Chapter 105: Lawrence Nord

After strolling for a while longer, the two returned to the inn.

"I'm heading back now."

Audrey waved her hand, then suddenly remembered something. 

"Edward, what do you think about me setting up a charity fund?"

"Hmm, do whatever you want, as long as it's not dangerous."

"Okay~"

Lilith, who was sprawled across the desk, munching on a steak, lifted her greasy mouth with curiosity. 

"Edward, why did Audrey suddenly look unhappy? Did you bully her?"

"No, she just saw another side of this world, and it stirred something in her."

"Oh."

Lilith didn't understand and returned to wrestling with her steak.

Suddenly, a chill swept through the room.

The air was torn open by an invisible force. A faint shadow spilt from the rift as a black bird flew out of the spirit world, clutching a letter in its beak. It landed with uncanny precision in Edward's hand.

"Your letter."

It hovered mid-air, wings fluttering, its pupils flashing with light. Then, in a voice like a debt collector's, it demanded, "Sticks!"

"Give me sticks. Four sticks!"

Edward thought for a moment and pulled out four phoenix tail feathers. 

"No sticks, but how about these?"

"Huh?"

The black bird blinked, landed on Edward's wrist, and stared and sniffed at the feathers for a long while. Eventually, it picked one up and gulped it down. Its eyes sparkled with realisation.

"I don't want sticks anymore. I want these feathers!"

Just as I thought. 

So the reason it eats wands…is because of the phoenix feathers inside.

"Are you sure?"

Edward waved the feather before it. The bird's eyes tracked it without blinking, its head bobbing eagerly. 

"Sure!"

"Alright, but I want to know…why do you need them?"

The black bird paused, then replied without much hesitation, "I can sense a special energy inside. That energy…helps me evolve."

Evolve? 

Edward scrutinised the black bird more carefully. 

So, you're planning to turn from a little sparrow into a phoenix?

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

With lightning speed, it gobbled up the remaining feathers one by one and let out a very satisfied burp.

Just then, a black shadow lunged toward the bird—Lilith.

Unfortunately, even with her speed, she only caught its afterimage. The messenger bird had already zipped back into the spirit world.

"Lilith…"

She immediately turned her head away, feigning innocence, and leapt back onto the windowsill. 

"Cats are just like this!"

"….."

Used to catch mice, now catching birds. Why hasn't this little one shown any sign of turning human, even after taking the potion?

Edward shook his head and unfolded the letter—only to shoot up from the sofa.

It was from Christine—the one who had been missing for so long!

—"I'm in the West Borough of Backlund. If you can make it here in the next few days, bring the notebook and come find me. You'll get what you've been searching for."

What I've been searching for… 

The follow-up formula for the Apprentice pathway?!

Edward's heart began to race. He hurriedly tore off a sheet of paper and scribbled a reply:

—"I'm already in Backlund and can meet anytime. Please tell me your address."

Since the messenger bird had already returned to the spirit world, he had to summon it again.

As it flew out of the spirit realm and reached for the letter, ready to depart, Edward quickly stopped it. 

"Dear messenger…sir, could I trouble you to wait a bit after delivering each letter? Just in case a reply needs to be sent."

The black bird hovered in the air and looked at him with a do-I-look-stupid-to-you expression.

"No! I charge per delivery! One delivery is one fee. If I wait around for a reply, that's turning two trips into one!"

"???"

You're barely bigger than a finger, and your accounting's that sharp? 

Why are you delivering letters? Go run a business!

Suddenly, the bird seemed to remember something and landed in front of Edward.

"This delivery will be my fifth one! Previously—"

"Alright, alright!"

"Give me sticks—no! Feathers!"

"Okay, okay."

Edward summoned another phoenix feather and tossed it to the bird with a Levitation Charm. 

The black bird dove forward, gulped down the feather, its dark eyes gleaming with profound satisfaction.

"But you have to agree to one condition—after each delivery, you have to wait three minutes before leaving."

"No way!"

"Then no more feathers."

"..."

It suddenly spun around, tore open the air, and vanished into the spirit realm, leaving behind a sharp squawk, "One minute!!!"

"Uh…"

So temperamental. It's going to give itself a stroke one day!

———

Half an hour later.

The black bird appeared again, dropped off a letter, and turned to fly away—but then remembered Edward's condition. 

Reluctantly, it landed on the desk, narrowed its eyes, and glared at Lilith.

Stupid cat tried to catch me earlier…

Edward unfolded the letter—Christine's reply.

There was only an address:

—"West Borough, Calpensa Inn, 2nd Floor, Room 2102. Bring the notebook."

Edward stood up, elated. The formula was here!

He looked at the black bird and said, "I don't need to send a reply. You can go."

"Oh."

It replied coldly, spread its wings, and suddenly accelerated toward Lilith. 

Startled, Lilith did a backflip on the spot.

Once she realised what happened, she bared her teeth and lunged again—only to catch nothing but air.

"Next time, I will catch it!"

