On Howes Street, Klein entered the Divination Club.
— Good morning, Mr. Moretti. — Angelica greeted him politely.
She explained a few things before saying:
— Mr. Hanass Vincent is explaining about astrolabe in the meeting room. If you want to listen, you can go there.
After some conversation, Klein headed to the room where there were five tables with four men and three women around a middle-aged man, Hanass Vincent.
He had obvious dark circles on his face. His hair was thick and each strand was as firm as a porcupine's.
Hanas Vincent gave a calm look to everyone gathered in the room.
— There's also mirror divination.
Uh… That's dangerous… — Klein focused on his next words.
With a smile, Hanass explained everything from beginning to end.
Luckily, it wasn't anything serious. He had merely described the conventional method of mirror divination that would result in a prayer to one of the Seven Orthodox Gods.
As soon as he activated his spiritual vision, Klein eventually realized that he could see Hanass Vincent's astral body!
There was a distorted, dark glow that almost replaced any other vision of the dark red color. It was calm, yet as inexplicable as endless darkness.
His astral body is completely deranged… This is worse than any madman I have ever seen normally. And that glint of worry… What a bizarre fellow, I seriously doubt that he is not some lunatic. — Klein silently evaluated in his heart. His eyes narrowed indiscernibly.
...
Port Enmat, in a bar.
With a smile on his face, Medici did not hesitate to look directly at the blond-haired man in front of him.
The blood-red-haired man did not take long to pick up the two papers that were on the table. One of them was filled with verses of poetry and the other was filled with symbols and complicated notes of information.
— Damn! Medici! What are you doing here? — Danitz asked irritably, his expression almost looking dazed.
What is this madman doing here?! Shit! Why do I have to find him when it's my turn to leave?! So that's why the captain gave me these papers… Couldn't it have been for Steel Skin or anyone else? Besides, shouldn't this guy be somewhere else in the world? — Danitz felt like he was perhaps a bit unlucky.
— Let me see… Guess. — Medici smiled as he looked at Danitz calmly.
Guess?! — Danitz cursed in his mind angrily.
— You… Anyway, why were you in such a hurry to get this information? You have an affair with someone from the Red Theater… — he was quickly interrupted by Medici who had mockery in his voice:
— Tell me, didn't you say you were going to declare your love to Edwina Edwards with a poem? Maybe I should send it to her through my messenger and help you out, okay? Have you signed your name on the paper yet? Hehe, I'll tell her you asked me to send it.
Danitz's face paled.
— If you have nothing else to say, goodbye. — Medici didn't wait another second before standing up. He left without looking back, leaving a frozen white Danitz with the drink in his trembling hands.
As he walked thoughtfully, he saw a familiar figure pass by him.
Not far away was a young woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her dark eyes had a cloudy layer, completely impassive.
She discreetly handed him some documents as if she were just walking and disappeared into the crowd without a trace.
Medici pulled the paper from his inside pocket, reading it quickly.
— This brings me to Backlund again... — he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The paper suddenly burst into flames, not even leaving its ashes.
...
Sea Sonia.
With the waves crashing into the sea, Alger sighed internally. His thoughts were hidden by his impassive expression.
Monday is coming... — he narrowed his eyes indiscernibly.
A young sailor approached, even though he tried to hide his curiosity, he couldn't completely.
— Captain, where will our destination be?
Alger turned and in a deep tone said:
— Hunt the Listener of the Aurora Order.
...
North Borough, in a relatively large mansion.
Solveig turned the doorknob calmly, entering without any apparent expression on her face.
The first thing she saw was her brother with his head resting on one hand while holding a quill with the other, writing something on the papers above the table.
His white hair, a little longer than hers, was loose and tied in a few small braids.
His blue eyes, so clear they resembled a frozen lake, were looking at her.
— You arrived early. Father is already asleep, as are the younger ones. How was the search?
— Horrible, we didn't find anything. We kept going around in circles like last time. We just collected statements and came back with nothing. Besides, there was normal movement in the more stable areas of the West Borough. It seems like those people just disappeared suddenly… — Solveig narrowed her eyes. — Maybe they're just normal disappearances…
Dain smiled, looking relieved.
— You really have grown up. Still, be careful of anything out there.
Solveig nodded slightly.
— And did everything go well at the meeting?
He stopped writing. His expression gradually became strange.
— If I told you that a stone could grow wings and fly away, would you believe me? — Dain asked seriously.
— What? — Solveig frowned slightly, remembering everything she had seen — Yes? The world is strange...
Have you finally gone mad? Well, he never really had any idea... What does he mean by that? — She looked away, stunned.
