“Risks?” Audrey did not voice the question, but her body leaned forward slightly, clearly wanting to press for what kind of risks there were.
“Hmm…” Lin Chuan ticked off his fingers one by one, counting unhurriedly:
“Let me think about what kind of situations there probably are.
Those who sell beverage formulas as potions, those who run away with the money, those who turn around and betray the buyer after selling the formula, and those who fish under the banner of selling formulas—these are all common risks in shady transactions, but they aren’t the main ones.”
“As for the main risk, I suppose this gentleman perhaps knows a thing or two about it?” Lin Chuan did not turn his head to look at Alger, but the few people present were all clear about who he was talking to.
Hearing this, Alger’s body stiffened slightly.
He tried to ponder why Lin Chuan had suddenly called him out.
Perhaps he saw through my original intention to probe and has some dissatisfaction with me?
Why did this Excellency glance at me earlier?
“Evil God”…
He guessed for a fraction of a second, but quickly gave up this meaningless pondering.
Facing such an ancient, powerful, and unknown existence, since the other party merely handed over a topic, he would just pick it up.
Considering this Excellency’s friendly attitude, perhaps he just felt that having only two people talking carried the suspicion of isolating others, and so casually decided to drag another person into the conversation, just like chatting…
Such an absurd conjecture flashed through Alger’s mind, only to be denied by himself.
“Believe in the might of deities, but do not believe in their benevolence.” Although he had never heard this proverb from the Fourth Epoch, the reasoning within it was interconnected.
But pondering it carefully, he actually felt there was no problem.
He was merely a Sequence 8 Beyonder, and not valued in the Church either.
What kind of thoughts could an ancient existence like this have toward him?
He probably didn’t even have any value to be utilized, right?
“…Being able to to meet someone by chance is a blessing…”
Alger suddenly remembered this eccentric sentence and decided to take up the topic.
After all, thinking this way and that, he actually had no room for choice—at least, that was what he thought.
Thus, in Audrey’s eyes, that reticent gentleman opposite her, after being in a daze for a moment, immediately followed the topic and spoke:
“That’s right.
For wild Beyonders, the biggest problem is often not being unable to buy the potion formula, but rather that even if one has the channels to buy the formula, they cannot confirm the authenticity of the formula.”
Audrey slightly knitted her brows: “You mean… the seller might give a fake formula?”
“A fake formula?” Alger twitched the corners of his mouth, carrying a hint of sympathy.
“A fake formula is still considered fine; what’s truly feared is the half-true, half-false kind.”
He continued to give examples:
“For instance, a Sequence 9 potion formula: the main ingredients are written correctly, but one of the supplementary ingredients is replaced with something of a similar name but different properties.
Or perhaps the quantities of the ingredients are altered, or worse yet, even the main ingredients are only half right…”
“Sometimes it’s the seller plotting harm—after all, there are all sorts of people.
Sometimes, even the sellers themselves aren’t clear that their formulas have problems.”
Audrey’s brows knitted even tighter, and she instinctively pursued: “Then after drinking it… what will happen?”
Alger did not answer immediately, because Lin Chuan, for some reason, answered in his stead:
“If a Sequence 9 formula goes wrong, the lightest result is that the potion fails.
You wasted your money and materials in vain, gaining nothing.”
“Of course, under many circumstances, it will be even worse, such as mutation or even losing control.
However, precisely because it’s only Sequence 9, the situation generally won’t be too severe.
But even if the potion has an erroneous formula, you can no longer choose another Pathway.”
Audrey’s complexion turned slightly pale.
Her fingers, which had originally rested on her lap, unconsciously clenched the fabric of her skirt, but she did not look away nor interrupt.
She quieted down for a brief moment and confirmed: “In other words, buying a formula itself is not difficult.
What’s difficult is confirming that the formula is clean, complete, and safe.”
“Correct.” Alger gave a concise response, then added another sentence, “So for wild Beyonders, the most precious thing is not the potion materials, nor the formula itself, but one words: trustworthy.”
As he spoke, his gaze subtly deviated for a fraction of a second, sweeping past Audrey’s shoulder as if unintentionally glancing in the direction of Lin Chuan and Klein, yet also as if he had seen nothing at all.
Lin Chuan sat in his seat, watching with keen interest as things developed in the direction he wanted to see.
At the same time, he realized that due to his joining, today’s Tarot Club seemed to be running a bit long, and he wondered if Klein’s spirituality could still hold out…
Furthermore, not long after descending from the gray fog, Dunn and Leonard Mitchell would come to investigate the notes and the suicide case.
Excessive consumption of spirituality would also cause Klein to get a headache, making it easy for flaws to be noticed…
Considering this point, Lin Chuan secretly mobilized his spirituality and transmitted it onto Klein at the head of the long table.
By virtue of being pickled above the gray fog for ten thousand years together, he could also see the other party’s invisible connection with Sefirah Castle and the crimson stars.
Although he didn’t have the authority to cut off the connection and kick people out, supplementing spirituality to avoid the problem of disconnecting halfway through the gathering was a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, Klein felt his headache ease, and the invisible connection between him and the crimson stars and gray-white mist became easier to maintain.
He was astonished by this occurrence, yet when he saw Lin Chuan’s gaze, he understood what was going on.
Upon hearing Alger’s reply, Audrey pondered for a moment and suddenly spoke:
“Then, if you have a formula in your hands, how would you verify its authenticity?”
Alger’s brow twitched.
He did not know if this young lady was throwing the question back to him or if she had grasped his hint.
He remained silent for a dozen seconds.
Seeing that Klein still remained silent and noncommittal, and Lin Chuan had no intention of speaking either, he deliberated and replied:
“I actually have two Sequence 9 potion formulas on hand.
I can guarantee their authenticity and am willing to sell them to you, but there are no good methods of confirmation.
Besides, based on my word alone, you shouldn’t be able to believe it either.”
First, he turned his gaze to Klein, who sat upright at the head, and then looked at Lin Chuan.
The other party gently shook his head, unsure whether he didn’t mean that or simply didn’t care about such trivial matters.
Audrey noticed Alger’s gaze.
She turned her body halfway, successively looking toward Klein and Lin Chuan.
Just as she wanted to make a request, she found that she had actually forgotten a certain question all along—how impolite that was—and hurriedly asked again:
“Two Excellencies, may I ask how we should address you?”
Alger nodded slightly, a trace of appreciation for Audrey arising within him, and solemnly asked alongside:
“Two Excellencies, may I ask how we should address you?”
Klein was stunned for a moment, his fingers resting on the bronze long table gently tapping, when at this moment he heard Lin Chuan’s brisk voice:
“Temperance.”