AN: Happy Halloween! And yes, I'm still alive. Vanishing for every two months seems to be a ritual for me.
Inside her cramped one bedroom apartment in Cherwood borough, Fors laid on her sofa in a completely languorous manner. Scattered manuscript drafts littered the floor around her. She stared at the ceiling and felt a strong urge to light up a cigarette.
But today was Monday. As per Mr. Fool's instructions, she decided to do absolutely nothing. She simply waited for something to happen. The mechanical ticking of her wall clock echoed loudly in the quiet room.
As the clock finally struck 3 PM, a sudden rush of crimson light completely dazzled her vision. The physical world washed away in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself sitting above a mysterious and serene expanse of gray fog. She was inside a majestic palace that felt incredibly grand and ancient. Right in front of her rested a long mottled bronze table. She looked around and saw one blurry figure after another sitting in high-backed chairs along the edges.
'One figure after another? One figure after another! Are these the gathering members?' Fors wondered as she looked around space shrouded by the gray fog.
At the same time, Audrey noticed a new person at today's gathering.
'A new member? And, there is only one person this time, and she appears to be a lady...' Audrey nearly forgot to greet Mr. Fool in her bid to take a closer look at the features of the new member.
No matter how blurry the figure was, she could still see her hair color, silhouette, her accent, and verbal tics!
'Hmm... I must take note. At the very beginning, Mr. Hanged Man managed to identify me as a noble just from my pronunciation and habit of using certain words...' Audrey thought to herself.
She then stood up, lifted her skirt slightly, and looked toward the end of the long bronze table. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
After everyone greeted Mr. Fool, she made no effort to hide her curiosity. She looked at the new member seated in the same row and asked with a smile, "Who is this?"
"This is Miss Magician, our new member," Mr. Fool replied. He then looked at Fors and introduced the rest of the table. "This is Miss Justice, and that is Mr. Hanged Man..."
Fors nodded in greeting to each member as their code names were called. At the same time, she carefully observed the others at the table. She looked around and quickly categorized everyone in her mind.
'Miss Justice is blonde and seems very young; she sits with a graceful posture.
'Mr. Hanged Man has dark blue hair, as messy as seaweeds; he doesn't have a very bulky figure; he doesn't like to talk, but when observed by him, it gives me a sense of unease; he must be a leader of some faction...
'Mr. Sun looks like a teenager; he's very silent and reserved; other than that, I can't tell anything else—maybe he's just as weak as me. Lastly is Mr. World. And, well, I can already guess who he is.' As a writer who had written a best-selling novel, she started to showcase her unique traits.
While Fors looked at the other members, they were also looking at her. Among them, Justice Audrey was the most attentive.
'She is looking for something or someone,' Audrey thought as she carefully observed the newcomer. 'Hmm, her emotions changed when she looked at Mr. World. Do they recognize each other?'
After a moment of observation, she came to a clear conclusion.
'It seems like Miss Magician indeed recognizes Mr. World. Is she someone he recommended? Is it possible to recommend someone to join? Maybe I should ask. But not today. I will ask in the next gathering.'
After the greetings ended, Mr. Fool's voice echoed through the gray fog. "Congratulations on your advancement, Miss Justice."
Audrey felt a surge of joy. She stood up and pressed her hand over her chest, bowing her head in sincere gratitude. "Thank you for your blessing, Mr. Fool."
After a brief pause, she gathered her composure and continued, "Mr. Fool, here are the three pages of the diary I owe you," she said politely.
She willed the parchment into existence, and the pages immediately transferred to the end of the long bronze table. Mr. Fool picked them up and read them in complete silence.
Fors carefully noted this interaction. She tilted her head and looked at the strange papers with obvious curiosity.
Seeing her curious gaze, Mr. Fool gently put down the pages after he finished reading them. He looked at the new member and offered a simple explanation. "I am currently looking for Emperor Roselle's diary pages."
Fors blinked in surprise, 'Those are a diary?'
