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Chapter 233: A Man Cannot Be Judged By His Looks

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The more he thought about how a living person was playing cards with more than ten corpses in a dimly lit room into the night, the more his scalp tingled.

Klein suppressed his instinctive fear and looked at the pale face, the malicious brown eyes, and the man who was about twenty-eight years old that suffused madness. He pretended to be intimidated by the man's dominance and took a step back. During this time, Kaspars left the room and closed the door.

The man asked in a deep voice, "You're the one looking for a bodyguard?"

"… Yes." Klein gulped deliberately.

The man's strangeness made him feel fear, but it also brought him peace of mind.

The stronger the bodyguard, the safer he would be!

The pale-faced man in the black vest lifted his chin and asked, "Why are you looking for a bodyguard? How much are you willing to pay for this?"

Klein didn't answer straight away. He thought for nearly twenty seconds before saying, "I'll tell you the details of the mission first. Give me a price after you assess it. If I can pay for it, or if I have an item of equivalent value, we would have ourselves a deal. Otherwise, I can only give up and look for someone else."

The fierce-looking man didn't say a word. Instead, he nodded as a gesture for Klein to recount his story.

Klein deliberately looked at the zombies, treating them as normal card players. Then, he gave the man an inquisitive look saying: "Before I answer, do you want to kick these guys out of the room?"

"There's no need for that," the pale-faced man said in a deep voice.

Klein hesitated for a moment, then honestly said, "I offended a big shot who might have a country supporting him."

The room suddenly turned still and silent. The man, who had a hint of madness and malice in his eyes, froze on the spot as if he had turned into a plaster statue.

After nearly a minute, he slowly said, "This mission is priceless.

"Get out."

Ah? Klein didn't manage to react until the man turned and walked back to the card table. Only then did he realize that there was no deal.

You played cards with a bunch of living corpses in the room and presented yourself as a person of high standing and strength. Yet, you were scared off just like that? You're clearly a little crazy… Klein didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he added, "The big shot doesn't have that much freedom in Backlund."

The man in the black vest ignored him and sat down again. The zombies began to hand out cards, look at their cards, and throw out chips.

Klein exhaled and backed out of the room only to see Kaspars Kalinin. He had been waiting outside with his brandy nose and hideous wound.

"We didn't come to an arrangement." Klein threw up his hands.

Kaspars didn't show a look of surprise as he pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Did he request too high a price?"

"No, he finds the mission too difficult." Klein didn't hide the reason.

Kaspars frowned.

"Maric is the scariest person I know. He isn't even afraid of bullets, and since he thinks the mission is difficult, I don't think I can help you get in touch with other powerful people."

"What a pity." Klein sighed.

Kaspars clenched his right fist and struck his left chest.

"May the Storm be with you."

Then I'm dead… Klein said with a smile as he made the best out of it, "Thank you.

"You can try asking around for me. I'll pay you a fee. Yeah… I'll come again tomorrow night. "

After receiving a positive answer, he left the Bravehearts Bar feeling slightly melancholic. He didn't even have the interest to play a game of billiards.

Was I being too honest? If I described the mission in a way that sounded simpler, Maric would've agreed… I just wonder how much money he would ask for… Sigh, it's not my style to let someone else face the danger for me through deceit… As a Beyonder, if I constantly go against my heart's true thoughts and my own principles, then I probably won't be far from losing control… Feeling mixed emotions, Klein changed carriages and returned to Minsk Street.

…

After washing up, Klein didn't waste any charcoal. He directly went to the bedroom and pulled the curtain to isolate the room from the outside world.

On the way back, he carefully thought for a while and discovered that the possible danger wasn't something that couldn't be resolved.

To the unknown ambassador, his primary and fundamental purpose is to find Ian Wright. The reason he sent people to deal with me was because he wished to obtain clues to finding Ian from me. If direct interrogation doesn't work, killing me and channeling my spirit could be considered… If I let him know that I can't find Ian either, he wouldn't take the risk to deal with a hired detective when the military's special department might be monitoring the situation.

Of course, my appearance and strength far exceeded his expectations, causing their operation to be exposed and causing them to suffer heavy setbacks. If I were the ambassador, I would definitely think about revenge and vent my anger, but it definitely wouldn't be now, not when the situation is so tense and turbulent… Yes, this is building on the premise that the ambassador has brains, and he isn't a good-for-nothing who got to his position through connections and only knows to act rashly… For him to be handling such an important matter, it must mean that he's still rather reliable…

In other words, the crux of the problem is Ian Wright's whereabouts!

Hmm… There's still some latent danger. Would the ambassador reveal to the military's special department that Meursault is a Beyonder after his failure? That would make them find my strength questionable, and use them to retaliate against me… This can be done easily with an offhand remark with no difficulty involved. I have to be on my guard…

Klein analyzed his situation and suddenly had the urge to kill the unknown ambassador.

However, just the thought of powerful Beyonders around him left him depressed.

I wonder if the messenger can accept my delegations without Mr. Azik's permission… Probably not… Should I pay close attention to this matter and find an opportunity to silence him? Since he sent someone to kill me, I wouldn't feel any psychological burden from killing him… Yes, I can consider setting a mission for the Tarot Club. Let's see if Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man have any solutions… Perhaps, a large sum of money can tempt that "Mr. A" or some other powerful Beyonders… Klein suddenly had an idea came to him as he thought of the Tarot Club.

With this idea in mind, he calmed down a lot. He found some paper and a pen and wrote the divination statement: "Ian Wright's whereabouts."

After confirming that there were no hidden Beyonders in the room, Klein looked at the curtain that shielded him from prying eyes. He recalled Ian's appearance and silently read out the divination sentence before leaning back into his chair.

He quickly entered a dream and saw a dark, small, run-down room in the dreamy world. There was a bunk bed and a floor mat that four people slept on.

Ian was curled up at the top of the bunk bed, sleeping soundly under an old satchel.

When the dream shattered, Klein opened his eyes and interpreted the revelation.

Living quarters like that only exist in the East Borough and the Backlund Bridge area, but it's an abnormally huge place. Even if all the police in Backlund are deployed, they still wouldn't be able to find it…

Ian was very careful. He didn't leave anything with me. Otherwise, I would've been able to find him through dowsing rod divination…

After a few minutes of consideration, Klein picked up the pen and added a paragraph to each of the divination statements, making it an excuse:

"I don't know Ian Wright's whereabouts. I haven't seen him since we found Zreal's body."

That piece of paper was left on the desk with a pen pressed against its edge.

After all was done, Klein got up and went back to his bed, making a quick, less obvious flick of the coin to make sure that no one was watching him.

After obtaining a negative answer, he quickly took four steps counterclockwise, chanted the incantation, and entered the world above the gray fog.

Within the ancient and towering palace, Klein couldn't be bothered to inspect the situation around him, and instead repeated the divination he had just done.

Seeing that the negative answer hadn't changed, he stopped feeling so nervous. Raising his head to the side, he realized that the core position of the newly added crimson star had been dyed with a sun-like gold.

"Is this the source of the warmth I felt?" Klein spread out his spirituality and gingerly touched it in response to the prayer.

A blurry scene quickly appeared in front of his eyes.

The petite lady he had tried to pull up above the gray fog was standing in front of an altar with a lady with slightly curled brown hair. A man wearing a white mask softly chanted the honorary name of the Eternal Blazing Sun, creating a warm and pure light.

Was she trying to get someone to do an exorcism? Klein almost laughed.

At that moment, he finally understood the reason behind the previous situation. It wasn't that someone had penetrated the gray fog and locked onto him. It was similar to Justice and company reciting his honorary name before making a prayer. And after the gray fog received the message, it automatically give him feedback. However, since it wasn't a prayer, the illusory, overlapping voices ended up becoming a warm current.

Notification. This is a notification, and not something that can cause harm or influence… Klein made a definite judgment.

At the same time, he was roughly certain of one thing. The way the mysterious space above the gray fog connected with Justice and the others wasn't absolutely abnormal or above the rules of this world. It still suffered particular restrictions that could cause effects of varying degrees by using specific methods.

Klein continued watching the scene before him and listened to the voice speaking. He was surprised to find that it lasted longer than ever before.

Before this, he wouldn't be able to take the initiative to spy on the corresponding target of the crimson stars, unless the other party had prayed for it, and only then would he be able to receive the corresponding scene.

In another situation, when he gave his feedback, he would be able to see the scene and hear synchronized voices at the same time. However, once the response ended, he would no longer be able to gain any additional information.

Now, it was like watching a long video whose footage was filled with mosaicked reality TV footage.

He saw the petite lady talking to a man in a golden mask in the study, heard her companions address her as Xio, and realized that she was looking for the Beyonder potion corresponding to the Sheriff's potion.

It wasn't until the two women returned home that Klein felt regretful that he failed to identify their address. The "recording" thus came to an end.

Watching the gradually dissipating gold colors, he nodded his head thoughtfully. He vaguely understood why such an anomaly had appeared.

In other words, the power of purification helped me maintain the corresponding passageway? Xio's thirty pounds was worth it… I wonder when I'll be able to maintain it myself… Klein shook his head and smiled. He took out a pen and a paper to continue to divine Ian Wright's whereabouts.

Chapter 234: The Night of the Full Moon.

