Upon hearing the words Sunflower and mystical knowledge, the person seated to Mozo's right, Vodka, shifted slightly before speaking.
"I only have one."
Seeing someone finally respond, Graveyard, who sat further down the line, also spoke.
"I have one as well."
Then he added:
"By the way, if you aren't planning to pay in gold pounds, what kind of knowledge are you offering in exchange?"
The question made Mozo somewhat nervous.
Thanks to the Dream World, he possessed a great deal of secret and invaluable mystical knowledge. However, because many of his memories were vague and fragmented, he only remembered the most important and interesting pieces.
Furthermore, much of what he knew belonged to the higher levels of the supernatural world.
Considering the caliber of this gathering, Mozo honestly wasn't sure whether these independent Beyonders could even understand the things he knew.
Yet that was exactly why he desperately needed the Sunflowers.
They were the core ingredient of the Sequence 10 potion for the pathway he had chosen.
With them, he would not only become a Sequence 10 Beyonder, but also gain an ability that was extremely valuable and perfectly suited to him.
As such, giving up was not an option.
The problem was figuring out what these people wanted.
After thinking for a long time, and just as the two seemed to be losing patience, Mozo finally said:
"What about the next Sequence of your respective pathways?"
He had asked Audrey about this beforehand.
According to her, many independent Beyonders were trapped by their lack of knowledge regarding their own pathways.
There was a good chance they would be interested in such information.
Vodka glanced at Audrey before looking back at Mozo.
"Mr. Lucky, how do you know my pathway?"
"I'm afraid I can't explain that."
Mozo spread his hands.
"So, are you willing to make the trade?"
Vodka looked toward Graveyard.
The two exchanged a brief whisper before Vodka stood up.
"Very well."
"Come with me to one of the side rooms."
"Graveyard says he'll go after me."
The two entered a nearby room.
As soon as they were inside, Vodka closed the door and retrieved a small box from beneath his robe.
Opening it revealed a crimson flower preserved within a glass container.
Its stem, petals, and bloom were all blood-red.
It was a Sunflower.
"Very well, Mr. Lucky."
"I've shown you my item."
"Now what about yours?"
Mozo carefully examined the flower.
After confirming that it matched the descriptions in his memories, he nodded.
"First, I need to know your pathway and current Sequence."
Vodka's voice immediately rose.
"You don't know my pathway?"
"Do you understand what you're asking?"
A Beyonder's pathway and Sequence were among their most important secrets.
For independent Beyonders, that was especially true.
"Of course, Mr. Vodka."
"Which is why I'm willing to offer one hundred gold pounds as collateral."
"If I can't provide the information you're seeking, the money is yours."
Vodka slightly raised the box and muttered:
"If you're willing to put up one hundred gold pounds, you could simply buy the flower outright."
His words made Mozo realize he might have accidentally offered too much.
Still, it wasn't a major problem.
Among all the things he possessed, mystical knowledge was by far the cheapest.
Especially knowledge concerning low Sequences.
"I'm Sequence 7 of the Puppet Pathway."
"A Puppeteer."
So he's the Puppeteer Audrey mentioned.
Mozo immediately understood.
"In that case, your next Sequence is Puppet Master."
The mention of the Puppet Pathway instantly reminded him of the Sequence 0 deity of that pathway.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
That had truly been a disastrous relationship.
But honestly, it wasn't his fault.
Who could have possibly imagined that a true god would hide inside a collection of puppets?
And somehow end up being sold to customers?
The entire incident had left Mozo with a lingering caution toward puppets.
Of course, that definitely had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn't afford any in real life.
Absolutely not.
"I already know the name."
Vodka interrupted him.
"But I assume you understand that isn't what I'm paying for."
"Naturally."
"I have no intention of deceiving you."
"To advance to Puppet Master, you'll need a potion brewed from vampire fangs, the heart of a Molodo Lizard, and the blood of a Banshee."
"As for the advancement ritual, you must become the finest puppet maker in a major city and drink the potion while receiving the admiration and praise of the public."
Vodka silently compared the information with what he already knew.
After a long moment, he sighed.
"That ritual is too difficult."
"Is there another way?"
"I've heard Sequence 6 doesn't absolutely require a ritual."
"There is."
Mozo nodded.
"However..."
