None of the Tarot Club members, except for "The Hermit" Odis, expected that Adam would appear among them.
However, most members soon recalled the previous deal. They remembered that Adam was a high-ranking nobleman in the Tudor Empire, and it seemed reasonable that he received Tudor's share of the spoils of victory.
Only the new member, the "Priestess" Cattleya, was not involved in the previous transactions, but with her extensive knowledge, she knew that Adam was a high-ranking nobleman of the Thudor family.
However, she didn't know much else about Adam.
Odis continued to explain: "It is likely that Tudor was allocated two sets of Sequence 1 traits at that time, but after the fall of the Tudor Empire, Adam took those two sets of traits with him and used them in the Fifth Age."
Before anyone could ask any questions, Odis said, "The speculations about the above information, as well as the clues that support those speculations, are not included in this transaction."
Amidst everyone's disappointment, Cattleya asked, "What is 'uniqueness'?"
Although this pirate general was very knowledgeable, she currently had no way of obtaining such knowledge at the level of gods.
However, it was precisely because of her rich knowledge that she noticed "uniqueness" was an important concept almost immediately during the "hermit's" narration.
The members, including "The Hanged Man," were reminded of this and also noticed the description of "uniqueness."
Odis glanced at Cattleya before saying, "This is your second question."
Caldelia immediately replied, "I'm willing to pay 300 pounds."
Emlyn, the "Moon," thought to herself: Is this new member very wealthy? If she spends another 300 pounds, she'll have spent 970 pounds today on intelligence... By the way, I don't even know what "uniqueness" means.
"The Fool" Klein thought to himself: Being a pirate seems to be quite lucrative, at least it seems like he's richer than "The Hanged Man".
At this moment, Odis looked at "The Moon," whose thoughts were almost written all over his face: "Do you also want to join the deal? But the information about 'uniqueness' is very important. You can't share the 300 pounds. If you want to hear it, you have to pay 300 pounds as well."
Emlyn, whose financial situation was quite good, said almost without thinking, "I'm willing to join the deal."
"Justice" Audrey raised her hand slightly: "And me, Mr. 'The Hermit', I also want to know the concept of uniqueness."
Odis paused for a moment before realizing, "Oh, right, I forgot to explain this to you all. So, you'll all share the 600 pounds. There are seven of you..."
At this moment, "World" said in a hoarse voice, "I don't need to join the deal."
He was the only member besides Odis who knew the concept of "uniqueness".
Odis nodded: "Then six people, 100 pounds each."
After everyone agreed, Odis began to explain the concept of uniqueness: "Simply put, the true God is the only being, and uniqueness can be seen as the embodiment of the divine authority."
Caldelia remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was utterly shocked: this was yet another piece of information at the level of a god!
Then she noticed that the "Hermit" had just said it, and none of the other members showed any surprise, which meant that they already knew this, or even more similar information! Is this kind of high-level information the norm for information trading in the Tarot Society?
Cattleya gained a new understanding of the different levels of the Tarot Club.
At the same time, she no longer wanted to guess about the identity of the "hermit," because not only was the information he released illogical, but it was also clearly illogical that someone at his level could acquire so much advanced knowledge.
She had already internally rejected the idea that Odis was a member of the "Morse Ascetic" or the "Elemental Dawn."
Emlyn thought to himself: This information may be high-level, but I can't reveal it at the vampire gathering, otherwise my problems will be too obvious, and the Marquis might arrest and interrogate me immediately.
He seriously doubted that even the Marquis was unaware of such information.
While the other members listened to their trade of information about "uniqueness," they were also reflecting on the information about the Quaternary Period that they had just traded.
Klein, the "Fool," thought to himself: "Before, I only knew some fragmented information about the history of the Quaternary Period. Now it's different. The previous fragments are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, now they've been pieced together into a whole."
Even he was looking forward to the subsequent transactions with the Tudor Empire, the Trensost Empire, and so on.
Audrey, who plays "Justice," also remarked: "The way the 'Hermit' tells these hidden histories reminds me of my history professors who always manage to make dry history sound magnificent."
