Chapter 228: The Unfortunate Diary Buyer

After hearing Alice's comments, Klein gently patted her back twice, offering comfort. Then, after a brief pause, he tentatively suggested:

"If you're truly curious, maybe… perhaps you could disguise yourself as a man and take a peek inside the 'Red Theater' when we get to Bayam?"

Alice shuddered, instantly snapping out of her previous emotions. She looked up and firmly replied, "No, thank you!"

After adjusting her expression, Alice continued, "That sounds so strange… I'm only curious about the place. Why can't you just go in and take a look, then tell me about it?"

Klein imagined himself describing a visit to a brothel to Alice and felt a chill run down his spine. Quickly discarding the thought, he firmly replied, "Absolutely not."

"But I could find a pirate who's been there to tell you," he added.

"That works too," Alice nodded.

And so, the matter was settled. After handling some remaining tasks, Klein returned to the real world.

Dunnitz's snoring seemed quieter… was he awake? Klein pondered this, then twisted the bedroom door handle.

Dunnitz, sitting up in bed, saw German Sparrow entering the room and tried to suppress a grin. Just as he was about to speak, the fearless adventurer asked him:

"Have you ever been to the 'Red Theater'?"

…

After once again marveling at Roselle's comedic talents, Alice sent her finished manuscript to the publisher.

At the moment, Alice's finances were in an awkward position—keeping up a normal lifestyle was no problem, and she could even live comfortably, but as for becoming an Extraordinary…

Ridiculous. She couldn't even afford the materials.

Of course, many of the higher-level items probably couldn't be bought with money alone. Kicking a pebble as she walked, Alice headed home absentmindedly.

Once home, Alice followed her plan and recopied "The Witch's Delight is Quite Nice" five times. She took a ten-pound note and made her way to the Brave Bar.

"Is 'the Old Man' here?" Alice asked, approaching the bartender she recognized.

The bartender didn't even lift his head. "Room number three."

Alice knew the place well and went straight to room three. As soon as she entered, she sensed something unusual—the group of people inside weren't playing pool. In fact, there weren't any pool cues or balls in sight.

Skipping the formality of knocking, Alice opened the half-closed door and stepped in, saying, "I'm looking for 'the Old Man.'"

Two bystanders quickly made their way out, leaving only Ian, who was trying to look mature with a fake mustache and worn-out coat.

As Alice entered, Ian jumped up nervously. Once the others were gone, he cautiously asked, "What can I help you with?"

Alice approached, placing five pages of diary and a ten-pound note in front of Ian.

Ian froze, staring at the pages and the money, but he didn't dare reach out. Instead, he looked back at Alice and anxiously asked, "Do you have… more of these notes?"

Alice, sensing his anxiety, replied with a mischievous grin, "Would you like more?"

This startled Ian. He quickly answered, "I'll help you sell them!"

After a moment, he glanced at her expression and hesitantly asked, "Has anyone come looking for you recently?"

Alice frowned, looking at him intently. "Yes, someone like you came to ask where I got the diary…"

Obviously, he'd betrayed Alice.

It made sense—if he'd agreed to sell the diaries for her under pressure, he could just as easily betray her if someone else pressured him.

But the real question was… who would be interested in Roselle's diary seller? Sure, diaries were sought after in the mystical world, and a significant number could attract attention, but… five pages?

Alice frowned at Ian, noticing his nervousness. Without comforting him, she simply gave him a cool look and said, "Describe what happened."

Her new approach clearly worked; Ian seemed more intimidated by her calm demeanor than her threats. He nervously replied, "At… at that time, a man bought those five pages…"

"Wait," Alice interrupted, her brow furrowing. "One person bought all five pages?"

"Yes…" Ian nodded, still tense.

Alice paused, then asked with mixed emotions, "…and he came back looking for you?"

Ian nodded again.

Alice put her hand on her forehead in frustration, then looked up, exasperated. "You didn't realize the five pages were identical?"

"I… I didn't notice." Ian stammered, now understanding why the buyer might have returned.

Who wouldn't check after buying five identical diary pages? 

Alice gave him a gentle reminder, "Next time, don't sell the same one to the same person, okay?"

Ian nodded eagerly, visibly relieved—meaning he was safe for today.

"But," Alice said, glancing around the room with a thoughtful look, "why are you playing cards in a pool room?"

Ian was silent for a moment, then replied, "Because I don't like pool. I prefer cards."

"Oh." Satisfied, Alice nodded, ready to leave.

As her hand reached the door handle, she paused, turned back, and asked, "Wait—if that's the case, why not just play in the card room?"

Ian was silent again, finally replying, "I… I don't know."

"Maybe playing cards in the pool room feels a little different."

That actually made some sense… Alice thought about it, decided it made perfect sense, and left, leaving Ian breathing a sigh of relief.

"Still, I can't sell too many…" Alice muttered to herself as she walked away, "or if Klein ever finds out that all those Roselle diaries were just copies I made…"

Alice imagined that scenario, and a nervous chuckle escaped her as she quickened her pace.

Looking up at the sky, she mumbled, "First, food. Bayam… well, there's still time, I'll figure it out tomorrow."

"Hmm, what should I eat tonight…" Alice murmured to herself, furrowing her brow as she pondered her greatest dilemma.