Chapter 220
The sound of a bell slowly resounded. At the west side of Lohr, there was a large clock tower.
Whenever night fell, danger would descend. Some of the workers were working in their workshops, so it was difficult for them to observe the sunlight outside, sometimes they wouldn't even notice it when it was already dark.
At certain times, the bell of the clock tower was needed to warn them of the approaching night.
The only source of light on the streets were the dim street lamps, in the corners, under the eaves, it was as if monsters could appear from anywhere.
Brian was walking on the street, still dressed as a Night Watcher. Tonight was the gathering day of the Impure Hermit Order.
Very soon, another person who was also dressed like a Night Watcher walked over. However, he did not wear the owl mask, revealing a face that was very similar to his. He called himself an attendant, a person who served the Secret Order and would obey all of his orders.
He received Brian's skull and mask, then continued patrolling the area while Brian found out the location of the Hermit Order's gathering from him.
"Setting it up on top of the clock tower, how bold of them" Brian was a bit surprised. Brian was a bit surprised. The highest point in Lohr was naturally the Sun Shadow church's cathedral, followed by the clock tower.
This was a very eye-catching location, one could even see the clock tower from the top of the cathedral, which meant that they were constantly under the church's observation.
Hiding in the sewers and taking advantage of the complicated terrain was indeed very safe, but a rat-like organization like theirs couldn't really give anyone a sense of security, so having the clock tower on the same level as the cathedral actually gave them peace of mind.
However, this was only the thoughts of the talented. Those who feared the Sun Shadow church to their very bones would only think of hiding underground, or even moving away from the Sun Shadow church's sphere of influence, only by hiding would they no longer feel fear.
The giant gears in the clock tower were turning, the constant sound of them giving off a sense of urgency.
Following the stairs, Brian reached the top of the clock tower, where he was surrounded by a large clock face. In fact, there was even an outer layer at the top that contained a large clock that was mechanically operated and would ring at a fixed time, of course, it could also be manually rung.
Stepping on the wooden planks, a long table had been set up at the center of the room, where lord Negri was sitting at the head of the table, with a few other people standing next to him.
Not too long after, the sound of footsteps could be heard from behind him. A young man walked in, from his attire, he should also be a Night Watcher.
"For now, all members of the Impure Hermit Order have arrived" Negri's gaze swept across the few of them as he slowly said, "Currently, there are a total of seven of us, including myself. Everyone here possesses various talents."
"Everyone has their own needs, so the Secret Order will follow the rules of equivalent exchange. I will create a relatively stable contribution system, and by using contribution points, you will be able to use the power of the Secret Order to fulfill your needs."
"Long term Contribution Point Quests, the first is to develop the Hermit Order and recruit talented people into the Hermit Order, the second is my own quest, to collect as much supernatural knowledge as I can find" Negri continued: "Every official member will be provided with an attendant, as you've all already seen"
"There is a ring in front of you," Negri said.
Brian picked up the ring in front of him, but everyone's ring looked different.
"These rings can sense each other. As long as a Hermit Order Ring is nearby, it will give a notification. This is the proof of an official member of the Hermit Order. At the same time, it can also record and trade Contribution Points."
As soon as Brian put on the ring, he could feel something sharp stabbing into his skin, followed by a series of notifications.
[Ring number 006, a total of 7 Hermit Order members are nearby, your current contribution value is 1]
[Contribution Points recorded, Dispelling the Mark of Vow -5, Attendant substitute -1, Submitting a list of 7 potential members + 7, remaining contribution value is 1]
"You can trade Contribution Points by connecting the rings together, you can give it a try. The Hermit Order's internal transactions are under the protection of the Hermit Order, any false or disruptive transactions will be punished by the Hermit Order" After seeing that everyone had put on their rings, Negri continued: "At the same time, here is a list, anyone can contact me if they need anything. Due to the Hermit Order's recent establishment, a few items are still quite cheap"
"If you can't leave, you can have an attendant bring the ring to deliver the message"
"If you lose your ring, please report it as soon as possible. If the Sun Shadow church or any other organizations find out and cause damage to the Hermit Order, your membership will be revoked"
Negri then announced a few rules before stopping to allow the other members to digest and exchange information.
Brian received a list, which contained detailed information about Contribution Points. For example, the exchange list, which contained various items. [Blood of the Black Raven (Germs)], which could replace a part of a person's body and use it to develop various abilities.
There was also [Cosmetic Surgery], which could permanently change a person's appearance, as long as it was done properly, they could even replace the identity of a few normal people in Lohr. The price was only 10 Contribution Points, and the follow-up service included the extraction of the replaced person's memories, etc.
"Now then, everyone, I have a request here" Within the Hermit Order, a veiled lady spoke: "I need one or more gentlemen to help me complete a small mission, which is to kill an obstacle"
"I'm willing to pay 20 Contribution Points" the lady replied. Her name was Kathlyn Warden, a Mysticism enthusiast. Using her family's business and financial resources, she had secretly collected quite a bit of Mysticism knowledge.
Her uniqueness was discovered by Negri, who invited her into the Hermit Order, using her Mysticism knowledge to exchange for quite a bit of Contribution Points.
Brian then conversed with Kathlyn and accepted her mission. Similar to Brian, although Kathlyn had a certain amount of influence within her family, she still had quite a few direct heirs, and someone was standing in her way.
Brian was very familiar with murder. Although he had failed and ended up as a death row criminal, that was just an accident. The two of them hit it off immediately. Brian needed contribution points, and Catherine needed the 'accidental' death of the person blocking her way.
And so, the Hermit Order's framework was established, using the Contribution Points system as a base, allowing members to exchange what they had and what they didn't. When talented individuals from various fields gathered together, the power they could display could not be underestimated.
Because of that, the Hermit Order's influence was quickly expanding. Of course, the majority of its members were still members of the Night Watchers, the Hermit Order was like a parasite that borrowed the Night Watchers' power to expand.
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