Seeing that the transaction was over and no one initiated a new one, "Sun" Derrick traded four extraordinary weapons with Odis, plus the reporting fee that Odis had just paid on his behalf, for a total of five extraordinary materials to repay the debt.
The new member, "Priestess" Cattleya, noticed that their transaction was a barter, but she didn't ask any questions and simply observed quietly.
After the transaction was completed, the hall was quiet for a few seconds, and then the gathering moved into a free exchange session.
Alger, the "Hanged Man," spoke first: "A major event has recently occurred in the Roside Islands."
He didn't intend to reveal that Mr. Fool might have become the incarnation of the Sea God; he only intended to describe the whole incident.
Audrey asked with great interest, "What is it?"
Cattleya also looked at the "Hanged Man," as she had heard about some recent events in the Rothschild Islands.
Alger recounted: "Several members of a clandestine organization, disguised as archaeologists, discovered an ancient elven ruin on Simim Island and took an item from it, indirectly causing the local 'sea god' Kavituwa to nearly collapse."
"This false god wanted to create a tsunami to submerge the islands and make everyone perish with him, but he was stopped by the 'Sea King' of the Storm Church."
"In the end, Lattisia, a member of the secret organization disguised as an archaeologist, was found, Kavituwa died, and the threat of the tsunami was completely averted."
"But what's strange is that the devout followers of 'Sea God' still occasionally receive a response."
Cattleya frowned slightly. Although she had heard about this, she did not know that it was because of Laticia, a member of the same organization.
At the same time, she had only met Latissia a few times and could not even be considered familiar with her.
In secret organizations, to avoid situations where a large number of members are exposed at once due to betrayal or arrest, members generally maintain single-line communication. Cattleya and Laticia are not on the same "line".
Audrey asked with some curiosity, "Is that evil god not completely dead yet? Also, what kind of deity is this evil god? I saw in some newspapers that He seems to support the resistance in the Roseside Islands?"
The newspaper she was referring to was one she had recently started subscribing to, published in the Rothschild Islands.
These newspapers were rarely subscribed to in the Northern Continent. When Audrey received them, the dates on the newspapers were at least three days later than the actual dates. For example, if today was January 24th, then the content in the newspapers would be news published on the 21st.
However, this still felt like a new door had been opened for Audrey, because the news about the sea in the newspapers was very novel to her.
Just two days ago, she happened to see a report about the Roside Islands resistance. The reporter who wrote the article also went on to discuss some information about the "Church of Poseidon" and "Poseidon".
So even though Audrey was in her family's estate, she knew some things about the sea.
Alger didn't know how to answer these questions about "justice" for a moment.
At this moment, Odis smiled and said, "I have received relevant information. It seems that the remaining characteristics of Kavituva were taken away before the Church of Storms reclaimed them."
Alger was taken aback: "The Hermit" knew about such things? Where did he get this information?
Meanwhile, Gadriya recalled the milky-white scepter that Mr. Fool had been holding when he pulled her here yesterday.
However, the attention of the members of "Justice" and others was focused on "The Hermit," and they did not notice the surprise shown by "The Priestess."
"The Magician" Fors was still asking, "'The Hermit,' who picked up... the characteristics of a god?"
"I don't know," Odis smiled. "You don't need to think it's so hard to describe. I've heard a lot about the evil gods on the islands during this time at sea."
"The vast majority of them are just demigods in strange states."
"Among them, the Sea God is quite famous. Firstly, he has many followers, and secondly, the Storm Church conducts a large-scale search almost every few years, but has never found the whereabouts of the 'Sea God'."
"Most wild gods, under the attack of the military and the church, either disappear directly or secretly develop some followers after a period of time, but their strength will definitely be much weaker than before."
"But very few are like 'Poseidon' that have almost never suffered heavy blows."
"In addition, due to the conflict between the Rune people and the locals of the Roseside Islands, the 'sea god' became the main belief of the locals."
