Chapter 173: Fors: It Wasn’t Me, Really Not Me

Chapter 173: Fors: It Wasn't Me, Really Not Me

Fors's expression was slightly off.

Audrey, already a Sequence 8 Mind Reader, noticed the subtle changes in Fors's expression at a glance. Knowing Fors as she did, there could only be one reason for this.

Fors knew more about the matter of the Follower of the starthan Hugh, who was speaking at length. It was possible that she had come into contact with information related to the Star Follower, or perhaps she even knew the Follower of the starpersonally.

In her mind, Audrey couldn't stop speculating, and the thought that Fors might be the Follower of the starherself had flashed through her mind.

In the end, she felt it was more likely that Fors knew some secrets about the Star Follower.

Sensing Audrey's scrutiny, Fors immediately sat up straight, composed herself, and concealed her true thoughts from Audrey.

Audrey felt a bit disappointed; she had wanted to observe Fors a bit more.

When she withdrew her gaze from Fors, she caught Mr. Hastur observing her with the same look he had used to observe Fors.

"…"

Audrey also subconsciously composed herself, not allowing her emotions to show.

But after doing so, she was stunned for a moment—wasn't she behaving just like the problematic Fors? A feeling of guilt crept over her.

Audrey glanced at Hastur from the corner of her eye and saw a slight smile on his lips, as if he found her reaction amusing.

Who was the real audience here?

Audrey hummed softly in her heart, tilted her head slightly, and avoided Hastur's gaze.

"The Star Follower, I've also been hearing about him lately. Just one Follower of the star has caused Beckland to be under martial law everywhere; he's really something," Gray remarked.

"Yes, the followers of the stars are indeed extraordinary. Fortunately, no one has caught him yet; otherwise, his fate would be dire, being burned at the stake would be a mercy."

Hugh's pointed words made Fors's mood even tenser, and her cheeks felt hot.

Listening to their praises of the Star Follower, she felt extremely embarrassed.

She was just a Sequence 9 Apprentice!

She didn't have the ability to stir the changing winds of Beckland, and the so-called Follower of the star was an imposter!

But she couldn't openly speak of these things; she could only silently take the blame.

It really wasn't her!

So wronged…

"I'm also very curious about the identity of the Star Follower."

Audrey joined the conversation, deliberately sweeping her gaze over Fors's face.

Fors's face tensed, pretending not to notice Audrey's scrutinizing gaze, which left Audrey a little disappointed.

"The stars, aren't they just above our heads?"

Hastur's remark led everyone's thoughts astray, and they subconsciously looked up at the starry sky, Fors included.

Audrey, who had heard similar words before, scanned the crowd before looking up at the sky herself.

After a while, Gray shivered and said, "Let's not talk about this topic anymore, shall we? It always feels like we're being watched."

It wasn't just a feeling of being watched; at this moment, everything they did was under the gaze of the stars.

Hastur murmured to himself and agreed, "Indeed, the stars overlook the world, omnipresent. We better not discuss such a terrifying existence; it would be bad if we attracted the attention of the stars."

Fors also expressed caution, "We should be careful; the stars are too far from us."

Audrey and Hugh tacitly moved past the subject.

After a moment of silence, Hugh asked as usual if anyone knew the potion formula for the Constable, thinking it would be another fruitless gathering.

"I have the Constable's potion formula."

Hastur spoke up, his formula provided by Sharon and Maric.

Hugh's eyes lit up, and she said crisply, "How much in pounds?"

Having just received a huge sum of 500 pounds, her confidence was somewhat inflated.

"450 pounds," Hastur offered a relatively fair price.

"Agreed."

Hugh breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she had just received 500 pounds from Miss Audrey; otherwise, she would have had to borrow money from Fors temporarily.

"Does anyone have the potion formula for the Magician?"

Fors also tried her luck to see if there was any gain, but unfortunately, no one responded to her request.

Audrey originally wanted to ask if there was a potion formula for the Psychiatrist, but Hugh and Fors obviously had no access to such useful information of Sequence 7, and Gray , who always stayed at home, was out of the question. Only Mr. Hastur might know.

After thinking it over, she decided to ask Mr. Hastur privately for help later.

After some casual conversation, Audrey got up to leave. As she was leaving, she gave Hastur a covert look.

