Edward pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "I actually don't recommend forming any impression of Amon. Because if you ever encounter Amon and show even the slightest hint of recognition, He will definitely strike without hesitation. On the other hand, if you show no reaction, you might just pass by unharmed."
"How about this—if anyone still insists on knowing what Amon looks like, raise your hand and let Mr. Fool block the others from seeing."
He looked toward Mr. Fool.
"Would that be alright, Mr. Fool?"
Klein had no objection. "That's fine."
In the end, only The World raised his hand.
Derrick had initially intended to raise his hand too, but after a bit of thought, he decided against it—this was something he needed to discuss with Elder Lovia first.
Once the rest were shielded, Edward began, "Since Amon enjoys possessing people and experiencing different lives, "His" appearance and attire vary frequently. However, "His" true form generally wears a black vintage robe and a matching pointed soft hat. "He" has black curly hair, black eyes, a broad forehead, and a thin face."
"But the most distinct feature is that "He" always wears a monocle carved from crystal."
As he spoke, Edward materialised an image of Amon.
It's really "Him"!
Klein felt a jolt in his heart.
The one who attacked me, who tried to seize control of the space above the grey fog, really was Amon—a King of Angels whose power is second only to that of a god!
And to think I used to complain about how Edward kept stirring up trouble—first provoking demigods, then full-fledged angels. But am I any better? The first thing I ran into was a King of Angels!
On top of that, I've already used the grey fog to divine information on the Evernight Goddess and the True Creator…Am I actually the bigger death-seeker here?
Is this… a shared tradition of the Tarot Club?
Edward noticed Klein's strange expression and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Klein?"
"I…" Klein gritted his teeth, "I was attacked by Amon two days ago."
"What?!"
Edward's heart skipped a beat.
That doesn't make sense. How did Amon find Klein so soon?
In the original plot, Amon had only become interested in the Tarot Club after their reputation spread. Klein had then teamed up with Pallez and Snake of Mercury to kill one of Amon's avatars, sabotaged George III's aposthesis ritual, and been targeted by Medici—then Amon went after him.
But now…none of that has happened yet!
Edward gave Klein a subtle once-over and cautiously asked, "So…how did you escape?"
"It was…" Klein hesitated. "A woman in a hooded, vintage robe suddenly appeared. Amon left on "His" own afterwards. I've never seen that woman before, don't know who she was, or why she helped me."
Ah, so it was the Goddess who made a move.
Edward let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For a moment there, I was genuinely afraid Klein was going to pull out a monocle and put it on right in front of me.
"Do you know who she was?"
"No idea."
Edward shook his head. This was clearly part of the "mentorship" relationship between the Evernight Goddess and Klein—it wasn't his place to comment.
Then Klein suddenly realised something.
"What about you? You said you were being hunted by Amon too—how did you escape?"
"It was only with someone else's help that I barely escaped one of "His" avatars."
"Who? A friend you met in the Forsaken Land?"
"No. It was Bernadette, daughter of Emperor Roselle—the Queen Mystic herself."
"?????"
Klein practically responded with a barrage of question marks.
"Wait a second…why is Queen Mystic in the Forsaken Land too?!"
"She was taken there along with me, by the same angel who kidnapped me."
Edward shrugged.
"It was just a series of coincidences."
"Coincidences?" Klein stared at him suspiciously. "You did mention before that you know the Queen Mystic, but…are you two really that close?"
"Well…that's another story entirely. You sure you want me to talk about it in front of Mr. Fool?"
Klein narrowed his eyes.
Something's definitely fishy here.
Then he turned respectfully toward Mr. Fool.
"Mr. Fool, could you lift the block now?"
"Mm."
Mr. Fool nodded mildly and gave a casual wave of his hand.
Then "He" said, "Does anyone else have something they'd like to share?"
Audrey and Alger, who had both been preparing to speak, quickly shut their mouths.
They'd just remembered the usual Tarot Club procedure: after greetings, the members were supposed to offer up pages from Emperor Roselle's diary, then proceed with trades, and only after that came free discussion.
But the last two gatherings had been disrupted by emergencies, and the normal flow had been thrown off.
Is Mr. Fool…unhappy?
"…Nothing more," said Alger promptly.
He turned to the head of the table and respectfully said, "Honoured Mr. Fool, I've gathered three more pages of Emperor Roselle's diary."
Klein smiled faintly.
"And what would you like in exchange for them?"
Alger quickly lowered his head and said cautiously, "Mr. Fool…forgive my presumption. I wish…I hope to accumulate these diary pages and eventually exchange them for the protection of one of your angels."
After saying that, Alger bowed even deeper. Of course he understood that, compared to the protection of an angel, these diary pages were worth next to nothing. But he hoped that by accumulating them little by little, he could earn that favour.
