Bernadette's reaction, of course, did not escape Audrey's notice.
She couldn't help but feel a little smug: Hmph, even if you're the Sequence 3 "Queen Mystic," you still have to be shocked by the depths of our Tarot Club!
At that moment, Fors raised her hand again. "Right, I also want to collect some materials—namely Meteorite Crystal, and the Lavos Squid's Crystallised Blood…"
Edward said, "I have an Astrologer's Beyonder characteristic. Do you need it?" He had exchanged for quite a few mid-to-low Sequence characteristics back in Moon City.
"Ah?"
Fors nodded at once. "Yes! How much?"
"Seven hundred pounds," Edward said. "It's cheaper than buying several main ingredients separately."
"…Alright! Please reserve it for me. I don't have enough money on hand just yet."
"No problem."
As Edward said this, he suddenly remembered something. He manifested the pirate ship he had acquired from the Admiral of Hell. "Oh, right—just a few days ago, I seized a pirate ship. It hasn't reached the level of a ghost ship, but it does seem to have developed some spirituality. Anyone interested?"
The others reacted with varying degrees of interest. The Hanged Man Alger, however, was particularly surprised. "This ship…looks a lot like the Admiral of Hell's Black Tulip."
"That's exactly the Black Tulip," Edward replied casually.
Alger froze. "…What? Why do you have his ship?"
The moment he asked the question, he felt a bit foolish—Why else? Unless Mr. Tower killed the Admiral of Hell Ludwell, how else would he have it?
The rest of the Tarot Club quickly caught on as well, their surprise mounting—this was already the second pirate admiral Mr. Tower had taken down!
Yet…why was it starting to feel normal?
Compared to all those demigods, angels, and even true deities they'd encountered, a mere pirate admiral almost didn't seem worth mentioning.
After a short silence, Alger said quietly, "I'll help you find a buyer."
"Thanks. I'll leave the pricing to you, Mr. Hanged Man—I'm not very good with these things."
"No problem."
Audrey then said excitedly, "Mr. Hanged Man, did you manage to find the fruit of an Illusory Chime Tree I asked for?"
"If all goes well, I should have it in the next couple of days," Alger replied.
Audrey beamed. "Thank you so much, Mr. Hanged Man!"
"But as for the pituitary gland of an adolescent Mind Dragon, or the spinal fluid of a Black-hunting Giant Lizard—there's still no leads yet. And the Siskun Demon Worm's Nest Mr. Tower requested hasn't turned up either."
"No worries, that can take time."
After all, the Queen Mystic had already helped her gather those materials once before. She was only collecting a second set now for Susie. If Alger could deliver the fruit soon, she would be able to advance to Sequence 6: Hypnotist.
Even though I'm still far behind Edward, this is already amazing, Audrey!
Her mood soared. She then continued, "By the way, regarding the commission I posted last week about investigating the Backlund assassination incident—I've made some progress."
The World showed rare surprise. "Oh?"
"A few days ago, someone from the Psychology Alchemists contacted me again," Audrey said. "According to her, it's now almost certain that the people who used hypnosis to turn noble youths into assassins were indeed members of the Psychology Alchemists. But…"
"Right after the incident ended, nearly all the Psychology Alchemist members in Backlund died at the same time. The lady who contacted me came to Backlund precisely to investigate the truth behind this."
This was unexpected. Just last week, the Tarot Club had considered the Psychology Alchemists the likely culprits. Now they were seemingly victims.
The Hanged Man frowned. "Could it be…that person from the Psychology Alchemists who contacted you is lying?"
"I can't rule it out completely, but the chances are low," Audrey explained. "I've already verified that the members I previously interacted with really are dead. And through my father's connections, I learned that some of them even committed suicide in front of MI9 agents when they arrived."
The World gave a grim smile. "So those Psychology Alchemist members…were likely hypnotised as well?"
"Exactly. That's what I suspect. Assuming the hypnosis wasn't conducted by someone inside the Psychology Alchemists, then among the remaining suspects, there's only one that comes to mind…"
Klein's heart trembled: That feather quill!
While Klein and a few others clearly caught on, most of the Tarot Club members were left confused by the cryptic exchange.
At this point, Bernadette asked calmly, "Apologies, Miss Justice. This is my first time attending the Tarot Club. Could you please explain the incident in more detail?"
"Of course, Lady Strength."
Audrey then recounted the entire assassination incident once more. "...Finding out who the true mastermind was—that's the content of my commission."
Bernadette nodded slightly. "And who is it you suspect?"
"I don't have a specific person in mind," Audrey said, "but I suspect it's related to a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
Grade 0 Sealed Artifact?
The Hanged Man immediately felt his scalp prickle. As a member of the Church of the Lord of Storms, he knew very well how terrifying Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts were—just one of them could easily wipe out an entire city.
"So, the mastermind would be the person who currently possesses that Sealed Artifact," Audrey said.
Bernadette's tone remained even. "What kind of Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is it?"
Audrey looked toward Edward and hesitated slightly. "This Sealed Artifact is rather...unique."
Edward took over smoothly, "It's a Sealed Artifact of the Spectator pathway. It has a peculiar property—once you become aware of it, it becomes aware of you. The more you understand it, the greater its influence over you."
"…"
On the side, Fors, who had just been eavesdropping for fun, suddenly felt the urge to cover her ears: I have zero interest in this sort of thing! Please, don't say another word!
Wait a second—this description…why did it feel so familiar?
Oh right, that little story Mr. Edward had asked her to publish in the newspaper a while ago—it mentioned a feathered quill just like this. One that could turn anything written into reality, allowing the user to manipulate others at will…
As soon as that came to mind, Fors froze, nearly bursting into tears: I'm doomed!
Fors, oh Fors, why did your memory have to be so sharp at a time like this?!