Dain chuckled at her confused expression before composing himself. With a thoughtful look, he leaned back in his chair.
— Well, it's no secret to you that there are many things without explanation, like the ancient stories. If you ever find anything related to the beginning of the Fourth Epoch. Please don't think too much about the name of anything if you find something.
— It's just that things were strange. You'll understand as time goes on. After the defeat at Balam, it seems only a matter of time before a revolt breaks out in one of the colonies. The Church of Storms is getting more agitated than usual...
Listening to Dain continue speaking, Solveig had several thoughts.
The Fool... The next meeting will be some time in the future... Could this be the change of times He mentioned?
...
Silver City.
Derrick's eyes widened as he turned to the next page of the book he was reading.
He was trying to get more stories to give to the Fool, but since he didn't read much he had to spend a long time in the library.
After his first meeting at the Tarot Club, it was clear that there was a different world outside of the Silver City.
There is a sun, a moon, and even stars...
There is light and the sea...
We thought the Lord had blessed us... Has He abandoned us forever...?
Derrick almost froze in his thoughts.
The Fool is a deity... He has a mysterious and unfathomable presence... Does He know what happened to The Creator? The inhabitants of that Moon City worshipped Him, so perhaps... No, I shouldn't bother Him with that kind of question. — Derrick tried to stop thinking about such things.
He turned his focus to the yellowed pages of the book in his hands.
"Under the stormy skies, an endless light fell into thousands of pieces...
...
— By the way, look at this here. This is a newly appointed archbishop, Ince Zangwil. He stole a Sealed Artifact from St. Samuel's Cathedral, 0-08 some time ago. Memorize his face. If you ever meet him, just ignore him and come to me immediately, otherwise your chances of living will be below zero. — Dunn handed him the photo, looking somewhat thoughtful.
It was the image of a man in a beret and clerical robe with dark blond hair. His eyes were so blue they looked more like black, but he was blind in one eye. His nose was upturned and his face was unwrinkled.
Below was some information about him.
He stole a Sealed Artifact at rank 0... But what is 0-08? — Klein felt a little confused, and at the same time, apprehensive.
— 0-08... — he muttered, frowning slightly.
— 0-08 is like a feather, but it doesn't write. That's all you need to know. — Dunn Smith explained without giving any details.
This is almost close to the total number of Sealed Artifacts... How terrifying does this feather have to be to be at this rank? — Klein pondered internally, however Old Neil soon entered the room carrying a wooden box, drawing his attention.
— What kind of ritual are you going to perform? — Klein asked as he watched him.
— I'm going to settle my 30-pound debt. — Old Neil answered as if it was obvious.
Klein looked at the box in Neil's hands and immediately doubted that anything good would happen.
Is that possible — He narrowed his eyes indiscernibly, his mouth agape.
Is he trying to curse his creditor to death? Could he be trying to create fake notes? — Klein looked at Old Neil strangely, seriously considering calling the captain.
— I can feel the reproach and ignorance in your eyes, you're judging me like Dunn does. — Old Neil retorted irritably, taking out a few vials from the box.
— As a Mystery Pryer, I feel totally offended! Especially when this suspicion comes from a Seer! Haven't you heard the Mystery Pryers' maxim? Do as you wish, but do no harm. —
— Sorry. — Klein didn't hesitate to apologize.
Hey, the captain doubted me too. — he added mentally.
— It's a shame there aren't many known Seers. Maybe the secret organizations have some maxim among them since Seers aren't easy to deal with. — Old Neil laughed.
Later, they went to a hidden shop to buy some things.
Looking at a piano that was displayed in a shop, Old Neil sighed deeply:
— My late wife, Celeste, loved to play the piano.
Did Old Neil have a wife? — Klein thought in surprise. Since he had never heard of her, he thought that perhaps he had never married.
Suddenly, Old Neil turned his head to look at the floor without looking at all surprised. He picked up the object that was on the floor.
When Klein looked, he saw a brown wallet.
This... — he remembered the ritual Neil had performed some time ago.
There was so much money in it that Klein didn't even know if he could count it.
It shouldn't belong to an ordinary person... Wait... 300 pounds... Now that's a filthy rich guy... — Klein's eyes almost widened.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit arrived next to them. He was coming from a carriage that was parked not too far away.
— I think this might be my Master's wallet. — the man said politely.
After checking the money, they confirmed that it was indeed the man's and Old Neil handed him the wallet.
— My master is Mr. Deweyville. He wishes to thank you for your honesty. Please do not refuse. — The middle-aged man took out three ten-pound notes and handed them to Old Neil.
