Chapter 270: Beware of the Ghost
"There was nothing useful at the gathering either..."
Lorne walked out of an alley that smelled of cheap ale and dampness, feeling somewhat displeased.
The previous wave of "crackdowns" seemed to have passed, and many small Beyonder gatherings in Backlund had begun to resume.
Lorne consecutively attended several small, resumed gatherings, hoping to find something useful to deal with the potential ambush by the Indulgence Faction he might face next.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
Whether buying or selling, he did not achieve the results he wanted.
The 'Storm' Pathway formula was simply too conspicuous; selling it in Backlund would easily attract the attention of the official Beyonders.
Those gatherings were certainly not lacking in informants or "plants" placed by the Churches.
As for the other formulas, he couldn't sell a single one.
He didn't know why, but it felt like everyone had become tight on cash recently.
Sigh, the blasphemy card is clearly in my hands, and the formulas recorded inside are a priceless gold mine.
Yet, I just can't find a trustworthy buyer with sufficient strength to take it over—
"Should I—go for a big one and directly sell a demigod-level formula?"
A crazy idea popped up from the bottom of his heart.
"Next time, I should go check out Mr. A's gathering."
"That place should be more high-end."
Lorne recalled Mr. A's dangerous and profound appearance, feeling that he was highly unlikely to be one of the official Beyonders.
To be able to host such a large-scale gathering, his strength and the power behind him must be considerable. Perhaps he would be interested in Lorne's formula.
Of course, he also had to consider the possibility that the other party might become greedy, kill him, and seize the treasure—
"Lachi—is out again."
Looking at the empty room, Lorne muttered to himself.
Recently, his Orange Cat always ran out early in the morning and didn't return until late at night.
Moreover, every time she returned, she looked well-fed and completely satisfied. Lately, she barely even touched the meals he prepared for her—
"Could it be—that she secretly snuck into some high-end restaurant?"
This was the only guess he could make.
"Forget it, I won't take her this time.
She has already suffered enough hardship following me when we were at sea."
—
Thinking of the various accidents they encountered at sea, Lorne suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
This was for himself, and also for the Orange Cat.
"Little Lorne, you have a letter~"
Just then, his landlady, Mrs. Griffin, peeked her head out from behind the door that wasn't properly shut, waving an envelope in her hand.
"A letter?" Lorne curiously took the envelope and opened it.
What met his eyes was a line of delicate and cold handwriting.
"Meet at the back door of the Brave Bar at 10 tonight."
Lorne frowned slightly.
This day had arrived sooner than he expected.
"Little Lorne, are you in some kind of trouble?" Seeing Lorne's expression, Mrs. Griffin asked curiously.
"No, nothing." Lorne composed his expression and shook his head slightly. "It's just a small matter."
"A small matter? Don't try to be brave." Mrs. Griffin gave Lorne a meaningful look.
"It's really nothing." Lorne showed a gentle smile, but his tone unconsciously became a little firmer.
"Alright then—" Seeing that Lorne was unwilling to say more, the landlady stopped asking.
In the Beyonder domain, being too curious is not a good thing.
"However, Little Lorne, you must be careful tonight—" The landlady hesitated.
"Don't worry, Madam, I won't implicate this house." Lorne thought the other party was worried he was causing trouble.
The landlady gently shook her head: "That's not what I meant.
I mean for you to be careful yourself tonight."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice even further: "Recently, it seems a ghost has appeared in this house."
"A ghost?" Lorne looked surprised.
"Yes," Mrs. Griffin lowered her voice and added, "And it's a very powerful one; maybe it's a Wraith with deep-seated resentment."
"This kind of Wraith loves to suck the souls of the living.
Especially—young people as energetic as you."
"This—" Lorne's expression became awkward.
In his mind, an image of a cold and breathtakingly beautiful figure, dressed in a Gothic court dress, involuntarily popped up.
"Don't worry, that ghost—should, probably, perhaps—won't come to suck my soul."
At 10 PM, in the small alley behind the Brave Bar.
Lorne, wearing a dark hooded trench coat, arrived here on time.
Just as he walked out of the alley entrance, an unmarked black carriage silently stopped in front of him.
Behind the glass window were Marich's eyes, which constantly suppressed brutality and malice.
Lorne took a deep breath, calmly opened the carriage door, and stepped inside.
—
"Are you ready?" Marich's voice was low and hoarse.
"Yes, almost." Lorne nodded.
He wasn't dealing with members of the Rose School of Thought for the first time; he had some experience and wasn't overly nervous.
"I truly hope so." Marich frowned slightly.
It was obvious that he held a considerable degree of doubt regarding Lorne's strength.
The reason he agreed to this cooperation was simply because he chose to trust Sharon unconditionally.
Lorne glanced at the other man and proactively asked, "Is your curse alright?"
"Sharon told you?" Marich was slightly surprised.
"Yes." Lorne nodded.
"I will try my best to control it." Marich lowered his head and fell silent.
He truly was completely different from McVeigh; he was too calm—no, too repressed.
Lorne silently commented in his heart.
Compared to the Indulgence Faction, the Temperance Faction felt completely unlike Beyonders of the same Pathway.
In terms of raw strength, Marich was definitely much more formidable than McVeigh.
Thinking of strength, Lorne believed that if he were only dealing with Marich, he could win a duel given sufficient preparation beforehand.
But if it came down to a head-on clash purely using their inherent abilities—then forget it.
Besides a Mental Storm, the Calamity Priest had no other active offensive skills, making him far inferior to the powerful physique and abilities of a Zombie.
The reason he was able to eliminate McVeigh earlier was due to Danitz cooperating alongside him.
The carriage drove for a while, and soon after, a slender figure quickly materialized beside the window on the opposite side.
Sharon, wearing a black court dress and a small soft hat, appeared silently.
"Where is the ambush location, Teacher Sharon?" Lorne asked.
Teacher Sharon—
This address clearly stunned Marich, who was sitting opposite, and he cast a surprised look.
"We are currently on the way to that location." Sharon's voice was as cold and ethereal as ever.
Regarding that title, she added expressionlessly: "You are not Scott right now. Let's talk about this title after this operation is over."
Hearing this, Lorne scrutinized her again.
Meeting her slightly confused gaze, he decided to say what he had been holding back.
"Um—Miss Sharon, can we discuss something?
Next time you come looking for me—could you be a little more normal, like, knocking on the door?"
His tone carried a hint of helpless teasing. "Otherwise, my landlady will think I'm being haunted by a ghost."