After discovering that Alice truly intended to give up on this proposal first, Klein's smile became a bit more sincere:
"I have a way to let you talk to it.
"However, can we try another method first? For example, I'll write a letter to 'Vice Admiral Iceberg' first..."
Alice hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.
…
Writing the letter to Edwina wasn't difficult. After all, Klein had previously mentioned to Edwina about Alice going to school. Now it was just bringing up an old matter again, simply confirming it.
The real variable appeared after Reinette Tinekerr showed up.
Alice clearly remembered this lady messenger whom she had asked why there was no head on her neck. Upon seeing Reinette appear carrying four heads, she guiltily took a few steps back.
This instead attracted Reinette's attention.
Four pairs of red eyes simultaneously landed on her. Alice thought for a moment, then silently shifted behind Klein.
Klein shifted to the side, and under Alice's incredulous gaze, exposed her, then said to Reinette Tinekerr:
"Deliver the reply to her, that's fine."
Reinette Tinekerr gave Alice a deep look, then bit the envelope and left.
As soon as she left, Klein turned his head and asked Alice:
"Since you were that afraid, why did you speak like that at the time?"
Alice reached out to cover her face, weakly replied:
"My mouth moved on its own…"
After a pause, she lowered her hand and emphasized:
"I'm not afraid of Her! I'm also an angel! At most, we're just evenly matched!"
Klein did not comment on this.
A punch hitting cotton—Alice instantly lost the interest to speak, waved her hand and said:
"I'm heading back first, call me if there's anything."
After saying that, her entire body tilted backward. Under Klein's dumbfounded gaze, she fell toward the ground, then disappeared before she hit it.
…
Alice's body landed heavily on the bed under gravity. She didn't move, didn't struggle at all, and closed her eyes.
Ten minutes later, she opened her eyes again and looked at Reinette Tinekerr, who was holding four heads.
"You… just put it down." Alice looked at the reply held in Reinette Tinekerr's mouth and said.
Reinette Tinekerr really did put down the letter but didn't disappear immediately. Instead, she asked Alice:
"Do…"
"You… need…"
"A messenger…"
"?"
Alice was stunned for a moment. She had indeed always been eager to get a messenger—or more accurately, she hoped for a more special messenger.
A messenger who carried four heads and was herself an angel did meet the criteria of "special," so...
Alice stared at Reinette Tinekerr. Over ten seconds later, she curved a warm yet distant social smile and, with a soft but emotionless voice, asked Her:
"What do you want to gain?"
This was too straightforward. Reinette Tinekerr didn't respond immediately, as if deliberating, but Alice didn't intend to wait. She maintained her smile and said:
"Go back. After you've thought clearly about what you want and what chips you can offer, come find me again.
"I'm not like him, who would accept an angel of unknown origin as a messenger… though he didn't know you were an angel at first."
After a moment of silence, Reinette Tinekerr disappeared from the spot. After confirming there was nothing else in the room, Alice let out a breath of relief and fell back onto the bed.
"The nobles' social smile… sometimes is really quite useful…" Alice muttered, then fell into sleep.
…
3:00 p.m., the Tarot Meeting arrived as scheduled.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
"Justice" Audrey's cheerful greeting sounded. Alice, sitting in her seat, blinked twice, and finally remembered the thing she had forgotten—
—"The taste of the Iron-Blooded Knight is really not bad" hadn't spread yet!
Before getting caught and dragged to class, better sell a bit more… Alice nodded with satisfaction, listening to Audrey finish her greeting.
The content of this Tarot Meeting appeared rather dull. No one had obtained a new Roselle diary, and no one proposed a new deal. Only Alice raised her hand and asked:
"Have you heard of the Shadow of Misfortune and the Crow-Shadowed Serpent?
"Mm, if there are traces, that's even better, but what I mainly need to know now is—what exactly are these things..."
Half-god-level monsters seemed to be temporarily beyond the Tarot Club's scope. Everyone looked at each other in dismay, only "Hermit" Cattleya said:
"I know a bit, but it probably isn't complete.
"The body of the Shadow of Misfortune is made of bottomless black mist. It can pass through walls and obstacles. Physical attacks cannot harm it.
"The Crow-Shadowed Serpent is a winged snake. It's said this creature has the power to directly attack a person's spirituality, making them mentally dazed, even causing certain illusions.
"These should not be complete details. The only thing I can be sure of is—both types of monsters are extremely powerful and bizarre, and their overall strength is close to demigod-level."
Not complete, but at least not completely unknown... Alice let out a breath, smiled at Cattleya, and said:
"Thank you for the information, Miss 'Hermit.'"
After a pause, she recalled the matter of mythical creature blood and hesitated to ask:
"Miss 'Hermit,' do you have a container for storing the blood of mythical creatures?"
Cattleya nodded, then added:
"Miss Destiny, you don't need to rush. Your request—I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill it right away…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but Alice held her forehead, understanding what she meant—this kind of preaching with nothing to show probably wouldn't convince anyone, right?
However...
Alice lowered her eyes slightly and smiled:
"There's one thing that might help a little."
She leaned back lazily, her gaze swept over everyone one by one, and finally landed on Cattleya. As if chanting, she said:
"Although the St. Frean will encounter a shipwreck during this voyage and ultimately sink, everyone on board will be rescued.
"No one will lose their life because of the shipwreck, and no families will be torn apart because of it—everyone will be safe."
As she spoke, Alice's gaze passed over each Tarot Club member. "Justice" Audrey, "Magician" Fors, and "Moon" Emlyn all looked slightly confused. As for "Sun" Derrick, needless to say.
But "Hanged Man" Alger and "Hermit" Cattleya clearly looked touched. Alger even said:
"I met a passenger from the St. Frean… He was floating on the sea holding onto a plank for who knows how long, and nothing happened to him.
"Was that related to you?"