I was inside my family's horse-drawn carriage. The seat itself was very plush, and in front, a coachman was steering the horses, which moved with long, steady clopping sounds.
I had actually been thinking about this ever since I first arrived in this world. This world is truly full of absurd monsters! I must obtain a powerful weapon to defend myself later, especially since I am firmly convinced that I will be targeted by dangerous monsters one day, given my forcibly erased memories and the fact that I am a transmigrator, just like Klein or Roselle.
This carriage... was currently heading to the market because I had ordered it so. Heh, after all, John's important event would take place from the afternoon until evening, and John's current schedule should have been going to university. However, with the important event involving the royal family tonight, it seemed pointless to attend classes. It would be better to use my time to ensure I have some protection... for that event and beyond. So, I immediately ordered the carriage to go to the South Borough because I wanted to buy some weapons or at least some talismans that might possess Beyonder powers, which would be useful for my protection in this crazy world!
I actually planned to go to the antique shop that John usually visited to buy some of his items. More precisely, this shop specialized in selling ancient weapons or older models of items believed to hold some kind of historical value. I was quite sure that this "historical value" most likely intersected with the Beyonder world. After all, in a world like this, that seemed the most logical conclusion.
I gazed out the carriage window at the cobblestone streets and the smell of foul steam that permeated almost the entire city's air.
The previously clean streets were gradually replaced by dirty, trash-filled roads that were completely unsanitary as the carriage moved forward.
In the distance, the silhouette of a massive, sprawling cathedral was also visible, reinforcing that this was not my country at all and that I was truly in a completely different world.
There were many buildings with a strong Victorian-era style, clearly all due to the immense influence of Emperor Roselle in this world of Lord of the Mysteries. Hey, come to think of it, Roselle hasn't introduced modern concepts like shopping malls yet, right? Perhaps with my wealth, I could introduce this concept to the new world.
Suddenly, the thought of a large mall with a Gothic style popped into my head, which made me feel ridiculous because it was clearly a weird design. So, I immediately dismissed this strange idea…
…
The carriage continued on its way to that shop without stopping once, and I also remained quiet, observing my surroundings without paying much attention to anything else, as there was nothing else to do or any activity to occupy me at the moment.
We finally arrived at the antique shop. The shop had a sign in front that read "Restaurant." I didn't understand why an antique shop needed to be hidden like this.
Wait! If it's hidden to this extent, then this shop must definitely sell Beyonder items, right? Hah... you, the original John, are truly something, managing to get involved with someone who is likely a Beyonder without realizing it!
But actually, the shop looked quite ordinary, just like a regular house made of wood and stone with two floors and a small, clean window through which anyone could see the inside of the "Restaurant."
However... even the inside of the shop genuinely looked like a restaurant run by a household or something similar, as there was a counter for payments and several tables and chairs arranged there. There were even a few people eating Beef Stew with Potatoes and others eating different meals.
But according to the original John's memories, what made this place John's "antique shop" was because the back of this house contained various antiques, relics from specific kingdoms in the Northern Continent, or even items the original John believed might be from the Fourth Epoch, though he couldn't be sure.
Perhaps John's thinking back then was correct because, based on Mr. Hobert's own words, he had explored the Northern Continent for twenty years of his life and had sailed the seas for five years, only truly settling down when he was fifty. Throughout his experiences exploring the Northern Continent, he had also collected many historical and unique items he encountered on his journeys.
Thinking about that, I immediately walked into the "Restaurant," trying to recall details about Mr. Hobert because he might very well be a secret Beyonder…
I finally entered the "restaurant" and was immediately met by the enticing aromas of various foods filling the room, along with the buzz of conversations inside.
Without hesitation, I navigated through the arranged tables and chairs towards the reception counter, where Mr. Hobert served customers.
I reached the reception counter and saw a man full of wrinkles, with white hair and a slightly hunched back, serving a few customers there. He wore an old gray robe over his clothes, but his appearance itself wasn't too strange and was quite ordinary.
