During the tarot reading, Odis the Hermit felt a sudden jolt of fear upon hearing Audrey the Justice: How did she know I was Lelouch?
But he quickly realized: It was that magical item I traded with the "Psychological Alchemy Society" that exposed my relationship with Lelouch.
After all, that magical item was captured by "Lelouch".
Odis also considered that, given Audrey's "audience" observational skills, she might recognize the magical item, but at most she would only suspect that "Lelouch" and "The Hermit" had a close collaboration.
Knowing this isn't a big deal, since Odis had already brought it up during the previous Tarot gathering when they were trading extraordinary weapons.
Odis looked at "Justice" and was about to deny it when he suddenly saw the other party scrutinizing him.
This made him immediately realize: Oh no, I've fallen into her trap! Audrey wasn't even sure I was "Lelouch"; she was just observing my reaction. And by not denying it immediately, I had already fallen into her trap.
Or perhaps Audrey would be certain of getting an answer once she asked the question, because she could tell if Odis was lying.
"The Fool" Klein was also listening intently to their conversation: "The Hermit" or Lelouch? He... he's playing with nesting dolls! First Mr. Gar, then "The Leader," and now "Lelouch." Wait... could he also be a time traveler?
Odis smiled and said, "I did stay in Backlund, but after Lelouch set fire to King's Road, I stayed in Backlund for a long time."
Audrey opened her mouth slightly, because she had indeed observed the Hermit's surprise at the beginning, and she thought things were going as smoothly as she had planned.
If the "hermit" tells the truth, she can get the answer to her question.
But if the "Hermit" lies, she can detect it, and she can still get the answer; this is how she uses her abilities.
Under normal circumstances, she would not be willing to do something that involves deception.
But Lelouch's matter was very important to her. She wanted to know if the "Hermit" was Lelouch. If not, she hoped to trade some information about Lelouch.
But Audrey then realized that the hermit was telling the truth, but the hermit did not answer her questions directly, and she was unable to make an accurate judgment.
Just as Audrey was feeling a little discouraged, the "Hermit" smiled again and said, "Alright, let's have a frank conversation. I'm the one playing Lelouch."
Klein remarked: This guy has even more identities than I do. It's tough on him, maintaining so many identities without the abilities of the "Faceless Man," relying entirely on masks and makeup.
Then he thought: This guy is really bold. He set fire to the king's house and still dares to stay in Backlund. But then again, why haven't the official Beyonders found him?
This made Audrey pause for a few seconds before she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I knew it... So you played Lelouch, and after setting a fire, you... you went back to being yourself?"
"And not long ago, you even worked with Mr. 'World' to stop the arrival of the evil god and thwart the evil plans of the 'Witch Cult'?"
Odis smiled and said, "Yes, I have indeed done quite a lot over the past period of time."
Then, he said seriously, "I don't really want others to know about my past, because these things have caused me a lot of trouble. The person in the Sodrak Palace now must hate me to the core."
"So we'll only talk about these things today, and from now on please pretend you have no idea that I am Lelouch."
There's really no point in hiding these things anymore, since those accounts have already been "deactivated," so it doesn't matter if people find out.
After all, no one would have imagined that Mr. Gar of the "Kusun Wood Ballroom," and Lelouch who set fire to King's Road, were currently building a ship for the "Mysterious Queen" while simultaneously assembling their own pirate crew.
Klein immediately realized the most important information in the "Hermit's" words: "The one in the Sodrak Palace," the previous actions of the "Aurora Society" and the "Witch Cult" were indeed related to the royal family!
Then he thought: How can we verify whether the "hermit" is a time traveler?
While the name Lelouch might have come from an anime that Klein remembered, it's also possible that he just came up with it on a whim.
Audrey's ability to "be an audience" allowed her to appear very calm, but inside she was extremely excited.
Ever since witnessing Lelouch's exploits in the arena, she has always considered him her role model. If she were strong enough, she would also teach some people a lesson, just like Lelouch.
It was precisely because she couldn't do it that Audrey felt envious when Lelouch did those things, and wanted to learn more about him.
She paused for a few seconds before saying, "Mr. Lelouch, no, Mr. 'The Hermit,' how did you escape the pursuit of the official Extraordinary?"
"I think it's more than just taking off a mask, isn't it?"
Since the official extraordinary individuals can also use abilities such as divination to investigate, they should be able to find him very soon.
"Of course not," Odis smiled. "I can't tell you the specific method, but you just need to know that they can't predict my whereabouts."
"Then it's very simple: leave the scene and act as if nothing happened."
