Beckland Eastside, inside a single-family house somewhere.

Compared to the average housing situation in the East End, this home is exceptionally spacious and clean. Of course, this is also because the room is not furnished as it should be. The desk was replaced by a door panel supported by two piles of wooden boxes, and the chairs were not very well matched, and there were two or three more, which were stacked haphazardly and stacked in the corners.

This is one of Douglas' safe houses in the East End. Right now, there were two people sitting across from each other in the room, and the atmosphere was subtly close to that the student who had not done his homework was called into the office by the teacher. Douglas subconsciously sat up straight, his hands folded above his knees, rubbing against each other with a little unease.

A young man with curly black hair and monocles reclined relaxedly on the edge of the table, turning over the notebook spread out on the table.

"'Thinly cut the tenderloin, marinate it with eggs and starch, a pinch of salt, a pinch of beer, ......'"

Turning to the next page, Amon continued: "'Fried twice...... 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, can be replaced with orange juice or tomato juice, and the sauce is boiled until thick'......"

He pondered the flavor of this dish in front of the ingredient list, and turned a few more pages in his hand, reading the recipes of "braised pork ribs", "fried lamb with green onions", and "pilaf".

"That's a good attitude."

With a "snap", Amon closed the notebook, which can be called a recipe, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I haven't seen the rules of playing, but you are very active in cooking." ”

The evaluated party was silent for a long time before weakly replying: "I have to eat rice every day...... Playing is not something that can be done in a week or two......"

And it's not like he's not acting at all...... It's just that compared to the "apprentices" who are more inclined to restrain themselves, the digestion of "trick masters" requires more feedback from the outside world, and the easiest and most secure way is to sign up for the circus directly and become a real "trick master".

But Douglas didn't really want to go out on the street to perform throwing and catching the ball, on the one hand, he was socially afraid and embarrassed, and on the other hand, the abnormal behavior that was too public was easy to be discovered by the church, so he was still thinking about the rules of playing and the specific way to play.

"Knowing how to play it, the normal speed of low-sequence digestion potions is about a month."

“……？”

A feeling called "I don't understand but I'm shocked" came to Douglas in a very vivid form.

Although he knew that the act of acting could significantly increase the speed of digestion, the most daring estimate he could make was about three months, given the tradition of the church saying less than one year and more than three years.

The frontal combat power provided by the "Master of Tricks" is 0, so for Douglas, who is likely to clash with a higher sequence in the next two weeks, it is not cost-effective to spend time digesting potions to increase the ability limit, so it is better to find something else that can provide combat power.

If the digestion time can be compressed to a month, it is safer to be promoted first...... Thinking of this, he suddenly frowned and asked, "My next sequence...... Is there a combat boost? ”

"Nope." Amon didn't know what to think, and suddenly smiled, "The 'apprentice' path took shape very late, and it is the real beginning of this path when it comes to sequence six or even sequence five. ”

This,It's a bit too late this night.,Sequence six are all medium sequences! Other ways are showing, only the "apprentice" is being beaten? Douglas's gaze drifted a little, and he began to think about whether to buy personal insurance for himself, and the beneficiary was Veretti.

After thinking about it, I realized that there is no life insurance for extraordinary events in this world, and the closest system is the death pension of the church, which is paid directly according to the current salary level for ten years, which is higher than the loss rate of any commercial insurance.

…… No, it's better not to take the money. He coughed lightly and tried to change the subject: "You asked me to keep an eye on the 'Great Smog of Beckland'...... I tried to find the relevant information, but I was still a little confused. ”

Three days have passed since the last meeting, today is April 14, and tomorrow is the scheduled meeting time in the message released by Douglas.

To tell the truth, MI9's informants are really high-quality, and with the blessing of the messy channels, when he went to church this morning, Douglas found that the news delivered in English had been picked up by Antonia, who was quite a researcher of linguistics.

Looking at the young bloodline who was seriously comparing the structure of the text, God knows how hard it took him to control the corners of his mouth from upturning.

