Two weeks prior, Klein had expressed his desire to purchase a Flamebolt from the Hermit. Of course, it wasn't for himself, it was an order placed on behalf of Maric...
However, after the battle with the Indulgence Faction of the 'Rose School of Thought' at the docks, Sharron and Maric had gone into hiding. Last week, Klein had been unable to contact Maric, so he hadn't brought up the transaction.
But just two days ago, Klein had reconnected with Miss Bodyguard (Sharron), who had agreed to the Hermit's offer on Maric's behalf.
From Sharron, Klein also learned that the Indulgence Faction had, for unknown reasons, exposed their whereabouts and suffered heavy blows from the 'Machinery Hivemind'. It seemed they had now mostly left Backlund.
Thus, during this Tarot gathering, Klein revisited the earlier transaction with Mr. Hermit...
"No problem," Odis replied after a moment's thought, "Delivery can be arranged this week. As we discussed before, the price is 500 pounds. The bullet crafting process and formula cost 100 pounds, or you can purchase bullets directly at 1 pound per round."
Manipulating 'The World', Klein responded in a hoarse voice, "I'll purchase the bullet crafting process."
In just a few words, the deal was struck.
After a brief silence in the grand hall, the trading segment concluded, and the gathering moved into the free discussion phase.
Audrey glanced around and was the first to speak with a smile, "Last week, an interesting case occurred in Backlund. The protagonist was called the Hero Bandit Black Emperor."
Alger and Fors immediately turned their attention to Miss Justice, their eyes expressing keen interest in the case.
Alger was particularly intrigued because he had just learned that the card beside Mr. Fool was none other than the 'Black Emperor' card.
Fors, on the other hand, lived in Backlund and had heard some details. She also suspected a connection to the Tarot Club, hence her heightened focus.
Audrey paused before continuing, "The victim was the wealthy Capim, rumored to be Backlund's largest human trafficker. The Hero Bandit Black Emperor infiltrated his villa, took his life, and rescued numerous innocent girls imprisoned in the basement dungeon"
"...When Capim's body was discovered, it was covered with a spread of Tarot cards. His face bore the 'Judgment' and 'The Emperor' cards. It's said that the 'Hermit' card had fallen separately and was quite conspicuous."
'Human trafficker?' Alger immediately seized on the term.
He turned toward the head of the bronze long table and asked humbly, "Mr. Fool, was Capim connected to the colonial slave disappearances?"
Investigating the colonial slave disappearances was a task assigned to him by the Church of the Lord of Storms. During a previous Tarot Club gathering, he had exchanged some valuable intelligence with the Hermit, but since then, he had found no further leads.
Behind the gray fog, Klein was momentarily taken aback before realizing what was being asked. Earlier, he had been pondering the matter of the 'Hermit' card. At the scene, he hadn't paid much attention to it.
But after Miss Justice's mention, the intuition of a 'Seer' suddenly made him aware that the 'Hermit' card might have been a spiritual hint. Yet, he couldn't immediately discern what the hint meant.
Klein first considered the meaning of the Tarot card itself.
The Hermit card depicted a robed, hooded elder holding a lantern in one hand and a staff in the other. The card symbolized solitude, meditation, and using knowledge and wisdom to illuminate the path for the lost.
But Klein couldn't decide whether the hint was for him to retreat into solitude or that someone was lighting the way for him...
Another, more direct interpretation might be that the Tarot Club member, Mr. Hermit, had also been present at the scene?
However, Klein had already confirmed that the masked young man was Mr. Gale, the shadowy owner of the Rosewood Pavilion. Meanwhile, the Hermit seemed to run a herbal medicine shop.
Their demeanors were entirely different, and no commonalities had been discovered yet.
At this point, Klein considered investigating Mr. Hermit further... perhaps that would clarify the significance of the 'Hermit' card's sudden appearance.
Just as Klein was contemplating how to proceed, Alger's question snapped him back to the present.
Earlier, he had already given the matter some thought. The Beyonder bodyguards in Capim's villa were highly unusual in terms of their Pathways and Sequences.
At the time, he had recalled Mr. Hanged Man's mention of the colonial slave disappearances and Mr. Hermit's remarks about Backlund's missing vagrants, sensing an underlying connection between these events.
But Klein couldn't confirm his suspicions. Instead of directly answering Alger's question, he chuckled lightly and said, "My blessed played a minor role in this matter."
'Just as I thought!' Audrey cheered inwardly.
Fors also marveled: 'This is the first time I've encountered something related to the Tarot Club in real life...'
Alger, meanwhile, interpreted Mr. Fool's words as confirmation that Capim, the human trafficker, was far from ordinary... otherwise, Mr. Fool wouldn't have dispatched his blessed to deal with him.
Odis inadvertently noticed Alger's slightly awed expression and thought to himself: 'Alger is probably overthinking things again...'
Then, in a leisurely tone, Klein added, "In this matter, he acquired three Beyonder characteristics and hopes to sell them quickly. Three characteristics: one corresponding to Sequence 8 'Sheriff', one to Sequence 7 'Interrogator', and one to Sequence 6 'Judge'."