Right after that, a very specific memory came to her mind. She remembered the high-ranking noble lady she and Xio had escorted to Mr. A's gathering recently. That exact lady bought three pages of Roselle's diary right in front of her.
'Hmm, I can probably contact her and get those diary pages for free; Well, maybe not for free, but we could make a deal. But then again, I do not even know her at all. Reaching out so suddenly would be strange. Still, if I am ever truly desperate for a trade, I might just try it.'
Her thoughts were broken by Mr. Fool's voice. "You may begin your free exchanges."
After Mr. Fool permitted the free exchange to begin, Miss Justice quickly took the initiative.
She turned toward Mr. Hanged Man with a bright smile. "Thank you for giving me the ingredient in advance.
"Did you manage to deal with Qilangos?"
After Qilangos escaped and the Devil assassinated Duke Negan, Audrey simply did not have the energy or mind to gather information about the vice admiral. He became just a distraction to her. Still, she saw a good opportunity to ask about him at the moment, so she did.
At the side, Fors suddenly stiffened. But since that was a completely normal reaction to hearing the name of a notorious Vice Admiral of the Sea, Audrey did not find anything suspicious about her behavior.
'Qilangos? Didn't he just arrive at Backlund? So he actually got captured and possibly killed! And this person right in front of me is the one who did it!' Before Fors could hype up Mr. Hanged Man any further in her mind, the man himself responded to the question.
"You are welcome, and I can confirm Qilangos is dead," Mr. Hanged Man replied in his calm voice. He then stood up from his chair and bowed respectfully toward Mr. Fool. "I must thank you for sending your Blessed to help me get rid of Qilangos."
Fors blinked in surprise. 'So, Mr. Hanged Man wasn't the one who dealt with Qilangos. Mr. Fool's blessed did,' she thought to herself.
Mr. Hanged Man paused for a moment before continuing. "I hope my assistance to your blessed at the Rorsted Archipelago in completing the task you gave him was acceptable. I hope my assistance was sufficient to clear my debt." He deliberately did not say anything related to the hunt of Kalvetua. He chose to remain completely vague.
Mr. Fool simply nodded. "It was sufficient."
Audrey felt incredibly curious about what had actually happened.
'So, Qilangos is really dead. Was it the same blessed who I ran into? Hmm?
'As expected of Mr. Fool. A Pirate Admiral with a mystical item is absolutely nothing to "Him". I wonder how many High-Sequence Beyonders Mr. Fool has as "His" Blessed...'
Audrey had begun to use the capitalized words "He," "Him," or "His" to refer to The Fool without even realizing it.
'Also, Mr. Hanged Man paid his debt by assisting another blessed on a task. What kind of task was it? Did they find the location of the mysterious organization that Mr. Dwayne Dantès spoke of?'
Audrey kept on creating new theories in her mind one after another.
Seeing both of them go quiet, Fors gathered her courage and said, "I wish to obtain the formulas for Apothecary and Trickmaster. I will pay in cash."
She intentionally added the Apothecary formula to her actual request in order to cause the others to misinterpret her goals. If any member of the gathering really had the formula, she would still take it. She could then sell it at a higher price to Viscount Glaint, who had been longing for this formula for a long time. In any case, she definitely wouldn't suffer a loss because of this and might even make a huge profit.
As for money, Fors wasn't short of it for the time being. Not only were the royalties of her best-selling book entering her account over time, but they were also accumulating to quite a sizable amount.
The World spoke hoarsely for the first time. "I have the Apothecary formula. 230 pounds.
"As for the Trickmaster formula, I will do my best to find it, but I cannot guarantee success."
Fors noticed that this was the first time Mr. World spoke. He made his voice a little deeper and a little hoarse, but she could tell that it was Sherlock very easily.
At the side, Audrey noticed clearly that Mr. World showed confusion about why Miss Magician asked for the Apothecary potion formula, but not so much when the Trickmaster was mentioned. If her theory about both of them being acquaintances was correct, then she could easily deduce the truth.
'The Trickmaster is for herself, and the Apothecary formula is to be sold to someone else… She could also do this to complicate the situation and fool the others...' Audrey nodded indiscernibly as she tried to make sense of The Magician's identity.
