Chapter 4 - Getting to Know Each Other
As dawn's light shone through the windows, the crimson hues faded away. Looking at the golden sunlight pouring into the room, Ebner pounded his stiff shoulders and sat up.
He was in a good mood. Despite feeling a bit mentally drained from repeatedly activating the Pure White Eye, his efforts through the night (and fainting spells) had finally paid off—he had successfully deciphered the complete formula for the "Reader" potion.
Reader, Sequence 9
Primary Ingredients: A pair of Garra fish eyes, 15g of sliced Manhas monkey brain Auxiliary Ingredients: 80ml of pure water, 10g of threadball grass powder, 1 petal of the pure white fairy flower, 10 drops of calamus juice
The Garra fish shouldn't be too rare; after all, even the original owner of this body, who was just an ordinary person, had heard of it, though he'd never seen one. Its eyes, therefore, should be relatively accessible in Beyonder circles. As for the Manhas monkey, in his inherited memories, it was described as a monster in horror stories. But if the Pure White Eye could decode it, that meant such a creature likely existed. Well, he'd just have to ask around Beyonder circles to confirm.
As for where to find such a community, Ebner already had a plan. After all, he'd been scheming to sell a few copies of the detailed potion recipes he'd recalled from the Lord of the Mysteries novel, hoping to improve his quality of life and gather funds for purchasing ingredients.
Based on intelligence recorded in the novel, there were two relatively safe Beyonder gatherings during this time. One was the intelligence and materials exchange hosted by Mr. A of the Aurora Order, which Xio and Fors often attended; the other was the Beyonder exchange hosted by "Eye of Wisdom," whom the original protagonist, Klein, eventually encountered.
Between the two, Ebner leaned toward the latter. For one, the "Eye of Wisdom," known outside the exchange as the reputable detective Isengard Stanton, was connected to the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom and was considered a quasi-official in the Loen Kingdom. He had a decent reputation and was far more trustworthy than the Aurora Order's mad Emissaries. Second, the novel gave explicit details on how to find and attend the gatherings hosted by "Eye of Wisdom," which made it much easier to locate than the Aurora Order's somewhat vague meeting references. Lastly, given the Order's ties to a chaos-loving evil deity, Ebner, despite his golden finger, had little desire to prematurely expose himself to the True Creator.
"Hmm, it's almost eight o'clock. I should go out and buy a copy of the Backlund Morning Post and see if the gathering will be held soon. If not, I may have to find some temporary work to earn money. I've only got one pound and five shillings left, which means I won't just struggle to buy ingredients, but I might even run out of food." With this thought, Ebner packed up the ritual materials, quickly washed up, and headed out.
He bought a copy of the Backlund Morning Post from a street vendor and turned directly to the fifth page. There he saw an ad—an ad for buying goods from the Ernst Trading House! This was a code used by "Eye of Wisdom" to notify participants of the gathering!
"What a stroke of luck. Let's see here... The purchase prices are eight pence per liter for flour, one shilling per pound for butter, seven pence per pound for lard, one shilling and three pence per pound for cream, and eight shillings per pound for marquis red tea leaves... This means that there's a Beyonder gathering tomorrow night at eight. The knock pattern is eight hard knocks, one light knock, and the interval is seven long, one short, and in that order... The last three and eight are irrelevant..."
Sorting out the contents according to the interpretation methods explained in the novel by "Eye of Wisdom," Ebner felt a bit elated. His luck was certainly holding—at least he wouldn't need to go look for a job just yet.
Feeling cheerful, he headed back to the restaurant where he'd had breakfast yesterday. However, as soon as he opened the door, he was taken aback by the scene before him. A confrontation was underway.
On closer look, "confrontation" wasn't exactly the right word. What Ebner saw was a girl with messy hair and a height of just 1.5 meters facing three hulking men, each well over 1.8 meters tall. Surprisingly, the three bruised men were sprawled on the ground, while the girl, calm and composed, had one of them by the collar and was demanding, "Who sent you to capture me?"
Though she wasn't tall, her commanding presence was strong enough that even the restaurant staff, who stood at a distance, couldn't help but take a few steps back. Strangely, however, the man she was interrogating, despite his cold sweat, managed to resist her intimidation, revealing nothing.
Seeing this, Ebner was intrigued. These men were clearly ordinary people, or else they wouldn't have been so easily defeated by Miss "Arbiter," who had only recently advanced to Sequence 9. So how were they resisting Beyonder powers?
Though curious, Ebner didn't intend to investigate further. He was only half a Beyonder himself and didn't consider himself equipped to get involved in such matters.
"Though, I suppose running into Xio here two days in a row counts as fate. Maybe I should introduce myself when I get a chance?" Ebner thought to himself.
