Mystery: Who has seen my brother?

Chapter 197 Backlund's Party

Klein followed Eve into a dark, deserted alley and stopped in front of a house.

Eve took out a black iron mask and a hooded robe and handed them to Klein.

The mask only covered the lower half of his face, but the robe was very wide, covering Klein's entire body. The only information that could be revealed was his height.

Eve also took out her mask and robe and put them on. After seeing that Klein was ready, she reached out and knocked rhythmically on the wooden door.

After a few seconds, a small wooden block on the door was pulled open, revealing a pair of deep brown eyes.

Those eyes moved between the two of them, examining them. Two seconds later, Klein saw the door being opened from the inside.

A tall man wearing a black iron mask stood inside the door. His gaze stayed on the two of them for a second, then he silently turned half sideways, making way for the two to pass through.

After Klein entered the house, the man immediately closed the door and led the two through the living room to the living room on the first floor.

There was a candle lit on the coffee table in the living room, which was the only light source in the room. The dim and weak light was not enough to illuminate the entire room.

There were seven or eight people sitting on the sofas around the coffee table, all wearing black iron masks and hooded robes. After a while, a few more people came in. There were about a dozen people in the whole room, and then no one entered.

Eve casually found a quiet corner to sit down. Klein followed Eve without hesitation and sat beside her.

Klein didn't speak rashly. He quietly listened to the conversations among the party members and watched several transactions slowly completed.

There was nothing he needed in these transactions. Whether it was potions or spells, he had better channels to obtain them, and there was nothing he needed in the potion formulas and materials.

Rather than potions and spells, he hopes to obtain some magical items, but unfortunately, no magical items that satisfy him have appeared yet. The only "get-rich-quick accessories" that make him a little excited cannot improve his self-protection ability, and the price is also quite unattractive.

Klein glanced around, then opened his mouth in a brief silence and proposed his first deal at this party.

"I need a magical item, at least Sequence 7 level."

"Sequence Seven?" The woman who sold the two magical items frowned slightly and said to Klein thoughtfully, "I can give it to you, but not right now. If you're willing to trust me, we can trade. You pay half the deposit first, and I'll bring the magical items to the next gathering, and then I'll pay the rest."

"Only cash," the woman added, "no checks."

This lady must be a "craftsman" or there must be a "craftsman" behind her...

Klein silently speculated in his mind, nodded in understanding, and asked, "How much is the deposit?"

He wasn't afraid of the lady running away with the bill; as a fortune teller, he had plenty of ways to find her. Furthermore, the organizer of this gathering wouldn't allow it. If such a large, egregious transaction occurred at his gathering, it would inevitably plunge the gathering into a crisis of trust.

In this place without official institutional constraints, mutual trust among members and the authority of those in power are often very important.

While Klein was thinking, the lady selling magical items lingered on him for a few seconds, as if pondering something. Then she held up two fingers and said directly, "2500."

2500 pounds!
This price is enough to buy a nice house in Backlund! Klein's heart skipped a beat. Although he had guessed that Sequence 7 magical items would definitely be expensive, he was still shocked when the lady quoted the price, even though he was mentally prepared.

The deposit was 2500 pounds, which meant that the selling price of this magical item was 5000 pounds, which was his salary for many years!
"No," Klein refused without hesitation. "I can't spend 5000 pounds on a magical item with no guaranteed effects. If its effects aren't what I want or if the negative effects are too great, then it's not worth the price. Can you find a magical item that perfectly meets my requirements and has minimal negative effects?"

"What are your requirements?" the lady continued calmly, as if she had anticipated this situation. "If it's too high, then the price will go up further."

"The shape should be suitable for young women to carry. Its main function is to enhance combat power, but it would be best if it could attack the enemy without getting in close contact." Klein stated the requirements he had already thought of.

Isn't that a bit too much to ask for... Klein felt a little uneasy after he finished speaking, but he remained calm on the surface.

The mask obscured the woman's face. Klein couldn't see her expression, but he still stared closely.

"Okay," the woman's voice came again after what seemed like an eternity. "Two thousand pounds, that's the bottom line."

That means it can be lowered further!

The corners of Klein's mouth curled up slightly under his mask, and he opened his mouth and began to bargain.

There was no other way. The price was simply too high for Klein. All his assets were left in Tingen. Since arriving in Backlund, Klein hadn't hunted many pirates and couldn't even afford the deposit.

After some debate, the deal was finally completed with a deposit of £1750.

Klein took out all the cash he had brought with him and counted it in front of the woman. It was exactly 1750 pounds, and he handed it to her.

The woman took the gold pounds and counted them again in front of Klein.

Klein only brought 1300 pounds, so it was obvious who the extra 450 pounds belonged to.

I'm in debt again... Klein sighed softly in his heart. It seemed like it wasn't that long since he last owed a debt. Was he going to go further and further down the road of owing and paying off debts in this life?
Klein laughed at himself in his heart, with a hint of humor.

Another deal was completed. Such a large transaction was extremely rare in this small gathering, which made some party members unable to help but secretly look at Klein with obvious inquiry and curiosity in their expressions.

However, this gradually cooling party did not become lively again because of the large-scale transaction. After a few more transactions, the party came to an end.

The old man, Eyes of Wisdom, clapped his hands and said to the crowd, "That's all for today. As usual, everyone should leave one by one, with a three-minute interval between each one."

They left one by one... three minutes apart. They were probably afraid someone would be followed or even robbed if they left... Klein thought to himself.

"You go first." The old man raised his chin and gestured to Klein.

As the member with the largest transaction amount, other members might risk their lives to ambush Klein. Out of responsibility to the party members, "Eye of Wisdom" decided that Klein would be the first to leave.

Klein received the prompt from the Eye of Wisdom, nodded, and followed the waiter through the living room to the front door. He took off his mask and robe, and then without stopping in the alley, followed his memory back to the Brave Bar.

(End of this chapter)