After the gathering, Hastur didn't take a carriage but walked a distance in the direction Audrey had left. He soon found a carriage parked by the roadside, with Audrey's personal maid waiting outside.

The maid looked wary, watching Hastur closely, then watched him enter the carriage.

"Mr. Hastur, I'm sorry for meeting you privately like this."

"It's a different experience for me as well."

Audrey smiled and said, "This Sunday, my father, Earl Hall, would like to invite you to our home. Do you have time, Mr. Hastur?"

"Is it about the promotion of the title?"

"I'm not sure; he didn't tell me. He just asked me to invite you."

Hastur found it a bit strange but agreed to the appointment.

He had been looking for an opportunity to bribe Earl Hall, and now that Earl Hall had invited him, it was an excellent opportunity.

It was just unfortunate that the hunting dog trained by Gray was still too young to be of use.

Audrey felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Besides this, there's another matter I'd like to ask for Mr. Hastur's help with."

"What is it?"

"I've successfully advanced to a Sequence 8 Mind Reader, but I don't have the potion formula for the Sequence 7 Psychiatrist. Could Mr. Hastur keep an eye out for me?"

Hastur thought for a moment and said, "The potion formula for the Psychiatrist is generally only owned by the Psychology Alchemists, a relatively young new organization. With your status, as long as you show some interest in this area, they should take the initiative to invite you to join."

Audrey's eyes widened, "My status, do I have that much value?"

"The brightest jewel of Beckland is only one."

Hastur joked, and Audrey pouted her lips slightly, but soon flattened her mouth, curious, "Mr. Hastur, are you very familiar with the Psychology Alchemists?"

"Just heard about it."

Seeing Audrey waiting curiously for his next words, Hastur organized his language before speaking, "The original Psychology Alchemists was just a discussion group for enthusiasts, all of whom believed in the infinite power and magic of the mind."

"Later, this discussion group obtained a treasure map and found the relics left by Hermes, establishing the research foundation and direction of the Psychology Alchemists."

"The original members had hoped to maintain the previous pure academic discussion state, but they always needed help when they encountered problems, so the Psychology Alchemists gradually developed rules and regulations and then transformed into a real secret organization."

Audrey listened intently, and after Hastur finished, she asked puzzledly, "You've been mentioning the original Psychology Alchemists, has the current Psychology Alchemists changed from the beginning?"

Hastur's lips curled into a faint smile, "Any organization or country, no matter how good their initial intentions, will slowly change over time and with the addition of new members. The Psychology Alchemists are no exception."

"Is the current Psychology Alchemists not good?"

"They've lost the purity they had at the beginning. The organization, originally established for pure academic discussion, has now become mixed with too much personal desire."

Audrey fell silent for a while, feeling it was a pity.

For her, the original intention of the Psychology Alchemists was very attractive.

She liked such pure academic exchange organizations without too much personal desire.

Unfortunately, it had changed.

After a moment of reflection, she quickly realized.

Since the current Psychology Alchemists had lost their original purity and were filled with personal desires, she wouldn't have any psychological burden acting as a spy for the Tarot Club.

"Mr. Hastur, do you think I should join the Psychology Alchemists?"

"It might be a good start for your extraordinary career."

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Hastur."

Audrey sincerely expressed her gratitude to Hastur.

After the serious questions were asked, the carriage fell silent for a short time.

The more no one spoke, the more awkward the atmosphere became, and the more awkward it became, the less anyone wanted to speak.

Audrey glanced at Hastur sitting opposite her, about to break the awkward silence when Hastur also opened his mouth to say something.

The two looked at each other, each slightly stunned, then looked away, smiles creeping onto their faces.

"Mr. Hastur doesn't seem very accustomed to interacting with people, does he?"

"Miss Audrey is sometimes not as sociable as the rumors say."

"What kind of image do I have in the rumors?"

Audrey blinked, interested in the question.

She certainly knew how the outside world evaluated her, but she wanted to hear what Mr. Hastur would say, to see if there was anything different.

"Cough cough cough!"

Outside the carriage, several undisguised coughs came, a reminder from her personal maid that a reminder from her personal maid that it was time to end the conversation.

Audrey felt a bit regretful but could only watch as Hastur lifted the carriage curtain and walked away alone.

(The chapter ends here.)