At that moment, Xio also noticed Ebner entering the restaurant. She was a bit on guard but remained focused on interrogating the three gang members. The men's ability to resist her abilities had surprised her, but her experience allowed her to switch interrogation methods instantly, switching to a more "physical" approach!
With each cry of pain from the men, their resistance eventually crumbled. Under Xio's intimidation, they finally confessed. It turned out they were hired by Rosen's advisor, Hick.
Hick had joined Rosen around seven or eight months prior, quickly earning the "Two-Face" Rosen's trust and gaining the authority to mobilize most of Rosen's thugs. Upon learning that someone had been asking questions about the badges the night before, Hick immediately sent his men to investigate. Seeing that Xio was a young girl, they decided to take her back on their own initiative.
Although they kept their voices low, Ebner, with his keen perception, heard every word clearly. His brow furrowed as he instinctively began analyzing and deducing: "Badges? Could it be that Xio uncovered some Beyonder item being used for contract fraud? If these men are telling the truth, Hick seems more like the key figure here rather than Rosen. Hick is likely a Beyonder! So why would a Beyonder be working as an advisor to a small-time gang leader? One possibility is that Rosen himself is an even more powerful Beyonder who managed to subjugate him, though that seems unlikely given the facts. Another, more plausible scenario is that Hick is acting out a role, probably a Sequence 8 'Swindler' on the Error Pathways, manipulating not only ordinary people but also deceiving his associates and possibly even throwing off potential investigators! In that case, Hick's story about badges might not be entirely true... Hmm, it'd be wise to warn Xio, and it could serve as a good starting point for conversation."
Though these were merely deductions without solid proof, even if his reasoning was off, Ebner could at least offer Xio a warning to reduce her risk. In the original story, she might have only ended up in prison because of this case, but in real life, there was no guarantee she would come out unscathed. Xio could be a bit reckless at times.
On the other side, after finishing her interrogation, Xio instructed the restaurant staff to call the police to take custody of the three men. As the victim of an attack and a young woman, Xio was let off with just a few questions before the police took the men away.
Just as she was about to leave the restaurant, she noticed Ebner approaching her with a slight smile. He asked, "Miss 'Arbitrator,' would you grant me the pleasure of treating you to a cup of coffee?"
Xio froze, clearly unused to being approached so directly. She silently wondered why her "authority" wasn't working today, then asked guardedly, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"Who I am isn't important, but I have some thoughts and deductions about what just happened. They might be of help to you." Ebner responded straightforwardly, knowing that Miss Xio wasn't one for roundabout explanations.
Xio was somewhat taken aback by his words. She hesitated briefly before nodding and taking a seat at one of the tables, with Ebner following suit and ordering two coffees, two slices of bread, and a pat of butter despite the server's unwilling gaze.
While they waited, Xio broke the silence first. "You're a Beyonder too, right? Someone from the authorities? What do you have to say to me?" She remained vigilant, her suspicion of Ebner heightened due to a mysterious sense of familiarity from the day before.
Ebner shook his head and replied ambiguously, "I'm not from any official group, just an enthusiast with some knowledge of the Beyonder world. Listening to your exchange just now, I caught some issues and wanted to offer you a warning." He wasn't lying; at this stage, he was only a half-Beyonder himself.
Xio didn't believe he was merely an "enthusiast" and surmised that he must be a Beyonder, likely of a higher Sequence than herself. However, she didn't press the point and asked directly, "What do you want to tell me?" To her, the situation seemed clear enough: some low-level gangsters had obtained a Beyonder item and were using it for malicious purposes.
Without preamble, Ebner shared his deductions with Xio, presenting them as his theory after organizing them in his mind.
Xio looked confused. "Swindler? Acting? What does that mean?" she asked, puzzled.
"So, you're still unaware of the 'acting method'..." Ebner muttered, realizing his oversight. At this point, Xio had yet to learn about the acting method, which she'd only be introduced to after Fors joined the Tarot Club. Ah well, she'd been unconsciously acting as an "Arbitrator" all along, so there was no harm in giving her a head start.
"What's the acting method?" Xio asked, her confusion deepening and making her feel like an imposter Beyonder.
Ebner thought for a moment, and mimicking the tone of the Fool explaining things to the Tarot Club members, he said, "When it comes to potions, it's not about control, but digestion; not about uncovering, but acting. The name of the potion isn't just a symbol—it's an image and, ultimately, the 'key' to digestion."
He said nothing further, changing the subject by adding, "If my deductions are correct, this incident is likely beyond your current abilities. It's best to report this to the official Beyonders—they have the expertise to detect more underlying issues." Reporting was a skill the future Lord of Mysteries excelled in, and he didn't mind putting it to early use...
Xio wanted to ask more about the acting method, but seeing Ebner's reluctance to elaborate, she pursed her lips and asked, "Sir, why are you helping me, offering me this knowledge and these deductions?"
(End of Chapter)