"However, the 'substitute' still came knocking on my door. Fortunately, I had made some preparations beforehand and had an alibi."
Audrey then asked, "So, what are your plans for the future? Will you go back to Backlund?"
"I won't be going back anytime soon," Odis said. "As for my future plans? I want to be a pirate."
Klein, sitting at the head of the bronze table, paused for a moment: "When you have a bounty on your head, try to stay away from me."
Audrey thought to herself: I've always dreamed of sailing the seas!
She then asked, "What was the meaning behind your use of the name Lelouch?"
Klein resisted the urge to rub his hands together: That's a good question.
Odis said, "That's a name I came up with on the spot; it doesn't have any special meaning."
Klein smiled helplessly. He couldn't make an accurate judgment on this answer and could only wait for an opportunity to test the waters.
Audrey had many more questions: "How do you know so much extraordinary history?"
Odis did not answer the question directly, but said, "Most of it comes from some records I have read, and some comes from some research I have done myself."
Then he raised his hand and said, "I think our conversation should end here for now, since the trading part of this Tarot meeting has only just begun."
"I have two last questions," Audrey said quickly. "If I need any help, could you please assist me?"
"Sure." Odis readily agreed. He would help if it were just a request from a member of the Tarot Club.
"I'd love to trade with you a detailed history of the Quaternary Period. Do you have any tips?"
Odis was happy to answer this question: "Trade according to empires, in the order of Solomon Empire, Tudor Empire, Trensust Empire, Byron Empire."
"The Solomon Empire can conduct the transaction in two parts, which can reduce your economic burden and allow other members to participate in the transaction, while other empires can complete the transaction in one go."
Audrey nodded, took a quiet breath, and said, "I have no other questions."
After their private conversation ended, the other members could clearly see that Miss "Justice" seemed quite pleased, but she quickly concealed her emotions.
The "hermit" seemed unchanged, and everyone tried to guess what they had been talking about for so long, but no one could figure it out.
Next, Klein, controlling "The World," asked "Justice": "I have a clue about the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Psychotherapist,' do you still need it?"
He knew that Miss Justice also had a pet from the same line of work.
"Of course." Audrey replied almost without hesitation.
She had realized that Susie would be a good assistant, since people wouldn't care about a dog lying next to them when they were having some confidential conversations.
"The World" added in a low voice, "This will take some time, maybe a month or two."
The specific timing depends on when someone can be found to replace the "psychologist's" soul in "the creeping hunger."
After the two reached an agreement on the deal, Alger the Hanged Man turned to the Hermit and said, "I've found out the buyer for the extraordinary property you entrusted to sell last week."
"1200 pounds, but I want to take 50 pounds as a commission."
"No problem," Odis said with a smile.
If it were last week, he might have felt a little bad about the 50 pounds, but now he doesn't feel bad at all.
After all, what was originally one feature has now become three!
After the two agreed on the details of the transaction, neither of them initiated any new transactions.
Last week's transactions have basically satisfied everyone's needs for a long time. For example, Odis has just been promoted, and he plans to initiate a new transaction after obtaining the potion recipe for Sequence 5 "Astrologer".
Klein's situation was similar. To advance to Sequence 5, all he needed to do was purchase two relatively expensive auxiliary materials, find a mermaid, and prepare the ritual.
The other members, "Justice," "The Hanged Man," "The Sun," and "The Magician," will only have new needs after they are promoted.
Emlyn the Moon was the only one who didn't have the money to buy the "Potion Professor" properties that the "Hanged Man" was selling.
After the transaction was completed, Audrey said to the "Hermit," "Mr. Hermit, I would like to trade with you information about the Fourth Age. Let's start with information about the Solomon Empire."
"No problem." Odis smiled. "The intelligence about this empire will cost 4,000 pounds in total, but it can be split into two transactions."
Alger the Hanged Man noticed: Another 4,000 pounds, could it be as amazing as the information about the "King of Angels"?
Magician Fors is hesitant about joining the deal: I really want to hear it!
Then she comforted herself: Actually, my current financial situation is not bad. I already have the main materials for Sequence 8, so I can spend some money to satisfy my curiosity.
Klein thought to himself: Why does this feel like an open-book exam? The Hermit just explained how to trade the history of the Fourth Age, and now Justice is immediately offering to do so.
Audrey immediately said, "Then let's trade the first part. Hmm, I'll offer 1000 pounds. Who else wants to join the trade?"
"Me!" Emlyn was the first to speak: "I'll put up £200 in the deal!"