And gave a few sentences of correct but baseless interpretation, which successfully led Antonia in an incorrect direction. After all, Douglas, as a linguistic layman, casually said a few words in a completely speculative tone, with no credible analysis and no value for admissibility.

But after feeling some signs of the potion's digestion, Douglas couldn't laugh anymore.

Rather, this is the real reason why he suspended acting.

Amun, who was sitting opposite, stole his idea again at some point, and said with a smile: "Why resist? Either way, the core of digestion is inseparable from the deception and concealment that you hate. If the guilt of cheating strangers is relatively small, isn't it also a sin to rely on intimacy to decide who to deceive? ”

Having gradually become accustomed to Amon's style of taking out the thoughts in his head at any time to judge a few words, Douglas only hesitated for a moment, and then responded: "You are right, but my judgment is not based on moral standards, but on whether I can accept it." And my sequence doesn't get to the point where I have to be evil to digest it...... Sometimes, the consequences are good. ”

"Huh." Amon put on a surprised expression and raised his hand to straighten the position of the monocle, "So, you are a little more unconscionable than I thought." ”

“……”

Douglas wanted to speak and stopped, stopped talking and desired, and the hands on his lap clenched into fists, and slowly let go, feeling that the way of thinking of the high-sequence powerhouse was so different from his own.

He took a deep breath, pretended the conversation hadn't happened, and continued the conversation: "I mean...... Although I have investigated a lot along the clues of the 'Great Smog', I still don't understand what more noteworthy connection this incident has with me. Uh, except for the Witch Sect......"

Although the past few days have been relatively leisurely, Douglas has done what should have been done. Digging through the archives of extraordinary events inside the church from past newspapers kept in the municipal library, he first pulled out a document called "Mike. Joseph".

Several of the reporter's reports on the smog were reprinted by major newspapers and made headlines several times. The repetition of a name easily caught Douglas's attention, and he began to rummage through Mike. Joseph's past reports, combined with his own not very complete memories, try to find the focus of the events.

After finding several iconic cases, Douglas took advantage of the convenience of being in the church to dig out the corresponding files, and for the first time learned the secrets behind the "Great Smog" incident from the perspective of the extraordinary world.

After discovering that the essence of the "Great Haze" was the sacrifice prepared by the Witch Sect and the Aurora Society for the advent of the evil gods, and it was also the promotion ceremony of a high-ranking member of the Witch Sect, Douglas combined the two conditions of "himself" as a member of the Gnosis Society and the Gnosis Society was a subordinate organization of the Witch Sect, and realized that "himself" was also one of the accomplices of the "Great Haze" in a broad sense, and he suddenly felt a feeling of nausea like swallowing cockroaches.

And it's disgusting to think about it once.

Not to mention that he is still being coerced by a "witch" to maintain a superficial cooperation, which feels really disgusting and disgusting - disgusting to the home.

At this time, Amon suddenly laughed and asked with interest: "I'm curious, the Gnosis Society is dominated by 'assassins', why didn't 'you' choose the 'assassin' path at that time?" ”

"I don't know...... The memories I inherited are not very complete. Douglas heard what Amon meant, but could not answer. He didn't really care about this issue, but when he said this, he couldn't help but be a little curious, "Will the 'assassin' path be stronger?" ”

"Each pathway excels in different areas. The Assassin's ability to fight head-on is much better than your current one, but it also has a fatal drawback......"

The god of mischief narrowed his eyes and said in a brisk tone, "After reaching Sequence Seven 'The Witch', this path will forcibly transform the male into a female. ”

…… ! Douglas did not restrain his behavior for a moment, jumped up impulsively, and almost overturned the chair he was sitting in.

At this moment, he only had the purest Chinese foul language and a useless thought in his heart:

If I had chosen "Assassin" back then, I would have been able to change sex now!!

