The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 107 Ch.106 Secret Gathering
Roland could only see balls of jumping flames and could not make out the human figure behind the flames.

Half a minute after Roland arrived, Shandel Kratov also came along the wet stone road.

The seat she chose was directly opposite Roland.

She is the last one.

Half a minute after she sat down, the candlelight still did not illuminate the world outside the table at all.

The people in the darkness looked at each other in the darkness. They couldn't see each other, but they could feel each other's presence.

and so…

No need for a mask at all.

While Roland was thinking, someone spoke.

"It looks like there are two more of us..."

Right next to my ear.

"So…"

"welcome!"

"Welcome the two new members!"

"Perhaps I should take some time to tell you the rules of the secret meeting."

His voice was like the voice of a middle-aged man that you can hear everywhere, neither rough nor thin, neither high nor low, not particularly hoarse, nor soft and mellow like Archbishop Kratov's.

"First of all, I will not ask about your identity. Similarly, please do not ask about the identities of other participants."

Of course, Roland thought.

"Secondly, why are we all together?"

"Because of my curiosity about the mysticism, because of my inner thirst for truth, and because of my extremely boring life."

"I hope the new gentlemen or ladies will notice this: we not only exchange mystical knowledge, spells, and special ritual instruments, but we are also interested in the trivialities of the mundane world; we help each other, but we don't know each other; we gather here at midnight at a distance that is neither far nor near..."

“We are not friends, but we can have the friendship of friends.”

He paused for a moment and talked about more specific rules.

Perhaps due to time constraints, he spoke very quickly.

"We follow equal exchange - equality recognized by both parties. If both parties are willing, no one will object to exchanging half a penny for a piece of gold."

"We will meet every weekend evening by candlelight... Of course, I will never ask where you got it from."

“You can choose to attend, or you can choose not to.”

Then he added:
"If your candle is lost, I can only apologize."

"We are a law-abiding gathering that organizes itself to study and explore the mysticism. We never allow the trading of items and related knowledge related to cults or cult rituals. At the same time, we praise the Eight Crowned Gods, including the Father of All Things, the Ruler of the Four-fold Spiral Cycle, and the Lord of the White Crown of the Wasteland, and recognize the teachings of his religion."

"at last…"

“Have fun and get what you want.”

After he finished speaking, someone started applauding.

Roland heard another voice speaking.

It's Fernandez.

Sharp-nosed bear.

"welcome."

"So..." A hand stretched out from the darkness and stopped at Roland and Shandel's positions: "I am Sharp-nosed Bear. Please introduce yourselves, both of you."

Shandel spoke first:
"caramel."

The sharp-nosed bear hummed and turned to Roland: "So, what about the other one?"

Roland could hear a familiar smile in it.

He whispered reluctantly:
"…amber."

Silence fell.

"Very well, Mr. Amber, and... Miss Caramel. May I?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's get started." He leaned back and said no more.

Because soon someone spoke.

It's a chair next to Roland.

He sounds like a young man.

"I'm looking for items that have a 'wisdom' code, preferably clerical tools or..."

Apparently, he's said it more than once.

Because before he finished speaking, someone immediately interrupted impatiently: "Standard items? Why don't you go to the church to buy them?"

The suitor retorted: "If Holy Cross is willing to sell, why should I waste my time here?"

"Incredible. You know you're wasting your time?"

A wonderful beginning.

The conversation ends here.

After a while, someone else spoke.

This time it's for sale.

"A message: about ghosts," said the woman.

The sound is as melodious as a bird's.

However, it was the impatient man who answered.

He should have said to himself and Shandel: "Newcomers, be careful not to buy such unknown information casually. Sometimes, the person knocking on the door under the full moon may not be a girl, but a werewolf."

The woman selling the news sneered.

"I'm afraid you'll have to worry about choking on your food, ma'am."

The man who interrupted twice slyly replied: "Before making any decision, use your brain carefully and cautiously. I guess that is something that women can never learn... Otherwise, why can't you tell my gender?"

