Mystery: Death Singer

After settling the money with the old man, whom others called "the Eye of Wisdom," Edric still didn't return to his seat. He stated, without much hope, his initial reason for wanting to join the gathering:

"I'm looking for the 'Ghost Cat's' forepaws or blood. Does anyone have any information?"

After waiting for more than ten seconds, just as Edric was about to return to his seat, the woman who had sold him the revolver spoke up:

"I've seen this extraordinary creature before, but it takes time to hunt it and involves certain risks. How much are you willing to pay?"

It will take some time, and there are certain risks... Edric chewed on these two words repeatedly, glancing silently at the woman, whose face practically screamed "I want to rip you off."

After a brief silence, Edric waved the six hundred gold pounds he had just earned from the old man, the "Eye of Wisdom," and added before the other man could misunderstand:

"Madam, you can go hunting with peace of mind. Just bring me the two materials I need here, and I will pay you nine hundred gold pounds."

When he mentioned "nine hundred gold pounds," Edric noticed that many people around him were breathing more heavily. He slowly put the money in his pocket as if fishing, then changed the subject:

"However, I need to make one thing clear beforehand: before you bring them to me, I will still purchase both materials from other people, and I only need one copy. Whoever brings them the fastest, I will buy from them."

"That makes perfect sense," the woman selling revolvers nodded slightly.

Edric didn't look at the woman again and went back to his seat.

He knew those two materials were definitely not worth nine hundred pounds, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had already finished using up his current "Gravedigger" potion, and every day he couldn't advance due to a lack of materials was a sin.

Moreover, the lady seemed to be a regular customer here. If he could grasp her pain points just as she had grasped his own, Edric believed he could earn back today's premium.

Sure enough, after several other people completed their transactions, the woman selling weapons spoke up casually:

"I want to buy the recipe for Sequence 8 'Barbarian' for five hundred pounds."

Seeing that no one replied, the woman lowered her head in obvious frustration.

Barbarian… Edric silently repeated the word to himself. If he could collect the recipe, he would definitely sell it to this lady, but for the delightful price of seven hundred pounds.

The other party can, of course, choose not to buy and not to accept the premium, but so what? The formula won't slip away, and Edric won't lose money no matter what.

The gathering continued for a while, and after no one else volunteered to speak, the "Eye of Wisdom" clapped his hands and said:

"That's all for today. As usual, we'll leave one by one, with a three-minute interval between each other."

He raised his right hand, pointed to Edric who was a little slower to get up than the others, and said in a gentle tone:

"You're first."

Is this to prevent me from being followed or robbed? Edric silently rose and, led by a waiter, left the living room and came to the door.

After returning the hooded robe to the man guarding the gate, Edric retraced his steps to the back door of the "Brave Man's Bar." He removed his mask, walked through the kitchen, and saw Kaspasse sitting at the bar watching a boxing match.

Seeing Edric approach, the old man with a large, bulbous nose raised his beer to him and said in a low voice:

"I suddenly remembered I forgot to tell you how to decipher those codes. Listen carefully, it's specifically..."

Finally, he pointed to a closed card room and asked:

"Marich is still playing cards. Are you going to see him?"

"No, thank you." Edric took the Southvale beer from the bartender, took a sip, and continued, "It's getting late, let's wait until next time."

Kaspass nodded without saying anything more. Seeing that Edric had no intention of continuing the conversation, he turned his attention back to the increasingly intense boxing match.

…………

Upon returning home, Edric immediately noticed a letter on his desk.

After confirming that there were no signs of forced entry into the house, Edric picked up the letter, and a relieved smile quickly appeared on his face.

This is Mr. Azik's letter, saying that he has arrived in Backlund and is currently staying at a hotel near the University of Backlund. He plans to wander around the area to see if he can recall more memories of the past.

Although he didn't know Mr. Azik's exact rank, Edric felt that even in a big city like Backlund, the other party was definitely a top-tier expert.

The appearance of this letter in his hand shows that Edric has once again enjoyed Mr. Azik's protection, a sense of security that no amount of gold pounds can bring.

Edric stuffed the letter back into the envelope, lit it, and watched it turn to ashes before carefully crushing it.

He didn't plan to go see Mr. Azik right now; the man had just returned to Backlund and needed some alone time to find familiarity.

Moreover, Edric chose to befriend Azik to ensure his personal safety, not to find a "nanny," and he certainly wouldn't bother the other party casually.

…………

Meanwhile, the woman who had just sold weapons at the party returned home. She turned on the gas light and suddenly caught a glimpse of someone on her sofa out of the corner of her eye.

He turned and drew his gun in one swift motion, while the figure on the sofa quickly raised his hands and laughed awkwardly.

"Calm down, Freya, it's me."

Freya's eyes twitched as she sheathed her gun, and she growled like a volcano about to erupt:

"Sorana! Why are you sitting there without the lights on? You almost scared me to death! This is your last warning, next time I won't hesitate and I'll pull the trigger in an instant!"

Upon hearing this, Solana playfully stuck out her tongue, changing the subject before Freya's anger could escalate further:

"How was the party today? How did the gun sales go?"

Freya, who was holding her breath, felt a pain in her chest. She glared at the girl in front of her whose smile was as bright as the sun, and said irritably:

"It went fairly smoothly. It seems I met a nobleman who not only bought the failed weapon but also reserved the 'Ghost Cat's' forepaws and blood for a full nine hundred pounds."

"Nine hundred pounds?!" Solana jumped up from the sofa in disbelief, asking, "A ghost cat? We think we killed one before, but only its front paws were the main ingredient..."

At this point, Solana realized what was happening and chuckled at Freya's smug expression, "As expected of you, Freya, we've really hit the jackpot this time!"