As the gathering proceeded, multiple transactions took place, most of which were in the range of 500 to 1000 pounds.
After about 6 transaction, a man who was sitting close to Strongman Ozil's chair spoke up.
"Does anyone have the whole brain of a Sphinx? Or any related information to it?"
I did not show any outward reaction at his words. After all, I was just a random person who was at the gathering to look for a certain beyonder ingredient.
After a few seconds of silence, when no one spoke, the lady who had previously bought the three Murloc's bladders answered the man.
"Sphinx are quite rare creatures, and they are hard to hunt because of their cautious nature. While I do not have any Sphinx's Brain, I know you can find them in a few islands in the northern reaches of the Fog Sea, or on the western coast of Intis and Feynapotter. I can tell you the exact areas you can find them in, you can get the information verified my Mr. Ozil. 100 pounds."
The man, who's shoulders sagged a little at first, perked up at the continued words of the lady. He sighed, and thanked the lady for her answer, and went ahead with the transaction.
The lady wrote the information, which was passed to Strongman Ozil, who then used a gold pendant to divine the accuracy of the words written on the paper. The gold pendant, which seemed like an artifact of a Notary, hummed and rotated in a clockwise direction, showing that the words in the paper were true.
The man took the paper, paid the amount, and the transactions continued.
A Sphinx Brain was one of the two main ingredients of the Cryptologist potion. According to the information Captain had given me, the main ingredients of the Cryptologist potion were one Sphinx Brain, and one Adult Soul-Confusing Insect Swarm.
It was very likely that the man seeking the ingredient was a Sequence 8 Swindler of the Marauder pathway. And one of the targets that I was about to hunt was also a Swindler.
Keeping my emotions in check, I calmly waited as the gathering finally came to an end.
Everyone was let out one by one. The people who had bought ingredients or items with a significant value were the first to leave. Then, the lady who'd bought the Murloc's Bladders left sometime around the middle. The one to leave at last was me.
My potential target was let out two numbers before me.
As I got out into a card room, I swept my eyes across the people sitting there, and didn't find the familiar face of my target.
Getting out into the bar, I looked around to see if I could find the man there, in case he had exited to the bar. Unfortunately, I found no one. At that moment, I almost wished I'd have gone Gehrman Sparrow and started shooting the man right in there. But unfortunately, I was too weak to do that and just walk away. At present, at least.
Sighing in disappointment, I was about to leave the bar to monitor the streets outside, when I suddenly found myself colliding with a familiar lady.
As my eyes landed on her face, they widened like saucers under the feeling of astonishment that filled my heart.
I wasn't surprised because she was the same lady who was present in the gathering. That much would have been understandable, but it was her face that left me flabbergasted.
She, who had the face of a very average looking woman, dispelled whatever illusion that she was using only for a second. In that second, all I could feel was an intense disbelief at the situation and shock at the true beauty and charm of her face that was somehow familiar to me.
"Follow the man in the grey top hat."
She whispered to me in the brief moment our bodies were in contact when we had collided.
Her illusion was up again, and she apologised to me before continuing past me to a group of two gentlemen. I stood there in a daze, wondering what had happened, who I had seen, and why I was feeling my blood rush to my nether regions.
Taking a few seconds to collect myself, I started walking with weirdly long steps, in an attempt to disrupt the blood flowing to the wrong place, and reduce the effects of a Demoness' charm.
Walking out of the bar, I casually walked in the direction that the man in the grey top hat was taking. It seemed like he was sitting at the bar counter the whole time the gathering was convening, and had only walked out now.
I kept my distance as I tailed him. When he took a carriage, I looked up at the still barely lit sky, and not so dark surroundings. It was not a suitable time to jump through shadows.
Taking another carriage, I gave the driver a one soli note, and told him to follow my directions.
Not taking any chances, I quickly exchanged the Assassin points I had saved up for two Blazing Spear charms that belonged to a Sequence 7 Pyromaniac of the Hunter pathway.
I made sure I kept my distance, in case if the man found out that he was getting tailed because of a Marauder's Superior Observation. If it wasn't for that, then there was a good chance that I would have given myself out.
I was guessing that the man who was sitting in the bar was the main target I was looking for, the Swindler Jameson Bacardi. As for the man in the gathering, I believed him to be his assistant, Bernardo Russell.
These two Swindler and Assistant duo had swindled a faction of the Resistant for a lot of money, and resources in the neighbouring isles.
I wasn't sure about the exact details, or how much was lost, but it was an amount that was significant to the people of Rorsted. The Black Death's crew often used several ports in those isles to secretly dock, and accepted the task of helping the people get back their money. Of course, they'd take a cut, but it wasn't too much in this case, after all they had a relationship of cooperation with those people.
I wasn't sure till today exactly how killing those two would let Black Death get back the money they swindled. But now that I had met the First Mate of Black Death, Blizzard Maiden Eleanor, I had no doubts about it.
This also meant that I might have some chance at backup on this mission, but I had little faith in this possibility. Not only was this mission an opportunity for me to act, it was also a test that I needed to ace, to prove to Captain that I was worth investing resources into.
As the carriage was nearing the outskirts of Bayam city, I made the driver stop at an intersection, and bid him farewell.
The world was already dark enough for me to hide in shadows. I used my nigh superhuman physique to chase after the carriage that was heading further towards Bayam's outskirts.
After about five minutes of chasing and hiding in the shadows, the carriage finally stopped at what looked like an old, broken down factory.
Keeping stealth the top most priority, I moved slowly and followed the man into the factory, as the carriage driver drove back towards the city.