After the people inside heard it was 'the old man', a small wooden board on the door was pulled open, and a pair of hazel eyes looked out, scrutinizing the big boy and the woman for a while before swinging the door open.
A man wearing an iron mask glanced at the woman and said in a hoarse voice, "Since you're already wearing a robe, that saves time."
In his hand, he held a set of hooded robes, evidently for participants to change into.
"Follow me."
The man gestured, and after the woman entered, he closed the door and led the way.
They passed through the dark living room and entered the ground-floor sitting room, where a single candle on the coffee table cast a faint, yellow Light, naturally insufficient to illuminate the room.
The woman looked around; in the shadowy room, sofas and chairs were arranged, occupied by about a dozen people. They all wore hooded robes and iron masks, making it impossible to distinguish one from another.
"Find a seat anywhere," the Gatekeeper said before leaving.
The woman quietly found an empty chair and sat down, not rushing to state her requests. She watched the participants occasionally converse and trade.
"Things have really been unstable lately. Those lunatics from the Aurora Order actually assassinated Duke Negan. My goodness, not long ago, they assassinated the Intis Ambassador. Now, I have to be extra careful when I go home at night, constantly worrying about running into those Aurora Order madmen."
In a corner, a tall, slender figure sighed.
A clearly female participant sitting next to him chuckled, "Are you overthinking it? The Aurora Order only targets important figures. Are you one?"
A man sitting on the edge of a sofa spoke up, "Does anyone have the blood of a horned black fish? I need 40 milliliters."
A moment later, someone softly said, "I have it. The authenticity of the materials can be verified by Mr. Eye of Wisdom."
"No problem." In the room, an old man sitting on a single armchair nodded slightly. The lines on his cheeks were deep, and his skin, like that of many older gentlemen, was somewhat shriveled and spotted.
After this transaction was quickly completed, a lady whose face was almost completely obscured by the shadow of her hood said, "I want to sell a weapon."
"It's a short dagger, exceptionally sharp. If wounded by it, the injury will burst open and bleed profusely. It's a rune weapon and can be used for another two years."
Her voice fluctuated, sounding exceptionally uncomfortable: "300 pounds, and it's yours."
300 pounds was clearly not a small sum, and the sitting room fell into a silence, with no one responding.
After a while, seeing no one make an offer, Mr. Eye of Wisdom said, "Next."
At this point, the woman brought by 'the old man' spoke, "I need a complete root of a Dark Flower. Does anyone have it?"
In the sitting room, people whispered to each other; no one seemed to know about this Material. But then, the Eye of Wisdom, sitting on the sofa, cleared his throat: "I can acquire this Material, but not right now. You can come to the next gathering."
"However, we should agree on a price first, to avoid a wasted trip."
The woman nodded gently, "Okay, name your price."
"550 pounds."
Hearing the Eye of Wisdom quote such a high price, the participants secretly gasped. This Material was even more expensive than the rune weapon just offered.
Many speculated that it must be a Material required for a higher Sequence, or a primary Material for a lower Sequence.
"No problem. I hope the next gathering comes soon," the woman readily agreed.
"Also, I want to sell an item."
The woman paused slightly before continuing, "It's a magical item."
A series of heavy breaths echoed in the sitting room. All the participants had some knowledge of mysticism and knew what a magical item was. Most of them were 'Beyonder' individuals without official backing, making it very difficult for them to come into contact with magical items normally.
Even the 'notary' of the gathering, the old man who called himself the Eye of Wisdom, leaned slightly forward, showing his focus.
The woman took out a box and opened it. In the flickering candlelight, a bone flute, stark white, lay inside. The moment it was exposed to the air, the temperature in the sitting room immediately dropped, and a cold wind swept through.
The woman held up the bone flute for display: "This is the item I'm selling, named 'Flute of the Undead's Return.' It can awaken already death bodies, allowing these dead to fight or work for you."
"Its negative effect is that if you use it for a long time, it will make you crave warm human blood. This is a curse originating from the Zombie."
"4000 pounds, and you can acquire this magical item. Believe me, opportunities like this don't come often."
The sitting room instantly fell silent.
4000 pounds!
For many Beyonder, this was an absolute fortune, an immense wealth they usually couldn't even imagine.
While magical items were tempting, coming up with 4000 pounds to buy such an item was not something just anyone could do.
The Eye of Wisdom chuckled, "What an interesting item. Unfortunately, it's not for me, and it's too expensive. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind adding another piece to my collection."
"No problem. If anyone needs it, they can prepare enough money for the next gathering. I'm happy to sell it," the woman said, putting away the bone flute, pulling down her hood, and shrinking into the shadows.
The Eye of Wisdom nodded, then prompted the gathering to continue.
After a few more rounds of transactions, someone mentioned the serial murders that occurred in Backlund last month. A man sighed, "Backlund has really been plagued by disasters lately. I even suspect it might be cursed."
At this moment, the woman who had sold the magical item softly said, "I don't know if Backlund is cursed, but I heard a terrifying piece of news."
Everyone's gaze, including Mr. Eye of Wisdom, turned to her.
The woman lowered her head and said, "Recently, you all need to be careful of witches. A terrifying witch has arrived in Backlund, and it's very possible she will cause a disaster here, spreading a terrible Plague."
Hisssss
A collective gasp of cold air filled the sitting room. If this information had been released by someone else, most participants would have dismissed it with a laugh.
But since this news came from someone who possessed a magical item equivalent to the Sequence 6 level, the participants had no choice but to take it seriously.
"Where did you get this information?" the old man on the single armchair asked in a low voice.
The woman chuckled softly under her hood, "I can't say. I don't want to be targeted by witches."
The Eye of Wisdom nodded, "Your concern is reasonable."
The woman's refusal to disclose the source of the information made the old man believe the authenticity of the news even more. After a brief silence, the old man motioned for the gathering to continue, but the participants no longer had the heart to proceed. Thus, a moment later, Mr. Eye of Wisdom announced the end of the gathering.