Chapter 52
Perhaps she could use the money from selling the "Avenger" potion to trade for another potion, trying to digest it in the simulation.
She needed to acquire more potions and rituals; the more power she gained, the better her chances of self-preservation.
But where could she get these potions?
"Miss Aivina," Charles looked up.
"Just call me Aivina," she replied, glancing down to take a small bite of her sausage.
"Aivina, could you help me get a pass to the Dedton Manor?" Charles asked, meeting her gaze. "I want to buy some potions."
"Dedton Manor?" Aivina raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion crossing her face. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Do you know what kind of place that is?"
"No idea," Charles shook his head decisively.
Chapter 56: The "Gambler" Path, an Extraordinary Casino? (Part One)
Charles felt a bit lost. During their conversation in the simulation, Aivina had only mentioned that potions could be recycled there and that some extraordinary items could be purchased. He had assumed it was merely a gathering or market for extraordinary beings.
Was it because their bond had deepened through shared hardship that more information was now unlocked?
How much had Aivina really kept from me back then?
Seeing the puzzled look on Charles's face, Aivina's mind was filled with a big question mark.
How could someone like Charles not know about such a large organization with branches in almost every major city? What about the intelligence network behind her?
Despite the many questions swirling in her mind, Aivina found herself instinctively covering for Charles.
Perhaps it was because he had just joined the organization. Last night, out of curiosity, she had checked and found no magical reactions within him. That gun-shaped sealing object must have been a life-saving measure provided by the organization... Aivina thought to herself.
"Dedton Manor is a massive extraordinary organization. The main paths for its core members are the 'Gambler' path and the 'Adventurer' path."
After organizing her thoughts, Aivina continued, "The purpose of establishing this organization, aside from recruiting core members, is to recycle potions."
"Each Dedton Manor is a huge casino not protected by secular laws. If you want to buy something inside, you must exchange your pounds for chips."
"The exchange rate varies by location, but the chips will always be worth less than the original pounds."
"For example, if you exchange 100 pounds, you might only receive chips worth 75 or 80 pounds, which you can then use to buy what you want, post bounty tasks, or..."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Or you could gamble directly at Dedton Manor, trying to increase the value of your chips. This way, you could spend 100 pounds to buy materials worth over 100 pounds, or even 200 pounds."
"But generally, I just exchange for chips and then buy items directly. The deducted fees are just considered service charges."
An extraordinary casino?
The core members inside were all from the 'Gambler' and 'Adventurer' paths?
If those on the 'Gambler' path wanted to recycle potions, they would likely convert all their materials into chips, then either lose everything or win big.
The materials lost by those 'Gamblers' would then be sold to other extraordinary beings who had been vouched for, with the difference in pounds exchanged for chips being the profit for Dedton Manor.
They could use this profit to seek out more extraordinary materials, attracting even more people.
This extraordinary market... was very different from what Charles had imagined.
But thankfully, Charles had no intention of participating in the gambling. Like Aivina, she viewed exchanging pounds for chips as simply paying a 20% service fee.
"I can help you get a membership. Nia can vouch for you too; you just need to find one more member to enter Dedton Manor," Aivina said, then added as a reminder, "Just buy what you need inside. Don't get involved in their gambling."
"The gambling there is extremely dangerous. Some high-stakes extraordinary games can even threaten your life, and they don't restrict any cheating methods as long as the judges don't catch you. You won't be able to outplay them."
No restrictions on cheating? As long as you don't get caught?
Charles had no interest in gambling at first, but Aivina's words piqued her curiosity.
Her [Prophet's Vision Lv.1] allowed her to see actions one second into the future, and no one could guess that she could foresee part of the future.
If given the chance, she could try her luck at Dedton Manor, but first, she needed to find a third guarantor.
Priestess Yulis?
Charles wasn't keen on getting involved with the church right now.
After thinking it over, only one option remained, and that person seemed easier to deceive.
Yulis's sister, Adele.
After all, she had saved her life once; now she just needed to figure out how to approach her.
Maybe she could trick her into signing a one-month contract... but that would mean more monthly fees, which she might not be able to afford.
With that thought, Charles became curious about the follow-up to the "Dehydration Syndrome." She turned to Aivina and asked, "How will the follow-up to the Dehydration Syndrome be handled?"
"I went out last night and handed the body and notes over to the Redemption Society and the church. They'll take care of the rest and develop an antidote as quickly as possible. With the notes, they should have results in about three to five days."
"Sharon hasn't been researching infectious bacteria for long, and the mortality rate is quite low. Even if we don't intervene, he will likely fail to advance in a month."
Perhaps to reassure Charles, Aivina added, "Don't worry, I didn't reveal your identity. But as a result, it will appear to others that I handled this matter alone."
"It's fine," Charles shook her head.
She didn't care about the superficial reputation; knowing that the research for the antidote was underway eased her mind a bit.
Three to five days—she could hold on until then.
But...
Aivina mentioned the low mortality rate, which reminded Charles of a ticking time bomb.
That bomb had already been activated and was quietly hanging in the sewers beneath the church.
Should I try to simulate and see if I can remove it?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it.
Not very reliable.
She lacked the knowledge to seal the sealing object and had no idea how many simulations it would take to find a method. Even if she did manage to get it, that thing wouldn't be much help to her.
It was merely a detonator for bacteria, not particularly useful for her current situation.
What she needed most were the next replication ritual and potion for the "Avenger," along with other suitable first-tier potions and replication rituals.
She had to become stronger to gain the upper hand when facing other dangers.
She decided to sell this information to Aivina, letting her retrieve that sealing object or perhaps leverage it to gain a favor from the church, which might allow her to obtain the next tier of potions and rituals for the "Avenger."
"Aivina, I have another piece of information..."
"Cough, cough..."
Before Charles could finish her sentence, Aivina, who had been sipping her coffee, suddenly choked and took a while to recover.
Aivina raised her hand to stop Charles from speaking and asked, "Wait, let me ask first—are we talking about some second or third-tier replication rituals or information about tens of thousands of deaths?"
It seemed that Charles's continuous stream of information had put Aivina on edge. Now that she no longer needed to digest the "Listener" potion, she was reluctant to get too involved in these matters.
But... she couldn't help but be curious about what Charles wanted to say...
Perhaps this was the common flaw of the "Listeners"—they would risk their lives just to hear the gossip.
"Consider it a follow-up to the Sharon incident," Charles thought for a moment and said, "If not handled well, it could lead to many deaths."
"Sigh..." Aivina let out a long sigh, seemingly resigned, and said, "Go ahead..."
If it was a follow-up to the Sharon incident, Aivina could accept this piece of information, especially since she would need the help of the Redemption Society for her next replication ritual.
Chapter 57: Can I Stay? (Part Two)
"The sealing object..."
Aivina adjusted her glasses, deep in thought.
So this was the ultimate trump card for Sharon's ritual...
If she directly handed this information over to the Redemption Society, she could also gain a significant favor.
If she sent Nia to retrieve that sealing object, its inherent value would be considerable, but it would be difficult to sell.
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