It seems that while "The Emperor" is likely a novice Beyonder, he's clearly not an ordinary wild one... perhaps from a secret organization. That must be why Mr. Fool brought him into the Tarot Club. And his teacher knows secrets about angels, so his sequence can't be low…
The Hanged Man Alger's mind buzzed with thoughts. After a few seconds of consideration, he said carefully, "In some Beyonder incidents tied to the Aurora Order, there have indeed been traces of devotees praying to an entity in the domain of fate… Perhaps that's the Angel of Fate you mentioned."
Though unaware of Ouroboros's existence, the honorific name wasn't a closely guarded secret among True Creator followers. As an official Beyonder, Alger had some knowledge of it.
After all, the Church of the Lord of Storms was one of the most aggressive in targeting the True Creator.
"Mr. Emperor, which pathway is Fate?" Justice Audrey asked, her curiosity piqued.
"As far as I know, Sequence 9 of the Fate pathway is Monster. It's a pathway that makes one unusually lucky…" Alaric openly shared an overview of the Fate pathway, focusing only on the low to mid sequences.
"Thank you, Mr. Emperor. What kind of reward would you like?" Audrey asked, thoroughly engrossed.
While the Tarot Club often shared free information, valuable knowledge was typically paid for. Normally, buyers would request private discussions to avoid others freeloading, but as a wealthy heiress, Audrey didn't mind.
"I'm a bit short on cash lately, so some gold pounds would be great." Alaric said candidly. He was indeed running low on funds.
"No problem. How much would you like?" Audrey replied, unfazed... money was no issue for her.
"Five hundred pounds?" Alaric ventured uncertainly, then added, "If you think it's not worth it, I can share more knowledge. Which pathway are you interested in?"
"How much do you know about the Spectator pathway, Mr. Emperor?" Audrey's interest surged, eager to learn about her own pathway's future.
"The Spectator pathway, also called the Pathway of Dragons, as you already know, has Sequence 6 as Hypnotist, Sequence 5 as Dreamwalker, and at the demigod level, I'm less clear, but I know Sequence 4 is Manipulator…"
Alaric unhurriedly outlined the Spectator pathway's later sequences, avoiding specific abilities and sticking to general descriptions of their manifestations.
"I'm very satisfied. Thank you, Mr. Emperor. I'm willing to pay an additional five hundred gold pounds for this knowledge." Audrey said, delighted, and offered to increase the payment.
Thus, another mutually satisfying deal was struck.
The Hanged Man Alger, who'd been listening, finally spoke up after their transaction. "I have a commission I'd like to entrust to you all."
"What kind of commission?" Audrey asked, turning to him curiously.
"Let's hear it." Alaric said, feigning interest while fully aware of what Alger was about to propose.
"I've received word that the notorious pirate, Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, has secretly infiltrated Backlund…" Alger explained his request: he wanted the Tarot Club members to help investigate Qilangos's whereabouts.
Mindful of the danger, Alger conscientiously stressed that they should only track Qilangos's location and not attempt to confront him.
After all, aside from Mr. Fool, the current Tarot Club members were, frankly, no match for Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos.
"Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos…" Alaric put on a thoughtful expression, then muttered as if to himself, "Could that be what my divination pointed to?"
The divination he referred to was, of course, the one he'd performed for Xio days earlier.
Alaric needed a plausible reason for Lucifer to get involved in this matter without seeming out of place, and the prior divination was the perfect excuse.
"What divination?" Audrey asked, catching his murmur, her curiosity piqued.
She knew Mr. Jack was a Seer.
"Well, a while back, I did a divination for a friend. It showed she'd face life-threatening danger within the next two months, tied to the sea and wealth." Alaric explained simply, omitting Xio's identity since there was no reason to hide the rest.
"So, Mr. Emperor, you think the danger your friend faces might be connected to Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos?" Audrey grasped immediately.
The Hanged Man Alger, after a moment's thought, added, "Qilangos is extremely dangerous. If your friend might cross paths with him, a life-threatening situation wouldn't be surprising. You should warn her to be cautious, even if the divination doesn't directly point to this. Better safe than sorry."
Though a seasoned schemer, Alger had some conscience. Having seen The Emperor's value in recent exchanges, he didn't mind earning some goodwill with a few words.
"I understand. I'll warn her." Alaric nodded, his expression tinged with worry.
This was, of course, to set up Jack Jones writing to Lucifer about the matter... a natural move for Jack's character.
Alger then elaborated on Qilangos's pathway and abilities, emphasizing his mystical item, "Creeping Hunger."
Both Audrey and Alaric agreed to take on the commission, promising to investigate Qilangos's whereabouts.
After this, the group shared more information, and the Tarot Club meeting concluded successfully.
"Now, it's time for me to head back to Backlund. The Qilangos incident should be enough to fully digest my Actor potion. Before that, I need to prepare the supplementary materials for the Mask Maker potion." Alaric said, stretching as he planned his next steps.
He then recalled his recent appearance as Lucifer before Klein and Old Neil, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I wonder if the Church of the Evernight has reached any conclusions about Lucifer's existence these past few days…"
***
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