"Heh, let me give you a piece of advice that an ordinary extraordinary wouldn’t know,"
"If you want to quickly digest the Magic Potion, you need to play the part well. The Magic Potion is bought by you, I didn’t force you into anything, but if you want to obtain the follow-up recipes for the Magic Potion, you can choose to be my subordinate. Give it some thought..."
The woman, who hadn’t even revealed her name, seemed to have come just to convey this message and left Tao Yu’s room the next moment.
"If you need anything, you can find me at the address I left for you. Heh, perhaps the next time we meet, I can bring you a pleasure you’ve never experienced before~"
With a whiff of fragrance as she departed, Tao Yu’s face seemed to show intoxication, but his eyes remained very calm.
Her Charm abilities were very strong, much more natural than those charm arts from the Demon Sect, as if it was innate.
But he was someone who had been nurtured by a young wealthy lady.
He didn’t mind playing roles when necessary, but was this beautiful femme fatale of a superior simply for collecting new subordinates?
Was it simply because he was handsome... that simple?
"The need to recruit using such methods suggests it’s probably not a reputable organization; it could be some kind of assassin organization."
These thoughts crossed Tao Yu’s mind.
Since there’s a Church of the True God, then under it, there must be official extraordinaries’ organizations, and correspondingly, under the Evil God, there must be similar entities.
Assuming that Sequence One is that of a Divine Spirit, this ’Assassin’ path could very well lead to a powerful Evil God.
God of Assassination? Evil God? Or God of Death?
"I wonder if the Church of the True God’s Sequences directly point to the Divine Spirits they worship."
Tao Yu moved his body a bit. His already exceptional physique, coupled with the Assassin’s burst of power, helped him rediscover the feeling of stealth.
And a sense of adaptability in the dark allowed him to realize that his Assassin’s Potion seemed to have been fully digested!
"Is this to say that my previous assassinations also counted as role-play? Is it that simple?"
Tao Yu felt somewhat exhilarated. If this was the case, then he truly chose the right path!
He had assassinated many a master, and if subsequent assimilations continued to involve assassinations as part of the role-play, he should be able to continue easily.
What is the next Sequence? Killer? Butcher? Assassin? Stalker?
That would be like melting in one’s mouth!
He was somewhat eager to get his hands on the next Magic Potion.
But now he was out of money, and compared to earning in this world, Tao Yu was definitely planning to make a trip back.
The wages here were just too low; looking at the dwarfs and the salty fishwriter makes it clear, it was hard for extraordinaries to make money, they were struggling.
The previous Sequence Eight Magic Potion recipe alone costed four hundred and fifty Gold Pounds, and with materials included, it would probably total over a thousand...
Tao Yu didn’t go back immediately. He still had several dozen Gold Pounds on him and was just about to find Fors and the others to commission some intelligence gathering.
Having adapted to the Magic Potion, he left early the next morning, walking towards Fors and the others’ place amidst the dense fog...
...
Knock knock knock~ Knock knock knock~
The persistent knocking, like a relentless chant, kept flooding into Fors’ ears, making it impossible for her to pretend to be asleep under the covers at home.
Dragging her weary body to the door, she opened it and listlessly greeted Tao Yu, who stood before her with dark circles under his eyes.
"Good morning, Mr. Soxy. Fors has already left. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I need you to collect some information for me."
Tao Yu slipped a ten Gold Pound note into Fors’ hand, which revitalized her spirits considerably.
"I gathered quite a bit of intelligence at the extraordinaries’ gathering recently, and now I’d like to commission you to collect some information for me. First, there’s a long-term assignment regarding Emperor Roselle’s notes. If that generous lady from yesterday managed to get ahold of them, I’d like you to make a copy for me, offering ten Gold Pounds per page..."
Tao Yu’s words energized Fors; this was turning into a long-term job.
Considering her current good relations with Miss Audrey, requesting the notes was indeed feasible.
"Also, I want to know more about the ’Assassin’ path and any relevant information, which might involve some secret organizations. Don’t go out of your way to inquire—just let me know if you come across anything related."
Since Tao Yu was already suspecting that the beautiful assassin was part of some disreputable organization, he didn’t want to drag these two down with him.
"The ’Assassin’ path? Just by hearing it, it sounds like it specializes in dark assassinations. Is this the path Mr. Tao has decided for himself?" Fors asked, out of curiosity. She was completely willing to accept the task of passive information gathering.
And as he had said, just the name ’Assassin’ path hinted at something illicit.
"I’m not certain about that, I’m just a bit concerned about it," Tao Yu replied, not revealing the full truth and remaining vague.
As the employer, Fors chose not to inquire further and politely suggested to Tao Yu,
"We are willing to take on this commission, but our information channels may not be so well-informed. Becland’s famous detective Arrodes Stanton is a well-known detective in the circle and an extraordinary as well. You might want to try contacting him."