Mr. Fool took the materialised pages and looked at Alger in silence. This oppressive stillness exerted even more pressure, making Alger inwardly regret his impulsive request.
In truth, Klein was just hesitating. After so many Tarot Meetings, he was actually quite satisfied with The Hanged Man and his ever-active imagination. Crafting a paper angel to shield him wouldn't be much trouble.
But Klein also understood that the Paper Angel could only function under very specific conditions. If The Hanged Man encountered a powerful enemy and relied too heavily on the so-called "angelic protection," wouldn't that do more harm than good?
After some consideration, Klein decided to explain honestly:
"That's acceptable."
"These three pages can be exchanged for one instance of protection. However, I must remind you: do not expect the angel's protection to help you defeat any difficult enemy."
"It can only provide a simple layer of defence."
Alger heard these words as if they were divine proclamation. Joy surged through him, and he quickly bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Mr. Fool!"
A simple protection is still protection! Who am I to be picky?
Besides, Mr. Fool's "simple protection" was from "His" point of view. From theirs? Well, didn't that dangerous angel who clung to Mr. Sun get effortlessly purified by Mr. Fool's angel?
Meanwhile, Fors silently watched from the side.
Ever since learning that Mr. Fool was collecting Emperor Roselle's notes—more accurately, his diary entries—and that Tarot Club members could trade them for questions, materials, or even objects, she had been trying hard to acquire some pages.
Unfortunately, despite all this time, she hadn't even found a single word, let alone a page.
Now watching The Hanged Man exchange three pages for angelic protection, Fors's frustration was practically written on her face.
Ugh! Audrey and Edward had both asked me and Xio to help collect diaries before! If I had those pages…maybe I could've traded for the formula to Sequence 7—or even rare ingredients!
Arghhh! That's practically a fortune—worth a thousand or two pounds at least!
She instinctively wanted to scream with her hands over her ears, but then she remembered something, and her heartbeat quickened.
Luckily, I've made some gains elsewhere…
At that moment, Edward also produced two pages of diary and said, "Mr. Fool, I've collected another two pages of Emperor Roselle's diary this week. As before, I'd like to accumulate them."
Mr. Fool nodded with a faint smile, "Granted."
The two yellowed pieces of parchment floated into Klein's hands. He lowered his gaze casually and began to read at a leisurely pace:
"March 5th.
I had nothing better to do today, so I went hunting. On my way back, I stumbled into a small mountain village. The locals gave me a warm welcome. The village chief's daughter is quite the beauty…I've decided not to leave tonight."
Klein inwardly rolled his eyes.
This emperor, I swear…unbelievable.
"March 6th.
Despite my deep reluctance, I left the little village. Too many responsibilities await me. According to the calendar, it's almost time for the next gathering—I'll have to make sure I get more out of it this time."
"March 8th.
So it turns out that the Sequence 2 of the Seer Pathway is called 'Miracle Invoker.' That's such an odd title. Why is it called that? What even qualifies as a miracle? I'll have to ask Zaratul next time I see him.
The ritual is even stranger: 'Return a piece of history that has been left behind to the present era.'
What counts as lost history? And what does it mean to return it?"
So, the Sequence 2 of the Seer pathway was called "Miracle Invoker"?
Klein was a bit disappointed Roselle hadn't recorded the formula, nor detailed information.
But that ritual…"Return a piece of history that has been left behind to the present era."…did sound strange. Yet…somehow familiar.
"February 9th.
While telling Bernadette the story of the Peach Blossom Spring today, I suddenly had a breakthrough regarding the Miracle Invoker's ritual.
Just like in the tale, the people in the Peach Blossom Spring had lived in isolation since the Qin Dynasty, disconnected from the world for hundreds of years. That land was essentially a 'lost history.' To return it to the present, you'd simply need to bring those people back into contact with the outside world.
But…does such a 'Peach Blossom Spring' exist in our world?"
At that, Klein's heart shook.
He reflexively glanced at Little Sun, Derrick, as his thoughts erupted:
Yes! Of course there is!
The Forsaken Land of the Gods! The people of the City of Silver have been isolated from the world for thousands of years. That's as good a definition of 'lost history' as any!
The only difference is that the Peach Blossom Spring was idyllic and peaceful, while the Forsaken Land is cursed, dangerous, and full of despair.
Could that mean…the people of the Forsaken Land of the Gods are the key to my future promotion to Sequence 2?!
"February 11th.
Went drinking again last night. Woke up in Madame Loris's bed this morning. Thank the gods her husband was still passed out drunk downstairs—I made a swift getaway!"
"February 12th.
Got the urge to invent again today. I'm determined to come up with something revolutionary!"
"February 13th.
The invention failed. Off to another drinking party."
Edward watched Klein's expression as he read the two diary pages. When he saw no hint of suspicion, he let out a quiet breath of relief.
That's right. Both of these diary pages were forged by me!
———
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