Lilith made a silent vow to herself to catch the bird next time. She turned back, planning to continue her breakfast, only to stare blankly at her empty plate. 

"My steak's gone?"

She looked at Edward. 

Edward immediately distanced himself from responsibility. "That bird did it!"

She kept staring.

"I'm already full. Why would I steal the steak that you'd already chewed into a mess?"

Staaare—

"Alright, alright, you win." 

Edward handed her a dried fish. "I'm heading out. Want to come with me?"

She munched the dried fish happily and nodded. "Yes!"

Edward pulled out the green crystal pendulum. 

"Going to the Calpensa Inn is dangerous." 

"Going to the Calpensa Inn is dangerous." 

"Going to the Calpensa Inn is dangerous."

——

After seven repetitions, the green crystal didn't move an inch. 

"Tch. Probably not enough information," Edward muttered. After thinking for a moment, he rephrased the question.

"Meeting Christine is beneficial to me." 

"Meeting Christine is beneficial to me." 

"Meeting Christine is beneficial to me."

——

Soon, the green crystal began rotating slowly in a clockwise direction. 

"Good, that means it's favourable. Let's go, Lilith."

———

[West Borough, Backlund]

This area was mainly home to the middle class and some fallen nobles. For example, Baron Rafter Pound of House Tudor had his family's old estate here, with the hotpot angel Medici sealed underneath.

That angel supposedly still had a Red Priest Pathway's Card of Blasphemy, but considering the gap in power and rank, going there now would be no different from delivering himself as a snack.

At 10 a.m., a disguised Edward, accompanied by Lilith in her calico cat form, arrived at the Calpensa Inn.

After using a Disguise Charm to change his appearance and a Shield Charm for protection, he soon stood before room 2102. After flipping a coin for a final check, he lightly knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

A few seconds later, Christine opened the door.

Compared to before, she now wore a plain outfit, her long hair braided, and her expression seemed a bit drained—who knew what she had been through since they last met?

Christine looked at the seemingly empty doorway, stunned for a moment. Then she nodded and stepped aside to let someone in. "Please come in."

Edward silently entered the room, moved far enough from her, and cancelled the Disguise Charm.

"!!!"

The sudden appearance of a stranger clearly startled her. Edward quickly said, "It's me."

She blinked in surprise. It was only after seeing the cat in his arms that she finally relaxed a little. "You…are way too cautious."

Edward shrugged. "In the world of mysticism, you can never be too careful." 

He took out the notebook. "I brought what you asked for. Now, the formula?"

Christine's eyes paused on the notebook for a few seconds before she said, "I can only offer the formulas for Sequence 6 and Sequence 5. But...it seems you've already advanced to Scribe?"

"Hmm? No, I just have another mystical item that's similar to this notebook."

"I see." 

She nodded and reached out her hand. "Give me the item first. The formulas aren't with me—I need to use the notebook to trade with its original owner."

Edward smiled. 

"Mind if I come along?"

"…Yes, I mind." 

She turned straight toward the wall, her body suddenly becoming intangible. "Come with me."

Edward followed close behind. Together, they arrived in the adjacent room.

A man wearing a black coat and a mid-height black top hat was sitting on the sofa, as if he'd been waiting for a while. Upon seeing them enter, he slowly stood up and removed his hat to greet Edward:

"Good day, sir. I am Lawrence Nord, a senior member of Christine's family. I apologise for her rash behaviour earlier."

He gave a slight bow.

Lawrence Nord...that name...

Wait—wasn't that the same Abraham family member Miss Salted Fish Fors met later on? If memory served, he died not long after due to health issues, and it was through him that Fors met her future mentor.

So Christine's notebook...was that the Leymano's Travels Notebook from the original story? 

Should I say the world's too small, or the Abraham family too far gone?

"Good day, sir," Edward replied, casting a glance at Christine. "Though my first encounter with Miss Christine was rather unpleasant, she did bring me information about the formula. For me, that counts as a decent enough ending. By the way, here's your notebook."

His words served both as a polite response and a subtle nudge: Let's get to the formula part already.

"That's good to hear." 

Lawrence nodded and took the notebook. "Christine, could you step outside for a moment?"

She clearly hesitated, finding it strange that her elder was asking to be left alone with a stranger. But she said nothing, and once again passed through the wall and left.

"I'm dying." 

He slowly sat down. "Originally, I should have taken the family secrets with me to the grave. It would be unthinkable to reveal the formula of the Apprentice Pathway just to retrieve a mystical item."

Indeed, Fors only obtained the formula after passing multiple trials, which showed just how guarded the Abraham family was when it came to that knowledge.

"But Christine suddenly reappeared." 

Lawrence's expression was reflective, but his eyes held a trace of fear.

"Uh...what about her? Is she some direct descendant of the Abraham ancestor or something?"

"No!" 

He shook his head heavily.

"She clearly died five years ago."

———

[Note]: We missed our P.S. goal by a good margin. So, no Extra Chapter. But if we reach 235 Powerstones by tomorrow, I'll post the Extra Chapter. So, Go VOTE!

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