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

It was the same dream divination, but this time Klein saw more.

The first scene was still the small, dark, squalid room with Ian Wright sleeping soundly on a bunk bed.

The second scene was the same sewer they had both gone to. Ian squatted in front of Zreal's mutilated body, reached out with his hand to rub the two rows of white teeth, and removed one of them.

The third scene was a busy and noisy street. The passersby were all dressed in plain clothes, some of which that could be described as old and tattered.

In the middle of the street, there were gardens and lawns, surrounded by low chimneys that were puffing out smoke. Ian, in his old overcoat and round hat, warily watched as he entered the telegraph office not far from the center of the street. Diagonally across it was the mall entrance to the steam metro.

The image quickly turned transparent. Klein opened his eyes, tapped his index finger on the edge of the long bronze table and made a preliminary judgment.

From that tooth and the telegram, it seems that Zreal and Ian aren't just a detective duo that found themselves involved in a dangerous situation. They have an organization behind them!

I should be able to determine where the third scene is…

Klein was in no hurry to deeply analyze it, as he didn't want to stay too long above the fog.

Leaving the high back chair belonging to The Fool, he went to a corner, rummaged through the paper bag that he had been placed there previously, and found Meursault's Beyonder characteristic.

Holding the crimson, jelly-like object, Klein sat down again and wrote a new divination statement: "The corresponding potion name."

As he silently recited the statement, he held onto the Beyonder characteristic with one hand and the piece of paper with the divination statement in the other. With the help of Cogitation, he fell into a deep sleep.

In the gray, dreamy dream, the ambassador who was dressed to the nines, appeared again before Klein with his thin, stubbly face.

Holding a bottle of crimson liquid, he said to Meursault, "Drink it, drink this Hunter potion, and you'll rule the Zmanger gang. Of course, money is also indispensable, as Emperor Roselle once said—a stick in one hand and a carrot in the other."

"Hunter? Backlund is a huge metropolitan city…" Meursault frowned and asked curiously.

To someone illiterate like him, hunters were associated with the wilderness and animals.

The middle-aged ambassador chuckled and said, "The biggest city is the largest dark forest.

"Here, everyone has two identities. One, the prey, and the other, the hunter.

"Even the weakest hunter is a hunter. It's possible for them to harm stronger prey.

"Go, join this magnificent hunt."

…

The scene shattered and turned into countless specks of light. Klein looked down at the crimson Beyonder characteristic in his hand and said to himself silently, So it's the Hunter potion. It's no wonder Meursault was so good at fighting. He even used a blowpipe to shoot poison darts.

It's no wonder how he was able to track me here…

However, he doesn't seem to fully understand the essence of being a Hunter. He didn't set any traps ahead of time or use any weapons. He didn't put his advantages to use… This is partly because he didn't know that I'm also a Beyonder, one that happens to be a Sequence 8. He underestimated me. It's also evident that he only recently consumed the potion…

The Hunter pathway is both wielded by the former Intis royal family, the Sauron family, and the Feysac Empire's rulers, the Einhorn family, as well as the secret organization, the Iron and Blood Cross Order, which appeared in the past two to three centuries. Taking into account his attire, that ambassador's identity can essentially be confirmed… a high-ranking diplomat of the Intis Republic, an ambassador of the Loen Kingdom…

I wonder what that important item he's trying to get his hands on is…

As his mind churned, Klein wrapped himself in his spirituality and began the rapid descent.

As soon as he returned to his room, he immediately checked his surroundings vigilantly, but he didn't notice any unusual changes.

Phew. Klein let out a silent breath. He felt a bit more confident that he would be able to convene the members of the Tarot Club on time tomorrow afternoon.

He rummaged through the map of Backlund that he had bought on the steam locomotive, looking for a telegraph office that was along the subway line, one that wasn't far from the middle of the street.

There were only a few subway lines in Backlund, so Klein quickly identified three targets: one in West Borough, one in St. George Borough, and one at the junction of East Borough and the Backlund Bridge.

He recalled how most of the pedestrians in his dream were dressed to determined their socioeconomic statuses and arrived at the final answer.

The third spot!

The place where the East Borough intersected with the Backlund Bridge!

Sometimes, interpreting a revelation requires a plethora of practical knowledge and the ability to infer… Klein mocked himself, walked to the desk, and added another sentence after the previous statement, adding more to the contents written on the piece of paper.

I don't know where Ian is. I haven't seen him since we discovered Zreal's corpse. However, I learned through my own channels that Ian Wright had appeared at the telegraph office on Bacardi Street.

After he finished writing, Klein didn't fold the piece of paper and put it away. Nor did he burn it with his spirituality. Instead, he allowed it to remain spread out on the desk, freely revealing its contents.

After giving it a deep look, Klein went back to the bed and took off his clothes to sleep.

Outside the tightly closed curtains, the crimson moon peeked out from the layers of clouds, shining brightly and perfectly.

…

In a house at Hillston Borough.

Fors, who didn't sleep with Xio, sat up suddenly and put her hands to her head.

Her relatively pretty face was extremely twisted as if she was a devil.

Fors pressed against her ears and constantly tossed about in bed, as though she was resisting the illusory muttering.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, and veins bulged on the back of her hands.

Her body randomly tensed up or rolled. Her originally teasing and languid pale blue eyes were filled with pain.

In the depths of those pupils, countless layers of light and shadows seemed to appear.

"No!" Fors finally couldn't hold it in anymore as she let out a low tragic cry.

Her hands stopped covering her ears and resorted to yanking at her hair, as though she was going to fight pain with pain.

After a few minutes of writhing, she finally stopped.

She released her hands, looked at the handful of slightly curled brown hair, and weakly laughed at herself.

"I lied to Xio, telling her that the murmurs every full moon don't have much of a negative effect on me… At least losing hair is a serious concern…"

With difficulty, Fors sat up and looked at the curtain that half covered the window. Through it, she could see the dreamy crimson moon outside.

"It's getting worse each and every time. Will I lose control the next time because of this…" Fors could no longer suppress the weakness that she had buried deep in her heart.

She had attempted to separate herself from the bracelet that allowed people to teleport through the spiritual world, but it no longer resulted in the disappearance of the murmurs during a full moon.

She had tried to take sedatives, had tried chanting the name of the God of Steam and Machinery, had tried some ritualistic magic, but it hadn't changed the fact that she was gradually slipping into the abyss.

"If only I could understand what the murmurs are saying… I wish to die in the know, and not be buried clueless… P-perhaps, I might be able to hear it clearer after advancing to Sequence 8? But I've never encountered anyone selling the Trickmaster potion formula." Fors looked out the window in a daze as her eyes were dyed red by the moonlight.

…

On Monday morning, Klein woke up early from his restless sleep and got out of bed.

He went to his desk and began to draw the curtains and open the window to let the light and wind into the room.

At that moment, he caught sight of the paper on the desk at the corner of his eye.

It was facing the window, maintaining its original spot.

However, Klein clearly remembered that before he slept, this piece of paper was facing the chair and the bed!

It had flipped over and changed orientation after a night's sleep!

Klein's pupils constricted as he abruptly reached out and pulled the curtains open. He saw that the oriel windows were still shut tight, not letting even a waft of wind in!

Without any wind, the paper had rotated hundred and eighty degrees by itself!

No, someone came in without me noticing! Klein felt a chill run up his spine to his head.

He was shocked that he didn't realize it while sleeping!

This meant that he was almost at the mercy of others, and his life and death depended solely on the other party's mood and thoughts!

Was it a member of the military's special department, or was it a powerful Beyonder sent by the ambassador? From the fact that the paper wasn't returned to its original orientation, it's more likely to be the latter, indicating a certain level of warning… To be able to sneak in like that without a trace, how incredible… Should I thank him for his kindness? No, there must be a reason why he didn't do something that could've been so conveniently accomplished… They don't want to alarm the members of the military's special department who are monitoring the area? Klein couldn't help but think of countless reasons.

The reason he wrote those words last night and spread the paper on the desk, was to let others see it. He wanted to let the ambassador know what he wanted to know and delay any possible acts of revenge until the matter was over so that he himself could have more time to prepare.

However, Klein had expected that the other party would sneak into the room while he was out, and when the surveillance of his house by the special military department would be reduced. Who knew that the person in question was able to bypass the Beyonders around him and quietly enter the bedroom while he was still sleeping.

The feeling of having his fate controlled by someone else was extremely uncomfortable!

A Beyonder who's very powerful or with extremely odd abilities… Klein turned his back and faced away from the oriel window and pulled out a copper penny.

"Someone sneaked into this room last night."

…

He silently chanted the statement, and with the help of his body's concealment, he flicked the coin.

The coin tumbled in the air and fell without exceeding Klein's shoulder height and landed in his open palm.

This time, the number faced up.

It was a negative result.

No one had sneaked into Klein's bedroom last night!

The paper wouldn't have turned around for no reason… Could it be sleepwalking? No, I can even stay awake after the Captain invaded my dream… Klein suddenly frowned and thought of two possibilities.

First, the divination was disrupted and resulted in misleading results.

Two, the one who sneaked in was not human!

Chapter 235: The Busy Monday

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Klein was in no hurry to confirm his general assumptions. He pretended that nothing had happened and turned the page so that it faced him.