"Thank you, Mr. World." Fors fell silent for a few seconds. 'Wait, how should I pay him? Should I pay him in the real world later? But if I do that, the others can deduce that the two of us know each other.'
She coughed into her hand before continuing. "Um, as for the Apothecary formula, I plan to buy it now. How should I make the payment?"
The World didn't mind her asking the question at all. He said softly, "You can sacrifice the money to Mr. Fool after you return. That way, the transaction will be closed.
"The exact sacrificial ritual is..."
...
After the transaction between The World and Miss Magician concluded, Mr. Hanged Man looked around and spoke up. "I am looking for the potion formula for the Sequence 6 Wind-blessed,"
Mr. Fool gently tapped his fingers against the edge of the long mottled bronze table. He looked at Alger and offered a different solution. "I can offer you a Sequence 6 Wind-blessed Beyonder characteristic. What can you offer in exchange for it?"
At the side, Miss Justice perked up. She knew exactly what Beyonder characteristics were, as they were clearly explained in the general mystical knowledge she got from Mr. Hanged Man previously. 'Come to think of it, the black thing Mr. Dwayne Dantès took from the devil's dead body seemed like a Beyonder characteristic, didn't it?'
The Hanged Man Alger looked at The Fool and spoke once again. "I can arrange a situation where I can offer a batch of pages from Emperor Roselle's diary. I believe that I can present them to you in the next gathering, or perhaps the gathering after that."
Mr. Fool nodded calmly. "Alright. Our deal is struck."
After Mr. Fool and Mr. Hanged Man finalized their deal, the long bronze table fell into a brief silence. Audrey saw this as the perfect opportunity to bring up the questions that had been lingering in her mind.
Audrey coughed into her hand to draw everyone's attention. "I have three requests that I need help with," she began.
"Firstly, I would like to know about the Devil pathway and how strong they are. Specifically, the Sequence 5 Desire Apostle.
"Secondly, which pathway allows you to steal another person's ability?
"And thirdly, Can you tell me what would happen if an animal drinks a potion and becomes a Beyonder?"
Alger blinked for a moment, but then he understood. 'Miss Justice must have asked this questions because of her recent encounter with the Devil that assassinated Duke Negan.'
"If it is just the Devil Sequence, I know a little about it," Alger, who had some standing in the Church of Storms, interjected.
Derrick Berg glanced at him. Without a second thought, he straightened his back and said, "I am very knowledgeable about the Devil pathway. The payment I want is any information related to the Creator or the Bard potion formula.
"The equivalence of this piece of information will be determined by Mr. Fool," Derrick added respectfully.
Through this exchange, Derrick specifically wanted to figure out some clues about their mysterious leader. 'Is Mr. Fool somehow connected to the Creator? Maybe he is a revived aspect of the Creator who came back to save us from the Darkness?'
Audrey blinked in confusion. "Creator? Who are you talking about?"
Before the youth could explain, Mr. World interjected, "I have the Sequence 9 Bard formula, but I ask for Gold Pounds.
"Miss Justice, if you are fine with it, you can pay me the equivalent value in Gold Pounds for the Sequence 9 Bard formula, In exchange, I will give the formula directly to Mr. Sun on your behalf. That way, his requirement is satisfied and your transaction is completed cleanly."
Audrey's eyes lit up at the offer. "That sounds completely fair."
Within seconds, a piece of yellowish-brown goat parchment materialized out of thin air right in front of Mr. World, which he then handed over to The Sun.
Mr. World then turned towards Justice Audrey, "I can also tell you information about the pathway that can steal other pathways' powers, and what would happen if an animal drinks a potion, just increase the price a little."
Miss Justice quickly agreed to the arrangement.
"The pathway capable of stealing abilities is the Marauder pathway. Only a Beyonder from Sequence 6 or above can steal other Beyonder pathway abilities." Mr. World paused for a moment as if he was recalling something. "Hmm... The Sequence 6 name is Prometheus, I believe."