The last transaction made him realize how sophisticated the Tarot Society's intelligence trading was. Last week, he consulted some vampires who were good at history and found that their knowledge was far inferior to that of "The Hermit".
He even sold information about the "Pure White Angel" for 200 pounds at a party, and only stated that it was an important subordinate of the ancient sun god, without daring to say that it was the later Eternal Sun.
This gave Emlyn the feeling that he had found a way to make money. By simply joining the trade and listening to what was being said, he could turn around and sell at the right time to break even or perhaps even make a profit.
However, he only dared to trade information that wasn't too astonishing. If he were to trade information at the level of gods, Emlyn estimated that he would immediately arouse suspicion from the marquises and earls.
Alger and Fors also expressed their willingness to join the deal, and Klein was certain to join as well, but he was hesitant about whether to join with gold pounds or again with "occult knowledge".
The knowledge he currently lacks for trading is of high value, and replacing it with £200 would be a waste, but he doesn't really want to spend the money.
However, Klein quickly made a decision, manipulating "The World" to say, "I will also join the deal with 200 pounds."
Because his current financial situation is relatively optimistic, and he hasn't had any major expenses recently.
Odis couldn't help but glance at "the world": It's not easy, I actually managed to fleece "the Fool".
The most conflicted one is "The Sun" Derrick. Information about the Quaternary period is not very useful to him, but he really wants to know what happened in the outside world after the "Cataclysm".
Odis noticed the other party's hesitation, so he turned to the side and said, "This trade fair involves the deeds of many gods in the Fourth Age."
Derrick didn't hesitate any longer and immediately said, "I'll join the deal."
"Okay." Odis agreed: "I will cover your fee for joining the transaction. When the last transaction ended, I still owed you 250 pounds. Now that I have used 200 pounds, I still owe you 50 pounds."
Derrick hummed in agreement: "Thank you."
After the price was agreed upon, the transaction officially began.
Odis said, "Let's start by talking about the protagonist of the Solomon Empire, the 'Black Emperor' Solomon."
"First of all, I want to clarify that the title 'Black Emperor' is exclusive to Solomon and is not a title shared by all emperors of an empire."
"To be precise, the entire empire has only had one emperor from beginning to end, and that is Solomon."
Klein, a history student, recalled some of what he had learned: historians generally believe that "Black Emperor" is a fixed title, a title used by every emperor of the Solomon Empire... That's right, that's the history studied by ordinary people, while "The Hermit" is now talking about extraordinary history.
Then he thought: "The Hermit" first of all means that Solomon is a high-sequence extraordinary being, and the Solomon Empire has only ever had one ruler.
Audrey also realized that Mr. Hermit was trying to make everyone distinguish between the currently accepted history and the true history.
Odis continued, "Judging from the other party's title, He is a true god through the 'Black Emperor' pathway..."
At this point, everyone was taken aback again, and Fors simply asked in return, "Is Solomon a god?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis countered, "Is this your problem?"
Fors then realized that he had only paid 200 pounds and could only ask one question.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "No...no."
Since Mr. "The Hermit" has said so, it proves that Solomon is indeed a god, and there is no need to waste your questions on this.
Audrey was also somewhat surprised: "'The Black Emperor' is a god, then the other three emperors..."
Odis replied, "He is also a true god."
Everyone took a deep breath, and Alger exclaimed: I never expected that the so-called "Battle of the Four Emperors" would actually be a war between gods!
Klein, behind the gray fog, also realized: "The level of the 'Battle of the Four Emperors' is much higher than I imagined! Roselle had previously speculated that the 'Night Emperor' and the 'Empire Emperor' were gods, which I hadn't taken seriously. Now it seems he must have obtained some evidence to make that guess."
Emlyn stroked his chin: "The Blood Moon Queen is an angel, so it doesn't seem surprising that Emperor Trensost is a god. Hmm~ I didn't even think of that before."
"I have certain channels to learn about some ancient history, and I've done some research based on that. This has led me to discover a very interesting question," Odis said with a smile.
Before the Fourth Age, neither the "Black Emperor" pathway nor the "Judge" pathway, which are also known as the "Lawyer" and "Arbitrator" pathways, produced any well-known figures!
"This is actually somewhat unusual. Of the 22 pathways currently available, 17 of them, if traced back to history, can always be traced back to a great figure from the Tertiary period or even earlier in the extraordinary world."
"Of course, it's also possible that I'm overthinking it. There might not be any special reason why these five pathways have failed to produce high-sequence extraordinary individuals. Or perhaps they have, I don't know."
