"She clearly died five years ago..."
Edward was stunned.
If Christine had died five years ago, then who—or what—was the person they had just seen?
He couldn't help but think of Klein. In the original story, he, too, had died and come back multiple times, but that was thanks to the Seer Pathway's privilege of prepaying for a resurrection via the powers of the Sefirah Castle.
What about Christine? What was her reason?
"Are you sure she died?"
Lawrence nodded heavily. "Our family has always had a sparse lineage. Someone her age dying young would've drawn the attention of most of the family members."
"I personally attended her funeral. I saw her buried in the grave."
Edward frowned. "Could it be the effect of some mystical item? From what I know...those on the Corpse Collector pathway gain resurrection abilities at high sequences."
"I can't be sure. But I do know there's no such item within our family. And her...at the time, she was just a Sequence 8 Trickmaster. Where would she have gotten something like that?"
"Well…"
You ask me, who am I supposed to ask?
"Could it be that the Christine who died was a fake? Or that the one now is an impostor?"
"I've ruled out all those possibilities."
Edward subconsciously rubbed his chin, raising another question. "If this whole thing is full of mysteries, why don't you just ask her directly?"
"She's missing those memories. She doesn't seem to know she died."
"Doesn't seem to?"
"I've never told her about it—afraid it might trigger some unknown side effects. From subtle probing, I've found that her past memories are fragmented. All she's fixated on now is finding the so-called family treasure and acquiring powerful Sealed Artifacts to avenge her parents."
"Her parents…they really died unjustly?"
"Yes, it was a traitor within the family who did it during a betrayal." Edward fell into thought, mumbling to himself, "Another one tied to the Saint of Secrets?"
As the two men conversed, Lilith's head bobbed back and forth, her big eyes flickering with the confused stupidity of someone hopelessly out of the loop. But Edward had forbidden her from speaking in front of others, so all her questions just kept piling up inside her—swelling like a balloon on the verge of bursting.
Lawrence let out a heavy sigh.
"Christine is the last descendant of my brother's line. If it's possible, I want to find out what exactly happened to her."
"My initial plan was to ask a friend for help. But I quickly gave up that idea. If there's something wrong behind Christine's resurrection, it might bring disaster upon him."
Of course.
So if I take on the job, I guess it's totally fine to bring the disaster my way?
"You're a Beyonder on the Apprentice pathway, so you know how rare the formulas for Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 are. How about exchanging them for a promise?"
Edward snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid I'll just take the deal and not follow through?"
"Not at all."
Lawrence's tone was firm. Then, without another word, he silently took out a contract.
"Sign this, and the formulas are yours. Don't worry, it doesn't force you to get results—only that you keep this matter in mind."
At this, his aged face showed a faint smile. "Of course, you could kill me now or try to hypnotise me. But I guarantee, you wouldn't get any useful information."
"And more importantly, if you do discover something, Christine can take you to my friend—to exchange for the next set of formulas."
Tch. So you've planned this from every angle, huh?
And having Christine lead the way means I'll need to ensure her safety too?
Not a drop leaks out of this setup.
Edward picked up the contract and scanned it quickly. Lilith immediately stretched out her little paw and dragged the paper toward herself for a closer look. Just as Lawrence said, there was nothing in it that would harm Edward. But it was a hook—a tether—that would tie him to Christine's protection and the mystery she carried.
"Fine, I'll sign."
He accepted the fountain pen Lawrence offered and wrote his name on the dotted line.
A few seconds later, the contract burned into ash.
"Thank you."
Lawrence seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. There was deep fatigue in his eyes, but he still forced himself to stay upright. He picked up a pen and wrote down the formulas for Scribe and Traveler.
——
[Sequence 6: Scribe]
Main Ingredients:One complete brain of an Asmann, cursed artifacts of an ancient wraith.
Supplementary Ingredients:15 grams of Golden Cloak Grass powder, 5 grams of Water-formed Gem powder, 10 grams of Memory Crystal.
——
[Sequence 5: Traveler]
Main Ingredients:Heart of a Spirit World Drifter, Crystal of a Thousand-Faced Hunter.
Supplementary Ingredients:15 grams of body fluid from a Spirit World Drifter, 10 grams of Black Panther of Evil Runes' blood, residual spirituality of a Thousand-Faced Hunter.
Ritual:Set up special coordinates in four completely different spots deep in the Spirit World which are all set up extremely far away from each other.
——
After deeply etching the two formulas into his memory, a tongue of fire sprang from Edward's fingertip and consumed the paper.
"Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. I'll be on my way now."
He offered a gentle smile and said quietly, "May you advance to a demigod soon."
As he stepped out of the hotel, Christine walked up to him, holding a golden-covered book in her hand.
Edward was taken aback. Wasn't that the book said to have the Abraham Family's treasure? The one Lanevus was looking for!
Sensing his confusion, Christine explained, "That day, when Lanevus attacked the Nighthawks, I took it from him during the chaos."
After a brief pause, she said, "I've nearly deciphered the secret behind this book. But…"
Edward raised an eyebrow. "You're still missing a key, aren't you?" This woman had approached him in the first place because of the Master Key, yet she spun tale after tale.