Sir Deweyville? The Sir Deweyville who provided cheap rental apartments for the working class? — Klein remembered how much Benson respected this man. Even so, he didn't think this tycoon was really grounded.
When the butler had already left to carry them and there was no one else around, Old Neil laughed, waving the notes happily.
— See, this is the power of rituals. Debt paid off, now we can go back.
This really works... — Klein felt dazed.
...
On a huge unknown ship, the sound of the calm sea was almost imperceptible.
There were a few people gathered, and a young blond man looked at the gray sky without any light with confusion in his expression.
Jack had only met his father five days ago, when he arrived at the orphanage proclaiming himself to be an adventurer. He only went with him because of the painting his mother had left with him.
He will take you to sea for some reason that Jack doesn't know.
— Father, where are we going? — he asked hesitantly, fear almost making his words get stuck in his throat.
The man's face lit up in the shadows.
— I am taking you to a sacred place. The sacred abode where The Creator once lived. You will now learn His teachings instead of the lies that the believers of the Seven False Gods tell. The false Gods are powerful angels who have ascended, they cannot match the unmatched strength of The Lord.
Jack shivered. Trying to hide the fear in his voice, he said:
— But my mother said that The Creator split into all that existed and fell into a deep sleep. How could there be the sacred abode where The Creator lived?
The man fell to the ground, clutching his head tightly. He screamed uncontrollably as if he were almost losing all sanity and began to mutter to himself:
— They... They... They are lying! False Gods! The Creator will return to illuminate us with His eternal glory!
A silver bolt of lightning crashed over the sea with a thunderous crash.
Amidst his father's screams, Jack's eyes widened.
His heart sank in his chest.
The young woman didn't even try to give a forced smile. Her face was full of concern.
Anna looked very depressed. She sat down and began to explain:
— I would like to know about my fiancé's situation. He traveled to the Southern Continent in March for a business deal. He sent a telegram to me and his family twenty days ago on the third day saying that he would be returning. I thought that his delay might be due to the storms that have been occurring in the Berserk Sea, but the Alfalfa ship did not dock at Enmat Port.
— What type of divination would you like to use? — Klein knew that some people had more confidence in specific types of divination such as tarot.
Anna paused for a moment, seeming to think before making her decision.
— You are the expert in divination, so it wouldn't be fair for me to choose. But I have tried to study it sometimes, but I always thought that tarot cards seemed like a joke. — she confessed honestly.
— Then we will use astrolabe. — Klein took a quill and passed it to Anna — Write down your fiancé's characteristics, his date of birth, and it would be good if you could remember the time he was born.
He didn't believe Anna was illiterate because of her modest clothing.
She didn't hesitate to start writing everything down before handing the paper to Klein.
"Joyce Meyer, September 15, 1323, 2:00 p.m.…"
After a brief time calculating Anna's fiancé's Life Number, Klein asked her to step out for a moment so he could make the astrolabe.
Since she had a brief understanding of divination and knew it took a certain amount of time, Anna left without question.
Calmly calculating, Klein ended up with the result that Joyce would go through some kind of danger, but would end up surviving.
Even so, he wanted to be certain since this was his first job at the Divination Club, so he wrote on the paper:
"Joyce Meyer's current situation."
After repeating this seven times, his vision gradually became cloudy before sinking into the depths of that gaudy reality.
In a crimson-red sea, lightning tore through the black clouds and fell upon the choppy waters.
Klein saw a blond youth swimming amidst the waves that almost swallowed him, but he managed to reach the shore.
The scene changed quickly. Klein saw a blue house with a toy windmill at the door. That blond youth slowly entered the house, his face with a cheerful smile.
The scene fragmented, reassembling itself on the top of a mountain that had the skies covered in pure darkness.
Hands formed by shadows seemed to cover the starry skies along with a thick fog that almost had an ancient air.
Klein recognized this place immediately.
The peak of the Hornacis mountain range!
In the ruined palace covered in moss, in the holes in the walls, stood a throne adorned with precious stones.
The translucent worms contracted into a terrifying vortex of chaos that expanded and shrank, spreading across the entire opaque golden throne.
In those worms was a being with a familiar face. It was young and old at the same time, but that distorted and meaningless face sank into the worms again.
— Half-Fool... — A deep sigh echoed through the sky.
That dazzling fantasy shattered into a thousand pieces.
As Klein's vision returned, he leaned against the table in confusion.
In his mind, he could vaguely hear illusory murmurs saying things like Sun, Dusk, and other things.
