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Thump~ Thump~ Thump~
Short, continuous knocking sounds echoed. Before Leyton could push the door open, the wooden door creaked open from the other side.
Bugs Bunny poked his small, tiger-like head out from behind the door, peering over. Leyton raised a hand and lightly tapped his forehead, then tugged his ear, pulling him out.
"Whoa! Boss, let go, my ear's going to break!"
Bugs Bunny kicked his legs, struggling free from Leyton's grip. His red eyes instantly welled up with a misty layer, looking pitifully at Leyton.
Leyton's mouth twitched slightly. He casually tossed the black top hat he had just pulled off back onto Bugs Bunny's head, saying:
"Ritz acts cute because he's genuinely cute. You're just a fat rabbit, don't try to imitate him."
Bugs Bunny froze, a human-like expression of embarrassment appearing on his fluffy face. He glared at Leyton, gritting his teeth somewhat, and said:
"That's too much! That's a rabbit-body shaming!"
Glenn propped her chin on her hands, her eyes slightly curved, looking at Bugs Bunny with a faint smile and saying:
"Haha, your little rabbit is really interesting. Are you interested in trading him for a cat with me?"
"Not interested, not interested! I don't want to sleep in a nest made of a pile of mechanical parts."
Bugs Bunny shook his head in a panic, answering before Leyton could speak.
Leyton took two steps forward, ruffled his head, and said:
"Then you go teach my class this morning and teach them some knowledge of Mysticism. If you really can't handle it, find your Knowledge Rabbit junior to help you."
"No problem." After the topic of trading a rabbit for an Artisan cat, Bugs Bunny's answer was especially firm.
Leyton chuckled, rubbing his head. His body instantly became transparent, like a statue formed from countless starlight, then shattered in an instant, turning into sparkling starlight that surged and drilled into the Spirit World.
Bugs Bunny scratched his head somewhat blankly, looking at where Leyton had left, unsure of what he should do next.
Glenn leaned back slightly, resting lazily against the chair back, her gaze still on Bugs Bunny. She chuckled and said:
"Little rabbit, are you sure you don't want to come to my house? I can build you a separate little nest. No, for a smart rabbit like you, you deserve your own bedroom."
"No!" Bugs Bunny took a step back, then shook his head repeatedly.
Backlund time, three o'clock in the afternoon.
Above the Gray Fog, within that magnificent and ancient palace, crimson light surged like waves, then rapidly receded, revealing blurry figures.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Audrey bowed slightly to the figure at the head of the mottled long table, greeting him in a lighthearted voice.
After a slight pause, she greeted the other members in turn:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man." "Good afternoon, Mr. Sun." "Good afternoon, Mr. Tower." .
The rest of the Tarot Club members also bowed and greeted Mr. Fool at the head of the table, then nodded to each other before taking their seats.
From the sound of it, Miss Justice is in a good mood today. It seems her brother in the military should be fine, and he has likely returned to Backlund. This also indicates that the matter of Paz River Valley has concluded… As thoughts churned, Klein's gaze subconsciously fell upon Leyton, who was leaning back in his high-backed chair.
"Respected Mr. Fool, I have collected two pages of Roselle diary this week."
The Hanged Man Alger's voice interrupted Klein's thoughts. He maintained his relaxed sitting posture, nodding slightly, and spoke in a leisurely tone:
"Very good."
Moon Emlyn glanced at The Hanged Man Alger, whose expression was unreadable, then looked at the figure shrouded in Gray Fog at the head of the mottled long table and said:
"Respected Mr. Fool, I also collected two pages of Roselle diary this week."
"I also collected one page of Roselle diary."
Magician Fors spoke next. This Roselle diary was bought by her at a Beyonder gathering she attended last week.
"Very good." Klein curled his lips, nodding slightly in a rather good mood.
He leaned back slightly, resting against the chair back, his gaze leisurely sweeping over everyone. Then he heard Hermit Cattleya say that she had also collected three pages of Roselle diary.
His right index finger lightly tapped the edge of the table in front of him twice, helping the Tarot Club members materialize the Roselle diary they had collected. Then, he raised his hand slightly, and the materialized yellowish-brown parchment pages automatically flew into his hand.
Everyone sat quietly in their seats, waiting for Mr. Fool to read today's Roselle diary, while their gazes, whether curious or expectant, scrutinized the expressions of the other Tarot Club members.
Leyton leaned back in his high-backed chair, closing his eyes to rest for a while. After some time, a tapping sound suddenly reached his ears.
At the head of the mottled long table, the figure shrouded in Gray Fog, indistinct, withdrew his right hand that had been tapping the table edge, and chuckled:
"You may begin your discussions."
Magician Fors looked around for a moment. Seeing that no one was speaking, she straightened up slightly, and at the same time raised her right hand, saying:
"Everyone, I need a complete Asmann's Brain, and also a cursed item from an Ancient Resentful Spirit."
"I wonder if any of you have these two materials, or even relevant clues would be fine."
After stating her needs, she took a deep breath, leaned back against the chair, and waited for everyone's answers.
Is Miss Magician going to be promoted to Scribe? Her progress is much faster than in the original… As thoughts floated, Leyton raised his left hand, pondering, and said:
"I know where there is a cursed item from an Ancient Resentful Spirit. If you need it, 1800 pounds."
"As for Asmann's Brain, this material is quite rare. You can look for the Abraham Family; their family treasury definitely still has stock."
