The underground trading market was still the same, with stalls piled high with bottles and jars in the spacious underground area.
The customers were mostly mysticism enthusiasts, or perhaps, among them, were wild Beyonder such as Lex and his two companions.
After Nafi's persuasion… or rather, her coquetry?
In any case, thanks to her persistent lobbying, Swain, the bar owner, agreed to let Lex, this 'Backlund reporter,' enter the trading market for a secret investigation, but he was not to reveal or publicly disclose the market's detailed address in the newspaper.
Lex naturally agreed without hesitation; he was a fake reporter to begin with and never intended for his report to be published.
However, to conceal his identity, he still conscientiously Playacted the role of a reporter.
He had already entrusted Kaven to purchase the spirit eater's pouch and the auxiliary materials needed by the Conspirer, if available here.
The former was being collected for Fors; if the materials he saw two months ago hadn't been sold yet, he could resell them to the Miss writer for a small profit.
I remember the spirit eater's pouch only sold for over two hundred pounds back then, but unfortunately, I didn't know its value at the time; otherwise, I should have bought it and hoarded it!
Thinking this, Lex wandered to a stall selling homemade amulets, and looking at the amulets on the stall, Lex thought of his younger sister in Enki Town.
When he and Harribel were learning to make amulets, his sister had given him an amulet to ward off misfortune, which he still wore.
Lex touched his chest; beneath his clothes, the amulet was hidden.
He smiled, squatted down, casually picked up some amulets, and asked the vendor for prices.
After getting some quotes, Lex casually asked, "Selling these must be quite profitable, right?"
The vendor, dressed in a dark black robe and exuding a strong mystical aura, shook his head and said, "How could it be? It's just enough to make a living.
Don't look at these amulets as if they sell for a lot of money; but if you factor in the materials, labor, and time, I actually don't earn much."
"If it were just that, it would be fine, but some materials are really hard to come by.
So every single amulet here has cost me a lot of effort."
"Is that so? Then, engaging in such work, do you feel happy?"
Lex posed a question quite fitting for a reporter, but saw the vendor's face instantly darken.
"If you don't want to buy, then get out and don't disturb my business."
"Alright, alright."
'Reporter' Rayleigh's first interview ended in failure.
He then casually wandered around the market, symbolically buying a piece of citrine.
As Lex passed a stall selling ritual materials, he heard someone ask, "Is this powder made from 'Shadow Grass'?"
Lex casually glanced at the person; it was a man in his thirties, wearing a black suit and a semi-tall top hat, holding a cane with a golden snakehead inlay, a slight smile playing on his lips.
At this moment, he made a gesture of listening intently, but his gaze drifted upwards, as if he hadn't heard the vendor's reply, more like he was listening to the whispers of some hidden existence, and a trace of imperceptible madness flickered in his eyes.
But he quickly returned to normal, then nodded and said, "So it's Night Grass.
They look very similar, don't they?"
He twirled his cane and elegantly walked away.
"That guy… something's not right."
Lex frowned, but didn't delve deeper.
Not long after, Kaven and Nafi returned, seemingly having made some progress.
After exchanging a look with Lex, the three of them left the underground trading market.
Emerging from the market, it was already late, dusk had fallen.
So Lex suggested dining at a nearby restaurant.
At the 'Golden Harbor' restaurant in the Dock Area, Lex requested a private room, which made it convenient for the three of them to converse.
After being seated, Lex first ordered the dishes, mostly meat, as Nafi clearly looked like she could eat a lot.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Kaven took out a box and a bottle.
"This is the spirit eater's pouch, 360 pounds."
"And this is the 'Whisperer's Gland,' 285 pounds."
"As for the other materials, the market didn't have them."
Kaven then pulled out a handful of pounds; before entering the bar, Lex had given him a thousand pounds in advance, and this was the remaining money.
Putting the remaining 355 pounds back into his pocket, Lex nodded and put away the materials.
Now, for the Conspirer potion, only the 'Human-faced Lion's Blood' was missing; everything else had been collected.
As for this spirit eater's pouch, he could offer it to The Fool tonight, thereby delivering it into Fors's hands.
However, he didn't expect it to have increased in price in just two months.
It went up by over a hundred pounds!
If only I had known, I should have bought it then; that way, I could have earned at least a hundred pounds this time.
Lex felt a slight regret, but didn't dwell on the matter too much.
After putting away the materials, he asked, "What about you two?"
Kaven smiled and said, "I also bought an auxiliary Material."
Nafi excitedly said, "I bought a main Material."
She then sighed, "But it's so expensive! It cost me 650 pounds, 650 pounds is enough for me to eat a lot of desi pie."
"Trust me, as you grow stronger, you'll earn more money."
Lex said in the tone of someone with experience.
Nafi nodded, then asked, "Boss, how long will you stay in Tingen?"
Lex thought for a moment; his affairs in Tingen were almost all settled, except for waiting for Mr. Hardy to find his father's diary to analyze what kind of person his father truly was.
So he said.
"I should be leaving tomorrow, at the latest the day after tomorrow."
Nafi stood up with a sigh, looking reluctant: "So soon? I thought you could stay for a week or two."
"I have other matters to attend to and can't stay too long."
Lex replied with a smile, comforting her, "It's alright, I have a feeling we'll meet again very soon."
Nafi was only a Sequence 8, and now she had mastered Acting; as long as she was diligent, she would surely be able to digest the potion in no time.
Compared to potion digestion, what restricted Nafi's advancement should be the issue of materials.
A main Material for Sequence 7 costs between 600 and 800 pounds, with auxiliary materials extra.
Given Nafi's personality and ability, she probably wouldn't earn too much money.
The fact that she could buy a main Material today was likely due to the several missions she went on with him two months ago, which allowed her to save up.
Hmm, let her collect them herself first.
If she has completely digested the potion but still lacks money or materials, I'll help her then.
At this point, the dishes began to arrive, and the faint melancholy in Nafi's heart was quickly washed away by the aroma of the food, eventually disappearing.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways.
Halfway back, Lex suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Kaven to perform a divination using Hardy and his son's hair.
Opening his pocket watch and seeing that it was still early, Lex turned back, intending to complete this task tonight.