Half-Fool… That was the peak of Hornacis… Whose voice was that? It sounded familiar... It could be from one of the delusions I heard... Well, the first two dreams were directed at Joyce and the last one at me... — Klein quickly composed himself in case someone came in. He rubbed his temples and began to think silently.
Is this notebook chasing me? It's not possible...
What do I have to do with Antigonus or this Half-Fool?
Could the existence pointed out in the luck ritual have something to do with that voice? — he tapped his fingers on the table before sighing.
He stood up and walked over to Anna who was ignoring the tea in front of her, her gaze focused on the window.
— Mr. Moretti, what was the result? — She asked, turning around hurriedly.
— Does your house, or Mr. Meyer's, have a toy windmill?
Suddenly, she froze.
— He gave it to me as a gift, it's in front of the door... How do you know that? I-can it be divined? — In her confusion, she narrowed her eyes.
Klein smiled gently.
— Congratulations, Miss Anna. Your fiancé is currently at your home. He has been through a very dangerous situation, and he needs all the support from those close to him.
With a shocked look, she began to speak deliriously:
— Really? Is it true? Did he really arrive safely?
Anna didn't wait a moment longer, she handed him a soli and hurried away in a carriage.
…
Above the gray mist, there were seven people on the tarnished bronze seats.
Looking at Justice discreetly, Klein noticed that his astral body had a calm aura. Behind his chair, a symbol of a dragon formed.
Audrey greeted everyone enthusiastically:
— Good morning, Mr. Fool~
— Good morning…
When she finished, she returned to her calm state as she assessed everyone around her, looking for any trace of emotion.
Uh… Mr. Hanged Man seems to be deep in thought… — She glanced at Medici.
Mr. Chariot... Eh... I can't read his emotions... Why? Does he have some skill that works against Spectators or is he just very good at hiding how he feels?
Miss Strength is as calm as ever, but she also seems thoughtful.
The Sun seems worried, but also extremely curious and even anxious... Mr. World... I can't read his emotions either... — Audrey didn't dare try for The Fool, so she just finished looking, getting curious about the other members' thoughts.
As soon as everyone greeted each other, The Fool was the first to speak with a smile:
— Did any of you manage to find Roselle's diary?
— I memorized a page. — Medici replied calmly. It wasn't hard to search through some old documents she had to find a lost page.
— I found a page. — Audrey said, remembering how lucky she was to find Glaint who insisted on sharing a page without anyone in that meeting having to pay.
— I got a page from the diary. — Solveig said calmly.
Actually, I was lucky. I'm glad the negotiation wasn't even absurd since that man had no idea what the papers he had were... — she added in her heart.
— I memorized some ancient stories. — Derrick didn't know who Emperor Roselle was so he could only hand over myths from the history of the ancient Kingdom of Silver.
— I found a page from Emperor Roselle's diary and memorized it. — Alger said calmly. The price was fair because of its historical value.
When the members had written everything down on paper with the help of the Fool, Klein began to read calmly.
"May 21st. And who would have thought that I could become a Beyonder! The choices were the Pathway of the Mystery Pryer or the Pathway of the Savant."
"May 22nd. When they questioned me, my answer was obvious, I chose to be a Savant. I would love to be a Mystery Pryer, but the Hidden Sage is the only obstacle to this path, being chased by knowledge is a very bad thing. I've seen a man go mad because of it. Besides, the Savant Pathway has all the Sequences."
"October 4th. They call me Son Of Steam, I like that."
"April 23rd, there was a party at the Count of Florais' mansion and also a fight with punches and kicks in the middle of the dance hall. Well, I was there minding my own business when Roman came to ask me if I had seen a man named Ivar. I told him the absolute truth! I told him he should go to the bushes in the garden where he was with his fiancée, Evy!"
"The man came out looking like a rabid beast before throwing himself into the bushes and the two started fighting, Roman even threw Ivar onto the dessert table! In the end, a general fight involving six nobles took place after Evy discovered that Roman was cheating on her with two noble girls and two young men from different families who were already promised! Evy even pulled out several tufts of Roman's hair. Nobles don't have an ounce of innocence! Even I was impressed by how the story unfolded!"
What kind of cheap plot is this? — Klein scoffed, controlling himself from frowning slightly.
"April 10. I will store all my treasures at the eastern end of the Sea of Mist and then announce their existence on my deathbed so that they may be sought after! When I said this to Edwards, he made a strange expression and simply covered his face with his hand, sighing. Grimm had a similar reaction."
"April 11th. When I was in the Sea of Mist with my Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, we ended up finding something very interesting. It was an island full of strange species and bizarre animals, in fact I prefer to call them extraordinary animals. I believe that if Darwin had transmigrated there, he would not have even thought of writing his Theory of Evolution."