"As described by 'The Hanged Man,' this is a false god, and I estimate it to be a Sequence 3."
The three members of Backlund, "Justice," "Magician," and "The Moon," all looked enlightened, having roughly understood what "Poseidon" was all about.
Audrey immediately thanked him, saying, "'The Hermit,' thank you for your answer."
Odis smiled and shook his head, indicating that it was nothing.
At this moment, Emlyn the Moon asked, "Why did the 'Sea God' collapse after taking some items from the Elven ruins?"
Seeing that the "Hermit" also seemed to not know the answer, Klein, in the guise of the "Fool," said leisurely, "Kavituwa became a demigod by relying on the relics of the 'Calamity' Goshinam."
The members of "Justice" and others sat up abruptly, not expecting that this matter would attract the attention of Mr. "Fool".
Generally speaking, Mr. Fool is concerned with major events.
At this moment, Audrey had already thought: Mr. Hermit said that the characteristics left by Cavituwa were taken away by someone. Could it be... could it be Mr. Fool's favorite?
At this moment, she noticed the expressions of the "Hanged Man" and the "Priestess." One became even more obsequious, while the other showed a slight look of realization.
Audrey immediately realized with excitement that the one currently responding to the followers of the Church of the Sea God was Mr. Fool! Mr. Hanged Man on the sea had guessed this, which made him even more flattering. As for Lady Priest, she seemed to understand why someone of Mr. Fool's level would pay attention to the matter of Kavituwa; clearly, that "Calamity" Goshinam was a powerful being.
At this moment, Odis smiled and said, "I have heard that the 'Sea God' has suddenly become merciful and rational, and has issued the Ten Commandments to his believers, forbidding the use of human sacrifices and prohibiting all bloody sacrifices."
Audrey smiled to herself and said: Of course, because "Sea God" is already Mr. "Fool", and Mr. "Fool", who is irreconcilably opposed to the evil god, is of course benevolent.
Then she realized that Mr. Hermit had also guessed that Mr. Fool had replaced the Sea God.
So she asked, "'The Hermit,' who is 'Calamity' Ghosnam?"
Fors and the others had not yet thought about the fact that Mr. Fool had replaced Poseidon, but they understood that "Calamity" Goshinam was the key point that Mr. Fool had just reminded them of.
It's an unfamiliar name, but it sounds impressive.
However, they didn't understand for a moment why Mr. Fool announced the name of "Calamity" Goshinam, while "Justice" asked "The Hermit" who it was.
In fact, Audrey's question was well-considered, as Mr. Fool usually doesn't provide further explanation after revealing information.
The "hermit" is very knowledgeable and probably knows who the "natural disaster" is.
The Hermit did not disappoint Audrey's expectations. He replied, "'Calamity' Ghosnam is the queen of the 'Elven King' and was also known as the 'Queen of the Calamity' in ancient times."
Everyone nodded slowly, surprised that the properties within Kavituwa's body had such a "long history".
Meanwhile, Fors, Emlyn, and several others realized: no wonder Mr. Fool was concerned about this matter; it turned out that it involved an ancient god and his followers.
Audrey, Alger, and Cattleya, the three members who knew the inside story, realized: Could it be that Mr. Fool, following the clues of "natural disaster," had found out the characteristics of Kavituwa in advance?
At this moment, Klein manipulated the "World" to ask the "Hermit": "Which of the eight ancient gods' subordinate deities do you know?"
Odis thought for a moment before saying, "I know a lot."
Then he smiled and said, "If you want to know more, I can help you organize some relevant information."
Klein thought to himself: Why don't you just say you need a trade?
Today, he saw some of Roselle's descriptions of the ancient gods' followers in Roselle's diary, and suspected that "Emperor of the Underworld" was once a follower of "the Phoenix Ancestor".
Before Odis entered the ruins where Cavituwa was located, Klein had explored the outer hall and found a golden goblet belonging to the "Calamity" Goshinam.
He was basically certain that it was a follower of the "Elf King," and he had the concept of "ancient gods following gods," which is why he asked the question.
