After a brief silence, Audrey turned her head to look at Mr. Fool and raised her hand very slightly.
After receiving a nod of confirmation, she turned to the member opposite her and asked with a sense of anticipation, "Mr. Hanged Man, my tip allowed you to finish Rear Admiral Hurricane. Have you prepared the complete pituitary gland of a mature Rainbow Salamander?"
That's one of the reasons why I returned to the sea… Alger nodded gently and said, "I've gotten the Beyonder material you wanted.
"But how should I give it to you?"
How? How should it be given to me… Audrey froze for a moment as she lost herself in thought.
The Fool silently stroked His chin.
If I had given them my honorific name, they could've made a sacrificial and bestowal ritual individually, with me acting as the intermediate of the exchange.
However, he had taken precautionary measures, handing out the charm instead of the honorific name.
I feel guilty...
Then, he was struck with an idea—or more likely, a quick divination he performed.
"You can pray to me using the charm as a medium."
"What do you mean, kind sir?" Miss Justice took the opportunity to ask.
"I shall give you a vague honorific name—one that can only truly work if the charm is used.
He then opened His mouth and allowed His words to echo through the ancient castle.
"The entity that resides above the gray fog
"That which cannot be fathomed, named or inquired about
"The one that sits at the grand table of brass
"The owner of this charm
"If the charm isn't placed on the altar, this ritual will fail. Using the knowledge of sacrificial rituals, perform one and send me the item.
"I will act as the intermediate, and send the item to the designated person through a bestowal."
The Fool felt the need to clarify. "This is an attempt for now—as I cannot be sure that it will be truly successful."
It was a lie. He was one hundred percent sure that it would succeed.
However, He made it seem that He wasn't that strong yet and couldn't interact much with the outside world. This was deliberately spoken to lower their guard.
"Just like The Sun had described: prepare an altar, it doesn't have to be complicated, I'm not picky.
"The most important part is to draw the main symbol of the charm on it, while placing the charm on the altar in the upper part.
"Then recite the next piece of the prayer in either Hermes or Jotun:
"Your devoted servant prays for your attention,
"I pray for you to take his offerings.
"I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom."
The Fool described the ritual in great detail, making sure that each of the present ones followed his instructions to the tee, hopefully not dragging any evil deities through failure.
After listening quietly to the procedure, Alger felt that his previous guess was very likely to be the truth.
The Fool was in a predicament!
He offered alluring attempts, making attempts one step at a time and planned to use himself, Justice, and The Sun to slowly break free of the restrictions. In the end, he might even descend into the real world!
Soon enough we might even get His honorific name! That way, He will become even closer to the material world.
Alger suddenly shrank back, just thinking about what horrors could escape this place made him nauseous.
Although Mr Fool appeared easy-going and helpful, this was all His grand scheme!
I need to gather more information, but I also need to keep being in His good spirits!
He made a mental note to not do anything that could even remotely anger The Fool.
Not like he was planning to!
After The Fool finished describing the ritual, He asked in a low but gentle voice, "The sacrificial ritual needs a specific time. Mr. Hanged Man, when do you plan on making the attempt?"
"Once the gathering ends, I will immediately attempt the ritual. If it fails, I can gather some materials again and inform you about a prayer time."
He turned to Miss Justice, seeking her agreement.
With a nod from her, The Hanged Man switched his gaze back to The Fool. "We have come to an agreement."
The Fool leaned back in His seat. "Perfect."
From the side, Amanises observed with a silent ear. She was curious if this could work, and if this could be a good way for her to gather the ingredients necessary for her Nightmare Sequence.
Should I ask about the formula here too?
She swayed that thought away. I need to check in with the Captain first.
Following that, Amanises took the initiative to gaze at the other end of the table—towards the quiet Mr World.
"Mr World, I have a request for information."
The World gazed upwards. "What kind of information?"
She sucked jn a small breath, then said, "About Misfortune."
Suddenly, the palace grew quiet, as if she had snuck her hand into Pandora's box and was now waiting for the backlash.
Is She really that feared?
But in reality—
Misfortune?
Everyone else had the same question above their heads, except Mr Fool, of course.
Why is she asking about something like that? Alger became curious.
The World simply nodded and requested a private exchange to which The Fool agreed to.
