NOVEL NEXT Ch. 11
Chapter 11: The Fifth Department
The two sat in the familiar reception room, Mel and Oliver sitting opposite each other.
Sister Irene came in, put down a cup of calming tea, and then withdrew, leaving the two of them a private space.
“So, what brings you here again, Miss Mel?”
Oliver asked with a smile.
Mel gently rubbed the rim of her teacup, choosing her words before speaking: “Bishop Oliver, I came this time to ask you about the matter of that secret gathering....”
“Secret gathering?”
Oliver raised an eyebrow, “Is it the kind I’m thinking of, a grey market gathering hosted by a believer of Order?”
Mel nodded.
“I want to know the security of that kind of gathering.... is it reliable?”
Hearing this, Oliver pondered for a moment, then said: “In a sense, on the premise of not contacting official organizations, it is indeed the safest way to trade. With a believer of Order who holds rules supreme acting as an intermediary to guarantee the proceedings of the gathering, generally speaking, it's impossible for a situation where someone comes to make trouble to occur.”
“What would happen if someone made trouble?”
Mel asked curiously.
“That depends on what rule the other party violated,” Oliver said, “It's decided based on the severity of the situation. For a minor offense, one would be expelled from this gathering; for a major one, one's qualification to participate in gatherings would be permanently revoked.”
“It doesn't sound very serious?”
“No, Miss Mel.”
Oliver shook his head, “Being stripped of your qualification means you will lose an important channel for trade. This is a fatal blow to many who have come into contact with the extraordinary world. Believers of Order are well-liked in the extraordinary world, basically no one would want to oppose them, except for the believers of Chaos. But trading with believers of Chaos, the very thought itself is full of risks.”
After a pause, Oliver added: “If you have something you want to buy, I can introduce you to some official channels.”
“Official... channels?”
Mel tilted her head.
“The Fifth Department, I think this should be the first time you've heard this name.”
Oliver smiled.
They are an organization responsible for maintaining the order of the extraordinary world, to prevent too many ordinary people from coming into contact with things they shouldn't.
The Fifth Department has a certain degree of cooperation with the Church, and among their enforcers, there is no lack of Shepherds.
Therefore, they naturally have their own channels.
Security can be absolutely guaranteed, but the only drawback might be the price will be a bit on the expensive side, about thirty percent higher than the secret gatherings.
“The Fifth Department...”
After pondering for a moment, Mel still shook her head gently, “I still want to try the gathering.”
She wasn't quite ready to get involved with the officials so soon.
“Of course you can, that is your freedom.”
Oliver smiled, “If you don't mind, can you tell me what you want to buy? What you want may not necessarily appear at the secret gathering; after all, the things that each person will bring out are uncertain. Actually, the Church internally also has some materials and Mystical Arts available for sale to Shepherds, and the materials are complete. Maybe I can help you, and the price is the same as the market price.”
“Mystical Arts can be sold too?”
Mel was a little surprised, and equally surprised was Oliver.
“From your look, it seems you already know of the existence of Mystical Arts?”
Mel nodded, then asked with some curiosity: “Can I learn about those Mystical Arts?”
“Of course, there are a total of four Mystical Arts to choose from here.”
Oliver stood up, took a book from the bookshelf, then opened it, and pointed at the table of contents to introduce to Mel:
“The first is called Shadow Trick, this is a Mystical Art that allows one to control shadows. It can let you control your own shadow, and even make it three-dimensional, just like a double of you. The second is called Light of Life, this is a healing-type Mystical Art. Besides basic injuries, it can also cure some illnesses that cannot be cured by modern medicine alone. Of course, the price it requires is the user's own life force. If overused, it may cause the user to age prematurely.”
Oliver said.
After a pause, he moved his finger to the third Mystical Art.
“The third is called Mind's Eye, this is a Mystical Art that allows you to see through the hearts of others. Through this Mystical Art, you can know if the other person is lying, and also understand their true thoughts, etc.”
(This seems a bit similar to my ability....)
Mel thought to herself.
“What about the fourth one?”
“The fourth one I obtained from a believer of The Void.”
Oliver gave a mysterious smile, “Remember what I told you before, that some believers of The Void have the ability to walk between The Void and reality?”
Hearing this, Mel's eyes suddenly lit up.
“Void Walk, that is the name of this Mystical Art.”
Oliver said.
“This Mystical Art allows you to escape into The Void, and then appear at any position within a fifty-meter radius of yourself. This Void Walk is different from the one that the believers of The Void are skilled in. This Mystical Art sets an anchor point, and the distance is short, so the risk is not high. How about it, is there anything you're interested in?”
Mel thought for a while, and asked: “Um.... what are the prices of these Mystical Arts?”
“Shadow Trick requires fifteen pounds, Light of Life requires ten pounds, Mind's Eye five pounds, and Void Walk requires twenty pounds.”
Oliver said, “These prices are all fixed, no bargaining. Of course, you can exchange a Mystical Art of equal value for it.”
“So expensive....”
Mel was a little shocked.
“This is actually already very cheap.”
Oliver smiled, “At a secret gathering, the prices of these Mystical Arts would at least double.”
Hearing this, Mel pressed her lips together.
She was very tempted by that Void Walk Mystical Art, but that price also almost made her heart stand still.
Noticing the girl's expression, Oliver smiled, then coughed lightly twice and said: It seems we've gotten off topic——you've only recently become a Shepherd, it's still too early for you for Mystical Arts.
Let's get back on track.
What do you want to buy at the gathering?
I'll help you see if the Church has it.
“Actually.... I want to go to sell things.”
Mel said.
“Sell?”
Oliver raised his eyebrow, unable to imagine for a moment what a young girl who had been a Shepherd for less than a week could have to sell.
“Mm...”
Mel nodded, “I obtained a formula for a healing potion from that believer of Knowledge I mentioned last time, as well as a Mystical Art related to healing. I want to sell those healing potions to get some money.”
Mel said, then she thought of something else and looked at Oliver.
“By the way, does the Church buy these things?”
“I'm sorry, the Church does not lack methods for healing people.”
Oliver shook his head gently, “Of course, we can buy that Mystical Art from you, as for the price.... how about ten pounds?”
“Ten pounds?”
Mel's eyes widened, “You... don't you need to inspect the goods or something?”
“Ten pounds is actually not expensive. You will understand once you have a deeper contact with the extraordinary world.”
Oliver smiled.
“How about it, want to make a trade?”
Mel pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“What should I do?”
“Very simple.”
Oliver said, then placed a piece of parchment and a pen in front of Mel.
“Just transcribe it using Quintessence.”