Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 333 Joint Operations
Klein looked at the gold coin that landed head up in his hand and took a deep breath.

The coin was a gold coin he obtained during a survey of the ruins on Williams Street, and it was also a tool he had been using for quick divination for a long time.

Compared to other coins circulating in the market, Klein still felt that this coin was more comfortable to handle.

"It seems Miss 'Justice' and the others have arrived..."

Klein nodded slightly and glanced at 13 Landry Street, which looked perfectly normal.

Normal means Roger is still attending the party. Klein knew very well that Roger would have Bandit keep watch outside in case of any accidents, so he didn't rush to get closer.

After all, although Bandit couldn't recognize him after he had fully digested the "Faceless" potion, it couldn't rule out the possibility that it could recognize Maggie Lopez, so Klein thought it was better to be cautious.

……

13 Landry Street, basement level.

"6000 gold pounds, can you make it cheaper?"

Mr. "Mountains" hesitated upon hearing Roger's offer.

"This is already very cheap. The 'Dream Thief' potion recipe is extremely hard to find. It took me a lot of effort to find it."

Roger blinked. He was half telling the truth. It was true that the "Dream Thief" potion recipe was indeed hard to find, but he was lying because he had obtained the potion recipe from "Siren" Ophina King through an advancement ceremony. Apart from causing a ruckus in the collective dream, he hadn't paid any extra price.

"What's more, we also have to jointly bear 5% of the notary fees, which means I only get 5850 pounds."

After listening to Roger's words, Mr. "Mountains" finally sighed and nodded:
"Alright then, we'll do as you say."

"make a deal."

Roger smiled, picked up a paper and pen from a side table, and quickly wrote down the potion recipe for "The Dream Thief".

"Mr. Bai, please have this notarized."

Roger handed the potion formula to Mr. "White," who nodded, then extended his left hand from under his cloak and pressed a ring on it.

The ring suddenly began to shimmer with golden light, like the bright afternoon sun. This sunlight shone on Roger's "Dream Thief" potion recipe, forming a mark like a seal.

“The seal corresponding to ‘Notary’? No, it seems to be at a higher sequence level… there should be a sequence 5.”

Just as Roger was pondering, Mr. "White" nodded:
"It's true."

Mr. "Mountains" breathed a sigh of relief. He took the potion recipe, counted out a thick wad of banknotes, handed them to Roger, and gave Mr. "White" an extra 150 gold pounds.

Roger then pulled out a 150-pound note from the wad of cash and handed it to Mr. "White," who nodded.
"Then, the transaction is complete."

"I need the potion recipe for 'Chaos Mentor'."

At that moment, another young woman, codenamed "Flying Needle," spoke up.

"What a coincidence, I have one too."

Roger laughed:

"It seems today is my good day."

"As for the price, it should be the same as the price of the potion recipe that Mr. 'Mountains' just bought, since they are both Sequence 5 recipes."

Ms. "Flying Needle" was more agreeable than Mr. "Mountains," and she nodded:

"make a deal."

After the transaction was completed, Roger spoke:

"I need the pair of wings of the Prophecy Bird and the main tendon of the Orbis Mountain-Drilling Worm. Does anyone have any clues or have them in stock?"

These two items are the two main ingredients in the "Prophet" potion recipe, Sequence 4 of the "Reader" pathway. Roger is helping Jack Burton inquire about them.

As expected, silence fell over the scene. None of these people seemed to have heard of these two potion ingredients. This was understandable, since apart from a few small countries in the Northern Continent such as Segal and Lenburg, it was indeed rare to see demigod-level extraordinary individuals using the "Reader" pathway in other countries.

Mr. Bai suddenly pressed the doorbell next to him, and after a while, the incredibly tall lady climbed down the ladder, making a "bang bang" sound.

She lingered beside Mr. Bai, who instructed her on some matters. She nodded slightly and left, only to return a moment later and hand Mr. Bai a piece of paper.

"Mr. Owl".

Mr. Bai spoke softly:
"You're lucky, I have the main tendon of the Orbis Drill Worm here."

"But this is a Sequence 4 potion ingredient, which is very expensive, especially in Rune."

"It costs £2, which is already a discounted price. Are you interested?"

Roger nodded:

"can."

After saying that, he took out all the money he had just received, and then took out an additional 8000 pounds.

"Perfect, I can spend the money I earn there, which saves me the trouble of bringing so much cash home."

When Roger spoke in a rhyming manner, Mr. Bai did not react. Instead of rushing to collect the money, he sent his tall female subordinate to fetch the goods.

