Chapter 5: Secret of Identity
This potion came from "Viscount Fear" Byrd Mastang, the Second Mate of Nast Solomon—the "King of the Five Seas" and master of the Black Emperor.
When Rolls realized that his predecessor had become Byrd Mastang's intelligence scout in Backlund all for the sake of a Sequence 9 potion, he felt an internal breakdown.
The reason his predecessor was able to obtain the potion from Byrd Mastang was that Mason (his father) had also been Mastang's scout in Backlund. Mason had consumed the "Lawyer" potion, allowing him to rise from a mere worker to a renowned barrister, building a massive family estate in the process. On the second day after the predecessor returned from Tingen to Backlund to handle Mason's funeral, Byrd Mastang arrived at his doorstep and revealed Mason's true identity.
To prevent Mason's life's work—the law firm—from falling apart, and perhaps because a Great Pirate like "Viscount Fear" with a bounty exceeding 10,000 pounds was standing right there, the predecessor also chose to become a "Lawyer" and take up the mantle of Mastang's scout in Backlund.
However, after teaching the predecessor some mysticism knowledge and methods for transmitting intelligence, Byrd Mastang left in a hurry without even leaving a specific mission.
It wasn't until a year ago that "Viscount Fear" gave him a task: to investigate the ironclad warships that the Loen Kingdom was secretly constructing. Yet, the predecessor had achieved nothing in a year, and Mastang never pressed him, as if he had forgotten the assignment entirely. A month ago, the predecessor lost control, and Rolls transmigrated into his body.
Sorting through all this, Rolls still had many doubts. First was the predecessor's loss of control—it was sudden and baseless. He wasn't a "Wild Beyonder"; under Mastang's tutelage, he knew the "Acting Method." Despite being busy with the law firm, he had always kept the essence of the "Acting Method" in mind. A sudden loss of control simply defied logic.
Secondly, Byrd Mastang's behavior didn't fit his status. Although he was the Second Mate of Nast, the "King of the Five Seas," and was expected to uphold the virtue of not killing captives (as demanded by Nast, a descendant of the Solomon Empire), he was still a pirate! A Great Pirate with a five-figure bounty at that!
He was far too gentle with the predecessor. Not only did he fail to give specific orders, but he also taught him meticulously, even revealing the secret of the "Acting Method." Rolls wasn't like his predecessor; he wasn't ignorant of Beyonder circles. He knew exactly how vital the "Acting Method" was. Forget pirates—even low-sequence Beyonders of the seven major Churches rarely knew it, and those who did had to swear an oath to the seven orthodox gods never to leak it.
Yet Mastang told him anyway. Furthermore, as a "Mentor of Disorder" (Sequence 5) with a bounty higher than Qilangos, Mastang had stayed in Backlund for a full week just to teach the predecessor mysticism. If the goal was to have the predecessor scout the ironclads, Mastang showed zero urgency, never even checking in for updates.
Rolls guessed that either Mastang and Mason shared a life-and-death bond, or Mastang had other ulterior motives. Because of this, Rolls didn't believe the predecessor's loss of control was Mastang's doing—regardless of the motive, there was no reason for Mastang to kill him off.
Finally, Rolls knew too many secrets he shouldn't, yet he had remained safe and sound. This, too, was unreasonable! However, Rolls suspected this might be linked to the predecessor's loss of control. He believed there must be a high-level power shielding him, but even after risking his life to recall the original novel's plot, he couldn't find any relevant clues.
With a long sigh, Rolls sat up from the sofa. For now, he could only wait for Klein, who was currently hanging above Sefirah Castle. At this point, it should still be Zhou Mingrui who had just been "released." Today was April 26th; there were still two months left—no, even longer. He had to wait until Klein became a "Divination Gentleman" (Diviner) and gained enough strength to pull a third or even fourth member onto Sefirah Castle.
He had two to three months, which was the perfect time to digest the potion and see if he could advance to Sequence 8, "Barbarian."
As for the formula, he still remembered it. Beyonders of most pathways gain enhanced memory, and the "Lawyer" potion is a standout in that regard—after all, it's a Sequence 9 that relies on the mouth rather than the hands.
Main Ingredients for "Barbarian":
· 1 Frenzy Herb
· 1 Solid Horn Crystal of an Earth Rhino
Auxiliary Ingredients:
· 1 Deep-patterned Walnut
· 1 Lemon Balm herb
· 10ml of Poplar Bark hydrosol
· 100ml of Potent Spirits (Hard Liquor)
For Rolls, digesting the "Lawyer" potion wouldn't be hard; the predecessor had already finished most of it. The "reprimanding" and "teaching" he had just given his intern, Locke Grant, was the method the predecessor had found to digest the potion—summarizing his own "Lawyer's Code of Conduct" by guiding an intern.
Over the past half-month, Rolls had used this method to nearly finish summarizing these "Principles." He only needed one opportunity to fully digest it.
To familiarize himself with his abilities without gambling with people's lives, he had only taken small cases over the last two weeks. However, through today's litigation, he had gained a clear understanding of a Beyonder's power. Next, he could start taking on major cases.
Gathering the main ingredients for "Barbarian" would be the real challenge. The only Beyonder his predecessor knew was Byrd Mastang. The contact person, Ken Lister, was just a commoner who ran a bar in the Backlund Bridge District.
Rolls knew there were many Beyonder circles in Backlund, but most required an introducer. There weren't many he could easily join. One was Mr. A's circle, which Fors Wall would eventually lead Audrey Hall into, but that involved the lunatics of the Aurora Order. Besides, he wasn't sure where Fors was yet; he'd likely have to find Xio Derecha first. That wouldn't be too hard—she was quite famous among the laborers and gangs in the East District.
Another circle was the gathering near the Braveheart Bar on Iron Gate Street, hosted by the Great Detective Isengard Stanton. There was a woman there who needed the "Barbarian" formula; exchanging the formula for the ingredients should be possible. Plus, there was likely an "Artisan" behind her, which would be perfect for buying some Beyonder charms or items.
Aside from finding a circle, he needed to begin physical training and combat practice. Neither the predecessor nor Rolls himself had any experience in fighting, yet he would certainly face combat in the future. It would also serve as preparation for becoming a "Barbarian."
He also needed to pick up his mysticism studies again; it never hurt to learn more. The materials left by "Viscount Fear" should still be in the secret room. He'd go through them later—perhaps he could find the secret behind his own situation. He was convinced his secret was linked to the "Lawyer" sequence.
Thinking about it this way, Rolls realized his life wouldn't be easy for a while. He let out another groan and collapsed back onto the sofa, lying flat.