Although Klein was astonished by the eeriness of the Black Emperor and the madness of the Blood Emperor, he still had to maintain Mr. Fool's dignity. He calmly finished reading the entire page, then set it down at an unhurried pace.
After making the page disappear, he smiled at The Hermit and asked, "What do you need?"
Or, to be more precise, what did the Mysterious Queen want to know?
Cattelya respectfully asked, "Honorable Mr. Fool, may I ask who else appears as a central figure in this diary entry besides Emperor Roselle?"
There had to be a special reason Bernadette had chosen this particular diary entry. Once The Hermit posed her question, the other members of the Tarot Club grew curious as well.
Then they heard the answer.
"Mr. Door."
Klein leaned back in his chair and casually gave them a title. Before anyone had time to properly digest the name, he was already looking at The Magician, Fors Wall, with a faint smile.
"You shouldn't be unfamiliar with Him."
I know Mr. Door?
Fors slowly raised her head and looked at Klein in confusion.
Days of staying up late had severely impaired Miss Magician's ability to think. At that moment, her mind was nothing but a foggy mess.
She couldn't get her thoughts moving at all, much less understand Mr. Fool's hint or analyze the deeper meaning behind his words.
Miss Magician, you really need some sleep...
Klein was rendered speechless by the sight. He had originally planned to use Fors to lead into an explanation of Mr. Door, but judging by her current state, it was already impressive that she hadn't simply died above the gray fog.
"Uh..."
Fors desperately dug through her memories.
Someone she was familiar with, someone powerful, someone the others didn't know much about... Could it be that person?
"Is it the one responsible for the full-moon ravings?"
Fors's voice trembled slightly. After receiving a confirming nod from The Fool, she silently exhaled, feeling as though she had taken another step closer to the truth.
As for the others, they each had their own reactions, but there was no need to mention them for now.
"You may begin."
Klein swept his gaze across the group.
The moment he finished speaking, he immediately switched roles and took control of The World puppet. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I have some things I'd like to sell..."
Living as a wealthy gentleman was even more expensive than Klein had imagined. He planned to sell off some things he no longer needed in exchange for cash.
These included a few Beyonder characteristics, several mystical items he had replaced, and some books containing obscure occult knowledge.
The Hermit, Cattelya, and Justice, Audrey, were interested.
Silas Londor also had plenty of similar odds and ends, but since he wasn't short on money, there was no need for him to deliberately bring them out to sell. The things he truly needed could no longer be measured in terms of money.
So he paid no attention to the transaction, leaving the others to communicate and haggle among themselves.
"I need a drop of blood from a mythical creature, in other words, the blood of an angel."
After the transaction ended, The Hermit, Cattelya, spoke solemnly. "Does anyone here have a way to obtain it?"
This was a required ingredient for her advancement to Sequence 4, Mysticologist.
Previously, she had tried to make a deal with Silas, but it had ultimately fallen through because she truly had no way to provide the Sequence 3 potion of the Secrets Suppliant Pathway.
Although that transaction hadn't succeeded, she still urgently needed the ingredient. So today, she brought it up again, hoping she might hear some good news.
Mr. Fool definitely has angels serving under Him, but I don't dare make such a request of one of them... I wonder if any of the members here happen to know something...
The Hermit, Cattelya, looked around expectantly. To her surprise, two people actually responded!
Temperance, Silas, and The World, Klein, were both looking directly at her!
"You two... both have a way to obtain it?"
Cattelya suppressed her excitement as she asked.
Silas and the puppet controlled by Klein both nodded.
"May I ask which Pathway the angel belongs to?"
"Fate."
"Lawyer."
After answering, the two glanced at each other.
The Wheel of Fortune Pathway? Klein is probably referring to the chairman of the Life School of Thought... To think he can actually ask Him for a drop of blood. It seems their relationship is closer than I expected...
Silas thought to himself.
So Silas's messenger belongs to the Black Emperor Pathway... Hiss, wait a second!
Based on the Pathway alone, Klein quickly made a bold guess.
Rumors at sea said that Silas had found Emperor Roselle's old vessel, the Black King... Could his messenger actually be the flagship itself transformed into a person?!
He stared at Silas's blurry figure as waves of shock surged through his heart.
Naturally, The Hermit, Cattelya, knew nothing of what was going through either man's mind. Instead, she found herself trapped in a rather pleasant dilemma.
Before this, she hadn't had a single lead on angel's blood. Now, all of a sudden, she had two possible sources. Both drops would be incredibly precious. Which one should she choose?
"I'm very sorry, but my resources are limited. I can only afford to exchange for one drop of blood."
Fortunately, as a pirate admiral, she still possessed the necessary composure.
She quickly adjusted her mindset and said seriously to the two of them, "May I ask what each of you would want in exchange for the blood?"
Silas thought for a moment.
Would Antia agree to bleed for this...?
"I can only ask on your behalf first. Whether it works out will depend on what she says."
He told The Hermit.
Klein gave much the same answer.
Mr. Temperance and the others operate on such a high level. They've already formed close relationships with beings at the level of angels...
Listening to this high-level transaction from the side, Justice, Audrey, couldn't help feeling a little envious.
Afterward, the remaining members traded several other items.
The Hanged Man, Alger Wilson, tried to obtain clues concerning a wild Obninsk sea monster, while The Moon, Emlyn, sold The Sun some potion ingredients related to the Sun Pathway...
The entire process ended quickly, and the gathering officially entered the free discussion segment.
"Mr. Temperance, I have news about what you asked me before."
The moment this segment began, The Sun, Derrick Berg, eagerly spoke to Silas.
"Hm? You mean the matter concerning Lovia?"
Silas immediately understood.
"Yes. I followed the method you taught me and obtained permission from the Chief."
Derrick took a breath. "I found Elder Lovia's records. When she was Sequence 6, she wasn't on the Secrets Suppliant Pathway..."
After that, he gave everyone a detailed account of Elder Lovia's hidden past.
The dark cave, the terrifying monsters, her vanished husband, and her own change of Pathways...
The more Audrey listened, the more frightened she became.
She wanted to cover her ears, yet she could never stop herself from listening. The bizarre events in that horrifying cave left an incredibly deep impression on her.
So she switched to the Secrets Suppliant Pathway midway through... No wonder her faith in the True Creator isn't that firm.
Silas thought to himself.
"...So, Mr. Temperance, did Elder Lovia really eat her own husband?"
At the end of his account, Derrick couldn't help asking.
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