But he was not in a hurry to trade this intelligence, so he manipulated "the world" and said, "Let's talk about it later."
Then he asked "The World" to continue, "Has any of you seen her?"
As he spoke, he showed the portrait of Elaine that the "Disease General" was looking for.
Odis was taken aback: Klein has finally made up his mind to dress as a woman!
Cattleya said, "The red-haired Elaine has the blood of the Intis Soren family and was once a fallen noble lady."
"She worked as a sea merchant and was later said to have been captured by 'sick girl' Tracy."
Although Tracy had begun to call herself "Lieutenant General of Disease" by this time, she had not yet gained the recognition of the pirate generals.
Klein thought to himself: Captured by "Admiral of Disease" Tracy? I thought it was some melodramatic story of a domineering pirate and a noblewoman... But Tracy is a domineering pirate, huh...
Lost in thought, Klein manipulated the "world" to thank the "priestess".
With the inspiration of a novelist, Fors, the "magician," keenly sensed that there might be some story between the red-haired Elaine and the "disease general," and thus began to indulge in some fantasies.
At this moment, Audrey spoke up: "I've recently been searching for the trail of the Mind Dragon and went to a place where there's a custom of worshipping dragons."
She then began to describe how she received a clue from an ancient ballad and, through self-hypnosis, entered the ocean of her subconscious in a dream, where she encountered a real dragon.
After becoming a "psychologist," Audrey became very good at storytelling. She focused on the feeling of loneliness, the long, aimless existence, and the extreme oppression of being surrounded by grayness and seemingly hiding all kinds of monsters.
There are also the memory imprints from our ancestors, the reflections and spread of various consciousnesses of surrounding creatures in the "ocean of the subconscious," and so on.
Finally, after asking Mr. Fool for help, she revealed the dragon with gray, rock-like scales.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Fors was most interested in this, feeling it was excellent material for a novel: A dragon living in the ocean of the collective unconscious? What a wondrous journey!
At the end of her narration, Audrey asked everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen, what suggestions do you have? Do you think that the dragon's 'city of miracles,' Levihard, is also hidden in the ocean of collective consciousness?"
"If I want to continue exploring, what should I be aware of? What preparations do I need to make in advance?"
Alger, the "Hanged Man," hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't think you should continue exploring; it's a very dangerous thing to do."
"According to records, most dragons are flesh-and-blood creatures, including mind dragons."
"The fact that it can roam the ocean of collective consciousness of living beings means that the dragon you saw has a high enough sequence, and may have even reached the level of a demigod."
"Don't think about this before you reach Sequence 5."
Cattleya added, "In the ocean of collective consciousness, there are many dangerous things: the evil thoughts accumulated by mankind, which will erode the various desires of the spiritual body, as well as the terrifying memories from ancient times, just like storms and waves on the real ocean."
"It will cause you severe psychological trauma, and may even make you never wake up again."
Audrey, who had been full of expectations, was disappointed, but had to admit that Mr. "Hanged Man" and Ms. "Priestess" made a lot of sense.
Emlyn, however, was concerned with something else: "Was it more than one dragon that survived?"
He recently consulted a vampire expert who studies dragons, and learned that since the Fifth Age, there have been almost no new legends about dragons.
It is also highly likely that the dragons never appeared before the world again after the Fifth Age.
Everyone paused for a moment, then looked at the "moon".
This guy, however, hadn't realized he wasn't on the same wavelength as the other members, and was still saying, "But...but I've never heard of any legends about dragons?"
After a moment of silence in the hall, Odis replied simply, "I've heard that two or three dragons have survived to this day. You haven't heard any legends about them, which means they must be powerful enough to hide themselves well."
"After all, for a period of time, elves, giants, and dragons were creatures from which humans could directly gain extraordinary traits, so it was perfectly normal for them to hide."
There were actually vampires, but this Mr. "Moon" had a very strong sense of pride, so Odis didn't include him.
Emlyn nodded thoughtfully, first thanking the "hermit," and then asked, "Do elves and giants still exist now?"