He continued calmly, "Furthermore, I do not know why you want this information, but normal animals do not have the brains of humans. They wouldn't be able to learn Cogitation in a timely manner. Therefore, it would most likely lead to immediate death or a breakdown into a monster. However, if they survive the initial ingestion of the potion, they should become an extraordinary creature. If the potion has the ability to enhance their intelligence, they can even become smarter."
"Thank you, Mr. World, for your information," Audrey replied.
She looked in the direction of The Sun, who was reading the goat parchment, and said, "Mr. Sun, it is your turn."
Derrick nodded as he recollected and organized his knowledge. "If I remember correctly, the most frightening thing about the most common types of Devils is their intuition. If you can cause lethal damage to it in a very short period of time and take action to put that into practice, then it can sense, notice, and grasp where the danger comes from and who it came from, and then selectively kill or seek revenge on them.
"And this period of time varies from a few minutes to a day. Different Devils have different instincts."
Seeing that Miss Justice was quiet, Derrick continued. "They all possess the ability to gigantify their bodies to break free from their bindings, which temporarily increases their strength and speed. Their skin is mutable, which is equivalent to wearing a layer of hard armor. Their blood and flesh can act as a retardant and reduce damage. They are immune to most toxins and do not fear curses or flames to a certain degree.
"Their greatest weakness is that they tend to lose control. Even if they don't, they will often display a cold-blooded and cruel madness. They are easily controlled by desires such as bloodlust and murderous intent."
Derrick tilted his head upwards as if he was trying to remember the exact books he read. "The only information I have about a Desire Apostle is their ability to sprout a defiling seed inside their victim and feed on their desires. They can also sprout that seed at an opportune moment to create chaos."
'I see... Is this how it managed to assassinate Duke Negan? What would have happened if my spirituality hadn't warned me to look at Duchess Della with my Spirit Vision? Would the seed have sprouted right then and there and killed all of us?' Audrey thought with a sudden chill.
Derrick lowered his head and looked across the table. "Um, I hope that was sufficient."
Audrey nodded. "It was sufficient. Thank you, Mr. Sun."
At that moment, Mr. Fool tapped his finger against the long bronze table.
"Your information is actually insufficient for the value of the formula," he said calmly to The Sun.
Hearing Mr. Fool's words, Derrick immediately turned to the young woman across the table. "Miss Justice, what else would you like to know?" he asked.
Audrey thought for a moment and asked, "What did you mean by the Creator?"
Across the long bronze table, Alger and Fors both were curious as well.
"Right..." Derrick replied in a respectful tone. "We believe in the Lord that created everything, the omnipotent and omniscient God."
He looked across the bronze table and continued. "Before our Lord awakened, The Giant King Aurmir, the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, the Elf King Soniathrym, the Vampire Ancestor Lilith, the Devil Monarch Farbauti, the Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, the Mutant King Kvastir, and the King of Demonic Wolves Flegrea split the remnant powers of authority. They became lords of the sky, land, and ocean. They ruled over reality, the spirit world, and the astral world. They were deities who ruled over various races and were truly the ancient gods. Back then, humanity was incredibly weak. We were basically just slaves and food for the giants and other terrifying creatures."
He paused for a second to gather his thoughts. "Then, The Creator awakened from the chaos. He defeated the ancient gods and took back control of the world. He protected humanity and brought us into an era of light."
Derrick lowered his head slightly, his voice growing heavy. "Later, The Creator inexplicably vanished. Our land was plunged into complete darkness, and we were abandoned."
'Abandoned? The Creator abandoned the City of Silver?' Alger was shocked. Suddenly he made the connection regarding a particular term.
The Forsaken Land of God!
In the confidential information of the Church of Storms, at the security clearance level that Alger, who was Captain—equivalent to the Bishop level—could access, the Forsaken Land of God had always only been a name with no actual description. However, it clearly pointed towards the end of the Sonia Sea. From what he knew, even the Cardinals at the core of the church had no idea what the Forsaken Land of God represented. But only the leader of the church, the Proxy of the Lord of Storms, knew something about the situation and seemed to be taking charge of the hidden mission to look for the Forsaken Land of God.
