Mystery: I, the Hermit, am too eager to improve

Chapter 181 A Bounty Comparable to a Sequence 4 Potion

Why does Roy look so tall and imposing, like a priest?

Klein was somewhat puzzled.

What task are you performing?

Or perhaps he changed his appearance to avoid being found by the Morse Order.

Did he encounter the Ascetic Order of Morse?

Klein looked thoughtfully at the two of them.

"I'm attending the Duke of Negan's ball tonight, but I'm worried because the assassination attempt on the Duke of Negan last time proved that someone was targeting him."

"So I'm worried this gathering will be the same."

Justice expressed his concerns.

She was alone with the "Hermit," so she did not hide any information that might expose her identity.

after all.

The "Hermit" is not a deity like the Fool; he needs sufficient information to analyze and arrive at valuable answers.

How often does he throw a dance?

Once a month.

Audrey answered.

Once a month?

That's quite possible.

Roy pondered for a moment and asked, "That possibility cannot be ruled out, but I don't think they would make a move at the ball."

"Because of Zilingus's defeat?"

Audrey was no longer the naive girl she once was. She understood that even extraordinary beings were not omnipotent, and that Duke Negan, who held a high position, was likely also a mid-tier extraordinary being.

Such an existence...

After failing once, how could you possibly fall into the same trap again?

"Yes, after Zillingus's failure, Duke Negan was very wary at the ball."

"If you're sure there are enemies, you might try giving the Duke a hint after the ball, or taking some kind of action, but that could get you into trouble."

Roy offered his advice with a smile.

Audrey paused, then quickly shook her head: "No, how could that be? Last time I was able to do so thanks to everyone, this time I don't even know if I'll succeed..."

Zilingus acted too hastily.

He was overconfident, believing he would definitely succeed, without considering that someone had already leaked his secret.

This time is different.

Audrey was only worried about her own safety, which is why she wanted to ask Roy.

"I'm just worried about accidents."

"Perhaps you could ask Mr. Fool for help. I don't have any extra reels on hand right now, and besides, a reel is just a reel; its capacity is limited."

Roy smiled.

Klein, standing above, was stunned, never expecting the flames of war to reach him, but...

At that moment, his brain was working at lightning speed.

Then, when faced with the gaze of "justice," Klein couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He chuckled softly, "If I happen to be paying attention."

If I can't help, it just means I haven't paid attention to it.

He added in his mind.

"Thanks you."

……

"Why is Roy dressed like that? Is it the effect of a magical item?"

Klein recalled Roy's situation just now.

That wasn't a simple disguise; it was a complete transformation.

What is the effect of the Faceless Man?

He thought of sequence 6 of his own path.

The Faceless Man.

This sequence seems to be able to achieve this effect.

"Roy even has extraordinary items from the Faceless Ones, he's really rich, while I'm still worrying about extraordinary materials for Sequence 6."

Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

but.

I now have a direction for Sequence 6 materials.

We should be able to get some from Derrick, and the other part might be obtained from that ruin.

of course.

We can also explore other directions...

For example, secret study groups.

As for the gold pound.

He has enough on hand to buy some materials, but there's still a shortfall.

"Hopefully, there will be a result regarding the bicycle issue soon."

Klein sighed.

He left the gray fog and then walked out of the washroom.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Isengard."

"It's nothing, it's normal, but if you need to go to the toilet frequently, you should probably see a doctor."

"It doesn't happen often, maybe I ate something bad today."

Klein forced a smile, then sat down. "You've come to see me again today. Is there something you need?"

"Yes, I've uncovered something terrible."

Isengard's expression turned serious. "Do you know about the Morse Order?"

"I've heard that they believe in the Hidden Sage."

Roy answered.

Isengard nodded: "Yes, they have now joined forces with evil organizations such as the Aurora Society. According to the information I have, they seem to be active in the Southern District recently."

"ah??"

Klein paused for a moment, then realized—

Roy's previous location was exposed?

No wonder he changed his appearance.

He forced himself to remain calm, revealing only a hint of interest.

"I had a commission with the Harvest Church before, and the bishop there is a very nice person."

He spoke with a hint of doubt.

