Start with the Readers - CH 3
Chapter 3: Doubts
“No, I need to search for evidence on the gang leader and I need your ability to ‘open the door’ for that,” Hugh replied, eyeing Forsi’s indolent posture on the sofa. “Besides, Forsi, you haven’t left the house in almost a week. It’s too risky…”
“I knew you were going to ask me to do this…” Seeing Hugh’s frown, Forsi reluctantly raised her hand and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll help you. But you have to tell me exactly what’s going on.”
Hugh nodded and explained the request of the maintenance mechanic, Mr. Lian. “So I need some black information on the gang leader to increase the chances of ‘persuading’ him,” she concluded.
“Are you sure this is about persuasion and not provocation?” Forsi inwardly groaned, but kept a calm face as she said, “Is this just Mr. Lian’s one-sided claim? Shouldn’t you fully investigate the matter before taking action? For example, does the gang leader have some other motive?”
“Yes, I’m going to investigate. The reason I came back is to get some money and equipment,” Hugh replied.
“You should also find out if the gang leader is an Extraordinary or if there are any Extraordinary people under him… If you don’t check all of these, it may be dangerous for me to not only ‘open the door’ to get the black material, but also when you try to persuade him. I’ll definitely come back,” Forsi said earnestly and kindly.
“Hmm… You’re right, Forsi. I was negligent,” Hugh said, realizing the truth of Forsi’s words.
“So, come to me after you finish your investigation!” Forsi thought complacently, seeing this as an opportunity to delay for a few more days.
“Okay then…” Hugh took out a small bag from her room and tied it around her waist. Before leaving, she suddenly looked back at the sofa and said, “Forsi, although what you said is reasonable, I still feel like you’re just going through the motions.”
“Why… I can’t get up now!” Forsi stood up guiltily, walked to the door, and sent Hugh off with a smile.
Hugh frowned. She had wanted to tell Forsi about the strange person she saw at the restaurant, but decided against it. After all, although the person gave her a very unsettling feeling, they weren’t dangerous. Telling Forsi might just cause unnecessary trouble.
… Meanwhile, Abner was on his scheduled itinerary, traveling around the Jowood District, the North District, and the Bridge District according to the original owner’s memories. He bought various plant powders, silver flakes, and other items from various herbal medicine shops, flower shops, jewelry shops, and jewelers.
The reason why Abner prepared the ceremony was to create a spiritual wall, so as to obtain a clean and safe spiritual environment to test his pure white eyes. Well, by the way, parse out the ‘reader’ recipe. As for how he knew about this ceremony? Naturally, it was because in “Lord of the Mysteries”, Old Neil almost taught Klein the layout method and spells of the spiritual wall, and he remembered every part of this passage in the novel when he opened his pure white eyes. detail.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, Abner dragged his exhausted body back to the rented one-bedroom cottage. He first lay down and slept for an hour and a half, then quickly ate some dry food bought from outside during the day after getting up, and then adjusted his state at six o’clock. He used deep sleep flowers, dragon’s blood grass, deep red sandalwood, and herbal powders such as mint to make the “Holy Night Powder,” which is used to make spiritual walls.
Although Abner knew the method, it was his first time practicing it, so he was inevitably a little nervous. Fortunately, he has already incorporated some extraordinary characteristics, his concentration has surpassed that of ordinary people, and he achieved success very quickly.
After sprinkling the holy night powder around in a certain order, he twisted out another handful of powder and sprinkled it around himself.
As the strange, pungent smell transpired, an invisible force surrounded Abner, separating him from the environment in the room.
After finishing all this, Abner took a deep breath, took out the gem representing the Extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 8 “Deduction Student” from the iron cigarette case, devoted all his attention to it, and silently recited ‘Open’, giving himself hints. Through the accident last night and the fact that he almost opened his pure white eyes spontaneously when he saw Miss Hugh in the morning, he roughly mastered the opening and closing method of his own golden finger.
The result was just as Abner expected. Following his suggestion, his pupils disappeared instantly, his eyes appeared pure white, and streams of rapidly passing data reappeared in his mind. His thoughts were also affected by this data flow, and he couldn’t help recalling, summarizing, analyzing, and parsing at a high speed…
Five seconds later, when his face was getting worse and worse, and even turned black obviously, Abner said with great perseverance, he hinted that he had closed the ‘Pure White Eye’, and then smiled with difficulty. Weakly said to himself: “It seems that the current limit of opening in the best state is five seconds…”
Before he finished speaking, he fell to the ground and passed out.
…
((gravityn0vels/.c/0/m))
At night, in the East District, Dharavi Street, a cramped but lively tavern.
