While Fors was intently studying the Trickmaster potion formula, Evah pocketed the cash. He knew that after this transaction, his value in the eyes of Fors and Xio had likely risen a few notches.
This was undoubtedly beneficial for future communication and cooperation.
At that moment, a server approached with a small note. The spiritual materials Evah had requested had a seller, but the price needed to be discussed in person.
Evah raised an eyebrow, glancing at the note and then toward where Mr. A had been sitting. Seeing that Mr. A was no longer there, he smiled, nodded, and followed the server to a small room.
The server opened the door and gestured for him to enter. Evah stepped inside and, as expected, found Mr. A, cloaked in his hood, waiting.
Having already anticipated this, Evah casually sat on the sofa opposite Mr. A. To his surprise, Mr. A silently stood, then knelt on one knee before him, like a shadow—fanatical yet loyal.
"Is this how everyone in the Aurora Order rolls?" Evah asked, eyeing the kneeling Mr. A with interest. Compared to Hanass Vincent, a mere cannon fodder, Mr. A was far more valuable and a purer fanatic of the True Creator—one of those who frequently received the True Creator's oracles, close to the divine.
"For a Favored of the God, respect is only proper," Mr. A replied, head still bowed, answering Evah's question with utmost seriousness.
"Makes sense," Evah said, nodding as if in agreement. "So, care to tell me what kind of oracle the God sent down?"
Evah was genuinely curious about how the True Creator had described him to His fervent followers.
He wasn't worried about Mr. A picking up on any slip-ups. For a fanatic, unless the God Himself spoke against it, they wouldn't dare act against a Favored.
Mr. A, as expected, showed no suspicion. With a fervent expression, he began recounting the True Creator's oracle.
Whether it was his wording or the True Creator's own vague phrasing, the oracle sounded incredibly chaotic. It took Luo Lin some effort to parse its meaning, which boiled down to: "The person before you is My Favored. Ask what he wants, fulfill his needs, and invite him to join the Aurora Order. If he refuses, let it be."
True Creator Boss, so generous!
Evah couldn't help but snark internally. Looking at Mr. A, whose expression was fervent but whose demeanor seemed a bit dim, he thought for a moment and said, "Joining the Aurora Order? Pass. I'm rather fond of my sanity and would like to keep it."
Mr. A's expression showed a hint of regret, but he didn't question why a Favored of the True Creator wasn't part of the Aurora Order. After all, the Aurora Order wasn't the only group that worshipped the True Creator, so it wasn't unreasonable.
"As for my needs…" Luo Lin paused, smiling. "Help me gather intelligence on the Beyonders hiding in Backlund. In return…"
"In the near future, I'll make the Creator of Old reappear in this era. Pass this message exactly as I've said it to the God. He'll understand."
Though Mr. A instinctively felt Evah's way of speaking wasn't quite like a typical Favored, as a fanatic, he wouldn't dare question one favored by his God. He simply bowed his head and said, "Yes, Your Excellency."
Evah suddenly thought of something else and looked at Mr. A with interest. "Say, Little A, ever thought about joining the Fun-seeker Club I'm starting?"
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea but something Evah had planned for a while. It was common knowledge that going solo in the Lord of Mysteries world—or with his abilities—was a dead end. Building his own organization was necessary.
And the "Fun-seeker" was the name of the organization Evah had founded. Sure, it currently had only one member—him—but that didn't matter. Evah was confident that one day, the Fun-seeker Club's name would echo across the entire Lord of Mysteries world.
Mr. A froze, clearly unprepared for being poached when he was usually the one inviting others to the Aurora Order.
If anyone else had made the offer, Mr. A would have rejected it outright—or worse. But this was Evah, marked as a Favored. His fervent faith left Mr. A hesitating.
At that moment, Mr. A tilted his ear slightly, as if listening to something. A second later, he looked at Luo Lin, his hesitation gone. "It would be my honor, Your Excellency."
Clearly, the True Creator was watching and had promptly sent an oracle.
Evah wasn't surprised. He knew Mr. A was likely sent by the True Creator as a spy to gather intel. But he didn't care, smiling as he said, "Welcome aboard, Little A. I'll fill you in on the club's details later."
"Oh, and I have some Roselle Diaries I'd like to sell. You wouldn't mind helping me out with that, right?" Evah added with a smile.
…
When Evah emerged from the small room, carrying a suitcase full of spiritual materials, and returned to his corner seat, the gathering was nearing its end.
"You were gone for a while. We were almost worried something happened," Xio said, visibly relieved, though she couldn't help muttering.
"The trade involved a lot of spiritual materials, so the haggling took some time. You know how it is—money's always tight, so every penny counts," Evah said with a smile. To sell the act, after finishing his business with Mr. A, he'd "purchased" a batch of spiritual materials—the free kind.
Evah felt no guilt. After all, he fully intended to summon the Ancient Sun God when he went to meet Medici, both to boost the hotpot evil spirit's favorability and to fulfill his deal with the True Creator.
Compared to "making the Creator of Old reappear in this era," what Luo Lin asked for was small potatoes.
As for why Evah was so certain the True Creator would be pleased with this deal? Was that even a question?
Whether it was to probe Evah's abilities, meet His past self, reconnect with His former self, or attempt to alter a predetermined tragedy, Evah was confident the True Creator wouldn't refuse—especially since he was throwing in a certain hotpot evil spirit as a bonus.
"I'm such an honest businessman…" Evah mused to himself, conveniently ignoring that his actions were driven by a love for stirring up trouble.
(End of Chapter)