Advancement below Sequence 5 did not strictly require rituals.
As long as one possessed the correct potion, advancement was still possible.
The problem was that success rates became increasingly unreliable.
Over countless years of experimentation and refinement, however, Beyonders had discovered methods to strengthen their potions and improve their odds.
Naturally, the costs rose dramatically as a result.
Mozo knew the strengthened potion formula for Puppet Master.
But he certainly wasn't planning to hand it over for free.
So he rubbed his fingers together.
The meaning was obvious.
Vodka merely shrugged.
He handed over the Sunflower and then produced one hundred and fifty gold pounds from inside his robe.
"Will this do?"
Mozo happily accepted both the flower and the money.
"To strengthen the potion, you'll also need a Moonflower and another Sunflower."
"And powdered skull fragments from a Goblin Hero."
The first two ingredients didn't seem to bother Vodka.
Even the mention of another Sunflower failed to produce much reaction.
But the moment Mozo mentioned a Goblin Hero, the man froze.
Then he asked:
"A Goblin Hero?"
"Can't something else be substituted?"
"If you can obtain a Goblin King instead, that would be even better."
"...That's somehow worse."
After saying that, Vodka left looking thoroughly frustrated.
Mozo could understand.
If his Dream World memories were accurate, both as the Sun King and later as Cromwell, he had personally launched several large-scale extermination campaigns against goblins.
Not out of hatred.
He had simply been inspired by Goblin Slayer.
After all, the goblins of this world were every bit as disgusting.
Nowadays, however, finding a Goblin Hero would be nearly impossible.
Finding even an ordinary goblin would probably be difficult.
Soon afterward, Graveyard entered the room.
Upon seeing the Sunflower in Mozo's hands, he let out a whistle.
"I saw Vodka leaving with a miserable expression."
"I thought your negotiations had failed."
"Looks like his advancement has some serious issues."
"That makes me feel much better."
Then Graveyard produced his own Sunflower.
Unlike Vodka's preserved specimen, this one was still growing in its flowerpot.
Mozo had absolutely no idea where the man had been hiding it.
At the very least, he couldn't see anywhere on the robe capable of concealing an entire potted plant.
Still, that worked perfectly.
Vodka's flower had been preserved well, but it had already begun to wilt slightly.
This fresh one was ideal.
Just as before, Mozo placed one hundred gold pounds on the table as collateral.
After learning Graveyard's pathway and Sequence, the two smoothly completed their exchange.
When they returned to the main hall, silence once again settled over the gathering.
White Dove looked around before collecting fifty gold pounds from each participant and officially declaring the gathering concluded.
He also instructed Audrey and Mozo to leave first.
After departing the gathering, Mozo asked Audrey whether he could borrow her alchemy workshop.
To his surprise, Audrey brought him directly to the university's alchemy laboratory.
Cromwell University had no curfew.
Students were free to enter and leave at night, especially those living on campus.
Mozo preferred living alone, which was why he had moved out.
The academic building housing the alchemy laboratories, however, was normally locked after dark due to the valuable materials stored inside.
At least, valuable by this world's standards.
To Mozo, the place was essentially a warehouse filled with radioactive substances and highly toxic chemicals.
Then a thought occurred to him.
If the supernatural world truly existed, perhaps a prestigious national university's alchemy laboratory also contained genuine supernatural materials?
No.
Probably not.
Audrey had already explained that the authorities deliberately separated the supernatural world from ordinary society.
In that case, the laboratory was likely exactly as he had always imagined.
A place full of dangerously radioactive toxins.
The thought made him somewhat nervous.
Meanwhile, Audrey casually picked the lock with a hairpin.
After opening the door, she glanced outside before beckoning him over.
Mozo could only grit his teeth and follow.
Surely the professors weren't reckless enough to leave lethal poisons lying around in the laboratory.
And university laboratories were undeniably equipped with excellent tools.
Fortunately, the laboratory, or rather what Mozo preferred to call a proper laboratory, contained only scientific equipment and none of the strange substances he had feared.
Audrey proudly patted a nearby distillation apparatus.
"I used to buy my own equipment and make potions myself."
"Not only was everything ridiculously expensive, the quality was terrible."
"So I got fed up and started using the university laboratory."
"As expected, government-funded equipment is far better."
