Chapter 57

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In front of the tent stood a well-dressed, middle-aged man.

Seeing Jason approach him, the other party bowed, and then, with a gesture, he asked,

“Hello, may I ask?”

“5.”

Jason expressed the number he wanted.

Instantly, the middle-aged man grasped a tacit understanding of Jason’s intentions.

“Please.”

The other party lifted the curtain of the tent and made a gesture of invitation.

Jason took a step forward and went in, while the curtain behind him fell slowly.

Immediately, the noise outside vanished without the slightest hint passing through.

With a normal piece of curtain, it would have been simply impossible to achieve such a feat.

It was very obvious. This would be the power of the mysterious side.

But what Jason was most concerned about was actually something that was right before his eyes… starlight!

Yes!

As he stood inside the tent this very moment, there was a starry sky overhead.

The night sky was as dark as pitch, and the twinkling stars were getting more resplendent than before. It was as if he was really standing amidst the wilderness and looking up at the stars.

Jason’s eyes unconsciously looked toward that star–the brightest one of them all.

His knowledge of occultism was not enough for him to identify whether the starry sky before him was a kind of starry sky that was composed of some kind of props, or whether it was a kind of starry sky that was constructed by some kind of ritual. But being twice as perceptive as an average person, as well as…

The search for food had allowed him to be acutely aware of the most noteworthy points.

That brightest star was emitting a sweet aroma.

Jason forcefully willed himself against jumping up to pluck the star and swallow it.

“Welcome, my new guest.”

Just as Jason was about to study the star again, a sonorous voice boomed.

With the sound of that voice, an old man with sharp eyes and a white wig, dressed in a red military uniform that was matched with a white shirt beneath, appeared before Jason.

Jason was instantly startled. His eyes began to reflect his wariness.

Because even with his level of perception, he did not even hear the slightest hint of movement.

Even if he had been distracted because of the aroma of food, this was already enough to point out that there were some problems.

“Is it because of this starry sky?”

“Or is it…”

“The other party’s capability?”

Jason was speculating in his mind.

Sure enough, anyone who could host a secret assembly would definitely not be a small fry.

On the surface, Jason kept a calm composure as he gave a slight bow before saying, “I have detailed information on the Moon Mask Club. Not the official kind.”

Before entering this place, Jason had set his mind on a straightforward approach where he would declare his intentions bluntly.

First of all, he was not someone good at exchanging decorous greetings or making small talk.

Secondly…

The fragrance was ceaselessly working its way to his nose. This was making his stomach constantly send out messages of hunger.

He…

Urgently needed that bounty now to buy some food to fill his stomach.

If he remained here any longer, he was afraid he would not be able to control himself.

“Very well.”

“I knew it. This time, there’s bound to be something to gain.”

Sir Beta said as he pointed to the chair next to him.

“We can sit down and talk.”

“What do you need, my new guest?”

“Tea or coffee, or something else?”

The old knight asked in an extremely kindly manner.

However, Jason wanted to save time, so he shook his head, instead.

“Everything about the Moon Mask Club is a setup.”

“One of the key purposes of its setup was to attract people who were keeping a close eye over Santel, the grave keeper.”

“Another key point is with regards to Herke’s remedy.”

Jason said simply.

And when Jason mentioned Santel, the grave keeper’s name, the old man in front of Jason showed a serious face. His sharp eyes became piercing, looking even more like knives.

Jason could clearly feel his hair standing on end.

Then he felt the old man in front of him become overwhelmingly mighty.

It seemed like any lie would be an insult to the other party.

There was a voice at the back of his mind telling him that he would not be able to deceive the old man with lies.

“Ritual?”

“Secret technique?”

“Professional ability?”

Jason was guessing in his mind. But his words did not stop. He maintained a very smooth pace as he finished up with everything he had to say.

After all, he was telling the truth.

“Herke’s remedy, grave keeper, Santel, the Moon Mask Club.”