"I do have some connection with the Harvest Church, but this information may not be very valuable. As far as I know, they have their own intelligence network."

If it were just the Harvest Church, Isengard wouldn't have gone out of his way to find him.

Isengard should know nothing about his relationship with Roy, or Roy's relationship with the Harvest Church.

Klein pondered silently.

"I also learned that the Morse Order's target seems to be inside the Earth Church's church, and that there is a very high bounty on their head."

Isengard said, "I'm wondering if this Apostle of Desire will accept the bounty and take action against that important figure in the Church of Earth."

Detective, your imagination runs wild!

Roy isn't some big shot.

Klein chuckled inwardly.

Roy, who's only Sequence 6, how could that be...?

Do not!

It's really hard to say.

Klein's expression turned serious.

Roy has reached Sequence 6, which is not a title for a great person, but he may have some connection with the Harvest Church and the Earth Mother.

If you think about it that way...

It seems barely acceptable?

Also.

Having a sequence 5 deal with a sequence 6 seems quite reasonable...

Even Klein himself was puzzled.

He frowned.

"Where did you get your information from?"

"I can't say, but I can guarantee its authenticity, and the bounty offered by the Morse Order is extremely high."

Eisinger said.

Klein looked curious.

"How many?"

"It is said to be a Sequence 4 potion. If you don't need the potion, you can replace it with an extraordinary item of the same sequence."

"So tall?"

……

"Mr. Egger, Duke Negan has arrived."

"Thank you for waiting here."

Roy came out of the washroom and saw Moroz sitting on a chair in the hallway outside the washroom with a book in his hand.

Moroz put away his book.

"I don't like those kinds of occasions anyway, so it's nice to sit here quietly and read a book."

He stood up, neatly combed his gray hair and beard, then put on his hat, smiled, and said, "Let's go."

We arrived at the second floor.

By the railing, Roy saw a man dressed in a dark blue admiral's uniform, his eyes no longer sharp, but filled with turbidity and desire.

However, the moment he turned his head, his gaze sharpened rapidly, like that of a hawk ready to hunt.

Pallas Negan.

The heir to the Negans dukedom, leader of the Conservative Party, and in a sense, leader of the Negans family.

The moment he saw Roy, he looked him up and down, then smiled and said, "Mr. Egger, you are even taller than I imagined."

"Duke Negan, you are much younger than I thought."

Roy responded with a smile.

His hair was thick and black, and the wrinkles on his face and around his eyes were very shallow.

Judging by appearances alone, few would believe that the Duke of Negan is older than Prime Minister Agushid.

Duke Negan laughed heartily.

His good looks are thanks to his daily exercise and maintenance, which he is naturally very proud of. He then pointed to the study.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Duke Negan smiled, took Roy's hand, and walked towards the study, with Moroz following behind.

Upon entering the study, Roy glanced around and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

There were several middle-aged and elderly people in the room, including Audrey's father, Earl Hall.

He is not a Conservative.

but.

Although Earl Hall was a member of the New Party, as a high-ranking nobleman, he also had vast fiefdoms, and in this respect, his interests were the same as those of the Conservative Party.

and so.

The Duke of Negan always invited the Hall family to his balls.

This time is no exception.

He led Roy inside, then smiled and said, "Let me introduce you all, this is Mr. Egg White, the brilliant student from Remburg."

Good evening, gentlemen.

Roy remained composed and neither servile nor overbearing, showing no signs of nervousness or flattery, maintaining his own dignity.

Duke Negan smiled slightly, took his seat at the head of the table, and then gestured for Roy to sit in the empty seat.

There was only one spot left in the cramped study.

After Roy sat down, one of the counts spoke up; it was Count Wolf, whom Roy had previously attended a ball at his house.

He sold a lot of land, but still retains a significant amount.

"Mr. Egger, you mentioned earlier that the Earth Church has even better seeds?"

"Yes, according to research, Fenneport has extremely high grain yields. In addition to climate conditions, the key factors are soil, seeds, and technology, and all three are closely related to the Earth Church."

Roy nodded.

Count Wolf pondered for a moment and said, "To what extent can their seeds reach?"

"Count, and everyone else, I am not a member of the Church of the Earth, so I cannot give you a precise answer. I can only offer the knowledge I have gathered from my investigation."