"By the way, Mr. 'Owl,' the seal on this item I have has reduced credibility for Rank 4 extraordinary items. If you don't trust my credibility, you can pay half the fee first, and then pay the rest after you verify its authenticity through your own channels."

Mr. Bai suddenly spoke up, his tone full of apology.

Roger sneered inwardly, but outwardly shook his head with a pleasant expression:
"I believe you, Mr. Bai. If you can say something like that, you are trustworthy."

"On the other hand, I also have my own ways of verifying the authenticity of goods."

"If that's the case, then there's no problem."

Mr. Bai nodded, and after a while the tall woman brought over a very hard glass box containing a pale yellow liquid with a silvery-white fibrous object floating in it.

Roger touched the box, confirmed its authenticity with his "Secret Insight," and then nodded.

"No problem, let's make the deal."

The two parties quickly completed the transaction.

The transactions among the nine people continued for some time afterward, and then they entered the stage of exchanging information.

But as Roger had predicted, the information these people exchanged was of little value, at least not to him.

After spending too much time in gatherings like the "Tarot Club" where people constantly talk about Sequence 0 and the Kings of Angels, regular offline gatherings of extraordinary individuals really don't seem very interesting.

One reason for this is that Mr. Fool appears to be too sophisticated, and another reason is that online discussion groups make it easier for people to break through their limitations and say some shocking and mind-blowing things.

Around 3:40 p.m., Mr. Bai announced the end of the gathering, and the attendees began to disperse.

Roger also made a move to leave, but was stopped by Mr. "White".

“Mr. Owl, please wait a moment.”

Roger looked up at Mr. "White" and saw that Mr. "Mountains", Ms. "Flying Needle", and another man named "Locksmith" had also stayed where they were, while the other four had left one after another.

"What's matter?"

Roger raised an eyebrow and asked the question knowingly.

"To be honest, I'd like to discuss a collaboration with you."

Mr. Bai laughed:
"After all, it is a very rare thing for the 'Dark Star Saint' of the Aurora Society to grace my humble abode with his presence."

"This is no humble abode."

Roger smiled and waved his finger:
"After all, a transaction worth tens of thousands of pounds has just taken place here."

"You're joking."

Mr. "White" completely ignored the veiled mockery in Roger's words and continued speaking to himself:
“I come from the ‘Secret Order’.”

"The Secret Order?"

Roger raised an eyebrow, and after a moment he nodded slightly:
"So that's how it is. Louis Wayne is in your hands, right?"

"Please listen to what I have to say first."

Mr. Bai shook his head:
"I will definitely give you a reasonable answer regarding Louis Wayne."

"You say it."

Roger shrugged, sat down again, and gestured for Mr. "White" to speak.

About a month ago, one of our 'Secret Order' exploration teams went missing in the Hornach Mountains.

"They went to explore an ancient ruin left behind by an angel, and they also carried a very important sealed artifact."

“That sealed artifact is very important to the ‘Secret Order’. We have tried to retrieve it, but without success.”

Mr. Bai, sitting on the sofa, crossed his arms and leaned forward.
"I would like to invite you and your capable subordinates to join us in forming a joint exploration team to investigate this matter. We will cover all the expenses."

"In return, you will receive Louis Wayne, as well as half of the harvest from the exploration."

"Would you be interested?"

"The ruins of angels."

Roger raised an eyebrow:
"To be honest, I've explored similar places before, and I really don't want to do it again."

"Unless... you can share 7% of what you find in the exploration, after all, you just want to retrieve your sealed artifact, right?"

"Seventy percent..."

Mr. Bai seemed very conflicted. After a while, he said:

"I need to consult my superior. Please wait a moment."

Roger nodded, watching as Mr. "White" temporarily left the party room and returned about ten minutes later.

"My boss said it's possible, but you need to be ready within a week."

"can."

Roger nodded, and then he heard Mr. "White" say:
"To ensure the reliability of our cooperation, we need to sign a contract."

"Please understand, after all, this is our first time working together, and neither of us knows each other well enough. This is both for our protection and for yours."

"can."

Roger shrugged:

“I’ll sign this agreement if you hand over Louis Wayne to me today.”

"it is good."

Mr. White nodded, clapped his hands, and the very tall woman walked in, went to a secluded room at the deepest part of the room, and dragged out Louis Wayne, who had inexplicably fallen into a coma.

"So you were prepared all along."

Roger chuckled softly:
"It seems your 'Secret Retreat' isn't very trustworthy either."

“You’re joking. Louis Wayne was originally a member of your ‘Aurora Society’.”

Mr. Bai shook his head and gave a very reasonable explanation.

