Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Cheek? Was the Primordial Demoness also a man in the past? Klein almost raised his hand to his chin.
He had once guessed that it was because of the existence of the evil goddess, the Primordial Demoness, that led to the Assassin pathway having members of the opposite sex turn into a female after Sequence 7. Who knew that Roselle’s diary would indicate that the Primordial Demoness might’ve been a male in the beginning as well?
This depicted two problems. First, the Primordial Demoness wasn’t a naturally born deity, and they had only relied on potions to reach Sequence 0. Second, the purely feminine changes in this pathway were inherent in its Beyonder characteristics.
Roselle had once speculated about the truth behind the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation. He suspected that all Beyonder characteristics originated from the original Creator, so there’s no increase, and that the total amount is conserved… Assuming that this is true, does this mean that the Creator who created everything is all-inclusive, masculinity, femininity, and gender-neutral all in one… And the Demoness pathway is a representation of pure femininity? Of course, that ancient book might actually be fake… There’s a lot of information in Roselle’s diary entries today… With thoughts flashing through his mind, Klein let the diary disappear in his hands.
“You can begin,” he smiled and said to Justice, The Sun, and the others.
Alger looked towards The World immediately.
“Your Werewolf characteristic has been sold. An Artisan paid 1200 pounds for it. According to our agreement, I will receive 200 pounds.
“Also, I found clues to the hair of a Deep-sea Naga. 100 pounds a strand, and you want five of them in total. If you’re fine with this deal, then I will complete it as soon as possible.”
Klein had promised a higher share of the Werewolf’s Beyonder characteristic because he knew that The Hanged Man had spent more effort and taken on a risk that far exceeded what Vampire Emlyn White had spent.
At this point, he thought for a moment and controlled The World to reply.
“No problem. Give me the five strands of Deep-sea Naga hairs and 500 pounds in cash as soon as possible.”
Now, only the Human-skinned Shadow characteristic remains, and the amount of money I have has increased to 1,235 pounds, which isn’t enough. If I don’t want to wait for the Machinery Hivemind’s exploration of the Amon family’s mausoleum. I’d have to wait to receive another 500 to 1,000 pounds before I can buy it immediately when I see it… Klein subconsciously wondered what other items or knowledge he could use to exchange for money.
Of course, this was on the premise that the target of these transactions was able to pay the remuneration, in cash.
Hearing this, Audrey raised her hand very slightly, and without hiding anything, she said, “I’d like to purchase three ingredients: a pair of eyes from a Mirror Dragon, 50 milliliters of its blood, as well as a fruit from the Tree of Elders.”
Miss Justice has gotten the formula for the Psychiatrist potion… Klein made this judgment in an instant, and The Hanged Man came to a similar conclusion.
“… I will write to my teacher and ask him if he has one of these ingredients.” Fors thought for a moment.
Derrick nodded and said, “I’ll also take note. Corroded Mirror Dragons aren’t rare, same for the Tree of Elders. Uh, in the City of Silver, there’s also the Beyonder characteristic left behind by a Psyche Analyst; however, it’s hard to make transactions for them, and it’s easy to be suspected.
Psyche Analyst was the ancient name of Psychiatrist.
When their conversation reached Klein’s ears, he immediately manipulated The World and made the dummy hoarsely and gloomily say, “I’ll ask around in my circle. Oh right, continue helping me find the Human-skinned Shadow characteristic.”
“Alright.” Audrey confidently turned her head to face the person opposite her. “Mr. Hanged Man, I’ll also look out for the Wind-blessed potion formula you need.”
She had already joined the Psychology Alchemists and had a secret organization backing her. With them, many ingredients were no longer in short supply. She could obtain them as long as she paid the necessary price.
Fors repeated, “I’ll write to my teacher and ask.”
Upon seeing this development, Klein felt rather gratified. After a long period of hard work, the Tarot Club had finally developed two major channels, the Psychology Alchemists and the Abraham family. Many things would become simple.
The World chuckled and said, “Your answers fill me with hope, but you must also take care to protect yourselves, and proceed in a way that would avoid arousing suspicion as much as possible.”
“Mr. World, you rarely talk so much.” Audrey smiled in reply.