She nodded. "From what I can tell so far, the treasure doesn't seem to be on the continent."
"Not on the continent?"
Edward was stunned. He had just been considering a voyage overseas, and now the Abraham family treasure turned out to be off the mainland?
Was fate conspiring to trigger his coincidence-induced PTSD again?
"Well then, come find me once you've truly cracked it."
With that, he apparated away. Right now, his top priority was gathering the materials for the Scribe potion.
The moment they arrived home, Lilith leapt out of his arms and burst out impatiently, "Edward, you two just said a whole bunch of things Miss Lilith didn't understand at all~"
"Honestly? I have a lot of questions too. But it can't be helped—he knew I needed the formulas and was counting on me jumping into the trap."
"Then he's not a good person!"
"Mmm…I wouldn't say that. People are complicated creatures. It's hard to define someone as simply good or bad."
Lilith immediately raised her chin proudly and declared, "Exactly! Cats are simple—mice are bad guys, and any cat that catches mice is a good cat!"
"Yes, yes, Lilith is the best!"
"That's right!"
Now thoroughly pleased, the little one pranced off to entertain herself by chasing her tail.
Edward, meanwhile, prepared the ritual setup and prayed to the great Fool:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.
I beseech your help, I seek your favour."
"I request that you convey my needs to Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. Sun.
I wish to purchase one complete brain of an Asmann, a cursed item of an ancient wraith,
As well as the corpses of a Spirit World Drifter and a Thousand-Faced Hunter."
"Thank you, Mr. Fool."
Soon after, the silhouette of the Fool appeared amidst the grey fog. In a calm tone, He replied:
"Understood."
At once, both Alger at sea and Derrick in the City of Silver received Edward's request for procurement.
The Fool-brand pager—universally acclaimed!
"Next is Sharron and Maric…and tonight's Eye of Wisdoms Beyonder gathering."
Since he had never summoned messenger birds from them, the birds hadn't memorised their aura, meaning Edward would have to personally make a trip to the Brave Bar.
This time, he left Lilith behind. "You should have some time to act out your role!"
———
In the afternoon, the bar wasn't particularly lively.
A few folks from nearby jobs had dropped in, ordered a pint of Southernville beer, and were now kicking back, gossiping or resting.
Edward skipped the usual route through Kaspars and used coin divination to locate Maric's room directly. He knocked, then stepped inside.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Maric. It's me—Edward." The usual hostility and wariness on Maric's face had eased a bit.
Edward got straight to the point. "Do you have any of the materials on this list, or access to anyone who might?"
Maric took the slip of paper and scanned it quickly. "Golden Mantle Grass powder, Water-form Gem powder, and Memory Crystals—those aren't hard to obtain. But the rest won't be easy to find in the short term."
"If you come across any leads in the future, I'd appreciate it if you let me know. I'll pay in gold pounds."
Maric paused for a moment, then said, "If we help you find these items, can it offset that commission we owe you?"
"Absolutely."
Edward agreed without hesitation, then asked curiously, "Mr. Maric, you seem unusually eager to fulfill my commission."
"I don't like owing people anything. Neither does Sharron."
A glint of menace flashed in his eyes. "If you'd said no just now, I would've recommended Sharron give you a lump sum of money to forcibly cancel the debt—just to avoid the risk of you assigning us something impossible later."
Edward only shrugged, offering no opinion on the matter. He glanced around and asked, "Is Miss Sharron not here today?"
"She's playing bodyguard for that friend of yours you introduced her to," Maric said, his tone turning slightly odd. "Your friend…is quite the puzzle. So scared that he had to hire protection, yet this morning he still took on a commission to catch a cheater."
Hmm…classic Fool quadrant—brave and cowardly at the same time. Sounds about right, especially when money's involved.
"Mr. Maric, do you happen to know anyone else who might be selling these materials?"
His expression grew serious as he shook his head. "Aren't you aware of our current situation? Ever since those Indulgence Faction people made their move, Sharron and I have been lying low. We avoid contact with other Beyonders unless absolutely necessary."
"I understand."
Edward recalled some plotlines from the original novel and added, "If you and Miss Sharron ever need help, feel free to contact me. My strength…should be on par with most mid-sequence Beyonders."
There was a short silence, then Maric nodded solemnly.
"Thank you."
——
Leaving the room, Edward was immediately greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of food. His stomach rumbled—he hadn't realised it was already mealtime.
"Smells this good? Even if it doesn't taste amazing, it shouldn't be bad either. Hmm, might as well give the food here a try."
He made his way to the bar, ordered a pint of beer, and—on the bartender's recommendation—got a plate of grilled sausages and a bowl of mushroom soup. Though the prices were steeper than outside, the portions were generous.
Tearing off a piece of crusty bread, he dipped it into the mushroom soup and took a bite—crispy and fragrant, with the sweet savoriness of the soup blending beautifully. The grilled sausage, slightly charred, added a smoky depth. The flavour really was good—no wonder this place had loyal patrons.
Just as he was savouring his lunch, a woman sat down beside him. She ordered a beer, took off her worn hat, and turned to Edward with a smile:
"We meet again, Mister."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.