In Leonard's ear, Pallez's aged voice echoed:
"He's playing the role of a Miracle Invoker. No, he's already a He. It seems that the further revival of The Fool has brought considerable benefits to your former colleague."
"With Amon's ascension to godhood and The Fool's revival, the peaceful days are coming to an end."
Leonard was slightly stunned, looking at Klein beside him with a bewildered expression, and asked incredulously:
"You're already an Angel?"
"Yes." Klein nodded, then asked again:
"Does Pallez Zoroast have any wishes that need to be fulfilled? I need to digest the potion as quickly as possible."
"Uh, I'll ask the old man." Leonard replied with a complex expression.
Before he could ask, Pallez's voice already echoed in his ear:
"I can hear you."
"What wishes could an old man like me, who has nothing, have? If I had to say one, I hope Amon can disappear from this world."
Leonard relayed Pallez's wish. Klein nodded with a complicated expression. That's my wish too, but unfortunately, I can't do it. Not only would Amon himself not agree, but his cheap father wouldn't agree either.
After chatting with Leonard for a few moments, Klein bid farewell directly and left. The pressure from Amon's ascension to godhood made him eager to digest the potion on him, and preferably complete the ritual to advance to Attendant of Mysteries as well.
With a plan in mind, Klein no longer lingered and quickly traveled to various places in Loen, searching for suitable people to help them fulfill their wishes.
It wasn't until three o'clock on Monday afternoon, within the seemingly eternal ancient palace above the Gray Fog.
Streaks of crimson light rose, quickly solidifying into different figures seated on both sides of the mottled long table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
It was still "Justice" Audrey leading, with everyone bowing and greeting "The Fool" Klein at the head of the table, then taking their seats and nodding to each other.
Leyton sat on the high-backed chair belonging to Mr. Tower, looking at the members of the Tarot Club with considerable interest. What was here was merely a projection from the historical void, summoned by Klein in advance from the historical fog.
After reclaiming all his authority, his Sequence had already reached the level of a Half Great Old One. Even an avatar formed from only partial information would cause strong rejection from Sefirah Castle, so he could only participate in the weekly Tarot Club by Klein pulling his Historical Projection.
In fact, he could choose not to participate, as the weekly Tarot Club held little use or meaning for him.
However, he enjoyed the atmosphere here, which helped him maintain his current humanity.
As thoughts drifted, he saw Moon Emlyn, who had just taken his seat, looking around somewhat eagerly, then raising a hand and saying:
"Everyone, I have a question. I want to know if the Planter and Moon Pathways have any special characteristics compared to other Pathways?"
He paused for a moment before continuing to add:
"Recently, I learned about some differences within the Church of the Earth Mother. They divide their clergy into the Blessed and the Favored."
As Moon Emlyn spoke, most of the members of the Tarot Club also developed the same doubts as him.
They exchanged glances with each other, finally turning their gazes towards Leyton. In their understanding, without disturbing The Fool, Mr. Tower was the most knowledgeable one at the Tarot Club.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Leyton tilted his neck back and sighed:
"You should all know that once you embark on a Beyonder Pathway, there's always the risk of losing control, and losing control means there's corruption."
"This corruption can come from many sources, things you touch, sounds you hear, but the most important and fundamental reason still comes from the spiritual imprints and madness left within the Beyonder characteristic, and, the peak of the Sequence Pathway."
"The peak of the Sequence Pathway?" Emlyn was stunned for a moment, then murmured incredulously: "Are you saying the Earth Mother has… has a problem?"
"Heh, there's a piece of knowledge that you may have already encountered, have some guesses about, or perhaps know nothing about."
The Fool Klein's voice clearly echoed in the ears of every member of the Tarot Club. They even slowed their breathing, quietly and anxiously awaiting Mr. Fool's subsequent words:
"The peak of the Sequence Pathway is not Sequence 0. There are still some existences above that."
"For example, the Ancient Sun God, whom you all know something about."
"Do not delve into this knowledge. It's concealed not just because few people know it, but also because this knowledge is dangerous enough, even just to understand it."
"…As expected." Hermit Cattleya was the quickest to accept this information.
She had previously speculated that the Ancient Sun God held more authority than the ancient gods of the second epoch, and even, to assassinate Him, it required not only His own cooperation but also the combined efforts of the Kings of Angels and true gods of that time.