"Yes, who knows your real gender? I just judged based on your words. Rather than a brave and polite gentleman, you are more like those cowardly 'ladies' I have seen who gossip behind people's backs..."

Very good, Roland now knows the names of two more people.

The man who keeps interrupting is codenamed 'Gold Pocket Watch'.

The one who sells ghost news is 'Shirley' - the name of the wine.

"I promise not to do anything about the news of a ghost."

Miss Shirley obviously knew that if she didn't say something else, some annoying man would immediately interject with something like: "What good will your promise do?"

“Maybe if you buy it, you can sell it to someone in need...like a church?” the woman hesitated.

And the harder she tried to sell herself, the more Roland could discern her identity.

First, the nobility was crossed out.

A noble lady would not use such "easy to understand" words to satirize others, which seemed too "ignorant and stupid" - for example, in the salons that Cherry-Chloe took her to, there were often women she didn't like who satirized her by satirizing Roland.

What did they say?

In front of Cherry Chloe, they smiled and said to Roland: "Chloe is very beautiful, isn't she, dear? You are so well matched with her. Maybe she is as important to you as the Thames is to this city?"

Firstly, the river is called the 'Mother River', and looking at Roland and Cherry's ages, the implication is self-evident;

Secondly…

The 'estuary' of that river is filled with busy merchant ships every day.

'Busy coming and going' of merchant ships.

however.

The upper reaches of the river seem to have been disguised, highlighting the opposite of graceful and static beauty.

This went completely towards Cherry-Chloe.

Therefore, this 'Miss Shirley' would not be a noble.

Next, the middle class was also crossed out.

No matter how you think about it, the information about a ghost is not valuable enough. Anyone who is eager to sell it must be very poor.

Then, only the poor are left.

Roland's eyes flickered as he glanced in another direction: That 'gold pocket watch' doesn't look like a noble either...

A truly respectable and wealthy person would never emphasize that his pocket watch is made of 'gold' - at least, he would not use this name.
-
wrench.

"What are you doing?"

Roland knocked on the handrail, but the white flames only left a bunch of blurry shadows.

"Don't try. There is a force stopping us. The more candles there are, the stronger the power will be. I remember you saw that there were quite a few of them."

Roland was just pondering when Xiandel suddenly asked about the price.

"Ten pounds."

Miss Shirley reported a number without any confidence, but after Chandel fell silent, she immediately changed her words: "Eight pounds, eight pounds will do!"

Roland: ...

This is just stupid to a certain extent.

Roland was not exaggerating. If it were Cherry, she would have been able to sell the news for at least three times the price.

"Your friends are always the best in your eyes, right?"
-
of course.

Shandel had not expected that there would be such a talented person at the gathering.

But on second thought, the method of obtaining candles is not under the control of the Inquisition.

After all, the majority of people in this city are like 'Miss Shirley'... maybe everyone is like this.

Stupid and greedy.

"I can only give you half a sovereign, Miss Shirley."

Shirley changed her tone instantly: "How is it possible! This is a ghost! Have you ever seen a real one floating in the air? I'm afraid if you miss this opportunity, you will have to read those ghosts and goblins made up by the author in the book..."

Then she muttered softly: "It won't cost a penny less either..."

"But your information is of no more value."

Shandel wasn't a great negotiator or a particularly smart person. But facing a seller like this, anyone with a little bit of brains knew what to do: "The church will soon be aware of the ghosts' disorder, and then, in a few days, those detectives will come to perform exorcisms."

"By then," she whispered, "your information will be worthless."

Shirley was very dissatisfied: "That family doesn't dare to deal with the detective."

"It's not up to him." Shandel's voice was full of laughter. "Besides, how can you guarantee that the news will not be leaked? I don't want to deal with them either, and I don't want to hold an outdated news and let it affect my reputation when I resell it."

(End of this chapter)