this extraordinary path has been completely monopolized by some mysterious organization? Lorne understood the implication in her words.
For some reason, he suddenly sensed an indescribable sincerity from this "assassin".
Could it be that she is a defector from some organization?
A few minutes later, Lorne stared at the newly acquired note with the recipe in his hand and fell into a long silence.
[Sequence 7: The Witch]