Upon hearing the Hermit's question, the members of the Tarot Club abruptly returned from their own thoughts. They first looked at the two symbols the Hermit had manifested, then all turned their gaze to the top seat of the bronze table, waiting for a chance to learn a new piece of "Roselle Script"—that is, forcibly memorize the shapes and meanings of the two symbols.
Of course, "Sun" Derrick and "Tower" Ebner were exceptions.
Liu Bo…
Bernadette had repeatedly encountered these two Chinese characters in the Emperor's diary, so she felt they must be extremely important and wanted to learn their meaning.
But even Arrodes did not dare delve into "Liu Bo."
If I tell the Hermit what they mean, it may bring her danger…
Thoughts rapidly circling, Klein glanced several times at "Tower," who sat nearby, before speaking solemnly:
"They represent, when placed together, the True Name of a Hidden Being."
The True Name of a Hidden Being?!
As a Clairvoyant, the Hermit Cattleya's curiosity surged instantly. She wanted to ask which Hidden Being it was, and how the True Name should be pronounced…
But she immediately remembered Mister Fool's rule of equivalent exchange. She knew she no longer had the qualifications to ask an additional question this session.
Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she regretfully gave up the thought.
For Mister Fool to speak with such gravity… the Hidden Being behind these symbols must be far from ordinary! Even when discussing the True Creator or the Primordial Demoness, he never used such a solemn tone!
The Hanged Man Alger instinctively filled the silence with speculation, clasping his hands tightly as countless uneasy thoughts turned in his mind.
Meanwhile, Justice Audrey looked at the Fool with bright, hopeful eyes, wishing that this benevolent and generous great existence might offer a more detailed answer—allowing her to learn the True Name of another deity besides "Chk"…
But the result disappointed her.
The Fool ignored her gaze.
Audrey, don't be greedy. If you want knowledge, you must work and exchange for it, not wait for it to be handed to you.
Besides, Mister Fool's silence may be a form of protection…
But still… I thought that after advancing to Psychologist and completing the trials of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, I would be immune to such temptations… yet I'm still so curious!
Justice silently chastised herself.
At this moment, Klein deliberately refused to give them time to ponder or—worse—ask something inappropriate.
He leaned back in his chair and said flatly:
"It's your turn."
Hearing this, the Hanged Man Alger withdrew from his spiraling thoughts and looked toward the Magician Fors, saying:
"I intend to rent Lemano's Travel Notes for two days. The price should be 400 Pound, plus supplementing any Extraordinary abilities I use—correct?"
He had already familiarized himself with the Ocean Songster's abilities last week and was almost ready to challenge that primitive island.
Lemano's Travel Notes would increase his chances significantly.
"When do you plan to rent it?" Fors asked, instantly energized by the arrival of business.
"Any two days from tomorrow to the end of the week—the exact time still depends on confirmation." Alger shifted his gaze toward the World faintly, answering somewhat cautiously.
Magician Fors pondered a few seconds before saying:
"The three 'Demigod' pages on Lemano's Travel Notes are all filled. If you use any of those pages and cannot refill abilities of equal level afterward, you'll need to pay extra."
This condition was perfectly reasonable, yet Alger still froze for a moment.
In his impression, Magician had always been timid and passive in the Tarot Club—almost never proposing additional conditions.
But today's Magician was clearly different—more assertive, more confident…
Did someone give her confidence?
Or had her strength fundamentally increased?
As his thoughts interwove, Alger nodded in acceptance and asked:
"What's the price?"
The primitive island was exceptionally dangerous. Even with the World as an ally, he might need to use a Demigod ability.
Magician Fors considered briefly; unable to quantify her own efforts precisely, she could only probe tentatively:
"If you can't refill them, each Demigod ability costs 1000 Pound."
After all, the success rate of recording Demigod abilities was abysmally low. She knew just how difficult it had been to fill those three pages…
1000 Pound…
That wasn't expensive. One certainly couldn't hire a Saint even once for £1000…
But Alger, being cautious, still asked:
"What are the three Demigod abilities?"
Fors answered without hesitation:
"One is the Sun pathway's Spear of No Darkness.
"One is the Spectator pathway's Mind Stripping.
"And the last is called Historical Projection. I'm not sure which pathway it belongs to, but it lets you call out the historical projection of someone you know to fight for you.
"The more familiar the person, the higher the success rate and the longer the projection lasts.
"If you know an angel, you can even summon their past self… the spiritual consumption would just be enormous."
(This last ability had been recorded after Ebner borrowed the notes and found someone to imprint it. Originally, it had been consumed during the "Black Saintess" incident, but Ebner had refilled it yesterday. Fors privately added this explanation in her mind.)
The upper limit of this third ability surprised Alger deeply—but for his purposes, the first two were much more practical.
He didn't know any angels, and even Demigods he'd only ever seen a few times.
If he had to pick the people he was "most familiar with," it would be Temperance and Tower…
But could that even count as familiarity?
And he remembered Tower once mentioning this ability—Tower had used it to kill the "Despair Nightingale," pulling out an angelic projection in the process. So Magician did not exaggerate…
Suppressing his sigh, Alger accepted the additional terms and concluded:
"When I confirm the date, I will ask Mister Fool to inform you."
He then turned toward the top seat to request private communication with the World.
Ebner didn't know what they discussed, but could guess it was about the primitive island.
He wasn't very interested. That place belonged to Adam, and as the follower of the "2-5 Dragon," Ebner had no desire to wander into Adam's sight unnecessarily.
Next, the World negotiated with the Hermit regarding payment for angel blood; afterward, the Hermit privately asked the Magician about the Abraham family and Mister Door.
Just as sensory shielding ended, Justice asked to privately communicate with Tower, Magician, Judgment, World, and Temperance.
How did the Tarot Club turn into a cluster of mini-meetings?
Klein complained silently—but he still fulfilled her request and shielded the others.
Seeing this, Alger instantly felt alarmed—convinced he was being excluded from the inner circle of the Tarot Club.
At the same time, he felt a bit relieved: it explained why Magician had become bold—she must have joined that "small group."
Inside the private group, Justice Audrey spoke first:
"Mister Tower, Miss Judgment, Miss Magician, Miss Temperance, Mister World—thank you for your help. It was thanks to you that my family avoided the disaster brought by the Demoness."
Ebner glanced at the others. Seeing none intended to respond, he answered on their behalf:
"You're welcome, Miss Justice. We—Judgment, Magician, and I—were there at the time. If we hadn't resolved Her properly, we might have faced disaster as well."
He laughed self-mockingly and added:
"Besides, She was after me."
For Xio, Fors, Klein, and Sharon, this wasn't surprising. The first two had heard a summary from Ebner already, while Klein had learned the general situation in the carriage and then told Sharon afterward.
Only Audrey reacted with shock and concern:
"Then what will you do? Mister Tower—aren't you still in danger?"
Ebner only smiled and shook his head, saying with deep implication:
"The Black Saintess can no longer create any 'disaster' around me."
Seeing their stunned faces—everyone except Klein's—Ebner nodded in satisfaction and continued:
"To catch Her, five angels took action that night."
(End of chapter)