“So that’s what everything boils down to.”

This old man seemed to have gained some insight as he nodded. Then, he smiled at Jason.

With this smile, that feeling of being interrogated disappeared within an instant.

The knight turned back into just the old man with sharp eyes.

“I thank you, my guest.”

“I have grasped a full understanding of everything.”

“You can approach my servant, Eric, to collect your reward.”

“In addition,”

“I have gained more than what I’ve expected to get, so you can take an additional 20 grams of gold.”

The other party definitely lived up to his name of generosity, as mentioned by Daniel. He had directly added an additional ten percent on the basis of the original bounty.

And this, to Jason, was naturally good news.

“Thank you for your generosity.”

Jason replied.

“No, you are deserving of it.”

“If you still need anything else, please speak to Eric.”

“In here, he will be able to satisfy all your needs.”

Obviously, this was his way of sending off his guest. Jason turned about and went out.

The curtain was lifted up and then let down.

Once again, the noise returned.

Jason’s face, hidden behind the ice hockey mask, was unconsciously showing his excitement.

The taste of the food here was not as sweet and tasty as that “star” inside the tent, but… the amount of food here beat the amount in the tent hands down!

“Sir, your bounty. A total of 230 grams of gold.”

The middle-aged man obviously knew his master’s instructions beforehand and had already prepared everything.

When a huge money purse was handed over to Jason, the gold inside the bag rubbed against each other, letting out a sound that was different, yet pleasing to the ears.

“Thank you.”

After thanking Eric, Jason received the money purse and took big strides as he walked to the place where fragrance was most prominent.

And the eyes of most people around him fell on Jason because of that huge purse of money that he was carrying.

Greed was emerging within the minds of many.

Jason could sense it.

But he was not bothered.

Because he had simply no intention of leaving a single copper dime at all.

He was going to turn all that gold into food!

But then, Jason suddenly thought of something.

He stopped in his tracks right away and turned to walk to Daniel’s stall.

When the people, who were staring at Jason, saw him walking to the stall selling panacea, smiles of tacit understanding appeared on their faces.

Daniel was no exception.

“Do you need it, too?”

“Don’t worry, we are good friends.”

“I will give you a discount.”

“If these don’t work…”

“I still have some wonder-remedy in my treasured collection!”

Daniel said with a smile.

“I need to ask you for a favor.”

“With returns.”

“20 grams of gold.”

Jason quoted his price.

Because there were only 10 panaceas left on Daniel’s stall.

Hiring Daniel to make a purchase might seem an extra cost of 20 grams of gold incurred. But it was far more suitable for Daniel to make the purchase as compared to him–a newbie who just learned the ropes of the market.

“What favor?”

Daniel asked out of curiosity.

“I’m not good at communicating with strangers.”

“So I need you to help me buy the offcuts of monsters from the stalls in this marketplace.”

“I don’t need those with special labels, they just need to be…”

“Meat!”

Jason emphasized.

“No problem.”

“Are you preparing to carry out even better analysis of monsters?”

“Every night watchman has to go through this process. Though tedious, it will be beneficial for your next advancement.”

Daniel lowered his voice as he said.

Night watchman’s advancement required the analysis of monsters?

Jason made a mental note of this piece of information.

To Daniel, who had given him a reasonable answer, he made no retort. He handed the money purse directly over to the other guy and said, “Your 20 grams of gold in there.”

With that, he walked toward that huge tent again.

The owner of this place had already said that Jason could always look for his servant if he had any other requests.

So, it should not be too much to request for an iron pot and a stove, right?

As for the spices?

They were not necessary.

He carried his spices with him wherever he went.

However, there were some condiments that he would still need the other party to get prepared.

For example, sesame oil, mashed garlic, chili noodles, sesame sauce, and so on.

After all, when various meat ingredients were to be mixed together, the fastest, most convenient, and most delicious way to cook everything, according to Jason’s memory…

There was only one!