As Alger was deep in thought, Derrick continued.
"We still believe that we will regain the Lord's favor in the end. Perhaps, it will be on the day the sun rises again," Derrick Berg answered in an uncertain tone. "We were once ruled by the giants' royal family, and we worshiped the Giant King Aurmir. Later, we were saved by the Lord and we will never betray the Lord again."
'The City of Silver is really special! They actually worship the Creator Himself! Hmm, the description of omnipotence is a little strange...' Audrey thought to herself. She subconsciously stole a glance at Mr. Hanged Man and realized that he was completely stunned, as if he had just realized something incredibly important. She instinctively straightened her posture.
At the side, Fors remained completely quiet and listened to everything very attentively.
As Derrick finished speaking, Alger came to another realization. He carefully replayed the names of the ancient gods the youth just mentioned in his mind. Giant King Aurmir, Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, and more importantly, Elf King Soniathrym.
Alger suddenly widened his eyes. He just saw a depiction of this exact history a couple of days ago!
His mind immediately went back to the ruined elven city hidden in the Spirit World. He recalled the mural of the man treading the stormy waves and the figure wearing a simple white robe with a bright halo behind his head.
'Mr. Sun just said the Creator awakened and defeated the ancient gods to protect humanity. He specifically mentioned Elf King Soniathrym as one of those defeated gods.'
He remembered what Mr. Fool's blessed, Gehrman Sparrow, told him back in the ruins. Gehrman pointed at the white-robed figure and called him the Emperor of Mankind, the one who liberated humans from the oppression of the non-human races. Gehrman also called him the Ancient Sun God.
The connection was undeniable! The Creator The Sun spoke of is the Ancient Sun God the blessed Gehrman Sparrow spoke of!
"...Emperor of Mankind!" Alger whispered out loud.
In the completely quiet space above the gray fog, that single phrase easily caught everyone's attention. The other members turned and gave their full focus to Alger.
"Did I say that out loud?" Alger asked, his voice stiffening slightly.
"Only the last part," Miss Justice replied with obvious curiosity. "What exactly do you mean by the Emperor of Mankind?"
Both of their questions came to a sudden halt as Mr. Fool tapped the large bronze table. The noise immediately caught everyone's attention, and they all looked in his direction.
Mr. Fool's tapping stopped. There was a momentary silence before Mr. Fool spoke. "Where did you learn that?" His voice was serious.
Alger gulped as he instinctively straightened his posture. "Ah, from your Blessed, Gehrman Sparrow," he replied.
"I see..." Mr. Fool went quiet before letting out a slow sigh. "It seems he was mistaken. The Emperor of Mankind did not exist and will never exist.
"The Emperor he told you about was just a mere illusion, or a fleeting dream. Do not worry about it."
Mr. Fool's voice contained a deep, complicated emotion that everyone at the table noticed immediately.
Alger's mind worked a mile a minute. 'It seems both of them have an extensive history. But what does he mean by an illusion or a dream? I do not have enough information to come to a conclusion. It is so frustrating, but what can I do? I do not have anything to pay for that information anyway.'
Derrick, on the other hand, felt his theories solidify completely. 'Mr. Fool is indeed somehow connected to the Creator!'
Audrey coughed lightly into her hand to break the heavy tension and quickly changed the subject. "Thank you for your answers, Mr. Sun."
Derrick looked over and simply nodded back.
…
There was a momentary silence before Alger took this chance to ask a question, he looked at Audrey and said, "I would like to know the details of the assassination of Duke Negan. What kind of reward do you need?"
Audrey was surprised for a moment, but then she quickly understood the meaning behind Mr. Hanged Man's words. 'He wants to ask about the organization or force that instigated the Desire Apostle, but he doesn't think it's right to ask The Fool directly, thinking that it would be too sudden and invasive. So he took a roundabout way by asking me to open up the topic, gently shifting the focus to the things he wants to know... He knows I am a noble lady and that I attended the ball where Duke Negan was assassinated. So he's not worried that I won't answer him... Mr. Hanged Man is really experienced...'