Odis suddenly realized: 'Last week, I was so busy with research that I completely forgot to check the spoils from the Capim operation...'
He decided to review them after the Tarot gathering concluded.
Audrey was slightly stunned: 'Mr. Fool's blessed is incredibly strong! He single-handedly defeated three Beyonders, one of whom was Sequence 6!'
Alger, on the other hand, made the connection: 'Sheriff, Interrogator... Isn't this the Arbiter Pathway controlled by the Augustus family?'
Now, he was even more convinced that the slave disappearances were no simple matter.
Of course, Klein had deliberately highlighted the levels and Pathway of these Beyonder characteristics to divert the others' attention. His words were meant to provide clues while downplaying the sale itself.
At this point, Fors asked, "I heard that the 'Judgment' and 'The Emperor' cards at the scene symbolized the Hero Bandit Black Emperor's judgment of Capim. But why was there also a 'Hermit' card? I also heard there was someone else present besides the Hero Bandit."
The card's appearance was indeed peculiar, so the members instinctively turned their gazes toward the Hermit.
Odis smiled and said, "Perhaps it means this Hermit can resolve the doubts in your heart..."
Before Fors could respond, Odis continued, "I know who the other person at the scene was."
That person was himself, though he had no intention of revealing his identity...
Instead, he said, "It wasn't just the Hero Bandit who uncovered Capim's crimes and punished the human trafficker. In Backlund, a righteous individual had also traced the disappearances of vagrants to Capim and clashed with him. Coincidentally, the Hero Bandit also struck that day. So, the two joined forces to eliminate Capim and his accomplices."
Upon hearing this, Klein almost dismissed his earlier suspicion that Mr. Hermit was Mr. Gale. He clearly remembered that two weeks ago, Mr. Hermit had mentioned receiving information about the unusual disappearances of vagrants, and that some of his friends had already begun investigating.
At the time, the Hermit had said four people had been assigned the task, emphasizing their vastly different professions to highlight the investigation's unusual nature.
It was unlikely that the Hermit would have fabricated this story ten days in advance just for the Capim incident. Thus, his account was probably credible. His friend must have traced the leads to Capim. And that friend was Mr. Gale?
Audrey recalled, "Now I remember! The newspapers mentioned that on that evening, a masked young man was seen storming Capim's villa and clashing with his subordinates!"
Odis smiled faintly, "That's exactly who I'm talking about."
Fors sighed, "I hadn't realized the case was so complicated."
Audrey, however, said, "I don't think it's complicated at all. It's just a case of righteous individuals coincidentally joining forces to eliminate a villain."
Fors nodded in agreement, then asked the Fool, "Mr. Fool, how much does your blessed want for the 'Sheriff' characteristic?"
Odis breathed a sigh of relief: 'I finally managed to divert everyone's attention...'
"600 pounds," Klein quoted before swiftly changing the subject to show his indifference to Sequence 8-level characteristics.
He manifested several sheets of parchment and said, "These are the meanings of some of Roselle's secret symbols. Consider this free knowledge to aid your diary page collections."
This was because one of the diary pages Alger had provided today was a forgery pieced together with Chinese characters.
Audrey and the others were pleasantly surprised... They hadn't expected such a bonus at the end of the gathering.
Odis had no choice but to pretend to memorize the information diligently along with the others.
Once everyone had mostly finished memorizing, Audrey spoke again, "Everyone, when a Beyonder organization actively invites someone to join, if that person refuses, will the organization hunt them down?"
Behind the gray fog, Klein was momentarily puzzled: 'Is Miss Justice planning to join another organization?'
Odis immediately realized this question stemmed from Audrey's encounter with Lelouch.
He sighed inwardly: 'Why is this about me again?'
Alger answered, "Such situations are rare. After all, Beyonder organizations don't recruit openly. Usually, they conduct discreet evaluations and extend invitations only to suitable candidates. Few refuse to join a Beyonder organization, since for many Beyonders, membership offers security and more advancement opportunities."
"...If a Beyonder is hunted down for refusing to join, it's either because they discovered the organization's scrutiny and spurned the offer, provoking its members; or because they learned the organization's secrets and had to be silenced."
Odis thought: 'Lelouch probably falls into the former category...'
Audrey reached a similar conclusion, her imagination running wild with new possibilities about Lelouch, "I see. Thank you for your explanation."
After some more discussion, Klein declared the Tarot gathering concluded...
...
~Forsaken Land of the Gods, City of Silver~
Upon returning to the real world, Derrick immediately used the sacrifice and bestowment ritual to obtain the All-Black Eye...
He also received instructions from Mr. Fool: "Do not touch it directly."
After thanking Mr. Fool and having just finished setting up a wall of Spirituality to store the All-Black Eye, Derrick heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" he called out.
"It's me, Darc. The exploration team's quarantine has been lifted. I'm here to share our experiences exploring the temple with you..."