Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

~Unit 22 Tuteva Street, South of the Backlund Bridge~

Saturday morning...

Xio had finished her preparations by a little past six in the morning, and was waiting for the carriage that would take her to the gathering.

Last night's Backlund Post had published the time for the gathering, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

Fors, still in her pajamas and yawning, appeared in the living room, "Xio, I'm here to see you off."

Xio didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Fors, have you forgotten? Under the influence of Emperor Roselle, 'seeing someone off' has another meaning..."

Fors scratched her messy hair, "I meant it literally, just literally. Besides, this outing isn't particularly dangerous for you."

*Knock, knock, knock*

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, but no voice accompanied it.

Xio waved at Fors and opened the door to find a coachman dressed entirely in black. Without a word, he simply gestured for her to board the carriage.

Xio climbed into the carriage and saw a silver mask engraved with three mystical symbols and a hooded cloak inside.

She placed 5 soli in cash on the seat, then put on the mask and cloak. From then on, Xio carefully observed her surroundings to keep track of her location in real-time.

A little past eight, she arrived at the gathering place...

A servant was already waiting there. As he ushered her in, he said, "Even if it's not a gathering day, you can write a letter or come here in person if you need help."

He then warned, "However, the 'Leader' only promises that he will provide assistance if he can. If he can't help, please seek other solutions promptly. Additionally, if you have time-sensitive information to trade, you can use this method to expedite the transaction."

Xio disguised her voice, adopting a more weathered tone, "Understood."

This was another peculiar aspect... the organizer actually made such a promise.

She chose a seat in the corner and quietly waited for the gathering to begin...

Soon, another attendee arrived, wearing a mask and cloak identical to Xio's, "Oh? A new member has passed the screening?"

Xio was momentarily taken aback, unsure how the other person had recognized her as a newcomer.

The attendee seemed to sense her confusion behind the mask and smiled, "This gathering has a fixed membership and hasn't accepted new members for a long time... Well, mainly, your height is rather distinctive."

Xio sighed inwardly at that. She had even worn elevated shoes today, yet she was still noticed?

Soon, the other members arrived one after another...

At around 8:40, Xio spotted her recommender, Byron. Though he too wore a mask, she knew it was him.

A little over ten minutes later, the basement door opened. Just as Byron had described, the 'Leader' emerged from the basement and unhurriedly took his seat in the chair facing everyone.

At exactly nine o'clock, the 'Leader' announced, "The gathering begins... Excellent, everyone is present today."

Odis smiled under his mask, "First, let me introduce the new member. The investigation into the new member concluded yesterday. As her recommender, 'Lion', stated, she has stable connections in the East Borough. Those with related needs may approach her."

"...Additionally, for ease of address, the new member must choose a codename for herself."

Byron, the 'Lion', breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As long as Xio had passed the screening, the information she had extracted from him during the interrogation wouldn't count as a leak, sparing him from punishment.

Xio felt everyone's eyes on her. After a moment's thought, she stood up and said, "Owl."

Odis mused inwardly, 'And here I thought she would pick Corgi...'

After a polite round of applause welcoming her, the gathering officially began.

'Hound' spoke first, "Leader, I heard a thief infiltrated the Roselle Commemorative Exhibition. I'd like information on that."

Xio was momentarily stunned at that piece of news, 'What? A thief infiltrated? How come I didn't hear about it?'

She and Fors had visited just a few days ago, and everything had seemed normal. The other members also showed interest, but they knew such information wouldn't be free, so they merely listened with curiosity.

"50 pounds," Odis quoted.

"No problem," 'Hound' agreed without hesitation.

Odis took a portable writing board handed to him by a servant and began jotting down the tradable information while saying, "Carry on."

'Giraffe', whose neck was noticeably longer than average, seemed to realize something, "So, the Leader has been collecting Emperor Roselle's 'relics' to..."

He trailed off there, not finishing his sentence.

A plump member chuckled, then said, "The Leader surely doesn't think criminals would be foolish enough to come sell Emperor Roselle's 'relics', does he?"

The others exchanged glances.

The female member, 'Peacock' remarked, "Honestly, the fact that 'Elephant' has survived this long is nothing short of a miracle."

'Elephant' was the codename of the plump member, who hadn't attended the last gathering.

'Hound', however, countered, "It's not impossible for thieves to turn on each other over uneven spoils, nor is it impossible for them to be desperate for money." He spread his hands and continued, "Many cases have been solved using similarly simple methods."

"Alright, alright," Elephant waved dismissively, "I need an Extraordinary creature for an experiment... preferably a beast, preferably subdued and not too dangerous."

The other members paused briefly before seizing the opportunity to mock 'Elephant'.

"Who carries Extraordinary creatures around with them?"

"Does Elephant want to test whether he's stronger than an Extraordinary creature?"

"No, Elephant is an Extraordinary creature himself... his main ability is provocation, speaking offensively, and making people want to punch him."

"Hahaha~"

For a moment, the gathering became quite lively.

'Elephant' tried repeatedly to defend himself but was constantly interrupted. Huffing, he sat back and muttered, "What foolish ideas!"

At this point, Odis finished writing the information and had a servant hand it to 'Hound'. Smiling at 'Elephant', he said, "You'd better stick to selling your potions."

He knew full well that this guy was the 'Chubby Apothecary'... He couldn't recall his exact name, but he remembered him.

'Elephant' sighed, "I brought quite a few potions today. You all know their effects... So speak up if you want any. Oh, right, I forgot there's a newcomer."

"...Let me briefly introduce my goods; I have potions for rapid healing, potions for inducing rage but increasing strength, potions for men who... Oh, sorry, you probably don't need that kind of potion unless you're very dissatisfied with your husband or male companion's performance in bed at night."

Xio had been about to inquire about the healing potion, but after hearing the latter part, she promptly dismissed the thought.

Elephant's potions sold out quickly. Then, Peacock suddenly said, "Everyone, I've received reliable information... the 'serial killer' has an owner."

At this, Elephant, who hadn't attended the last gathering, looked puzzled, "What owner?"

Peacock gave him a brief explanation.

When Xio heard that the serial killer was actually a Beyonder creature, she was even more shocked than Elephant...

She couldn't help but exclaim inwardly: 'Why do I feel like I haven't been living in Backlund at all? How come there are so many hidden truths in things everyone seems to know about?'

Meanwhile, Elephant muttered to himself, "It has an owner too? I'll have to exchange notes with him if I get the chance..."