After tidying up the "Flesh Trigger" crafted for Fors, Ebner picked up the wooden hilt that was lying on the other side.
Judging by its material, it was clearly made from the trunk of an Elder Tree, with several shadow stones embedded at the top of the handle.
At the center of those shadow stones was a cylindrical indentation, surrounded by various runes.
Next, Ebner casually reached into a box on the forging bench containing crystals of white, green, and purple hues and pulled out a white cylindrical crystal. He inserted it into the shadow stone socket in the hilt.
—If one looked closely, one could see a feather sealed within the white crystal.
In an instant, the hilt transformed into a long-handled scythe nearly two meters in length, with a black blade.
"Back in Mist Town, when I summoned the historical projection of Vicente Miranda and 'cleansed' the area with Pale Flame, I used the 'Pure White Eye' to analyze it...
"Unfortunately, its level was far too high for me to learn, and the ability model I managed to parse was extremely incomplete—barely a fraction of its full power. Even after patching it multiple times with the 'Mysticism Magister's' abilities, it was only slightly stronger than a typical Sequence 5... and for someone like me who already has the 'Magic Mirror,' it felt a bit redundant...
"So, I've always wanted to bestow this ability—or rather, the simplified 'Pale Flame Secret Art'—onto a material capable of bearing it using the 'Pure White Eye', to create a talisman or a mystical item.
"I failed several times before... but now, with this crystal crafted from a mutated feather and a hint of aura extracted from the Book of the Dead, plus the 'omnipotent' attribute of the Elder Tree backing it, I've finally managed to barely make it work.
"The blade can be covered in a layer of white flame. Without divine protection or abilities that counter undead, touching it means instant death!
"Hmm, let's call this form the 'Funeral Blade'... After all, if Gehrman is joining the hunt, how can he not have a 'Funeral Blade' in hand?
"Of course, I can't let Klein know the name... though once he gets it, I bet he'll come up with that name himself.
"The only pity is that the power inside the crystal is limited. If he just carries it around, it'll last for a few months. But once the 'Pale Flame' is activated, the crystal will shatter in at most five minutes.
"Still, that works in my favor. Once the crystal's used up, Klein will need to pay me to make a new one...
"Even though that white feather is rare, I have other types of crystals, don't I?"
With that thought, Ebner removed the white crystal and put it back into the box, then casually picked up the purple one and slotted it into the socket.
This time, the hilt transformed into a hammer flickering with arcs of lightning.
"This came from when I used the 'Calamity Talisman' in Bayam to destroy the villa of the 'Mighty' Ozil. I used the 'Pure White Eye' to analyze the spell model. It's not as powerful as a high-grade talisman, but it's stronger than the average 'Ocean Singer's' lightning strike.
"Unfortunately, it also lasts only a few minutes before the crystal shatters... Still, while the materials used to make this type of crystal are expensive, they're nowhere near as rare as the mutated feathers, so I can at least sell these as consumables.
"This form... I'll name it 'Thunder.'
"As for the final green crystal, that one's a budget version. When installed, the form is that of a classic knight's sword, capable of launching wind blades. If not used continuously in combat, it should last around eight months.
"I'll give Klein these three crystals for trial use. Given how frequently he fights at sea, I imagine it won't be long before he comes looking for a 'restock'...
"Come to think of it, killing a well-known pirate earns him at least a few thousand pounds. Charging 500 pounds per crystal as a base cost doesn't sound unreasonable, right?"
While doing mental calculations, Ebner glanced at the nearby clock and saw that the hour hand was already pointing to nine in the morning.
"At this time, the preview of the company's first film should be starting, right?"Helene and Hazel are both from prominent families—they should have no problem handling such occasions... What's more, another shareholder of the company, Xio's superior, Her Highness Lovia, will also be in attendance.
"Of course, the most important part is that I'm not at the venue…"
After a self-deprecating remark, Ebner began setting up the sacrificial altar, preparing to "offer" the two completed items to Mr. Fool, "praying" that He would pass them along to Miss Magician and Mr. World.
...
Hilsdon Borough, Silver Moon Theater.
This theater, which once belonged to Prince Edessak, now had a row of luxurious carriages parked in front of it. One gentleman, lady, or young miss after another was entering the private screening boxes under the guidance of attendants.
Audrey, holding her mother Lady Catherine's hand, had just stepped into the theater when she saw her friends Xio and Fors maintaining order. Not far behind them was a black-haired, brown-eyed girl. She wore no makeup, had a slender face with fairly decent features, and looked to be around sixteen or seventeen.
Audrey discreetly nodded at Xio and Fors, then smiled at the girl behind them before following her mother into one of the boxes.
After taking her seat, Audrey asked her mother for the invitation and glanced at it. Her gaze then landed on the words "Bryan Film Company," and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face as she pondered:
Bryan Film Company... Since Xio and Fors are both helping out here, this 'Bryan' is most likely referring to that 'hero detective,' Ebner Bryan, right? Is this his business?Her Highness Lovia is suspected to be Miss Judgment from the Tarot Club. If she's helping Detective Bryan promote his new film, then she probably has quite a close relationship with that flirtatious detective...
Miss Judgment and Mr. Tower have a rather close relationship...
Ebner Bryan... Could he be Mr. Tower?
As this guess emerged in her mind, Audrey immediately began comparing the things Mr. Tower had said in the Tarot Club with the stories she had heard about the hero detective in real life.
Mr. Tower was clearly familiar with the entire 'Demoness of Affliction' incident... and Detective Bryan happened to be the one who opportunistically killed that demoness...
Mr. Tower intercepted the King of Immortality's fleet under the name 'Doctor Strange' around the same time Detective Bryan happened to be vacationing in Bayam...
Also, I've heard Xio and Fors say before that Detective Bryan has impressive analytical abilities and is very knowledgeable...
As all these fragments of clues pieced together, Audrey was already seventy to eighty percent certain that Mr. Tower was Detective Ebner Bryan.
But if he's that close with Xio and Fors, why hasn't he brought them into the Tarot Club himself, and left it to me instead? He clearly knows that only Mr. Fool can save Fors, right?
While this realization dawned on her, a new wave of questions also arose. But after thinking for a moment, she felt that perhaps Mr. Tower had hinted at it to Xio and Fors before—just that the effect wasn't as good as what she, the "Spectator," could achieve…
It's a pity. I'll be departing for East Chester County tomorrow and won't have a chance to ask Fors privately... Otherwise, if I could just confirm whether Fors has ever heard Mr. Fool's name from Detective Bryan, I could confirm whether he's really Mr. Tower!
(End of chapter)