Bernadette, meanwhile, appeared slightly dazed. She remembered asking her father what kind of gathering he had attended once, and he had said something eerily similar. Now that she was hearing the exact same description from a Sealed Artifact…
No wonder Father had warned me to "beware the Spectators"—but could there be some deeper connection between the two?
She was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll keep an eye out regarding this matter."
"Thank you, Lady Strength."
With that, the topic seemed to reach its end. No one spoke again, and Klein was just about to bring this Tarot gathering to a close when Miss Death suddenly interjected, "Miss Empress, why haven't you said anything this whole time? Don't you have any commissions or trades?"
Suddenly being called out startled Lilith out of her sleepy daze. "Ah? What?"
Priscilla repeated, "Miss Empress, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Li…Why…am I not talking…" Lilith turned to Edward, clearly asking for help. "Why?"
Edward: "…"
The Hanged Man immediately caught on to the subtle reaction. Another person who knows Mr. Tower? At this rate, isn't the Tarot Club slowly becoming Mr. Tower's extended family?
Why would The Fool…No. I mustn't speculate on the thoughts of a deity. "He" must have "His" own reasons.
Edward thought for a moment before saying, "Everyone already knows I returned from the Forsaken Land last week by offering a sacrifice to Mr. Fool. At the time, Miss Empress was with me."
"I also mentioned that only Tarot Club members can use a sacrifice to teleport into Mr. Fool's divine kingdom. So, Mr. Fool granted my companion—Miss Empress—an opportunity to join the Tarot Club, which allowed us to return together. But she really is just a child, and unlike Miss Death, not nearly as clever, so…"
Lilith immediately pouted: Edward is talking nonsense! Miss Lilith is clearly the smartest!
Edward then turned and respectfully bowed toward Mr. Fool. "Thank you, Mr. Fool."
The Fool's tone was calm: "It is what you deserved."
With Edward's explanation, the Hanged Man suddenly understood. Thinking back on all the contributions Edward had made to Mr. Fool, it didn't seem so surprising that the Fool would go so far as to grant someone an extra seat at the Tarot Club.
So that means, if someone else contributes as much as Mr. Tower has, they could receive the same favour from Mr. Fool?
A fire lit in Alger's heart. As expected of Mr. Fool. Even if "He" doesn't say it aloud, everything we do for "Him"—"He" remembers it all!
Priscilla, on the other hand, looked stunned. Miss Empress is Edward's companion? Why haven't I seen her before? Hmph! You have a friend my age and didn't even introduce her to me!
Mr. Fool tapped his finger lightly on the table and said, "Alright. That's it for today."
Audrey stood up, lifting her skirt slightly. "Farewell, Mr. Fool."
As Klein severed the connection, one by one the Tarot members vanished, leaving only the Hanged Man and Tower behind.
Alger first bowed toward the Fool. "Thank you, Mr. Fool."
Edward looked at him curiously. "Mr. Hanged Man, may I ask what you needed from me?"
Alger's tone turned a little awkward. "It's…about the money I owe you."
"Oh? You've already saved up enough?"
"…No."
Alger suppressed his embarrassment and said, "I might not be able to gather that much in the short term. You may not be in a rush, Mr. Tower, but I don't want to keep owing you such a large debt."
"So I'd like to try repaying you in another form."
Edward's eyes lit up slightly. Finally going to offer the location of that primitive island tied to Adam, eh?
If, at first, Edward had wanted to visit that island to meet Adam and obtain the Tyrant card—perhaps hunting for some useful mystical materials along the way—
Then now, more urgently, he needed to go there to hunt the demigod-level Feathered Serpent and acquire the Undying's Beyonder characteristic required to advance to Sequence 4.
Alger hesitated for a few seconds and said, "I know of a primitive island filled with all kinds of extraordinary creatures and plants. I…I'd like to trade the coordinates of this island to repay my debt."
High above on the Fool's seat, Klein muttered to himself inwardly: So you, with your thick eyebrows and 'honest' face, were hiding a secret trump card all along—and you didn't even leak a single clue before now!
A whole island filled with mystical creatures and plants—for Beyonders, that's practically an "Item Farm!"
Ugh, I really want to go too…
Edward pretended to ponder, then said hesitantly, "Mr. Hanged Man, it's not that I don't trust you, but…do you really think the coordinates of an island are worth that much money?"
Alger nodded firmly. "Yes. For someone with Mr. Tower's level of strength, this island is definitely more than worth it!"
"Alright. As fellow Tarot Club members, I trust Mr. Hanged Man wouldn't try to deceive me. It's a deal."
"But…" Alger added softly, "I hope to accompany you when you explore that island."
"When?"
"In a few days."
Alger planned to hunt a Blue Shadow Falcon and advance to Sequence 6 first, so he wouldn't become a burden on the journey.
Edward naturally didn't object. After all, he hadn't fully digested his potion yet—there was no rush.
Alger then turned toward Mr. Fool and said respectfully, "Mr. Fool, I've finished speaking with Mr. Tower."
"Mm." Klein nodded and severed their connection.
He exhaled slowly, the cold, aloof demeanour he had maintained throughout the Tarot meeting finally fading.
With the other members growing stronger by the day, the pressure on him was only increasing.
But at this point, he had no other choice.
Before today's meeting, Klein had hesitated—should he really bring Bernadette above the grey fog?
He worried that with more contact, she might begin to see through something.
But not inviting her would be even more suspicious.
And since she was coming, Lilith—Edward's "daughter"—naturally came along as well. Though she was technically related to Edward, as a god, Klein had to appear impartial and treat everyone equally.
Fortunately…maybe thanks to Edward, Queen Mystic hasn't suspected me at all. She even took my inability to bring her above the fog as some sort of test.
This will do…for now.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.