While Leonard grumbled about having to work overtime, the meeting above the gray fog continued.
---
Most members of the Tarot Club were searching for potions for their next Sequence.
Those who already had formulas needed ingredients, while those without formulas were trying to obtain them. The Hermit, Cattelya, responded eagerly and gave several members hope that they might soon advance.
Finally, she turned to Silas.
"I'm sorry. My contacts still haven't found any leads on the Sequence 3 potion formula you requested."
Aren't your contacts basically just Queen Mystic?
She already told me that herself...
Ever since Silas had learned about the connection between the Hermit and Queen Mystic, he had been somewhat disappointed. The hopes he'd originally placed in her had faded.
Where was he supposed to look next?
"Keep searching for me," Silas said. "I already have angel blood."
"...I will."
The Hermit, Cattelya, fell silent for a moment, apparently shaken by the news.
"Everyone."
After finishing his conversation with the Hermit, Silas swept his gaze across the others.
"I'm looking to buy a large batch of low-Sequence potion formulas and ingredients. If any of you have extras or know where to obtain them, you're welcome to trade with me.
"I have two requirements.
First, I'd prefer pathways geared toward combat, though I'll also accept a limited number of support-oriented ones.
Second, the formulas and Sequences must form an unbroken progression. In other words, I won't buy a Sequence 8 ingredient by itself. It must come with the corresponding Sequence 9 formula and ingredients from the same pathway.
"For each formula or set of ingredients, I'm willing to pay above market value. I'll add five pounds for Sequence 9, ten pounds for Sequence 8, and twenty pounds for Sequence 7. I won't be buying anything above that."
Silas intended to strengthen his subordinates, which meant he needed a large supply of potions.
Although he possessed plenty of potion ingredients from the Secrets Suppliant pathway, those were obviously unsuitable for his crew.
The Tarot Club's members were scattered across the world, so making use of their connections was the fastest way to gather everything he needed.
Low-Sequence ingredients were not particularly expensive, and Silas certainly wasn't short on money these days.
Everyone froze for a moment after hearing his request.
Temperance must be planning to strengthen the people in his fleet... That makes sense.
He only recently became one of the kings of the seas, so he probably doesn't have much of a foundation yet. Still, I'm almost jealous of the people serving under him...
The Hanged Man, Alger, quickly understood Silas's intentions and began running the numbers in his head.
He had access to several underground gatherings.
If he purchased low-Sequence ingredients in bulk, he should be able to negotiate a lower price. Combined with Temperance's additional payment, he stood to make a considerable profit.
"Understood. I'll keep an eye out for them," he said immediately.
The other members were not as quick as Alger to calculate the potential profits, but they soon realized it was an excellent deal. One after another, they accepted Silas's request and promised to provide him with formulas and ingredients.
The Hanged Man promised to gather at least ten sets of Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 formulas and ingredients.
The Hermit and the Moon each offered to provide five, while the Sun offered three. Justice and the Magician also agreed to help, though neither could say exactly how many they would be able to obtain.
Even by a conservative estimate, Silas would have to pay more than ten thousand pounds in cash.
"That's fine," Silas said.
The Hanged Man and the others had also helped him sell some stolen goods, and the proceeds were more than enough to cover the expense.
Besides, Silas had no intention of simply giving these rewards to his subordinates. He would sell the potions to them at half price and require them to sign a contract.
Anyone who later chose to leave his fleet would either have to surrender the Beyonder characteristics they had gained or repay the full amount.
"I have a request as well," the Moon, Emlyn, said next.
He had asked Mr. Fool to distribute a collection of portraits resembling wanted posters to everyone.
"These men are believers in the Primordial Moon. I hope you can help me locate them. I'll pay one hundred pounds for any useful lead, and five hundred pounds if you can identify a target's exact location."
This was a trial the blood clan had assigned to its younger members.
The believers of the Primordial Moon were enemies of the clan. They were hiding in Backlund and plotting against them.
To gain greater status and recognition within the clan, as well as Duke Olmer's approval, Emlyn was willing to spend a fortune asking the other members for assistance.
Believers in the Primordial Moon... Were they connected to the Rose School of Thought?
Silas frowned as he recalled that some of the lunatics in that cult worshipped the Primordial Moon rather than the Mother Tree of Desire.
He chose not to voice the question and remained silent.
The Moon appeared to be in Backlund. Once Silas returned, he could try to uncover a few leads himself.
With that thought, he turned toward the Magician, Fors.
"I'll be returning to Loen soon. I'll contact you when I arrive, and you can begin searching for information on Mr. X."
"All right. Of course."
Fors answered quickly, caught between relief and dread.
She was relieved because she would finally be able to help her teacher resolve a problem that had troubled him for a long time.
At the same time, she was terrified by the thought of meeting the unstable and frightening Mr. Temperance in person again. The fear left behind by their previous encounters was already beginning to resurface.
After that, no one else spoke.
"Let's move on to the open discussion," Klein said calmly.
Justice, Audrey, was the first to speak.
"The situation in Backlund has begun to settle down recently. According to my sources, the Three Great Churches don't appear to have found any vulnerabilities within the royal family.
They're still observing them in secret, but they've gradually begun directing their attention elsewhere.
"That's understandable. Ultimately, they still have to answer to their believers."
A pack of worthless idiots.
Silas cursed inwardly.
At the same time, he understood why Justice had brought this up. Since he had just mentioned that he would soon return to Loen, she was giving him a brief overview of the current situation in the country.
"Yes. Various unofficial underground organizations have gradually become active again," the Magician, Fors, added in agreement.
Though once Mr. Temperance returns to Backlund, there might be another bloodbath before long...
She kept that final thought to herself.
"There's one more piece of news," Audrey continued.
"The situation in northern Feysac has been rather unstable lately. Their current emperor hasn't appeared in public for quite some time. From what I've heard through noble circles, he may already be gravely ill and nearing death..."
The Emperor of Feysac... Sophia's father, the man who forced her into that marriage?
Silas considered the news and nodded without speaking.
The World and the Hermit had both spent the past week in the God-war Ruins, so neither had any recent news to share.
The Sun had only just returned to the City of Silver from the camp in Afternoon Town and was still being held under quarantine and observation, leaving him with little to report as well.
The Hanged Man, Alger, thought for a moment before speaking.
"A few days ago, the King of the Five Seas, Nast, called another session of the pirate congress..."