After a few seconds of being in a daze, he stretched out a hand, fumbled his chair and sat down again, looking at Amon with a complicated expression.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Amon said in one breath without hurry:

"The 'Apprentice' does not forcibly change gender, with the exception of 'Assassin', the 'Earth' path also forcibly converts to a female in the higher ranks, the 'Hunter' path converts to a male, and 'Apprentice' is not an interchangeable path...... Of course, before you met me, it wouldn't be impossible if you were willing to risk going out of control and going crazy to get promoted across paths. But now there is no chance. ”

As he spoke, he saw Douglas, who was sitting across from him, very slowly bent over and buried his head in his bent arms, as if he didn't want to face reality.

So He adjusted his tone and said kindly, "It's okay, I'm not like a 'tyrant' and I don't care if the believer is male or female. ”

The remnants of the old days moved their shoulders and raised their heads slightly, revealing a pair of eyes full of doubts: "...... 'tyrant'?" Uh, that's the ...... of the storm."

When it comes to the distinction between men and women, the first thing that comes to Douglas's mind is the doctrine of the Storm Church. But "tyrant" is less like a synonym for the church, more like a reference to the highest ......

Before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly froze, forgetting what he was thinking at the moment, only to see the smile on Amon's face slightly diminished, and he raised his finger to make a silent gesture to himself: "Okay, let's get down to business." ”

Get down to business...... Douglas thought back to the progress of the conversation for a moment, and found that there was really no progress in today's business, but he had gained a lot of occult knowledge that he didn't want to know, and he had a feeling that he had made money, but in fact he had lost money.

Amon changed his posture, shifted his body weight from right to left, supported his chin with his left palm, and said easily: "Before you, there are several other ...... besides Russell Well, 'Traverser', that's what you call it, right? ”

At the mention of this topic, Douglas's mind immediately became extremely concentrated, and he listened intently.

"Before and after the Great Smog, there was a 'time-traveler' who played a huge role in it, and his former name was 'Sherlock. Moriarty', is a private investigator. ”

Douglas was stunned for a moment, and after three years of time and space, he couldn't help but have some inexplicable respect for this senior......

Look at the name, it's really level! Sherlock Holmes was silent, the professor wept, and Watson might pick up his crutches and blow the head of this playful senior.

After digesting his speechless emotions for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "And then?" ”

"Did you find any glaring loopholes when you were investigating the 'Great Smog'?" Amon did not answer directly, but instead threw out a new question.

"Uh," Douglas frowned slightly, and pondered for a moment before hesitatingly replying, "if you have to say it...... There is a feeling that cause and effect do not correspond, and some key details are missing. ”

In 1349, a number of extraordinary events took place in Beckland. By following the newspaper's timeline for material, Douglas was able to get a clear idea of the sequence of events from the outset, and he also found some interconnected parts based on his own experiences.

For example, the disappearance of people in the East Side and the subsequent extermination of a human trafficker named "Caping" by unknown forces have a complete chain of relationships between the two cases, and even "Douglas" himself was a part of this chain.

Looking further afield, however, and looking at the roots of the Great Smog, Douglas found that there was a lack of necessary connection between human trafficking and the goals of the Witch Cult.

Generally speaking, the trafficked population is most likely used to sacrifice to evil gods. The church's report mentions the purge of the Aurora Society and the Witch Cult, but does not mention the whereabouts of the missing persons, such as the death toll. This is unreasonable.

If it weren't for being used by the Aurora Society and the Witch Cult, why would the Witch Sect order its subordinate agencies to collect the population for several years? Where did the tens of thousands of missing people end up?

As far as Douglas is concerned, this is the only unexplained suspicion in the entire set of events that lacks context and context.

"Remember this sense of disobedience," Amon said to him as the corners of his mouth curled slightly after listening to his account, "It's a sign. Behind the major events of the extraordinary world in the past three years, there is the participation of 'that one'. Of course, He has used many identities, and it's up to you whether you can find out or not. ”

He? Noticing Amon's address to the Traverser's predecessors, Douglas felt a subtle respect for him.

To be able to use this pronoun, it must be at least a person in sequence 2 or higher...... How do you feel that the seniors of the traverser are all mixed well? There is Russell in the front and Sherlock in the back, both of which can be confirmed to be angel-level existences, and both have left many deeds in the extraordinary world......

After thinking quietly for a while, he looked at Amon with a strange expression: "You...... Asked me to investigate the 'Great Smog' just to tell me the news? ”

"That's not wrong."

The latter replied casually, and stood up leisurely, politely taking off his wizard's hat and pressing it to his chest, without bowing, but in a posture ready to leave.

What is not wrong, but give an accurate word...... Are all high sequences Riddler personalities? Douglas sneered and got up, stopping Amon before he left, "Wait a minute, I have a reluctant request......"

Amon bowed slightly, waiting for him to speak.

Then he saw the remnants of the old take a few deep breaths, maintain a very serious expression, and begin to recite their names in the somewhat awkwardly pronounced Hermetic script.

Amon: "......"

Truth be told, being recited by his name was quite new to Him.

After all, there is a faster way for clones to communicate with each other, and as for the other existences that have recited this honorific name, they have all become convenient clones later.

Almost, almost, Amon is going to habitually send a monocle to the other party.

Feeling the illusory prayers in his ears overlap with the voices in reality, he remembered that the last time this happened, Mr. "Fool" used himself to locate the "dark wolf...... Thinking about it like this, I actually feel a little nostalgic.

So He decided to listen carefully to the request of his titular believer, and if it was not too excessive, he could consider it to be fulfilled.

If it's troublesome, steal his memories and make him forget about it.

“…… I pray for your attention, for your favor, for your ......" Douglas's prayer was at the end, and he observed Amun's expression, gritted his teeth, but quickly but clearly said the specific content of the prayer, "...... Send your loyal followers something to defend themselves against. ”

After the words fell, there was silence between the man and the mythical creature.

Douglas felt like it would take a lifetime to meet those dark eyes, he could hear his heart beating faster and faster, he could feel the cold sweat running down his forehead, he felt himself start to tremble slightly, and breathing seemed to be difficult......

But soon, Amon snorted, and the pressure that inexplicably enveloped the room disappeared immediately. Douglas's heart was relieved, and his mind instantly came alive.

"The last time we met, you didn't ask me for help." The god of mischief dusted off his wizard's hat from the non-existent dust, tucked it back on top of his head, and looked up again with a subtle smile, "I'd like to hear your reasons for changing your mind." ”

"Hmm...... I'm just thinking that it would be a little, uh, disrespectful to you to expect you to be on call to help me in a matter of life and death. Wouldn't it be easier and more convenient to give me a little help from an external force so that I can solve the problem on my own than to trouble you to do it yourself? ”

After a slight pause, he continued very honestly, "Moreover, the price to be paid for 'please do it yourself' and 'borrow an item that provides attack power' is different, and I can't afford the former for the time being. ”

It's all real thoughts...... Amun's judgment was able to draw an accurate conclusion. He touched his chin and laughed:

"Oh? So why do you think you can afford the latter? Even just making a charm requires the right rituals and supplies to please the gods, and now that you're praying to me with white teeth, do you think I'll say yes? ”

"It doesn't matter what I think. If you give, it is the forgiveness and mercy of the gods; If I refuse, it will be a test for me. Douglas stood straight before him, as if he were some devout believer, "Everything is according to your will." ”

And the mischievous god of "tolerance and kindness" crossed his arms in front of him, tilted his head slightly, and seemed to be thinking.

Eventually, he raised his right hand and made a grasping motion out of thin air, "plucking" a thin glove from the air that was empty, and throwing it to Douglas.

The latter looked slightly surprised, but reacted quickly and reached out to catch it. The moment it touched the glove, the cold leather touch made Douglas shudder, and his spirit trembled slightly, as if to remind him of how dangerous the things in his hands were.

"This is 'Wriggling Hunger,' an extraordinary item corresponding to Sequence Five 'Shepherds.'"

With a wonderful smile on his face, Amon briefly introduced: "Its previous owner was the one who used to be known as 'Sherlock', 'The Traveler'. ”