The information he wrote about Ian Wright was completely true. He would still get a positive answer even if he used divination techniques to confirm. Therefore, he believed that the people under the ambassador's charge would follow this investigations trail and gain something in return. It was unlikely that they would have the motivation to seek revenge on him for the time being.

Similarly, he would continue to spread the paper out on his desk for the military's special department who were monitoring him. It would direct their attention away from him as they shifted their focus to Ian Wright. It would then be a race against time to find him before the ambassador.

This way, Klein would be even safer.

It feels like I'm walking on a tightrope. Is this a Clown's special trick? He shook his head in amusement. He opened the oriel window, hoping to take in the fresh morning air, but there was thick, choking smog outside that made him quietly close the windows.

Pressing down the paper with Ian's information with an ink bottle, Klein went to the closest bathroom and quickly washed up. He then picked up the black double-breasted suit and the half top hat that hung from the rack and walked all the way to the first floor.

He had an appointment with Lawyer Jurgen for breakfast today.

Pulling his black silver inlaid cane from the umbrella stand in the foyer, Klein walked along the edge of the street in a thick fog that provided visibility of no more than ten meters until he reached 58 Minsk Street. He rang the doorbell of the dark house.

As the clanging sound echoed, a black green-eyed cat with a raised tail suddenly appeared in his mind.

Brody the black cat walked straight to the door. After preparing itself for two seconds, it leaped up and grabbed the handle of the door.

Then, it inevitably fell and twisted the handle with its weight, and opened the door.

With a creak, the morning wind blew in, and the door slowly opened.

Brody the black cat glanced at Klein haughtily as it walked to the side.

"What a clever cat," Klein praised as he faced the old lady, Doris, in her white apron.

Doris laughed as her wrinkles eased.

"It depends on its mood. Most of the time it acts stupid, as though it doesn't know what you're talking about. Oh, I've prepared my best bean turnip soup for you. Eat it with bread."

Bean turnip soup… Sounds like something randomly mashed together… Klein smiled.

"I'm looking forward to it."

The lawyer came out of the bathroom. Even at home, regardless if he had just woken up, he was dressed to the nines. His white shirt was ironed and his brownish-yellow vest was tightly fitted, the lines of his trousers appearing to be freshly ironed.

"The contract you wanted is complete. Check to see if there are any omissions." Jurgen's blue eyes swept over. He didn't make small talk as he went straight to the point.

His brown hair was neatly combed back, and the sheen from the pomade was unmistakable.

"Alright." Klein leaned his cane, took off his hat and coat, and followed Jurgen into the study on the first floor, where he received a thick contract.

He stood there, casually flipping through it. The more he read, the more his head hurt. In the end, he only skimmed through the key clauses.

I hope that everything that's needed is in there, as well as the previously omitted clauses, such as the establishment of the three instances that will determine how much money is to be supplied to Leppard based on his progress, rather than a lump sum payment of 100 pounds. The first instance involves 50 pounds… Yes, that way I won't have to go to the Backlund Bank for the time being and take out the remaining hundred pounds from my anonymous account. What I have on me is enough…

Klein closed the document, smiled at Jurgen, and said, "I'm satisfied. Your professional skills are better than I imagined."

As he said that, he took out two one-pound notes that he had prepared.

Jurgen took the money, gave Klein the remaining contracts, and said in a serious tone, "If an error is made during the signing, there are two extra copies. Remember to shred the remaining contracts when everything is over."

The current iteration of shredding machines was a hand-cranked mechanical shredder.

Klein was about to nod his head, when Mrs. Doris suddenly shouted from the dining room, "Good lads, it's time for breakfast!"

"My grandmother's hearing has deteriorated," Jurgen explained as he invited Klein with a hand gesture.

Klein followed him into the dining room and saw that Mrs. Doris had scooped out a spoonful of yellow and green liquid from a black pot and poured it onto the corresponding plate.

"Here, try the bean turnip soup. Here's your bread." Mrs. Doris smiled and pointed to the suspicious pile of food.

Klein looked at Jurgen who looked even more serious than before. His heart skipped a beat.

Forcing himself to sit, Klein broke off a piece of white bread, dipped it in the yellow-green soup, and stuffed it into his mouth with the spirit of an adventurer.

"…" He was surprised to find that the flavor was actually quite good. The faint salty taste had a sweet tang to it that stimulated his appetite. It also perfectly brought out the soft, fragrant flavor of the bread.

"My grandmother was once an excellent cook," Jugen said casually as he slowly savored his breakfast.

… Then why do you have to keep a straight face… I really don't have any appetite watching you eat… Klein lampooned silently before immersing himself into the relaxed and happy feelings brought by the delicacy.

After leaving the Jurgens, he made three transfers to Sird Street in St. George Borough, where he made a formal agreement and paid Leppard the first fifty pound. The second sum of thirty pounds would be paid in two weeks' time, depending on Leppard's progress.

At this point, Klein was left with only 21 pounds 8 soli.

Then, he returned to Cherwood Borough and went to the public library to read the Tussock Times of the past year in search of news regarding the Intis ambassador to the Loen Kingdom.

When it was almost noon, he finally saw the black-and-white photo and confirmed that it was the one he had seen in his dream divination.

"Bakerland Jean Madan," Klein recited the Intis Republic's ambassador's name silently. He left the library and found a small restaurant for lunch.

…

At ten minutes to three, Klein pretended to take a nap. He drew the curtains, took four steps in the counterclockwise direction, and arrived above the gray fog.

He first divined if the military's special department had relaxed their surveillance on him and received a positive result. He then wrote a divination statement that he had thought of in the morning: "The infiltrator from last night."

Leaning back in his chair, he muttered the sentence. Klein's eyelids drooped as he fell asleep.

His bedroom came into view in a world of illusion, separation, and obscurity.

At that moment, Klein saw a black shadow squirming in the crack at the bottom of the door!

A slender, iron-black threadworm drilled its way into the room. It arched at the center and then flattened itself, constantly repeating it as it proceeded towards the desk.

Its movements were extremely stiff, as though it had broken down a series of slow motions, making it appear quite odd.

The black threadworm crept to the front of the desk and crawled to the top, leaving a trail of quickly evaporating mucus behind.

It stopped at the written piece regarding Ian Wright. Its head lifted up as the middle of its body rose, leaving only the tail to support the body.

At this moment, it was just like a human!

After examining it for a moment, the black-iron threadworm turned the paper around and disappeared back the way it came from.

So that was the case… That is to say, it wasn't that the infiltrator didn't want to take revenge on me last night; he simply didn't have the ability to do so… Unless this iron-black threadworm is highly venomous… Klein nodded in enlightenment, he then used divination and obtained confirmation that the Beyonder who manipulated the black-iron threadworm had done so under Ambassador Bakerland's orders.

After doing all of this, he completely covered the paper bag in the corner with gray fog and sent a message to The Sun, Derrick.

When the hands of the pocket watch were in place, Klein pulled in Justice, The Hanged Man, and The Sun at the same time.

This week's Tarot Club happened as scheduled!

…

The familiar gray fog and blurry human silhouettes appeared. Audrey, who had successfully advanced to Sequence 8, half stood up, lifted her skirt, and happily greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~ Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man! Good afternoon, Mr. Sun!"

Klein, who had activated his Spirit Vision earlier, noticed the change in the surface layer of the Astral Projection in the depths of Miss Justice's Ether Body with the help of the gray fog's uniqueness. With a chuckle, he said, "Welcome, our 'Miss Telepathist.'"

Audrey smiled reservedly and said a few words of humility before turning to face the person across her.

"Mr. Hanged Man, you should be handing this week's six pages."

Perhaps, when Mr. Fool reads it, he will think of something and shares with us a little more of his "general knowledge"… The corners of her mouth curled up in anticipation.

Alger nodded and began to produce the six pages of Roselle's diary with Klein's help.

Previously, he had thought about consulting The Fool about whether he should directly submit the rest of the diary via a sacrifice. However, seeing that The Fool didn't seem too interested or take the initiative to mention it, he gave up on this idea.

And this was in line with his understanding of The Fool. Roselle's diary had a certain effect on the godlike-man—Mr. Fool—but it wasn't that great. He would collect it, but he definitely wasn't in a rush.

The six pages of the diary were completed very quickly. As Alger was about to offer it to The Fool who sat at the end of the long bronze table, he suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly said respectfully, "Mr. Fool, I have obtained a piece of information related to the Secret Order."

There was no obstruction of information on the ocean; it just wasn't timely enough.

The pirates also valued intelligence and often sent people to the colonial island to exchange information that they had gathered. It was through these channels that Alger learned something about the Secret Order.

"Very good." Klein nodded his head slightly, giving his permission to The Hanged Man to recount what he knew. He didn't stop the presence of Miss Justice and The Sun from letting him speak.

This would help the former gather more information about the Secret Order, while the latter understood nothing.

At the same time, he allowed the six-page diary to appear in his hands.

The Hanged Man said unhurriedly, "The Secret Order has some connection with the Intis Republic."

The Intis Republic. Yes, Emperor Republic was from Intis, and Zaratul had sought him out in Trier, the capital of Intis… The Secret Order was also involved in the famous incident at Intis… Well, it's not too surprising that the Secret Order still has some connection with the Intis Republic today… After validating this new piece of information with what he knew, Klein confirmed that the information provided by The Hanged Man was true.

