Beyonder Gathering

At dawn, Ebner, exhausted from a fruitless night of effort, returned to his usual restaurant for breakfast. But this time, he didn't see Xio; she was likely busy verifying the information he had given her the day before.

The rest of his day was spent gathering auxiliary ingredients for the "Reader" potion. Distilled water, threadball grass powder, and calamus juice were easy to find. Distilled water could be prepared with laboratory equipment, and Ebner, still technically a student, had access to the academy lab. Threadball grass and calamus were both common plants, with plenty growing wild in the outskirts. The troublesome one was the pure white fairy flower. Although it wasn't a mystical plant, it only grew on a few islands in the Sonia Sea. Ebner had to search all over Backlund before finally finding one in an herbal shop. It cost him one shilling!

After dinner, he put on the casual clothes and hooded cloak he'd bought the day before and set out once more, this time taking a public carriage to Iron Gate Street in the Bridge District.

After walking only a short distance, he spotted a bar named "Braveheart." It had a heavy black wooden door and a burly man standing by, arms crossed, who was nearly two meters tall.

"The gathering hosted by the 'Eye of Wisdom' should be held in one of the apartments in the alley behind Braveheart. But since I don't know the exact location, I'll have to follow the protagonist Klein's method in the novel and ask the bar's local contact to lead the way." With this thought, Ebner kept walking and went directly into the bar.

The doorman watched him carefully but didn't stop him from pushing open the door. As he caught the sounds of cheers and toasts from within, the doorman muttered a low curse.

This was the busiest time for the bar. As Ebner entered, he was greeted by a wave of heat, the strong smell of ale, and the loud, bustling sounds of conversation. The atmosphere here wasn't much different from that of modern bars.

Ebner looked around, taking in the mingling smells of ale and sweat. After getting his bearings, he carefully protected his belongings as he forced his way to the bar counter.

Before the bartender could speak, he mimicked Klein's approach from the novel and promptly ordered, "A glass of Southville beer." It was supposedly the finest beer produced in the Loen Kingdom, though Ebner only knew this from the novel.

"Five pence," the bartender responded smoothly.

Ebner handed over the five pence he had ready and received a large wooden mug filled with golden liquid, its aroma rich and inviting.

"Compared to this, a lot of beers don't even deserve to be called 'beer.' They're just drinks," the bartender chuckled.

Ebner took the mug but didn't drink. Instead, he examined it briefly, looking at the fine white foam on top, then asked, "Where's Kaspars Kalinin?" In the novel, he was the contact who led Klein to the gathering.

The bartender stopped wiping his glass, raised his head, scrutinized Ebner for a few seconds, then pointed to the side. "He's in Room Two."

Ebner nodded and carried his mug to Room Two. He gave the door a light knock, and it creaked open in response.

Inside were four people who all turned their gaze to him when the door opened. Ebner didn't recognize any of them, so he carefully chose his words. "Good evening, gentlemen. I'm looking for Kaspars Kalinin."

Upon hearing this, an elderly man with a large nose and a limp, dressed in a linen shirt, stood up from his seat at the card table. He initially looked annoyed, but his expression shifted to surprise when he saw Ebner's face beneath the cloak. "Ebner? What are you doing here?!"

What? This old man knows me? I have no memory of him! This isn't how it went in the novel! Ebner's mind raced as he searched his inherited memories but found nothing about this man.

"This isn't the place to talk. Follow me," Kaspars said, seemingly unbothered by Ebner's confusion. He led Ebner into a private room before continuing. "You probably don't know me, but I know you, Ebner. Your father once did me a great favor—we were friends."

"My father's friend?" Ebner realized, explaining the lack of memory.

"Yes, unfortunately, I found out about your family's troubles too late. Otherwise, I could have helped him avoid that usurious loan and prevented his death. I only learned about it after the fact, which was when I quietly intervened to keep the gang from hounding you for those outrageous interest payments. I saw your photo at that time," Kaspars explained simply.

So Father had taken out a high-interest loan from a gang? Thinking back, it made sense. Even if Father had lost everything, as a former businessman he still would have had connections to make a comeback. But saddled with an insurmountable debt and Mother's disappearance, he must have felt utterly trapped and hopeless… Ebner felt a pang of sorrow as he listened, and he was grateful to Kaspars. If what the man said was true, Ebner's peaceful days since his arrival were partly thanks to him.

