"???"
Edward looked over, puzzled. After a brief moment of confusion, he recognised her—the woman who had paid a hundred pounds after hearing the story of "Covering One's Ears While Stealing a Bell" on the carriage earlier that morning.
A suspected high-sequence Beyonder.
He was still using the same face, so being recognised wasn't surprising.
"Well, what a coincidence."
Edward quickly adjusted his demeanour and smiled. "You're here for a meal too? The mushroom soup and sausages here are genuinely good. I recommend giving them a try."
"Alright."
A fresh serving of grilled sausage and mushroom soup was soon brought to the table. She took a small spoonful of soup, nodded, and commented, "It is quite good."
Mimicking Edward, she tore the bread into small pieces, dipped them in the soup, and while eating, said, "Can you tell another story like the one from yesterday? I enjoy collecting interesting little tales like that."
As she spoke, she pulled out ten ten-pound notes folded into neat squares and placed them on the bar counter.
"Of course, I'll pay."
"Hm, let me think…"
The money wasn't the main thing, but if telling a fable could win the favour of a high-sequence powerhouse, then this deal was definitely worth it.
"Got one. This story is called Blending in with the Crowd. Oh, and just so you know—the lute is a kind of old-fashioned string instrument."
"An overwhelming musical instrument blending in? What does that mean?"
"It goes like this: there was once a king who adored music—especially the lute. So, he hired a grand orchestra of lute players, hundreds of them, and had them perform together in his royal court. The louder and more majestic the sound, the better. He didn't care much for individual talent—he just loved the spectacle.
One man heard about this and thought it was a great opportunity. Even though he couldn't play the lute at all, as long as he blended in with the crowd, no one would know he couldn't play. Yet he'd still get rewarded by the king."
The woman nodded. "A foolish king and a cunning man."
"But then the old king passed away, and a new king came to power. The good news? This new king also liked listening to the lute. The bad news? He didn't like ensemble performances—he preferred solo performances from each musician. And just like that, the man who couldn't play was immediately exposed."
The woman appeared contemplative. "Just like the story from yesterday—conveying a certain message through a tale. A clever approach. Where did you hear these stories?"
Edward scratched his head. "I heard them from someone too…Maybe they originated with Emperor Roselle?"
She nodded and didn't pursue the question further.
"I quite like this one as well."
She slid the money toward Edward.
"Thank you."
Edward accepted it without hesitation. After a moment of thought, he said, "Could you give me a way to contact you? If I come up with new stories, I could write them down and pass them to you."
She put down her fork, took a sip from her large mug of beer, and replied calmly, "Stories should be heard in person—that's what makes them interesting."
She stood up, put her hat back on, and walked out.
"If I want to hear a story again, I'll come find you. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Edward watched her disappear into the street and muttered to himself:
"Met her in the morning, ran into her again in the afternoon…Coincidence? Who'd believe that? Damn it. I just casually mentioned an idiom, and now I'm being targeted? How unlucky can I get…"
———
The next night at 8 PM.
Edward walked into the Eye of Wisdom's Beyonder gathering, accompanied by several people wearing iron masks.
The old detective who hosted the event seemed to recognise him at a glance and gave him a slight nod. Edward politely returned the gesture, then picked a sofa in the centre and sat down.
As time passed, the drawing room gradually filled. Before long, Edward spotted a familiar figure entering—someone who looked a lot like Klein.
Our dear Fool was practically radiating vigilance—toward the environment, toward people, toward all the unknowns.
"Alright, looks like almost everyone's here. Let's begin."
As the old detective's voice fell, people began listing their first round of needs. Most were requesting ingredients, a few were looking for formulas, mostly for potions below Sequence 7.
After some bargaining, a few deals were struck, warming up the previously stiff and quiet drawing room.
"There've been more beasts in the sewers lately. The herbs I worked so hard to grow were completely ruined."
The chubby apothecary opened the floodgates of complaints. "But I don't think they were going after the herbs. It's like different groups of beasts are fighting turf wars down there. Every time they brawl, my pots and jars end up smashed to pieces."
Edward blinked in surprise. Turf wars? That didn't quite line up with how it went in the original plot…
The apothecary continued, "Anyway, I don't care why they're fighting. I just want my herbs safe, so…"
He looked around the room. "I need someone to clear out the area under the Backlund Bridge. I'll pay with four rare potions."
When no one responded, he gritted his teeth and added, "Plus 30 pounds extra!"
Eventually, the job was taken by Black Snake.
Once their transaction was complete, a woman hidden completely under a shadowy hood produced two mystical weapons, which were sold off quickly.
"I'm looking to buy one complete Brain of Asmann and a cursed item related to an Ancient Wraith. If anyone has it—or has information—please let me know."
As expected, this level of gathering rarely produced high-grade items. No one responded.
Edward thought for a moment and added, "This might be the last time I attend this gathering. Anyone still not interested in buying my spatial storage item?"
Everyone began murmuring among themselves. Two of them hesitated for a long time but ultimately couldn't bring themselves to fork over such a large sum.
Klein, who had been secretly observing, immediately realised that this person was Edward…or someone Edward had entrusted?
"No one?"
Edward asked once more. At that moment, the host of the gathering, the Eye of Wisdom, spoke up, "I'll take a small one. Eight thousand pounds? We can do the trade after the gathering."
"Of course, no problem!"
God of Poverty, Klein's lips curled with envy. Eight thousand pounds! How many missing cats would he need to find, how many cheating couples would he have to bust to earn that much?
The key point was, Edward likely had the ability to mass-produce these items—meaning, potentially, countless batches of eight thousand pounds!
Aaaah!!
He screamed internally like a groundhog.
Jealousy makes one crazy! Envy makes one twisted!
