"I know how a Sanguine can increase its strength."
'Hanged Man' Alger spoke, his words preventing 'Sun' and 'Moon' from continuing their argument about Sanguine history.
"Uh, Mr. 'Hanged Man', what reward do you need? I can trade some lost history that Sanguines possess."
'Moon' immediately shifted his attention.
'Hanged Man' smiled and said, "No, we are all members of the Tarot Club. Such information exchange is free."
"Sanguines can also consume Potions to advance, but it must be the corresponding, correct kind. Within the major Churches, some experiments have been conducted, and the results have proven this method feasible, but I cannot access the specific data."
Mr. 'Moon' clearly could not accept this method: "But the main materials for those Potions are my kin!"
Lex chuckled and said, "The main materials for Potions can be replaced with corresponding characteristics."
"Exactly."
'Hanged Man' nodded and added, "For example, I have clues to the lingering characteristic of a Sanguine Baron. He died in a sudden conflict and didn't have time to find an heir. You can use the Potion method to receive this inheritance, preventing the loss of the Sanguine's power."
Mr. 'Moon' found it very reasonable, nodded, and asked, "What price do I need to pay?"
"Between 4000 and 5000 pounds. The exact amount will only be known once I find the owner."
'Hanged Man' laughed, this was his true purpose for providing information to 'Moon'. Free information usually serves to lead to a subsequent transaction.
However, this number clearly startled 'Moon'. Seeing that the other party seemed a bit surprised, Lex probably understood that this Sanguine's finances were not very ample.
After a period of discussion, Lex cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the Tarot Club members on himself, and asked, "Everyone, I have a question. I don't know if you can answer it for me, and what price I need to pay."
"My question is, is advancing to Sequence 5 necessarily tied to a ritual? What happens if one consumes a Potion without knowing if there's a ritual?"
The palace suddenly fell silent.
'Justice' Audrey asked with irrepressible curiosity, "Mr. 'Chariot', are you about to advance to Sequence 5?"
'Magician' Fors couldn't help but prick up her ears. Because she had consumed an extra 'Apprentice' Potion, she had gathered the materials but was still unable to advance, remaining at Sequence 9.
And the person opposite was actually preparing to advance to Sequence 5. That's only one Sequence away from being a demigod.
Is the gap between people really that big?
Lex chuckled and said, "I'm asking for a friend."
Beyond the gray fog, Klein silently thought: That friend is you.
'Hanged Man' calmly said, "I cannot give you a definitive answer to this question, I can only offer some references."
"Based on the few Sequences I know, advancing to Sequence 5 requires a ritual, but I don't know if this is true for all Sequences."
"As for whether it's absolutely necessary to perform a ritual, that's not necessarily the case. An elder understood rituals in this way: he believed that rituals are to reduce the risk of losing control during advancement, to appease the Potion, and to reduce its negative effects on the Beyonder to an acceptable level."
"But advancement is not necessarily tied to Potions. After all, before Potions existed, living beings advanced by directly consuming characteristics. In that era, there weren't even Potion formulas, let alone rituals."
"Therefore, one can also directly consume a Potion to advance, but that would bring enormous risks. Failure to advance is the least of it; in severe cases, one might lose control on the spot and turn into an indescribable monster."
Lex nodded gently and said to the 'Hanged Man' beside him, "Thank you for your input, Mr. 'Hanged Man'."
"As members of the gathering, helping each other is only right; you don't need to dwell on it." Alger emphasized 'helping each other', while thinking that 'Chariot' advanced so quickly and possessed so many powerful mystical items, he must have a strong force backing him.
For such a person, there's no need to ask for compensation for every matter. Perhaps one day, I will need his help.
So mutual help is very important, hmm.
After responding, Alger asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, does anyone have a method or item that can put everyone on a ship to sleep simultaneously?"
If it's just one person, I do have a way; I can use 'Midnight Dream' for forced unconsciousness. But for an entire ship, I can only be of no help. He really wanted to repay the favor of the information 'Hanged Man' just provided, but Lex couldn't think of any good method.
"I can help you ask around. Perhaps our Sanguine clan has mystical items with similar effects."
Mr. 'Moon' said very actively, and he seemed very proud of his 'Sanguine' identity.
Then there was another round of discussion, and soon, this week's Tarot Club ended.
After a moment of daze, Lex saw the ceiling of his room. He didn't get up immediately, but stretched, yawned, and then got up.
He checked his pocket watch and saw that it was already evening. Lex got out of bed, deciding to go find Lyn tonight.
He took Levto out of the room, found his mother, told the lady that he wouldn't be dining at home that night, and then met his sister Harribel in the corridor.
Remembering the unpleasant incident with Bison in the study that night, Lex thought for a moment and still decided to warn her.
"Harribel."
The blonde girl looked up, casting an inquiring glance at him.
"Shall we take a walk in the garden?" Lex suggested.
Harribel looked at the corridor window, at the darkening sky, and asked uncertainly, "Now? Lex, you probably don't know how cold it is outside."
But she still followed Lex to the garden.
In the garden, Lex cleared his throat and said, "I don't know if Father has mentioned to you that he has arrangements for you."
Harribel paused, then said with a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Isn't that obvious?"
It seemed the young girl had some foresight about her fate. Lex glanced at her and said, "Father plans to introduce a young Viscount to you."
"Is that so? That's good, I thought he would introduce me to some old man." Harribel sneered.
Lex sighed silently, "If you don't like being arranged, you can tell Mother. She will support you."
Harribel looked at him and said, "What about you?"
Lex smiled and said, "As I said before, I will also support you. As for the reason, I am your older brother. Does an older brother need a reason to support his younger sister?"
Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Harribel's face. With her smile, the chill in the garden seemed to diminish a bit.