After putting on his mask, Lex followed the man in the tailcoat through the partition and into a dark room. Lex saw a sofa placed at the entrance, with a small round table in front of it. On the table was a dimly lit candle, along with some fruit and wine.
There were five such setups in the room. Five positions, five candles, and four of the sofas were already occupied.
However, due to the candlelight and angle, Lex could only see the lower halves of those people; their upper bodies were hidden in the darkness.
Recalling that these people must also be wearing masks, Lex knew that this arrangement was to reduce the chance of participants' identities being revealed.
However, if there was a Seer present, then unless they had items to counter Divination, such an arrangement would have limited effect.
Lex, a 'person in the know,' made a simple judgment and was arranged to sit on the empty sofa.
Only after sitting down did he notice that the armrest of the sofa, on the side facing outwards, had numbered plates embedded in it, from 1 to 5.
Lex sat in chair number 5.
The man in the tailcoat retreated outside the door.
After the door closed, the participant in chair number 1, clearly a man, let out a hearty laugh: "Hello, I am the host of this gathering. You can call me 'Astronomer.' Of course, my knowledge of astronomy is not that profound; I am merely an amateur."
"May I ask, how should we address you?"
Lex spoke in a slightly low voice: "Duke."
"Very well, Mr. Duke, let me briefly introduce you. Chair number 2 is Young Miss 'White Rose,' followed by Mr. 'Novelist,' and Mr. 'Lawyer.'"
Mr. 'Lawyer' was very close to Lex, and the candlelight illuminated his lower half, allowing Lex to see his black, meticulously ironed trousers and a pair of shiny leather shoes.
Lex also noticed a faint scent of paper and ink on him, clearly indicating someone who regularly handled paper and ink. Of course, if it weren't for Lex's nature as a Hunter, others at this distance wouldn't be able to smell it at all.
"Without further ado, let's begin. Perhaps after it concludes, everyone will even get to see Young Miss Pamela's performance."
A soft chuckle echoed in the room.
Subsequently, the 'Novelist' in chair number 3 directly asked: "I'd like to inquire, what is Sequence 8 of the 'Spectator' path called?"
"If Sequence 7 is also known, that would be even better."
Hmm, is Mr. 'Novelist' a Beyonder of the Spectator path? Does he not even know the name of the next Sequence?
As a 'newcomer,' Lex did not immediately answer the question. He sat calmly in his seat and picked up the wine, taking a small sip.
The 'Astronomer' in chair number 1 chuckled: "I'm not very familiar with this path. If it were the 'Lawyer' path, I could certainly offer assistance."
The other two participants also remained silent.
Lex then put down his cup: "I know the name of Sequence 8 for this path. Do you wish for me to say it aloud, or write it down for you?"
He noticed that there was an inconspicuous notepad and a fountain pen on the table, which prompted the latter question.
The 'Novelist' was clearly a cautious person: "Write it down. What compensation do you wish to receive?"
"None needed. However, I also know Sequence 7. If you wish to know that, you will need to pay a price."
As Lex spoke, he picked up the fountain pen and quickly wrote down the brief information 'Sequence 8 Telepathist' on the notepad, then folded the paper.
Just as he was wondering how to hand it to the other party, a masked waiter emerged from the corner of the room and delivered Lex's note into the 'Novelist's' hand.
Lex heard the other party's breathing noticeably deepen, but he did not rush to open the paper, instead saying: "Thank you for the information. I wonder what kind of price I need to pay for the name of the next stage."
Lex said frankly: "I haven't thought about it yet. How about we discuss this issue later?"
"Alright."
After speaking, the 'Novelist' unfolded the note. Then, he took out a coin; it seemed to have some rust on it.
He whispered something, then tossed the coin, caught it, glanced at it, and then put away the note.
What is he doing?
Divining with a coin whether the information I provided is correct?
Is he a Seer? Then why is he inquiring about the Spectator path's information? Or perhaps, that coin is a magical item?
Lex let his thoughts wander, while listening to the other participants exchange information from a detached perspective, with people occasionally offering to sell or buy items.
Of course, whether selling or buying, what they needed were not ordinary items.
At this moment, the 'Lawyer' sitting next to Lex said: "I have three of Emperor Roselle's notes here. I'm a bit short on funds lately, and I hope to sell them for 30 pounds. Does anyone here need them?"
The 'Astronomer' once again displayed his extensive knowledge: "I've heard that Emperor Roselle's notes are all written in strange symbols, and very few people can read them. This greatly reduces their 'informational' value."
"As for their collection value, these notes are almost all copies made by later generations; it's very difficult to obtain the Emperor's original manuscripts, so..."
The 'Lawyer' grumbled: "If they were manuscripts, they wouldn't be as cheap as 30 pounds."
Lex leaned forward slightly: "30 pounds isn't cheap, but I have a friend who's interested in the Emperor's notes. Even if they're not manuscripts, he'd be happy to collect them."
Yes, the friend I'm talking about is Klein.
"20 pounds. If you're willing to sell, I'd be happy to buy them," Lex added.
The 'Lawyer' said: "25 pounds. Any lower and I'll take them elsewhere to sell."
Lex was genuinely worried about missing out and nodded: "Deal, but can you guarantee that they are indeed the Emperor's notes?"
'I can guarantee, I have already—' The Lawyer paused, then said, "In short, they are indeed the Emperor's notes, even if they are just copies made by later generations. You can take them to an expert for appraisal, and if they're fake, I'm willing to pay triple the compensation."
"No problem."
After paying 25 pounds on the spot, the masked waiter placed the three notes on Lex's table.
Lex picked them up, casually glanced at them, and indeed, they were in Chinese, it's just that the handwriting was really ugly!
Putting away the notes, Lex heard the 'Novelist' speak: "I want to sell an item that can Teleport you to a distant place, instantly moving you away from your current location. But there are a few issues. One is that this item can only be used once now; yes, it can only be used one last time."
"The other issue is that its Teleport is random and unpredictable, which may lead to some uncontrollable risks."
"Therefore, I'm only selling it for 300 pounds."