Klein manifested the portrait of a man and said, "This person is Ince Zangwill—a priest who defected from the Church of the Evernight Goddess. He once held a highly dangerous Sealed Artifact in Tingen and nearly caused a catastrophe that would have engulfed the entire city."
Edward froze slightly upon hearing this.
Why is Klein suddenly bringing up Ince Zangwill again?
Has he resurfaced?!
Sure enough, Klein continued, sounding both surprised and grim, "His plot was foiled, and he lost that Sealed Artifact along with his whereabouts. But two days ago, he reappeared in Backlund…and attacked me."
"My commission is this: locate Ince Zangwill—or eliminate him. As for the reward…"
Klein said seriously, "It can be a sum of gold pounds…or a favour of equal value done by me in return."
The Hanged Man Alger furrowed his brow.
"I remember seeing a wanted poster of his a long time ago. What's his current strength?"
"Conservatively, Sequence 5…but he may have already advanced to demigod."
Alger turned toward Edward.
"Then this commission might be one only Mr. Tower is capable of handling. Still, I'll do what I can—like investigating his whereabouts."
"Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man."
Since the matter involved Ince Zangwill, Edward naturally didn't decline.
"I'll keep an eye out."
Then Klein asked, "By the way, do any of you know where I can find a mermaid?"
Although he hadn't yet advanced to Sequence 6, it was better to start tracking down leads about mermaids early—after all, they were key to the next stage of his advancement and his eventual departure from Backlund.
Logically, mermaids should be found in the sea—but that's easier said than done. Even if they are in the ocean, the sea is vast; he'd need at least a rough location to begin his search.
Alger said, "From what I've heard, fishermen from the Gargas Archipelago occasionally hear mermaid songs during white-whale hunting voyages in stormy seas."
Gargas Archipelago?
I'll go buy a map later.
Edward added, "The Church of Evernight seems to keep a few mermaids under their care."
He wasn't sure if the Goddess would really allow someone like Klein to obtain a mermaid from the church in order to advance—but he still shared the intel.
"The Church of Evernight…I see."
Klein didn't yet know that he was actually a Blessed of the Goddess. But unlike in the original timeline, he didn't harbour much fear or wariness toward the church. After a brief moment of consideration, he still decided to prioritise the sea route first—if by the time the Faceless potion was fully digested, he still hadn't found a mermaid, then he'd turn to the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
Just then, he quickly swept a glance around the group—especially Audrey, Fors, and Edward—feeling a bit perplexed:
Why hasn't anyone brought up the recent smog incident in Backlund yet?
Isn't anyone curious about what really happened?
If no one brings it up…do I have to prompt them with my alt account?
As he was thinking this, Audrey suddenly took a deep breath and declared, "I also want to submit a commission."
"Two days ago, there was a major smog event in Backlund."
Finally!
Klein and Fors both perked up.
Audrey continued, "And at the same time the smog occurred, nearly every noble and official family of influence in Backlund suffered a coordinated wave of assassination attempts."
Klein blinked in confusion.
Wait, how did we go from smog to assassination attempts?
Edward, on the other hand, was startled.
Wait, the assassination attempt on Earl Hall wasn't an isolated incident?!
"To date, over thirty nobles, officials, and members of Parliament have been killed in these attacks. This includes nearly every major position in the upper echelons of Loen's society. The government is practically paralysed."
Alger was left stunned.
What?! Loen's leadership collapsed just like that, without a whisper of warning?
"My father…was one of the assassination targets."
What?! Audrey's father was attacked?!
Fors covered her mouth in shock and glanced at Audrey with sympathetic eyes.
"But thankfully, Mr. Tower intervened in time and pulled my father back from the brink of death."
Audrey looked gratefully at Edward before continuing, "And the reason so many noble and high-security households could be breached at the exact same time…is because the assassins were the victims' own family members—sons, daughters, siblings…even parents."
"The one who tried to kill my father…was my brother."
"!!!"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
How was this possible? If one or two families had a disloyal black sheep, that could be dismissed. But for the entire ruling class to be compromised in a single night—this was beyond absurd.
The World's voice rang out, dark and low, "Was this the doing of Beyonders?"
Audrey nodded firmly.
"My current theory is that it was the work of mid- to high-Sequence Beyonders from the Spectator pathway. They likely used hypnosis and psychological suggestion to manipulate their targets. I've also confirmed my brother's attendance at certain 'salons' which may have facilitated this."
"And these Spectator-pathway Beyonders…I suspect they all come from—"
"The Psychology Alchemists."
The Psychology Alchemists?
Why?!
Everyone had the same question flash through their minds.
Especially Edward.
Weren't the Psychology Alchemists working with the Loen royal family? Why would they target nobles and officials?
Did they just…betray them? But wait, on that day, Hvin Rambis was still cooperating with MI9. That doesn't make sense.
Could it be…King George III's plan?
Did he use the Society to wipe out the ruling class for some deeper goal?
But why would His Majesty…start a coup against his own country?
Edward suddenly recalled something Audrey had once told him: that the Psychology Alchemists had been recruiting and mingling heavily with aristocratic youths. At the time, he thought it odd—but now he realised the plan had started long ago.
"My commission is this: confirm whether the Psychology Alchemy Society is truly behind all of this…and why they're doing it."