Audrey then asked, "'The Hermit,' besides the 'lawyer' and 'arbitrator' paths, what are the other three options?"
Klein thought to himself: That's a good question! "Justice" has been doing well this week, always getting to the heart of the matter. Of course, it's also possible that they haven't yet acquired any truly astonishing intelligence, and "Justice" hasn't been surprised enough to slow down their thinking.
He had a premonition that the intelligence he had acquired today would be very different from the history he had learned back then and the history he had guessed based on some clues.
Odis replied, "The 'secret seeker' and the 'knowledgeable one,' as well as the 'assassin' path."
The "God of Steam and Machinery" may have already been an archangel, or at least an angel, during the Third Age.
But Odis did not recall any description of this deity during the Third Age, meaning that at that time, He was just an ordinary angel.
Klein and Alger both fell into deep thought. They felt that there must be some reason why high-sequence extraordinary individuals only appeared in the Fourth Epoch.
That's probably not the "hermit" overthinking things. In the extraordinary world, anything unusual usually means something is wrong.
But they had no clue as to the specific reason, let alone any speculation.
After answering Miss Justice's question, Odis continued, "Although I haven't seen any explicit records, I speculate that during the Third Age, Solomon was probably an angel serving the ancient sun god."
"Well, to be precise, he was one of the angels who served the ancient sun. I couldn't find any record of him during the Third Age."
"That's not surprising, after all, in that era, the 'King of Angels' only had one or two important deeds passed down to posterity."
As for why such speculation exists, it is because Solomon had little influence in the Third Age, but quickly became a god in the Fourth Age, only one step behind "Wind, Wisdom, and White".
Therefore, Odis believed that there must be the help of the "true creator" involved.
However, if we explain it too clearly at this point, it will be difficult to explain the relationship between the "true creator" and the "ancient sun god".
So Odis skipped the reasoning part and continued: "In the hundred years following the 'Great Cataclysm,' without the only orthodox god, the 'Ancient Sun God,' the world was plunged into a brief period of chaos."
"There is some evidence that during those hundred years, many 'angelic families' rose to power, but they were all eventually defeated by Solomon or submitted to him."
"After Solomon unified the northern continent, this continent was no longer so chaotic."
Hearing this, Klein couldn't help but frown: "The Black Emperor" unified the Northern Continent? Then how did the "War of the Four Emperors" happen? Were the other three emperors in the Southern Continent? Or were the four empires established one after another, as the history textbooks say? Was the so-called "War of the Four Emperors" just everyone's imagination? No, no, this is only the beginning of the Fourth Era; perhaps there will be other changes later.
Alger smoothed his hair and thought: The history of the Quaternary Period is more complicated than I imagined!
"Little Sun" thought to himself: Luckily, I joined the trade. This round of trade even included descriptions of the "Great Cataclysm" and the "Ancient Sun God." But thinking about it, it makes sense. The Fourth Age follows the "Great Cataclysm," and the two eras must be closely connected.
Emlyn was now listening intently: This was so different from the history of the Fourth Epoch that I knew it all along. If I hadn't already verified the accuracy of the information the "Hermit" was trading, I would have suspected that he was making up a story.
"In this respect, Solomon the Black Emperor has some merit; after all, he ended a chaotic era," Odis said.
"The Solomon Empire was at its peak at that time. Apart from Solomon himself being the true god, the great nobles at that time were all 'angelic families.' I think each of us knows one or two, or even more, of them."
"Let me give you a brief overview. There are the Soren family, the Einhorn family, the Castile family, the Augustus family..."
Klein thought to himself: Good heavens, now the four royal families of the Northern Continent!
Odis continued, "...The Medici family, the Zoroaster family, the Zarathustra family, the Antigonus family, the Stiano family."
"That's all I know; there must be other families involved."
Klein noticed the last three families: the Zarathustra family was said to possess the potion formula for the "Diviner" pathway; unexpectedly, they were also an "angelic family," and they were at the center of the extraordinary world stage during the Fourth Age. Then there was the Antigonus family; for me, their notebook was the beginning of everything. And the Stiano family—I'd also seen them mentioned in Emperor Roselle's diary, but why hadn't I heard of any members of this family active in the real world?
Audrey asked, "'The Hermit,' does each family represent an angel?"
"You can think of it that way," Odis said. "And among them are not only angels, but also archangels, such as Medici, who is the 'King of Angels'."
"Oh, right, there are also two great noble families: the Tudor family and the Trensost family."
