Mystery: But the Witch's Path

December 1346, 11

Evening, Tingen.

When the oncoming carriage came to a stop, Amos stepped forward, opened the door, and said to Altair, "Count Altair, please go first."

Altair nodded slightly and boarded the carriage. She had barely settled in when Amos, who was in charge of opening and closing the doors, followed closely behind and got in. He then knocked on the window, signaling to the driver that they could proceed.

Amos then began to explain the destination of this trip:

"Count Altair, the extraordinary gathering we are attending today was created and hosted by a 'Mr. Z, the Aurora Envoy'."

"We have no way of knowing Mr. Z's real name. The messengers of the Aurora Society generally use letters to replace their names, such as Mr. A from Backlund..."

Before Amos could finish his introduction, Altair interrupted, "I know these things. Now, tell me something useful."

Amos nodded, not annoyed, and continued, "Since Mr. 'Z' created this gathering, he has rarely attended it in person."

"Normally, it's his subordinates who take charge. But there are exceptions, such as when selling Sequence Six extraordinary traits during a gathering, or when preparing to recruit Aurora Society followers, in which case he will show up on his own."

"Based on our understanding of the Aurora Society, we know that the first-ranked Divine Messenger is usually the Shepherd of Sequence Five. By analogy and through the alphabetical order, we speculate that this Mr. Z is very likely the Rose Bishop of Sequence Six of the Hanged Man Path."

Upon hearing the name "Rose Bishop," Altair didn't forget her immediate need for the item. She thought to herself, "If I could meet him this time, that would be wonderful. She brought Simon and his team back with her when she returned to her ancestral lands for the winter. Hunting down a Rose Bishop like him and obtaining extraordinary traits would be a piece of cake."

Back in Backlund, she had even considered targeting Mr. A. After all, if she could create a sealing artifact from the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Shepherd,' she could satisfy her needs with any of the abilities, whether it was 'herding' or 'manipulating flesh and blood.'

However, Altair could only dream of Mr. A for now. After all, this fully equipped Sequence 5 Shepherd was no ordinary person. Without absolute strength, she dared not provoke this mad dog.

However, although the 'Rose Bishop' is not as good as the 'Shepherd', it has a higher cost-performance ratio.

Altair asked, "Amos, have you ever seen the true face of this 'Mr. Z'? If we met again, would you be able to recognize him immediately?"

Amos paused for a moment, nodded, and said, "I once met Mr. Z at a party. He has very refined features, and I'm sure I'll recognize him if we meet again."

Altair nodded and said to Amos, "Once you're inside the party, start looking for Mr. Z and see if he's attending."

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of an ordinary house.

After the two had put on hoods and masks and dressed up, they got off the carriage. Amos went first and knocked on the door, his movements practiced and familiar, clearly indicating he had participated in similar activities many times before.

Led by a waiter, Altair and Amos finally entered the party hall after going through many twists and turns.

Altair glanced around and noticed that a dozen or so people, concealed by hoods, were already seated in the hall. In different parts of the room, people were still opening and closing doors and taking their seats, waiting for the party to begin.

As people began to appear, Altair asked curiously, "Are there so many extraordinary individuals in Tingen City? How come so many people are participating in this gathering?"

"Not all of these people participating in this gathering are extraordinary individuals. Because this gathering has been going on for a long time and has a good reputation, it has become known to some special ordinary people, such as: naive young noblemen, and ordinary people whose families have extraordinary individuals," Amos explained to the people in front of him.

Altair smiled silently, thinking, "It seems that people in every world and region share the same idea about the power to transcend the ordinary: to become like them, or even to surpass them."

A few minutes later, a person wearing a black hood announced:

"The party begins."

Upon hearing this, Altair couldn't help but look at Amos. But when she saw Amos's actions, she was still deeply disappointed.

Mr. Z was not present at the gathering.

The meeting operates simply: people write down their needs and hand them to the waiters, who then write them on a blackboard in the center. If someone has a transaction request, the waiter will approach them and lead them to a private room to conduct the transaction.

Altair was also surprised by this method of transaction, as it was truly the first time she had ever experienced it. When she attended parties in Backlund, people would simply shout out their needs, and only if they couldn't buy what they wanted that day would they write a message on the blackboard.

The need for writing on the blackboard at this moment also confirms Amos's words.

"Urgently need the recipe for Sequence Nine 'Pharmacist'. We are also open to trading if you have any clues. Recipe: £250; Clues: £10."

"Requires the recipe for Sequence Nine 'The Audience'... Recipe 250 pounds, Clue 10 pounds"

"Need the 'Sailor' recipe..."

............

"Mummy powder, 10 grams, 5 pounds."

"One dose of treatment medicine..."

"Antidote,..."

"Energy potion, ... Effect: It can make men last longer in bed."

The potion was sold out almost immediately after the waiter wrote it down; even Amos, who came with Altair, bought quite a lot.

Altair didn't interfere with his behavior; after all, she had been a man herself and was used to such things.

What intrigued her, however, was the potion recipe for Sequence Nine 'Mystic' written on the blackboard. Price to be discussed in person. No one had ever taken the initiative to trade this potion recipe.

It seems that none of the people who participated in this extraordinary gathering were fools. The Aurora Society's method of using magic potion recipes to fish is not very effective.

"Is there anything you need?" Amos asked as he sat down after completing the transaction.

Upon hearing this, Altair shook his head and said, "The extraordinary materials provided by this gathering are of little use to me. They are too low-level, and most of them are Sequence 9 items for trading."