Lord of the Mysteries

Neither of them… Cattleya ruminated over Mr. Fool’s reply, suddenly feeling at a loss as to the true meaning of the question.

She originally imagined that the place that Emperor Roselle’s mind and spirit called home had to involve something philosophical or mystical. For example, the island might refer to the divine kingdom of the deity of his faith; the depths of the cosmos referred to the astral world, indicating Emperor Roselle’s belief in surpassing himself in his quest for a deity’s throne. In the end, Mr. Fool answered that it was neither. This denied nearly every possibility, making it difficult for her to think of any other answer.

Perhaps what Her Majesty wishes to ask is not something I understand. What Mr. Fool is saying is pointing at another explanation… It doesn’t matter if I understand it. I’m only a communication tool between them… Cattleya sighed inwardly as she sincerely bowed.

“Thank you for your answer.”

The other Tarot Club members were lost in regards to the question and answer. Although they could understand the reason for the question and could understand what the actual meaning of the mental and spiritual home was, they couldn’t make any connection to the island or the depths of the cosmos. Hence, all of them had their own interpretations and guesses, but all of them felt that their theories were distant from the truth.

Subconsciously, Fors believed that the island referred to the woman Roselle loved the most. The depths of the cosmos referred to the emperor’s late years when he cast his gaze to what he deemed “the Sea of Stars.”

Audrey believed that the island referred to one’s island of self-consciousness in psychology. The sea was the conscious, and below the sea’s surface was the subconscious. And the cosmos referred to the spirituality sky that represented the astral world. Hence, the corresponding question became “did Emperor Roselle believe in himself, deities, or purely nature.”

From this angle, Mr. Fool’s answer appeared rather strange. It was as though “He” was saying that Emperor Roselle didn’t believe in anything, including himself.

I might be misinterpreting it… But if that’s really the case, Emperor Roselle might seem conflicted based on what Mr. Fool says, but in fact, it might conceal a deeper secret… Or it could be that, in his later years, he had seen through life. He began thinking about the universe, the world, deities, and the basic qualities of humanity. He became a pessimist and a nihilist? Audrey seemed to be training her abilities as she thought with piqued interest.

Alger had similar thoughts as Cattleya. As for Emlyn, he considered it for a moment before decisively giving up upon realizing that he had no clue. Derrick had no interest in Emperor Roselle, but he didn’t break the silence. He kept considering the conversations he was to have later.

Finally, The Fool, who was cloaked by the gray fog, chuckled and said, “You may begin.”

Alger immediately looked at The World and deliberated over his words.

“Sorry, your mystical item will require a little more time.”

Without waiting for him to speak, he quickly gave an explanation:

“That Artisan had strangely gotten infected by a sickness, and there are suspicious ‘snoopers’ appearing in the vicinity. This resulted in a delay. I will personally make a trip to see if I can resolve his problems so that he can quickly recover. We’ll try to make the mystical item you need within two weeks.”

He spoke extremely sincerely as a way to express his apologies and importance on the matter. But in his actual description, he had secretly pushed all the blame to the Artisan. It was as though he was saying to The World that if he were displeased, I will teach him a lesson for you. If that’s not enough, I will even give you his exact location for you to personally pay him a visit.

That Artisan sure is troublesome… Mr. Hanged Man treats this quite seriously. Hmm, non-official, or should I say Artisans who are willing to accept orders from unknown origins, are extremely rare. If they can be secured, it’s best that they are secured… Klein pondered for a moment and got The World to hoarsely reply, “I will allow this delay, but there shouldn’t be a next time.”

He spoke very calmly, but it alarmed Alger. He could almost feel the hidden murderous intent in The World Gehrman Sparrow.

“Thank you for your understanding,” he said with a staid expression.

Upon hearing their conversation, Cattleya looked at The Hanged Man, curled her lips, and nudged her glasses. She said, “If you are unable to resolve the problems, I can provide some help.”

From her point of view, as long as the problem wasn’t serious, she could even do it for free. After all, this meant that she could skip The Hanged Man and directly establish connections with the Artisan.

Alger obviously sensed the true intent of this pirate admiral. He felt that she was beginning to severely encroach into his territory, giving him a certain level of pressure. He paused for a moment and replied in an unperturbed manner, “Then, I will thank you on his behalf for your kindness.”

On the one hand, he expressed his close ties with the Artisan, and on the other hand, didn’t directly object to her help; thus, giving him sufficient leeway. Compared to having Gehrman Sparrow find fault with him, sacrificing some benefits wasn’t something unacceptable.