Heh, just in time, I'm going to deal with the ambassador of the Intis Republic… Klein was in no hurry to read Roselle's diary. He looked up at the three members.

Chapter 236: Internal Commission

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As Klein's knowledge of mysticism and Beyonders deepened, as well as his experiments with some of the powers of the space above the gray fog, he no longer felt anxious when facing Justice, The Hanged Man, and The Sun. He became less preoccupied with maintaining an enigmatic and unfathomable image so as to prevent the Tarot Club members from keenly noticing his facade.

He now knew that although the deities in this world were powerful and bizarre, they were by no means omniscient and omnipotent. This description was something that only the legendary Creator of everything could do, one that only the City of Silver was still worshiping.

The deities had their limitations, and the deities could also be put into tough situations. That was something Klein could now confirm. Be it The Book of Storms or The Revelation of Evernight, they more or less touched upon this.

Therefore, at the recent Tarot Gathering, Klein was consciously building "character traits," slowly shaping himself into a restricted powerhouse who, for some reason, couldn't move freely but was almost a deity.

This way, even if he occasionally showed that he didn't understand certain things and occasionally asked for help, it wouldn't arouse the suspicion of the Tarot Club members.

Of course, the premise of all this was that, through his previous attempts and through the power displayed by his "adorer," Azik, he had undoubtedly embedded the image of a deity-like existence into the minds of Justice, The Hanged Man, and The Sun.

Phew, I hope that this building of character traits will succeed. That way, I won't have to worry about not being able to answer their questions in the future… Of course, things that are part of "general knowledge" still have to be known, and I shouldn't show fear… Klein tapped the edge of the ancient table and said with a chuckle, "I want to issue a mission."

Mission? Audrey's ears pricked up slightly as her eyes widened. She was astonished, expectant, and perturbed at the same time.

She clearly remembered that this was the first time that Mr. Fool had officially issued a mission!

Although "He" had previously made a few requests, they all involved prepaid rewards. It seemed like "He" had randomly selected missions to conform to the principle of equal exchange… This time, He used the word "issue"… As a Telepathist, Audrey was already very good at reading the hidden meanings behind words.

At the same time, she keenly realized that although The Hanged Man appeared to remain unperturbed, he was actually abnormally tense. As for The Sun, he seemed to be muddle-headed, treating this as a very normal thing.

"You can choose to accept it or not." With the help of his Clown's powers, Klein's tone sounded much more relaxed. "Another adorer of mine has arrived in Backlund. He wants to finish a matter, but it's not convenient for him to show himself."

Another adorer… The Hanged Man nodded, seemingly in thought. He wasn't surprised at all.

In his eyes, for a powerful godlike existence like Mr. Fool, possessing many adorers was a matter of fact.

I wonder what the Sequence number of Mr. Fool's adorer is… Well, I still owe "His" previous adorer a reward… Even though Mr. Fool's reward was paid by Mr. Hanged Man, and "He" doesn't really care about money, I did pray for help at that time. Furthermore, Rear Admiral Hurricane was killed by that adorer…"His" adorer would still need some funds for their activities… Audrey thought with some guilt.

Frankly speaking, thirty thousand gold pounds and a large plantation was an enormous amount of wealth to her, but that alone didn't have any significant effect on her life.

It's good having it, but it didn't matter if I didn't. Well, I might feel the pinch a little…Audrey nodded to herself earnestly.

As a teenage girl who wasn't considered an adult yet, ignoring the large plantation, she actually didn't have absolute control over the remaining thirty thousand pounds. She could only go with her father's arrangements, purchasing some stocks from Backlund Munitions Corporation and invest in a company that was attempting to spinoff some of the technology in ironclad warships for commercial ships.

The amount she ultimately received and could be used as an allowance was only 5000 pounds. However, her fixed annuity had increased by at least 2000 pounds from its original range of 15,000 to 25,000 pounds.

Seeing that Justice and the others hadn't spoken, Klein issued the mission.

"The task he wants to be completed is the assassination of the Intis Republic ambassador to the Loen Kingdom, Bakerland Jean Madan."

"Assassinate the Intis Republic's ambassador!?" Audrey lost her composure as she asked in surprise.

This would cause conflict between the two countries and might even be an act of war! As a qualified aristocratic lady, her first thought was about international foreign affairs.

As for why Mr. Fool didn't do so himself, she found the answer obvious.

Which mighty figure would always be helping their subordinates?

After the Kingdom suffered defeat at the east coast of Balam, the King didn't personally set off. At most, the general would be replaced and new troops deployed.

Hmm, rumor has it that His Majesty wanted to set off for the frontline, but was stopped by the nobles and officials…

Alger was only mildly surprised by the task; his focus was on another matter.

Mr. Fool is indeed unable to strongly interfere with the real world… My guess is right… I wonder to what extent can "He" influence us after establishing our connection… Can "He" easily take one's life away? Alger, a little pleased with himself, began to let his thoughts wander.

Derrick blanked out listening to the conversation.

What's the Intis Republic? What's an ambassador? These words sound so strange in Jotun!

Klein swept his gaze around and maintained his casual attitude.

"Which one of you is willing to accept this mission?

"What kind of reward do you want?"

Eh… I can't convince myself to kill an innocent man for no reason. And it could very well lead to a disaster, a disaster caused by war… Audrey, who wanted to raise her hand, hesitated.

Just then, The Hanged Man chuckled and said, "I've heard that this Ambassador Bakerland is also the intelligence chief of the Intis Republic in the Kingdom. He secretly supports bloodshed, planned a number of incidents that destroyed the relationship between the nobility and the rich, and spread rumors to incite the public into standing against the government."

He seemed to notice the hesitation in Justice, so he described the dark side of Bakerland in detail.

Then, he added, "I'm not sure if the ambassador is a Beyonder, but there are many clues that suggest he may very well be.

"He has quite a number of Beyonders around him, Beyonders that come under the Intis intelligence web. And this department is influenced by the original royal family in Intis, the Sauron family. They're in control of the early Sequences of the Hunter pathway.

"Moreover, the possibility of a war between the two countries depends only on whether or not the upper echelons of both sides want to fight. It has nothing to do with the life or death of a diplomat."

After the assassination of Emperor Roselle, Intis suffered several great shocks but ultimately managed to maintain a stable republican system. Because the Sauron family suffered a brutal blow during Roselle's reign, their strength fell tremendously in all aspects. All they could do was accept the reality and change their goal to fighting for a seat in parliament and secretly influence the country's intelligence department and parts of the army.

After listening to the information provided by The Hanged Man, the hesitation in Audrey's heart disappeared. She gracefully nodded and said, "For the past few years, the Feysac Empire has expanded rapidly, having defeated the Kingdom and the Intis Republic on the Balam east coast and the Highlands. As long as we push the blame to them, the higher-ups and the citizens of the Intis Empire, it will be something acceptable and believable."

Audrey didn't know much about politics, but with her father being a Member of Parliament in the House of Lords, she still knew certain things.

Be it the shirking of responsibility or shifting the focus onto the Kingdom's internal problems, the unpopular northern barbarians were the popular and easiest targets for the nobles and ministers.

Whether they did it or not didn't matter.

Of course, more than a hundred years ago, this role was played by Intis and Roselle.

After pondering for a few seconds, Audrey looked at the seat of honor, feeling a little perturbed and a little guilty.

"Mr. Fool, I can attempt to complete this mission, but I cannot guarantee its success."

On the one hand, she was going to find her father and confirm that Ambassador Bakerland was really the head of the Intis intelligence service. On the other hand, she wasn't going to do it herself either. As a Spectator or a Telepathist, neither one of them was good at combat, and all she could do was gather as much information about Ambassador Backlund from high society as she could and delegate the mission.

Well, I could get Xio and Fors to ask Mr. A to do it… Or find the hosts of the other Beyonder circles… I cannot be exposed. Things have to be kept secret, and there might be Intis intelligence agents lurking in those circles. I don't know how much money I'll have to pay, but 5000 pounds might not be enough… Audrey was already beginning to think of the subsequent plans.

Klein didn't pin his hopes on Sequence 8—Miss Justice—to succeed. He nodded and said, "What compensation would you like?"

"The formula to the Psychiatrist potion," Audrey said before hesitantly adding, "as well as the corresponding Beyonder ingredients. Oh, we can wait until the mission is completed before discussing further. If it doesn't succeed, I'll bear the expenses. I-I still ow-owe your adorer the bounty money."

Bounty money? So it was given to Miss Justice… 10,000 pounds. That's 5000 if we split it equally… Shrouded in the gray fog, Klein pondered for a few seconds on how much Ambassador Bakerland was worth and finally decided that he was definitely more valuable than Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos.

"Sure," Klein replied in a normal tone.

At this moment, The Hanged Man Alger added, "I'll also accept this mission. The compensation can be determined after the mission is completed."

"Didn't you return to the sea?" Audrey asked in surprise.

"Just because I'm not in Backlund doesn't mean I can't kill Ambassador Bakerland," Alger said with a smile without giving any detailed explanations.

Derrick, who was beside him, never had the chance to join in on the conversation.