Since he'd just helped Xio analyze a similar situation yesterday, Ebner felt an odd sense of déjà vu and asked the elderly man in front of him, "Thank you for your help… Could you tell me who my father borrowed from?"

"It was 'Two-Face' Rosen. No need to thank me—I was just repaying your father's kindness. Besides, I only managed to get them to waive the unreasonable interest. They already took the principal and standard interest from the proceeds of your family's estate auction," Kaspars replied.

Rosen… So we have some 'fate' with each other, it seems. Looks like once I become a Beyonder, I'll have to help Xio bring him down.

Kaspars watched Ebner silently after mentioning Rosen, seeming unsurprised by his reaction. He then asked, "By the way, Ebner, how did you find me here, and what do you need?"

Ebner snapped back to reality, realizing he needed to focus on the task at hand. He composed himself and replied, "I'm here for the Beyonder gathering. I heard you could show me the way."

Kaspars looked at him, half-skeptical, and asked, "How do you know about Beyonders? And why are you looking for them? Could it be…?"

"Yes, I got caught up in something supernatural. I can only resolve it by finding other Beyonders!" Ebner deliberately avoided Kaspars' suspicion by giving a vague answer without revealing how he knew about the guide.

After a moment of consideration, Kaspars scrutinized Ebner closely before saying, "There's actually a gathering tonight. I'll take you there, but be warned—the people there are formidable. What you gain is up to you, and if you anger anyone, you might not live to see tomorrow! Do you understand, Ebner?"

Ebner nodded, replying, "I won't be reckless." He then asked sincerely, "Is there a fee for the guide?"

Kaspars nodded in satisfaction. "You know the rules well! I'll give you a fifty percent discount, given the circumstances—just one pound."

Ebner handed him a one-pound note without hesitation and accepted a mask that would cover the upper half of his face.

"Put it on." With that, Kaspars led Ebner, limping toward the kitchen. They passed through it into the back alley and then wound their way to a dark house.

Once he saw Ebner had put on the mask, Kaspars took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and knocked on the door: eight heavy knocks, followed by one light one, with an interval of seven long knocks and one short.

After seven or eight seconds, a small wooden panel on the door slid open, revealing a pair of brown eyes.

After scrutinizing them for a long moment, the door finally swung open. A man in an iron mask stood there, his voice raspy as he said, "The gathering will start in a minute or two, so hurry up!"

He closed the door and turned around, leading Ebner through a dark living room into a candle-lit sitting room on the first floor. A single candle on the coffee table cast a dim glow, throwing shadowy patterns around the room.

There were about a dozen people seated on sofas and chairs around the table, each wearing an iron mask.

Ebner found an empty chair and sat down, taking a quick look around the room. Soon, his gaze landed on an elderly man in a single-seat armchair. The man had deep nasolabial folds and slightly shriveled skin.

Judging by his demeanor and the respect others seemed to have for him, he must be "Eye of Wisdom," Detective Isengard Stanton.

As Ebner had this thought, the elderly man, who might indeed be "Eye of Wisdom," looked at the wall clock and began in a raspy voice, "It's time. Let's begin. We won't wait for any latecomers."

As soon as he spoke, a woman eagerly interrupted, "I'm selling a weapon—a dagger. Anyone below Sequence 7 who's stabbed with it will instantly lose their Beyonder abilities, and even those at Sequence 7 or above will experience reduced effectiveness in their powers. Plus, it's sharp and durable."

"What's its side effect?" someone asked.

"After sealing an enemy's abilities, it will make the wielder feel as though an electric whip of barbed thorns is lashing their soul—painful and numbing. But with enough preparation, the pain can be endured," the woman replied.

"What do you want for it?" Clearly, someone was intrigued. This dagger could be a game-changer in battles between Beyonders.

"Five hundred and fifty pounds or the Sequence 8 Barbarian formula."

So it's the same lady from the novel who's always searching for the Barbarian formula. I remember that one, but I'm here to sell something else today. Besides, I wouldn't be a good fit for a close-combat weapon like that since I have no combat skills. It'd suit Xio perfectly, though…

While Ebner's thoughts wandered, the dagger was sold to a middle-aged man for five hundred and fifty pounds.

Several other trades followed, some successful, some not. Ebner timed his moment between exchanges, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice,

"I'm selling potion formulas!"

(End of Chapter)