Fors’ suggestion gave Tao Yu a new lead, and his eyes lit up slightly.
"Alright, thank you for the reminder."
Extraordinaries becoming detectives? But there are those who become writers here too, so it seems normal.
Maybe they have abilities that are particularly suitable for detective work, or, as that beautiful assassin put it, are they role-playing?
...
Arrodes Stanton didn’t have his own office and didn’t advertise. Some of the information Tao Yu had hastily gathered in the past few days didn’t include any about him.
But after being informed by Fors, Tao Yu still successfully found where he lived.
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It was in Hillston Area, the economic center of Becland, and even the entire Kingdom of Loen.
Though this area wasn’t a Noble-dominated place like Queens District, it was the most prosperous, with the headquarters of seven major banks and various financial institutions located here.
The rent was far beyond what Tao Yu could afford in Joywood District where he currently lived.
Arrodes Stanton might not have been very wealthy, as the place he lived had poor lighting and was somewhat dim, and though he didn’t have an office, he still hired an assistant at his home.
Dressed in a white shirt and black vest, Arrodes, with a pipe in his mouth and greying temples, gave Tao Yu the first impression of an old gentleman.
"The fee for half an hour of consultation is one Gold Pound, Mr. Soxy. Please ask your questions in time to save time."
"Mr. Arrodes, I might have been targeted by a troublesome organization, so I want to gain as much information as possible."
Hearing Tao Yu’s words, Arrodes raised his eyelids—a troublesome organization?
"You can start by telling me, and if it’s a very troublesome organization, there will be an extra charge. I’ll let you know how much after I hear the details."
"It’s an organization of ’Assassins’ on the extraordinary path. It seems they want to recruit me, but I’m somewhat resistant. I don’t like that ominous atmosphere."
Tao Yu’s words caused Arrodes’s eyelids to twitch violently.
Indeed, it was a troublesome organization!
Arrodes was an extraordinary of the ’Reader’ pathway, worshipping the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, which wasn’t the main religion in Loen.
This pathway valued erudition and mentoring others.
So, concerning many pieces of information and intelligence, he was indeed well-informed.
After hearing Tao Yu’s words, Arrodes, with his pipe in his mouth, fell silent for a moment as if pondering, and then he said,
"I don’t know much about this organization, so I won’t charge extra. Currently, there might be two extraordinary organizations involved with ’Assassins’; one is ’Knowing Ones’ Union,’ which appeared in this epoch, and the other is the even older ’Witch Sect.’ Either one is quite troublesome, and I suggest you seek shelter with the True God Church and look to the official extraordinary organization for protection."
He paused here,
"Although the official attitude towards wild extraordinaries isn’t very friendly, you could perhaps sacrifice some freedom and seek shelter by offering to become an informant. Even if you were to become an ’Assassin,’ it’s—"
of great value for money!
Tao Yu was very satisfied with the great detective’s price. Even though it was only some superficial intelligence, which might be considered ’common knowledge’ for certain extraordinaries, it was exactly what Tao Yu needed the most.
While learning the names of the organizations, he gained some insight into the official extraordinary organizations’ attitude towards wild extraordinaries.
It seemed that they would intervene but not in an overly severe manner. It wasn’t as extreme as he imagined in the religious conflicts; when necessary, a little compliance would suffice.
"But when it comes to the True God Church, one should keep a distance..."
Tao Yu felt a slight headache.
In such a world, finding the right faction seemed crucial. The likes of the Witch Sect and the Knowing Ones’ Union were better avoided—they sounded like targets for everyone’s censure, joining them seemed more trouble than it was worth.
The True God Church would certainly be the best choice, a sturdy leg to cling to.
But the issue was his origins, which couldn’t bear scrutiny, and the church inevitably involved the True God. Who knows if a prayer or ceremony might reveal his ties?
The scrutiny by official institutions must be very strict, right?
So the best choice would be a power that’s not too evil, preferably neutral, with a clueless True God as the behind-the-scenes boss. It would be even better if they were a bit foolish.
The organization should also not be too upright and honorable, so if real problems arose, the True God Church could be brought in to hold them back, leaving a way out...
"I wonder about that mysterious organization Emperor Roselle mentioned; he was assassinated in the end, and it’s unclear if that organization was of any help..."
In Tao Yu’s understanding, since those so-called evil god churches dared not confront the True God Church openly, it’s likely because their ’Divine Spirit’ had problems, perhaps only Sequence Two, not yet Sequence One?
"I need to go back and make some money..."
After leaving Arrodes Stanton’s home, Tao Yu adjusted his newly-bought top hat and merged into the crowd, heading towards the subway station.
Although the Knowing Ones’ Union and the Witch Sect seemed problematic, at least he managed to secure a channel to the extraordinary path from this side. He could attempt to milk whatever he could from them first, and then focus on paying off his debts.
It was just uncertain how high up the ranks he could climb...