Cattleya replied, "Yes."
"I once found an island inhabited by elves. It was deep in the raging sea, with extreme weather and harsh living conditions."
"Because they are not on a safe flight path, no one has found them yet."
Alger was very interested in this, but after carefully recalling the "priestess's" description, he couldn't find any clues about the specific location.
The so-called "deep part of the raging sea" largely matches the relevant description, so it cannot be considered a clue.
"As for the giants," Cattleya said, "I heard that someone found a village of giants on the Sunia Sea."
"But I'm not sure if this information is true. It seems that some giants did go out to sea during the Fourth Age, supposedly to find their former home."
"But whether they succeeded or not, and whether they settled at sea, remains unknown."
"In addition, in the northern part of the Fusak Empire, there are still tribes of giants. They have converted to the God of War and thus received the God of War's protection, and have a place of their own to live."
Emlyn opened his mouth: "Th...thank you."
He thought to himself, "The priestess is quite learned!"
At this time, in order to better integrate into the Tarot Club, Gadriya also shared her observations: "Speaking of whether the information is true or not, someone held an information exchange meeting in Bayam yesterday."
"It is said that the convener has a strong ability to analyze intelligence; he can roughly distinguish the authenticity of intelligence just by reading it once."
Odis spoke first: "You're very well-informed!"
Then he thought: most of the pirate general's intelligence officers are active in Bayam or the surrounding waters, and among yesterday's attendees, there might be an intelligence officer of the "Star Admiral".
Alger had just set sail, but he had heard about the intelligence exchange meeting before he did.
He wasn't very interested in it at the time, but when he heard the "priestess" say this, Alger's first thought was disbelief, believing that someone was exaggerating the summoner's abilities.
Klein manipulated "The World" to glance at "The Hermit," and then said to everyone, "I've also heard about this, and I heard that the people who sold false information at the party were all beaten up by him."
Alger smiled and said, "Then he must be very busy, perhaps even too busy to handle everything?"
"No," "The World" said. "It is said that only three people have sought his help, and the intelligence he has reviewed is almost always accurate."
After learning that the convener was "Mr. Garr", Klein sent Danitz out to inquire about more information about the intelligence exchange meeting.
The "captain" beat up three people selling false information in the afternoon, and by evening, news of the "captain's" exploits had spread throughout Bayam.
Alger fell into a brief silence. If someone else had said this, he wouldn't have believed it, but since "the world" said it, he had to be cautious. After all, this was a follower of Mr. Fool, and he wouldn't speak so confidently about something he wasn't sure about.
Gadriya glanced at "the world": Was he also active in the Rothschild Islands?
At this moment, Alger, the "Hanged Man," seemed to suddenly realize something: "He has some kind of seal that can distinguish between genuine and fake."
"As far as I know, no," Odis smiled. "He made the distinction based solely on his erudition and extensive experience in intelligence work."
Cattleya looked at the "Hermit" again: "The Hermit is in Bayam? But why is he wearing an Intis-style suit? Is this a disguise? It's not a real gathering, what's the point of disguising himself like this?"
Alger glanced at the "Hermit" before saying, "I didn't expect anyone to have such an ability."
Then he changed the subject: "'The Hermit,' you seem to know a lot about this."
"Yes," Odis said truthfully, "I was there at the time."
Klein thought to himself: Of course, you're the one who's gathering things, so of course you're here.
Since Odis was so frank, no one suspected that he was the organizer; they all assumed that he had attended the intelligence exchange meeting.
Cattleya asked the "Hermit," "Do you know anything about him?"
"The bishop of the Church of the Goddess of Night in Bayam was also present at the exchange meeting," Odis said truthfully. "He must have had the background of the Church of the Goddess of Night."
Cattleya nodded. She had also received such information. It seemed that the other party did indeed have cooperation with the Church of the Goddess of Night, or was someone supported by the Church of the Goddess of Night.
What's strange is that there aren't many followers of the Goddess of Night in the Raging Sea. Why would the Church of the Goddess of Night support such a person in the Raging Sea?
