Inside the carriage, both Annie and Susie let out sighs of relief...
Susie never imagined that one day she would find herself at gunpoint. It was absolutely terrifying for a dog.
Annie wiped the sweat from her forehead before speaking, "Miss, that intruder's threats earlier must have been just bluffs, right?"
"I don't think so," Audrey replied with a smile, "For your safety, let's not breathe a word of today's events to anyone."
In truth, Audrey had seen through it. Lelouch's final words were indeed a bluff meant to scare Annie. But precisely because of that, she felt even more compelled to help keep this mysterious Mr. Lelouch's secret.
As a Beyonder herself, being able to assist another Beyonder today filled her with immense satisfaction...
....
Odis swiftly entered the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, presenting the priest with the Sacred Emblem of Steam and Machinery, a symbol composed of a triangle ruler, lever, and gear, hanging around his neck.
This emblem had been issued to him by the 'Machinery Hivemind' and allowed him to seek aid from any branch of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery at any time...
Upon seeing the emblem, the priest immediately ushered Odis into a confessional booth.
Once the door was closed, the priest asked, "What do you require?"
Odis replied, "I may have been followed. I need to change my disguise here."
"Understood. Once you're done, I'll open the other side of the confessional, and you can exit through the side door of the church." Said the priest.
"Thank you." Odis removed his mask and took off his dark knight's attire, bundling his cane inside the clothing, "Please have these items covered and delivered to Unit 51 Henry Street. I've left 8 soli for the carriage fare."
The distance certainly didn't warrant 8 soli, the extra was for the priest.
The priest didn't refuse. Under his guidance, Odis left the church through the side door without drawing the attention of the worshippers in the chapel, transforming back into Odis Gale, the herbal shop owner...
....
~Sunday~
Klein spent most of the day keeping an eye on Mr. Gale's subordinate, Enoch...
However, this gang leader spent the entire morning playing cards and drinking in a bar, dealing with a minor brawl among drunk patrons.
Around 2 p.m., he left briefly, returning only at 4 p.m.
Klein didn't follow Enoch directly. Instead, he used the time to perform spirit channeling on several of Enoch's subordinates.
They did have some memories related to Mr. Gale, but most were about orders relayed through Enoch; such as avoiding unnecessary trouble, refraining from killing during fights, and abstaining from scams and frauds. Beyond these commands, Enoch's gang members enjoyed relatively stable livelihoods.
Surprisingly, Mr. Gale paid them wages. Those injured in fights received bonuses and medical coverage, while those who died left their families with substantial compensation.
With such basic security, these thugs had developed an unusually principled reluctance to harm others unnecessarily.
This led Klein to reflect: 'When living conditions aren't utterly dire, even scoundrels can entertain the idea of reforming...'
Yet, he found no concrete leads on Mr. Gale.
Enoch's routine was unremarkable. Most of his time was spent at the bar. He occasionally helped out at the Rosewood Pavilion, and made daily outings that seemed to involve information trading.
Klein estimated it would take prolonged surveillance of Enoch to uncover anything useful. So, his next plan was to tail Lady Mandy tomorrow, hoping for better luck.
If that yielded nothing, his only option would be attempting to divine Mr. Gale's residence from the gray fog. But having met him only twice, the lack of sufficient information might render the divination useless...
....
Late at night, Odis continued his research into the connection between mystical symbols and the 'Scribeʼs' Recording ability, as usual.
After making some progress, he left the 'Knowledge Moor'.
Monday morning marked another accounting day for him and his two key subordinates...
...
Early in the morning, Odis was at the herbal shop reviewing the books.
While business was decent and most products could be grown in-house, the shop's small scale limited its profits. It provided a comfortable living that was far better than Backlund's middle class, but fell short of true wealth.
Around 9 a.m., Mandy's assistant, Bella, arrived to submit accounts and report, "Mr. Gale, Lady Mandy just learned that Lord Ashbourne has hired a private detective to investigate you."
Odis asked casually, "What's the detective's name?"
"Sherlock Moriarty, a recently somewhat famous investigator."
Odis froze, "When did this happen?"
"Lord Ashbourne's butler commissioned him last Saturday morning."
Odis stood abruptly, questioning, "Why is this only being reported now?"
This charlatan– no, this detective didn't investigate conventionally. He relied on divination to solve cases. Two days was more than enough time to trace things back here.
But then it struck him: 'Wait, I have the protection of the Knowledge Moor. If Klein tried divining me directly, he'd hit a wall...'
His only leads would have to come from the Rosewood Pavilion, Mandy, or Enoch. In that case, two days might not suffice to uncover this place.
