'Mr. A actually went out... Hmm, he's probably gone to check on my results?' Snow raised an eyebrow but didn't pay it much mind. "Exactly; that's where the Aurora Order's style of operation came from."
Although Snow wouldn't go out and do that to the Church of Storms' believers, after the digestion of [Respondent] and "White Horse is Not a Horse" revealed information about Sequence 5 to him, he had come up with a miraculous idea. Over the course of the next hour, he had found some interesting words and melodies with classic trilling sounds from these indescribable whispers, then pieced them together, and said, "I want to write a song."
Those who had obtained supernatural powers by praying to "A White Horse is Not a Horse" had similarly been bestowed with two traits: 'transparency that everyone thinks they can see through' and the quality of 'appearing to pray to the True Creator when praying to a hidden existence.'
As for being discovered by official Beyonders while praying...
Don't be ridiculous. Those people were the bottom-dwellers of the East District, the docks, and the factories!
To put it bluntly, if the official Beyonders were willing to manage those areas, they wouldn't have become a breeding ground for evil gods in the first place!
'It's still early; I'll write a few more chapters of JoJo.' With Mr. A gone, Snow relaxed significantly and headed toward the study. Although he didn't have his auto-writing doll, there was a certain romance in typing his own manuscript.
However, just as he was stepping onto the stairs to the second floor, Lily's cry suddenly sounded,
"Meow-uuu~~"
'Someone's here? Did Mr. A forget something?' Snow had spent enough time acting through Lily's voice that he could understand basic "cat language." He immediately stopped his ascent and headed toward the front door.
Seeing Snow approach, Lily quickly made a few small jumps and climbed onto his shoulder. She flicked her paw as if to say:
'Aren't you going to open the door?'
"No rush." Snow scratched Lily's chin, listening to her emit a comfortable purr. Shortly after, the doorbell at the entrance finally rang.
Ding-ling-ling...
The crisp doorbell was rung. Snow paused for about ten seconds before arriving at the door. But when he opened it...
"Where is everyone?"
"I'm over here."
As a somewhat displeased voice sounded, Snow awkwardly looked down to see a tomboy-ish girl who barely reached his chest, looking up at him with puffed-out cheeks.
Snow felt a bit embarrassed, but his conditioned reflex triggered at that exact moment.
"Morning, One Meter Five..."
"Giving people nicknames like that is very impolite, Mr. Snow." Miss Xio, standing at the door, offered a stern lesson. However, the almost-bursting veins on her forehead clearly indicated that her current mood was not wonderful.
"My apologies." Snow immediately offered his regrets, then wore a gentle smile and said:
"I remember you. You were the one with Ms. Fors..."
"Xio, Xio Derecha." Seeing this, Xio moved into an introduction. Snow nodded. "Alright, Miss Xio, what business do you have with me? Is something wrong with your pet?"
'Pet...' Xio suspected the man before her was making an implication about her and Fors, but she had no evidence.
Ever since she had heard that man's words the previous day, she hadn't slept well for a single night. Although Fors appeared calm, after living together for so long, Xio had a considerable understanding of her cohabitant's personality.
Fors was lazy, but she wasn't a depraved person. Yet if Xio hadn't stopped her, Fors would even have wanted to smoke that stuff.
Xio had originally thought it was just "a momentary lapse of judgment from an author seeking inspiration," but it seemed now that it had likely been an attempt to resist the so-called "Full Moon Ravings."
Even if this was just a sales tactic to scam money, for the other party to see the existence of the "Full Moon Ravings" and their connection to those stones at a glance meant he was definitely not simple.
However, she also understood that Fors certainly wouldn't tell her this gentleman's identity.
Thus, using "news of Qilangos" as an excuse the previous night, Xio had spent the night investigating handsome men in Backlund named Snow who might have connections with Fors. Ultimately, she had actually found two.
One was a young noble veterinarian known for his good looks, and the other was Snow, the author of Phantom Blood, of whom she was quite fond.
Coincidentally, the two seemed to be the same person.
Having locked onto her target, Xio hadn't even caught up on her sleep before coming here. Sure enough, she had encountered that familiar and infuriating nickname.
...
"I want information about the 'Full Moon Ravings' you mentioned," Xio said, getting straight to the point. Hearing this, the corner of Snow's mouth curled up slightly. He took two steps back to yield the space at the entrance and then said:
"Come in and we'll talk."
"..."
Xio glanced inside the house, hesitating slightly. However, as an 'Arbiter' who dared to frequent the East District in a woman's body, she was quite brave. After a brief moment of thought, she finally made her decision.
'This is the West District, the area with the best security. There are even official Beyonders patrolling. If anything unexpected happens, I just need to make some noise.'
Holding onto this self-comforting thought, Xio stepped into Snow's house and was led into the living room.
"You know, as a Beyonder, it's not very convenient for me to hire servants."
As Snow spoke, he took out a tin of Siba Red Tea and began brewing it with skilled movements.
As the teapot was preheated and the tea leaves were added, a charming aroma began to spread.
"It's fine." Xio sat opposite Snow, wearing a shy smile. However, her upbringing as a young lady from a noble family made her instinctively identify the type of red tea.
'The quality is very high. Even when my father was still around, red tea of this quality was only used to entertain distinguished guests!' Xio made her judgment, lifting the teacup Snow handed her. She inhaled the scent and took a small sip.
Since her father's incident, she hadn't had red tea of this quality for a long time.
"Though I can't really tell the quality of red tea, I have to say, this cup is very good." Xio acted like a somewhat rough-mannered commoner Beyonder. Snow didn't expose her, only nodded and said:
"This red tea was a gift from one of my clients. I thought it was good, so I use it to entertain guests. In fact, I personally prefer sweet iced tea." Having said that, he put down his teacup and adjusted his expression slightly. Though his face didn't drastically change, anyone who understood social atmosphere would immediately realize he was preparing to speak of serious business. Snow showed a smile and looked at Xio with a somewhat businessman-like expression, "But since you've come to my door, you should also be aware of my charging standards, correct? Mmm, are you prepared to pay the price?"
'No, I don't know.' Xio grumbled inwardly. Although she knew he was an author and a well-connected socialite in Backlund, what the man was referring to was clearly not that side business.
After thinking for a moment, Xio didn't show any fear. Instead, she put on a confident expression that said "Yes, I know very well," and spoke as if she had no lack of money:
"Name your price."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: "Veterinary Noble" (兽医贵公子) - A nickname Snow earned due to his profession and high social standing in Backlund's upper circles.
A/N: Siba Red Tea (锡伯红茶) - A high-end tea brand in the world of LotM.
T/N: "Socialite" (交际草) - Literally 'social grass', a male equivalent of 'social butterfly'. Refers to a man who is very prominent and well-connected in social circles.