"That's Mr. Hobert!" I thought, and without a second thought, I immediately headed towards Mr. Hobert, who was serving a few people there.
I immediately looked at the old man and slightly inclined my head towards him, then gave a slight smile while maintaining eye contact.
"Good morning, Mr. Hobert," I said with that slight smile. "I have some clients who are interested in purchasing certain specific items," I continued in a nonchalant tone.
"Oh, good morning to you too, Mr. Lynch," Hobert replied with a slight smile after finishing with another customer. "It seems your clientele is growing, isn't it?" he added, stepping out from behind the counter.
"Indeed," I responded briefly and rather indifferently.
"Let's move to the back; it's impolite to discuss this here," Hobert said after quickly approaching me, his slight smile still in place.
Before the two of us walked to the back, Hobert instructed another worker to take over for him, and finally, we were free to go to the back.
We walked towards the back room, passing through the various tables and chairs meant for dining in this restaurant, then through a few corridors with ordinary, empty rooms, and finally arrived before a plain old door with a golden handle.
Actually, the area in front of that door was completely ordinary and held no strange aura or anything that would make me think it was a room full of mystical items or anything of the sort.
When Mr. Hobert opened the door, a room with a table and many cabinets was revealed. The cabinets and tables were filled with items that looked very antique, and strangely, the room had a mysterious and mystical atmosphere that made me wonder about it. Ah, come to think of it, the original John was just as puzzled as I am, although he merely considered it something he alone felt, perhaps biased because the room was full of ancient artifacts.
We walked into the room filled with those ancient and unique items. I also looked around at the items there. Several swords with antique designs were displayed in the room, some old-model pistols or pistols with a strange aura placed on tables, and there were even some ancient robes or mere ancient paintings here.
Honestly, all this reminded me of my visits to museums back when I was still on Earth. Ah, that's right, come to think of it, John met Hobert when John was visiting the Emperor Roselle Exhibition, and by coincidence, they shared similar interests, and John was shown some ancient items which made him interested in buying the items offered by Mr. Hobert.
"So... what kind of item does your client need this time?" Mr. Hobert glanced at me as we explored the room full of ancient items.
Honestly, being stared at by Hobert wasn't very comfortable for me because I felt like I was being oddly scrutinized by someone who could see through me! Moreover, the man had red pupils! Wasn't that very strange? And although he looked like an ordinary old man, he had some strange tattoos on his hands. Honestly, all of that really made me quite uneasy.
"They need a revolver with antique bullets and also something believed to be a talisman. Do you have items like that?" I looked at Mr. Hobert with a slightly forced smile.
"A revolver..? This isn't a weapons shop, Mr. Lynch," Hobert's strange red eyes looked at me with a confused expression.
"Indeed, a revolver... but this revolver must still be functional, not broken or destroyed, and preferably, this revolver has some record of being mystical or something like that," I hurriedly explained to Mr. Hobert. "My client this time is a mysticism enthusiast, so their requests might be a bit odd," I continued.
"Hoo... so you have a client who is a mysticism enthusiast?" Mr. Hobert looked at me suspiciously, his red eyes seeming to ponder something.
"However, I do have a few collected items that possess a certain 'mystical' history, and among them is a revolver that should still be functional. Would you like to take a look first?" he added.
"Of course! I would be most grateful if I could see those items, Mr. Hobert," I agreed without a second thought.
We immediately walked towards a corner of the room to see Mr. Hobert's collection of 'mystical' items.
"Did your client exhibit any peculiar characteristics before?" Mr. Hobert suddenly asked me a question as we were approaching the place where the 'mystical' items were kept.
"Not really. I know her as a young noble lady who is very interested in the world of mysticism. So, she shouldn't have any particular peculiarities," I promptly answered Mr. Hobert, thinking of Audrey. And hey! I didn't actually answer Hobert's question directly and slightly altered its premise.
"Is that so... but has she ever been connected to any suspicious items or people before?" Hobert continued to probe me, his hand on his chin.
