"Mr. Tower has taken another step forward on the extraordinary path? He has become a true demigod?"
As soon as the Fool's voice fell, the "elder" members who knew Ebner's original Sequence—"Justice," "Magician," "Hanged Man," and "Sun"—all looked over. Though their thoughts differed, all of them sincerely felt happy for "Tower." Even the most calculating "Hanged Man" was no exception.
After all, in Alger's eyes, who had become increasingly invested in the Tarot Club, "Tower's" breakthrough in strength was greatly beneficial to him as well.
If nothing else, once he advanced to Sequence 5 "Singer of the Sea," the step beyond that, across the boundary between human and divine, would surely require powerful assistance.
And this assistance was not something the Church of Storms was likely to provide. The only place Alger could count on was the Tarot Club.
On the other side, "Justice" and "Sun" had already offered their blessings. The former, knowing that "Tower" was actually Ebner, immediately linked the movie that had premiered yesterday with the demigod ritual. Her heart was full of curiosity, and she thought she would ask him privately during free exchange later.
"Magician" Fors simply felt that it was quite a coincidence. Ebner had advanced to demigod just last week as well. But aside from that, she didn't think too much of it. After all, it was already unbelievable enough that there was someone she knew, Miss "Justice," in the Tarot Club. How could there be another?
As for the two "new" members, "Moon" Emlyn and "Hermit" Cattleya, both had always assumed "Tower" was already a demigod. So when they heard he had taken a step forward, they thought it meant he had advanced to Sequence 3 or Sequence 2!
Cattleya even directly examined Ebner with her deep violet-black eyes, only to find that he did indeed feel stronger than before, but he was still far from the level of the "Queen."
Has "Tower" always had some way of hiding his true strength above the gray fog?
Now that he has just advanced and his spirituality is unstable, he has accidentally leaked part of his real power?
But what's the point of that? None of us know him well, and he surely can't hide it from Mr. Fool anyway…
As Cattleya was filled with confusion, she suddenly noticed "Tower" looking back at her, his gaze meeting her "Secret-Peeping Eye."
In an instant, a feeling of being completely seen through flooded her body. She even had the illusion that her "fate" rested entirely in his hands, at his mercy.
Fortunately, Mr. Tower quickly withdrew his gaze, and that feeling vanished.
Phew… "Hermit" Cattleya let out a soft breath. She dared not look again, and deep inside she even felt a faint unease and fear:
Even a demigod can sense my observation… Every time I secretly watch Mr. Fool, that existence close to a god, how could He not notice?
Perhaps He simply can't be bothered to mind…
But I can't control myself… Every time I tell myself not to pry again, but the next time I still can't help it…
"Moon" Emlyn was a little envious of "Tower's" promotion, but as the self-proclaimed savior of the Blood Clan, he believed he too would eventually reach that height. It was only a matter of time.
And as a vampire, a race of longevity, time was not what he lacked.
As for Ebner, after giving Cattleya a slight "warning," he stood up and expressed his gratitude to Mr. Fool for His assistance in his advancement.
Klein knew Ebner was thanking him for his efforts in the battle to seize the sea monster's characteristic, so he smiled and said, "No need to thank me. It was just an equivalent exchange."
No wonder he took the initiative to bring up my promotion… He was borrowing the chance to act cool again? He was so sure I'd play along? Hah, looks like that kid actually has some guesses in his heart already, but he's just pretending not to know.
Or perhaps, he doesn't dare to admit it?
Seems that when I created the 'Eye of Wisdom' clone to reduce his burden, it only made him think more…
Ebner felt a flash of realization. Outwardly, he saluted Mr. Fool once more before sitting back down.
At the head of the table, Klein, the Fool, who had been observing "Tower," secretly shook his head, muttering inwardly with helplessness: Since becoming a demigod, he's become even harder to read emotionally…
After this small interlude, Klein quickly adjusted his state. He glanced at Miss "Justice," signaling for the Tarot Club to return to its usual proceedings.
"Justice" Audrey immediately understood, and respectfully spoke:
"Honorable Mr. Fool, I've collected two pages of Emperor Roselle's diary."
These two pages were ones she had seen in the collection of a professor in the Department of History at Ston University when she had gone to visit.
The professor, seeing her interest, generously allowed her to make a copy.
A new diary? Klein was inwardly delighted. While quietly drawing the parchment that Miss "Justice" had manifested into his hands, he asked, "What do you want in exchange?"
Audrey thought for a moment. Finding she had no immediate need, she requested to accumulate contribution instead, to be used later.
"Good," Klein replied succinctly from the main seat. After glancing around to confirm no one else had a diary to hand in, he picked up the first page and began to read.
At a glance, the corner of Klein's mouth nearly twitched. It was yet another entry from Roselle's infamous escapades. Ever since his confrontation with "Tower," Roselle's diary excerpts had become more restrained, and Klein hadn't seen such passages in a while.
Fortunately, the last part of the page contained something worth reading:
"June 3rd. From some traces left behind, it can be seen that although Captain Isaca disappeared in the divine battle ruins, he still managed to send out a key message…
"That is, the entrance to the Forsaken Land is very likely hidden in the night of the Divine Battle Ruins Sea!
"I just don't know what this 'night' refers to?
"The Goddess of the Night? Or perhaps something special within the night of the ruins?
"Ah, if he were still alive, maybe he could give me the answer. Unfortunately…
"In any case, to honor Captain Isaca's contribution, I have decided to name a newly discovered island after his surname!"
The entrance to the Forsaken Land is in the night of the Divine Battle Ruins Sea?
Hmm… Regarding this so-called 'night,' my view is similar to Roselle's. Either it refers to the Goddess's domain, or it's a special phenomenon in the Divine Battle Ruins…
Moreover, the environment of Silver City is also 'darkness.' Could there be some connection?
The Divine Battle… Such an environment is very likely caused by lingering divine power of the Goddess or other deities.
On the verge of setting out for the Divine Battle Ruins Sea himself, Klein couldn't help but ponder quickly as he read. After a long moment, he set down the first parchment page and picked up the second.
Immediately, his spirit sharpened. This diary was very different from the usual ones.
It had no date, the handwriting was scrawled, and since it wasn't an original, many characters were distorted, barely recognizable after careful inspection.
Yet even so, Klein could feel the agitation and frustration embedded in the words.
"Impossible! Impossible! How could this be!
"What exactly did I do after landing on the moon?!
"If my 'prophecy' wasn't wrong… then about a hundred years later, around 1325 to 1327, five women will become pregnant after seeing the blood moon!
"And then, within a few days, each will give birth to a baby girl!
"How could such an absurd thing happen?!
"Could those stories of women conceiving after sensing the sun and moon, or falling asleep in a giant footprint, actually be true? Is this the same cause?
"No… I must do something… I must do something…
"I can't let the orthodox Churches know, otherwise those five baby girls will die!
"In comparison, perhaps the 'Mother Tree of Desire' is more trustworthy…
"But even She cannot be fully trusted!
"Let me think, let me think… What should I do! What should I do!
"I understand! Only pollution can fight pollution!
"I must design a ritual to help them!
"What should I use as a medium?
"The entrance to the Sea of Chaos is too hard to find, and no one would be willing to perform a ritual pointing toward it…
"Other than that… what kind of item could achieve this…
"Only the 'God's Coffer' he mentioned!"
(The End of This Chapter)