Soon enough, both members were engulfed by a thick fog, while the rest were snuffed out.
But for them, it looked the opposite.
Did Mr Fool isolate each of the rest?
She looked at the gray figures of her fellow Tarot Club members.
"In exchange for what I'm about to tell you—a favor is enough." Spoke The World.
Amanises agreed with a nod.
"Misfortune is a deity worshipped by the infamous Cult of Misfortune, which is spread in the Loen Kingdom and the Hornacis mountain range."
The Hornacis mountain range... Amanises absorbed all of the information.
"She is a Sequence 1 of the Sleepless pathway, a Knight of Misfortune and is believed to hold a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
"A grade 0?" She was aware of the rankings, but didn't know the actual range a Grade 0 could stretch into.
"Yes. Number 0-08 to be exact. With it, it is believed that She is able to know whenever someone mentions her, or fears her, as she wields some authority over fear and horror."
Amanises' hairs stood straight. Fear and horror? She can sense fear and horror?!
So that is why Daly couldn't mention her...
"She resides at the peak of the Hornacis mountain, alongside the rest of the demonic wolves. A race that is believed to have existed since the First Epoch and that had dominion during the Second one."
That can still exist? Just how strong are they to have made it until now?
"They are protected by Her and other angels. Mostly cover the Sleepless pathway, with few straining from it.
"Do not think that you can be at their level, as their poems can draw power from her, and thus increase its effects."
So that's why advancement on this pathway is quite the nuisance. They take all of the ingredients!
With only a fixed number, it was only a matter of time before she would become stumped in advancement.
"The Misfortune is not to be underestimated, as she managed to thrive until now, despite being under the gaze of True Deities."
Amanises began thinking.
Is he implying that She can be in kahoots with them? Or that They have come to some agreement?
"Is Misfortune truly an evil goddess?"
The World shrugged. "It depends on which side you take on. Misfortune has never truly taken the side of humans, but she hasn't sought their blood either.
"However, She still sees them as beneath the demonic wolf race, therefore inferior to her actual brethren."
She's not exactly evil. But not good either...
"Does She have ties with the Aurora Order? Or the Government?"
The World shook his head. "That I do not know. This is all the information I have for now."
Amanises was quite disappointed, but soon felt that she received for more than she had asked for.
"Alright then. I shall wait for the mission you will entrust me with."
With that, the end of the deal came to a close, and the thick fog retreated.
Looks like they had a lot to discuss. The Hanged Man made an assessment. He too was curious about this 'Misfortune', but felt like it was better to wait until it was mentioned again.
There's a reason why stuff like that is kept behind a wall of fog.
He wasn't about to make a stupid decision and search on his own.
Meanwhile, Justice had long debated on asking if Xio or Fors could enter the Tarot Club, however seeing as there were so many members already—she felt that it was better to keep observing.
Mr Fool told me before that I should keep watching them. Once I'm absolutely sure, only then can I actually ask.
Seeing as no one had anything to add, The Fool signaled the end of the meeting, watching as everyone exploded in red light.
He leaned back in His seat, observing a crimson star that He instinctively brought forward.
Eventually, it started to pulsate—and quiet whispers followed suit.
"...
"Your devoted servant prays for your attention,
"I pray for you to take his offerings.
"I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom."
With the charm placed in the middle, Alger performed the ritual as per instruction, waiting for an answer.
A strong gust of wind filled the inner cabin of the ancient sail boat, nearly blowing Alger's seaweed-like hair off.
He bore the pain with great difficulty observing the symbol and the charm slowly became illuminated by an illusory light that emanated from each, merging into one.
The light gradually materialized into a blurry door, right in front of Alger's eyes.
I-It's working!
He felt amazed.
Alger quickly placed the materials that Miss Justice requested on the altar, and watched as they became sucked inside the ajar blurry door.
In a heartbeat, the wind stilled and the door disappeared, leaving behind only scattered pages and materials on the table, with an awed Alger in the middle of the dark room.
***
"Perform the bestowment ritual."
Upon seeing the gray fog-covered Mr Fool, Justice Audrey immediately jumped out of bed and began arranging the materials on her makeshift altar.
After the symbol was drawn with the Miracle charm placed atop, she began chanting the prayer using Hermes.