"April 15th. Grimm suddenly became a little strange, mumbling nonsense all over the place. Has he been infected by something?"
After reading a few more pages, Klein learned a little more about the acting.
Furthermore, there were the pages that the young Sun had given him. They told stories about the ancient Kingdom of Silver when ancient beings lived in the world in the ancient Second Epoch. There were names like Aumir, The Giant King, and many others.
One of them caught Klein's attention the most.
Flegrea!
In truth, the pages didn't exactly point to Flegrea very often. In fact, the mention of this name was so rare that it only appeared once. There was nothing but a single brief mention of this being's name.
Flegrea…
That was what I heard in the murmurs when I transmigrated! Why did the murmurs from Hornacis Peak point to an existence before the Cataclysm?
Is Flegrea connected to the Half-Fool from the peak of the Hornacis mountain range? Who is the Half-Fool? Must he have some connection to the Antigonus family, the Goddess of Midnight, or the two deities that the Nation of Eternal Night believed in? That is, if the Mother Of The Sky is not another title of the Goddess... Then who would be the second deity?
The papers disappeared as if they had never existed and the Fool remained silent.
Audrey asked about what being a Spectator meant, so the Fool explained with an analogy.
— Mr. Fool, what payment will you want for this information? — Audrey smiled as she asked.
After that, He tapped His finger on the table.
— A page from Roselle's diary or...
— Information about the Secret Order, Antigonus or the Order of Mysteries.
Ah? — The young Sun saw all the members thoughtful, but he didn't understand anything of that conversation.
The Antigonus family? — Alger, Solveig and Medici had the same thoughts of confusion and doubt.
Why did He want to know about this information?
Alger straightened up in his bronze seat and spoke calmly:
— I think I can give you this information now. — The Antigonus Family was one of the main families of the Fourth Epoch, but its origin can be traced back to the Epoch of Cataclysm. They had incomprehensible and utterly bizarre powers...
— The cause of this family's downfall is due to the Church of Midnight and another secret organization. They took everything that was left of the peak of the Hornacis mountain range, where the Nation of Eternal Night was located. It seems that they worshiped the Mother of the Sky and some other deity whose title and history have been taken away by time.
The Hanged Man shared much information, such as the existence of a second Slate of Blasphemy.
— Which families are linked to the Secret Order and the Order of Mysteries? — Audrey asked with curiosity hidden behind her gaze.
— The Order of Mysteries is linked to the ancient family that stood on a pedestal in the Fourth Epoch, the Abrahams. The founder of the order came from this family and possibly the remaining members remain within the Order of Mysteries... It is suspected that there are other ancient families linked to the foundation. — Medici explained, seeming a little immersed in his thoughts.
— Abraham? — Derrick asked without understanding.
— Abraham refers to one of the most important families in... Do you know what an empire is...? — Medici looked at Derrick who quickly shook his head in denial.
Stunned, The Chariot continued unhurriedly:
— ... It's like a kingdom, only the territory is much larger. There are different cultures and worship of deities as well as different people. This is an empire.
— This family is so dangerous because of the abilities they possessed. Their abilities were indescribable. The Abrahams have traces even during the Cataclysm, just like the Order of Mysteries.
So it was the Abraham family... Who would have thought that Mr. Chariot would be suitable to be a teacher... — Klein thought in his mind.
The World looked calmly.
— An ancient existence from before the Cataclysm has a connection with the Antigonus family... Flegrea.
— Flegrea? — Derrick asked in disbelief. His eyes widened in shock at hearing that name from someone who didn't belong to the City of Silver.
— Sun, do you know that name? — Solveig didn't miss the opportunity to ask in confusion.
Does he know that name...? It makes sense that The Sun would understand, but The World... How does he know that? — Alger leaned back in his seat discreetly, listening to everything attentively.
— It's an ancient name from the stories of the heyday of the Kingdom of Silver… Flegrea… _ Derrick explained briefly, his face full of confusion.
— The Zaratul family… — Solveig muttered as if it were a curse or a puzzle.
— This family didn't have much influence, but they were known for being terrifying beings… There's not much information about them.
Medici seemed to think for a moment. His tone was deep:
— There was another deity mentioned in the ancient stories of the Midnight Nation. In fact, any information about Him was almost completely erased by the followers of the God of Storms and God of Knowledge and Wisdom… There are cults to Him to this day in some secret organizations. Unfortunately, His title was lost to history.
— They worshiped Him as much as the night. A deity who rose from the smoky chaos before the time of everything. He emerged from the void, at an unknown moment in the Ages.