Audrey smiled, with the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "No, there is no need for compensation. Is it not the purpose of our Tarot Club to freely exchange common knowledge among each other? As I have noticed, this week has been very eventful for every one of us. I would like to suggest that we share our experiences with each other."
'Only by doing so can our Tarot Club expand at a rapid pace!' she thought to herself quite possessively.
"Your words shame me." Alger was stunned for a moment before he pressed his hand to his chest and leaned forward a little.
'Our Tarot Club needs to work at a higher level if we wish to be useful to Mr. Fool in any way. Only by sharing information freely can we achieve that,' Alger reflected inwardly.
At the side, Fors rested one of her elbows on the table and leaned her head on it as she listened to them talk. When she heard that Duke Negan was assassinated, she nearly faceplanted on the large bronze table in pure shock.
She quickly turned her head toward Sherlock and found him looking back at her. She wished she could talk to him privately. She had a thousand questions burning in her mind. She subtly gestured with her hand to show she was completely confused about what they meant by the assassination of Duke Negan.
Sherlock seemingly understood what she asked and simply made a small gesture to explain it later. Fors slightly nodded and breathed out a sigh of relief.
Xio had not returned since yesterday, and Fors had been so busy thinking up a manuscript for her next novel that she completely forgot to check the newspapers. She clearly missed some massive events.
Audrey lightly pursed her lips, weighed her words, and said, "The Desire Apostle used a unique situation to complete the assassination of Duke Negan. As Mr. Sun previously explained their abilities, I imagine it used its power to plant a defiling seed inside the wife of Duke Negan. It used her to get close to him. It then sprouted its seed, took control of her, and pierced Duke Negan's chest, killing him instantly.
"After that, it tried to escape. But a mysterious gentleman caught it and killed it using some sort of holy sword ability. This gentleman did not do it to silence the Devil. He did it to target the organization that entrusted the assassination contract to the Desire Apostle."
'Which organization?' Alger wondered to himself in puzzlement. 'A powerful organization that I do not know of at all? Is this the faction behind the Desire Apostle?
'Did Mr. Fool send His Blessed to search for them? Is this why Miss Justice wishes to learn about the pathway that steals abilities?
'This high-level situation in the world really is more complicated than I thought. There are even more secrets that I have no way of knowing...' Alger slightly nodded his head, feeling both shocked and agitated at the same time.
Audrey continued, "Duke Negan's death has divided the House of Lords. Although his eldest son is about to inherit the nobility title and become a member of the House of Lords, his prestige isn't enough to calm the dispute."
She paused and thought back to the private conversation she observed between her father and Prime Minister Aguesid Negan.
"Furthermore, the higher-ups in the Kingdom are planning to officially accuse the Feysac Empire. They will claim the northern kingdom orchestrated the assassination of Duke Pallas Negan and the death of Ambassador Bakarland to destabilize Backlund."
"There is a possibility of starting a war for the time being...." The Hanged Man whispered.
He then shook his head and asked, "What do you like to know?"
Justice Audrey shifted in her seat and replied, "What kind of task did you help the Blessed with?"
Alger did not answer immediately. He turned his body respectfully toward the end of the long bronze table and looked at Mr. Fool.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, do I have your permission to share the details of this matter?" Alger asked in a low and respectful voice.
The mysterious figure shrouded in the gray fog simply chuckled. Mr. Fool casually waved his hand. "You may speak."
'Mr. Fool really does not care if we discuss the actions of his Blessed. To a god, this is just a trivial matter,' Alger thought.
He looked back at the group and answered. "I assisted the Blessed in hunting down the Sea God Kelvatua."
All three of them showed confusion, as they did not know who or what that was.
He paused for a second to let the name sink in. "Kelvatua is a false god worshipped in the Rorsted Archipelago. It is actually a massive blue sea serpent that survived from a long time ago. It mastered the authorities of water, lightning, and storms. It ruled over the undersea creatures and demanded bloody sacrifices from the locals to sustain its own existence...
