Zaratul? A mad Zaratul?
Seeing this line of text, Klein suddenly recalled a scene previously shown by Arrodes:
It was a dark, lightless hall, inside which squirmed a massive, indistinct entity...
Arrodes had told him that the squirming entity was Zaratul, who had lost control during his advancement to Sequence 1. He had been relocated to that hall by an unknown existence...
So, was that unknown existence actually the Emperor?
And where exactly was that hall?
Thoughts flashed through Klein's mind like lightning as his gaze swept over the contents at the bottom of the page—only to nearly tear the parchment apart in frustration.
Because the rest was complete, unreadable "gibberish"!
"No, rather than gibberish, it's more like every word after the line about Zaratul was copied from the first page but scrambled into nonsense..."
"Whoever the unscrupulous merchant was that pulled this scam, they even fooled a member of the 'Psychological Alchemists.'"
—The two pages of diary provided by Miss Justice still originated from the "Psychological Alchemists."
Shaking his head, Klein wasted no more time and made the four pages of diary vanish before smiling at the Tarot Club members:
"You may begin."
"The Sun" Derrick immediately turned to "The Tower," gratitude in his voice:
"Mr. Tower, thank you for providing the 'secret technique.' It saved many residents imprisoned beneath the Round Tower who were on the verge of losing control... including a sister who lived on the same street as me..."
You even subconsciously emphasized that 'sister'... Seems you were close, huh?
Ebner pondered for a moment before smiling in response:
"It was just a transaction... Has your leadership mastered the technique?"
No wonder I received feedback this morning... I was wondering where it came from.
"Yes... Of the three solutions you provided, the first was too complex and difficult. Even Elder Wallis, the most knowledgeable among the six-member council, couldn't fully reconstruct it... The third... The Chief decided not to attempt the third for now... So, we ultimately chose the second solution."
The first one really isn't friendly to pathways unrelated to "secret techniques," like the "Mysticism Magister," "Secrets Sorcerer," "Mysticologist," or "Arcane Scholar"... Looks like my idea of designing alternative solutions was correct.
The other two options were:
One used "Illusionary Mirage," the primary material for a "Polymath," as a core to simplify part of the secret technique's structure—though at the cost of reduced effectiveness.
The other relied on a joint ritual by Beyonders of the "Spectator," "Sun," and "Shepherd" pathways, using materials like branches or trunks from an "Ancient Tree" to create vessels for the "secret technique."
But this solution had one major problem: it required beseeching power from a great entity to bestow the "secret technique's" effects.
In Ebner's design, this great entity could be "The Fool," since the "Fallen Morning Star" had lingered on the sefirah for quite some time. As long as Klein manifested it and used the "Blasphemy Card" to leverage the power of the gray fog, he should be able to complete the process of imbuing the vessels with the "secret technique."
This method was similar to how he would later create "Luck-Stealing Talismans."
However, while the City of Silver's six-member council tacitly allowed contact with the Tarot Club, they clearly weren't reckless enough to recite the honorifics of a great entity whose origins were unknown.
"The Hanged Man" Alger, feigning nonchalance, interjected:
"So, the six-member council was satisfied with this exchange?"
"Yes, Mr. Hanged Man," Derrick answered earnestly before turning to "The Fool" at the head of the table and carefully adding, "The Chief asked me... aside from the previous gear book, what else does the City of Silver need to do?"
This is clearly a signal for further contact! Of course, it's also a probe into "The Fool's" intentions.
Alger felt a flicker of excitement and also looked toward the head of the table—because he, too, wanted to understand what this mysterious and powerful existence was planning in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Why is everyone looking at me again? I don't even know what I want to do!
Klein suppressed his exasperation and, with an air of solemnity, tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table. After a few seconds of frantic thinking, he once again employed deliberately vague phrasing:
"Simply do not restrict equivalent exchanges between you and the other members. Proceed with your own explorations."
Derrick nodded, not entirely comprehending but resolving to relay the words verbatim to the Chief.
Alger, however, read deeper into it:
After bringing back that boy named "Jack," the City of Silver's explorations will inevitably focus on the route he came from... Is "The Fool" trying to uncover the method "The True Creator" provided for his followers to enter and exit the Forsaken Land of the Gods?
The others also pondered, each at their own "level," but all convinced that "The Fool" had profound intentions.
Only Ebner, who had a rough idea of their thoughts, felt another wave of "amusement."
However, Klein's earlier anomaly had put him on guard, so he reined in his emotions almost instantly—preventing "The Fool" from catching any "conclusive" evidence.
Once the topic concluded, "Justice" Audrey turned to her diagonal opposite, a faint smile on her lips:
"Mr. Tower, were the materials I provided on the Intis noble families helpful to you?"
—Audrey had only handed over the compiled documents to "The Tower" via "The Fool" after watching Mr. Bryan's new-style play.
