After seeing Sharron make her appearance, Raphael felt slightly relieved.
It seemed she was at least Sequence 5, as Raphael remembered the Sequence 5 potion name for the 'Chained' Pathway was 'Wraith'. The abilities Sharron displayed were at least at Sequence 5 level.
Raphael lit a cigarette and took a drag: 'Members of the Temperance Faction are in position. Let's hope the Indulgence Faction doesn't keep me waiting too long.'
Then he pondered another issue: 'Where to find the main ingredient or Beyonder characteristic for the Sequence 8 of the adjacent Abyss Pathway?'
The two potion formulas given by the white jade pearl were for Sequence 6 'Zombie' and the adjacent Pathway's Sequence 8, 'Unwinged Angel', which is also called 'Coldblooded'.
This gesture was quite considerate. Raphael only needed to find the main ingredients or corresponding Beyonder characteristics.
The supplementary materials for advancing to 'Unwinged Angel' were easy to obtain. A trip to an herbal shop could procure most. But the two main ingredients would be difficult to acquire in a short time.
Money was a minor concern. Each main ingredient cost around 300 pounds. Though Raphael didn't have that much cash, he could steal or rob to quickly gather the sum.
He had long formulated plans for this. As long as each crime's amount was under 100 pounds and he only committed crimes when necessary, he generally wouldn't attract official Beyonders' attention.
Raphael stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray. Even with money, given the Beyonder gatherings he could access, it would take close to three months to gather both main ingredients.
Although he now had contact with Audrey's channel, being a Dual-Pathway Beyonder was his greatest asset and secret. He didn't plan to let her or her organization know he was acquiring main ingredients or characteristics for the 'Abyss' Pathway...
At this thought, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on Raphael's face. He planned to attack the Beyonder who had sold him the 'Criminal' potion formula.
He had obtained the formula at a Beyonder gathering. At the time, he had carefully observed the person selling the formula, and had seen them multiple times at subsequent gatherings.
Using the ability granted by the jade pearl, he had assessed the other party as a Low-Sequence Beyonder, most likely Sequence 8 of the 'Abyss' Pathway. Even if that weren't the case, and they were from a different Pathway, obtaining a Sequence 8 Beyonder characteristic would be a decent gain.
But this matter would have to wait until after the upcoming battle.
Raphael reined in his thoughts and had a subordinate buy him 2 Desi pies for dinner. Desi pies were one of the few foods he approved of after transmigrating. They tasted similar to the meat pies he remembered.
He originally wanted 4... 2 for Sharron as well, but then realized: 'How to give them to her?'
Hang them on the clock's glass cover with a string? Or set up an offering table in front of the glass and light three incense sticks? But then the offering would only be 2 pies, which was far too meager.
Finally, Raphael considered that a 'Wraith' might not need to eat. Even if Sharron wanted dinner, she could simply float into a hotel kitchen and eat whatever she wished...
...
Raphael waited til very late, but the Indulgence Faction members never came. Presumably, they had just begun their investigation and might find this place tomorrow.
As usual, he returned to his apartment.
The living room had been cleaned up by his men, with new furniture purchased and wallpaper covering the claw marks on the walls.
Raphael didn't turn on the light immediately. Looking at the dim apartment, he hesitated momentarily, unsure if Sharron had followed him.
At that moment, Sharron seemed to sense his hesitation, so her figure flashed briefly in the full-length mirror by the door.
Raphael's eye twitched: 'A dim room, a fleeting shadow in a mirror... this feels like stepping into a horror film!'
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. With Sharron present, he could rest assured.
However, his sleep quality that night was poor. He kept dreaming of a beautiful female ghost standing by his bedside, silently watching him...
...
The next day, Raphael arrived at the Mafia headquarters yawning. As usual, he received visitors and had subordinates handle various matters.
By night, he was walking back to his apartment with the long bag on his back, smoking. There weren't many pedestrians on the road, and Backlund's famous fog once again shrouded the streets, making everything look somewhat unreal.
Under the dim streetlights, he noticed two vagrants walking towards him with strange gaits, so he looked more carefully.
Due to new regulations forbidding vagrants from sleeping in parks and major streets, they had to keep moving at night. But they walked extremely slowly, conserving energy as much as possible.
However, these two before him wobbled as they walked, which consumed a lot of energy.
Immediately after, Raphael saw that one of the approaching vagrants suddenly had an eyeball fall out. However, the man reacted quickly, caught his own eyeball, and pushed it back into the socket.
Raphael stood there holding his cigarette, stunned, "Well, I'll be damned!"
Then he realized that the Indulgence Faction had likely found him. These two "vagrants" were probably zombies.
"Heh, I heard you were quite mad. Afraid of ghosts?" a voice came from behind, its tone cold.
Raphael whirled around. In the mist behind him stood a man with a deathly pale face, devoid of any living aura, staring at him with dead eyes.
Raphael tossed away his cigarette butt, then spoke, "You're Baven's companion?"
"Correct," the other said coldly, his gaze scanning Raphael's surroundings, "It's obvious you already know about Baven's death."
To prevent official Beyonders from using Spirit Channeling, low-level members of secret organizations typically used single-line contacts, building the organization's peripheral branches.
So the Indulgence Faction didn't know Baven died while meeting Raphael. They only knew he was dead, and from the scene, it appeared he was killed by firearms.
"Yes, I know," Raphael said calmly, "We had arranged a meeting. When I arrived at the location, he was already dead." As he spoke, he took off his backpack, "I found this at the scene..."
This 'Zombie' from the Indulgence Faction had already noticed the unstable spirituality around Raphael. He asked warily, "What's that?"
Raphael unzipped the backpack and pulled out the somewhat bulky submachine gun, "A gun. And a new model submachine gun at that."
The 'Zombie' took a step forward. He realized this was likely the weapon that killed Baven. He said, "Hand it over. Let me see."
"Alright, alright," Raphael took out a magazine, "Let me show you how to use it. See, you insert the magazine like this, release the safety, and it's ready!"
Then, the 'Zombie' saw Raphael pull the trigger...
*Rat-a-tat-tat...!!!*