That makes perfect sense. If a traitorous messenger comes from the Aurora Society, wouldn't the saints of the Aurora Society have to clean house for him?
After going back and forth, the "Secret Retreat Society" has shown its sincerity and there is no moral problem with it.

Roger nodded. After confirming Louis Wayne's condition using "Secret Insight," he used the "Old Box" to suck the wicked Mr. X inside, and then looked at Mr. "White":
"Take the contract."

Mr. Bai nodded and took out a pre-prepared contract. The contract was written on a single orange sheet of paper, which stipulated the rights and obligations of both parties and emphasized details such as that neither party could break the alliance or attack the other.

Roger quickly checked everything to make sure there were no problems, then signed his name. Mr. "White" did the same thing afterward.

When the contract was reached, Roger immediately felt a strange connection between himself and Mr. "White," which made him realize that if he broke the contract, he would have to pay a heavy price.

Normally, a contract created by a Sequence 6 "Notary" ability would be difficult for even a demigod to break. However, this notary document was clearly created by the Sequence 5 "Sun" pathway extraordinary item in Mr. "White's" possession, which further strengthens the binding force between them.

The ring was apparently remade primarily to enhance the "notary" ability at Sequence 5, while appropriately sacrificing some of the other extraordinary abilities of the "Priests of Light." Therefore, its contractual ability might actually be enhanced as a result.

"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate." Mr. Bai nodded.
"I will notify you one day in advance before departure."

"it is good."

Roger nodded, but made no move to stand up.

He then asked another question:
"Are you from Intis?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Mr. Bai found it strange that many members of the Secret Order were Intis people, which was because the main strength of this secret organization was concentrated in Intis.

"It's nothing, I just simply don't like the Intis people."

Roger shook his head and snapped his fingers.

The next second, a long, icy spear exuding a chilling aura pierced through Mr. Bai's body, piercing through him and the sofa behind him!
As the chilling fog dissipated, Roger looked at the sofa again, only to find that the tall woman in white had replaced "Mr. White" and was now sitting there, her eyes vacant. There was a hole in her abdomen, but only a very small amount of blood was flowing out.

Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, and Mr. "White," wearing a mask, walked out with a cold look in his eyes:

"How dare you openly break the contract?"

"So what if we go against it?"

Roger raised an eyebrow:
Did I pay any price?

His words startled Mr. Bai slightly. The next moment, Roger's lips curled up slightly, and a phantom figure almost the same height as him walked out of his body.

As soon as the phantom appeared, it burst forth with a terrifying golden light. The Roger phantom trembled all over, seemingly enduring immense pain. Soon, it collapsed to the ground, its body charred black, amidst screams, and then vanished.

Roger had anticipated that the Secret Order would try to restrict him using his "notary" abilities before signing the contract, so he had already created a false mystical identity for himself.

At this point, this identity was stripped away, and the "punishment" caused by the breach of contract was also borne by that false identity.

"It's a pity you didn't use the 'Notary' sealing artifact at the demigod level, otherwise I might have had to go through some trouble."

He shrugged, and at the same time, the figure of "Fallen Earl" Chunus Korg quickly appeared beside him.

In an instant, many distorted spaces appeared in the basement, blocking the onrushing "mountains," "flying needles," and "locksmiths."

Unlike the other two, the "flying needle" woman did not land normally after leaping backward; instead, her body floated up.

Soon, her body seemed to be drawn towards the ceiling as if by something, and at the same time, a burst of blue starlight erupted in her path!

In an instant, the "flying needle" lady turned to ashes without even letting out a scream.

Bandit, a tabby cat covered in jet-black armor and with a slowly rotating "Void Nexus" floating above its head, emerged from the darkness with light steps, its deep, straight black greatsword dragging on the ground with a "sizzling" sound.

Upon seeing the strange black "leopard" Bandit, neither "Mountains" nor "Locksmith" showed any unusual expression, which further confirmed Roger's earlier guess.

That is, whether it is the woman in white, or "Mountains", "Locksmith", or the already dead "Flying Needle", they are all secret puppets controlled by Mr. "White"!

The "Puppet Swap" ability that Mr. "White" used to dodge the javelin released by Katarina Pelle is one of the typical abilities of a "Trickster".

On the other hand, these four puppets may not be all the puppets that Mr. "White" has in his possession. For a "trickster" who possesses the "Spirit Worm," it is not a big problem to control dozens of puppets at once. Therefore, there may be more puppets on the outskirts of Landry Street, ready to rush in and besiege Roger at any time.

Therefore, considering that Bendit is currently holding off the two Mystic Puppet, Roger needs to finish the battle quickly, kill Mr. "White", and end the fight.