Klein nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

He immediately turned his gaze to the Roselle diary in his hands.

Chapter 237: Sequence 2

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"29th October. The leader of the Secret Order, Zaratul, visited me once again. He didn't mention anything specific and just casually chatted with me. I wasn't able to guess his true intentions. It seems like he just wanted to strengthen the communication between us and understand each other better?

"I've already met the two High-Sequence Beyonders from the Church, but I felt that Zaratul was much more powerful and mysterious than them, so I asked him what Sequence number he was without much hope, and in the end, he actually answered me!

"He told me that he was a Sequence 2, Miracle Invoker!

"Sequence 2? In the Church's categorization, that's the position of an angel, close to that of a deity!

"He truly is more powerful than the Alchemist and Arcane Scholar that I met before!

"But my intuition tells me that Zaratul isn't telling the whole truth. Sequence 2 might just be his former position, or that he's about to advance.

"Miracle Invoker? A master at creating miracles? The name of this potion makes one's imagination run wild!

"This is the corresponding Sequence 2 of Seer, a Miracle Invoker who controls fate?

"I tried probing Zaratul if the word miracle refers to the miracle of fate? That the Seer pathway is one that slowly understands and grasps fate so as to control it?

"Zaratul ignored the first question. He told me that fate is just one of the parts of the Seer pathway, and it's not even its main focus. The pathway that truly represents fate is Monster!

"He raised a few examples which were all potion names of the Monster Sequence. Sequence 7 The Lucky, Sequence 5 The Lucky, Sequence 2 Soothsayer, and Sequence 1 Snake of Mercury! It's also known as the Snake of Fate.

"This was the first Sequence 1 I got to know. It hit me right in the face!

"According to what I know, the Monster pathway should be controlled by the Life School of Thought. This school seems to also have parts of the Apothecary Sequence pathway. They propose three major divisions, the world of absolute rationality, the world of the spirit, and the material world. Yea, it's pretty cool.

"Zaratul told me that the Life School of Thought specializes in astromancy, seeking to use medicine, music, light, wine, and fragrance, to eliminate paths with unfavorable star readings and fate. They believe that disasters and diseases are caused by the loss of balance between man and nature, as well as the balance between man and his own mind.

"He added meaningfully that the Life School of Thought worships the moon.

"Why worship the moon and not go one step further, the Evernight Goddess?"

This diary took up two pages and was clearly copied from both sides of the original.

That's a lot of information… Klein sighed in heartfelt silence.

This was also the first time he was learning of a Sequence 1 potion's name.

Snake of Mercury and Snake of Fate really made one feel a pining for!

Similarly, it's my first time learning of a Sequence 2. I now know the corresponding Sequence 2 of Seer… The name Miracle Invoker sounds pretty good. It contains deep meaning and doesn't sound lowly. Of course, compared to Soothsayer, it does seem a little inferior…

Fate is only part of the Seer pathway and it's not even its main focus. I have to remember this. I should constantly reflect on myself and not end up steering towards fate. It might result in the failure of my "acting"… Zaratul's words don't seem contradictory… The Monster pathway is the real path of fate… So, Soothsayer is a Sequence 2. If that's the case, then I already knew of a Sequence 2 in the past…

Although he didn't take his eyes off the paper, Klein was seriously considering his own Sequence chain.

Due to his experience in digesting the two potions, "Seer" and "Clown," and because he could spy and revere fate, he was able to be a little prescient regarding fate. However, he would still be helpless toward the development of fate. He had slowly been equating the essence of his Beyonder pathway to fate. If it wasn't for this diary, it was very likely that he would've used this as a premise to comprehend and "act" for the subsequent Sequences.

As for whether or not Zaratul was lying, what Klein was certain of was that the Monster pathway was definitely the Sequence of Fate, which was consistent with what he had seen from the confidential information of the Nighthawks and with the potion name he had heard of earlier, "Soothsayer."

Now that there was a Fate Sequence, the "Seer" pathway was unlikely to be a repeat. This would result in some degree of overlapping, and it would be inconsistent with how each of the current Sequences had different characteristics.

Therefore, Klein was inclined to believe what Zaratul had said. He was inclined to believe that fate was only part of the Seer's pathway, not even its main focus.

The value of these two pages is invaluable to the present me… The Alchemist and the Arcane Scholar should be the higher Sequences of the Savant pathway. From Roselle's tone, they definitely don't belong to Sequence 2 and 1. That is to say, they are Sequence 4 and Sequence 3… For the time being, it's impossible to determine which is Sequence 4 and which is Sequence 3… Klein gathered his thoughts, flipped the diary, and continued reading.

As for why the Life School of Thought only worshiped the moon and didn't believe in the Evernight Goddess which symbolized the crimson moon, he was unable to ponder too deeply about it due to the lack of information.

The third page was Roselle's recount of inventing a practical steam engine. At times, he was afraid of suffering crackdowns, and at other times, afraid that the fruits of his labor would be seized by powerful figures. His words displayed his fear of being persecuted.

To think that even Emperor Roselle, who thought of himself as the protagonist of an era, would have such a perturbed and worried side to him… The corners of Klein's mouth twitched as he flipped to the fourth page of the diary.

"18th April. Matilda is pregnant.

"It's to be expected, and I can even tell you exactly which love-making session she conceived in, because I felt a decrease in my Beyonder characteristic.

"Once the conception is successful, my own Beyonder characteristic will follow a mysterious connection, and part of it will be transferred to my child.

"After that, I asked Archbishop Fan Esti worriedly. He told me that this is a normal phenomenon. For Sequence 7 and below, Beyonder characteristics will not be passed on to the next generation, but it isn't absolute, Sequence 6 and 5 will naturally pass down a portion, but it will not affect the parent's strength. As for the child, they would be born with certain Beyonder powers, close to that of Sequence 9. But as a result, their pathway is basically fixed.

"At high Sequences, the inheritance of Beyonder characteristics is something one can control. One can choose to pass down or not, or one can even choose to pass down just a little bit, a third, half, or all of them.

"In other words, the children born from High-Sequence Beyonders might be born as Beyonders. As for the Sequence number, it's up to either one of the parents to decide.

"I wonder if the descendants of the deities are like this as well…"

After reading the diary, there were only two phrases in Klein's mind: "Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility" and "Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation."

Is the law governing the survival of Beyonder creatures? It's no wonder that some magical animals will reproduce only before they die… It's no wonder there would be the phenomenon of increased killing and bloodlust after childbirth. The target would be of their own race or even their partner. This is to supplement their Beyonder characteristics… According to this logic, if we trace this all the way back, where did the earliest Beyonder characteristics come from? Produced out of thin air? From the Creator who created everything?

Since Miss Justice had already advanced to Telepathist, Klein controlled the urge to nod and continued to leaf through the pages.

The fifth page was Roselle's criticisms about how no one could enjoy his pop music and thought that he was making noise, while at the same time, he mused how refreshing stories was a common pursuit of different people from different worlds, and that the popularity of the novels he plagiarized from The Count of Monte Cristo allowed the newspaper he founded to flourish.

… Emperor, is there anything else you haven't done? With a smile, Klein turned to the sixth and final page.

"10th November, I received the great pirate Savigny Solomon in secret at the White Maple Palace. Solomon. I hope that he will plunder my opponents on the new sea route and strike at the ships of Feysac, Loen, and Feynapotter.

"And I promised to help him advance to a High-Sequence Beyonder.

"The Beyonder pathway of Dark Emperor has names that are as strange as the Demoness pathway—Corruption, Confusion, The Fallen, Disorder… However, in order to match the Dark Emperor, they added on their own suffixes, Baron of Corruption, Mentor of Confusion, Count of The Fallen, and Prince of Disorder.

"In order for Savigny to live up to his name, I decided to confer him the title of Count of the Court in secret.

"Savigny has a child named Nast Solomon, and my intuition tells me that he will dominate the Five Seas in the future."

Nast Solomon… The King of the Five Seas, Nast? Nast, who claims to be a descendant of the Solomon Empire? To think that he was born during the Roselle period! Klein was stunned.

Since Roselle had mentioned the term "new sea route," Klein had easily determined the corresponding year.

It was in 1194 that the new sea route was discovered and the Southern Continent was found, and Roselle was assassinated in 1198. The diary could only have been written between those two years.

That also meant that it was about 151 to 155 years ago.

If Nast, the "King of the Five Seas," was the Nast Solomon, Roselle had spoken of, he's almost 160 years old… Is this due to other reasons, or do High-Sequence Beyonders obtain an extension to their lifespan in the first place… Klein thought seriously.

He gathered his thoughts and let the diary disappear from his hands. He then looked at Justice and said, "You are free to trade or communicate now."

Mr. Fool has no general knowledge to tell us today… Audrey was slightly disappointed. She turned her gaze to Sun and said, "Can I exchange information related to the dragon from you?"

She clearly remembered that Mr. Sun called the Spectator pathway "the Dragon pathway," and that he said it originated from the Dragon race.

"Sure. I want the Sequence 8 potion formula for Bard," answered The Sun, Derrick, who had been silent all this while, in hesitation.

He had wanted to use this as an exchange for information on the world where Justice and The Hanged Man were living so that he wouldn't always be confounded by what he heard. However, seeing that his process of digesting the potion was nearing completion, he still made his advancement his top priority.