"To my knowledge, she hasn't been involved with any such organization so far," I said while shaking my head. After all, as far as I could recall, Audrey hadn't joined the Tarot Club yet and would probably only join in the next few days, although I didn't remember the specific date. Heh, I should have seriously memorized the date!
Mr. Hobert simply nodded, and we finally reached the table where Mr. Hobert's 'mystical' items were stored.
There was a truly random assortment of items there. I saw a mask with a completely blank shape? There was also a piece of cloth shaped like a cloak in a striking golden color, then several rings with beautiful gemstones! And there were three revolvers that looked somewhat antique, along with four small bags which, upon a quick glance, contained bullets. Then, in the corner, there was a Tarot card? It seemed to be a somewhat old deck of Tarot cards with a rather antique design.
As I observed them, I realized one important thing. "How am I supposed to know which items are truly mystical or whether they are any good!" I only became aware of this crucial point just as I was about to buy. Hah, how foolish of me. But wait, I could try to recall the descriptions of mystical items from Klein's story and try to connect them with the items I'm about to buy!
"So, what kind of revolver are you interested in, Mr. Lynch?" Hobert's red eyes looked at me, his old face appearing very curious and trying to analyze the item I wanted to buy.
"How should I know!" was my only thought regarding Hobert's question. After all, I didn't have a real client or had ever genuinely dealt with mystical items. But I certainly couldn't say that to Mr. Hobert.
"Could you explain all the items here, Mr. Hobert?" My green eyes looked at him, and I put on a neutral expression.
"Of course," Mr. Hobert immediately approached and picked up one of the revolvers, which was a deep red color that seemed completely unnatural.
"This is a revolver I acquired when I was in Intis once. I found it on the corpse of a soldier there who had just been in a fight with some people, but it's believed to have the ability to ward off spirits and can make its wielder more accurate in aiming," he lifted the revolver, showing it to me.
"Hoo..." I just listened while trying to observe its shape. From the description, it was clearly a Beyonder weapon, but I didn't truly know how powerful it was or what its negative effects might be. So, I immediately pointed to an ordinary black revolver.
"How about that one? What about that item?" I pointed towards the black revolver, hoping for a good explanation.
"That is an old-model Loen Kingdom revolver. I bought it from a merchant when I was about to travel around the Northern Continent, but I also don't know the precise mystical story behind that pistol, though it's confirmed that the pistol has some kind of mystical history," he explained succinctly.
"Hmm..." I just looked at the two revolvers and unconsciously pressed my temples while thinking, trying to figure out which was best.
"It seems my client wants the red revolver..." I promptly said to Mr. Hobert, upon which he smiled with his red eyes.
"Ah, right, what about that mask?" I immediately pointed to the strange, featureless mask because I was quite curious about it.
"That is a mask I obtained from pirates back when I was still at sea," he quickly picked up the mask and showed it to me more closely. "This mask is believed to be able to change the wearer's face into that of another person," he continued promptly.
Wait! Isn't that the effect of the Seer pathway? Isn't that exactly the same as Sequence 6 of that pathway, the Faceless? I absolutely must buy this item!
"I want that," I smiled and said to Mr. Hobert.
He immediately nodded, then the room fell silent... it felt annoying! So, I immediately looked around at the other items there again.
I looked at the Tarot deck I hadn't paid much attention to before. This deck wasn't arranged in the correct order because the top card was actually The Wheel of Fortune, where it should have been The Fool. But the card itself truly bore no peculiar marks different from the other objects. The only strange thing here was that this item was clearly very old.
Then I immediately picked up the deck and flipped through the cards. I saw The Star card, which looked somewhat different from the others because it actually seemed new. But that wasn't the important part. The illustration on The Star card depicted a person pouring a liquid from a silver cup into a river, with a sleeping wolf beside them, and many stars above the two figures. And the person pouring looked like Emperor Roselle!
Seeing this, I immediately felt strange because all the other cards looked like a regular deck, while only this one had an illustration of the Emperor. Suddenly, the hairs on the back
of my neck stood up.
But I truly couldn't sense anything strange about this object at all, yet it was still clearly very suspicious!