Inside the carriage.

He gazed out the window, watching the dreamlike scenery of the hazy gray mist flash by.

Scenes from his recent conversation with Marquis Albert replayed in his mind.

"Stories about you are already circulating in Ogrande City."

"You must have forged your own Sacred Mark, and possessing one makes you a target for the hunt."

"After all, you’re only Level 4."

"If you feel you’re in danger, you should spend more time hiding out in Split Mist Town."

"You could even just go into hiding completely."

Even though Zorn himself was at Level 8 of his Sequence, he could tell from the Marquis’s tone that the powerful Soul Shepherd was wary of the Harvester Temple, a mysterious organization from the Saintisman Empire.

And rightfully so.

The Harvester Temple was one of the more powerful organizations, one with a deep and storied history.

Back when he was a Player, Zorn had taken on the Harvester Sequence many times.

The Harvester Temple was in league with the Forbidden Bloodline, an Evil God Organization.

And in the Saintisman Empire, the Forbidden Bloodline was a legal organization.

That’s right. An Evil God Organization in the Autanston Republic was a legitimate religious organization in the Saintisman Empire.

So much so that they even had their own established "Bloodline Churches."

The Saintisman Empire had always secretly funded the Forbidden Bloodline, encouraging it to stir up disasters in other nations.

The recent "Rat Plague" in Ogrande, for instance, had intricate ties to the Saintisman Empire.

A portion of the Forbidden Bloodline’s research was absorbed by high-level members of the Harvester Sequence.

The Sequence from the Harvester Temple was undeniably powerful, but Zorn, having cultivated his own strength for a long time, was by no means weak.

He certainly wasn’t afraid of these special Harvesters, who possessed the power to reap Sacred Marks.

Still, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Otherwise, even he might lose a life or two at their hands.

The Harvester Sequence’s reaping and execution Abilities were formidable.

As the carriage pressed on, it was gradually swallowed by the dense gray mist.

HOWL...

A gust of wind surged, and the thick fog parted like a majestic curtain slowly drawing open.

The Crying Blood Sun.

The Torlask Steam Train.

The schism between the Holy Fierce Sun Church and Ogrande City.

The undercurrent of the "Restorationists" and their secretive actions.

And... Saintisman’s greed for the resources of the Northern Border Region, and its covetous gaze upon Ogrande City!

The Harvesters, following the trail, were stirring, ready to make their move.

All these forces were converging upon the stage of Ogrande City. Like a passionate, swelling orchestral symphony, the music was about to reach its crescendo!

...

Night fell.

After taking a detour to the Steam Factory for an in-depth discussion with the Alchemist Vladimir and several senior Witch Alchemists, Zorn left behind two special and important potion formulas.

These two potion formulas were for the "Sequence Stabilization Potion" and the "Sequence Source Material Potion."

As their names suggested, the functions of the two potions were obvious.

The Sequence Stabilization Potion was used to stabilize one’s Sequence.

During the initial stages of losing control, mutating, or other such abnormal states, the potion could be used to stabilize one’s Sequence.

The "Sequence Source Material Potion" contained "Basic Source Energy Essence," which could grant a certain amount of Sequence Level Experience.

For someone of Zorn’s Sequence Level, this potion had almost no effect.

But for those nobles with more ambition than talent, its effects were enormous.

After spending a considerable fortune to obtain an Extraordinary Sequence and grasp its incredible power, those nobles—especially the younger ones—easily became addicted.

However, many of these nobles had little grasp of Extraordinary Studies.

The idea of rigorous training was simply out of the question for them.

This was where the "Sequence Source Material Potion" came in, offering a perfect solution to their troubles.

For someone who had just reached Level One of a Sequence, a single bottle would produce immediate and dramatic results.

Of course, continuously consuming the "Sequence Source Material Potion" would inevitably destabilize one’s Sequence.

And that was when the "Sequence Stabilization Potion" would come to their rescue, helping them stabilize their volatile Sequences.

These two potions were practically a money-printing machine designed to fleece noble Transcendents.

With Transcendents now popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain, the "leeks" of Ogrande City were ripe for the picking.

The harvest season had arrived.

These two potions would absolutely allow Zorn to make a killing in the near future.

As he was leaving, Zorn collected another 24,000 gold pounds from the potion factory.

Deep within the Ancient Mage Ruins, there was a Middle Rank Forbidden Sealed Object that would be perfect for him.

Zorn planned to use his financial might to acquire it.

He had started with over 30,000 gold pounds, but after setting up the factory and accounting for recent expenses like purchasing resources and creating Spiritual Statues, he was left with only about 8,000.

With the additional 24,000 gold pounds he had just received, Zorn now had about 32,000 gold pounds at his disposal.

But even that much wasn’t enough to acquire the Middle Rank Forbidden Sealed Object.

After all, that Middle Rank Thorn Sealed Object wasn’t just a Level Six or Level 7 object.

It was a full-fledged Level 9.

Its price would likely fall somewhere between 50,000 and 80,000 gold pounds.

Even with a "friendly" discount, it wouldn’t go for less than 50,000 gold pounds.

Zorn would need to accumulate more wealth for a while before he could hope to obtain it.

"Young Master Zorn!"