"What do you mean?" Bernadette frowned slightly, confused by Lorne's abrupt statement.
Lorne shook his head, offering no explanation. He couldn't clearly articulate that strange feeling himself, much less describe it in words.
"I will find a way to help you with rosell's diary. But that will have to wait until I leave this place."
"Very well."
Bernadette nodded. It seemed she had been startled by the sudden, unprovoked Backlash just now, making her appear quite "docile." She neither insisted nor probed further.
"That—the Monster Pathway, does it have neighboring Pathways?" Lorne asked, as if suddenly remembering something.
"No," Bernadette answered very straightforwardly. "Among the twenty-two known Divine Pathways, 'Monster' is the most unique one; it has no adjacent Pathways."
"None, huh... I wouldn't be so sure..." Lorne muttered under his breath, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly.
A mysterious intuition told him that he might—have other options.
"Speaking of Pathways, I wanted to ask, are Bard, Sailor, and Reader neighboring Pathways?" Lorne asked, recalling something else.
Bernadette did not reply immediately, merely watching him silently with an amused look.
"I can pay for the information."
"No need."
Bernadette shook her head gently, declining his offer of payment. She pondered briefly, seemingly weighing the matter, and then said, "Considering you were quite the 'gentleman' just now—it won't hurt to tell you. They are indeed adjacent Pathways."
She paused, then revealed more crucial information: "In addition, they are adjacent to Secrets Supplicant, and also—the Spectator Pathway."
Five Pathways adjacent to each other—a flash of understanding crossed Lorne's eyes, and he sighed softly, "How extravagant."
The other party's answer cleared up many doubts in his mind. The most important one was why the three major Churches—Storm, Sun, and Knowledge and Wisdom—were perpetually hostile toward each other.
Because in each other's eyes, the opponent was "material" that could be used for advancement.
Following this theory, Lorne could roughly guess why Evernight Goddess and God of Combat were hostile. They were probably also adjacent Pathways. This was the most fundamental conflict, rooted in the Law of Aggregation and Conservation of Beyonder characteristics!
"Right, let's talk about the main business."
Bernadette stood up and slowly walked toward Lorne, looking down at him from a superior position. At this moment, she lived up to her title of Queen Mystic, truly appearing like a queen surveying her subjects.
"Main business?" Lorne was stunned by her gaze, then felt confused.
"Aren't you short on money?" Bernadette's lips curved slightly, revealing a confident smile. "I can lend it to you."
Her body leaned slightly forward, exposing her queenly aura completely.
"Out of consideration for Cattelya, I can waive the interest."
After a brief silence, Lorne still shook his head.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. If he truly borrowed two hundred thousand pounds from her, he would be completely bound to this Queen Mystic. By then, what he owed would be more than just money; it would be an insurmountable debt of favor.
A Queen's favor is never fully repaid!
"Thank you for your kindness, but—" Lorne changed the topic. "I wanted to ask, do you collect Potion formulas?"
"Potion formulas?" Bernadette nodded slightly. "Yes, I do collect some formulas."
Oravi Island has many people, including Beyonders from various Pathways. Therefore, she consciously collects formulas from different Pathways for contingencies.
"What? You want to sell me a formula?"
Lorne neither confirmed nor denied, asking instead, "I want to know, roughly how much is a Sequence 4 formula worth?"
Sequence 4? Did I guess wrong? He doesn't want to sell, but wants to buy the Misfortune Mage formula from me?
"Hmm—" Her fair fingers gently rested against her chin as she fell into brief contemplation.
"A Sequence 4 formula of this level is usually priceless. Even if you could find a channel, the price would likely be over thirty thousand pounds. There might also be a premium depending on the Pathway."
That's about the same as the information I heard from the Captain back then—Lorne realized.
"What? You want to buy a Sequence 4 formula from me?" Bernadette asked.
"No."
He had just been promoted to Sequence 5 and hadn't thought that far ahead yet.
"I happen to have a few Demigod-level Potion formulas that I can sell off cheaply. Are you interested?"
In the end, Lorne sold the Sequence 4 Cataclysmic Interrer and Sequence 3 Sea King Potion formulas from the Storm Pathway to the Queen Mystic for one hundred thousand pounds.
This was definitely a bargain price; Sequence 4 formulas are priceless, and Sequence 3 formulas are even more so.
Buying them for one hundred thousand pounds was absolutely a huge steal.
Perhaps because she had been blinded by that Mysterious White Light when peeking at Lorne earlier, Bernadette had gained a profound understanding of the secrets surrounding him. Thus, she didn't ask how he acquired these formulas.
This was also why Lorne chose to trade now: to quickly finalize the deal while the other party was not in her best state, mixed with a little uneasiness and fear, lest delays lead to complications.
This was an excellent opportunity for him. The Queen Mystic was one of the few people who could handle this formula; she was a Pirate King and must have dealt frequently with the Storm Church. Only a powerhouse of this level would risk consuming this formula.
However, even so, he still didn't dare to sell Angel-level formulas. The reason was simple: the risk was too great—
The Queen Mystic herself probably wasn't even an Angel.