"And then, identify the true mastermind behind the order—and kill them."
There was a quiet fury radiating from Audrey's voice.
"For uncovering the truth, the reward is fifty thousand pounds. For killing the culprit—one hundred thousand pounds."
Hissss…
Everyone present sucked in a cold breath.
These were two commissions with rewards so staggeringly high, they bordered on the absurd. Even Alger, who was far away drifting atop the sea, couldn't help but feel tempted.
But no one spoke.
Because everyone understood—if the reward was this high, the danger was just as great.
What Miss Justice wanted to investigate wasn't a single person—it was an entire secret organisation with over a century or two of history. Who knew how many terrifying powerhouses were hidden within the Psychology Alchemists?
After a long silence, Edward was the first to speak, breaking the tension, "I'll help with the investigation."
Audrey bowed slightly. "Thank you."
One by one, the others followed suit, expressing that they too would do their best to assist.
The boldest of them all, however, was Miss Death herself. She raised her hand dramatically and declared with swagger, "Don't worry, Miss Justice! I'll mobilise all of my subordinates to help you investigate this thoroughly!"
Mobilise her subordinates?
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
The little girl instantly planted her hands on her hips and grinned proudly.
"Hmph! I'm now the boss of the Backlund branch of the Aurora Order. All Aurora Order members must follow my commands!"
Everyone: "???"
Though they quickly realised this was most likely related to the angelic evil spirit she was housing…it was still far too abrupt—and frankly, hard to comprehend.
Priscilla scratched her head and explained, "Well, Mr. A of the Aurora Order disappeared two days ago, so now the entire Backlund branch is basically under me—or rather, under the angel residing in me. But since the three angels have to obey me, doesn't that mean the Aurora Order has to listen to me too?"
"Oh right! From now on, I'll be hosting all the Beyonder gatherings that Mr. A used to hold. Those of you in Backlund, be sure to attend, okay~?"
As the one who had most frequently attended Mr. A's gatherings, Fors was at a complete loss for words. She felt like the world was suddenly no longer real.
She had already worked hard to mentally adjust to the fact that Edward had "infiltrated" the Aurora Order to the extent of directly confronting the True Creator. But now Miss Death had become the leader of the Aurora Order in Backlund?
Her brain momentarily short-circuited.
She couldn't help but imagine that at the next gathering, she might turn to Xio and say, "Look, Xio! The host of this gathering is even shorter than you!"
Or:
"That Mr. A who used to mock your height has now been replaced by someone even shorter! Ha!"
Alger asked, "Miss Death, during the last Tarot Meeting, you said that those three angel-level evil spirits were making you sleepwalk. What happened afterwards?"
Priscilla turned to Edward and smiled brightly, "Mr. Tower helped me deal with them!"
Dealt with them?
Just like that?
That was three angel-level evil spirits, for heaven's sake!
Wait a minute!
A spark of realisation suddenly flickered through The Hanged Man's mind. He felt as if he had glimpsed a deeper layer beneath the surface.
Mr. Tower helped Miss Death resolve her angelic evil spirit problem…
Mr. Tower ventured to the Forsaken Land of the Gods and met the True Creator…
Miss Death now controlled the Aurora Order…
Hisss~~
There had to be some grand scheme between the Fool and the True Creator playing out behind the scenes!
An ancient evil god.
An even older and more mysterious primordial deity.
What kind of game were they playing?
Could it be…a plan to overturn the current balance of the seven deities that had stood for thousands of years?
I mustn't think about it. I dare not think about it. I will NOT think about it!
Klein, growing increasingly accustomed to Alger's periodic mental spirals, wasn't surprised at all anymore. Through The World, he said calmly, "Since Miss Justice has brought up the smog incident in Backlund, I'd like to know: what do you all think about it?"
Fors looked confused.
Think? I saw it with my own eyes…how else am I supposed to think about it?
Edward leaned back and asked with a sly smile, "Mr. World, are you planning to pay for information?"
No!
I'm hoping for a freebie!
Though that's what he wanted, Klein could only maintain composure outwardly and reply, "If the intel is truly valuable, I'm certainly willing to pay. But what I'm hoping for even more is to have an open discussion with everyone."
They glanced at one another, exchanging looks.
After a moment of silence, Fors timidly began, "W-What I know all comes from the newspaper the next morning…"
Audrey added, "Same for me. They say it was a ritual instigated by Prince Edessak, supposedly involving an evil cult. It has already caused thousands of deaths and might claim tens of thousands more."
Edward didn't know whether to feel relieved or bitter.
Compared to the original timeline, the casualties this time were far lower—but several thousand deaths were still a massive tragedy.
The World spoke darkly, "What I heard is that the smog was created by a high-Sequence witch. Her goal was to unleash disaster in order to digest her potion."
The Hanged Man Alger was stunned.
"But there are so many powerful Beyonders in Backlund. How could they allow a witch to cause such destruction and death?"
Klein let out a cold chuckle.
"What if…this incident was tied to the Loen royal family?"
Audrey, Fors, and Alger all froze.
The smog incident in Backlund—which caused thousands of deaths—is somehow connected to the royal family?
Why?
Then, in a low voice that carried divine detachment, the Fool himself spoke, "Because someone in the Loen royal family…is attempting to ascend to Sequence 0—to become a god."
"The Black Emperor."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.