Within the ancient, majestic palace.
Klein nodded with a faint smile, watching the members complete their brief greetings, led by Miss Justice.
During this, he appeared nonchalant, yet he observed Mr. Tower with particular focus, only to find his mood as "pleased" as ever, for reasons unknown.
"Is he using 'pleased' as a disguise, or does he know my background and wants to 'laugh' the moment he comes above the gray fog?" Klein secretly pondered, unable to determine the truth.
Once the chatter subsided and the members were seated, "The Fool" Klein first glanced at Miss Justice, who instantly understood his meaning and, with a subtle raise of her hand, spoke first.
At the same time, Audrey, with her keen observation skills, was still the first to notice a yellowish-brown parchment-bound book resting on Mr. Fool's right-hand side.
What kind of book is this? For Mr. Fool to place it on the table, it must be at least on the level of a "Blasphemy Card"… Who does it originate from? What does it record? Questions rapidly surfaced in Miss Justice Audrey's mind, making her uncontrollably curious.
The last book Mr. Fool placed on the table was a Blood Kin Duke's work… This one probably won't be any less significant!
Following closely, Mr. Hanged Man Alger, Miss Judgment Xio, Miss Temperance Sharon, and other Tarot Club members also noticed the yellowish-brown book, which was far more conspicuous than the "cards." Like Miss Justice, they couldn't help but inwardly speculate about the item's origin, level, and content.
Among them, Mr. Hanged Man Alger vaguely felt an invisible summons, as if the seemingly ancient book was drawing him closer.
He initially didn't understand the source of this feeling, but then he recalled a basic Beyonder world common sense that Mr. Fool had once taught:
The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence!
Is this a high-level Sealed Artifact from the "Sailor" pathway? Mr. Hanged Man Alger suddenly understood, and his gaze towards the book became fervent.
Mr. Tower, however, felt a bit surprised.
Although he couldn't properly use his "Pure White Eye" ability above the gray fog, as a knowledgeable "Mysticism Magister," he still confirmed the book's level…
Moreover, the style of this book is very similar to the description of the Book of Calamity in the original novel! It shouldn't have been taken by Leticia and should have already been obtained by the Church of Storms and sent back to Pasu Island by now, right? How did it end up in Mr. Fool's hands?
Hmm… Could it be another "butterfly" effect caused by a transmigrator? The "God of Fortune," perhaps?
Ebner secretly wondered, but didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, having learned that many transmigrators had intruded into this world, he was prepared for the "plot" to be completely unrecognizable.
After observing everyone's emotional changes, Klein didn't find any issues. Even Mr. Tower, the most suspicious one, had a "normal" reaction.
Good, even if he is Liu Bo, he most likely hasn't recovered his memories yet; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown no reaction upon seeing this book… After all, if he had his memories, he wouldn't be unaware of the origin of a book specifically entrusted to me by Madam Yalolan.
And Liu Bo without memories shouldn't possess too much information about me… After all, even if he predicted or divined that I would transmigrate to this world, it would certainly have been in his previous life or the one before that.
As his thoughts churned, "The Fool" Klein picked up the book beside him and chuckled indifferently: "This is the Book of Calamity, originating from the higher elf, 'Calamity Queen' Cohinem… It can also be said to be a Sealed Artifact made from Her Beyonder characteristics."
With that, without waiting for everyone to digest the news, he lightly tapped the edge of the ancient long table with his finger, saying in a steady voice, "I need detailed information about this 'Calamity Queen,' the Elf Queen."
He asked this question, first, because he was genuinely curious about the history of the Second Epoch and the Calamity Queen; second, he wanted to use this as another way to test Mr. Tower.
And as an attendant deity of the Second Epoch elves, an Angel-level existence, and the wife of an ancient god, inquiring about Her wouldn't diminish Mr. Fool's stature.
The Tarot Club members already knew parts of the story concerning the Elf King, Elf Queen, and the "God of Fortune" from collectively viewing the murals shared by Mr. Tower during his exploration of the elven temple. Miss Magician Fors even fantasized about the relationships between the three and wrote a melodramatic novel titled Beauties in Turmoil, which, incredibly, became a bestseller, with sales comparable to Wuthering Heights in just over half a month.
But they knew Mr. Fool wasn't asking about this, so they all fell silent. Only Derrick "The Sun" hesitated before saying:
"Our City of Silver has no more records about this attendant deity… At least my authority can't access more… But Chief had specially told me earlier, after hearing that Mr. Tower was interested in information about the 'God of Fortune,' that 'the Lord' once sent 'Red Angel' and 'Angel of Fate' to pursue the 'God of Fortune' and 'Calamity Queen,' but they were unsuccessful."
It makes sense for the "Angel of Fate" to pursue the "God of Fortune"… But what's the point of "Red Angel," an Angel of King of the "Hunter" pathway, joining this pursuit? Is it simply the "Ancient Sun God's" command?
Or… did the "Calamity Queen," as an ancient god, also accommodate the Beyonder characteristics of the "Hunter" pathway? But if She truly accommodated "Hunter," could She still be a "Queen"? As Klein's imagination ran wild, he didn't forget to observe the emotional color of Mr. Tower, finding that he, like himself, was in a state of various conjectures, showing the "blue" of thought.
Ebner was indeed deep in thought.
First, he felt that Medici's involvement in the pursuit might confirm one of his previous conjectures: that Elf King Soniathrym might truly be a pawn left behind by a certain "Original Creator," and there's a high probability that he carries contamination from the "Original Creator" himself… The things he had the "Calamity Queen" take to the Western Continent were probably also related to the "Original Creator"… Could it be the "City of Calamity"?
Second, he felt that Klein was a little off today. Logically, even if he wanted to gain more information while maintaining his demeanor, he should have let "The World" ask, and then "The Fool" would calmly state, "This is the relic of the Calamity Queen"…
He seems a bit impatient… Did something outside the original plot happen?
Did something go wrong with the hunt for the "Sea God"? As Ebner speculated, Klein looked around and, seeing that the other members, including Mr. Tower, truly knew nothing more, calmly said: "That will be all."
He paused, then looked at Derrick again, "Your recent information was helpful to me. What would you like to exchange for?"
Derrick was about to wave his hand, indicating that it was his duty, but then he remembered the hint from one of the Six-Member Council elders. So, he pursed his lips, lowered his head, and awkwardly said:
"Could you please bestow a few more portions of 'Holy Communion'?"