After a while, he straightened his clothes and walked firmly into the room.
------------------------------
Sefirah Castle.
As usual, Klein held the Tarot Gathering at 3 p.m. on Monday.
This was a suggestion made by Miss Justice, and it was quite fitting.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man!"
Miss Justice greeted politely as always. She seemed to be in a good mood, probably because things had been going smoothly for her recently.
Mr. Hanged Man remained calm and expressionless as usual.
Klein sat at the head of the bronze table, naturally glancing at Justice and the Hanged Man in turn.
Today, Miss Justice was the first to speak:
"Mr. Fool, I recently obtained five pages of Roselle's diary, but with my current memory I can only recall three pages. I'll have to wait until the next gathering to write out the remaining two."
"Alright."
Klein's tone was calm, but inwardly he was pleased, finally, more pages of Roselle's diary to read.
He could always obtain a great deal of useful mystical knowledge from Roselle's diary. Each time, the knowledge he gained effectively expanded his understanding of mysticism.
Just by releasing part of that knowledge, he could make Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man firmly believe in him as a great and mysterious being.
It was a very good cycle.
One had to admit, this fellow transmigrator Roselle had given him enormous help in many matters.
Unfortunately, this transmigrator seemed to have been dead for many years now. A pity that they would never meet.
Soon, Miss Justice wrote out three pages of Roselle's diary from memory.
She remembered this part clearly, after all, she had rehearsed it many times.
"Very good. Your debt has been repaid, and you now have the right to ask one question."
Klein lifted his right hand, making the parchment appear in his palm. His gaze fell on Roselle's diary, and he slowly began reading.
"August 12th: I attended a banquet hosted by Viscount Reid. Having drunk a good deal, Viscount Reid kept boasting about how capable he was in that aspect. Only when I saw his wife emerge from the depths of the garden, face flushed, alongside a baron, did I understand that what people boast about is often precisely what they lack."
"August 15th: I heard something interesting from Mr. Door. It was a sealed artifact, a truly magical pen that could write a script, and the story written would play out in reality. Isn't this just the otherworldly version of the 'Magic Painting Brush'?
Mr. Door even specifically told me that if one often encounters coincidences, chances, and accidents in daily life, one should be careful, it might mean they have been written into the script by that pen, becoming a character in someone else's story."
"August 19th: I took Ms. Green and Mrs. Edward to watch a performance by a song-and-dance troupe. Hmm… it was the adult version. Quite shocking."
…
Klein read the page with a blank expression.
Roselle's daily life was truly decadent, if not attending banquets, then watching performances. But why did it always veer toward unhealthy directions?
Still, the figure of Mr. Door was very important.
That magical pen he mentioned was rather fascinating, with an effect similar to the Magic Brush, what an incredible thing.
One should be especially cautious about unusual events like coincidences or chance encounters.
Why did this sound a bit like his own experience?
Since his rebirth, the events around him had been filled with coincidences and accidents.
Could it be that his own fate had also been written by some pen?
Klein chuckled, not taking it too seriously.
Surely, what appeared in Roselle's diary wouldn't immediately manifest in reality for him. That would be far too coincidental.
Suppressing his thoughts, Klein continued flipping through the remaining two pages of Roselle's diary.
After finishing them all, he looked toward Miss Justice and said in a deep voice:
"Now, you may ask a question."
"I would like to know what method can be used to decipher Roselle's diary?"
Miss Justice wanted to decipher Roselle's diary herself?
But these were Chinese characters, far different from the characters used in this world.
And how could Mr. Fool, a 'newly awakened ancient being', start teaching Miss Justice to read this? Take weekly classes?
Moreover, this was his secret trump card in the mystical world. There was no way he could teach Miss Justice.
Otherwise, how could he continue to use the diary's knowledge to maintain his mysterious image?
"Only ancient beings can decipher it. The method of learning this writing has long been lost."
After a moment's thought, Klein gave his reply.
"I see. No wonder no one has been able to unlock the secrets of Roselle's diary." Audrey looked a little disappointed.
The Hanged Man chuckled softly:
"If such writing could be learned by anyone, Roselle's diary wouldn't have survived until today. It would have long since been collected and sealed away."
As he spoke, he cast a glance filled with respect and awe at Mr. Fool.
Only an ancient existence like him could truly understand such writing.
Perhaps it was divine script, used by gods to communicate!
Ordinary people couldn't possibly learn it, nor had anywhere to study it.
"I thought that, by exhausting the wisdom of later generations, we might gradually decipher it. I didn't expect it to be this difficult."
Audrey sighed, worried for Mr. Hastur's research.
If one spent a lifetime without ever reaching the answer, wouldn't that be terribly tragic?
Mr. Hastur was truly pitiful.
In the subsequent normal discussion phase, Klein maintained his mysterious, ancient demeanor, listening to the dialogue between Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.
Through their exchanges, he expanded his understanding of this world.
…
Backlund.
Hastur had already instructed Butler Neil to prepare factory matters. He planned to build a factory, hire workers, and produce the mystic-world version of mosquito coils.
To make the coils seem more high-end, suitable for nobles and the wealthy, he specially had Glaint add various fragrances into the mosquito-repelling powder, rose, tulip, and many others.
Once lit, not only would mosquitoes no longer disturb the room, but the fragrance would also fill the entire space.
He also prepared a soothing-sleep version that could both repel mosquitoes and aid rest.
He was confident that, once launched, the product would bring great returns.
Backlund's environment was worsening, mosquitoes increasing along with it. Even if no one else bought them, he himself needed them.
In the following days, Hastur spent mornings exercising at Gordon Club, occasionally visited the law firm in the afternoons, and devoted all other energy to developing the mosquito coils.
With all ingredients ready, and following Glaint's method, he successfully produced mosquito-repelling powder with various fragrances.
Hastur was the first to test it. The scent was far more pleasant than that of the coils in his previous world. Not only did the fragrance fill the room, it also clung to clothing.
Butler Neil, after calculations, found that the materials were not too costly, while the mosquito-repelling powder was very effective.
He stated outright that this product would definitely become popular among Backlund's noble circles!
Hastur discussed with Glaint and finally decided on a 70-30 profit split: Hastur, who handled all the work, would take 70%, while Glaint, who only needed to stay at home collecting money, would take 30%.
After finishing preparations for the factory, Hastur originally wanted Butler Neil to oversee it.
But Neil admitted his mental energy was too limited to fully manage the business.
Hastur considered this and then asked Neil to find a suitable manager dedicated to the venture.
Somehow, the news reached Manager Harley, who immediately sought out Hastur, saying he was willing to take charge of the business.
The position of bank manager was well-paid, with good prospects, and fairly stable.
Hastur hadn't expected Harley to show such boldness.
His move was equivalent to giving up an well paid job to venture into a risky business.
Later, while drinking together, Harley explained his reasons.
He was nearing forty, already middle-aged. If he stayed in the bank another ten years or so, he would likely be dismissed. It was better to venture out while still somewhat young.
The main reason, however, was that he saw no chance of further promotion in the bank, he could go no higher.
It was a very realistic reason.
In the end, Hastur decided to hire Manager Harley to help him manage the business.
With Harley's management experience, plus the bright future of this venture, it was certain to make a lot of money.