Chapter 238: Dragon of Imagination

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Audrey wasn't surprised by The Sun's request. Since the "acting method" had proliferated in the City of Silver, then the amount of time that had passed suggested that it was likely that he was close to the end of his digestion period. Seeking the subsequent potion formula was definitely one of his highest priorities.

I wonder how the Bard acts? Sing poetry every day? When encountering combat, dodge to the side and use his singing to bring courage and strength to his companions? Or perhaps he would first bless himself before charging forward with a hammer or sword raised? I wonder if it will bring about an improvement in his singing ability. If it's possible, then he would definitely be an outstanding singer or opera singer… Audrey thought with great interest. She purposely didn't express her stance in a hurry, so as to not let The Sun raise the price again.

This wasn't something she learned from her tutor or from the Beyonder gatherings she had attended. It was purely a technique she had developed herself after she had advanced to become a Telepathist.

"I will try my best to find the Sequence 8 potion formula corresponding to the Bard pathway, but it won't be today. Are you satisfied with this condition?" Audrey said in deliberation before looking at the seat of honor at the ancient table. "We can seek Mr. Fool's help to bear witness to this agreement."

At that moment, Klein laughed and replied, "Miss Justice, perhaps I can provide the Light Suppliant formula for you."

Audrey's eyes lit up as she quickly nodded slightly.

"No problem! Then, what should I use to exchange with you?"

I haven't thought of it yet… Klein chuckled and said, "Don't worry; perhaps my adorers will require help in certain matters in the future."

His thoughts were very simple. If he allowed Miss Justice to obtain the formula of Light Suppliant in her Beyonder circles, then wouldn't the knowledge he had stolen from the Eternal Blazing Sun at the cost of near immolation be for naught?

At the very least, it would be wasted at the Tarot Club!

"Alright, I will do my best to help them!" Audrey promised happily.

Klein pressed his hands together and a yellowish-brown piece of goatskin parchment appeared before him. On it was the formula for the Light Suppliant potion, including substitute ingredients and their ancient names. Furthermore, they were all translated to Jotun.

"Main ingredients: a piece of Brilliance Rock or powder of Dazzling Soul; Blood of a Mirror Hedgehog or the Heart of a Magma Titan; Supplementary ingredients: a Golden-edged Sunflower, three drops of Aconite Juice…"

With a gentle push, the goatskin appeared in front of The Sun.

Although he could pray to Mr. Fool to recall the formula even if he forgot it completely, Derrick still diligently memorized the formula. It took him quite a while before he said, "Miss Justice, we can talk about the dragons."

"Mr. Fool, I seek your permission to speak with Mr. Sun alone." Audrey quickly raised her hand.

She originally believed that The Sun would put the appropriate content on paper for her to read, but it would be inconvenient for her to ask questions. She would have to pen her questions and push them back to him. Such a way of communication was utterly cumbersome.

Speak with him alone? In such a conversation, you probably wouldn't understand what The Sun is saying; likewise for The Sun… Klein nodded as his voice remained placid.

"Alright."

In the Beyonder circles, Hermes was a language one had to master. Ancient Hermes was something that one could learn and was relatively popular. Jotun, Dragonese, and Elvish were relatively less popular, so few people knew them.

The moment that was said, Klein isolated The Hanged Man, preventing him from seeing or hearing.

Alger had a certain interest in the knowledge of the dragons, but it wasn't enough for him to pay the price of listening, so he kept silent and waited.

Seeing that Mr. Fool had made a gesture for them to start talking, The Sun, Derrick, remained silent for a few seconds, organized his words, and said, "The dragons are mortal enemies of the Giant King. They all look like magnified lizards, and their entire bodies are covered in scales of different colors. Their four limbs are thick and powerful, and their wings are wide enough to drive their giant bodies to flight. They are the rulers of the sky.

"They have a myriad of abilities, some have the ability to breathe fire, others the ability to command lightning, bring corrosion, or even creating frost. But these are not mainstream among the dragons. The Dragon of the Mind occupies the greatest number of dragons with Dragon King Ankewelt as their representative. The Beyonder pathway that stems from the Dragon of the Mind is the Spectator. In the City of Silver, we typically call it the Dragon pathway."

With regards to similar trades, Derrick had initially prepared to regurgitate the historical texts, but upon discovering that Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man didn't seem to share the same "world," he gradually realized the value of the widely-known history of the City of Silver. Thus, he only talked about dragons this time and spoke nothing of giants, elves, mutants, phoenixes, vampires, etc.

The King of Dragons Ankewelt… This aligns with the records of the Church… Audrey nodded slightly, politely refraining from interrupting The Sun's narration.

Derrick recalled the contents of his textbook and said, "Back then, the most powerful and most terrifying dragon was the Dragon King Ankewelt, also known as the Dragon of Imagination. Apart from it, his son, Alzuhod blanketed the sky as well, overlooking the famous, powerful figures across the land and sea. Its name was the Dragon of Nightmare.

"Regarding the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, there was a legend that whatever he imagined would manifest. The kingdom he imagined would definitely descend upon the material world. The future it declares would definitely play out and become reality."

This… Klein suddenly frowned. If it wasn't for the fact that Justice Audrey was focused on listening to The Sun, she definitely would've noticed his abnormality, even if he was covered by the thick gray fog.

The description made him think of Sealed Artifact 0-08!

A declared future would definitely play out… They share similar characteristics!Klein leaned back in his chair; he looked relaxed, but in fact, he was even more focused.

Dragon of Imagination, how cool… That's the mark of a deity! Audrey's eyes lit up when she heard him, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Derrick paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Its son, Dragon of Nightmare, Alzuhod, is similarly terrifying. It can control the hearts of every living creature and make them act according to his will. And these living creatures will find it hard to sense it, believing that their actions were of their own will. It will also fabricate real nightmares into reality, causing many living creatures to unknowingly participate in them. It would then give them the cruelest and shocking ends.

"Legend has it that it especially loves mischief, that it will let a prince kiss a princess to wake her up, but the princess has already mostly rotten away. It will make ordinary girls wear dancing shoes and dance in front of the prince, but find themselves unable to do so until their deaths. It will create all kinds of coincidences and push the fates of many living creatures towards tragedy."

All kinds of coincidences… This sounds even more like a 0-08… Of course, I don't know much about the Sealed Artifact… Klein resisted the urge to stroke his chin as he made himself look like an immutable ancient well.

"What a vile dragon… However, its abilities are very interesting," Audrey said, half sighing, half excited.

Is this the future of the Spectator pathway? No, I have to call it the Dragon pathway! I don't want to switch to another Sequence! Audrey wished that she could immediately become a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist and continue her rapid advancement.

The Sun Derrick answered sincerely, "It has been two to three thousand years since the history of the dragon and the Giant King. Everything I know comes from textbooks and legends, so there is no guarantee of its authenticity."

"At least your history remains intact." Audrey was in a good mood. "And then?"

"Then? The Creator awoke, and the Dragon of Imagination, the Dragon of Nightmare, and other famous dragons fell from the sky, losing everything, including their lives. This resulted in a lack of sunlight for 49 days, causing countless volcanoes to erupt, as well as tides that drowned everything. And after the dragons declined, they could only hide away in various dangerous areas. Later on, the Giant King was destroyed by the Creator as well," Derrick said in a heavy tone.

This is different from the history I know… Wasn't it the Lord of Storms, Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom who led humanity to defeat the dragons, giants, and kill their kings? Audrey felt confused, as though time and history were somehow out of place.

Klein was also puzzled by this and felt that the true history was riddled with mysteries, especially as it was from the Second Epoch, a time more ancient than history.

Most of the legends recorded in the Church's ancient texts should be fake, but the history of the City of Silver cannot be completely believed… What would real history be like? He gathered his thoughts, smiled and asked, "Is the exchange over?"

"That's all I know," Derrick replied in shame.

He felt that the information he had provided didn't match the value of the Light Suppliant potion formula.

Audrey quietly drew a breath, as the corners of her mouth curved upwards.

"I'm very satisfied."

I know my future direction… she added happily in her mind.

After a few more exchanges, Klein announced the end of this week's Tarot Club.

After sending off Miss Justice and the others, he didn't linger any longer and quickly returned to his bedroom to reduce the risk of being discovered by others.

…

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Count Hall.

Audrey happily paced back and forth, planning to reward Susie with a few dog treats.

Just then, she heard a knock at the door.

From the sound of her footsteps and the gait, she could tell that it was her personal maid, Annie.

"Come in." Audrey looked at the mirror, smoothed her hair, and straightened her back.

Annie came in with a piece of paper and smiled.

"Miss, a telegram for you came from the Southern Continent."

Southern Continent? Alfred? Audrey suddenly thought of her elder brother, took the paper in delight, and examined it closely.

It was indeed from her second elder brother, Alfred Hall. He had sent a telegram from the east coast of the Balam Empire and it read:

"I've found the Rainbow Salamander you wanted. Two in total. Please await its delivery."

But, I don't need it anymore… Audrey froze, blinked, and turned her head sharply to Susie.

The large golden retriever wagged her tail with a stupefied expression.