Bella grew flustered, "Lord Ashbourne may... may have realized we planted informants around him. He's being extremely cautious about operations targeting you, which delayed this information."
Odis pondered.
If Klein had tracked him to this herbal shop, he might already have connected 'Mr. Gale' to the 'Hermit'. If not, the link remained undiscovered.
Either way, 'Mr. Gale' couldn't remain passive. So he instructed Bella, "Tell Mandy that intelligence work hinges on timeliness." Then he added, "Have a carriage ready for me this afternoon."
Bella nodded, "Yes, sir."
At that moment, Enoch entered...
Odis asked, "Any tails?"
"None," Enoch said confidently.
Odis nodded, then took the ledger.
To avoid drawing attention, he had Enoch make irregular daily outings. That way, even if someone followed him to the herbal shop, they wouldn't pay too much attention, thinking it was just another one of his ventures...
Similarly, Mandy feigned chronic headaches and had her assistant regularly visit the herbal shop to buy calming incense. This was also a ruse to mislead pursuers.
But Klein was different. Odis had once sought the Fool's aid in the backyard. So The moment Klein stepped into the shop, he would recognize it as the Hermit's base...
Though he might not immediately connect 'Hermit' to Mr. Gale, he'd scrutinize the place intensely. Seeing Enoch and Mandy's assistant frequenting it would raise red flags.
Then again, Odis reconsidered: 'The Fool is a false god. Even if he learns I'm the Hermit, there's no real danger...'
Dismissing the thought, he instructed Enoch, "I've recently discovered something that can rapidly impart combat mastery. Ask your subordinates if any wish to try it."
He added, "Oh, and make sure they know the side effect. They'll suffer a three-minute headache."
Enoch nodded, "I'll go back and ask."
After Bella and Enoch left, Odis remained at the counter, awaiting Klein's arrival.
But the morning passed without any sign of him. Perhaps Klein had located the shop, but opted against direct confrontation.
Or maybe he hadn't traced it at all.
Regardless, Odis planned to take action that afternoon...
...
After lunch, Odis checked on the Flamebolt production in the backyard before resuming work on the 'Outline of Combat'...
At 2:50 p.m., he reclined in an armchair, feigning a nap.
At 3 p.m. sharp, his vision was engulfed by gray fog, signifying the official beginning of this week's Tarot Club Gathering.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool," came Audrey's greeting from around the ancient bronze table.
Shrouded in gray fog, 'The Fool' nodded slightly, "Good afternoon."
Audrey, brimming with curiosity but restraining her excitement, didn't immediately inquire about the truth behind the Capim incident.
She continued exchanging greetings while observing the others: 'Hmm, Little Sun seems anxious… Did something go wrong with the former exploration team captain's situation?'
'And Fors is torn between asking and holding back… She must have read about Capim's death and guessed the Tarot Club's involvement, but she doesn't know who the Emperor card represents...'
Soon, the greetings concluded. The 'Hanged Man', turned to the head of the table and asked humbly, "Honorable Mr. Fool, I've collected three new pages of Roselle's diary."
Though visibly agitated, Little Sun didn't immediately seek the group's counsel. He knew this opening segment belonged to the Fool, unless no diary pages were submitted.
'The Magician' was baffled: 'Diary? Roselle's diary?'
Klein smiled and asked the Hanged Man, "What would you like in exchange?"
Alger glanced at the card beside the Fool, saying, "I wish to know what that card is."
Odis mused: 'Perfect request. This is probably the question Klein wants to answer most...'
Fors vaguely grasped something: 'So Roselle's so-called diary pages can be traded to Mr. Fool for answers...'
She recalled Roselle's notes written in special symbols, but she hadn't expected them to be diary entries.
Then it hit her: 'Miss Audrey had quite a few. But last week, or was it the week before? She mentioned many of her books and notes were chewed up by that dog! No way to buy or borrow them from her now...'
'I hate dogs!' Fors seethed inwardly.
Klein smiled, saying, "Agreed. Would you like this to be shared with everyone, or kept private?"
Alger answered without hesitation, "Private."
Thus, Klein isolated the others. The private exchange ended quickly, leaving the rest to note Alger's lingering shock and delight.
This piqued Fors's curiosity about the card before Mr. Fool.
Several seconds later, Alger recovered from the revelation of the Cards of Blasphemy and manifested the three diary pages.
After a few more minutes, Mr. Fool finished reading.
Odis spoke up, "If I'm not mistaken, the 'Roselle diary pages' the Hanged Man mentioned are what's commonly known as Roselle's notes?"
Audrey eagerly replied, "Yes, Mr. Hermit. Do you also possess Emperor Roselle's diary pages?"