Aurora Order

Magistrate... Xialuote's brow twitched. She immediately realized her lie had been seen through by the note's owner. Of course, when she lied about wanting to purchase the Arbiter potion formula, she had already prepared herself to be exposed. After all, her goal had simply been to find someone who knew the potion formula and make contact to obtain information on the subsequent potions. Whether she took the initiative to approach them or was sought out like this made no difference. Moreover, the price of ten thousand feierjin revealed even more. As far as Xialuote knew, a Sequence 9 potion formula and its corresponding materials each cost more than four thousand feierjin; doubling that price for a Sequence 8 potion was quite reasonable. Thus, "magistrate" might well be the key to the advancement she had been seeking all along. Contemplating this, she quietly lifted her gaze and looked around. However, the masked attendant had only come over to pass the note after collecting everyone's slips in the previous round. Unable to deduce who the seller was from the attendant's movements, Xialuote could only withdraw her gaze and write a line on the back of the slip: "I agree to the deal, but I didn't bring that much money." After all, calculated in gold louis, the largest denomination, ten thousand feierjin would amount to 420 coins, weighing over three kilograms. She could not possibly carry that on her person at all times. After handing the slip to the attendant, Xialuote saw that he did not return to Madam N's side. Instead, he walked straight across the room, spoke in low tones to an attendee of modest height wearing a wooden mask, and then marched right back. Only then did she realize the other party had no intention of concealing his identity at all. "That gentleman says the transaction can be conducted through Madam N. He will leave the formula here for now, and once you pay in full at the next gathering, you can collect the goods directly." The attendant leaned in, delivering the message in a whisper. *This really is safe, and it lets Madam N verify the formula's authenticity as well... He doesn't bother hiding his identity—is it because his Sequence is higher than mine, higher even than 'magistrate'?* Xialuote glanced at "Wooden Mask" and nodded to the attendant. A moment later, a scroll of parchment was delivered by the attendant into the hands of Madam N, who was reclining on the sofa. The latter unrolled the parchment, read it carefully for a moment, looked toward the seller with a few seconds of scrutiny, and then turned to nod slightly at Xialuote. *That counts as confirmed? Could Madam N's extraordinary ability directly discern whether a piece of information is true or false? Is it divination, or a power similar to the holy canon of lie detection... No wonder she's so enthusiastic about facilitating transactions at her gatherings without charging any brokerage fees. As long as these formulas pass through her hands, they effectively become her resources, while both buyer and seller not only raise no objections but are even grateful to her...* Thoughts surged in Xialuote's mind, and she suddenly felt that Beyonder gatherings in Telier were vastly superior to those in Suxite. At the very least, no one would dare sell a "Knight" potion in front of Madam N. Relieved that she would be able to obtain the magistrate formula at the next gathering and that there was now hope for her future advancement, she exhaled a long breath. She no longer minded Madam N capitalizing on the transactions for free. Stretching her body on the high stool, she stopped paying attention to the other attendees passing notes back and forth. Instead, she opened the booklet she had bought for 150 feierjin and began casually leafing through it. After stuffing her head with some useless mysticism lore, she flipped toward the later pages and was instantly drawn in by new information. Here, a much longer section than before explained how to use "magic mirror divination" to pose questions to a mysterious entity and receive answers. Compared to the previous vague ritual magic descriptions, magic mirror divination not only detailed every step clearly, but also provided an entity that the author had verified and confirmed to be safe and reliable. Turning the page, Xialuote saw the honorific name belonging to this hidden entity: "The lingering heroic spirit, the attendant of the True Creator, the eye that gazes upon destiny." Seeing this three-segment name pointing clearly to a specific entity, Xialuote instinctively followed the Church's training: she severed her thoughts after reciting each line internally, preventing the honorific name from forming a complete concept in her mind, before looking away in astonishment. The True Creator—wasn't this the dangerous entity worshiped by the evil cultists she was searching for? *Could the attendee who sold the booklet be the person I'm looking for? Is his eager peddling of this booklet—seemingly full of useful knowledge but secretly harboring dangerous information—an effort to spread this honorific name and covertly propagate his faith? And Madam N is merely providing cover on the surface, keeping the gatherings running so they can serve as a platform to continuously hunt for 'newcomers' interested in mysticism?* Xialuote did not look up. Pretending to browse the booklet, she covertly glanced from the corner of her eye toward the person who had been cloaked with a cloth covering his face. She found him slumping in the corner, waiting boredly for the gathering to end, seemingly uninterested in interacting with anyone else. *If I question him now, I definitely won't get anything, and fighting is forbidden here...