Inside an unremarkable house in Queen's District.
Xio and Fors found seats at random and began studying the items listed on the blackboard.
"Sequence 8 'Constable' potion formula, 450 pounds…" Xio silently read the familiar words, feeling a long breath of relief in her heart.
One of her worst fears had been scraping together enough money only to find no one selling the formula anymore!
"I get 400 pounds, plus my savings of 150—that's enough… Though the main materials afterward will definitely cost a large sum as well… Ah, right, maybe I could try a different circle, see if any Beyonder is interested in this formula…" Xio suddenly felt energized, thinking she had found a way to get rich.
Truthfully, if she didn't urgently need money to buy materials and brew the potion to advance, she would never have considered putting the formula up for sale. On one hand, most people always wanted as few Beyonders of their own Sequence as possible, keeping themselves sufficiently special. On the other hand, more competitors on the same Pathway would drive up the price of corresponding materials considerably, and subsequent formulas as well.
After thinking it over carefully, Xio slowly grew anxious again, because it was perfectly normal for a formula to sit unsold for a long time.
Moreover, the "Arbiter" Pathway belonged to the royal family and the military—every aspect was tightly controlled. The few copies that had leaked out basically originated from a handful of declining nobles, and their formulas rarely formed a complete mid-to-low pathway, often containing only one or two sheets. Coupled with strict controls on the main materials, making them difficult to obtain, very few Beyonders were willing to choose this Sequence.
Xio had been part of several mystical circles in
*Sigh, at least when I think of Fors, I've been lucky enough. In all this time, she hasn't come across a single follow-up formula for the "Apprentice"…* Xio saw Mr. A's servant approaching, so she wrote a note requesting the "Constable" formula and handed it to him.
Before long, she was led to a study on the first floor. Before entering, she took a hooded robe from the servant's hands and pulled it over herself.
The seller in the study was dressed the same way—they couldn't make out each other's faces.
"This is the 'Constable' potion formula. Where's my money?" The seller pressed one hand on the slip of paper on the desk and asked in a hoarse voice.
Xio produced cash she had counted several times over and pushed it across to him.
After repeatedly verifying the authenticity and the total amount, the seller finally let go of his hand on the formula.
Xio immediately stepped forward and snatched the slip of paper in a swift motion.
Her gaze went straight to the main materials section—the most critical part: "A pair of eyes from a Fear Demon Worm, the right paw of a Silver-White War Bear."
Both were extraordinary materials she knew of but had never seen anyone selling… Xio let out a breath and withdrew from the study with a touch of melancholy, removing the robe.
Back in the living room, she sat down beside Fors. Having accomplished one wish, she gradually began to worry about the unknown divine name and the evil spirit that might be clinging to her.
"Ten—no, twenty pounds—no, thirty pounds. I'll pay someone skilled in exorcism to perform a purification ritual for me." Xio steeled her resolve, exchanged a few quiet words with Fors, and then beckoned over Mr. A's servant.
Once the rest period—during which free conversation was permitted—came to an end, they saw that the item they had just submitted now appeared among the listings on the blackboard: "Suspected evil spirit attachment. Seeking a friend skilled in exorcism for assistance. 30 pounds."
After a while, Mr. A's servant came to their side and quietly asked them to make their way to the sitting room on the first floor.
Inside, a man wearing a white hard-shell mask was waiting. He looked at the two genderless-looking supplicants draped in loose robes and chuckled softly: "Allow me to give a brief self-introduction first, so you won't doubt my abilities."
"No, that won't be necessary. We trust Mr. A." Xio, her face hidden beneath a hood, cut in before Fors could speak.
She deliberately kept her voice low, to avoid exposing her identity with a childish tone.
The man in the white hard-shell mask spread his hands and smiled: "It's a habit of mine. I'm a believer of The Sun, you know. In Backlund, in the entire kingdom, that's quite rare."
"It's only at times like this that I can truly live as myself."
Due to the enormous conflict between the
"A believer of The Sun?" The lazy glint in Fors's eyes vanished in an instant. "This is the first time I've ever seen a living Sun believer! Well... the high-ranking diplomats aren't exactly within my reach."
"Then should I feel honored?" The man in the white hard-shell mask spread his arms upward, raising them in a gesture of praising the Sun.
Fors didn't answer his question. Instead, she smiled and said: "In matters of exorcism and purification, servants of The Sun are the professionals. We're quite at ease. We can begin."
The man who claimed to be a Sun believer didn't dawdle any further. He produced a badge inscribed with the symbol of "The Sun," placed it on the round table in the center, and then lit two candles using the binary ritual method.
After methodically completing the preliminary steps, he spoke in a booming voice, chanting with extraordinary reverence: "
"You are the undying light;"
"You are the embodiment of order."
"I pray to you;"
"I pray that you bestow upon me the light of purification;"
"I pray that you disperse evil spirits."
……
Amid the echoing Hermitic incantations, Xio and Fors watched as the Sun badge erupted with pure, warm, radiant light.
It poured forth endlessly, transforming into a tide that surged toward the two of them, engulfing them both simultaneously.
Several dozen seconds later, everything returned to normal. Xio and Fors felt nothing but a pleasant warmth throughout their bodies—deeply comfortable, deeply at ease. It was as if they had soaked in a hot spring, or enjoyed a sunbath.