As for the dragons, Klein merely skimmed the passage; Roselle's knowledge was no richer than Mr Tower's, and Klein had already heard the latter's version long ago.
I still wonder where Mr Tower learned so many dragon secrets… Could the Dragon King truly have had a queen?
While covertly augmenting the authenticity of the Dreamwalker and Manipulator formulas, Klein amused himself with this internal mockery of his "frenemy."
Moments later, once certain the recipes were genuine, he caused the diary pages to dissolve into nothingness, then turned toward Miss Justice with a faint, knowing smile:
"What would you like in exchange?"
Audrey was only one key ingredient away from Sequence 6 and lacked nothing urgent. Thus—being a Spectator—curiosity naturally won first place:
"Revered Mr Fool, is that extra card a Blasphemy Card? Which one?"
Here we go. Knew she'd ask.
Klein laughed silently to himself. With casual flourish, he flipped the new card and displayed it—calm, confident, theatrical:
"Tyrant."
Tyrant?
So the Sequence 0 of the Sailor pathway was Tyrant! Audrey and Hermit Cattleya—indeed all members—instantly began interpreting.
To Justice, exchanging three diary pages for such foundational knowledge was more than a bargain.
To Hermit, however, a more audacious thought surfaced: was The Fool encroaching upon the Lord of Storms' divine authority? After all, He had once seized the identity of the Sea God Kalvetua…
A vivid, extravagant saga of godly power struggles unfurled in her imagination—thunder, ambition, storms, betrayal…
In the "supplementary imagination" arts, Hermit surpassed even Magician Fors and rivaled Hanged Man Alger.
Everyone else had their own thoughts—most of which drifted enviously toward Hanged Man.
Only Ebner grumbled inwardly: And look at Klein—slips past another tough question with ease!
After allowing the group a few seconds to stew, The Fool closed the Tyrant card and—ever so slightly—turned his gaze toward Hermit.
Cattleya stiffened instantly. Certain He was reproaching her for bringing no diary pages, she rushed to justify herself:
"Revered Mr Fool, the Queen did not contact me this week…"
"I know." The Fool let out a low, deliberate chuckle, and continued with subtle emphasis:
"By the way—when you return, congratulate her on becoming Him."
Congratulate her on becoming Him…?
Realisation struck the senior members—Justice, Magician, Hanged Man, Temperance, even Moon. All turned toward Hermit.
Cattleya herself froze completely.
The Queen completed the ritual? Ascended to Sage? When…? How did I not…?
Is Mr Fool revealing this to tell me He knows everything? That I should cease even accidental leaks? But I never intentionally revealed anything… The Queen is a Prophecy Master—merely contacting me lets her learn…
A mixture of grievance and fear knotted in her chest.
But The Fool said no more. With gentle finality, He pivoted to the others:
"Your turn."
No sooner had the words left His lips than The World Gehrman Sparrow spoke to the Hanged Man:
"After the gathering, I will give you the Ocean Songster characteristic. Find a craftsman to turn it into a portable wonder."
It was one of the four Sequence 5 spoils of that primordial island expedition:
—Ocean Songster
—Druid
—Mentor of Disorder
—Gatekeeper
He hadn't gone to Ebner for crafting because, though Ebner's works functioned impeccably, they tended to be… delightfully strange.
Useful, but sometimes socially catastrophic.
More importantly, Klein knew Ebner was busy and did not wish to trouble him with the mundane.
Another Sequence 5?
The exact same thought ignited in Audrey, Emlyn, and several others.
Sequence 5 Beyonders weren't vegetables sold by vendors.
Yet in just weeks, The World had slain several—his record now even brushing against Mr Tower's legendary pace. And Tower, since becoming a demigod, rarely sold characteristics anymore.
"Agreed." Alger responded in his composed, dignified manner, not even mentioning the artisan's fee.
This blasé confidence only stirred more speculation—surely he and The World had carried out some secret adventure, and the Tyrant card was part of their loot.
Before anyone else could speak, The World, under Klein's control, turned toward The Tower Ebner:
"I also possess a Sequence 5 Mentor of Disorder characteristic, from the Black Emperor pathway. If you clear my remaining debt, it's yours."
After donating ten thousand pounds to Bernadette's cathedral—and later eleven thousand more across the city—Klein had only about nine thousand pounds left to pay.
A Sequence 5 characteristic that cheap was an absolute steal.
He had offered it to Ebner because he believed Miss Fanny, on the Lawyer pathway, would surely need it.
