Backlund, at Mr. A's Beyonder Gathering.
Audrey arrived at the gathering along with Glaint, Fors, and Xio.
As she stepped into the hall and entered her "spectator state," she noticed that the place was scattered with attendees. Some were concealing their faces beneath hoods or masks, while others didn't care at all and showed their features openly.
The one who caught Audrey's attention most was a gentleman in a tailcoat and black top hat — though what drew her gaze wasn't his attire, but the mechanical head beneath that hat.
Audrey guessed it was probably some sort of headgear.
Screwellum sensed Audrey's supposedly subtle gaze, turned slightly, and met her eyes.
Their gazes met; Screwellum gave a polite, graceful nod.
Then, his attention passed over Audrey and landed on the flamboyant man enthusiastically waving at him — Sairuis.
Rising from his chair, Screwellum walked toward Sairuis.
As he left, Audrey's attention shifted to a black-robed man sitting alone on a sofa.
This man also wore a hood that hid his face in shadow. He sat silently, watching the newcomers, radiating an air of superiority — as though looking down from above.
So confident… but that gaze is disgusting.
His eyes moved over her, slick and invasive, like two slimy tentacles trying to strip her bare.
Audrey, whose senses were sharp and observations meticulous, coolly analyzed the situation — though she nearly got goosebumps.
Fors quietly introduced, "That's Mr. A, a powerful Beyonder."
Audrey nodded in understanding.
Mr. A? That sounds more like a criminal's codename than a mysterious expert's title…
It's nowhere near as impressive as "The Fool."
No — only gods or those just below gods could ever compare to Mr. Fool…
In short — not as good as Y-God.
Audrey's thoughts turned, and she immediately felt a surge of superiority.
Conclusion: I'm playing on Y-God's level.
"So, does this gentleman have any notable exploits?" asked Viscount Grelint, who was also cloaked and hooded.
Xio Derecha said seriously, "There were several times when Sequence 8 or even Sequence 7 Beyonders targeted Mr. A — but all of them vanished without a trace."
After all, Mr. A was Sequence 5. Beating Sequence 8s should be easy.
It's not like a Sequence 5 could ever lose to a Sequence 8, right? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
As the others chatted, Audrey half-listened — until suddenly, her ears twitched. She heard a conversation — in words she hadn't learned, yet somehow understood.
"I'm pleased to meet you here, Mr. Sairuis. Logic: the reunion occurred earlier than expected."
"That's a surprise to me as well, Mr. Screwellum. Honestly, I didn't think the geniuses could actually find this place."
The first voice was steady and refined — completely unlike "Mr. Devil." But the second, with its playful tone, was exactly the same.
Audrey's heart leapt — but she pretended to stay calm, quietly observing.
Using her peripheral vision, she saw the two men behind her shaking hands — the flirtatious man with a mask at his waist and the elegant mechanical-headed gentleman.
So "Mr. Devil" is named Sairuis! Audrey rejoiced inwardly. He probably doesn't know who I am, but I've discovered his identity!
The two soon let go.
"Indeed, we received help from that one. But I suspect it's the result of a transaction between the 'Nous' and 'Aha.'"
Nous? Aha? Who are those? Audrey didn't understand but made a mental note of the names.
Sairelis, meanwhile, roughly pieced things together. Screwellum— being a genius and a kindred "intelligent machine" — had likely brought part of the Nous's computational power. For the Knowledgeable, even a fragment of processing power could construct a new self.
But Sairuis wasn't particularly interested in the schemes of Aeons. He changed the topic.
"Anyway, running into each other here probably isn't coincidence, right?"
"Correct," Screwellum nodded. "Based on my calculations, the probability of you coming here was 13.19%. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it more precise — believers of Elation are notoriously unpredictable."
Audrey's eyes widened. You can calculate the probability of someone showing up somewhere?! That's incredible!
Wait… what does he mean by "believer of Elation" ?
Screwellum added, "Actually, over the past three days, I've already tried my luck at 127 different locations."
"Uh-huh…" Sairuis hooked an arm around Screwellum's shoulder, pulling him to a seat. "So you guys are that eager to find me, huh?"
"Ms. Herta and Ms. Ruan Mei both sent me with messages for you," Screwellum explained. "Ms. Herta wishes to claim the copyright fees for the Simulated Universe and to recover the eleven dolls you stole."
Audrey's eyebrow twitched. Mr. Demon… steals things?
"Ms. Ruan Mei, on the other hand, asks that you remove her from your blocklist — she wants to discuss some academic matters with you."
Sairuis smacked his lips and patted Screwellum's shoulder. "The copyright thing… trivial, all trivial. I know what she really wants. As for the dolls — can't return them yet. I turned them into processors for the Simulated Universe."
Sairuis took out a small metal barrel, opened it, and handed it to Screwellum.
"Here, take a look."
Inside were eleven tiny Herta figures, each with antennas stuck in their heads. They held hands in a circle, slowly rotating clockwise while occasionally chirping:
"Kuru-Kuru!" "Kuru-rin!" "Spin, spin, spin!"
"Evaluation: computational efficiency too low," Screwellum commented bluntly.
"I know that," Sairuis said, nudging him with an elbow. "How about helping me build a better one sometime?"
"Price: I want 30% control authority over this Simulated Universe," Screwellum replied.
"No way," Sairuis countered, bargaining instinctively. "Three percent."
"I think 'cutting the price in half' isn't supposed to mean splitting the digits," said Screwellum, "but I accept."
Sairuis curled his lip. He knew perfectly well that it didn't matter how much access he granted — Screwellum could bypass any firewall he made anyway.
Then he stood up, went to the blackboard at the front of the hall, and began writing a few things down — planning to sell a few trinkets. After all, the more chaotic things got, the more interesting they became.
Author's Note
Also, someone complained that my story "resembles Lord of the Mysteries."
(End of Chapter)