It was only when Mister Hanged Man said he had the formula for the Spectator potion in his hands that she truly perked up.
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She patiently listened once more to Mr. Hanged Man's description of the Spectator sequence, which was almost the same as what Mr. Hastur had said.
Thinking of how Mr. Hastur once said the Spectator pathway suited her best, and since she herself also enjoyed being a spectator, she asked Mr. Hanged Man for a trade.
The transaction went smoothly. Her family treasury contained many things, with a large collection of Beyonder materials as well.
What she mainly lacked was a formula for the Spectator potion.
Unfortunately, Mr. Hanged Man wanted to receive Ghost Shark blood first before sending her the Spectator potion formula.
Otherwise, by now she should have already concocted the Spectator potion, becoming a Beyonder and officially stepping into the Beyonder world.
Now she could only hope the next gathering would come sooner.
After the trade, they chatted briefly. Mr. Fool agreed to hold the gathering every Monday at 3 p.m.
Mr. Fool used "The Fool" as his codename, one of the twenty-two Major Arcana in the Tarot.
She felt that she herself should also have a resounding codename. Hmm… absolutely not because she had always longed for such adventurous storylines.
She simply thought that in a proper gathering, each member should have a sense of participation.
In the end, she chose "The Justice," also one of the twenty-two Major Arcana.
She remained calm on the surface, but in her heart she wanted to shout loudly: Audrey the Great Justice!
Miss Justice is the most perfect!
Representing justice, judgment, evil's condemnation, and all sorts of strange words.
Before the gathering ended, Mr. Hanged Man mentioned that Emperor Roselle had once seen the Blasphemy Slate, and from it created the Tarot deck that contained secrets to becoming a god.
This was also called the twenty-two divine pathways.
This made her recall how Mr. Hastur had once spoken to them about Sequence 9, the starting Beyonder pathways. Counting carefully, it seemed there were exactly twenty-two different Beyonder pathways!
But she revealed nothing.
When the gathering ended, she returned to her room.
If not for the shattered bronze mirror, she might have thought everything she just experienced had been a dream, a grand adventure story she had imagined herself.
"If I get the chance later, I can ask Mr. Hastur. With his knowledge, he should be able to clear my doubts."
Audrey smiled, calmed her mind, and stopped letting her imagination wander.
Sitting across from her, Glaint felt more and more that Audrey was acting strange tonight.
"If there's an opportunity later, I can discuss Audrey's matter with Hastur."
Glaint pondered, but soon his attention was caught again by Count Richard's words.
Outside, Hastur had seen off tonight's guests, drank quite a bit with Greg and Hibbert, and then slowly entered the hall.
Seeing Count Richard imparting Beyonder knowledge to Glaint, he smiled knowingly and didn't interrupt.
Greg had an indescribable smile in his eyes.
Hibbert chatted briefly with Audrey, then walked over to Hastur and said: "My sister heard you studied Jotun and wants to ask you some questions about it."
"It would be my honor."
Hastur chuckled in agreement. He knew Audrey definitely wanted to come to him for another reason.
Just as well, he also wanted to talk to Audrey privately.
"Now, Baron Campbell belongs to you."
Hibbert teased lightly, watching Audrey and Hastur head upstairs to the study.
The study was about a third larger than the old one, and also had a bronze mirror and sofa.
As soon as Audrey entered, she glanced at the bronze mirror, then pretended as if nothing happened, and sat on the sofa opposite it.
Hastur sat at the desk, smiling as he said: "Miss Audrey, are you familiar with Jotun"
"That's the language said to be used by the legendary giants."
"That is not legend, but reality. Because it truly existed, it was recorded and passed down."
"Has Mr. Hastur ever seen giants?"
"No, they live in the Giant King's Court."
Audrey smiled as she asked: "Then why is Mr. Hastur so certain that giants truly exist?"
"Because in the Beyonder world, nothing is impossible."
Audrey pondered a moment, then asked: "Is there really nothing impossible in the Beyonder world?"
"That's only a relative concept. It doesn't mean the Beyonder world contains literally everything."
"Then, is there any Beyonder item that can instantly transport someone to mysterious, unknown places?"
Hastur gave her a deep look and replied with a smile: "Yes, and quite a few."
"For example?"
"Do you know which pathway Miss Fors is on?"
"Apprentice?"
"Mm. When this Beyonder pathway reaches higher sequences, it grants the ability to wander across the world."
"What a convenient Beyonder ability… ahem, how marvelous."