Audrey, Fors, and Derrick listened with absolute attention. The ancient palace above the gray fog was completely quiet except for his voice.
Alger continued to explain the battle briefly. "The Blessed engaged the Sea God on the open ocean. It was a terrifying fight...
"...The Blessed defeated it heavily, but the beast managed to rip open a path into the Spirit World and ran away. We tracked it down and went to its lair. We fought its mad subordinates there and found a powerful artifact. But there was also a mural hidden deep inside the ruins."
Alger tapped his finger on the bronze table. "It was a mural of the ancient god, Elf King Soniathrym. And 'He' was fighting the Ancient Sun God."
Alger deliberately did not mention the title Emperor of Mankind.
'Mr. Fool probably does not like that title. I will just leave it out,' Alger reasoned in his mind.
He looked directly at the young boy sitting across the table. "I believe that Mr. Sun is from the Forsaken Land of the Gods. And the Ancient Sun God depicted in that mural… I strongly suspect 'He' is the exact same Creator that Mr. Sun mentioned. The Lord that created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent one."
Derrick sat perfectly still. A physical record of the Creator existed in the outside world!
"Mr. Hanged Man... Do you have any other news about the Creator?"
Alger shook his head calmly. "No. I only know this much from what we found in the ruins."
Hearing that, a brief wave of dejection washed over Derrick, but he quickly solidified his mind.
'If that is the case, then my goal is clear. Become the sun and find a way to get everyone from the City of Silver out of the Forsaken Land.'
Audrey became absolutely thrilled after hearing the grand tale of gods and ancient battles. 'Mr. Hanged Man has a real talent for telling stories.'
She placed her hands gently on the table and said, "I once dreamed of going on a voyage in search of these primitive islands to take in the history."
...
Justice Audrey looked around at the group with a warm smile and asked who would like to go next.
Mr. World raised his hand slightly. He spoke in a hoarse voice. "I was the one who assassinated Bakarland Jean Maden."
All of them waited for him to continue. When she realized Mr. World was not going to say anything else, Audrey opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate. She quickly stopped herself and calmed her thoughts.
'It might contain secrets Mr. World is not willing to share,' she thought to herself.
"Thank you for the disclosure, Mr. World," she replied smoothly.
Just then The Hanged Man chuckled. "I heard that this Ambassador Bakarland was also the intelligence chief of the Intis Republic in the Kingdom. He secretly supported bloodshed, planned a number of incidents that destroyed the relationship between the nobility and the rich, and spread rumors to incite the public into standing against the government. Good job, Mr. World."
Mr. World only nodded toward him.
Once Alger finished speaking, a brief silence settled over the long bronze table. The Sun Derrick took a deep breath and shifted in his seat.
"Um, I have something to share as well," Derrick spoke up, drawing the attention of the other members.
He looked around the table and gathered his thoughts.
"As you know, the elders of the Six-Member Council discovered that I prayed to Mr. Fool, to heal my parents.
"Because of that, they detained me and locked me inside the Spire; It is a special dungeon where our city keeps Beyonders who are on the verge of losing control. The place is heavily sealed, and they use a very powerful artifact at the core to suppress the inmates.
"While I was in my cell, I spoke to a former exploration team captain in the neighboring room. He told me about an outsider his team met forty-two years ago."
Derrick paused for a moment and asked, "Have any of you heard of a person named Amon?"
Alger's mind came to a sudden halt. 'Amon? Like the Amon family from the Tudor Dynasty?'
He turned his head to The Sun. "In the Fourth Epoch, uh, about 1500 years ago in the kingdom we live in, there was a family with strange powers. They belonged to the Tudor Dynasty, and their surname was Amon. Even in an era with numerous High-Sequence Beyonders, the surname of the clan was taboo."
Audrey asked instead of The Sun. "Why?"
Alger did not answer her directly as he continued his explanation. "Abraham, Antigonus, Amon, Jacob, and Tamara are the five great families that supported the establishment of the Tudor Dynasty, and they were second only to the Blood Emperor.
