"How much?" Trissy had anticipated the black cat's response. Not only was this a seller's market, but the information itself was priceless.
"5,000 pounds," the cat replied without hesitation, naming a figure even the current Mr. Fool wouldn't dare dream of. Triss's brows furrowed tightly.
"That's about the bounty for a Sequence 6 pirate, isn't it?"
Though unaware of the Pleasure Witch potion formula (a name Snow had shared), Trissy, as a seasoned wandering Assassin, had played the "Black Flag" role often enough to draw the comparison to pirate bounties.
Another reason for the analogy: pirate bounties typically matched the price of their Sequence's potion materials. In other words, if a Sequence 6 pirate's bounty was 5,000 pounds, the main ingredients for a Sequence 6 potion would be roughly equivalent.
"Exactly. In fact, I'm giving you a discount. This knowledge could guide you to godhood—if you make it that far," the black cat said, pacing before the mirror, seemingly awaiting her response. Triss didn't hesitate.
"Fine, put it on my tab. I'll do 3,700 pounds' worth of tasks later. Give me the answer now."
"Since when did you think I offer credit?" The cat flashed a smug, punchable grin, its amber eyes piercing through the mirror into Trissy's core.
Trissy's stellar emotional control kept her in check. Taking a deep breath, she asked,
"Then, with 1,300 pounds, how much can I know?"
"For example, if your question was what money can do: 100 pounds gets you 'buy food,' 500 pounds gets 'rent out property,' 1,000 pounds gets investment advice with project recommendations, and 5,000 pounds teaches you how to exploit bank loopholes for profit," the cat said, its tone dripping with allure.
Trissy pondered briefly, grasping the concept, and said,
"Then I'll take the 1,000-pound portion."
"Deal," the cat nodded, grinning. "'It's not mastery, it's digestion; it's not excavation, it's acting.' You've heard that, right?"
"Of course. Don't tell me that's worth 1,000 pounds!" Triss snapped, her straight-man routine a bit stiff.
Snow, playing along, continued,
"No, that's the 100-pound part. The 500-pound part is 'you're only acting'… Oh, looks like I gave you 500 pounds for free…"
"I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry up so I can find this Isabella or whoever!" Trissy gritted out, glaring. The cat flicked its tail, feigning fear.
"Alright, alright. You know that dead Beyonders precipitate extraordinary characteristics, right?"
"Of course," Triss answered instantly.
"Good, that simplifies things. Every potion carries the mental imprint of its 'former master.' Not the previous Beyonder, mind you. And 'digestion' isn't just about processing the potion—it's more complex, but your budget doesn't cover that, so I'll skip it."
Trissy's pupils dilated, betraying her shock, but she held back questions. The cat continued.
"You've felt that shell encasing the potion's power, right? That's the former master's mental imprint resisting you. Acting is about disguising your mental imprint to mimic the characteristic's master, slipping past the barrier to siphon its power bit by bit. Once the barrier's power is drained, the potion is fully digested.
"Why stress 'you're only acting'? If you forget and let your mind align fully with the imprint, it merges with you. Then, are you still you, or the former master? That's what I call being digested by the potion. Oh, and this principle enables techniques to resurrect via characteristics in others—but that's 5,000-pound territory…"
"…" In mere minutes, Trissy's understanding of potions deepened profoundly. She'd known about mental imprints, but linking them to Acting turned it chilling.
Every potion digestion risked the former master's resurrection within her?
This explained why undigested potions caused madness or loss of control—it wasn't madness but the master's partial awakening, failing to fully revive.
If so, the "former master" might be none other than a lofty true god.
Then, a darker realization hit. The cat had called her the Demoness Sect's finest creation, molded to resemble the Assassin pathway's true god as a vessel for divine descent. With this intel, that "resemblance" likely meant her mental structure was naturally prone to being "digested" by the potion.
No wonder the Demoness Sect never taught her Acting's true essence. They wanted her to lose herself in the role, gradually assimilated by the Primordial Witch's mental imprint. So that was the "vessel" for divine descent?
Triss felt she'd unraveled everything. The cat's 5,000-pound secret was likely how to use potions to craft a resurrection vessel. True digestion meant embedding your mental imprint in the potion's power. And the "former master"? A true god.
She didn't know the specifics, but the price was undeniably worth it.
Taking a moment to process, Trissy looked back at the mirror, seeing only her adjusted, world-weary beauty. The cat had cut contact, unnoticed.
"Damn it, I still had 300 pounds left!"
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
I. This take on potion Acting is my interpretation, not copied from the original novel. It's based on my analysis of the source material, with some secondary creation. It's not filler! Readers unfamiliar with the original, don't think I'm padding with canon!
II. Of course, bounties could inflate due to crimes, and potion materials could carry premiums, but the estimate holds.