The Cult Behind the Scenes

"The Fool?" The Beyonders attending the gathering either muttered the word to themselves or whispered to their companions, discussing whether they had encountered anyone with similar beliefs.

When the honorific name of "The Fool" reached Alger's ears, his breathing almost stopped. Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one noticed his reaction. However, Alger, with his wealth of experience, quickly forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and began to analyze the situation seriously in his mind: During the last Tarot Club meeting, 'The World' mentioned that the True Creator had issued a divine decree, ordering the Aurora Order to search for believers of 'The Fool'... Could the 'North Party' have joined the Aurora Order? Or is there something wrong with the governor of Bayam, whom Boss has aligned himself with?—Boss is the name of the new leader of the 'North Party.' Wait... I remember the governor of Bayam is a member of the Larry family... and Baron Larry himself seems to be currently wanted by the military... Could there be some connection here?

As his thoughts wandered, Ebner, sitting in the "Appraiser" seat, also narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the elderly gentleman in the front row, speculating about his background. In fact, as one of the VIPs of the "Amyris Leaf Bar Beyonders Gathering," Ebner had obtained information about Boss, the leader of the "North Party," from "Sea Serpent" Weaver. However, he hadn't paid much attention to it before, only glancing at it while reviewing the information related to the "doctor." But thanks to his "Reader" abilities, he could now recall it as if it were right before his eyes: Speaking of which, this gentleman's experience is quite similar to Weaver's, except that his starting point was much higher. In the original 'North Party,' he was ranked fifth or sixth... But after the original leader was assassinated, he surprisingly suppressed the successors ranked above him and smoothly took over the 'North Party.' Later, people found out that his younger daughter had become the mistress of Siv Larry, the governor of Bayam, which earned him significant support.

At this point, Ebner actually shared a similar speculation with Alger, thinking that this governor might have some issues... But due to his knowledge of the original work, he had another layer of speculation: According to the information Weaver provided earlier, this Governor Siv Larry is on good terms with Governor Ostwald Levitt of Olavi Island. Both lean toward the conservative side politically, and they seem to have formed a small circle... But the specifics are beyond what someone of Weaver's level could find out. He was only able to gather this much information thanks to the more than ten years of operations in Bayam by Ozil, whom I killed. Ozil had even planted informants among the governor's servants... And after Ozil's death, those informants were naturally taken over by Weaver. Hmm, Governor Ostwald Levitt of Olavi Island is the younger brother of Admiral Amyrius. In the original work, he joined a certain organization that was plotting something. When the plot was exposed, it drew a warning from the 'Sunset Dead House Society,' and he was encountered by Klein, who was impersonating the admiral at the time... Now, could this Siv Larry, who is on good terms with Ostwald, also be a member of that organization plotting something? And could that organization have some connection to the True Creator? Ugh... If it could draw a warning from that organization whose name cannot be spoken, it might indeed be the work of the True Creator... After all, He and that Angel King are 'mortal enemies.'

In a flash, Ebner thought of many things. He gave the elderly gentleman Boss in the front row a deep look before shifting his gaze away, no longer paying attention to him. After all, this man's actions were highly suspicious. Offering a bounty for heretical believers without even concealing his identity... Could he be deliberately trying to lure followers of "The Fool" into a trap? Is he treating "The Fool's" followers as fools or lunatics, thinking they would rush in recklessly upon hearing the bounty and then be easily captured?

Unaware of Ebner's thoughts, the elderly gentleman recited the honorific name of "The Fool" twice in Loen. Seeing that no one came forward to claim the bounty, he wasn't disappointed. He simply said, "I look forward to someone claiming this 500 pounds at the next gathering," before sitting back down.

With that, the Beyonders gathering came to an end, and Weaver began arranging for the attendees to leave the venue in batches. Miss Gwen and her group, having purchased Beyonder items, didn't dare to linger. They didn't return to Ebner's estate but instead headed straight to the docks and boarded the "Arenheim."

Alger, who had also bought Beyonder materials, acted similarly. However, unlike Gwen, he didn't return to the ship. After some thought, he went directly to the Church of the Waves to report the events of the Beyonders gathering to His Excellency Jogori.

On one hand, it was to show his loyalty, and on the other, it was to subtly report the issues surrounding the governor of Bayam.

As expected, His Excellency Jogori, whose hair had turned completely gray but whose spirit remained vigorous, took Alger's report very seriously. However, he was clearly more concerned about the second mate of the "Admiral of Blood."

Alger felt anxious about this but dared not show it on the surface.

After leaving the Church of the Waves, he returned to his ship and began praying to "The Fool," reporting the incident... Of course, he also took the opportunity to offer the "Deep Sea Spearfish Blood" as a sacrifice.

...

On the other side, after the gathering ended, Mr. Boss boarded a carriage and leisurely returned to his villa on the outskirts of the city. While he appeared calm and composed on the outside, the shirt beneath his clothes was already soaked with sweat. His nerves were on edge, and he tightly clutched a small copper mirror in his hand.

This state of tension only subsided when he arrived home and saw his daughter waiting for him. Mr. Boss let out a long sigh of relief.

"Father, how did the task assigned by the governor go?" Miss Abby, Boss's daughter, immediately stepped forward to ask.

"It's done... But, Abby, will the followers of that evil god really come? Will the governor's men protect me?" Boss steadied himself and asked cautiously.

"The governor said that the followers of that evil god are very flamboyant and have a strong desire for performance. The 'Black Emperor' in Backlund is clear evidence of this... So, he believes that if there are indeed followers of 'The Fool' in Bayam, they will definitely come to investigate you..." Abby seemed to have memorized the governor's words, speaking them fluently.

She paused and added, "As for your safety, you don't need to worry. The governor has sent his secretary, who is an extremely powerful Beyonder."

"That's good... that's good." Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Boss repeatedly nodded.

Abby glanced at her watch, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Father, I need to return to the governor now. Please take care of yourself."

With that, she boarded a carriage under the protection of several bodyguards and left Mr. Boss's villa.

However, the carriage did not head to the estate where the governor had arranged for her to stay. Instead, it turned and stopped in front of a three-story building. Strangely, the bodyguards assigned to Miss Abby by the governor showed no reaction, as if this were completely normal.

After entering the building, Miss Abby voluntarily removed all her clothes and joined a group of similarly unclothed men and women in a rather unconventional party.

As the party was nearing its end, a middle-aged man, while embracing Miss Abby and engaging in physical activity, asked, "How did the task I assigned you go?"

His tone was identical to how Abby had questioned her father earlier.

"Ah... it went smoothly... Governor Siv is very foolish... he easily accepted the idea I suggested to investigate the followers of 'The Fool'... Hmm, it seems he wants to use this to curry favor with someone... I'm not sure who... But this way, even if the authorities investigate, they'll only think it was my father's doing... It won't... it won't expose our sect." Miss Abby gasped intermittently as she answered.

"Excellent! The Mother Tree will reward you!" The man's face showed satisfaction as he reached his limit.

"Praise the Mother Tree!" Miss Abby's delicate face flushed with a rosy hue, but she recited these words with exceptional piety.

(End of Chapter)