Inside the dim meeting room, a dozen or so Beyonders sat in their places,some hiding their faces, others acting indifferent. Yet, everyone keenly sensed that today's host was somewhat different.
Even though this host had only held two or three gatherings and always kept his face hidden beneath a hood, they still detected an oddity.
Some of the more observant Beyonders racked their brains and finally found the reason: today, the cat on the host's shoulder had a different expression!
While the idea of a "cat's expression" was strange, they felt the change clearly.
In previous gatherings, the cat had looked at them as if they were a bunch of "broke [BEEP]ers." But this time, they felt like the cat was looking at them like... mountains of gold?
'Did the cat get some kind of shock?'
The Beyonders who noticed the change speculated inwardly, but they didn't think it was trivial. At the end of the last gathering, a poor fool who tried to provoke the new host had his throat slit by that very cat in a single move.
'Could Mr. V be short on money lately?'
Some pondered this and grew nervous. While their pocket money might not incite the host's murderous intent, if one considered the value of their Beyonder characteristics... weren't they exactly like walking mountains of gold?
"Behave," Snow muttered, rubbing Lily's head. After a day spent wandering the factory and dock districts, the little one had drastically updated her understanding of money.
Previously, with the "Stupid Witch" as her baseline, she thought these people,whose transactions were mostly limited to dozens of pounds and only occasionally hit the hundreds,were paupers. But today she learned that the price of one of her fish snacks was what a human earned from two days of back-breaking labor hauling sacks!
Her master was a rich man!
If she left her master, she'd likely never eat another fish snack!
Once this logic formed in Lily's mind, she became much more obedient, but she also seemed to have acquired a "greedy" trait.
...
"Ahem. It seems everyone has arrived. Let the gathering begin!"
As "Mr. V" declared the start, attendants began delivering paper and pens to each participant. They continuously collected notes, reading them aloud and transcribing the text onto a blackboard.
"Formula for the [Sheriff] potion, 450 pounds..." Xio felt a wave of relief when she saw the words she'd been waiting for. The price hadn't increased, and it hadn't vanished. She quickly wrote her purchase request and handed it to a passing attendant.
Not long after, Xio was led to a study. Although the attendant provided concealing clothes, they did little for her height,unless they were accompanied by a pair of ten-centimeter "sky-high" heels.
Curiously, as she left the main room, she heard a faint piano melody. As a former noble lady, Xio keenly heard that it didn't belong to any piano piece she knew. In fact, the composition style was entirely different from Loen's current musical trends.
But before she could stop to listen, the seller,also shrouded in a cloak,interrupted.
"This is the [Sheriff] formula. Where is my money?" Xio snapped her head around, seeing the seller pressing a slip of paper onto the table. They spoke in a deliberately hoarse voice, "Here."
Xio pushed over the cash she had counted several times. After checking the authenticity and the amount, the seller finally let go of the formula.
Xio lunged forward and grabbed the paper. Her eyes scanned the main materials, but she was soon disappointed to find that while the materials weren't unheard of, she hadn't seen them for sale in any gathering.
Letting out a long sigh, Xio left the study with a heavy heart, returned the cloak to the attendant, and went back to the hall.
Since they now knew the identity of "The Fool," Xio and Fors hadn't dared to ask anyone to "purify a malicious spirit," fearing they might offend that Great Existence.
Just as the two felt that the night would end in such waiting, an attendant handed them two slips of paper.
One read: "Miss [Arbiter] who purchased the [Sheriff] formula, would you like to have a chat in the study? I might have what you need."
"!" Xio's pupils shrank. She immediately looked at Mr. V. Although Fors couldn't be certain, Xio had seen Snow's cat. Thus, she was positive that the host, Mr. V, was Snow!
But when she opened the second note, her expression changed drastically.
"I know you suspect me of leaking your transaction info. Unfortunately, you're wrong. Your height is so conspicuous that as long as you walk out at the right time, everyone knows what you traded. Hmm, if you want to be more discrete next time, remember to wear some high heels."
Pfft... Fors saw Xio's bizarre expression and leaned over to read the note. She couldn't help but let out a light laugh, then immediately tensed her facial muscles, acting as if the laugh hadn't come from her.
Xio ignored Fors's "ears-plugged-while-stealing-a-bell" act and whispered:
"Should I go?"
"Go where?" Fors was stunned, then saw the other note. A single glance was enough for her to say without hesitation:
"Go. As I said, that guy won't let himself lose money. Since it's in a gathering he hosts, he'll be the one suffering if anything goes wrong. It looks like he knows something about the person seeking you. Go feel them out. If you can get the materials, that's best. As for the person's identity, we can just ask him later. Asking for a low-sequence Beyonder's identity shouldn't be too expensive."
"True." Xio nodded and stood to go to the study. Fors remained on the sofa, quietly watching Snow as he teased the cat.
As if noticing Fors's gaze, Snow looked up and gave her a slight smile. Seeing that peerless beauty flash from beneath the hood, Fors turned her eyes away as if struck by lightning,not because she was dazzled, but because she feared others would notice she knew Snow.
Snow, however, didn't care. He was wearing [Unseen to All]. Aside from those who already knew him, no one could connect him to any other identity,even seeing Lily, they wouldn't remember the greedy cat that looked at everyone like bags of gold.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: "Salted Fish" (咸鱼) - Referring to Fors's laziness.
T/N: "Arbiter" (仲裁人) - Sequence 9 of the Arbiter pathway.
T/N: "Prince of Veterinarians" (兽医贵公子) - Snow's high-society nickname.