November 12, 1346
Evening, Tingen City.
When the approaching carriage stopped, Amos stepped forward, opened the door, and said to Altair, "Countess Altair, please go first."
Altair nodded slightly, then boarded the carriage. Not long after she was seated, Amos, who was responsible for opening and closing the door, followed closely and sat down. He then knocked on the window, signaling the coachman to start moving.
Afterward, Amos began to introduce the destination of their trip:
"Countess Altair, the Beyonder Gathering we are attending this time was created and hosted by a 'Divine Envoy of the Aurora Order, Mr. Z'."
"We have no way of knowing Mr. 'Z's' real name. Divine Envoys of the Aurora Order generally use letters instead of names, such as Mr. A from Backlund..."
Before Amos finished his introduction, Altair interrupted, "I know about these things. Continue with something useful."
Amos nodded, not annoyed, and continued his introduction, "Since Mr. 'Z' created this gathering, he himself has rarely attended in person."
"Under normal circumstances, his subordinates preside. However, there are special cases, such as when a sequence six Beyonder characteristic is being sold during the gathering, or when plans are made to develop Aurora Order cultists; only then will he appear voluntarily."
"Based on our understanding of the Aurora Order organization, we know that the Divine Envoy member ranked first is usually the sequence five 'Shepherd,' and following the alphabetical order, we speculate that this Mr. 'Z' is highly likely to be the sequence six 'Rose Bishop' of the 'Hanged Man Pathway'."
Upon hearing the name 'Rose Bishop,' Altair did not forget the item she urgently needed. She thought to herself, "If I can meet him this time, that would be great. Since she is returning to the ancestral land for the winter, she brought Simon and his squad members back with her. Hunting down a Rose Bishop to obtain a Beyonder characteristic would be no trouble at all."
Back in Backlund, she had even considered targeting Mr. A. After all, if she could turn the Beyonder characteristic of the 'Shepherd' into a Sealed Artifact, any of its abilities, whether 'Pasturing' or 'Flesh Control,' could satisfy her needs.
However, regarding Mr. A, Altair now only dared to think about it. After all, this fully equipped sequence five Shepherd was not some stray dog on the roadside. Without absolute strength, she dared not provoke this mad dog.
Although the 'Rose Bishop' is not as good as the 'Shepherd,' he offers better cost-effectiveness.
Altair asked, "Amos, have you ever seen Mr. 'Z's' true face? If we meet him again, can you recognize him immediately?"
Amos paused, then nodded and said, "I have seen Mr. Z once at a gathering. His features are very delicate; if I see him again, I will definitely recognize him."
Altair nodded and told Amos, "When you enter the gathering later, start looking for Mr. Z and see if he is participating in this event."
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of an ordinary private residence.
After the two put on their hoods and masks, they got out of the carriage. Amos stepped forward first and knocked on the door; his movements were practiced, clearly indicating he had attended many times.
Led by an attendant, Altair and Amos wound their way through several turns before finally entering the gathering hall.
Altair glanced around and immediately noticed more than a dozen people, all hidden by hoods, already seated casually. People were continuously opening and closing doors in different parts of the room, waiting for the gathering to begin.
Watching the people gradually appear, Altair asked curiously, "Are there this many Beyonders in Tingen City? Why are so many people participating in this gathering?"
"Not everyone participating in this gathering is a Beyonder. Because this gathering has been running for a long time and has a good reputation, some special ordinary people have learned about it, such as naive young nobles or ordinary people whose families have Beyonders," Amos explained while looking at the people present.
Altair smiled silently, thinking, 'It seems that no matter which world or region, people have the same idea about power that surpasses the ordinary: to become them, or even surpass them.'
A few minutes later, someone wearing a black hood announced:
"The gathering begins."
Hearing this, Altair couldn't help but look at Amos. But when she saw Amos's actions, she still felt deeply disappointed.
Because Mr. 'Z' was not present at this gathering.
The operation of this gathering was simple: people would write down their needs and hand them to the attendants, who would then write them on the blackboard in the center. If someone had a trading requirement, the attendant would proactively step forward and lead the two to a separate room to conduct the transaction.
Altair was surprised by this method of transaction, as it was her first time encountering it. When she attended gatherings in Backlund, people would directly shout out their needs, only writing down a message on the blackboard if they couldn't purchase what they needed that time.
The requests written on the blackboard at this moment verified Amos's words.
"Urgently need the formula for sequence 9 'Apothecary.' Clues can also be traded. Formula: 250 pounds, Clue: 10 pounds."
"Need the formula for sequence 9 'Spectator,'... Formula: 250 pounds, Clue: 10 pounds."
"Need 'Sailor' formula..."
..."Mummy powder, 10 grams, 5 pounds."
"Enhancement Potion, one portion,..."
"Detoxification Potion,..."
"Vigor Potion,... Effect: It can make men last longer in bed."
This potion was bought up quickly after the attendant wrote it down, and even Amos, who accompanied Altair, bought quite a few.
Altair didn't interfere with his actions; after all, she had been a man once, so she was not surprised by such things.
What piqued her curiosity, however, was the entry on the blackboard: "sequence 9 'Secrets Supplicant' magic potion formula, price to be discussed in person." This magic potion formula had not been claimed by anyone for trading.
It seems the participants in this Beyonder Gathering were not fools. The Aurora Order's method of using magic potion formulas as bait wasn't very effective.
"Do you have any needs?" Amos asked after returning to his seat, having just completed a transaction.
Upon hearing this, Altair simply shook her head and said, "The Beyonder materials provided by this gathering are of no use to me. The levels are too low; most of the trades are for sequence 9 items."