"They were very helpful. They gave me a deeper understanding of Intis," Ebner replied sincerely. Though Princess Vera had provided intelligence on several Beyonder families, and later, the "Mirror Apostle" Herta had offered a "Book of Knowledge" crafted from his own soul, none of these sources matched the comprehensiveness of Miss Justice's materials on Intis' political and economic factions.
After a pause, Ebner countered, "My esteemed lady, have you decided on the mysticism question you wish to ask?"
This was part of their agreement from the previous week—an answer to a mysticism query in exchange for detailed Intis intelligence.
"I've chosen to reserve that question for now," Audrey replied without hesitation.
At that moment, "The Magician" Fors, seated beside "Justice," interjected, "Mr. Tower, my mentor was quite satisfied with the 'Flesh Trigger' you provided... but it gave me quite a fright. Not only did it embarrass me in front of friends, but I also lost an important item..."
And now I'm stuck with an orange cat pestering me daily for manuscript updates...
Her tone carried a hint of complaint by the end—not about the loss, but about the inexplicable writing demands.
Ebner knew exactly what she was really grumbling about. This was indeed an oversight on his part; he hadn't anticipated the "Flesh Trigger," so docile in his hands, would turn out to be so mischievous. Smiling, he said, "I can guess why you were startled... That was my negligence for not warning you beforehand. To make up for it, I'll craft a Beyonder item for you soon as an apology."
Since her life-preserving stone is gone, she deserves a replacement.
Now it was "The Magician" Fors' turn to feel awkward. She waved her hands hastily. "Oh, no need! I was just mentioning it casually..."
"In that case, I'll drop the matter," Ebner replied, no longer insisting. After all, if "The Tower" doesn't compensate her, "Ebner" can always step in.
Wait, he's really not going to give it to me? I—I was just being polite... Fors inwardly lamented, regret gnawing at her.
I'm such a fool... Truly!
Watching this exchange, "The Fool" Klein shook his head internally. Given "The Tower's" cunning and bargaining skills, he figured "The Magician" would inevitably succumb sooner or later.
And if he really is Liu Bo, the odds are even higher... Shouldn't Lilith be keeping him in check?
Keeping these thoughts to himself, he manipulated "The World" to speak:
"I have a 'Witch' Beyonder characteristic and a 'Demoness of Pleasure' Beyonder characteristic for sale."
Klein had no intention of reserving the "Demoness of Pleasure" characteristic for his "Gourmet" Blessed, Shoko. Privately, he felt that becoming a "Witch" would grant her sufficient self-defense capabilities without risking the corruption of her relatively pure heart through further advancement.
The announcement drew surprised glances. The appearance of these characteristics suggested that at least two mid-sequence "Demonesses" had likely fallen to "The World."
This puts him nearly on par with "The Tower"... What remarkable feat has "The World" accomplished? Audrey pondered silently.
Fors, however, wasn't shocked. Compared to Ebner's exploits at the hot spring inn in Larnen City, this seemed almost mundane.
"The Judgment" Xio studied the projected images of the two characteristics, then shot Ebner a peculiar look, convinced that the "King of the Five Seas" would soon welcome two new "Demonesses" into his ranks.
—Ebner had no reason to hide the "Transformation Wand" matter from Xio, who also knew Mr. Gaston.
Geronimo just hunted "Steel," and now he's provoking the Demoness Sect? Wait... Didn't the "Amyris Leaf Bar" recently have some rumors... Could it be him?
Alger turned to "The World" at the far end, struggling to reconcile the image of the gloomy man before him with the idea of "Ailment Maiden" being involved...
Though, Geronimo's looks aren't bad... Maybe...
As Alger mused, Ebner—fully aware of "The Fool's" troublemaking prowess—found it perfectly plausible for "The World" to possess such characteristics. After brief consideration, he decided to purchase them. After all, the "Wind Demoness" and "Fire Demoness" might recruit more "volunteers" soon.
"I'll take them. How about 5,500 pounds?" Ebner's tone was breezy, his recent windfall of hundreds of thousands from Larnen City making him flush with cash.
"Deal." The offer was fair, so Klein didn't haggle, only adding, "5,000 pounds in cash, the remaining 500 in weapon crystals."
"Agreed." Ebner knew exactly what he meant—he'd produced plenty of spares at Mr. Surrey's workshop, anticipating this very sale.
Back then, my film company was just starting and strapped for cash. Now, with my current assets, this feels almost trivial.
"The Moon" Emlyn watched their high-stakes transaction with envy, his fingers itching to ask "The Hanged Man" about the "Baron" characteristic. But with his promissory note still a month from maturity, he restrained himself.
Alger, still stranded in Bayam, likewise held his tongue.
The trading segment wrapped up swiftly.
As the free discussion period began, Alger cast an inscrutable glance at "The World" and announced gravely:
"This week, major events unfolded in both Bayam and Symeem Island!"
(End of Chapter)