"Sure."
Bernadette had no objection, following Maric into the card room he usually occupied.
The door had barely closed when the gas lamp in the room dimmed for a moment, and a figure in an elaborate black Gothic court dress slipped out from within the lamp's glass shade, giving Bernadette a slight bow. "Good afternoon, Miss Natasha," she said, her voice rasping.
Bernadette returned the greeting, pulling out a chair and sitting down without ceremony. "What can I do for you two?"
Sharron's pale face carried a hint of hesitation. "Miss Natasha, do you remember — the first time we met, you mentioned wanting to do a big deal with us."
Bernadette gave a noncommittal nod.
Vincent's mind blanked for a moment before it clicked — back then, he'd been using the "Christmas Tree" information to try to "do business" with Sharron and Maric, playing the role of a broker.
But afterward, the broker potion had gotten "muddled away" somehow, and the whole thing had gradually slipped from his mind. When he'd run into Sharron again later, she hadn't brought it up either, so it had simply been left unresolved.
He hadn't expected her to suddenly bring it up now.
Sharron paused for a moment, then continued, "What exactly did you mean, by that 'big deal'?"
Bernadette immediately asked Vincent in her mind: "Explain it."
Vincent cleared his throat. "It was really about trying to broker a deal between your Dawn's people and the Temperance Faction — I was playing broker at the time, remember?"
"Is that so?"
Bernadette gave a small smile, not pressing further. She looked at Sharron. "Crunch actually mentioned to me before that he wanted to arrange for the Temperance Faction and me to work together — to help you deal with the Indulgence Faction. Unfortunately, by the time I'd made up my mind, the Temperance Faction had already come under attack."
Sharron studied Bernadette for a few seconds. "Your true identity is...?"
"My real name is Bernadette, owner of the Dawn. Most people call me the 'Queen Mystic.' Crunch is my first mate."
Beside them, something flickered in Maric's eyes — clearly he recognized the name — but he said nothing, simply watching Sharron quietly.
"So you're Her Majesty, the Queen Mystic."
Sharron's expression gave nothing away, her rasping voice even. "Unfortunately, my teacher fell in the Indulgence Faction's assault. The Temperance Faction's members have scattered, fled, or died — there aren't many of us left now."
She paused for a few seconds, then continued, "Your Majesty, the truth is, us seeking you out today was mostly a coincidence — we wanted to ask whether you have any weapons or extraordinary items with bonus damage against dark creatures. We could purchase them, or borrow them from you."
Maric added, "We've spent this whole time trying to buy something like that at various extraordinary gatherings around Backlund, but we haven't had any luck. We're out of options now."
Bernadette looked thoughtful. "The Indulgence Faction's people have tracked you all the way to Backlund?"
"That's right."
Maric said, "We already crossed paths with them recently. So far, three have caught up with us — a vengeful spirit, a zombie, and a werewolf."
"Purely in terms of strength, Sharron and I aren't afraid of them. But they're carrying a sealed item that has extreme suppressive power against us specifically — called the 'Crimson Moon Crown.' It can create a moonlight-like effect within a certain range, mimicking a full moon. For the Indulgence Faction, that's a boost that lets their power burst out — but for us, it leaves us weakened, unable to fight."
"Under those conditions, we don't stand a chance against them. That's why we're trying to gather an item that boosts damage against dark creatures — to give ourselves a fighting chance."
At that, Maric seemed to remember something, hesitating. "Your Majesty, if you..."
"Maric."
Sharron cut him off before he could finish, shaking her head.
Bernadette smiled faintly. "Mr. Maric — were you about to ask me to help you deal with those three from the Indulgence Faction?"
Ignoring Sharron's glare, Maric let a flicker of hope show. "Could you?"
"Of course I could. But what were you planning to offer me, in exchange for that kind of favor?"
"That..."
Though Maric hadn't been on the Northern Continent long, he'd made his way to Backlund through a series of ships and connections, so he understood exactly what the name "Queen Mystic" represented.
She was, at minimum, a demigod-level powerhouse — likely one of the strongest even among demigods. Given his and Sharron's current situation, they had nothing they could offer that would actually interest someone like her.
No wonder Sharron cut me off just now.
Seeing the two of them fall silent, Bernadette said, "Crunch mentioned he owes your Temperance Faction his life. Which means you're free to call on him for help with this."
Sharron shook her head. "The Indulgence Faction has been hunting him this whole time. He barely managed to break free of their control as it is — if they found him again, it would spell real trouble."
"Oh? What kind of trouble?"
"You may already know — the Indulgence Faction worships an evil god called the 'Mother Tree of Desire.' 'Indulgence' isn't just a philosophy for them — it's genuine faith in that god, and they're subject to her influence because of it."
"I'm worried Crunch might... fall back into old patterns."
Bernadette understood. "No wonder. So you're worried that, under the Mother Tree of Desire's influence, Crunch might eventually turn on you both."
Maric and Sharron said nothing, which was answer enough.
Bernadette thought it over. "Here's what I'll do — I'll pass along your situation and your concerns to Crunch. What he decides to do about it will be up to him."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Sharron didn't raise any further objections. With their survival genuinely on the line, of course they weren't going to pass up any chance at it — if they hadn't been worried about the evil god's influence on Crunch, they'd have already gone to him for help themselves.
"Oh."
Something occurred to Bernadette. She pulled out paper and pen, writing as she spoke. "Since the Indulgence Faction gets to have faith in an evil god, there's no reason the Temperance Faction shouldn't be allowed one too."
She set the slip of paper on the table. "Recite the three-part honorific written on this, and you might catch the attention of a certain hidden presence. If you're lucky, you might even get some help out of it."
"Whether you want to try it is entirely up to you."
With that, she slid the note lightly across the table, then turned and walked out of the card room.
Sharron and Maric watched the door swing shut, exchanging a silent glance for a moment before Sharron stepped forward, picked up the note, memorized the three lines of Ancient Hermetic written on it, then crushed the paper to shreds in her fist.
She turned back into a vengeful spirit and vanished.
Walking out of the card room, Vincent said, in his mind, "You really have taken the whole 'promote Lord of Chaos' philosophy to heart, haven't you. When I finally become a god someday, I'm making sure you're one below me, ten thousand above everyone else."
Bernadette's steps faltered. She gave a cold snort. "You think I can't hear how filthy that sounded?"
"???"
Vincent froze. "Wha— what filthy thing?"
She said nothing more, simply letting out a small huff and walking briskly out of the hotel.
"Hey? What's that about, tell me straight."
"Shut up."
"???"
Absolutely baffling.
To be continued…
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