After hearing Quevedo say that it was a peculiar pocket watch, Furen suddenly realized that no one in the world had ever made a wristwatch, and even after Quevedo had made one, he had only referred to it as a peculiar pocket watch.
However, Furen still doubted that it was Rosell's idea and asked, "This pocket watch isn't meant to be kept in your pocket. Since you were the first to make it, why not give it a name?"
Quevedo, for some unknown reason, responded somewhat awkwardly: "Actually, it wasn't my idea. It was Mr. Rosell's idea. I heard it from someone else."
Furen thought about it and realized it was true, then insisted, "Governor Rosell is so learned! Have you heard of any other sources of inspiration for Mr. Rosell?"
Quevedo, a little embarrassed for some unknown reason, replied: "No. By the way, let's hurry to the Beyonders Gathering. You've already attended Beyonders; you're very lucky. Let's make the most of it."
Furen didn't pay much attention and simply nodded: "Okay, let's go."
Back in front of the dark basement door, Furen, illuminated by the dim glow of candles, took out his pocket watch. Thanks to his eyesight, much better than in his previous life, marked by severe myopia, he could read the time clearly: 3:55.
At that precise moment, Furen heard the door open and saw Erich and Karl walk out calmly. Karl was carrying a bundle of fabric that clearly contained the Beyonder materials he needed, while Erich was also carrying a bundle whose contents remained unknown.
Quevedo and Furen went to meet them. Quevedo asked, "Karl, have you gathered all the necessary materials? Hmm, Erich, you also need some Beyonder materials."
Karl replied, "Yes."
Erich said as he walked, "Yes, I know a little ritual magic and spellcasting. I need Beyonder materials to make them. Don't you know how to cast spells?"
Quevedo laughed and said, "I can make them, but with my spirituality, I simply cannot inscribe effective spells and rituals, so it's best not to have too many Beyonder materials."
Quevedo then led the three men upstairs, intending to take them to the second floor for the beyonder meeting.
The second floor of the tavern was unremarkable: rows of private rooms lined a deep corridor. Quevedo led Furen and his companions to an unnumbered room in the center of the room.
Furen hadn't seen any room numbers on that floor and wondered how Quevedo knew the place. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed discreet decorations on the outer door, easily imperceptible in the dim candlelight.
But on closer inspection, one realizes that this private room is different from the others.
The door did not immediately open to Quevedo and his group; only a corner was ajar, revealing a figure wearing an iron mask. Without a word, Quevedo handed him his badge.
Previously, because of the angle of view, Furen had not clearly seen what Quevedo's nameplate looked like, but now he could see it clearly: the card depicted Quevedo in a white robe, although it was a very strange image, almost maliciously distorted.
In any case, the person who drew this card clearly had a terrible sense of humor. For anyone, posting an unflattering photo of themselves here would be extremely embarrassing, especially in front of friends who are unaware of the context.
Once inside, Quevedo quickly put away his card and gave his friends a mischievous smile: "Don't think that only my card is ugly; yours are too."
Furen rubbed his forehead and said to Quevedo, "Uh, who drew this card? The boss? Did he deliberately make people ugly?"
Quevedo also seemed distressed and said, "It's not so bad. The boss wasn't good at drawing anyway; he only learned to draw after arriving in Intis. But this one clearly has no talent for drawing. He's even incapable of drawing people well, and yet he insists on doing portraits for everyone."
Quevedo, shaking his head, said speechlessly, "The worst part is that even though everyone says he just scribbled, he insists he didn't. We asked him to identify who the map belonged to, and he was able to say. And he even boasted about creating a new style."
"This self-important boss even claimed that the Impressionist and Fauvist styles, so fashionable recently, came after his own creations. He even proclaimed himself a pioneer of contemporary art in Russell's time. Even though I don't know much about painting, I can tell you that this guy is simply a bad painter." Quevedo concluded his analysis of his boss with a bewildered tone.
After crossing the small reception room, Quevedo fell silent. The only living element of the group went silent, and naturally, no one spoke.
The four of them walked silently towards a clearly very large living room and sat down. It was furnished with tables and sofas, and they chose a table for four people.
Perhaps due to their lack of experience in this dangerous world, all four remained silent, while Furen glanced at the other tables and, unsurprisingly, found that the people sitting at the other tables were also silent.
In this immense room, Quevedo could even hear one or two people whispering; although he could not understand what they were saying, he could tell from where they were speaking.
The person who had been whispering realized that their words were being heard in the surrounding silence and immediately fell silent.
A few minutes later, a masked man dressed in black, walking with natural confidence, arrived on a raised platform and said in a low voice: "It's time. Let the party begin."
The stage was also furnished with tables and sofas. After his speech, the man in black sat down and waiters placed small slates on the stage.
The waiters circulated through the crowd, collecting questions that people raised their hands to hand to them. Quevedo asked a waiter for a pen and paper, then asked his companions, "Do you need anything in particular?"
Karl shook his head, Erich remained silent, and Furen said, "I don't need anything either."
Quevedo, seeing his three friends without ambition, said almost nothing, contented himself with writing a line and handing the note to a waiting waiter.
After that, Quevedo and Furen chatted quietly, and silence no longer reigned in the room after the announcement of the start.
The servers compiled everyone's requests, wrote them on the blackboard, and then the host stood up.
(End of chapter)