{T/N: As of chapter 77, the author of this fic decided to increase the Character (word) count for each chapter... Previous chapters averaged 2000 Chinese characters each, but now it's 3000. That is, the word count increased from 1000 words to 1500+ words... This puts a frown on my face...}
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Odis replied, "That's correct. I have five pages of the diary."
He had thoroughly squeezed every bit of value from those five diary pages. First, he had read them himself, gaining a clear direction for his role as a 'Melee Scholar'.
Second, he had handed them over to the 'Machinery Hivemind' and exaggerated the fees.
Now, offering them as a sacrifice to Mr. Fool was simply putting waste to good use...
Odis addressed the head of the bronze long table, "Mr. Fool, I am willing to offer you those five diary pages as gratitude for the help you provided earlier. I know this pales in comparison to the assistance you've given me, but it at least represents my sincerity."
Behind the gray fog, Klein thought to himself: 'This guy is sensible. He knows how to play the game...'
He nodded slowly and said, "Very well."
Audrey noticed the exchange and pondered: 'Mr. Fool previously provided help to Mr. Hermit, but I wonder what kind of help it was?'
Fors, on the other hand, recalled the assistance Mr. Fool had given her: 'Could The Hermit also have some kind of curse or similar problem?'
"I can manifest those five diary pages right now," Odis added.
The other members were taken aback once more, as those unfamiliar characters were difficult to memorize. And since 'The Hermit' had only just learned that the Roselle notes were actually Roselle's diary, it was impossible that he had memorized them before the gathering.
This meant that he had memorized them long ago...
But soon, everyone guessed that this was likely due to the help of Mr. Hermit's Extraordinary abilities, and they quickly suppressed their surprise.
Klein nodded slightly and provided Odis with paper and pen to 'express' the contents...
After another ten minutes or so of reading, Klein finally said calmly, "You may begin."
Alger immediately turned to 'The Sun' and asked, "What information did you gather from the former captain of that exploration team?"
Derrick answered honestly, "He's dead."
'Dead?'
Audrey and Fors both showed their shock.
Derrick continued, "After the last gathering ended, I returned to the City of Silver..."
He briefly recounted everything that had happened to him after the previous Monday's gathering.
Alger then asked, "Does your City of Silver's prison for those who lose control not have seals? Are there no barriers between cells?"
"It does," Derrick replied, "But for some reason, he appeared in my room... and had completely lost control, turning into a terrifying monster."
Fors realized another issue, "Then how did you survive?"
This was also Audrey's concern.
Alger, however, reacted differently from them, "Placing you, who only showed signs of losing control, next to such a dangerous individual defies logic. It seems the higher-ups in your City of Silver deliberately arranged for people to interact with him, hoping to extract useful information and observe the resulting changes. So, which elder saved you?"
Derrick said with genuine admiration, "Yes, just as you said. Chief Colin arrived in time and used a Sealed Artifact to deal with the out-of-control monster."
Alger chuckled lightly, "This is obvious. With enough experience, it's easy to deduce."
Audrey thought somewhat gloomily: 'I didn't think of that...'
Alger then asked, "That former exploration team captain didn't lose control for decades, yet suddenly did so after you returned?"
Derrick answered earnestly, "I have two guesses. One is that I chose the 'Sun' Pathway. At the last gathering, Mr. Hermit mentioned that the Amon family are descendants of the Ancient Sun God. The other guess is that he sensed Mr. Fool pulling me into the gathering. It turned out to be the latter."
Alger pressed, "How was that confirmed?"
Derrick described truthfully, "After Amon's avatar was dealt with, I returned home and began praying to Mr. Fool..."
"Wait," Alger interrupted, "You're saying that after experiencing such a bizarre incident, your Chief just let you go home? And the moment you got home, you started praying to Mr. Fool?"
"Yes," Derrick replied blankly, not yet realizing the problem.
Alger glanced at Mr. Fool and, seeing no reaction, relaxed slightly, "Based on my experience, your Chief must have had people secretly monitoring you. And you've undoubtedly exposed your issues. Don't doubt this. If even your Chief isn't cautious, your City of Silver would never have survived in such a harsh environment until today."
Derrick's eyes widened, "This..."
Alger's expression softened slightly, "But you're not in immediate danger. I suspect your Chief only noticed something unusual about you. Perhaps he merely suspects you've been Parasitized by Amon and doesn't know about the Tarot Club."
