Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 201 Selling
Audrey walked into the villa and saw Claire standing by the window, deep in thought. She hurried over and greeted her in a rare gentle manner, "Captain Galadilla, I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"'Tulip', you're not slow at all." Claire noticed the excitement of the noble girl in front of her at participating in her first extraordinary case and simply said:
"Use the ritual magic you've learned to try to recall what happened in this villa and communicate with any remaining spirits."

"You can use the power of the spell."

Audrey was slightly taken aback when she heard this. She was indeed a little excited to be called in to participate in the case, but she also felt quite stressed about having to lead the investigation from the start. She couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid that I'll ruin the scene?"

Claire glanced at Alger, who was standing quietly by the side, and explained with a smile, "This isn't a newly discovered scene... The Mandated Punishers transported all the bodies and used every possible means. Therefore, there's no evidence of tampering with the scene. Go ahead."

Claire summoned the storage spirit she had just subdued, took out a bag of commonly used materials, and handed it to Audrey. She added, "Daly is conducting additional investigations with the Mandated Punisher. Go to Pacefield Street tonight to check with her on the information she has obtained and ask for her advice."

Audrey's eyes lit up when she heard that. She took the material package and looked like she was going to put everything she had learned recently into practice.

Seeing this, Claire warned, "This isn't just a murder scene, it's also the hideout for Kapin, the human trafficker. If your ritual magic succeeds, you'll likely witness some brutal scenes... You need to be mentally prepared."

Audrey nodded cautiously.

Alger, watching the storage evil spirits summoned by Claire, sighed inwardly that the man before him was truly worthy of being the Captain of the Red Gloves. He was envious of her ability to control evil spirits. If he had this ability while at sea, many things would have become much simpler.

As Audrey began to try the ritual, Claire took the initiative to talk to Alger: "Mr. Wilson, were you a 'captain' at sea before?"

"Yes." Alger was cautious in his words and actions, not wanting to talk about anything that was not related to the mission.

But Claire understood Alger's hidden ambitions very well and said with emotion, "That's great! Rumor has it that there are all kinds of hidden treasures and mysterious islands deep in the ocean. It's truly fascinating. Mr. Wilson, can you tell me about your wonderful experiences at sea?"

Alger didn't believe the powerful mid-sequence woman before him was the type to indulge in fantasy. He sighed and said, "Ms. Galadilla, you're joking. The so-called adventure journey only exists in stories... On the sea, fighting natural disasters and battling pirates is basically a miserable and miserable experience."

Claire smiled and said, "Oh? But I heard there's a saying on the sea that goes something like 'the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.' Isn't it the treasures in the sea that attract people?"

Seeing the woman before him trying to start a conversation, Alger, who had intended to remain silent, said, "High risk doesn't mean high return. It often ends in death without a burial place... but..."

Alger thought of his childhood, which was plagued by discrimination and abuse.

Think of him becoming a "captain" exploring the Sonia Sea in order to gain promotion in the church.

Thinking of how he tried to realize his ambition of getting ahead by spying on the kingdom's secrets and exploring the church's secrets, just to get that glimmer of hope for promotion.

He also thought of the mysterious Tarot Club, the unpredictable Mr. Fool, and those strange yet familiar "companions" at the Tarot Club...

If it weren't for the gathering organized by Mr. Fool, he wouldn't have been able to digest the Sequence 7 "Navigator" potion so early, and wouldn't have been able to learn the high-end extraordinary knowledge that was strictly kept secret by the church.

He sighed softly and continued, "For someone like me who comes from a lower class background, going out to sea is extremely dangerous, but if I don't go out to sea, there is no chance of advancement at all."

Claire glanced at Audrey, who had failed another ritual a little further away. Seeing her beautiful face pale slightly from spiritual exhaustion, and seeing her stubbornly trying to gather herself and make another attempt, she asked Alger, "Seeking a promotion? Mr. Wilson, aren't you afraid of losing control?"

Alger didn't want to delve into this topic any further. He said humbly, "The Lord will protect me."

