After getting out of bed, Mozo did something highly unusual.
Instead of going to school for self-study as he normally would, he remained alone in his room, quietly planning his future.
First of all, now that the supernatural world had been proven real, there was no way he could simply ignore it.
And if he wasn't going to give up on it, then the pathways belonging to his enemies were immediately off the table.
For one thing, most of them were Evil Gods. Their pathways were synonymous with danger and madness.
For another, while those entities might not notice him at the lower Sequences, advancing further would be little different from tying himself up and delivering himself to their doorstep for slaughter.
Unless he chose one of the exiled ones?
No.
Still too dangerous.
The pathways of Evil Gods were best left untouched.
Mozo had no desire to spend every day struggling against insanity and endless whispers.
By the same logic, the Goddesses' pathways were also problematic.
Or rather, unlike the pathways of his enemies, the Goddesses' pathways could still be used at low or even mid Sequences if absolutely necessary.
At high Sequences, however...
The moment he advanced, he would probably be dragged into a Divine Kingdom and dismembered.
No.
He might be discovered before he even finished preparing the potion.
Wait.
Maybe I could work under one of the gentler Goddesses?
As long as I disguise myself carefully and keep the others from recognizing me...
That actually sounds possible.
Still, the risks were too high.
And my safety would depend entirely on someone else's goodwill.
Following his usual principle of caution, Mozo reluctantly crossed out that surprisingly tempting route of living off a Goddess.
Using the process of elimination, he crossed out one divine pathway after another.
By the time he finished, his notebook was covered in scribbles and corrections.
Looking at the mess, Mozo realized he only had one option left.
A completely new divine pathway.
After the Sublime Rebellion, countless Uniquenesses had scattered from the Primordial One.
Many of them still remained unfused and unclaimed.
At least according to Mozo's memories, there were quite a few.
If he had any other choice, however, this would never have been his preferred path.
It was simply too conspicuous.
But during his adventures in the Dream World, he had climbed far too high.
Other than an entirely new pathway, there was practically no high-level Sequence left whose upper ranks he hadn't offended at some point.
Thinking about it made Mozo rub his temples in agony.
If only I'd known things would turn out like this...
Still, there was one consolation.
Thanks to everything he had accumulated in the Dream World, he knew of a complete divine pathway that had never been developed.
It was one of the backup plans he had prepared long ago when he still believed the Dream World might actually be real.
The problem was that, in reality, he had never been able to find a single mystical item related to that pathway.
In fact, he had never encountered any supernatural phenomena at all.
But now...
Maybe things would be different.
Mozo thought of tonight's gathering.
Perhaps there, he could obtain the mystical materials necessary to brew his advancement potion.
While he was deep in thought, someone knocked on his door.
When he opened it, he found his landlord standing outside with a concerned expression.
The man was a refined-looking middle-aged gentleman.
Only after seeing that Mozo was perfectly fine did the landlord relax.
"Ah, my boy. You usually leave for school bright and early. Since you hadn't come out all day, I was worried something might have happened."
"But you seem healthy enough. Sorry for disturbing you."
The landlord turned to leave.
Only then did Mozo realize that he had spent the entire morning locked in his room.
After thanking the man, Mozo walked him downstairs before hurrying right back up again.
After tidying himself up a little, he greeted the landlord once more and headed straight for the university.
---
Once he arrived at school, Mozo quickly discovered something unfortunate.
The previously invisible background character that he was had suddenly become the subject of countless curious gazes.
Apparently, despite all his efforts yesterday, those hormone-driven students were still extremely interested in him because of Audrey.
Honestly, Mozo was curious.
In an age without smartphones or the internet, how did information spread this quickly?
Was it precisely because there were so few forms of entertainment that people devoted all their energy to gossip and scandals?
Damn it.
Are you people really students of Cromwell University?
How are you supposed to help build a glorious Empire in the future?
Fortunately, no brain-dead rich young masters from Japanese light novels appeared to challenge him.
Nor did any pickup-driving high school bullies from American teen dramas show up to cause trouble.
And once he arrived at the library, everything went smoothly.
He successfully met Audrey.
More importantly, Audrey brought good news.
Tonight, he would finally be allowed to attend the mysterious gathering of supernatural beings.
---
Following the plan they had arranged in the library, Mozo left the university shortly before sunset and headed toward the shopping district.
After wandering through the crowds and taking several detours, he eventually slipped into one of the safehouses Audrey had prepared.
Only after night had fallen did he change into a different outfit and set out for Locke Park.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
At the third bench within the Tulip Section of Locke Park, he found Audrey waiting for him.
She too had changed her appearance.
The moment they met, Mozo remembered Kurt.
As a result, the first thing he asked was:
"Do you have any way to prevent mystical tracking?"
Although he didn't believe Kurt was an official supernatural agent, there was nothing wrong with being cautious.
Audrey casually waved a hand.
"That's not something you need to worry about."
"Our gathering's organizer sets up certain protective measures throughout designated areas."
"They block any possible tracking attempts, whether physical or mystical."
"Otherwise, how do you think we've managed to stay safe for so long?"
Hearing that, Mozo finally relaxed.
"That's good to hear."
Audrey nodded in agreement.
Having an organizer like that truly was reassuring.
Then she immediately added:
"Of course, it comes at a price."
"After every gathering, each participant has to pay him fifty gold pounds."
Mozo felt as though a knife had pierced his heart.
He had only been wealthy for a single day.
And now half his fortune was about to vanish instantly.
Still, paying for safety was perfectly reasonable.
Mozo had no objection to that.
It just hurt.
A lot.
Fifty gold pounds.
A full fifty gold pounds!
That was enough black bread to fill more than an entire carriage.
Regardless, Mozo remained full of anticipation for the evening ahead.
Following Audrey through the unusually quiet streets of Sol District, he continued deeper into the city.
Eventually, under Audrey's guidance, they arrived at a beer hall located near the edge of the Old City.