Audrey's eyes sparkled as she showed great interest in this Beyonder ability. If she had known earlier that the Apprentice pathway was so powerful, she might have chosen to become an Apprentice sooner.
Of course, she also enjoyed being a Spectator.
"For example, there's a book, and inside that book exists a world. When you enter the book, it's the same as entering a new world."
"Are there more?"
Facing Audrey's eager gaze, it was difficult to refuse, but knowing too much knowledge was not a good thing for Audrey at her current stage.
"Of course there's more. When you become a high Sequence Beyonder, you'll naturally come to know of these things."
"Is it hard to become a higher Sequence Beyonder?"
Audrey didn't really have much concept of this question.
"For some people, it's very difficult, and they'll never advance in their entire lifetime. For others, as long as they have enough luck, it's very easy to become a higher Sequence Beyonder."
"Oh, that's good then."
Audrey was very satisfied with this answer. She had always believed her luck to be very good.
If she weren't fortunate enough, she wouldn't have met Mr. Hastur, nor Mr. Fool.
They were both very kind and willing to clear up others' doubts.
Hastur smiled without saying anything. Audrey's luck was indeed very good.
If she weren't one of the protagonists of this era, it would be impossible for her to become a member of the Tarot Club.
Breaking through to higher Sequences really wasn't a difficult matter for her.
Because her destination was an Angel.
"I heard from Glaint that Mr. Hastur likes collecting the manuscripts left by Emperor Roselle?"
Audrey recalled what the Hanged Man mentioned about Emperor Roselle creating Tarot cards that contained the twenty-two Beyonder pathways.
"Emperor Roselle changed many things. His knowledge and wisdom surpassed the limits of that era, as if he were someone who came back from the future. It's hard not to admire him."
"I heard that kind of writing was Roselle's own creation, and no one can decipher it. Is that also your goal, Mr. Hastur?"
"Something like that." Hastur didn't give a definite answer.
Audrey laughed. "I really hope Mr. Hastur can decipher that kind of writing."
"It's better not to have too much hope. That writing is very mysterious. Only those ancient existences might be able to decipher it."
Ancient existences?
Audrey sharply caught the key phrase. Mr. Fool was mysterious and powerful, like a fog, visible, but hard to truly understand.
Could he be an ancient existence?
Like the palace of the Giant King's Court, the mysterious way of gathering…
The more Audrey thought about it, the more she felt that Mr. Fool was exactly the legendary ancient existence.
In the following time, Audrey asked some more questions about the Beyonder, and they chatted for about half an hour.
Then Audrey stood up, gave a slight bow, and said, "Thank you for clearing my doubts tonight, Mr. Hastur."
"It's my honor to converse with Miss Audrey."
The two exchanged a smile, then walked out of the study into the first-floor hall.
Hibbert's expression was as usual, but Audrey's personal maid, who had been waiting outside the study, looked at Hastur with a wary gaze.
"Baron Campbell's knowledge is like the ocean. Talking with him always brings many benefits." Audrey came to Hibbert's side and sincerely praised him.
Glaint also sighed with emotion. "Hastur's learning is truly boundless. Every time I converse with him, I feel my own ignorance."
Hibbert smiled. "Emperor Roselle once said, knowledge is power. Only by constantly learning and accumulating knowledge can we discover our own ignorance, and then climb toward greater heights."
"I just like reading various miscellaneous stories, so I seem more knowledgeable, that's all."
Though Hastur enjoyed the praise, one still had to remain humble. He guessed Emperor Roselle must also have once said: humility makes one progress, arrogance makes one fall behind.
They chatted idly for a while longer. Audrey was the first to leave, followed by Count Richard, who didn't want to stay up late.
In the end, only Hastur, Greg, Hibbert, and Glaint remained.
"Sigh, I knew you wanted to get me drunk tonight."
Hastur sighed, had some food prepared, and then brought out the fine wine he had long made ready.
Greg laughed. "Last time I didn't drink enough. This time I came prepared."
Hibbert also smiled. He too was a veteran of many drinking occasions, so when Greg invited him, he came along to test Hastur's drinking capacity.
At the same time, he wanted to see what Hastur would be like when drunk.
Drunken words might not always be true, but one's character while drunk could be seen at a glance.
Emperor Roselle once said: "Drinking shows one's character."
Having mingled in drinking circles for many years, Hibbert deeply agreed with this saying.
Standing at the side, Glaint felt a little nervous. He wondered if he should leave early.