章 55: Chapter 55: Negotiation
Chapter 55: Negotiation
Alice turned to Derrick and pondered, "Mr. 'Sun,' can you kill them? I only need one... uh, one should be enough."
Alice believed she couldn't afford a second one.
Derrick shook his head, "The places where these monsters reside are still too dangerous for me."
"Very well," Alice said appreciatively, "Do you have a way to get me to Silver City?"
Derrick closed his mouth.
"Maybe I can take you to that sea area," Alger suggested tentatively, "if you need."
Alice shifted her gaze from Derrick, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Alger with a half-smile.
Frankly, Alger's suggestion was indeed one of the most suitable answers.
Otherwise, Alice might have to use the excuse of collecting materials or finding inspiration to hire someone to take her out to sea after finishing this comic. But would anyone really be willing to take such a risky job?
However, Alger's intention was too obvious; it was an open conspiracy.
Alice guessed that the "Hanged Man" must now be convinced that she was the follower Klein mentioned who had just arrived in Backlund. He was probably trying to understand her attitude towards Klein...
Alger met Alice's gaze with an honest expression and continued, "If you don't feel assured, we can ask Mr. Fool to be a witness."
"Sure," Alice sat up a bit straighter and looked at the head of the bronze long table, "Mr. Fool, could you be our witness?"
"Okay." Klein nodded slightly.
Alice then looked back at Alger, her smile fading, "Mr. 'Hanged Man,' do you remember the Extraordinary of the 'Monster' pathway you encountered?"
"What about it?" Alger asked in a deep voice.
"He has an angel—at least an angel—behind him, who has set their sights on me," Alice leaned forward, "And unfortunately, he can find me because of you."
The Hanged Man's expression changed briefly, which Alice noticed with satisfaction. She smiled, "That angel might have already noticed you."
At this moment, Alice didn't pay attention to the Fool's gaze on her—after all, the Fool thought it was impressive to provoke a Sequence 6 or even Sequence 5. Who would have thought Alice would attract an angel!
Derrick was greatly shocked, and Audrey directly asked, "Aren't you in great danger?"
"Not for now," Alice tapped the table with her fingertips, "Although that angel is full of malice towards me, they won't act for the time being—and Mr. 'Hanged Man' shouldn't be deliberately targeted either, as long as he hasn't recited the honorific name. Besides, the angel is currently in Backlund."
"Is it an angel of the 'Monster' pathway?" Alger asked.
Alice looked at Alger's expression and guessed he must be very curious about how she provoked an angel—even though it was also a disaster for her.
"Obviously," Alice shrugged, "I have their honorific name. Do you want to hear it?"
"No, thanks." Alger looked at the still-joking Alice with a complicated expression and declined, "Did you do something to offend that angel?"
"..." Alice fell silent, her smile fading. She looked at Alger with a distant tone, "That's not something you need to know."
And she silently praised her own performance.
Looking at the silent Alger and Audrey, and Derrick, who didn't know what to say, Alice said, "Mr. 'Hanged Man,' if I invite you to hunt that 'Monster' pathway Extraordinary—oh, he calls himself Charlie King, currently Sequence 6—if I invite you to hunt him with me in the future..."
"Are you sure this won't make the angel want to kill me?" Alger asked.
"If they really cared about Charlie King's life, they wouldn't have let him meet me," Alice said coldly, thinking of Charlie King, who almost became an Extraordinary characteristic, "Or rather, I suspect Charlie King was deliberately sent to me as an Extraordinary characteristic."
And if I didn't accept it, would Charlie King be sent to me again when he reached Sequence 5?
"If they want to kill you, why give you an Extraordinary characteristic?" Alger asked, puzzled.
"That's also not something you need to know." Alice refused to answer.
"Why didn't you mention this last week?" Alger continued to ask.
"Because last week, I couldn't be sure whether the angel was benevolent or malicious," Alice replied, "And this week, I've already met the angel."
Klein glanced at Alice again under the cover of the gray fog.
"Why invite me?" Alger continued to ask.
"Two reasons," Alice gave her answer, "One is that you are already exposed to their sight, and the other is... I'm actually a support."
"If the reward is appropriate and I have time, I'll consider it." Alger gave a flexible answer.
"Very well," Alice raised an eyebrow slightly, "If I need to use your ship to reach the sea area you mentioned, what do I need to pay? How should I contact you?"
"..." Alger fell silent, and Alice suspected he regretted his earlier suggestion.
"Even if you don't trust me, you should at least trust Mr. Fool, right?" Alice decided to use a big name, "And I can assure you, the angel doesn't have the ability to affect my fate. They just found me through some means."
Alice was very confident about this—she believed the force affecting her fate was of a much higher rank than an angel.
"Two weeks later, at Port Pritz, I'll give you the details at the next Tarot meeting," Alger replied in a deep voice, "I require the usual rules for team adventures to distribute the spoils, and you need to pay an additional 1,000 pounds as the ship fare."
Alice marveled at the high cost of the ticket and asked naively, "Typically, how are the spoils of a team adventure distributed?"
"If killed alone, the spoils belong to the killer." Alger replied.
Alice, whose combat power was limited to a revolver, fell silent for a moment and then asked, "What if I can't kill the monster alone?"
"According to contribution and need, with compensation afterward." Alger looked at Alice with a complex expression.
---
**Author's Note:**
I am really curious whether you mean the Old One or the Source when you mention the Light Key, as they are actually the same name (…).
But why does it seem like the book club is arguing (…).
Well, if you speak nicely and seriously suggest improvements, I will read and consider them, because some of the issues you point out do exist (eyes shifting).
But for those who nitpick, teach me how to write, or even curse (saying Alice is stupid doesn't count because I secretly say that too (eyes shifting)), I won't speak nicely to you.
After all, there are many books out there. If you don't like mine, you can read others. There's no need to make things ugly here. If you really can't find anything you like, write your own. Why make yourself unhappy and try to leave a mark before you go (…).
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