Walking back, Miss Brown and Seth stayed silent.

Seth glanced toward Lady Light and noticed how she kept looking at him, her eyes narrowed as if she were thinking about something important.

He didn't mind the curiosity she showed toward his abilities.

In fact, he wanted her to have that reaction...

When they reached their seats, Miss Brown sat down and spoke directly.

"I apologize. I would like to choose Mister Black for this mission."

Hearing this, the fox-masked man froze for a moment, then he simply nodded.

"It's alright. It's not a competition."

He meant it.

In the supernatural world, building grudges or emotional conflicts was dangerous.

Those things had a habit of turning into real threats later on—curses, hunts, or deadly misunderstandings.

It was better to stay neutral and avoid unnecessary enemies.

So instead of being upset, the fox-masked man accepted Miss Brown's decision calmly.

Still, he couldn't hide his curiosity.

What exactly had Seth shown her that made her choose him so decisively?

The others clearly wondered the same thing.

A few of them quietly took mental notes... If they ever needed someone who could handle investigations or tracking-type tasks, they might try asking this new guy.

As the matter with Miss Brown settled, the exchange among the members of the Black Lantern continued.

Conversations softened into murmurs again, but everyone stayed alert.

No one wanted to miss anything valuable.

Lady Light glanced at the time as she then raised her hand.

"The time for exchanges is done," she announced.

"You may now proceed with consultations and any other discussions you wish to have. Afterward, I will issue the payment I want."

Seth blinked.

'Payment? Danica never mentioned anything about payment...'

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Lady Light was providing a safe and neutral venue— a place where witches and supernatural enthusiasts could gather without worrying about spies or attacks.

Running something like this probably required a lot of resources.

A fee was only normal...

Still, Seth made a small face.

'If she asks for some rare material, I'm dead… I can't pay back anything crazy.'

As he was thinking, one of the attendees raised her hand up.

She wore a metallic mask shaped like half a face, smooth and polished like steel.

Her hair flowed down in long silver strands that reached past her waist.

Seth noticed the slight glow in her hair—almost like moonlight reflecting on metal.

Her clothes were clean and neatly pressed, but her posture gave away a kind of awkwardness, like she wasn't used to being in a place like this.

He also noticed something else...

The metallic mask didn't match the calm, gentle look in her eyes.

It felt like a disguise she wasn't fully comfortable wearing.

She was the first to speak during the discussion phase.

Clearly, she already knew this part existed and was eager to participate.

"Uhm… I would like to ask," she said softly, raising her hand a little.

"I'm quite new to these things… but what's the safest sin to choose when becoming a witch?"

Her voice had a kind of innocent tone.

She sounded like a beginner— someone who knew almost nothing about the supernatural but was trying her best to learn.

Miss Brown turned to her.

"Miss..." She said in a steady tone.

"You cannot simply choose a sin and 'become' a witch. There are certain qualifications required."

The woman with the metallic mask tilted her head.

"May I ask… what qualifications are there?"

Silence followed.

No one answered.

Seth simply observed from his seat.

Even though the question was simple, everyone here knew the qualifications weren't something that should be casually shared.

They involved deeper knowledge that was quite valuable.

The masked woman grew uncomfortable as the silence stretched.

After a moment, understanding flashed in her eyes.

"Ah… I see," she murmured.

"It must be higher-level information."

Then, with surprising confidence, she added...

"Although this is no longer the exchange section… I will offer thirty thousand—no, fifty thousand bathalas in exchange for knowing the qualifications."

The room froze.

A few people choked on their own breath. Someone in the back dropped their pen.

Even lady Light lifted an eyebrow.

Seth resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.

'This girl… her intelligence and her naivety are on the same level as Phoebe…'

He stared at her, unsure whether to feel pity or secondhand embarrassment.

Fifty thousand bathalas was the kind of money that could make half the room argue over it..

Throwing that offer out so casually was the same as painting a target on her back.

She didn't even realize it.

Seth sighed inwardly.

The fox-masked man spoke first.

"Payment is unnecessary if you don't specify your needs. Different sins require different qualifications. Some of us only became witches by accident, without knowing how or why we were chosen."

No one disagreed.

His explanation made sense and even Seth agreed with it.

He himself barely understood why he suddenly became the Progenitor of the Sin of the Meaningless.

There was no clear rule.

Some people became witches through logical means such as signing off their name to a progenitor's book.

Others might have done so under pressure, and a few might have become one for reasons even they themselves couldn't explain...

An example would be Phoebe who signed her name through a "dream."

The naive girl nodded.

"I see… then how about this? I'll exchange money instead for information about different sins. Will that be alright?"

She looked toward Lady Light.

Lady Light answered calmly.

"I do not mind."

Hearing this, the first to take advantage and speak was a man in a pig mask.

"I'll go first then. As for how much you give me, just base it on the value of what I share. Would you like me to write it down or say it out loud?"

"I don't mind if you just say it out loud," the girl answered.

Seth stared at her, now even more dumbfounded.

This girl kept giving away money so casually, not even checking if the information was worth the price...

She wasn't being generous... she was just straight up being careless!

But since this was a free exchange section and the pig-masked man didn't mind sharing it openly, Seth guessed there was technically nothing wrong with it.

The pig-masked man began.

"I've seen two types of witches before. One is a witch with a strong coldness around them. I don't know the name of their sin, but their coldness slows down your thoughts. She was from the Coven of Solace. The other type is the Sin of Cruelty, who can sense malicious intentions from others."

The girl waited for awhile, wanting to see if the man would add in more information... However, he stopped speaking which left the girl dumbfounded.

She raised her hand slightly.

"Do you know the name of the first sin?"

He shook his head.

A bit disappointed, the girl realized she was being taken advantage of...

The girl still handed him money.

Seth noticed several people showing disdain.

Not only were the pig-masked man's details vague, but the information itself was weak.

He practically said nothing useful.

Miss Brown stepped in.

"I'll add some details. You don't have to pay me. The first one is called the Sin of Coldness. They're witches from the Coven of Solace, and you'll rarely find strays. Most belong to large organizations. They specialize in frost and ice."

The fox-masked man added a scoff.

"They're also aloof. If you choose that sin, you probably won't feel affection for the same people or things you loved before."

The girl bowed her head politely.

"Thank you, Miss Brown. Thank you… fox man."

Miss Brown smiled.

"No problem."

Seth then spoke.

"I can provide information on other sins. You can decide how much it's worth."

Seeing how naive the girl was, Seth decided it wouldn't hurt to earn a bit from her as well.

But unlike the pig-masked man, he planned to give her proper information.

If she was willing to pay, he might as well make the deal fair.

"Would you like me to write it down..." Seth asked.

"Or say it out loud for everyone to hear?"

The girl thought for a moment, then turned to Lady Light.

"Miss Lady Light, aside from Miss Brown and the fox man… would it be possible for you to block the noise from other people?"

Lady Light simply nodded.

She raised one hand and spoke a single word.

"Secrets."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

In Seth's vision, every other person in the room—aside from himself, the naive girl, Miss Brown, Lady Light, and the fox-masked man—began to fade.

Their figures didn't completely vanish, but they looked distant and blurred, as if covered by a certain darkness...

More importantly, Seth could no longer hear them.

The room had gone silent except for the five of them.

Seth frowned.

This… Lady Light is more powerful than I thought.

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