After hearing the words Sunflower and mysticism knowledge, the man seated to Mozo's right, Vodka, shifted slightly before speaking,
"I only have one."
Seeing someone finally respond, Graveyard on the other side also spoke up,
"I have one as well. But before that, if you're not paying in gold pounds, what kind of knowledge are you offering in exchange?"
That question made Mozo hesitate.
Thanks to his dream world memories, he did possess a large amount of obscure and highly valuable mystical knowledge. However, because those memories were fragmented and vague, what he retained were mostly the more important or interesting parts.
Worse still, most of that knowledge leaned toward the higher end.
Looking at the level of this gathering, Mozo wasn't even sure whether these wild Beyonders could understand what he knew.
But precisely because of that, he urgently needed the Sunflower.
It was the core ingredient for the Sequence 10 pathway he had chosen. With it, he could not only advance but also gain an ability extremely valuable to him.
There was no way he could give this up.
After weighing his options for a while, and noticing the impatience of the two, Mozo finally said,
"How about information on your next sequence?"
He had already asked Audrey about this. Many wild Beyonders were stuck precisely because they didn't know the next step of their pathway.
This kind of information should be highly attractive.
Vodka glanced at Audrey before turning back to Mozo.
"Mr. Lucky, how do you know my pathway?"
"I'm afraid I can't explain that. So, are you willing to trade?"
Vodka looked toward Graveyard, and after a brief, quiet discussion, he stood up.
"Fine. Let's talk in the side room. Graveyard goes after me."
The two entered a nearby room.
As soon as the door closed, Vodka took out a box from beneath his robe. Inside, a crimson flower rested in a glass container, red from stem to petals.
It was a Sunflower.
"Alright, Mr. Lucky. I've shown mine. What about yours?"
Mozo carefully examined the flower, confirming it matched the description in his memory.
Then he said,
"I'll need to know your pathway and your current sequence first."
Vodka's voice rose slightly,
"You don't know my pathway? Do you realize what that implies?"
For a Beyonder, especially a wild one, their pathway and sequence were among their most important secrets.
"Of course. That's why I'm willing to put up 100 gold pounds as collateral. If I fail to provide valid information, you can keep the money."
Vodka lifted the box slightly and muttered,
"With 100 gold pounds, you could just buy it outright."
That made Mozo realize he might have overpaid.
Still, it didn't matter. What he lacked least was mystical knowledge, especially low-sequence knowledge.
"I'm Sequence 7 of the Puppet Pathway. A Puppeteer."
So that Puppeteer Audrey mentioned was him.
Mozo nodded and said,
"Your next sequence is Puppet Master."
"I already know the name. That's not what I'm asking for."
"Of course."
Mozo continued calmly,
"To advance, you need a potion made from vampire fangs, a Molodo lizard's heart, and the blood of a banshee. As for the ritual, you must become the most renowned puppet maker in a large city, and drink the potion amid widespread acclaim."
Vodka fell silent, comparing this with what he already knew.
After a moment, he sighed,
"That ritual is too difficult. Is there another way? I heard Sequence 6 doesn't strictly require a ritual."
"That's correct, but…"
Advancing below Sequence 5 didn't strictly require rituals. However, success rates dropped significantly without them.
Over the years, people had discovered ways to enhance potions to improve success rates, though the cost increased drastically.
Mozo knew the enhanced formula as well.
But he had no intention of giving it away for free.
So he simply rubbed his fingers together.
Vodka sighed, handed over the Sunflower, and took out another 150 gold pounds.
"Deal?"
Mozo accepted both and said,
"For an enhanced potion, you'll also need a Moonflower, another Sunflower, and powdered skull of a Goblin Hero."
Vodka had been calm until that last ingredient.
Then he froze.
"Goblin Hero? Can't something else replace it?"
"If you can find a Goblin King, that's even better."
"…That's even worse."
Shaking his head, Vodka left with a frustrated expression.
Mozo understood.
According to his memories, massive goblin purges had happened in the past. At this point, finding even a single goblin was difficult, let alone a Goblin Hero.
Soon after, Graveyard entered.
Seeing the Sunflower in Mozo's hand, he whistled.
"I thought your deal failed, judging by Vodka's face. Guess his advancement has some issues."
"That works out for me."
He then produced his own Sunflower.
Unlike Vodka's preserved one, this one was fresh, still in its pot.
Mozo hadn't even noticed where he'd been hiding it.
Perfect.
After repeating the same process, the two completed their exchange smoothly.
When Mozo returned, silence once again filled the room.
After a while, White Dove shrugged.
"Seems no one else has anything to trade. Let's call it a night."
He collected fifty gold pounds from each person and announced the end of the gathering.
Mozo and Audrey were the first to leave.
Outside, Mozo asked to borrow Audrey's alchemy workshop.
To his surprise, she took him straight to the university's alchemy lab.
There was no curfew at Cromwell University, but the lab building was locked at night due to valuable materials.
Or at least, valuable by this era's standards.
To Mozo, it was more like a storage room of radioactive and toxic substances.
Still, Audrey skillfully picked the lock and waved him inside.
With no better option, Mozo followed.
Fortunately, the lab contained only equipment, not dangerous materials.
Audrey proudly patted a distillation device.
"I used to buy my own tools, but they were expensive and terrible quality. So I just started using the university lab instead. Much better."
Mozo sighed.
"Miss Hepburn…"
"Just call me Audrey."
"…Audrey, if your admirers knew about this, their illusions would shatter."
"It's fine as long as no one finds out. And if they do, I'll say you forced me."
"You…"
Mozo shook his head and began extracting the essence of the Sunflower.
Raw consumption was possible, but refining it improved efficiency.
Soon, a red liquid formed in a glass dish.
Under the light, it shimmered with golden hues.
A true Sequence potion.
The next day, Mozo consulted a professor and found detailed maps of the old district and its sewers.
His Sequence 10 required not only a Sunflower, but also a ritual in an ancient ruin.
The elven ruins were perfect.
Skipping the ritual was possible, but not recommended. It affected digestion and future advancement.
Besides, he vaguely remembered that ruin being connected to him.
Though his memories were unclear.
That night, he set out.
If his memory was correct, the official Beyonders wouldn't be a problem.
If it wasn't?
He'd just go home and sleep.
Meanwhile, beneath Hawk Street in the old district, a group of trench-coated figures stood before a breach.
"The outer layer is a Cromwell-era ruin, but it's actually built over an older elven ruin," one reported.
"Likely discovered by a noble back then, but abandoned after its owner was executed by that infamous Grand Duke."
The captain nodded, then added with a frown,
"Watch your words. Don't speak ill of that Duke anymore."