Bandit, in his "Black Knight" form, carrying a long, dark sword, appeared before Mr. Locksmith as if in a flash, unleashing a slash like a black crescent moon.

Just as Bandit's strike was about to hit Mr. "Locksmith," the light in the basement of 13 Landry Street suddenly dimmed.

A cold wind howled, and the once-bright gas lamps flickered on and off, as if the underworld had suddenly descended.

This sudden shift in environment caused Bandit to lose sight of his target, while at the same time a complex, layered female voice rang out around Roger, giving him a strong sense of impending danger.

Subconsciously, Roger fully unleashed "Demon Slayer," and his body burst forth with a morning light as fine as snowflakes.

At the same time, a giant skeletal hand that emerged from the ground was shattered and turned to ashes by the light of dawn.

A long, mournful scream rang out, but the surrounding icy aura showed no signs of weakening. Instead, four more icy auras attacked Roger from four directions.

Roger snorted coldly; he knew this was the tall woman's ability.

This is also one of Mr. Bai's secret partners, and judging from various behaviors, it is actually a Sequence 4 "undead"!
As demigods of the "Death" pathway, the "Undead" can use the high-sequence "Gatekeeper" abilities to bring a part of the underworld into reality, and they possess a complete system of necromancy.

Moreover, demigods from this path are extremely difficult to eliminate due to physical damage, as evidenced by the fact that this "undying one" survived a Sequence 3 level ice spear attack.

She used the power of the underworld to summon her dead servants here, while also shielding herself from external mystical perceptions to some extent, clearly indicating her intention to finish Roger off quickly and as quickly as possible.

To be honest, if Landry Street weren't located in a densely populated area of ​​Backlund, he would have loved to use "Star Punishment" to summon a meteorite and raze the area to the ground.

With a sigh, Roger suddenly unleashed a dense shadow beneath his feet, and the "Black Knight" armor covered his body.

At the same time, the "shadow of depravity" surged around him like a fountain, and then suddenly exploded!

Dense shadows, mixed with black flames, scattered and danced in all directions. These black shadows and flames immediately came into contact with the undead creatures that were trying to get close to Roger. The corrupting power of the shadows and the burning power of the black flames caused them to roar in pain.

The sword light, as fine as snowflakes in the morning light, flashed once more, slicing the undead creatures into pieces. The figure of "White Saintess" Katarina Pelle replaced "Fallen Count" Chunus Korg.

The next second, she lunged at the "undead".

The "Undead" was attempting to summon more undead creatures when a rather childish voice, like that of a boy, rang out in the basement:
"The power of the underworld has weakened here!"

The "Undead" was affected by this "ban," and her progress in summoning the undead was suddenly interrupted, while the gaslights in the room returned to normal.

With the help of the light, Roger instantly flashed close to Mr. "White," who was hiding in the shadows and waiting for his chance, and slashed down with his greatsword, which was covered in a rusty light!

……

An inexplicable disturbance is taking place in the streets and alleys surrounding Landry Street.

Many people who appeared to be passersby, pedestrians, or workers resting and smoking by the roadside suddenly stood up. Their eyes became indifferent as they all looked towards 13 Landry Street, not far away.

These people began to approach 13 Landry Street, initially walking, then suddenly running, as if something there was drawing them there.

Others, however, were less rigid. They too slowly approached 13 Landry Street, some even rubbing something in their arms.

However, at that moment, a bright ray of sunlight suddenly appeared on Landry Street, instantly scorching the group of people at the forefront!

The people behind them immediately stopped in their tracks, their blank stares fixed on a figure slowly emerging from the corner.

The figure was wearing a dark cloak and appeared to be about 1.65 meters tall. Through the sides of the cloak's hood, one could vaguely see that brown curly hair was draped down in a mess. Even through the cloak, one could easily see that the person's lazy demeanor was tinged with obvious tension.

This was Fors Wall, who had become the "Record Officer." She was in a panic. She had come here to wait for orders according to her agreement with Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune." Just as she vaguely heard the sounds of fighting coming from the depths of 13 Landry Street and was considering whether to go down and help, dozens of figures suddenly appeared around her and approached 13 Landry Street.

This immediately made Fors sense the danger; she understood that these people were all after Mr. "Wheel of Fortune".

Despite her fear, she stepped forward out of a sense of responsibility and stopped the first wave of attackers.

However, this also brought her from the shadows into the light. At this moment, Fors looked at the dense crowd of people around her and felt her scalp tingle.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, Fors, are you going to die?"

Just as Fors was thinking this, she saw a bolt of lightning and four fire crows light up in the crowd and fly towards her in an instant!
"Fuck."