Seeing that the expressions of the "priestess" and the "Hanged Man" were gradually becoming serious, Audrey asked, "What does this exchange mean?"
Alger and Gadriya were both taken aback. Just as they were organizing their thoughts, Odis spoke first: "You may not be very clear about Bayam's situation."
"Here, there are many people who need intelligence, and there are adventurers, pirates, and outlaws everywhere. There is no sense of contractual obligation, so false information is rampant."
"The significance of this intelligence exchange is to re-examine the industry, eliminate the existence of false intelligence, and establish new standards."
Alger continued on this topic, saying, "This is a good thing, since as long as the transactions take place at the exchange meeting, the accuracy of the intelligence can be basically guaranteed."
"But this is bound to create a monopoly. If you want to trade for reliable intelligence, you can only go to this intelligence exchange meeting."
Odis grinned, revealing a smile; this was exactly what he was thinking.
In Backlund, with its various forces vying for power and confronting each other, such a monopoly was impossible. But in Bayam, it was different. The exchange meetings provided by Odis were exactly what the various forces at sea needed.
I believe the Navy and the Storm Church will soon support this gathering, and by the time everyone realizes what's happening, a monopoly will have been formed.
While Odis will face some danger, he will also become an object of goodwill from various factions.
Klein thought to himself: Fortunately, the Church of the Sea God had a spot for a formal member at the very beginning of this gathering.
He also realized that the value of this official membership spot would continue to rise.
At this moment, Emlyn cleared his throat and said, "I have carefully studied the history passed down through generations of our vampires..."
Cattleya appeared to be listening attentively, but in her heart she thought: "So she really is a vampire. Heh, raising vampires and recruiting them into the church is a tradition of the Church of Mother Earth."
Emlyn continued, "...Before the 'Cataclysm,' there was no Silver City, only the Silver Kingdom!"
If anyone else had raised such a question, "The Sun" Derrick would have immediately refuted it, stating that the people of Silver City were descendants of the Silver Kingdom, proving that he was not lying.
But when he saw Mr. "Moon" and sensed his smugness, Derrick turned his head away, disdainful of explaining.
Seeing the "sun's" reaction, Emlyn realized that Silver City was indeed related to the Silver Kingdom, so he continued, "The Silver Kingdom originally worshipped not the 'Giant King' Olmir, but his queen Omibella."
Derrick turned his head and said, "We in Silver City have no record of this, nor do we have any record of the giant queen being named Omibella."
Emlyn chuckled and shrugged, saying, "So, I'm saying there are omissions and gaps in the history of your Silver City, is that alright?"
Klein, behind the gray fog, found it somewhat amusing: he had gone around in circles just to prove this point.
This was the first time "Moon" Emlyn attended a party, and the argument that happened between him and "Sun" was unexpected. Two weeks later, "Moon" was still thinking about it.
Just as Derrick was about to refute Mr. "The Moon," the new member, "The Priestess," spoke up: "Omibella is the 'Goddess of Harvest' of the Second Age and the Queen of the Giants' Court."
"It is said that He perished at the end of the Second Age, but this cannot be confirmed because His body and remaining characteristics have not been seen."
"Little Sun" was stunned for a moment: "The Goddess of Harvest" is really named Omibella!
He wanted to refute it, but because he had never seen any relevant records, it was possible that the history of Silver City had been missed, and he was unable to speak for a moment.
Seeing this, "Moon" Emlyn felt completely comfortable.
Seeing this, the other members smiled and shook their heads, as if they had seen a child who had just won a toy.
Klein noticed that the "Hermit" seemed about to speak about the matter, but then swallowed his words. So he manipulated the "World" and said, "The 'Goddess of Harvest' is the subordinate god of the 'King of Giants,' isn't she?"
This is obvious, but he hopes to use this as a starting point to discuss the topic of "ancient gods descending from gods" again.
"Yes," Odis smiled slightly. "I was just thinking about the fall of the 'Progenitor of the Vampires'."