Roy laughed and said, "According to my research, they can easily activate the nutrients in the soil and quickly promote the growth of a plant."

"I've heard that your Church of Knowledge has the ability to imitate other methods. Could you demonstrate this to us briefly?"

It was Duke Negan who spoke.

Those present were all the best among the nobles, and they were no strangers to the extraordinary.

The reason why many people did not become extraordinary...

the reason is simple.

In their eyes, the extraordinary are synonymous with madness.

Why would they, who are rich, powerful, and influential, pursue such things?

but.

The Duke of Negan was different.

He is a true Extraordinary, and has reached Sequence 6, which is considered a relatively high level among Extraordinary.

and so.

He knew the capabilities of the "reader" approach.

Roy laughed and said, "During my research and investigation, I happened to have the ability to analyze this path, so I can demonstrate it."

Do you have any seeds?

He looked at the nobles.

Duke Negan smiled and waved his hand, after which a manservant brought in an earthenware pot from outside.

"I'm ready."

This is a ceramic pot for bonsai, decorated with exquisite carvings that make it seem as if it contains precious flower and plant seeds.

But in fact.

Roy adjusted his glasses and saw information about "Flying Catkin Grass" and "Sea Wheat" appearing on the ceramic basin.

He smiled slightly: "There are seeds of flying catkins and sea buckthorn in the pot."

Earl Hall, Earl Wolf, and other nobles all looked at Duke Negan.

Duke Negan's expression remained unchanged, but a slight surprise could be detected in his eyes—

Seeds of sea buckthorn.

Roy was right.

As for the seeds of the flying catkin grass, they must have been accidentally picked up.

He did not show any particular emotion.

"What do you think of this wheat seed?"

"It has good cold resistance, but poor reproductive ability, so the amount of wheat produced may be relatively small."

As Roy spoke, he grasped the biologist's extraordinary properties hidden in his sleeve with his other hand, using magic to mobilize the nutrients in the soil of the pot.

A short while later, a green shoot sprouted.

A while later, more time passed.

The seedlings grew rapidly and became tall.

After a while, Roy stopped.

"I need more soil."

"I'll get it right away."

The male servant immediately went out.

Duke Negan's gaze had changed. He nodded in a friendly and gentle manner and said, "Mr. Egger, we do not doubt your abilities, but there is a problem."

"Please speak."

Roy smiled and nodded.

"The Earth Church is the main church of Feneport, and even if we get seeds, we certainly won't be as good as them."

"Even if we offered money, we'd still have a hard time competing with Fenneport," said Duke Negan.

"In a sense, yes."

Roy nodded.

Earl Hall then spoke up: "If the price is for us to convert, the Hall family would never agree to it."

His faith in the goddess of night was quite steadfast.

of course.

This is also because the Hall family does not depend on land.

For them, food and crops are merely for a better life, not a source of income for survival.

"Count Hall, there's no need to rush."

Duke Negan smiled. "Mr. Egger is a follower of the Church of Knowledge."

Roy's lips curled into a slight smile: "I am a member of the Church of Knowledge, how could I possibly help the Church of Earth?"

The feud between Rembrandt and Fenneport has existed for six hundred years.

This was also one of the Duke of Negan's doubts.

but.

When Roy brought it up, the old duke immediately smiled.

"Mr. Egger, your visit to Backlund was clearly not for simple academic exchange."

"Of course, research requires funding, and the results of research also need to be verified."

He answered frankly.

Duke Negan pondered for a moment and then asked, "Mr. Egger, how far have you progressed in your research?"

"We don't have the ability to force hybridization through natural means, but we can select the best seeds from each variety and hybridize them artificially."

Roy answered.

Then, a large basin of soil was brought up.

He immediately used his abilities to mobilize the soil's nutrients to continue growing wheat.

Before long, the wheat ears weighed down the branches.

but.

As Roy said before.

Its reproductive capacity is average; although it produces a lot of wheat, most of it is actually empty husks.

He began selecting seeds.

After that, planting continued.

This process opened the eyes of the nobles.

After several attempts, the crops that grew had become quite stable.

They have relatively high yields, and even the few low-yielding ones are still much better than the original species.