"Mr. Fool is a deity who values equivalent exchange. I don't have the means to pay for His help." Klein said tactfully, letting out a sigh that was almost too convincing.
It wasn't entirely an act. Klein genuinely felt a pang of worry... if only the so-called Mr. Fool truly existed, a just and benevolent figure he could openly seek aid from as a believer, even if it meant paying a steep price over time.
Unfortunately, the Fool was just his own facade.
"Right, that makes sense!" Alaric mirrored Klein's worried expression but quickly perked up, patting Klein on the shoulder. "No worries, Klein. We can still ask my teacher for help. He might know something."
"Let's hope so." Klein replied noncommittally.
Alaric's face fell again. "But… how am I supposed to explain the Fool to my teacher? Mr. Fool said I can't tell him about Him or the Tarot Club…"
"Then don't say anything. Act like you know nothing. If your teacher asks, just say you don't know." Klein advised earnestly. The more you say, the more you risk slipping up. He doubted Jack's lies could fool anyone, so it was better to stick to ignorance.
"That's a good idea! I'll just say I don't know." Alaric agreed, nodding enthusiastically. He seemed to shed a burden, stretching lazily before turning to Klein with curiosity. "By the way, Klein, why were you working so late today? Did something happen?"
Klein didn't hold back, recounting the unnatural death on Lower Street and his encounter with Trissy. Then he asked, "Do you know anything about this pathway?"
"I know that one. Sequence 7 is called Witch, and it turns men into women... pretty brutal." Alaric said without hesitation. "I also know what comes next. Sequence 6 of the Demoness pathway is Demoness of Pleasure, a sequence that's, well, a bit too spicy for public discussion."
"Huh?" Klein was both puzzled and intrigued.
Alaric glanced around as if checking for eavesdroppers, then leaned in to whisper about the Demoness of Pleasure.
As everyone knows, "pleasure" is a broad term, but for the Demoness of Pleasure, it usually refers to intimate relations between men and women, with occasional exceptions like spreading disease.
This adult topic left Klein utterly shocked.
"Plus, Demoness are generally tough to deal with, especially at Sequence 6. They're practically mid-tier reserves for the Demoness family. At that level, they might wield something unusual... possibly imbued with divinity, tied to the Primordial Demoness." Alaric explained.
His words were a deliberate warning for Klein. In the near future, a Nighthawk would die because of a Demoness of Pleasure. While Alaric's nudge might not change much, it was a small effort worth making.
"So, Klein, if you ever face a Demoness of Pleasure, you've got to be extremely careful."
"I'll remember that. Thanks, Teacher Jack." Klein said. Though he didn't expect to confront a Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure anytime soon, he committed the knowledge to memory for future use.
"Oh, and I've got some Demoness gossip." Alaric said, gesturing for Klein to lean closer. In a hushed tone, he continued, "I overheard… I mean, I heard my teacher chatting with someone. Apparently, the Primordial Demoness used to be a man. That's why she insists every Demoness experience her pain, which is why women on the Demoness pathway are more likely to lose control."
Cough… The gossip was so explosive that Klein gasped. But there was more to come.
"And…" Alaric lowered his voice further, as if terrified of being overheard, "they say the Primordial Demoness and the Blood Emperor were an item. They even had a child."
"What?" Klein hadn't expected such earth-shattering gossip. The air around him felt colder, and he glanced nervously out the window, half-expecting a bolt of lightning to strike. Curiosity got the better of him, though. "But didn't the Demoness Sect in the Fourth Epoch avoid supporting the Tudor Empire?"
"Maybe they broke up?" Alaric said, stroking his chin in serious analysis. "The Primordial Demoness seems psychologically twisted, and the Blood Emperor, Tudor... I recall my teacher calling him the Mad Emperor. It's not surprising two unstable people would fall out…"
Mad Emperor? That was new to Klein, who hadn't yet encountered this term. Curious, he asked, "What's this about a Mad Emperor?"
"I don't know much, since my teacher doesn't let me delve into high-level knowledge. I just… overheard bits of his conversations." Alaric said, coughing lightly to maintain Jack's persona. With a conspiratorial look, he added, "My teacher mentioned the Blood Emperor started on the Black Emperor pathway but switched to the Hunter pathway, which drove him half-mad."
Klein gasped. He knew the consequences of switching to a non-adjacent pathway... half-madness. He was stunned by Tudor's choice but couldn't help feeling curious.
Why would an emperor choose half-madness over staying on his original pathway? And if the Blood Emperor was on the Hunter pathway, having a child with the Primordial Demoness was even odder. Thanks to Alaric's tutoring, Klein knew the Hunter and Demoness pathways were adjacent.
Normally, Beyonders of adjacent pathways, even if not outright hostile, rarely got along well. The mutual antagonism among the seven churches, often between adjacent pathways, was a prime example.
Klein was deeply puzzled.
Unfortunately, Alaric admitted he didn't know the full story, as some knowledge was too advanced to share with Klein now.
"High-sequence matters are so complicated…" Klein suppressed his curiosity, feeling a mix of satisfaction and unease. As a low-sequence Beyonder, discussing gossip tied to angels and true gods was thrilling but risky.
At this point, Klein hadn't yet realized the War of the Four Emperors involved four Sequence 0s, assuming the Blood Emperor was merely an angel-level figure.
Alaric, as if belatedly sensing the risk, touched his nose and quickly moved on. After chatting with Klein a bit longer, he bid farewell.
Instead of heading home, Alaric went to a safe house, changed his appearance, and used his travel ability to arrive at Leonard's residence.
***
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