Klein took a deep breath to calm the frenzy in his heart. Then, suppressing his voice, he said, "I want to sell an item."
———
"That's it for today. As usual, leave one by one, three minutes apart," announced the old Eye of Wisdom at 9:30 PM, signalling the end of the gathering.
Klein was the last to leave, and by the time he left, it was already 10:10.
The elderly detective took out a dark-colored pipe and took a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Then he waved it away with a few flicks of his hand and smiled. "Apologies, just a little indulgence of mine."
"No problem."
Edward pulled out a wallet enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. "This is the item. Shall we make the trade now?"
"Sure."
Still puffing his pipe, the old man took the wallet with both hands, carefully opened it, and peered inside to confirm the extra-dimensional space.
"I've read about this. Some high-sequence Beyonders—seems to be Sequence 4 of the Apprentice pathway—can use their mastery of space to create pocket dimensions. But I've never seen one in person."
Isengard Stanton looked like a child who had just gotten a new toy. He flipped the wallet around repeatedly, muttering to himself, trying to analyse its inner workings.
"Hm, you said that no matter how heavy an item is, once placed inside, the wallet doesn't weigh more. How does that work?"
Edward was speechless.
How the hell would I know? It's just a wallet enchanted with a spell from Harry Potter. You want me to explain the magical physics?
"Sorry, I'm not really sure."
"Then…what if I want to store something bigger than the wallet itself? Like this chair?"
Isengard picked up a chair. The moment it got close to the wallet, it was pulled in by a sudden force, shrank and twisted into the wallet in an instant.
Isengard's eyes widened in astonishment. "Oh, so that's how it works...But again, what kind of principle is that?!"
"Sorry, still don't know."
He leaned down to peer inside, spotting the chair that had returned to its normal size. He asked again, "And how do I retrieve items from inside?"
"Well, if you can reach it, just stick your hand in and grab it. If not, you'll have to go in yourself."
"You mean...people can go in too?"
"Of course. Didn't I mention that?"
"You didn't!"
Seeing him about to crawl inside out of pure excitement, Edward quickly stopped him. "Sir, I believe you've already verified that everything works. It's getting late—I should head home."
"Oh, right, my apologies."
Isengard quickly returned to the calm and composed figure Edward had seen before. "Ahem, sorry. I get overly curious when I see new and interesting things."
That seemed to be a common trait of the Reader pathway—an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a passion for sharing it.
Oh right, didn't promotion to Sequence 6 require a Polymath's Beyonder characteristic? Would it be rude to ask the Eye of Wisdom about that? Besides, wasn't he a Sequence 7? He might want the Scholar characteristic more than I do…
Screw it.
With that in mind, Edward spoke up: "Sir, I'm looking to purchase a Polymath's Beyonder characteristic. Do you know where I might find one?"
Isengard paused, puffed on his pipe, then said, "Honestly, I'm looking for one too. If I ever find one, I'll be keeping it for myself…unless I somehow get two at once."
"Fair enough."
Isengard then counted out a thick stack of banknotes and handed them to Edward. "Here's the 8,000 pounds."
"Much appreciated!"
Indeed, in every world, money always brings the simplest joy.
Today's sales—various potions plus the wallet—brought in a total of 8,300 pounds. The potion ingredients cost under 30 Galleons. The wallet? Just 20 pence. Pure profit: about 8,200 pounds.
Including what he had saved up previously, he now had nearly 30,000 pounds in his pocket!
And this kind of Undetectable Extension Charm item wasn't just a one-time deal. Once the 80cm version sold out, he could launch a 1-meter model. Then 3 meters, 5 meters, even 10 meters!
I'm truly a business genius!
To avoid drawing unwanted attention after raking in such a huge profit, Edward didn't even bother leaving through the door. He used Apparition to teleport straight back to the inn.
Lilith was curled up like a loaf on the sofa, seemingly having waited a long time. She slowly stood up, stretched out like a lazy cat, and asked, "Where have you been, Edward? It's so late."
Edward walked over and patted her head. "Sorry. Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat."
"No need~ Miss Lilith already ate. A big fat rat."
"...Thanks for the hard work. Still have to hunt for your own food."
"No worries. That's what cats do."
Edward pulled out a dried fish treat and held it out with a smile. "Then, Miss Lilith, would you like a little dessert?"
"Yes, please!"
She grabbed the fish in one bite and began nibbling contentedly.
"Did you do your acting properly today?"
Lilith froze, her tail swishing. "I did."
"How did you act?"
"...Umm. I caught a rat."
"And then you—"
She looked like a kid being nagged by a parent, lightly hopping off the couch and scampering to the bedroom. "I'm going to sleep now."
"..."
Inside the bedroom, Lilith burrowed under the covers, poking her little head out. Her sapphire eyes were half-closed. The moment she saw Edward enter, she quickly pretended to be asleep.
"Did you wash your feet?"
"I did…Zzz…Miss Lilith is asleep now."
"Sleeping without brushing your teeth will give you frog teeth~"
She kept her eyes shut, long lashes trembling slightly. After a long pause, she whispered, "What are frog teeth?"
"It's when tiny bugs grow inside your teeth and start eating them away, giving you toothaches, until you can't happily eat…rats anymore."
"Ahh…I'm not afraid of tiny bugs! Miss Lilith is very strong now!"
Edward shrugged and walked into the bathroom. "Alright then, just don't come crying to me when you lose all your teeth~"
"..."
The blankets rustled as Lilith hesitated under the covers, her tail swaying.
Just as Edward squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, Lilith appeared next to him. She climbed up onto the sink, baring her pearly whites.
"Brush."
"So well-behaved~ Miss Lilith is the best!"
She lifted her chin proudly.
"That's right!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.