* Composing herself, Xialuote decided to tail this believer of the True Creator afterward, have a good conversation with him, and pry out some useful information. Naturally, she would not make her move near the gathering's location, lest the organizer notice. As the final transaction concluded, Madam N, clad in black robes, announced the end of the gathering. Participants could return at the same time the following week; if the bookstore below was operating normally, it meant the gathering had not been canceled, and presenting the coin would grant entry once more. Without delay, Xialuote took advantage of her proximity to the door and was the first to leave the dim room. Passing through the previous corridor, she emerged into the bright sunshine outdoors. Lowering her hood, she bought a book interpreting the latest laws of the Kingdom of Yindisi from the first-floor bookstore. She then headed to the entrance of the newly built, yet-to-open grand theatre, sat on the stone steps alongside idle university students, and began reading, her eyes occasionally flicking to the building across the street. Attendees walked out of the side door one after another, either sneaking about or keeping their heads and faces concealed. Before long, Xialuote spotted the cloaked man, who had already pulled down his hood. He glanced left and right, seemingly uncomfortable with the bright sunlight, and slipped into the shadows along the street, heading out of the city. Adhering to the principle that losing the trail was better than being discovered, Xialuote followed far behind him, only quickening her pace when he turned into alleys. Once they were far from Madam N's gathering venue and approached the old city wall ruins that had been dismantled, she saw that the timing was ripe. She sped up, preparing to intercept him directly and ask a few "friendly" questions. Yet before she could catch up to the man, Xialuote felt a chilling sensation behind her. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, widening the distance before looking back. She found that the spot where she had just stood was now covered in shadow. That writhing, constantly shifting shadow was actually enveloping the silhouette cast by her body under the sunlight, as if ready to swallow it whole in the very next second. At that moment, Xialuote's spirituality shrieked a sharp warning—if her shadow were truly swallowed by that darkness, something catastrophic would occur. Without hesitation, she produced the holy water bottle beneath her cloak, ready to smash it against the ground. In the next second, however, the darkness slowly receded, and the shadow that had been elongated and pinned returned to Xialuote's feet. A lady cloaked in black robes stepped out from the shadows. She had short black hair, a high nose bridge, and crimson lips, exuding an indescribable allure that blended evil with breathtaking beauty. Had it not been for that familiar loose black robe, Xialuote would never have recognized her as Madam N, who had just presided over the gathering. Instantly drawing the Dagger of Verdict from her waist, Xialuote gripped the holy water bottle with her other hand and dropped into a combat stance. Yet her heart was not infected by the excessive confidence that came as a side effect of the Sealed Artifact; instead, it was filled with despair. The method of manipulating shadows the woman had just displayed was on an entirely different level compared to Zhuli'an, whom Xialuote had killed before. She had a premonition that the only reason she was still standing here was that Madam N had no intention of attacking, not because she feared the holy water. "Don't be afraid. If I wanted to make a move, you wouldn't notice my presence until you were strangled to death by your own shadow." Madam N spoke with a smile, even spreading her hands to show she had no intention of attacking. "I just want to know: why are you tailing that gathering participant?" Seeing that she had not attacked immediately, Xialuote relaxed slightly, though she kept the dagger and glass bottle firmly in hand, feigning anger as she answered: "There's something wrong with that booklet of his!" "Oh? What's wrong with it?" Madam N asked with keen interest. "No fraud is permitted at my gatherings. If what you say is true, I will punish that member." *Of course it's because it secretly slips in the honorific name of an attendant of the True Creator. Anyone who uses that 'magic mirror divination' will most likely be targeted by an evil entity, either brainwashed into a believer or turned into a lunatic...* Just as Xialuote was about to speak, the image of the "inverted hanged man" gold coin flashed in her mind, and she instantly changed her tune: "It contains information on the True Creator, and I am very interested in this mysterious entity and the ideals preached by those believers! "I also believe Beyonders should reign above ordinary mortals..." "Lies." Madam N shook her head, cutting through Xialuote's performance. Having just spread her arms to pose as a fanatical believer, Xialuote froze, instantly realizing that the woman truly possessed some form of "lie detection." The method of activation was likely gazing directly at the target, which was why at the gathering, she had only needed to look at the member selling the formula to determine it was genuine and valid. Before she could think of a new excuse, Madam N continued: "I suspect you are an official Beyonder, or a peripheral member under their control. And only believers of the Eternal Blazing Sun possess the Arbiter formula... Are you searching for clues regarding the people who attacked the church of the God of Craftsmen two weeks ago?" *She guessed it all... Could that lie-detecting ability be mind reading?* Xialuote's thoughts wandered for a moment before she gathered herself and nodded: "Sounds like you're different from those fanatics?" "Although I have no fondness for you or for the believers of the God of Craftsmen, that incident was indeed not done by believers who remain loyal to my Lord," Madam N said, glancing in the direction where the booklet-selling man had departed. "You won't find any clues from him. If you want to stop the next attack, you can check the armory next to Saint-Marre Prison." *The armory...* Xialuote noted it down silently, unable to tell whether the woman was lying or genuinely wanted her to stop the subsequent attack. She couldn't help asking: "Why tell me this?" "Because they have betrayed their faith and shamefully allowed themselves to be used by others," Madam N said, her expression turning disdainful, contorting her glamorous features slightly. "Having believers of the Blazing Sun deal with them can be considered dog eat dog." *Dog...* Taken aback, Xialuote noticed the woman's form growing darker and deeper, as if she were about to slip back into the shadow at her feet. She hurriedly pressed: "Then as a believer of the True Creator, what organization do you belong to?" Madam N's head, which had already merged with the shadow, turned around. A slit cracked open as she said: "The Aurora Order."