Capítulo 39: Chapter 39Mr. A: “Would you like to become a Secret Prayer?”
Chapter 39Mr. A: "Would you like to become a Secret Prayer?"
Hastur unfolded the note, which read: "If you wish to become a Secret Prayer, we can offer you a solid rhinoceros horn crystal at no cost."
Hastur's first reaction was that Mr. A was quite brash! Anyone with sufficient knowledge of mysticism would know that the path of the Secret Prayer is the Hanged Man's approach, a method well-managed and manipulated by the Aurora Society.
The Aurora Society is notorious in the supernatural world, akin to a terrorist organization during peacetime, an adversary of the Seven Gods Church.
Their members usually hide in the shadows, revealing their terrifying nature only when they strike.
At this moment, Mr. A's behavior was like asking someone in peacetime if they wanted to buy a submachine gun.
Encountering a more righteous person would surely lead to a report to the official organizations.
Hastur's second reaction: Was Mr. A taking an interest in him?
It was said that the Aurora Society was full of crazed beauties, valuing appearance highly, welcoming both men and women without discrimination.
The better-looking one was, the more they liked them.
Simply put, they were complete aesthetes.
Hastur's third reaction was rejection! Not to mention that he was about to advance to Sequence 8 Barbarian, even if he hadn't stepped onto the Black Emperor's path, he wouldn't choose the Hanged Man's approach.
The extraordinaries of this path were all mad to varying degrees; the only difference was that some were quite mad, while others were extremely so.
The grand stage of the Aurora, where only the mad dare to tread.
"Forgive my refusal, but I prefer to become an apothecary."
Hastur wrote a sentence on the note and had his servant deliver it to Mr. A.
Mr. A opened the note, glanced at it, then looked back at Hastur, silent for a long while before writing another sentence on the note.
Soon, Hastur received a reply from Mr. A, who was close at hand.
"Everything is a gift from the Lord, and we must draw near to Him, for He is the only salvation at the end of days."
"…"
Hastur was silent, at a loss for words regarding Mr. A's line of thinking.
The phrase blatantly displayed the word 'preaching' right before him.
Didn't Mr. A know that at such extraordinary gatherings, the more enthusiastic one appeared, the more likely they were to be resisted by others?
Was he that easily swayed?
"I am a follower of the Goddess, and I will not stray."
Hastur replied politely to avoid Mr. A's persistent entanglement.
Less than two minutes later, Mr. A sent another note via a servant.
"Solid rhinoceros horn crystal, 300 pounds."
After pondering for a moment, Hastur wrote "Deal" on the note.
Regardless of Mr. A's motives, he couldn't pass up such a reasonable offer that came knocking at his door.
Hugh and Fors watched Hastur curiously for a while, their eyes filled with wonder.
Mr. A, known as one of the most powerful extraordinaries within their circles, took such an interest in a newcomer attending the gathering for the first time; it was indeed incredible.
"You know, I've always been quite popular," Hastur explained with a smile.
"Yes, I've heard that Mr. A is a very handsome man. It's quite normal for him to take notice of you," Hugh added teasingly.
"…"
Hastur fell silent, deciding to change the subject, "Did you gain anything tonight?"
"Nothing."
Hugh and Fors shook their heads in unison, one lacking ambition for advancement, the other severely short on money.
After the transaction, they rested for a few minutes before moving on to the free exchange segment.
Hastur had little interest in this part, but he felt compelled to appear knowledgeable due to Mr. A's frequent glances, which forced him to feign interest in various topics.
"Does anyone have an interest in the writings left by Emperor Roselle?" someone asked excitedly, holding up a piece of paper and looking around.
Hastur remained silent, and Fors glanced at him before whispering, "The deal you mentioned last time can still continue, right?"
"I only accept the original manuscripts of Emperor Roselle; imitations have no value to me."
"How can we determine if it's Emperor Roselle's original manuscript?"
"I know a professor rich in historical knowledge who has researched this area extensively, and isn't Mr. A also skilled in appraisal?"
Fors glanced at Mr. A, then whispered something to Hugh.
Quickly, Hugh got up and approached the man claiming to study the mysterious writings of Emperor Roselle. After a fervent exchange, she successfully retrieved three pieces said to be the original manuscripts left by Emperor Roselle.
Hastur only needed a glance to identify two of the pieces as later imitations, with only one being a genuine diary manuscript of Emperor Roselle.
The handwriting of Chinese characters is difficult to mimic, especially in long sentences; achieving complete consistency is challenging.
Knowing the format and likely content style of Roselle's diary made it easier for him to discern.
Hugh took the three Roselle diaries to Mr. A for appraisal. After a brief examination, Mr. A selected one, then his gaze shifted past Hugh to Hastur.
"Thank you for your generosity."