"Among them, the Amon family is the most mysterious one. They have the least history left behind, and they seem to have been distorted and covered up by some kind of power.
"There was a piece of information that came from the King of the Five Seas, Nast. The Amons are a family of blasphemers, and they wield the secrets to usurp the powers of deities!
"Also, the Amon family call themselves the descendants of the ancient Sun God."
Derrick was completely shocked. "The son of the Creator!?"
Alger shook his head. "There is a possibility that Amon is just lying. But he might also be searching for clues as to why the Creator vanished. I would suggest that you do not interact with him anyway."
Derrick nodded to show he understood.
Audrey leaned forward slightly. "What happened to the man after that?"
Hearing her question, Derrick answered. "After I returned to the City of Silver, I wanted to glean more information from the former captain, but he suddenly appeared behind me, asking me if I was looking for him."
Audrey drew a short breath. Although The Sun obviously lacked the ability to tell a good story, his simple descriptions still gave her the feeling of reading horror novels late into the night. 'It feels like someone is standing right behind me, asking if I am looking for them.'
Fors felt just as frightened as she was excited. She found the familiar feeling she had as a child listening to her mother recount a ghost story. Despite covering her ears in fear, it felt like someone had possessed her and pried open the gaps between her fingers, allowing the voice to be transmitted directly into her brain.
'This passage can be written into a novel!' As a best-selling writer, she had outstanding professional instincts.
Alger, being experienced and knowledgeable, immediately noticed a flaw. "Doesn't your City of Silver's dungeon have seals targeting Rampagers? Is there no barrier between the cells? I remember you said there was a very powerful and mysterious item at the core."
Derrick nodded. "Yes, but I do not know how or why he came to my room. He had completely lost control of himself. His head had split open in the middle and fluid kept flowing out. There were many cracks on his body, and each crack was a mouth."
Fors felt completely immersed in the story. "Then, how did you survive? How did you escape from his—its jaws?"
Derrick recalled the terrifying moment in his cell. "I was trapped. The mutant attacked me, but I do not remember how I was saved. I only felt a sudden burst of warmth and light. I lost consciousness immediately after that.
"When I finally came to my senses, I found Chief Colin standing in the room. The Chief must have appeared just in time and possibly used the mystical item to deal with the Rampager."
Alger frowned slightly as he thought over the timeline. "You said that not long after you returned, the former captain of the exploratory team lost control? He didn't lose control for decades, but he suddenly lost control right after you returned?"
At the same time, Mr. Hanged Man raised his head and looked at Mr. Fool. He saw that Mr. Fool was very calm and without any hint of abnormalities. His mood immediately eased. All the uneasiness he felt just now turned into a clear realization.
'The Amon family is known as Blasphemers. Could it be that the person discovered the Tarot Club and the secret above the gray fog, but he was easily finished off by Mr. Fool?'
Derrick nodded seriously and shared his own conclusion. "I guessed the reason is that he noticed Mr. Fool pulling me in to attend the gathering, so changes happened to him."
Audrey was astonished. 'Someone sensed that Mr. Fool was pulling him in to attend the gathering? Someone can really detect it? How terrifying. As expected of a Blasphemer.'
A momentary silence fell over the long bronze table as the members sat quietly. They took the time to process the massive amount of information they gained from today's gathering.
Seeing that the exchange had reached a natural conclusion, Mr. Fool tapped his finger against the bronze table. His calm voice broke the silence.
"Let us end the gathering here."
Everyone stood up at once and bowed respectfully.
"By your will."
AN: I wrote two other versions of this, and in one of them, everyone was very secretive and used private conversations a lot like the original novel. But then I thought about it. Mr. Fool in this story isn't really that secretive or stingy with information like the original Fool. If you ask him something, he will answer, and he possibly wouldn't ask for much in return since this Mr. Fool really doesn't care about mortal matters. This attitude would reflect on the Tarot Club members as well, and they also wouldn't try to be secretive and hide much information.
It took way more effort than I thought it would lol.