Looking at Audrey's smug expression, and recalling how familiar she had seemed with the entire route, Mozo sighed helplessly.
"Miss Hepburn."
"You can just call me Audrey."
"Very well, Miss Audrey."
"If your admirers and suitors ever learned about this side of you, their dreams would be shattered."
"No problem."
"As long as nobody finds out."
"And now I have you."
"If we're ever caught, I'll just tell everyone you forced me to do it."
"You..."
Mozo twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Rather than continuing the argument, he turned his attention to extracting and concentrating the juice from the Sunflowers.
If his memories were correct, mystical ingredients could technically be consumed raw.
However, refining and concentrating them produced better results.
There was no need to worry about evaporation or degradation.
According to his memories, supernatural materials possessed unique properties that prevented them from disappearing or transforming.
Higher-level ingredients required specialized equipment.
But for a mere Sequence 10 potion, the university laboratory was more than sufficient.
Meanwhile, Audrey sat atop a nearby table and watched him work.
Then she suddenly asked:
"You only have that one ingredient?"
"You're not using a strengthened potion?"
"Are you sure that's safe?"
Instead of answering, Mozo asked:
"Miss Audrey, that mark on your body was implanted inside the Elven ruin White Dove mentioned, correct?"
"That's right."
"Why?"
The moment she recalled the terrifying guardian automaton, Audrey shivered involuntarily.
"Can you tell me the exact location?"
"What are you planning?"
"Didn't White Dove say the authorities are already watching the place?"
"I know."
"I'm only asking."
"I know what I'm doing."
Audrey eyed him suspiciously before answering:
"East of Hawk Street in the Old District."
"There's an abandoned sewer entrance there."
"That's the main access point."
"There are probably other ways into the sewer system, but they won't lead to the ruin."
"The nobles' lapdogs are definitely guarding the tunnel White Dove discovered."
By the time she finished speaking, Mozo had completed his potion.
He lifted the glass vessel and held it beneath the laboratory lights.
Just as his memories had described, the crimson liquid shimmered with a golden radiance when illuminated.
A genuine Sequence potion.
The following day, Mozo paid a visit to a professor with whom he had a good relationship.
With the professor's guidance, he located detailed maps of the Old District and its sewer network within the library's extensive archives.
The Sequence 10 pathway he had chosen required more than just a Sunflower.
Its advancement ritual also demanded an ancient ruin.
The potion had to be consumed within such a location.
And an Elven ruin fit the requirements perfectly.
Certainly, he could brew a strengthened potion and drink it directly.
The odds of success would still be reasonably high.
But according to his memories, skipping the advancement ritual was rarely a good idea.
Completing the ritual made digestion of the potion significantly easier and greatly benefited future advancement as well.
Most importantly, however, he vaguely remembered that the ruin itself might have been one of his own arrangements.
The problem was that these memories came from dreams he had experienced as the Sun King during childhood.
Many details from that period were frustratingly unclear.
There was little he could do about it.
Even as a reincarnated soul, he could not overcome the biological limitations of an immature childhood brain.
Memories faded.
Dream memories faded even faster.
The fact that he still remembered so much was already the result of considerable effort.
Using the maps and his recollections, Mozo quickly determined an infiltration route.
That very night, he put the plan into action.
The official Beyonders Audrey had warned him about were certainly a concern.
But if his memories were accurate, they shouldn't be a problem.
And if his memories turned out to be wrong?
Then he would simply go home and sleep.
After all, he had deliberately chosen a safe area for his initial attempt.
At the same time, deep beneath Hawk Street in the Old District, a group of trench coat-clad individuals stood gathered around a breach in the sewer wall.
Their middle-aged leader listened carefully as one of his subordinates delivered a report.
"Captain, we've confirmed it."
"It's a ruin hidden inside another ruin."
"The outer layer dates back to the Cromwell Era."
"But it was built around a much older Elven ruin."
"Our current theory is that a noble from the Cromwell Era discovered the site and intended to develop it in secret."
"Unfortunately, its owner was later sent to the guillotine by that infamous Grand Duke."
"As a result, the site was abandoned and remained buried until now."
After hearing the report, the captain nodded thoughtfully.
Then, recalling certain rumors he had recently heard from higher authorities, he frowned and said:
"In the future, it would be best not to speak ill of that Duke."