Everyone was in an uproar. Emlyn asked almost reflexively, "The 'Blood Emperor' and the 'Night Emperor' were once high-ranking nobles in the Solomon Empire?"
Odis, still smiling, asked, "Is this the question you wanted to ask?"
Having learned a similar lesson at the last gathering, Emlyn immediately said, "No, I... I was just asking, no... I mean, I was just expressing my surprise."
Just as the "magician" asked, the "hermit" said so, which proves that these two are indeed angels of the Solomon Empire!
Odis continued, "This is still the force on the surface. According to some evidence, Abraham and Salinger, who later became the 'Emperor of the Underworld,' also supported the Solomon Empire at this time, and both of them already had considerable strength."
"Furthermore, it is said that the witch family, now known as the 'witch cult,' was once a supporter of this empire."
"And the Tamara family, a great noble family in the Tudor Empire, I deduce that they must have also once been loyal to the Solomon Empire."
By the end, everyone was somewhat numb; the Solomon Empire was simply too powerful!
At this moment, "Little Sun" Derrick suddenly asked, "'The Hermit', what were the two 'Angel Kings,' Amon and Adam, doing at that time? And who did 'Angel of Fate,' Urolius, and 'Angel of Darkness,' Sasriel, support?"
Besides the "Great Cataclysm" and the "Ancient Sun God," what he cared about most were Adam and Amun.
Klein and Alger both secretly gave a thumbs up in their hearts, thinking that "Little Sun" asked a very good question. After all, these four were prominent figures in the Third Epoch, and they should have played a very important role in the Fourth Epoch as well.
As for the other three "Angel Kings," as mentioned before, three of them became gods, while Medici was also a high-ranking noble in the Solomon Empire.
Odis replied, "Ammon and Adam did not take sides during this period, or they were also taking some actions, but they did not affect the course of history in the Fourth Age."
"The 'Angel of Fate' will be mentioned later, while the whereabouts of the 'Dark Angel' are to be traded along with some information from the Third Epoch, which cannot be disclosed here for the time being."
"Little Sun" nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Fors then asked, "'The Hermit', the Solomon Empire was once so powerful, but how did the other three empires… no, I should ask, how did the 'Blood Emperor' and the 'Night Emperor' establish their nations?"
"We'll get to that later," Odis said. "You can ask another question."
Fors pondered for a moment and then asked, "The Solomon Empire eventually perished, or split up, right? What caused the empire's decline?"
In her view, if the emperor were a god, it would be difficult for him to decline.
According to historical inertia, if an emperor reigns for only a few decades or even a few years, then if he is a wise emperor, the empire will be strong, but if his descendants become increasingly incompetent, the empire may decline as a result.
However, under the influence of extraordinary power, an emperor at the level of a true god should have a long lifespan.
Moreover, those with divine-level power can use their individual strength to eliminate all opposing forces.
So why did this empire decline? Was it simply because it chose the wrong "state religion"?
Odis replied, "Because of the opposition of the six gods at that time!"
Klein thought to himself: I almost forgot about them; the opposition of the six gods is enough to destroy everything.
Odis continued, "This brings us to the 'True Creator' and His Church, which for a time was the most powerful church in the Northern Continent."
The "Redemption Rose," led by the "Angel of Fate" Urolius, is loyal to the "True Creator."
"As far as I know, the 'Redemption Rose' has more than just the 'Angel King', the 'Angel of Fate', there are also some other angels."
These angels are very likely those who once served the "ancient sun god".
"Furthermore, the 'True Creator' and the 'Black Emperor' don't cooperate while maintaining mutual suspicion, unlike the current Church and royal family," Odis said.
"These two deities formed a very close alliance to fight against their common enemy: the Six Gods."
Alger suddenly understood the meaning behind the "Hermit's" description: In the Fourth Age, from the perspective of the Solomon Empire, the six gods were not only not orthodox gods, but were probably evil gods at the time.
"The antagonism between the 'True Creator' and the Six Gods was due to the Extraordinary Path," Odis continued. "What many may not know is that the 'Mystic' is connected to the 'Sailor,' 'Singer,' and 'Reader' through adjacent paths!"
Emlyn was slightly taken aback. He had a vague understanding of adjacent pathways, while the other members already knew the concept of "adjacent pathways" from previous transactions.
However, they were still somewhat surprised by the information released by the "Hermit." Alger asked, "There are actually four adjacent paths?"
Odis smiled and said, "No, there are five, plus the 'audience' route."
These five paths combined constitute "omniscience and omnipotence".