… I got a little too pleased and momentarily forgot The World’s original character profile… Klein immediately remedied the situation and made The World chuckle and say,
“All of you have become sufficiently valuable. I hope that this kind of transaction can last for a very, very long time. That’s why I’m reminding you.”
“Thank you,” Audrey gracefully expressed her gratitude.
At that moment, Derrick hesitated and said, “I’ll give it a try as well. I’ve recently completed several patrol missions, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
Very good… Klein said to himself, making The World shut his mouth.
After a brief moment of silence, Alger looked thoughtfully at Miss Justice.
“I would like to know the details of the assassination of Duke Negan. What kind of reward do you need?”
Why ask me? As someone close to the Church of the Lord of Storms, shouldn’t you already know the full details of this case? Audrey was surprised for a moment, but then she understood the meaning of 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 that I’m a noble lady and that I should pay attention to the assassination of Duke Negan. So he’s not worried that I won’t answer him… Mr. Hanged Man is really experienced…Audrey said, with the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, “No, there’s no need for compensation. Isn’t it the purpose of our Tarot Club to freely exchange common knowledge amongst each other regarding their respective regions?”
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.
“…”
Klein, who was shrouded in the thick gray fog, inwardly laughed dryly.
Audrey lightly pursed her lips, weighed her words, and said, “The Desire Apostle used a unique situation to complete the assassination of Duke Negan; by using his ability to trigger intense emotions and desires, and at the cost of serious injuries, he successfully broke out of the encirclement, entering the sewers.
“When the Nighthawks caught up to him, he was already dead. The Hero Bandit Dark Emperor was present. This gentleman didn’t do it to silence him, but to target the organization that entrusted the assassination contract to the Desire Apostle.
Which organization? Just as The Hanged Man was wondering to himself in puzzlement, The Fool, who was sitting at the end of the table, silently praised Miss Justice and looked at her. He then gave her a reminder in passing, “In the outside world, do not mention the name of the organization or write it down.”
“Why?” Audrey blurted out in astonishment.
Klein leaned back in his chair and replied in a gentle voice, “Any mention of it will be known.”
Any mention of it will be known… Audrey subconsciously looked at Mr. Fool, only to feel that he seemed to be emphasizing something with his eyes hidden in the fog.
Mr. Fool is implying that if it’s not in “His” kingdom or through talking to “Him,” mentioning or writing down the name of the Twilight Hermit Order would allow them to sense it via some means or item… That should be what he means… What an extremely secretive and high-level organization! To a certain extent, it’s even more terrifying than the Church of the seven deities… And Mr. Fool, our Tarot Club is looking for them… Audrey instantly felt like she understood a lot of things. She straightened her back and said, “As you command.”
Any mention of it will be known… A secret organization whose name can’t even be mentioned? A powerful organization that I don’t know of at all? Is this the faction behind the Desire Apostle? Mr. Fool had sent his adorer to search for them? 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.
At this moment, he had the urge to pay Mr. Fool for the name of the organization.
However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that there was no need for that. Although understanding the situation involving the higher-level entities would help him perfect his plans for the future and play an important role in certain situations, he, who was currently at the bottom of the Mid-Sequence levels, had no way of making contact with matters related to the mysterious organization. What he needed the most right now was the formula and ingredients for Wind-blessed, so he had to save up enough wealth for them.
After succeeding my advancement, I could seek an opportunity to consult Mr. Fool…Alger made a note of this.
Fors was confused by what she heard. Things like the Desire Apostle and the organization in which “any mention of it will be known” were completely different from what she had read in the newspapers.
There are indeed many secrets behind the assassination of a duke… It’s a pity that the organization’s name cannot be written down. Otherwise, I can use it as the villain of a future novel; it will definitely be a classic… I still owe ten diary pages and haven’t bought the Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch. There’s no need to spend the money in order to understand such high-end matters for the time being… Well, the secrecy and knowledge circulating in the Tarot Club are ten times greater than Mr. A’s gathering, or more! Fors restrained her curiosity as a writer.
As for Derrick, he didn’t know who Duke Negan was, so he didn’t care who was behind the assassination.
He sat silently and was reserved, as though he were in class.
When the matter regarding the Twilight Hermit Order was over, Fors looked around and probingly asked, “Lady and gentlemen, do you have a way to solve the problem of accumulating too many Beyonder characteristics of the same level?”
