It took quite a time for The Fool to read the two diary pages, at some point he even snickered as if he read a funny joke.
He lowered the page in his hand and addressed the quiet members. "You don't have to wait for me."
"It's our honor." Answered Alger humbly.
Audrey thought for a moment before smiling.
"Mr. Fool, the open selection of government officials through examinations that you described previously has already garnered the support of the King and the Prime Minister. It will soon be passed by the House of Lords and the House of Commons and is predicted to be implemented early next year."
Open selection of government officials? Isn't this similar to Earth?
Is Mr Fool trying to bring this world closer to mine? Or is this a simple coincidence? Pondered Amanises silently, after hearing what Justice had said.
"It looks like the King and the Prime Minister still use their brains," Alger mocked out of habit.
After Audrey got The Fool's affirmative nod she straightened her back and addressed The Hanged Man before her.
"Sir, I've received the answer to the question you posed before! The King has been convinced by the Prime Minister and won't seek revenge on the Feysac Empire at the East Balam Shore for the time being. I think you can now give me the extra payment that you promised me."
Alger Wilson thought for a second before he opened his mouth. "Thank you for your effort. That eases some of my concerns. What kind of extra payment do you want? I'll consider it if it's within reason."
Audrey was already prepared to answer.
"Clues to the Psychology Alchemists, or clues to the main ingredients of the potion Telepathist. Of course, that can wait until after The Sun hands the formula over to me."
"No problem," Alger said without hesitation.
Right next to the Hanged Man, The Sun Derrick frowned deeply, he felt that he should understand the terms mentioned by Justice, however trying to piece them together proved pointless...
With that Derrick became even more convinced that the two were from another world, it almost seemed like they spoke nonsense.
Psychology Alchemists... Murmured Death Amanises silently. She felt that the term was known to her, but perhaps forgotten.
After accomplishing everything that she set out to do, Audrey wanted to become a silent observer, but she suddenly remembered something. She spoke in a hurry, "I recently came into contact with a Beyonder circle and found out about a powerful person named Mr. A. Mr. Fool, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, Miss Death, do you know of this person's background and identity?"
I don't even know what you're talking about… Derrick maintained his silence.
Mr. A? Could he be one of those zealots? The Fool made a guess.
Ughh more codenames! Lamented Amanises.
Alger looked at The Fool and found him calm and unchanging. It was hard to read his true thoughts. Thus, he said in a deliberative tone, "The Aurora Order is at odds with the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, so members of these Churches understand the Aurora Order more than any other organization. And I happen to know something about them."
Aurora Order? Amanises was surprised, she felt the same feeling as for the term Psychology Alchemists.
Moreover, what Mr Hanged Man said basically confirmed that he had ties to the Church of the Lord of Storms!
So it's them... Thought The Fool silently.
"The Aurora Order has five Saints and twenty-two Oracles. These Oracles use the alphabet as their code names, from Mr. A to Mr. X. They are Beyonders, with the weakest being Sequence 7 and the strongest Sequence 5. They are all adept at hiding themselves. Should an Oracle die, a new Oracle will take their place."
"I cannot guarantee that the Mr. A you spoke of is the Mr. A from the Aurora Order, but there is a good possibility. As for the details of the Aurora Order, I have mentioned that to you before."
Audrey nodded, becoming even more cautious of Mr. A.
She said, feeling a little pinch in her heart, "Thank you for your answer, Mr. Hanged Man. You need not make a payment anymore."
"No, I wish to ask for your help with the answer just now, as well as provide extra compensation," Alger said with a deep voice.
"What help?" Audrey asked curiously.
Alger thought for a few seconds before saying, "I received intelligence that the pirate Qilangos, codenamed Rear Admiral Hurricane, has secretly gone onshore and infiltrated Backlund. I don't know what he's up to, but I hope that you can help me locate his whereabouts. As for whatever happens afterwards, you need not put yourself in danger."
"Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos? One of the seven great admiral pirates?" Audrey widened her eyes, almost unable to maintain her Spectator state.
Pirate Admiral? Does he have an eye patch, missing leg and a prosthetic hook for a hand? Lampooned Amanises after hearing the existence of pirates.
She was aware that they existed somehow, but never expected to be met with one so soon!
"Yes, he's a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the path of the Sailor, a Wind-blessed. He also has a miraculous item that could be classified as a Sealed Artifact. He's quite crafty and cruel. Don't attempt to deal with him," Alger introduced seriously.
He suddenly turned towards the head of the long mottled table.
"Mr. Fool, can I get your adorer to assist me at the critical moment? I would pay a price that interests you."
"That is built on the premise that my adorer happens to be in Backlund."
"Alright." Alger retracted his gaze, a little disappointed, but also a little expectant.
Adorer, Mr Fool has adorers?
With each passing second, Amanises felt like her jaw moves closer and closer towards the floor.
Then, she mentally smacked her own forhead.
Of course he has adorers, dumbass! This is a god were talking about!
"What's so special about Qilangos's magical item?" Audrey asked slightly confidently.
She considered it carefully and suddenly realized that she had a decent ability to locate people in Backlund.
"No one knows the real name of the magical item, but the people who have come into contact with it call it the 'Creeping Hunger.' Qilangos uses a living person's soul and flesh to satisfy it every other day. Otherwise, it would consume its owner as a replacement."