1800 pounds! With my current financial situation, I can only afford 800 pounds at most. Even with Xio's savings, it's only 1000 pounds at most. There's still a difference of 800 pounds… Fors silently calculated all the gold pounds she could gather in her heart. The excitement that had just ignited was instantly extinguished.
Her gaze shifted awkwardly for a moment. She cleared her throat twice, feeling a bit guilty, and said:
"Um… I'll consider it and give you an answer in the next two days."
"No problem." Leyton nodded slightly in response. He had originally thought Fors would at least bargain, which was why he had quoted 300 pounds more.
It seems that transactions at the Tarot Club don't have a habit of bargaining. Is it because Mr. Fool is here, and everyone is mindful of their image? I always feel that Miss Justice, by herself, has established the tradition of not bargaining when buying things at the Tarot Club.
The World, seated at the very end of the mottled long table, suddenly spoke in a low, hoarse voice:
"I have a cursed item from an Ancient Resentful Spirit, 1600 pounds."
"Oh? You have one too?" Fors hesitated. She subconsciously turned her head to look at Leyton, who was leaning back in his high-backed chair. Seeing that his expression hadn't changed, she then turned to the somber and reserved The World and said:
"Okay, I'll need some time to raise the funds."
"No problem." Klein, manipulating his alternate account The World, responded in a hoarse voice.
After Fors and Klein reached a deal, Leyton's gaze swept around. Seeing that no one else was speaking, he raised his left hand and said:
"Does anyone need the Beyonder characteristic of a Scarlet Scholar?"
Although it was a question, his gaze went directly to Moon Emlyn, who was seated one seat away from him.
Scarlet Scholar? This corresponds to the Beyonder characteristic of a Sanguine Viscount! Emlyn's spirits lifted, and his eyes brightened as he looked at Leyton and said:
"How much?"
"8000 pounds." Leyton responded with a light chuckle.
Moon Emlyn's face suddenly fell, his mouth twitching slightly. 8000 pounds, even if I sold all the dolls I've collected, it wouldn't be enough. No, no, I would never sell them… The gold pounds Lord Nibbs sponsored me with last time have all been used on that Baron's inheritance. It's impossible for the Sanguine higher-ups to give me such a large sum of money again in a short period.
Emlyn opened his mouth, his expression somewhat troubled, and said: "Can it be cheaper? Or, do you need any help?"
8000 pounds, even if this Vampire sold himself, he wouldn't be able to gather it… Klein leaned back casually in his high-backed chair. He suddenly felt a sense of relief, seeing that everyone else was just as poor as him.
What is this? Believe in The Fool, get poverty? Klein scoffed at himself inwardly, his gaze turning to Leyton. He was curious how the other party would handle it, as Emlyn's poverty was well-known.
Leyton rested his right hand on the armrest of the high-backed chair, tapping it twice lightly, then pondered:
"I accept work-for-debt. Paz River Valley is very short on manpower right now. Given that you are too far away, you can also choose to work from home."
"Work from home?" Emlyn repeated the words from Leyton's mouth, somewhat confused.
Sure enough, this guy was aiming for Emlyn himself from the start; work-for-debt is even on the table… Klein leaned back slightly against the chair, his mouth twitching a little.
"The general work content is to organize the knowledge of herbs and simple potion concoction that you know, describe them in easy-to-understand language, and publish them in newspapers."
"Hmm, you'll need to use the Dutanese. If you haven't mastered this language and its corresponding script, I can find you a channel to learn it yourself."
Leyton sat up a bit straighter, simply reiterating the work he had prepared for Emlyn.
"That's it?" Emlyn was a little surprised. This was much simpler than what he had been imagining in his head just now.
I thought I would need to help explore some dangerous ruins, or hunt some dangerous creatures or something like that.
Leyton nodded, chuckling:
"That's it. This is a formal job, but you won't get a salary until you pay off your debt. If you were in the Southern Continent, I might even arrange some bounty missions for you, but Backlund is too far away, so no."
"Employing noble Sanguine is much more expensive than employing ordinary adventurers."
Emlyn raised his chin, emphasizing the phrase "noble Sanguine."
Can he even be proud of this? …Below the Gray Fog, Klein's expression froze for a moment.
Is this something to be proud of? None of us here seem to be adventurers… Magician Fors subtly glanced at Mr. Moon opposite her. She always felt that the Sanguine's way of thinking was somewhat different from humans.
Leyton saw that Emlyn had no objection to his proposal. He nodded lightly and then spoke again:
"Heh, I also have some surplus Beyonder characteristics here. If you're interested, you can buy them from me, or directly order Mystical Items. Of course, that would cost extra."
"Planter, Doctor, and Harvest Priest from the Planter pathway; Apothecary and Beast Tamer from the Moon Pathway; Prisoner and Lunatic from the Mutant Pathway…"
"These are what I can get directly. I also have some higher Sequence characteristics, but they require negotiation with various forces, and I might not be able to get them, especially from the Sanguine. They guard their characteristics very closely."
"Every Beyonder characteristic of Sequence 7 from the Moon Pathway represents a newborn, which is of course very important to the Sanguine!"
Emlyn raised his hand and tapped the bronze long table in front of him, speaking in a serious tone.
I wonder how the Sanguine reproduce. Do they directly separate a part of their flesh and blood and the corresponding Beyonder characteristic from their own body? Or is it like humans, but they must separate a Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 7 Vampire for the embryo to form?
Klein shook his head slightly, shaking off the increasingly absurd images in his mind. Then he manipulated his alternate account, The World, and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"If a Mystical Item is crafted using a Doctor's Beyonder characteristic, to what extent can its healing ability be retained?"
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