Claire doubted whether the Lord Alger was referring to was still the "Lord of Storms." Claire saw clearly that Audrey had the deepest feelings for the Tarot Club, but the one who was most devout to the "Fool" was probably the "Hanged Man."

Although this piety comes from ambition.

Claire stopped forcing Alger to talk and said with a subtle smile, "If I ever have the chance to go to sea, I really hope to have a steady captain like Mr. Wilson."

Alger would also say in a nice way, "It's a blessing to have a companion as powerful as Captain Galadilla."

After finishing the small talk, Claire watched Audrey perform the ritual magic. Although the previous times hadn't been very effective, Audrey had actually done a very good job in the steps of the ritual, the use of spells, and the details of the actual operation. It was just that this case was a bit difficult.

Suddenly, Audrey turned pale and began to retch.

Claire preparedly took out a small tin pot and handed it to Audrey.

The pungent mixed smell of mint, tobacco, etc. made Audrey suddenly feel refreshed, and the urge to vomit was quickly suppressed.

The tin pot contains "Krag's Oil", a recipe learned from Frey in Tingen. It has an anti-nausea effect and is also very effective in refreshing the mind.

"Thank you." Audrey took out the handkerchief she carried with her, lowered her head, and wiped her eyes and nose.

"Did you succeed?" Claire asked softly.

Audrey nodded slightly, but there was no joy on her face - she had witnessed the atrocities committed by the human traffickers in this luxurious villa, and that was probably just the tip of the iceberg!
At this moment, Audrey, who had experienced a lot, had grown a lot. She said in a low voice, "Unfortunately, I still haven't found any images that seem to be of a Beyonder..."

Claire consoled him, "Since the murderer is here to silence us, he must have some sort of solution. Finding clues won't be easy. Furthermore, there's probably a massive force behind the murderer."

Audrey, whose complexion hadn't recovered, said, "I want to try again."

Seeing the girl's determined expression, Claire did not interfere with her decision.

Alger whispered to Claire, "You're not going to stop it? This kind of behavior that harms the body..."

Claire shook her head and said, "Tulip has only experienced a limited amount of things. Her spirit can still withstand this level of consumption."

Alger glanced in surprise at Audrey, who was diligently preparing the ritual materials. He had thought this "Tulip" was a complete newcomer, but being able to endure such spiritual depletion meant she must be at least a Sequence 8...

I just don't know what the path is.

The already limited afternoon time passed quickly. Alger and Audrey returned to the church, while Claire went to the Oak Leaf Bar.

The night was peaceful, and Claire had already changed into Viper's outfit on her way to the Oak Leaf Bar. With the Storage Spirit and the Holy Coffin, changing outfits became much easier.

It would be even better if there were another magical item like Tessa's that could be used for disguise, Claire thought greedily.

Claire went directly into the basement area of ​​the bar through a secret door. Quinn was already busy, and there was no sign of Tessa. She probably thought that woman was too busy playing Alicia to show up tonight.

As the night deepened, more and more attendees gathered. Sitting in the appraisal room, Claire expertly performed appraisals, but Beyonder items were rare. Beyonder items were scarce in the secular world, and only those who became Beyonders would frequently encounter Beyonder events due to their aggregation properties.

But even if they became Extraordinary Beings, those wild low-sequence Extraordinary Beings not only failed to rely on this "aggregation law" to gain any adventures, but were more likely to lose their lives or even be hunted.

After once again identifying an object that contained only a small amount of spirituality and had no Beyonder characteristics, Claire rang the newly placed bell beside the table, asking the waiter to bring the next guest in through the entrance.

A thin man sat down on the armchair in front of Claire's appraisal table.

The mask and cloak that were no different from those of other guests concealed his identity. The man took out a simple tin box.

Wrapped in the tin foil box was a fang-shaped, blue-black object.

This is an extraordinary feature!
"Since you're an 'appraiser', you should know the value of this thing." The man's voice was low, but Claire could hear signs of processing.

The man spoke calmly, "I'm selling it here for 4000 pounds. I'd like Miss Viper to notarize it."

Claire observed carefully and determined that this was the extraordinary characteristic of the "Prisoner" pathway. She knew relatively little about this pathway, so she couldn't specifically determine which sequence it was.