"This could be one of the most important clues to seek out Qilangos!" Audrey said, creasing her eyebrows.
She felt utter discomfort and extreme hatred towards any evil item that desired a living human's fresh blood and soul.
"Ever since he got his hands on the Creeping Hunger, Qilangos has been very difficult to deal with."
"He was originally a Wind-blessed. He possesses great Beyonder power in domains related to water, wind, and the weather. But, later on, people realized that he could drive his targets crazy, enter the dreams of others, summon light to purify a dead soul, sing to strengthen himself, and change his appearance… There's almost nothing that he can't do," Alger described in detail. "We suspect that those are all effects that came from the magical item, Creeping Hunger…"
Before he finished sharing, Derrick Berg, who had been listening quietly, suddenly blurted, "Shepherd!"
Shepherd? Justice, Death and The Hanged Man thought in unison.
Seeing that everyone was staring at him, Derrick suddenly panicked a little. No matter how quiet, depressed, and vexed he was, he was a boy after all.
He hurriedly explained with a stammer, "What I meant was, the traits that The Hanged Man described were like the Beyonder power of the Sequence job, Shepherd. Every Shepherd can swallow another's soul into their body, including wraiths and evil spirits. They control these souls to do their bidding with a unique method, which allows them to make use of their abilities, just like a god letting his lambs out to graze.
"Hence, no one knows how many powers a Shepherd has. That depends on how many Beyonder souls they have swallowed, and that makes them very scary. They're almost like a High-Sequence Beyonder."
That's so scary! But also really useful! Just imagine having such a power... The versatility would be out of this world! Amanises was already in great awe over such a sequence.
The World opened his mouth after the Sun was done. "A Shepherd can only graze up to seven souls for being a Sequence 5, of course these can be switched any time."
Does Mr World have information over such high sequences? I wonder, just how much knowledge does he have? Audrey was surprised at the words spoken by The World at the other end of the table.
Creeping hunger could be a Sequence 5 Sealed Artifact belonging to Shepherd, just like how Records of the Void belongs to Scholar or Yore of the Seer pathway!
Amanises quickly connected the dots.
Do all Sealed Artifacts or Mystical Items mentioned by The Hanged Man belong to a specific sequence?
Alger got the gist of it, but he asked one more question to The Sun. "Which pathway does Shepherd belong to?"
"Secret Supplicant." Answered Derrick in a heartbeat.
"Secrets Supplicant… Aurora Order…" Audrey suddenly recalled Mr. A, who was a suspected Oracle of the Aurora Order, and she immediately felt heavy-hearted.
"Mr. Hanged Man, I'm willing to accept the mission. But I can't guarantee if I can find Rear Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos." Audrey looked opposite her when she spoke.
"There's no better answer than this. Regardless of your success, as long as you try, I will definitely compensate you with things like secret information or intelligence. And if you succeed, maybe I could provide you the Telepathist's main ingredients directly. Of course, the prerequisite is that we have to know what it is," Alger promised generously, which was a rare sight.
"Deal," Audrey pursed her lips and replied with a faint smile.
Then, Alger created Qilangos' portrait with The Fool's permission and assistance.
His features became deeply ingrained into the other member's minds.
He had a distinctive broad chin, brown hair tied into a bun at the back of his head like an ancient warrior, and green eyes that seemed to hint at laughter, but were abnormally cold..
After everyone was done, The Fool announced the end of the gathering, cutting off the connections of each of them except for the Sun.
When Derrick saw that he was the only one left. He gazed at The Fool in silent question.
The Fool curled his lips and materialized a strange item before Derrick.
"This is a Charm with my power, it has two incantations: Miracle and The Fool.
"The first is for a one-time wish, which will disappear after use. The second can be called upon repeatedly. It will form a connection between us allowing me to receive your prayers."
Derrick held the charm in his fist tightly to his chest, then nodded with newfound courage.
There was no more fear of being abandoned, as Mr Fool gave a way of contact, even without a deity's honorific name.
"Thank you, I will treasure it!"
"Hehehe, do not be afraid to use the wish when you are in danger, I will give out another one if that is the case, but be aware that they are not infinite." He spoke in a relaxed, carefree manner which eased up Derrick even more.
"I will!"
With that, The Fool cut-off the last connection, allowing Little Sun to return back to his bedroom.
***
Amanises gradually opened her eyes, she was a little blinded by the sun rays, but quickly recovered.
She flipped over on her back, to stare at the usual white ceiling.
The Sun... Where is he from?
She started to question in simple thoughts, gradually digesting the new information grasped at the Tarot Club.
Vice Admiral Qilangos...
He's all the way in Backlund and I don't know when my mission will be done.
By the time he is caught, I might not even be back. There's no need to worry about that right for now...
Civil exam...
Mr Fool is trying to fit in the customs of Earth in this world too, is this the same as what Emperor Roselle had done?
Aurora Order...
Another organization, quite similar to The Arcanists yet they worship an evil deity...
Sighhh!
She was incredibly worn out by the wave of information, each gathering proved itself every time!
I need to get ready and meet with Mr Azik now, too...
But first—
She jumped out of bed.
I need food!