In other words, the Planter and Moon Pathways have an existence with a higher Sequence than the Earth Mother. Who could be influencing these two Pathways? Primordial Moon?
Was Mr. Fool also in this rank during his prime? Is that why he was indifferent to Amon, whom even the gods needed to guard against, and was an enemy of the True Creator who emerged from the Ancient Sun God's corpse?
Also, did Erudite's incorporation of the God of Steam and Machinery's authority also indicate a nearing of this rank?
Thoughts flashed through her mind, and the overwhelming shock made her forget even her expression management.
The other members of the Tarot Club looked at Cattleya, understanding that this Ms. Hermit had, through Mr. Fool's hint, linked many shocking conjectures.
Only Moon Emlyn didn't pay attention to her. His head was a mess, and he looked towards the head of the mottled long table, towards The Fool Klein, as if seeking help:
"Mr. Fool, on the Moon and Planter Pathways, besides the Goddess, are there other existences? And ones that can interfere with the Goddess's oracle?"
The Fool Klein nodded slightly:
"The Primordial Moon is 'Her' incarnation in this world. More than that, it's not something you can explore right now."
Noticing that everyone still had many questions, he leaned back and posed a question in the form of a rhetorical question:
"Where do you think the 22 Beyonder Pathways originate?"
Hermit Cattleya pondered before answering:
"The Moses Ascetic Order's previous view was: the essence of the world is knowledge, and the essence of knowledge is numbers. All things are numbers, including humans, and also the Beyonder characteristics of the 22 Pathways."
"After the appearance of the Erudite, this view changed. Some people made the following summary based on knowledge from the Erudite:
The world was born from the initial Creator, who transformed into all things—spirituality, matter, Beyonder characteristics… And the essence of the world's operation is the result of countless different dimensions intertwining. These dimensions include the spiritual realm, the Spirit World, the Astral World, the Shadow World, the River of Fate, and many other concrete or abstract existences, while the real world is the center of all intertwining.
In the knowledge I once obtained, there was such a description: The world operates because of change."
After a slight pause, she continued to add: "The first part is the consensus of all the Orthodox Churches. As for the latter, it is a theory unique to the Erudite Church."
"Besides that, there's also the Life School of Thought's propagation of the Triple World…"
Moon Emlyn looked at Hermit Cattleya and nodded slightly:
"As one of the rulers of the second epoch, we Sanguine believe that Beyonder characteristics indeed originate from the initial Creator. With the accumulation of different characteristics, ancient gods were born, and then the ancient gods created different races."
"In other words, although the theories of the major churches and hidden organizations differ greatly, they basically all believe that Beyonder characteristics originate from the initial Creator."
"Justice" Audrey quickly summarized, finally looking towards the head of the mottled long table, seeking confirmation.
"More or less. The previous masters of some Pathways did not perish with the initial awakening; they merely had parts of their characteristics and authority torn away."
Klein carefully chose his words, describing them as concisely as possible and without involving dangerous information.
"Awakening?" "Justice" Audrey was stunned for a moment. This was not quite the answer she had imagined.
Klein tapped the edge of the table with his finger, reminding her:
"There's no need to investigate. The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. You can give yourself a psychological hint to ignore this information in your daily life."
"I understand. Thank you for your warning, Mr. Fool." Audrey nodded seriously in response.
After mostly digesting the information Klein had thrown out, Moon Emlyn swallowed and said:
"Is it because Primordial Moon wants to reclaim the authority of the Planter and Moon Pathways that she interferes with the Goddess's oracle and with Beyonders of these two Pathways? Is this also the reason for the special structure of the Church of the Earth Mother?"
"That's right." Klein confirmed Emlyn's guess.
Upon receiving Mr. Fool's affirmation, Emlyn's hanging heart not only didn't settle but hung even higher. This means that as believers of the Earth and darlings of the Moon, we Sanguine will be more dangerous than most Beyonders, unless the Mother Goddess completely occupies the authority belonging to the Moon and Planter.
Even without believing in or understanding Primordial Moon, as Beyonders naturally of the Moon Pathway, the Sanguine are very susceptible to Her interference. Is this the reason for the Blessed and Favored system? The more Emlyn thought, the worse his complexion became.
To his right, Leyton looked at the increasingly troubled Emlyn and chuckled, offering a comforting remark:
"Look on the bright side. Compared to the Mutant and Devil Pathways, you, who are protected by Lilith, are already very fortunate."