East Tivian, inside the Golden Covenant Bank.
Sitting in the waiting room, Nephthys is caught off guard when the young man suddenly sits next to her and asks if she’s a Beyonder. She hadn’t expected to be approached so directly on her first visit here.
Facing the young man’s cheerful smile, Nephthys is momentarily at a loss for words. After a moment of thought, she responds.
"Sorry, sir, I don’t know you, and whether I’m a Beyonder or not is none of your business."
Nephthys declines politely. Hearing her words, the young man laughs and replies.
"Haha, sorry, sorry, my bad. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mossance, a small-time guy pursuing the path of the Beyonder. I enjoy making like-minded friends to explore the mysticism world together..."
As he speaks, Mossance glances around and then lowers his voice.
"Let me tell you, miss, our group actually has a small mystic gathering. We often exchange mystical texts or materials with each other. I suggest you join us and take a look. If you find what you need at the gathering, it’ll be much cheaper than buying it here.”
"Plus, we serve Maplen Black Tea. As everyone knows, it’s a great thing for any Beyonder studying the arts."
Mossance speaks to Nephthys, who is slightly taken aback. Without much thought, she replies."Thank you for the offer, Mr. Mossance, but I think I’ll pass for now."
"Are you sure you don’t want to check it out? Our gatherings sometimes have Black Iron-rank figures attending. You might gain valuable experience there."
Mossance continues with a persuasive tone, but Nephthys remains firm.
"Well... I’m in a bit of a hurry. Maybe another time."
"What a shame. Here’s my card. If you ever have time, feel free to contact me."
Mossance says, handing Nephthys a business card. After a moment of hesitation, Nephthys accepts it.
"Then, I hope we meet again, miss."
With a wave, Mossance walks away. Watching his retreating figure, Nephthys frowns and thinks.
“What a strange guy. He’s way too friendly right off the bat. I feel like he’s up to no good, so it’s better to decline all his invitations. It’s best not to see him again…”
With that thought, Nephthys tosses the business card into a nearby trash bin and then begins to ponder.
“But speaking of which, what was that Maplen Black Tea he mentioned? Is it some popular drink in the mysticism world? And what’s this Black Iron rank? Is it one of the Beyonder ranks?”
As she ponders, Nephthys continues to wait. More and more people in the waiting room are called by number and enter the stone door. As time passes, Nephthys’ number draws closer.
Finally, Mossance’s number is called. He gives Nephthys a smile before entering the stone door. After a while, the voice from behind the door calls again.
"Number 027."
Hearing her number, Nephthys immediately stands up, grabs her small bag, and walks to the stone door. She pushes it open and steps inside.
Inside the stone door, Nephthys finds herself in a small, enclosed stone chamber. Opposite her is a stone wall carved with intricate patterns. In the center of the wall is a square hole, with a chair placed in front of it. Beside the chair is another stone door.
"Please take a seat."
A steady voice comes from behind the stone wall. Nephthys, with a nervous heart, sits down in the chair.
"Miss, what service do you require?"
"I want to purchase a mystical text, one related to the Silence."
Nephthys says directly to the person behind the wall, who quickly responds.
"A Silence mystical text? Aside from the spirituality type, do you have any other requirements? Such as the author or the era?"
"No, just any Silence mystical text will do. The cheapest one you have."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Nephthys says, and the voice behind the wall falls silent for a short while before speaking again.
"We have one. The mystical text ’Eulogy of Fouren’, 420 pounds. Will you be paying in cash, miss?"
“420 pounds? That’s so expensive! Are all Mystic-related items this pricey?”
Nephthys thinks to herself, but she quickly responds.
"Can I exchange it with another mystical text?"
"Certainly... But we’ll need to assess the value of the text you’re offering. Please place the text you wish to exchange into the hole."
The voice behind the wall replies. Nephthys opens her bag and pulls out a green-covered book—The Voodoo Forest Expedition Log, which Vania gave her to use as payment for the mystical text.
Nephthys places the text into the hole in the wall and waits patiently. After a while, the voice responds.
"One Chalice mystical text. Based on the level of cognitive poison, we estimate its value at 280 pounds. You’ll need to make up the difference of 140 pounds to complete the transaction."
Hearing this, Nephthys quickly pulls out a stack of bills from her bag, counts out 140 pounds, and places it into the hole.
This 140 pounds consists of 40 pounds of her own money and 100 pounds provided by Vania. After the battle at Field Manor, Vania had received around 400 pounds in cash. As a nun, she hadn’t spent any of it, and now it has come in handy.
"Thank you for your patronage. If there’s nothing else, please exit through the door on your right."
The voice behind the wall continues. At the same time, a long, oil-paper-wrapped item is pushed through the hole and placed in front of Nephthys.
"Thank you."
Seeing the item, Nephthys breathes a sigh of relief and quickly thanks the voice. She places the oil-paper package into her bag and exits through the stone door on the right.
With that, Nephthys finally completes the transaction.
…
Outside the Golden Covenant Bank, the streets are bustling with pedestrians, and carriages flow endlessly along the road. The lively scene continues.
On the side of the road, a carriage is parked. In front of the carriage stand several figures, staring intently at a side door of the Golden Covenant Bank.
Among them, the leader is none other than Mossance.
"Boss, are you sure the target hasn’t come out yet?"
A man beside Mossance asks, while Mossance, puffing on a cigarette, replies.
"Don’t rush. Her number was close to mine. Since I’m out, she should be coming out soon."
As he smokes, Mossance speaks. Another subordinate beside him asks.
"Boss, can you tell what level this target is?"
"Not much of a level. Based on my probing, she didn’t even notice the obvious mistakes in my words. She’s probably just a rookie who’s new to this. Maybe some rich family’s young lady who stumbled into the mysticism world. Heh... these kinds of targets are the best.”
"Although she’s a bit cautious and didn’t accept my invitation right away, it doesn’t matter. It just means we’ll have to put in a bit more effort."
As Mossance speaks, he keeps his eyes fixed on the bank’s side door. Finally, after a long wait, they see the door open, and Nephthys steps out.