Derrick calmed down a little and admitted honestly, "At the time, I actually was Parasitized by Amon."
"What?!" Alger nearly jumped out of his seat, readying himself for battle.
Audrey and Fors also tensed up immediately. Only 'The World' and 'The Hermit' showed mild surprise.
Derrick quickly added, "Mr. Fool saw through Amon's scheme and taught me a ritual. Through it, He dispatched an Angel to purify Amon's avatar. I coughed out a strange little bug."
"An angel?" Alger exclaimed in shock.
Audrey was also surprised: 'Little Sun said Mr. Fool sent an Angel?'
Fors recalled that Mr. Fool had previously sent an Angel to help her evade inquiries from the Abraham family.
Odis, however, showed no surprise, as 'The Fool' had already sent his 'Angel' to assist him once before. He even wore an expression that seemed to say, "I can't believe you're so shocked by this."
Behind the gray fog, Klein observed everyone's reactions. He realized that Mr. Hermit, who was experienced and seemingly knowledgeable about Mysticism, was the most steadfast believer in his divine status among the members...
'Makes sense,' Klein thought, 'The more one knows, the easier it is to make connections and believe the conclusions drawn from them.'
While everyone was still stunned, Odis suddenly asked Little Sun, "After Amon's avatar was dealt with by your Chief, didn't he question you?"
Derrick thought back, "Yes."
Odis pressed, "How exactly did he question you? And how did you answer? Try to recall carefully."
Derrick pondered before replying, "It went something like this: First, the Chief explained why I had been placed next to the former exploration team captain. Then he asked, 'Why do you think the captain suddenly mutated in your presence? Do you feel any different from others?' I answered, 'Perhaps because my Pathway is different from others.' "
"...The Chief then asked, 'What were you doing in your room earlier?' I said, 'Sleeping.' Finally, the Chief asked, 'Before he mutated, did you notice anything unusual?' I said, 'No.' "
The others snapped out of their shock over the "angel". Aside from Alger, no one understood why Mr. Hermit was asking these questions.
Odis sighed, "Your answer to the first question alone would've made your Chief suspicious."
"Ah?" Derrick was completely lost.
"Last gathering, you mentioned that everyone in the City of Silver receives general education," Odis analyzed, "Does that education include knowledge about Amon's connection to the 'Sun' Pathway?"
Derrick seemed to grasp something, "N-no, it doesn't."
Audrey also realized: 'Little Sun knew Amon was a descendant of the ancient Sun God, which was why he answered that way. But he overlooked that most people in the City of Silver wouldn't have access to such information...'
Fors also understood that Mr. Hermit was helping Little Sun review his responses.
Odis continued, "Your Chief's question was essentially asking: Did you do anything to provoke him? So you should've said, 'I don't feel any different from others, and I don't know how he ended up in my room.'"
"...This would've told your Chief that you didn't do anything unusual, it was the other party who came after you. That's the key point. You should've made it clear that he initiated the attack. Your later answers didn't address this at all."
Alger nodded in agreement, impressed by the Hermit's suggestion.
Derrick, however, was stunned. He hadn't realized such simple questions and answers could carry so many nuances.
Yet he also felt Mr. Hermit's analysis made perfect sense, and that he hadn't explained things clearly.
Odis went on, "When your Chief realized you didn't understand his question, he cut to the chase, asking you what you were doing in your room earlier. Even saying you were peeing would've been better than 'sleeping'!"
"You should've said your spiritual intuition sensed danger, so you were on high alert. Saying 'sleeping' makes you seem like an unqualified warrior. Worse, it implies you didn't notice the danger, which is obviously a lie."
Alger nodded again, feeling the Hermit's advice aligned perfectly with his own thinking.
Audrey, on the other hand, felt like she had learned something oddly useful. After a moment's reflection, she realized that something was: how to make lies sound convincingly real...
Behind the gray fog, Klein smiled to himself: 'Why does this feel like the Hermit tutoring Little Sun on his homework?'
Derrick nodded at first, but then hesitated, "But... but..."
"But such answers wouldn't be entirely honest, right?" Odis asked with a smile.
Derrick nodded repeatedly again.
"I must admit, honesty is a virtue," Odis said. "But in many cases, honesty without boundaries, without considering others' feelings, your own circumstances, or the consequences, is a sign of immaturity."