"The entity that resides above the gray fog;
"That which cannot be fathomed, named or inquired about;
"The one that sits at the grand table of brass;
"The owner of this charm;
"Your devoted servant prays for your attention,
"I pray for you to grant her your blessings,
"I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom."
Once the final stanza rolled out of her tongue, a strong gust of wind blew inside her embellished room, causing a small ruckus.
The books by her nightstand opened with their countless pages rolling continuously; the candlelight flickered in and out giving her room a horrific appeal.
Slowly, the gust of wind began taking form, gradually sculpting a door out of pure light.
Audrey witnessed as her requested item, the pituitary gland of the Rainbow Salamander, materialized by the ajar door.
She quickly ended the ritual, not forgetting to thank Mr Fool for His aid.
Audrey suddenly felt a surge of joy in her heart, happy to have helped Mr Fool in another successful attempt while also acquiring the last ingredient for the Telepathist potion.
"In the future, this will make the Tarot Club much more safe and reliable. We are on a whole other level!" She spoke aloud with secret smuginess.
She then glanced warily at the door, as if afraid of Susie's sudden intrusion.
She had to redouble her efforts and immediately concoct the potion to complete her advancement!
A few minutes later, Audrey held a bottle of liquid that contained constantly changing lusters that could shine to the bottom of everyone's hearts.
She confidently drank the Telepathist potion and successfully tided through the integration stage with the Beyonder characteristics, achieving an advancement.
After that, she quickly noted down the changes she felt in her already present and newly-gained abilities.
My perception has increased drastically, I can see further and much better than before.
I also gained some sort of Mind Reading. It's superficial but allows me to guess a person's thoughts based on their body language.
Oh, and my analysis in that area has also increased. I can gaze deeper into a person's aura.
As Audrey noted down the changes, she inwardly clicked her tongue. It feels rather anticlimactic. I expected much more from Sequence 8 but I guess I'll have to wait until Sequence 7 to see any notable changes and feel like a true person of the mysterious world.
With a bright smile on her face, Audrey decided to head out the door and practice her new abilities. She first wanted to test them on the servants.
***
I wonder if the ritual succeeded. Amanises leaned back on her soft pillow.
I guess I can ask about it during the next gathering.
If the ritual did indeed succeed, she would be able to use the Tarot Club to gather the ingredients for her Nightmare potion—if not, then it would just be a small nuisance.
It's not like that's the only way to send something. Through Mr Fool it's simply faster and safe.
A sudden blasphemous thought struck her head.
Does that mean that we use Mr Fool as an instant Delivery Service?
Amanises quickly shook her head, afraid Mr Fool would hear her.
The Tarot Club might be better than any messaging app on Earth. The only downside is the one week wait limit for usage. But that can be neglected if one just asks Mr Fool to relay a message.
With slight amusement that curled the corners of her lips, Amanises took a sip of her tea that had already gone cold.
"I should make better use of my time at home than simply laze around. I'm wasting precious time!"
While her lips moved, she forced herself out of bed and grabbed a charcoal pencil from her nearby study desk.
Then, she took out her own notebook—the one she had used to note down each of her poems that have been used for digestion.
It has slowed down quite a bit. She noted in her mind.
Suddenly, Amanises recalled a piece of knowledge that Mr World mentioned during their talk about Misfortune.
Their poems can draw power from her? How is that possible...
She took the time to put the puzzle pieces together, bits of fragmented knowledge she received after advancement.
How peculiar...
Indeed, by including verses that relate to the Goddess, beyonders from the Sleepless pathway, from Sequence 8 onward, can increase the effects of their own poems, albeit slightly.
But that slight increase can make all the difference during battle!
Most of the timeq, Midnight Poets don't have the time to recite their poems mid-fight, however, by making it shorter to two verses or even one, they can achieve a small effect that can turn the tides in their favor.
If that small change can be amplified by a deity, then it's pretty obvious who will be on the winning side!
You never know when you can face the Misfortune and her bits of luck!
How should I balance it?
Amanises suddenly became thoughtful, comprehensively analyzing ways to make her poems more potent, while also still being of quick use.
I don't have any Sleepless deity I can ask for help—
She suddenly had an epiphany.
Wait, could that work?