One week later, Jace was standing in his living room, which was lit with a gas lamp since it was dark outside.
A faint yellow glow filled the room, casting soft shadows along the walls and furniture.
Jace looked into a small mirror that was on the wall. He saw his own visage, which was struggling to not show a smile out of excitement.
It was working out for him.
He took a black cloak that was kept folded on the table and put it on.
It was the night of the gathering.
Just now, he was divining how the gathering would go and whether it would be safe for him to go out.
The responses were all positive and in his favor. Though he knew divinations were not exactly all-powerful, he was still relieved to hear the responses.
But that was not the point.
He had digested the Seer potion.
After performing divinations, and while Jace was still in cogitation, he felt it. He felt something within him crack like glass, and his mind felt unusually clear.
He remembered this "magical feeling" that he had read in the book and had been waiting for it.
And it finally came.
He, who was an ordinary human, was so excited that he had just completed one step on the path of divinity.
His hands trembled out of pure excitement, but he quickly started to rein himself in.
Today, he would collect the ingredients for the Sequence 8 Clown potion.
And if all went well, he might even advance tonight and become a Clown.
He stopped contemplating his future for a moment and composed himself.
After that was done, he picked up his keys and ventured into the night in his cloak.
The night had just begun, and it was his.
The crimson moon shone above, as always.
---
In the gathering, the host arrived, and so the gathering began.
Jace sat around the same area he had before and was relieved to see that the man he had commissioned to get the main ingredients for the Clown potion was present.
The first segment of the gathering was to complete pending transactions.
Jace went up to the middle-aged man in robes, with a black scarf wrapped around his face. The man seemed to be looking for him as well.
"So, did you get the ingredients that I commissioned you for?" Jace asked.
"Of course I did. I was waiting for you, but it's gonna cost you a pretty penny," the man said, sounding quite pleased.
Jace looked at him for a moment.
"How much?"
"650 pounds."
The answer stunned Jace.
Well, he had expected the price of both main ingredients to cost over 550 pounds, but still—that truly was a large amount.
Looking at him, Jace asked, "How about we go 600?"
The man shook his head.
"I'm afraid it's a fixed rate, boss. I had a lot of trouble getting them."
Jace could only sigh.
"Okay."
Since he had around 700 pounds on hand, he paid 650 pounds after checking the ingredients in a leather bag.
Inside the bag were—a Hornacis gray mountain goat horn and a human-faced rose with a complete stalk.
He had already made divinations on whether he would receive the products and whether they were real and in good condition.
The results were positive.
After completing the transaction, he went back to his place and sat until the new transactions began.
The gathering itself was quite bland now. The few mystic items that were introduced for sale were low quality and had more side effects than benefits.
He wanted to sell a potion formula, but he decided against it
This gathering was fine for Sequence 9 and 8 Beyonders, but beyond that, it lacked quite a bit.
But that was fine, since he would move to Backlund in about a week.
There, he would be able to attend the gathering of Stanton Isengard.
---
The gathering ended.
He was then asked to stay behind by the Spectator lady, who was wearing a cloak and hood.
A few moments later, he was sitting in front of the host—Natalie—and her attendant, Sarah.
Sarah, unlike before when she was standing beside Natalie, was now sitting on a chair next to her.
Which led him to believe that they were close.
Sarah, the Spectator, was meanwhile watching him quite closely.
Just wait until I become a Clown… then let's see how you try to look at me.
Jace found himself growing more and more wary of the Spectator.
And now he understood why there was a saying in the book—
Be aware of the Spectator.
Imagine a room full of Beyonders.
In that room, there is one Spectator.
That Spectator would likely figure out the other Beyonders in a matter of seconds.
And if their sequence is high, they might even manipulate you—and the worst part is, you would never know.
Sarah, meanwhile, noticed the guarded body language of Jace and wondered why he was so wary of her.
Seeing the somewhat awkward environment, Natalie cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
That got the attention of both Sarah and Jace.
Natalie then looked at Jace and asked,
"What do you know about Beyonders of the sequence called 'Assassin'? I, and another acquaintance of mine, are hunting one."
Jace rubbed his forehead with his hand.
There we go… a Sequence 7 Hunter is already attracting Demonesses.