But based on the seller's offer, Claire guessed it should be the Beyonder characteristic of Sequence 7. The "Sun" boy had discussed the "Alien" pathway at the Tarot Club, which was also the sequence name of the "Prisoner" pathway. Sequence 7 was "Werewolf."

The alien species in this world are various monsters that have differentiated from humans due to the negative effects brought about by certain extraordinary characteristics.

The most representative of these is the "werewolf".

They are the same as humans in normal times, but there are always twisted and repressed desires hidden in their hearts. When certain scenes appear or they are stimulated by certain things, they will erupt and turn into monsters, wantonly satisfying their desires for killing and bloodthirstiness.

Every time they explode, they become a little colder, and eventually they completely lose all positive emotions as human beings, degenerating from humans into alien species...

After confirming the item's value, Claire suggested, "The price is a bit high, and in Backlund, there aren't many people who want this kind of item. On the Southern Continent, however, its value would be very high."

The "prisoners" of the Extraordinary Path recorded by the church are basically all heretics of the "Rose School".

These cultists worship the Bound God and were once active mainly in the southern continent.

This organization has a long history and is the primary target of attack by various Orthodox churches. However, due to this, cultists from the Rose School of Thought often cause trouble in various countries across the Northern Continent.

As far as Claire knew, there were two factions within the Rose School: the Temperance faction and the Indulgence faction. The Temperance faction was low-key and had a small number of members, while the ones who caused trouble were mostly the Indulgence faction with a large number of members.

However, church documents have implicitly mentioned that in the beginning, the Rose School advocated moderation.

Claire was not clear about the history of the Rose School's evolution, but having read numerous files, she was well aware of the difficulty of dealing with the hedonistic cultists of the Rose School.

Although these cultists are known for their bloodiness, cruelty, and indulgence, they are very planned in what they do, and they show a certain cunning and insidiousness.

If the original owner of this Beyonder was hunted by the man in front of him, then this man can be considered a leader among wild Beyonders.

Of course, it's also possible that the person in front of him is also an official Beyonder or a member of another secret organization in disguise.

However, this crude method of handling Beyonder characteristics doesn't worry about Beyonder characteristics being integrated into other items and becoming sealed objects...

This also means that this "werewolf" Beyonder characteristic was not recently discovered and is still alive...

Claire's mind raced as she offered her opinion dutifully, "Setting the price so high at the beginning might affect the chances of closing the deal."

The man in front of him didn't seem annoyed by Claire's words of bargaining. He chuckled and said, "But in the Southern Continent, it's hard to sell it alive. And I think it's definitely worth the price."

It seems that the person in front of me knows about the Rose School.

Claire kindly gave him a warning: "If you really want to sell it for a high price tonight, I suggest you hide your identity, because there's a high chance that the organization behind you will come after you."

The man in front of him said calmly:

"All I care about is the money."

"Although this one is less valuable, since you dare to sell these things here, please help me deal with it as well."

The man took out another tin box and threw it on Claire's appraisal table.

This rude action has traces of disguise...

Claire observed that the tin box contained another extraordinary characteristic.

This one was more familiar. Claire recognized it as belonging to a Sequence 8 Beast Tamer from the Pharmacist pathway. The potions that Xio was selling at tonight's gathering were crafted by a Beast Tamer.

More importantly, Claire had only recently seen the extraordinary properties of this "Beast Tamer" in a corner of the palace above the gray fog.

The person in front of me... is Klein the Fool?

No wonder they dared to contain it so crudely... It's amazing that there's a gray fog space to store Beyonder characteristics!

Having basically confirmed the other person's identity, Claire also secretly sensed that this person seemed to have other Beyonder characteristics...

If it really was Klein, then he was selling it before he could even store it in the gray fog space?
Claire wasn't surprised that The Fool could find this gathering. Xio was active in the underground world under the name of "Arbitrator" and hosted this gathering. If The Fool was willing to inquire about it, it wouldn't be difficult to find it.

What surprised Claire was——

Where did Klein get these many Beyonder characteristics?

(End of this chapter)