Chapter 239: Each Having Their Own "Gathering"

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Well, I don't need it anymore, but I can give it to Susie, and I can exchange it for other Beyonder ingredients. Well, Susie's potion is still short of the spinal fluid from a Farsman Rabbit… Some things are easier left to Susie, it's far more convenient for her than for me… Every "famous detective" needs a good assistant. Uh-huh! Audrey quickly made her decision. To her, this was no longer something she particularly cared about.

As she put down the telegram, her pleasure subsided, and the worries of reality began to emerge.

I still owe Mr. Fool intelligence regarding the Secret Order, the mission to assassinate the Intis ambassador, and a request from his adorer… I've finally experienced the feeling of being riddled in debt… Audrey, we can't delay any longer! Let's start! The girl quietly clenched her fists. She wanted to find a pen and paper and write a letter to Viscount Glaint so that he could arrange for her to meet Xio and Fors as soon as possible. She needed to delegate the mission.

She picked up a fountain pen, dipped it in ink, and suddenly, Audrey held her wrist in midair without writing.

She had just thought of a crucial problem which was that she knew very little about the Intis ambassador Bakerland. In such cases, it was easy to misjudge the difficulty of a mission, either because no one was willing to accept it or because the mission had been entrusted to an unsuitable person, dooming the mission to fail at the very beginning.

The resulting growing cost wasn't her main concern; instead, she believed that The Fool would better reward her and help her even further.

After pondering for a moment, Audrey turned her head to her maidservant, Annie, and said, "Tell Countess Jaria that I accept her invitation and will punctually attend her ball tomorrow evening."

Jaria was the wife of Count Wolfe, and she had invited ambassadors to Loen from every country to her upcoming ball, including Bakerland Jean Madan.

Audrey had planned on declining the invitation with the excuse of being sick, but now she was interested in the ball.

After she observed Ambassador Bakerland and gathered enough information, she would meet with Xio and Fors! Audrey suddenly felt the excitement of participating in a major event that she always dreamed of!

…

First Manor in the Rorsted Archipelago, City of Generosity, Bayam.

Having returned to the real world, Alger Wilson changed into attire that was considered gaudy in the Intis Republic and went through the back door of the hotel into the alley and made several detours.

He stopped in front of a house with no garden or lawn and put on a familiar white mask.

Next, he knocked on the door with three heavy knocks and two light ones, separating them with two lengthy pauses and two short pauses respectively.

After about ten seconds, the door creaked open. A man wearing a pirate's headband stuck his head out and looked around quickly.

"Come in," the man said with a deep voice as he made way.

Without a word, Alger quietly walked into the room.

Creak!

The door slammed shut.

…

At 15 Minsk Street, Klein drew the curtains open and sat down at his desk.

The information about the Secret Order that was given to him by The Hanged Man made him realize that his target might have certain connections to the Intis Republic. At the same time, he was reminded of the words The Hanged Man had used to describe the Antigonus family—"strange" and "terrifying."

The Beyonder who sneaked into my room last night to read the information and leave me a warning was indeed strange… The Sequence pathway that the Antigonus family has in their control is the Seer pathway which the Secret Order possesses. The two can be equated… That is to say, one can speculate that the Beyonder from last night was a member of the Secret Order who works part-time as an Intis Republic spy? Or could the person not be a member of the Secret Order, but someone who used the connection between the Intis Republic and the Secret Order to obtain the corresponding formulas and potions? Klein began to boldly assume that as he carefully tried to verify.

This can explain why my Clown's premonition ability didn't trigger when the strange threadworm intruded. This is the suppression effect of a Beyonder from a higher Sequence that shares the same pathway as me… Of course, it's also possible that the iron-black threadworm posed no concrete threat to me…

Similarly, it can be explained why the threadworm infiltrated my room the same night that I wrote the information regarding Ian Wright. Furthermore, it went straight for the desk… The other party is equipped with Seer abilities, making matters appear reasonably logical…

After repeatedly verifying his speculation, Klein felt that his guess was very likely close to the truth.

If the person in question is a relatively higher Sequence Beyonder from the Seer pathway, what Sequence number would he be? And what would the potion name be? To have the threadworm in his control, could it be another component of a circus, the Beast Tamer? Klein shook his head in a self-deprecating manner while feeling amused.

Perhaps my subsequent potion formula will be obtained from him… Is this the true meaning of the revelation I received from my former divination? Backlund really is the Land of Hope… Klein muttered a few words to himself and began to consider what to do next.

He had entrusted the task of assassinating the Intis Ambassador Bakerland to put an end to all latent dangers. He had to avoid suspicion, but he didn't have the ability needed to do so.

After Ian Wright's whereabouts were revealed to both sides, he was confident that Ambassador Bakerland wouldn't have time to exact revenge on him in the near future and wouldn't add to his problems.

Finding the extremely important item he mentioned was obviously what he was most concerned about.

In other words, before that item is found, I will be safe. I won't need to rush to hire powerful, Beyonder bodyguards… Hmm, even if there's any follow-up revenge, it's unlikely the ambassador will hire a High-Sequence Beyonder to deal with me. It's neither economical nor necessary; after all, Backlund isn't his home ground…

The highest possibility is that he would still get the Beyonder who sent the iron-black threadworm to infiltrate my room last night. He would at least be at Sequence 7, and perhaps even Sequence 6 or 5. He has the strength required and is familiar with the situation… When the time comes, I just need to hire a bodyguard according to this standard… I hope that before then, the Ambassador will never be able to issue such an order… Klein looked out of the window at the fog which had finally dissipated, seemingly in a daze.

He decided to continue heading to Bravehearts Bar tonight. Firstly, this was to come into contact with other Beyonders through Kaspars so as to choose a suitable bodyguard. Secondly, he could find an opportunity to sell Meursault's Beyonder characteristic, gather some funds, and see if anyone was selling any powerful mystic items to enhance his strength. This was a plan that would never go out of date.

After confirming his plan, Klein pretended to leisurely read the newspaper. He waited until the sky turned dark before slowly getting up and making himself tomato oxtail soup.

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, he drew the bedroom curtains as usual and decided not to open them tonight.

Then, summoning himself and responding to himself, he turned into the unique spirit body, bringing back Azik's copper whistle, Meursault's Beyonder characteristic, the self-made charms, all sorts of materials, and the tarot cards to the real world, leaving behind only a few items, such as the bloodied contract.

After doing all of this and equipping the corresponding items, Klein's strength returned to its peak, and he was once again half an expert in mysticism.

He straightened his collar, took his hat and cane, and left 15 Minsk Street.

…

Iron Gate Street, inside Bravehearts Bar.

In exchange for a glass of beer, Klein found Kaspars in a card room, playing Fighting Evil while betting on a boxer outside. He was leading quite a pleasant life.

The familiar surroundings reminded Klein of the last time he had met Maric playing poker with more than ten living corpses. He was suddenly glad that he hadn't brought Azik's copper whistle with him.

If I carried the copper whistle that Mr. Azik had given me, I think that a dozen or so of Maric's zombies would mutiny on the spot and come to "entertain" me warmly… I wonder what kind of expression he would have… Klein stood by the door, nodding at Kaspars Kalinin to indicate his intentions.

Kaspars covered his cards and swore. He got up, walked to the door, and said in a low voice, "I'll take you to a place where the people, although they aren't as good as Maric, are pretty strong. As for whether or not you can make a deal, it has nothing to do with me. However, I have to warn you in advance, you are not to anger them, or you might not be able to see the sun tomorrow. Of course, it's not easy to see the sun in Backlund after September."

"Do I need to pay you?" Klein asked sincerely.

Kaspars nodded, pleased.

"Two pounds."

I can buy a revolver with that money at a weapons store… Although they set the price at more than three pounds, it can basically be haggled for around two pounds…Klein grumbled and gave Kaspars two one-pound notes.

Kaspars turned his head to his fellow players to inform them that he was leaving. Hobbling along, he led Klein towards the bar's kitchen, and from there, entered the back alley and circled around a darkened house.

He took out an iron mask that could only cover half a face, handed it to Klein, and chuckled.

"Just pretend that you bought this for two pounds."

I can buy a lot more with two pounds… Klein wore the iron mask and deliberately messed up his hair.

Seeing that he was ready, Kaspars knocked on the door rhythmically.

Seven or eight seconds later, a small wooden board on the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing a pair of brown eyes behind it.

After a long moment of scrutiny, Klein finally saw the door open behind him.

A man wearing an iron mask stood there and handed Klein a hooded robe. He said to Kaspars in a hoarse voice, "Next time, remember to tell me in advance. Otherwise, hmph!"

He closed the door, turned, and led Klein through the darkened living room into the activity room on the first floor.

There was a candle burning on the coffee table, and the room was dimly lit.

There were about ten people sitting on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table. They were all wearing hooded robes and wearing iron masks.

After putting on the long robe, Klein quietly found a chair in a corner and sat down. He heard a fat-faced man complain, "Recently, there has been a group of wild beasts in the sewers that have gnawed away a lot of the herbs I grew.

"They're very smart and didn't even touch the poisonous ones. I need someone to help me clean them up. You know, this isn't my specialty. I'm only good at concocting medicine and treating your illnesses."