Hugh Dilcha covered her nose and mouth, and squeezed in. To her, this place was not only full of the smell of wine and sweat, but it was also easy to meet people who were much taller than her, so she had to face each other directly. Underarms, and the strong smell there can almost stun a normal person.
After a lot of effort, even using the ability of “arbitrator”, Hugh finally squeezed to the bar counter and saw the person she was looking for.
It was a kind-looking middle-aged man with a friendly smile on his round face. But Hugh knew that this man was a cruel and vicious villain. He once trampled off the hand of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old thief because he hid the harvest for himself.
Hugh wouldn’t even want to see him if it wasn’t necessary, but there was no better person to ask for information about a gang leader. Because he is not only the leader of the gang, but also has a grudge against him.
“Darkholm, I have something to ask you.” Hugh rapped heavily on the wooden table top of the bar.
This rude action immediately attracted glaring glances, but they quickly retreated silently under the stern gaze of the “arbitrator”.
“Oh, Hugh, I haven’t seen you for a long time, and it seems that you are stronger than before!” The man named Darkholm said half drunk and half surprised.
That’s of course, before I only had partial arbitrator ability because of my father’s inheritance, but now, I’m already a real “arbitrator”!
Hugh replied proudly in her heart, but on the surface she said seriously: “I want to know all the information about Rosen!”
“Oh? ‘Double-Faced Man’ Rosen? Haha, Hugh, you are targeting that bastard this time Already?! Well, as long as you fix him, I’ll tell you everything I know!” Darkholm was stunned for a moment, then gloated.
“‘Two-Face Man’?” Hugh raised her brows, feeling that this nickname is not simple.
“Yes, that bastard Rosen usually pretends to be a humble and polite gentleman, and he always advertises that he is willing to help those in need through difficulties, but he is actually a loan shark with very high interest rates! I don’t know what he used What kind of tricks, he can manipulate the contract every time, and deceive people around, and most of the people who borrowed money from him end up ruined! This bastard is much more hateful than me, Hugh, you must teach him a lesson!” Darkholm talked about Rosen gnashing his teeth with hatred, and he didn’t know what the big hatred between them was. He kept urging Hugh to kill Rosen, and for this reason, he gave many examples of his family being ruined because of Rosen.
Hugh brows were getting tighter and tighter, interrupting Darkholm’s chatter, and asking: “He can tamper with the contract every time, and the borrower only finds out that it is wrong after the fact?”
“No Wrong, that’s why I said that I don’t know what new method this bastard has discovered, after all, it’s impossible for everyone who borrows money to be so stupid. In the past, this bastard didn’t lend money so smoothly.” Darkholm nodded.
“Before? Since when did he succeed?” Hugh keenly discovered the crux of the problem.
“Seven months ago, I remember it very clearly, because that was the time when I became enmity with him. Hey, his career has been so smooth since then, and the money in his hand has increased several times, so I dare not retaliate against him.” Darkholm gritted his teeth authentically.
“Seven months ago… why did you become enmity with him?” Hugh asked after thinking about it.
“Well…” Darkholm didn’t want to say it at first, but when he looked up and saw Hugh’s majestic eyes, he trembled unconsciously, and quickly confessed, “At that time, one of my aces stole Rosen’s suitcase. Inside were the things he had just looted from a debtor’s house. Rosen found out quickly, and then sent his men to beat up my ace and take back the suitcase… It would have been fine if the matter ended here, but that bastard actually found someone to kill a group of people including that ace shortly afterwards, which is a slap in the face!”
“What’s in that box?” Hugh asked.
“Hmph, you also suspect that there are some sensitive items in there, so Rosen silenced it? I thought about it at the time, but after I asked the unlucky debtor, I realized that there were only some badges he collected, which were his hobbies. Those things are actually not worth much to others, unless Rosen can find a similar badge collector to sell to him. So I think he is deliberately targeting me, and has no other ideas at all.” Darkholm snorted.
“What’s the name of that debtor? Where is he now?” Hugh didn’t change her mind because of Darkholme’s words.
“That person died a long time ago, all his property was paid off, his family was sold, and he finally committed suicide by jumping into the river.” Darkholm said disapprovingly.
Hugh nodded, and after feeling that he understood almost everything, he took out a banknote from his pocket and gave it to Darkholm as an information fee, then turned and left the bar.
“The badge…could it be a magical item? We need to investigate carefully.” Hugh thought to herself.
…
((gravityn0vels/.c/0/m))
At twelve o’clock at night, Abner opened his eyes. He rubbed his forehead, silently arranged and strengthened the spiritual wall that was close to failure, then picked up the Extraordinary characteristic that fell on the ground, and once again opened the “pure white eye”.
“Tonight, we must fully analyze the ‘Reader’ formula of Sequence Nine!”