Hugh returned from Mr. A's free appraisal with a spring in her step.
"Pay up, my respected Baron."
Hugh's tone was very cheerful, having earned 50 pounds just by speaking a few words, which was a big win for her.
"Of course, this is the deal we agreed upon." Hastur nodded with a smile, acknowledging the transaction.
He was willing to pay a high price for Roselle's diaries at this stage to prepare for the future.
In the future, he was unlikely to join the Tarot Club.
To influence Klein and change some regrettable events, he would need Roselle's diaries.
Klein collected Roselle's diaries through Audrey, the Backward Politician, Fors, and others, while Hastur could provide a steady supply.
He could also write Chinese and knew many things. Although his handwriting differed from Roselle's, he could pass off his own writings as imitations of Roselle's diaries.
This approach had another advantage: compared to direct contact with Klein, which might raise his guard and suspicion, it was better to communicate through Roselle's diaries, as Klein would surely trust Huang Tao, a fellow countryman in distress.
Moreover, in these transactions, he could recoup the cost of purchasing the original Roselle diary manuscripts from Audrey, Fors, and others.
It was a business guaranteed to be profitable.
So now, he needed to let Audrey, Fors, and Hugh know that he had a hobby of collecting Roselle's original diary manuscripts and that he had many in his possession.
When they needed to trade with Mr. Fool, they would naturally think of him.
As the exchange segment drew to a close, Mr. A wanted to complete a transaction with Hastur alone, but Hastur declined.
Mr. A didn't insist too much and had the solid rhinoceros horn crystal delivered to him, while Hastur paid the agreed 300 pounds.
Leaving the gathering cabin, the trio returned to Viscount Glaint's villa.
Facing Glaint's intense gaze, Hastur could only apologize; he truly hadn't acquired any apothecary potion formulas at the extraordinary gathering tonight.
"It's alright, I can wait longer," Glaint said, feigning ease.
After some small talk, Hastur paid Fors 50 pounds, reclaimed an original Roselle diary manuscript, and ended the brief gathering for the night.
At 11:33 PM, Hastur returned to his study, sat at his desk, and began to list his recent income and expenses.
His main sources of income were threefold: 2000 pounds borrowed from Viscount Glaint, 800 pounds from selling the Barbarian potion formula, and a weekly salary of 10 pounds.
His expenses were numerous: purchasing extraordinary materials, acquiring Roselle's diaries, paying the butler and maids' wages, daily living costs…
After writing and calculating on a piece of paper, he arrived at a conclusion.
His savings were less than 800 pounds, with only 500 pounds left in the bank, about 200 pounds in hand, and 500 pounds already allocated to cover two to three months of wages and expenses.
With his current expenses and savings, he could last until the June plantation earnings without buying Sequence 7 Briber extraordinary materials.
But he couldn't avoid collecting Briber materials in advance, which would be a significant expense.
"Sigh, I still need to keep making money."
"I can consider how to earn money after advancing to Sequence 8 Barbarian. For now, the priority is to fully assimilate the Lawyer potion."
"I wonder how the Star Palace will change after the advancement."
Hastur pondered deeply for a long time, then took another piece of paper and continued to summarize the events of this period.
The Lamp Genie and the Fallen Mother Goddess, the swindler Andrew who hadn't been caught yet, the recently quiet Mrs. Germanny, the Charity Home whose truth was still unclear, and Mr. A, who took a keen interest in him.
These were all potential enemies that could cause trouble for him.
He didn't plan to deal with the Fallen Mother Goddess for now. As for the Lamp Genie, he would see after advancing to Sequence 8.
He could issue a bounty for the fraudster Andrew and have Hugh help find a solution.
It was best to maintain the status quo with Mrs
It was best to maintain the status quo with Mrs. Germanny.
As for the Charity Home, since Professor Wayne had dealings with Vice Principal Bard, Hastur didn't report it to the Church of the Evernight Goddess As long as he stayed away from the Charity Home, there shouldn't be any more trouble.
Regarding Mr. A, who was very interested in him, that was a bit troublesome.
Who knew what those madmen would do? They might even come to his house in the middle of the night to preach about the True Creator.
"He couldn't possibly have identified me and come knocking so quickly, could he?"
Hastur glanced out the dark window, feeling an ominous premonition.
"No, I always feel unsafe here."
Hastur frowned slightly, feeling the need for a new residence, preferably closer to the Church of the Evernight Goddess
Only then would he feel secure.
"After tonight, I'll find an excuse to stay in the Queen District for a while. After advancing to Sequence 8 Barbarian, I should have some ability to protect myself."
Hastur made up his mind.
He sat and thought for a while longer before burning the paper filled with writing to ashes.
Because of Mr. A, he was in a bad mood. Yes, he couldn't let the Lamp Genie have it too easy either.
(End of Chapter)
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder