Chapter 140: Gathering? Ball? |
“Oh, right.” Samuel suddenly remembered something.
“Hm? What is it?” Wyatt looked at Samuel.
“The last time I attended one of your gatherings, I also saw a Subhuman,” Samuel said, “was that one of the specimens you raised?”
“You mean ‘Old Stone,’” Wyatt smiled, “that one wasn’t.”
“After all, he lived within my domain.”
“And I have no need to force people like that,” Wyatt explained, “I do keep some Mutants. Raised from childhood, their materials are much better than random strangers, and they fit my needs more.”
Samuel nodded in understanding.
This was the “Mutant plotline” the Travel Guide mentioned.
Sure enough, the “Mutant” in the book was never referring to Old Stone — Samuel had been biased from the start.
Even for a Subhuman, that shouldn’t happen.
Although they are naturally different from humans and possess stronger talents, they shouldn’t have such an unusual aptitude.
“I originally thought about taking him in directly, but I sensed your spirituality on him.”
“Sort of.” Samuel answered with a smile.
“Is that so? What a pity,” Wyatt shook his head regretfully, “I’m sorry I didn’t meet him sooner.”
“If I wanted to make him into an Extraordinary Item, which of his parts could be harvested?” Samuel asked.
A true master always keeps the heart of an apprentice.
“That’s hard to say,” Wyatt patiently explained.
“Seekers with different Laws have different ‘advantages.’”
“For example, Seekers of the Self-Only Law usually take their brains. Common Law Marks are ‘Philosopher,’ ‘Painter,’ ‘Praiser.’”
“If you pursue destructive power, you might choose materials from the Calamity Law, like a ‘Warrior’s’ fingers or a ‘Complaint Stick’s’ tongue.”
“Also, after long selection, many combinations have been standardized into fixed routines.”
Wyatt tapped the key in his hand.
“Messenger bones plus Collector skin is a relatively common mix, mostly used for portable small spaces.”
“Because it’s genuinely very useful.”
“I remember ‘Messenger’ is a Law Mark of Elysium, and the Collector is…?” Samuel looked at the key.
“Restraint,” Wyatt replied bluntly.
“Of course, the Seeker’s Law tendency matters too.”
“Because you’ll be using the soul and spirituality?” Samuel asked.
“Exactly.” Wyatt nodded casually, “If you use materials from a Seeker whose Law tendency is Corruption, even if you harvest a Nature Law Mark from them, it’s hard to make something that heals.”
“Even if you manage to make it, it will either have major side effects, or the effect will be negligible or come with hidden costs.”
“In short, making Extraordinary Items is a discipline.”
“Good materials and sufficient knowledge.”
“Even if some Seekers’ corresponding Law Marks are easier to work with and might not require spiritual materials, people still choose better materials.”
“Because success rates are higher and effects are better.”
“I see.” Samuel nodded, showing no sign of discomfort.
“I thought you might feel uneasy,” Wyatt teased with a laugh, “I actually threw up the first time I heard this when I was young.”
“Oh, that.” Samuel tapped the sofa armrest, “I haven’t used others’ bodies, but I occasionally use my own body to make small toys, so I do know a bit.”
“How to say it? The results are indeed much better than normal materials. I used to think I was just special, didn’t expect it to be common.”
“Extraordinary Items made from a Singularity?” Wyatt sounded interested, “Those are all good things.”
“I only made some toys,” Samuel explained.
“Really extravagant,” Wyatt sighed.
He lightly raised his hand, and the Travel Guide appeared.
Samuel opened a page and took out an object that looked like a beetle.
It seemed to be a beetle that both had a head and didn’t have a head.
At first glance it was no different from a normal beetle, yet there was something unclear about how it looked.
No matter how carefully one looked, they couldn’t see the beetle’s head.
“Look, like this.” Samuel said with a slightly boastful tone, “this is a Tail-Follower.”
“Its effect is that it always faces away from its target; from any angle you can only see its rear, you can’t see its head.”
He placed the Tail-Follower on the table.
Wyatt picked it up and examined it in his hand.
“It’s indeed a nice toy,” Wyatt gave a favorable appraisal, “judging by this, there really is some Absurdity spiritual material mixed in.”
“If you add some Fallacy, I think it’d be even better.”
He put the Tail-Follower back on the table.
“Now that you mention it, that does seem right,” Samuel nodded thoughtfully.
“I’m very interested in it, can you sell it to me?” Wyatt asked Samuel.
“Aah, you’ve done so much for me already. If you like it, take it, no charge,” Samuel said casually.
“This is an Extraordinary Item made from a Singularity, are you sure you want to give it to me directly?” Wyatt picked the beetle up again, “and it’s from your body; it might have some occult connection with you.”
Samuel plucked a hair from his head.
“One hair. You could probably find dozens like it around the theater.”
“Mm, and in Liant Town, where I stayed at that inn.”
“You should be able to find plenty under the pillow and the bed.”
“Really? Then I’ll have to go look.” Wyatt opened that small ‘door’ in the air again, took a box, and put the Tail-Follower inside.
“So many spiritual materials for Extraordinary Items are ‘bred’ specifically?” Samuel weighed the Travel Guide in his hand.
“That’s pretty much an unspoken understanding among most Law Contemplators,” Wyatt answered, “Seekers seldom get exposed to such practices. This leads to a higher tendency toward Corruption and Calamity, not conducive to diversification of Extraordinary Items.”
“Basically it lets them think less and just be happy meat pigs,” Samuel used a metaphor.
“Exactly.”
“By the way, the Public Security Bureau and the Royal Family make their Extraordinary Items the same way, right?” Samuel flipped through the Travel Guide again, scanning it.
Wyatt smiled.
“The public doesn’t have research institutes that large to study the most practical parts of Seekers.”
Snap.
Samuel closed the Travel Guide gently.
“How nice, learned something new again.” Samuel said happily, “I’ll try it someday.”
“If you want materials, come to me and I’ll give you a discount.”
“All right.” Samuel glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was just after half past twelve.
“Ah, speaking of buying materials, today’s gathering should be starting soon.”
Samuel rose from his seat, waved his hand, and all the fruit and drinks on the table vanished.
“Let’s go, we’ll head over early.” Samuel pointed toward the door.
“Sure.” Wyatt put his hat back on, stood, and smoothed his clothes.
“Let’s take the elevator down.” Samuel opened the private room door.
“Elevator?” Wyatt repeated the word.
“Yes, follow me.” Samuel said, leading him toward the stairs, but instead of taking the spiral staircase, he stopped a few meters beside it and pressed a button on the wall.
“This is it.” Samuel pointed.
Wyatt nodded thoughtfully, feeling something move behind the iron door but sensing no spirituality.
“An appliance?” he asked Samuel.
“You knew about it,” Samuel smiled.
“I saw something like it from another friend,” Wyatt replied frankly, “but in our country it’s best not to publicize such things.”
“Why?” Samuel asked while waiting for the elevator.
“Because if scholars from the Fate Rectification School get obsessed over this trivial matter, it’s not worth the trouble,” Wyatt explained.
Clack… ding.
The elevator stopped on the second floor and the automatic doors opened.
Samuel and Wyatt stepped into the elevator.
“You have a point.” Samuel nodded.
But then he thought of the scholar in the basement.
Hm…
Samuel felt that if scholars of that type were sent to assassinate him, Evina probably wouldn’t mind.
Apparently Wyatt had thought of her too.
“That’s right, you probably don’t need to worry,” Wyatt nodded, feeling impressed, “being a Singularity has its perks.”
“Besides being an easy hunting target, there really aren’t many downsides.” He laughed, “I have a feeling that if we fought, even at your current Law Seeker stage, I might not be able to beat you.”
Of course, that was assuming the proto-Divine Realm wasn’t activated.
“Have some confidence.” Samuel replied, “last time I almost couldn’t beat one of your brother’s clones.”
“My brother…” Wyatt recalled, “ah… his proto-Divine Realm is pretty disgusting.”
He paused for two seconds, then smiled and continued.
“It’s just effective against do-gooders like you.”
If you abandon morality, dealing with him wouldn’t be hard.
At their level, wiping out the entire Kingdom of Liastan wouldn’t take long.
Even if Kolimon used every life in Liastan as a shield, a single Law Inscriber could break that shield in under ten minutes.
Each Law Inscriber had the power to slaughter a nation in a short time; the main limitation was the country’s size—spending time traversing the map and finding targets.
Kolimon’s proto-Divine Realm neatly compensated for that shortcoming.
To destroy Liastan, you just have to attack Kolimon fiercely.
Samuel only smiled without answering.
He knew it wasn’t true, and he was certain Kolimon hadn’t used his full power when he arrived; he still had many hidden cards.
They walked and chatted, laughing, and soon arrived at the venue.
From the elevator to the gathering they had to walk down a somewhat long corridor.
The closer they got, the more people passed by.
They wore splendid clothes, carried an imposing air, and donned various masks.
The masks were equally luxurious and delicate, not sloppy at all.
“Oh, the atmosphere’s pretty good,” Wyatt remarked.
Soon they reached the venue.
Unlike Wyatt’s gatherings that scream shady underground illicit business, the hall they entered felt more like a masquerade ball theme party.
Luxurious enough, exquisite enough.
In the vast underground banquet hall, several enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, each arm holding burning white taper candles.
They gave off a pleasant aroma—clearly specially made incense candles. Their combined light rivaled that of gas lamps, bright yet soft.
Paintings, decorations, long tables, and soothing music, with aristocratic gentlemen and ladies dressed in finery.
Soothing music reached their ears first, mixed with light laughter and conversation from the gentry.
Long tables held appetizing pan-seared foie gras, neatly sliced juicy roast beef, golden crispy roasted chickens, perfectly fried sole, fresh oysters piled on ice, richly spiced stewed lamb, steaming creamy soups…
Near the serving tables stood bottles of champagne, sparkling wine, and red wine, their hues tempting in the light. Attendants carefully uncorked them, the bubbles hissing faintly.
Male and female servants carried trays filled with crystalline glasses, moving lightly and professionally through the crowd.
Not far off was even a dance floor, where several gentlemen and favored ladies held hands and spun.
“I think even if this gathering were reported to the Public Security Bureau, it wouldn’t matter,” Samuel said to Wyatt, “even if Security Officers came, they couldn’t arrest the people here.”
There was no trace of an underground Extraordinary gathering here.
It would look perfectly acceptable up on the surface.
“Unless the crime was ‘gathering for lewdness,’” Samuel looked at men and women clinging together on the dance floor.
“I actually think this is a pretty good idea,” Wyatt commented, “maybe I can change my gatherings to this format.”
“Your gatherings? Forget it.” Samuel laughed openly, “don’t you think your venue would be totally out of place for this kind of party?”
“Ah, how could you say that.” Wyatt theatrically clutched his chest and played hurt.
“But I chose that location because its atmosphere fit the ‘underground gathering’ aesthetic better in the first place. It wouldn’t be appropriate to change.” He quickly returned to his usual expression.
A luxurious ball under the theater can be seen as aristocrats seeking thrills in secret; what about a ball in the slums?
Kidnapped young nobles forced to perform?
That would be horrifying.
“There’s a private room over there.” Samuel pointed, “let’s wait inside.”
“All right.”
Neither of them bothered covering their faces.
No need.
The theater owner appearing here was perfectly normal.
As for Wyatt.
He is Pride.
He needed no disguise.
And besides, with two people who both possessed the Player Law Mark, if they didn’t want to be seen, no one would be able to see them.