Chapter 240: Trying Your Luck?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Good at concocting medicine, treating illnesses, and growing quite a few medicinal herbs in the sewers… Is he an Apothecary? I wonder if he's a member of the Life School of Thought or a believer of Mother Earth? Of course, it's more likely for him to be unaffiliated… Klein listened thoughtfully but didn't speak out carelessly.

In the Loen Kingdom, due to the Church of the Lord of Storms rejecting the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, while the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the God of Combat were irreconcilable; as a result of this, among the foreign religions, only the Church of Mother Earth had obtained the right to preach, but under the tacit suppression from the three Churches. They only had a few churches with very few believers, to the point that they didn't even need to form a team of Beyonders. And even if they did, they wouldn't be recognized by the government and couldn't cooperate with the police department. They would be considered as vigilantes.

According to the confidential information of the Nighthawks, the Church of Mother Earth had two sequence paths in its control: Planter and Apothecary. However, the latter was apparently incomplete.

The suspected Apothecary didn't have his hood on. He revealed a black iron mask on his face, but it only covered the part above the bridge of his nose, making the quivering fat on his cheeks appear to stand out.

"I repeat, I need someone to clean up the newly appeared beast in the sewers. I only need the area around Backlund Bridge cleaned up. Payment will be with four bottles of my precious medicine; two of them can effectively stop bleeding and stimulate the healing of wounds. Trust me, this is better than going to the clinic to do a suture operation, and it's effective for six months," the man suspected to be an Apothecary stated his requirements and corresponding conditions.

He suddenly let out a soft laugh and continued to describe the case, "The other two bottles can last one and a half months, and can allow a man to find the urges from back when he was seventeen or eighteen years old and become a Beyonder on the bed. Hehe, you know what I mean. Even if it exceeds the use-by date, it can still produce effects, but it will also spread throughout the body. The user will become abnormally violent and their strength, speed, and agility will greatly increase before exhaustion kicks in half an hour later.

Why does he look like those old military doctors who plaster their tiny advertisements everywhere… And shamelessly promoting the effects of his expired drugs… Klein couldn't help but silently lampoon.

Seeing the silent room after he said his piece, the suspected Apothecary could only grit his teeth and say, "I'll add 30 pounds on top of my 4 precious bottles of medicine!"

Finally, a man sitting somewhere along the periphery of the couches spoke up.

He surveyed the area and said in a deep voice, "I accept this commission. You should pay an advance with two bottles of medicine, one of each kind. Mr. Eye of Wisdom will bear witness."

"No problem," said an elder seated on a single sofa with a nod.

The lines on his cheeks were deep, his skin a little shriveled, and his voice had an ancient quality to it, so Klein judged him to be an elderly gentleman.

"Alright." The suspected Apothecary heaved a sigh of relief.

After the conclusion of this transaction, the gathering seemed to turn more lively. Soon, a woman with her face completely covered by a hood said, "I want to sell two weapons."

Weapons? Klein adjusted his posture and became more focused.

Since he was temporarily unable to advance, he could only increase his strength by using external items.

"One of them is an inscribed steel sword. It was smithed by the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. It comes with purifying and evil warding effects. It's the nemesis of Water Ghosts, Wraiths, Zombies, and other undead creatures. It can still be used for another three years. Of course, it's sharpness is enough to kill." The woman's voice fluctuated in volume, a clear attempt to hide her characteristics. "500 pounds or the Sequence 8 potion, Barbarian, and it will be yours."

How expensive… For me, there's no reason I must have it… If I were to encounter an undead that I'm currently unable to deal with, blowing the whistle is the best solution… Even without Mr. Azik, the messenger alone should be able to intimidate many undead creatures… Klein shook his head and listened to the lady's introduction of the second weapon.

"Meat Cleaver, with exquisite mechanical structure. It can be transformed, making it easy to carry. This is a combat weapon, made by an outstanding craftsman. It's rarely seen, and will cost 25 pounds."

There sure is a huge difference in pricing between weapons with Beyonder effects and those without… Klein watched from the sidelines until the steel sword was bought by a sullen gentleman in another corner, and the Meat Cleaver became part of Mr. Eye of Wisdom's collection.

There were successes and failures in the few deals that followed. The only thing that tempted Klein was a "Fortune Accessory," a Beyonder item that could make a person's luck with fortune rise for three months. However, this wasn't his main goal, and the price wasn't that great.

Seeing that the atmosphere had turned silent once again, he slowly exhaled and said in a suppressed voice, "I want to sell something."

After attracting everyone's attention, he took out an iron cigarette case and pushed out the crimson Beyonder characteristic which resembled jelly.

Without needing to organizing his words, he introduced it with something he had already prepared ahead of time.

"This is something I obtained from a corpse. I'm not sure what use it has; it's just that I find it very magical. Maybe some of you know what this is?"

Klein deliberately didn't mention that this was a Beyonder characteristic, nor did he mention that the crimson "jelly" in his hand could replace the main ingredient of the Hunter potion.

This involved the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility, and he didn't want to benefit the members of this Beyonder gathering with this knowledge.

In addition to this, Klein had the intention of probing to see if anyone there knew the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility. Such a person would definitely be stronger than the rest, or perhaps someone with a powerful background, making them suitable as a bodyguard.

At the same time, he continued to disguise himself as an ordinary person who didn't know much about the Beyonder community. Although the members of the gathering couldn't see his appearance through the iron mask, Kaspars Kalinin knew what he looked like, and quite a few people in the room probably knew Kaspars.

Being "careful" and "prudent" were the two things Klein had emphasized to himself before leaving home today.

Gazes examined the crimson object in his hand, but Klein wasn't a Spectator and couldn't tell what they meant.

After more than ten seconds, no one spoke. The room was as quiet as a cemetery.

At this moment, the old gentleman sitting on the sofa, Mr. Eye of Wisdom, coughed and said, "I have a rough idea of what it is and what it does, but knowledge needs to be exchanged with something in return.

"I'll pay four hundred pounds; believe me, it's a perfectly fair price. Of course, you have the right to refuse."

The main ingredients of Sequence 9 potions are about 150 to 200 pounds. Two are needed, and they add up to about 400 pounds… The offer is very reasonable… This old gentleman with the code name Eye of Wisdom seems to recognize that this belongs to the Hunter Sequence… He had no need for divination, and he was able to recognize it immediately…. Could it be the Sequence 7 of the Sequencers pathway, Appraiser?

Klein thought for a moment and said, "Deal. However, sir, you don't need to rush to pay. I still have another request."

"What request?" Eye of Wisdom asked in an old voice.

Klein pondered and said, "The thing is, I offended someone. Uh, according to your circle, he should be Sequence 6 or maybe, 5. I wish to hire a bodyguard."

"Sequence 6, maybe Sequence 5? Why don't you just die quietly? If we reached that level, why would we be attending such a small gathering?" the suspected Apothecary blurted out with a bit of a sneer in his astonishment.

Although the other members of the party didn't say anything, from the looks of it, no one planned on accepting the request. Their thoughts were similar to those of the suspected Apothecary.

Eye of Wisdom chuckled and said, "Maybe you don't know our circle well enough. People at Sequence 6 or Sequence 5 are very, very powerful and terrifying people. Yes, there have been many cases of a lot of Sequence 8 and Sequence 9 Beyonders killing someone that strong, but those are events that are still very hard to replicate. I think no one here is willing to take such a huge risk to protect you, uh… If you're certain that the other party is only Sequence 6 and doesn't have any mystical items, there might be someone who will want to accept the challenge this mission entails."

"Well, I'm not sure…" Klein shrugged and said, "Then I'll have to try to save myself. What can I get for 400 pounds? Uh, the mystical item you were talking about?"

"Believe me, a mystical item worth 400 pounds certainly won't be able to deal with your enemy, and it will even bring you more danger. I suggest that you apologize to him. Sincerely apologize and perhaps 400 pounds will be enough to buy his understanding," Eye of Wisdom said sincerely.

Frankly, I've thought about it, but I don't think they'll accept it… Klein was about to answer when the man who had accepted the task of cleaning the sewer beast suddenly laughed.

"Maybe, you can try your luck.

"I have a mystical item here that I can sell you for 400 pounds.

"It can let you hear the voice of a great being. If you're lucky and can decipher some useful information, you'll become very powerful, and it will no longer be difficult for you to protect yourself. Well, if you're unlucky and end up deciphering a curse, or fail to decipher it, then you'll be hurt, or even end up dying.

"Do you want to take the gamble?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Eye of Wisdom growled, "Black Snake, don't mention that ominous item of yours!"

Black Snake laughed and said, "I'm not lying, I'm not violating the rules here either. I told him about the advantages and disadvantages and left him to make his own choice. Hmm, the probability of getting useful information is approximately 10%; do you want to take the gamble?"

The Russian roulette of the Beyonder world… Hearing the voice of a great being… Is this the Aurora Order's Listener? An item left behind after a Listener lost control?Klein looked at Black Snake, that he suspected to be a member of the Aurora Order, and made many connections.

Perhaps I can bet on it? No, I can't call it a bet, because I'll bring this item to the world above the gray fog before using it… I can already bring real objects there… This way, I can avoid most of the danger… However, this is only an item left behind by a Sequence 8 Beyonder. The corresponding benefit might not be that good… Four hundred pounds isn't cheap… As his thoughts raced through his mind, Klein nodded solemnly and said, "Deal."