Fors cursed inwardly. Just as she was about to use her abilities to dodge the attack, she suddenly felt a burst of blood erupt in front of her.

The crimson color blocked the impact of the four fire crows and the lightning, and for a moment the smell of burnt blood filled the surroundings.

When Fors's vision cleared again, there was a tall figure dressed in casual clothes, with a beautiful face like a woman, fair and clean skin, and a raised right arm as soft and beautiful as a scallion.

"Mr. C?"

Fors was slightly taken aback, then she breathed a long sigh of relief.

She had originally thought that three members of the Tarot Club would be arriving today, so she hadn't told Mr. C about today's plans.

However, when Fors arrived, he found that he was alone; the other two had disappeared.

Fortunately, Mr. C came to her aid, which made her feel much more at ease.

“Miss Wall, is His Excellency the Dark Star Saint inside?”

At this moment, Mr. C, looking at the crowd in front of him, spoke softly. Even someone as obsessive and crazy as him felt pressure when he saw so many enemies in front of him.

"should be."

Fors nodded.

"We must not let them get close to the saint."

Mr. C quickly made a judgment: although Roger was exceptionally strong, facing so many enemies still posed a considerable challenge in Mr. C's view.

As a knowledgeable messenger of the Aurora Society, Mr. C had already discerned that most of the people in front of him were not living people, but rather walking corpses manipulated by some kind of strange magic, much like the puppets of the "Puppet Master".

However, these people's bodies showed no signs of decay, and they could only be distinguished by their different eyes. However, considering their numbers, Mr. C had no way of knowing which people were alive and which were the secret puppets.

Just as he was considering how to deal with the enemy, he suddenly saw a hazy, yellow mist-like thing explode in the crowd.

The fog spread rapidly and soon enveloped almost all the enemies in front of them. A dozen or so of them immediately began to cough violently, their veins bulging on their foreheads. They clutched their necks and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

"Poisonous fog?"

Mr. C immediately realized the situation and pulled Fors backward to avoid the spreading poisonous fog.

At the same time, Fors also used the "Master of Tricks" technique to blow the poisonous fog that was spreading towards them toward the crowd behind them.

When the poisonous fog completely dissipated, the living people lay motionless on the ground, leaving only the puppets with indifferent eyes, who did not seem to be alive.

Many of them also suffered from the poisonous fog, developing rashes and skin congestion, and some even had blood flowing from the corners of their mouths.

However, these people seemed to feel no pain at all and did not fall to the ground.

"It seems someone has helped us find the living people."

Mr. C said in a low voice, "Although I don't know the other party's background, judging from the result, the other party should be a friend rather than an enemy."

The next second, a snap of fingers rang out in the darkness, and instantly a puppet's head exploded, spraying blood and flesh all over the people around it, their faces and necks.

At the same time, several puppets began to rapidly develop numerous black, shadowy hands on their heels, which restrained them and greatly slowed their movements.

Mr. C understood that this was a sign that the extraordinary one hiding in the shadows was about to make a move. He immediately called out to Fors and rushed into the crowd that was being held back to begin his attack.

……

Not far away, in a block near Landry Street, an elderly man and woman, who looked like a couple, stood motionless with rather vacant eyes.

A faint voice was approaching their ears.

“You don’t want to go home yet, and you haven’t bought some condiments and bread.”

“These are essential ingredients for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast. If your son, who works in the factory, doesn’t eat well, he won’t have the energy to work…”

Under such guidance, the elderly woman's gaze gradually regained its clarity and determination.

She looked up at her husband and said:

“George, I think I forgot to buy candy and jam. These are my son’s favorite foods. He has to go to work very early every morning, and if he doesn’t eat well, he might faint at his job.”

The elderly man named George seemed to snap out of his daze as well, and he nodded.
“You’re right, let’s go buy candy and jam.”

As the two elderly people turned away from Landry Street again, a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a green floral dress, stepped out from the darkness.

She had just been standing there, but the elderly couple acted as if they couldn't see her at all.

This is Miss Justice, Audrey Hall.

She sighed softly. Ever since the battle on Landry Street began, Audrey had been lingering nearby, using her newly acquired "Hypnotist" ability to dispel any innocent passersby who approached and prevent them from being harmed.

Audrey initially tried to join the battle, but found that her "Intimidate" ability seemed to have little effect on the puppets, so she could only come to the periphery and do some auxiliary work.

“This is getting a bit troublesome… The East District is a worker-dominated area, and the evening rush hour is just around the corner.”

"If Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' doesn't resolve the battle soon, I'll lose control of the situation..."

Audrey looked toward Landry Street not far away and said in a low voice with some concern.

(End of this chapter)