For Bernadette, this was also a worthwhile transaction, as the price Lorne offered was indeed very cheap.
She guessed that this was mostly because Lorne was currently short on money and couldn't sell the formulas quickly. Most importantly, concluding this transaction was beneficial for stabilizing their cooperative relationship.
Father—After everything that happened tonight, a sense of hope inexplicably ignited in her heart.
She had a premonition that she might be able to find the truth about certain matters through him.
Therefore, maintaining a friendly relationship was necessary.
Since both sides were satisfied, the transaction was successfully concluded at an astonishing speed.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Sensing the changes in the surrounding Spiritual Power, Bernadette's tone was somewhat urgent.
"My spell cannot be maintained for much longer."
So you weren't that confident after all—Lorne muttered to himself internally. Then, he asked a practical question: "How should I contact you actively? And how should I give you rosell's diary?"
"That is indeed a problem—" Considering Lorne was currently detained, Bernadette pondered for a moment. "I can tell you the method to summon my Messenger."
"You should know what a 'Messenger' is, right?"
"Yes." Lorne nodded. He had heard of these special creatures that exist in the Spirit World and can transmit messages across vast distances.
"Alright, remember this." Bernadette's lips moved, reciting an Incantation.
"The invisible creature roaming above the Spirit World, the Strange Spirit friendly to humans, the Messenger unique to Bernadette Gustav—"
Gustav—
That surname made Lorne slightly stunned.
Could it be—
He wanted to say something more, but saw Bernadette's body turn transparent, disappearing from the spot in the blink of an eye.
"Gustav—" Lorne looked around blankly, muttering to himself.
"Tch, boring. So—she wasn't an Old Flame after all!"
"But if I had known she was so straightforward, I would have named a higher price—"
At the entrance of the Logot Firearm Factory.
Prompted by Fors' reminder, Hugh, realizing Scott had been missing for several days, felt uneasy and went directly to the firearm factory, hoping to find him.
At the factory gate, she met the Gatekeeper she was somewhat familiar with—Old Kohler.
Old Kohler recounted the recent events to her.
"What?! Scott—he was arrested by the Police?!"
After hearing Old Kohler's account, Hugh became visibly agitated.
"Scott isn't that kind of person!"
"Calm down, Miss Hugh! I also believe that a good man like Mr. Scott would never do anything bad!" Seeing Hugh agitated, Old Kohler quickly tried to comfort her.
"There must be some misunderstanding. The Factory Director has already hired a Lawyer, and I believe Mr. Scott will be released soon."
Hearing Old Kohler's words, Hugh felt even more anxious instead of reassured.
Scott was a very capable Beyonder; there was no way he would get tangled up in a minor, ordinary case.
Could it be—he accidentally offended a Noble or a gangster, just like she did back then?
Hugh recalled the time she physically "arbitrated" a certain Gang Leader and was subsequently arrested.
No! I must go and ask about it.
Visitation Area.
Lorne leaned forward, his head slightly lowered, staring at the anxious, petite figure in front of him.
"So, you just rushed over here?" Lorne asked Hugh, who was standing before him, curiously.
When he heard someone came for a visit, he thought Ted had brought the Lawyer. He didn't expect it to be Hugh.
"Yes—Scott, you were framed, right?" Hugh asked, her face full of worry.
"Of course. I didn't do anything, yet they inexplicably locked me up."
"Did you offend—" Hugh was interrupted by Lorne before she could finish her sentence.
"Listen, Hugh, I'm innocent, but I feel like the matter behind this is complicated and the water runs deep." Lorne dropped his smile, his tone becoming serious. "So, listen to me: don't interfere, and don't inquire too much."
He immediately showed a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, you know what kind of person I am. I know my limits and won't get into trouble. What I'm most worried about now is the factory."
He paused, then said in a half-joking, half-serious tone: "What I hope for most now is that you, being kind and capable, can help me look after the factory, and prevent my efforts from being seized by opportunistic gangs or thugs—I still need to rely on it to make a living once I get out."
"But—but—"
Hugh knew he was comforting her and didn't want her to get involved in danger, but the more he did, the more distressed she felt, as a wave of powerless anger and sadness washed over her.
Judging by his tone, this matter was more complicated than just offending a noble or a gang.
It might even involve higher levels.
"I—" She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.
Matters that might involve the official level were indeed beyond the reach of a Low-Sequence Beyonder like her.
Scott said this because he didn't want her to be implicated.
But one thing she believed: Scott was innocent! He absolutely had not done anything bad!
After the visit ended, Hugh rushed back, filled with worry.
"What should I do—Can I really just pretend nothing happened?"
—
If Scott was truly caught up in some high-level turmoil, she didn't believe he could easily extricate himself.
Only Big Figures from the upper echelon could help with this kind of thing—
Hugh felt sad once again because of her own powerlessness.
Can I—really do nothing at all—
the official—the upper echelon—the nobles—
!!!
As she walked, she suddenly remembered something. A kind, noble figure, always full of Justice, suddenly appeared in her mind.
"That's right! Miss Audrey!"
"Maybe I can ask her for help!"