Cattleya didn’t harp on the matter as she turned to look at The World.

“Are you pleased with the information on West Balam?”

She had already gathered all the information on West Balam that Gehrman Sparrow needed last Thursday. She had handed it to him via the strange messenger.

She was filled with fear when it came to Mr. Fool, so given any other methods, she was unwilling to disturb that existence.

It cost me a total of 300 pounds. If it wasn’t good enough, I would’ve asked for a refund there and then! Klein mumbled and made The World answer tersely as an affirmation.

Then, the fake person cast its gaze on Miss Magician.

Fors immediately felt uncomfortable, akin to the feeling of a rat being targeted by a cat. She couldn’t help but consider if she had done something wrong.

Could it be that during my conversation with Xio, my description, no—defamation of Dwayne Dantès, was heard by him? Or is he displeased that I didn’t refund him the money? Fors stopped thinking about the bodyguard mission that had happened days ago as she asked, quaking with consternation, “Mr. World, i-is there something?”

The World nodded and said, “A commission.

“Get information on Calderón City from the Abraham family. Most important of all is its location.”

Calderón City… Why is The World suddenly searching for this mysterious spirit world city? An instruction from Mr. Fool? It’s a new part of his reawakening plans? Cattleya had some idea about Calderón City, so she was quite perplexed.

The other Tarot Club members, including Fors, didn’t know what city The World was looking for. All they could do was maintain their silence. Among them, Emlyn felt that he had heard of it before, but he couldn’t recall the exact details.

About four seconds later, Fors forced a smile.

“No problem. I can help you ask.”

“How much would it cost?” The World asked in an unperturbed tone.

1,000 pounds! No, 500 pounds, no— I still need to deduct the bodyguard fee… Fors’s mind raced and finally gave her price:

“350 pounds.”

That’s cheap. Other than the spirit world’s Seven Lights, perhaps only the Abraham family has detailed information on Calderón City… Yes, to Miss Magician, it’s just about asking her teacher. It’s indeed simple and convenient. It’s no wonder it’s not expensive… Klein was first surprised before coming to a realization. He made The World nod and say, “Deal.”

After watching this transaction close, Audrey noticed something amusing.

Miss Magician seems to be very afraid of Mr. World. It was to the point of being a reflex!

She had previously met Dwayne Dantès, but didn’t know that he was Gehrman Sparrow. During this period, she discovered something terrifying? Hmm, I’ll arrange to meet her and Xio at Glaint’s place. Let’s see if I can figure out something… Audrey thought as she indiscernibly nodded.

At this moment, seeing that The World had nothing else, Emlyn hurriedly looked at The Sun.

“Do you have the Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic of the artificial vampire?”

“I haven’t accrued enough merit points.” Derrick didn’t feel ashamed this time. On the contrary, he felt that Mr. Moon was being overly anxious. How could the points needed for a Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic be so easily amassed?

Emlyn turned his head disgruntledly when he suddenly recalled something. He hurriedly said to Miss Magician, “I have clues to the cursed item and remnant spirituality from an ancient wraith. I’m waiting for more detailed information.

“This might not be an item to give to you directly, but one to provide you with some information about where you can find an ancient wraith in the vicinity of Backlund.”

Upon saying that, Emlyn thought and said, “300 pounds.”

This means that I have to hunt the ancient wraith myself? Based on various mysticism rumors, this is quite a powerful monster… After hearing what Mr. Moon had to say, Fors’s first reaction was that it was a dilemma. Her second reaction was to commission the hunting mission to Mr. World. She was certain that he could quickly and successfully complete it!

But upon the thought that hiring Mr. World might cost far more than what the ancient wraith was worth, she felt that it was better to attempt it herself.

I’ll wait until Xio becomes an Interrogator. Together, we should have a higher chance… Besides, I still have Leymano’s Travels with me. On it is a demigod-level High-Sequence Beyonder power and Angel’s Embrace. There are plenty of unique Beyonder powers in it, and below that of High-Sequence Beyonders, it’s practically a divine artifact… Uh, I have little actual combat experience since I’m fleeing most of the time. This is an opportunity… Fors quickly made a decision and said to The Moon Emlyn, “Deal.”

After confirming some other matters, the transaction segment came to an end. Klein got The World Gehrman Sparrow to beat Mr. Hanged Man to the punch by looking around and saying, “My preliminary investigations regarding Backlund’s Cuarón’s suicide has borne fruit.”