Well then, today I'm traveling alone for the first ti in a while.
I've got the Transfer Pendulum. The rest is running.
Casual steps for contacting an underground organization. But getting worked up would be a pain. So I'll just go.
Hagets.
A well-known organization in FBO. An underground group with several scout-type Nad characters. People with dark pasts are at its core. They support orphanages. They have a good side. But they're also heavily involved in illegal activities.
Drugs and human trafficking are forbidden. Their main inco is情報. Especially from the underworld. They're also fighters. Bodyguards.
They also run small night establishnts and casinos. I recall that from the ga. I teleport to the royal capital. Then head southwest.
The border between the Edelgard and Marduk territories. A dium-sized town on that line is my destination.
Hamberto. A politically delicate town. Both dukes claim it.治安 isn't good. But it's not fatally bad either. Because an organization secretly controls it.
"Hmm. Just the right mix of prosperity and decline. This is Hamberto."
A child entering such a town alone might be strange. But dwarves exist. A small figure with a spear, looking like an adventurer. They wouldn't stop . I pay the entry tax and walk in.
I go to the market. Compared to the town where Penne was confined, this one is more prosperous. The selection is average. Nothing excellent. Nothing bad. I observe the average market. Now the tricky part.
"Will this work?"
Hagets is a true underground organization. They use proxies for surface dealings. Multiple interdiaries separate them from their clients. They value secrecy. Enemies are eliminated through covert operations. Not direct confrontation. They slowly tighten the noose. They choose to kill. Head-on, I could win. But I can't be on guard 24/7. Poison , and I die.
To contact them, I need to follow the proper steps. Beco a custor. Use a shortcut, and they'll wonder how I knew. They won't trust . So I'll use the proper thod.
"Oh, there it is."
I find a tavern. Off the main street. Not run-down. Not too busy. It fits the town.
Inside, a few custors are drinking. Early.
"Welco. What'll you have?"
"Food?"
"Simple stuff."
"Fine. And so beans. Drink, not alcohol. I'm working later."
"Got it."
The owner is fat. But his arms are thick. Getting hit would hurt. He serves without question. A first-ti custor. The other custors glance at . Then ignore . They think I'm a dwarf.
The food should co quickly. I ordered that way on purpose.
"Here you go. Twelve zenni."
"Here."
"Exactly."
Bread, soup, sausage. Beans and fruit water.
"Anything else?"
"Not for food. But I have a question."
"What?"
The rough-looking owner stops. He's not busy. I offer a silver coin. He grins. Takes it. Pockets it.
"I heard there's a knowledgeable person in this town. How do I et them?"
"Knowledgeable, huh."
"Yeah. Knows a lot."
The owner looks like he doesn't know. But I know. He's Hagets's front. Hagets leaks so information. Adventurers can find it if they dig.
"There's an old man who runs an antique bookshop. West. Knows a lot."
"I see... Anyone else?"
"The old woman at the apothecary. Her family has run it for generations. Knows the town's history. On the main street. Easy to find."
"Thanks. That helps."
Follow the steps. Ask for the knowledgeable person. You'll hear about the bookshop and the apothecary. If you don't dig deeper, you'll go to the bookshop. Buy an expensive book. End of story. Dig deeper, and you'll hear about the apothecary. If you stop there, you'll go there. Buy expensive dicine. End of story. Think both are wrong, give up. You'll never reach Hagets.
I eat. Watch my surroundings. The number of people in the tavern is a test of my情報 gathering. Finish the soup. A custor leaves. Start the bread. Three new custors co in. Order drinks. Start the sausage. Two custors leave together. Eat the beans. Drink the fruit water. One custor cos in.
"..."
Subtraction for leaving. Addition for entering. Multiplication for ordering drinks. There were five custors, including . Five minus one is four. Tis three is twelve. Minus two is ten. Plus one is eleven. The answer is eleven. They're sending codes through tavern traffic. That's how they stay hidden.
The key is this number eleven. Combined with the old man and old woman.
"Thanks for the food."
"Co again. At night."
"I will."
I leave. Head for the bookshop. Count the people passing . One. Two. Three.
"Excuse ."
"Yeah?"
"Can you direct to the bookshop?"
The eleventh person. I hand him twelve zenni.
"...Follow ."
The price of the al was a password. In the ga, finding this was incredibly hard. The owner kept changing the price. I knew sothing was up. The combination of custors and gestures was the key.
The man takes the money. Turns left into an alley. I follow. One thing to rember. Normally, I'd follow him. But FBO isn't that kind. Neither is the underworld.
"Here."
"The old man's inside."
We turn a few corners. An old bookshop with a weathered sign. I stop. The man passes. I look up at the shop. He stops. Turns back. Nods.
First stop.
"Thanks. Have a drink on ."
"You know it."
I hand him a silver coin. He grins. Leaves.
"..."
I go inside.
"Welco."
A basent shop. Bookshelves left and right. An old man at the counter. His glasses glint in the lamplight.
"What kind of book?"
"The tavern owner sent . I need a book for the apothecary."
I approach. He asks what I want. I request the key item.
"...This."
"Price?"
"Eighteen zenni."
"Okay."
"Don't remove the bookmark on page 23."
"Understood."
The old man's expression doesn't change. He takes a book from the shelf. Hands it to . Books are expensive. Eighteen zenni won't buy a real book. But the old man accepts. I pay. Leave.
"Hey. Get what you needed?"
The man from before is outside. My tip worked. If I hadn't paid, he'd be gone. The path to the real apothecary would be closed.
"Yeah. Can you take to the apothecary?"
"Okay."
He guides . No money changes hands. We leave the main streets. The alleys get darker. More shady people appear. Without him, they'd bother . They'd try to steal the book. That's their security. Triple, quadruple layers. That's how they've survived.
"Here."
A lone shop in an alley. Barely a sign. Dirty. Unkempt.
He leaves. I go inside.
"...Welco."
A figure in a black robe. Hood up.
"What do you need?"
A croaking voice. An old woman. Stooped.
"I need the dicine on page 23 of this book."
"I see. May I see it?"
"Don't remove the bookmark."
"...Understood. Follow ."
I hand over the book. Specify the page. The bookmark. The old man's words. The croaking voice changes. A young woman's voice. Sharp eyes under the hood. She stands straight. Taller than .
She goes behind the counter. Not to the door. To the stone wall beside it. She knocks. A rhythm. Twenty-three tis. She waits. The stone wall changes. An opening appears.
"They're inside. The ones you're looking for."
"Thanks. I need to be back by night. For dinner."
"Do that. Don't linger."
I leave the ssage. Enter the passage. The wall closes behind . Torchlight. A dungeon.
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