But Klein didn't know Ebner had already prepared all of Fanny's Sequence 6 and 5 materials long ago.
—The Mentor of Disorder characteristic came from the nightmare exploration of Kabas, where Yaloran lived; it was the remnant of Mr Wallace's bodyguard—after Ebner had replaced him.
Ebner gave the World a leisurely smile.
"Take out whatever else you have. I'll pick one to wipe your debt."
Slightly surprised, the World manifested the rest of his characteristics, presenting each in turn.
Still… still more? How many Sequence 5s has he taken down? Did he annihilate an entire cult? Or wipe an elite squad of some Church?
The older Tarot members exchanged looks—echoing the legendary meeting after the Great Smog, when Tower unveiled his collection.
But even Tower had never shown this many Sequence 5s at once.
Ebner studied the three with deliberate calm, then selected Gatekeeper.
After all, when the surviving elves were found and the ritual to free Cohinem was held, he would need a suitable vessel—and creating one himself, with his fusion of Creation and Alchemy, was vastly preferable.
Now fully debt-free at last, Klein turned a meaningful gaze toward Audrey and Cattleya.
The Mentor of Disorder was invaluable to nobles; the Druid characteristic perfect for Frank.
Cattleya, her mental clarity restored, understood immediately. But she dared not rush—
Even the Queen had expressed concerns about Frank's advancement.
She must first consul the newly ascended angel… and deliver The Fool's congratulations.
Audrey adored the Mentor's abilities but could not mobilise nearly ten thousand pounds at once. She decided to secure family "reimbursement," as she had during the purchase of Lie.
Business resumed; Audrey soon bought the Fruit of the Illusory Wind-Bell Tree from Alger for two thousand pounds—completing the final component for her Hypnotist promotion.
Thanks to her growth in the Dream Labyrinth Tower, her Psychiatrist potion was nearly digested; she expected to advance before next Monday.
At last—I'll be ahead of Susie again!
She preened internally.
Then paused.
Beating a golden retriever might not be something to brag about…
Fine—at least I'll be ahead of Fors again!
Recently she had watched Fors ascend to Sequence 7, watched the Hanged Man approach high sequence, watched the World hunt Sequence 5 after Sequence 5… while she herself stagnated at Sequence 7.
Pressure had mounted—impatience, too—and only Susie's guidance had prevented emotional turbulence.
Now she could finally take her next step.
Beside her, Fors—seeing Audrey obtain the ingredients—thought of her own digestion progress.
Good, but incomplete… Astrologer acting must involve more than simply reading others' fate.
While she pondered, the Hermit asked again about mythic-blood.
The World replied:
"Deal is already sealed. You'll receive it in early July."
Cattleya had never expected the World to make an angel bleed.
Shaken, she asked:
"What does she want?"
"Nothing. Bernadette has already paid," the World rasped.
"But afterward, you'll owe me a fee."
"What fee?" she asked carefully.
"The Sequence 8 Savant formula and characteristic of the Visionary pathway."
Klein was preparing materials for Melissa's future promotion.
If she was to walk the Beyonder path, she must be strong—at least mid-sequence—to be safe.
If Melissa becomes an Artisan, any official organisation will value and shield her. Even in wartime, I won't need to fear for her.
Once Cattleya agreed, Klein fell into contemplative silence.
Moon, recently bankrupted by the limited-edition Snow Queen, wanted to ask Sun about Sequence 5 vampire traits, but pride silenced him.
The meeting shifted to free discussion.
Hanged Man and World exchanged a look—then conjured the mural of the Banquet of Betrayal.
Every member who had glimpsed the true gods recoiled in disbelief.
Even seeing the image felt like an act of supreme blasphemy.
After a long, trembling silence, Audrey murmured—half-reasoning, half-self-comfort:
"This is… a twisted version of the myth that the three gods were born from the Creator's spirit?"
"Possibly—but it doesn't explain the infant," Alger said quietly.
He glanced at the Fool, who simply watched—calm, silent, unfathomable.
Audrey fell mute.
Everyone fell mute.
Then Ebner cleared his throat—lightly, deliberately—and the entire table's attention snapped toward him.
He put on a solemn expression and announced:
"The infant is the True Creator."
Since his first Tarot meeting he had wanted to educate the others about the True Creator. But back then—even the Fool lacked the prerequisite knowledge. Explaining would have been painfully laborious.
He had endured the urge for over a year.
Now—finally—his moment had arrived.