Seeing that the members of the Tarot Club were all looking at him because of "World's" words, Ebner cast a subtle glance at the "Fool" seated at the head before briefly recounting what had happened in Trier.
Of course, he skipped over the parts involving the "River of Eternal Darkness" and his own abilities, focusing instead on Bernadette's contributions and the contingency Roselle had left behind that he discovered in the Delion family's secret chamber—the Arc de Triomphe.
"So the 'Arc de Triomphe' was actually a method Emperor Roselle left behind to deal with the 'Abyss'! I thought it was just a simple 'wonder'…" After listening to Ebner's account, "Justice" Audrey showed an expression of amazement, then curiously asked, "Mr. 'Tower,' the demon summoned by the Intis Prime Minister sacrificing himself—who exactly was it? Why did it cause the 'Abyss' to descend?"
After speaking, she suddenly realized that this was not the kind of cheap knowledge that could be shared casually, and hurriedly added apologetically, "I can pay an appropriate price for this knowledge."
"No need…" Ebner smiled meaningfully. Although he said nothing more, Audrey mysteriously "read" a sentence from his surface thoughts: "Consider it a birthday present for you."
Ah, Mr. "Tower" really remembered my birthday… and in order not to expose my identity, he even used some kind of miraculous method to transmit the information… "Justice" Audrey instantly understood and felt that this kind of "birthday present" was wonderful!
"What Charlie Delien summoned was not actually a demon, but a 'divine abomination.'
"He was the ancestor of the demon family Noss, and also the child and vessel of the ancient god, the 'Demon King,' the 'Dark Side of the Universe,' Farbauti.
"And the reason the 'Abyss' entered reality was that Farbauti descended upon that vessel!
"Oh, right, the Sequence 0 of the Demon pathway is called 'Abyss.'"
That last sentence was clearly directed at "Star" Leonard, because the other members had already exchanged this knowledge with "Sun" Derrick.
Farbauti… ancient god… Demon King… Abyss… Dark Side of the Universe… He actually still existed?
Those who had heard of the name Farbauti, such as "Hermit" and "Sun," could not help but gasp, finally understanding what kind of terrifying enemy Mr. "Tower" and the "Queen Mystic" had faced back then!
Even if it was only a descent through a vessel, that was still a true god at Sequence 0!
The process of driving back the "Abyss" was definitely not as simple as Mr. "Tower" had described…
"Judgement" Xio finally understood why Ebner had been drained of spirituality that day… or rather, facing such an enemy, the fact that he hadn't been seriously injured was even more astonishing.
But Ebner, when you mentioned 'Bernadette,' wasn't your tone a bit too casual? You always used to call her the 'Queen Mystic,' didn't you? Miss "Judgement's" thoughts gradually drifted off course.
On the other side, although "Hermit" had also written to the "Queen Mystic" to ask about the Abyss incident in Trier, the reply she received was actually even more perfunctory than Mr. "Tower's" description. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that she reconsidered it, the Queen should still have been a Sequence 3 "Prophet" then—how could she have joined a battle of that level? Could it be that she had used some method that required paying a tremendous price?
Thinking of this, Cattleya could not help but ask, "Mr. 'Tower,' the Queen… did she use some unconventional means?"
Hearing the question, Ebner thought for a moment. Since Vera already knew that the "Lamp God" was in Bernadette's possession, there was no need to help hide it anymore… or rather, if he weren't still lacking confidence to go to that small island in the Fog Sea to rescue Old Huang, he could already have exchanged information about Old Huang's location with Bernadette for the "Wishing Magic Lamp."
Of course, Vera's side wasn't actually in much of a hurry. Her primary goal was still "usurping the throne" and "performing the Fengshan at Mount Huo," so she had plenty of time and could wait a bit longer.
As his thoughts turned, Ebner nodded and said, "Bernadette made a wish to Sealed Artifact '0-05,' that is, the 'Wishing Magic Lamp,' and became a 'Knowledge Emperor' for one day."
"Wishing Magic Lamp"?!
This item was not unfamiliar to the veteran members of the Tarot Club. After all, Mr. "World" had once inquired about it, and Miss "Judgement" had even issued a bounty regarding its whereabouts…
They hadn't expected it to actually be in the hands of the "Queen Mystic"! Then again, according to what Mr. "Tower" had said back then, the previous owner of Sealed Artifact "0-05" was Emperor Roselle, so it was perfectly reasonable for it to end up with his eldest daughter.
"Hanged Man" Alger nodded thoughtfully, then heard "Hermit" Cattleya press on, "What are the side effects of that item?"
Ebner knew what she was worried about and didn't beat around the bush. He smiled and replied, "Although every owner of that lamp has met a bad end, the first two wishes made to it are relatively safe. One can find ways to avoid most of the risks through wording and preparation…"
At this point, however, Ebner suddenly stopped, because a thought abruptly occurred to him: Could it be that the reason Bernadette rashly went to peep "Pale Death" and peeping Liu Bo's secrets right after advancing to "Sage" was precisely due to the side effects of the "Wishing Magic Lamp"?
Could it lower the intelligence of those who used it, or make them extremely reckless, encouraging them to gamble when facing matters?
Seeing Mr. "Tower" stop halfway through his explanation, "Hermit" Cattleya suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She pressed her lips together and tentatively asked, "Mr. 'Tower,' have you discovered something wrong on the Queen's side?"
Hearing her question, Ebner snapped back to his senses and smiled as he shook his head. "No… I just suddenly thought of something else, unrelated to the 'Wishing Magic Lamp.'"
Bernadette peeking at the "Unknown" and being contaminated by Liu Bo shouldn't be considered wrong, right?
Mm, at the very least, Vera had canceled the decision to "snatch it by force" and switched to "exchange"… from that perspective, it was actually a good thing.
On the other side of the long table, seeing that Mr. "Tower" was unwilling to say more, "Hermit" Cattleya could only suppress the worry in her heart. She planned to write a letter after returning to confirm the Queen's condition, and if necessary, it would be best to meet her in Backlund…
Next, "Hanged Man," "Star," and the others asked about some additional details. Ebner answered them one by one until no one had any further questions, at which point the topic was officially concluded.
After a few seconds, "Hanged Man" Alger turned his head to glance at Ebner, then said to Mr. "Fool" at the head of the table:
"I request a private exchange with Mr. 'Tower.'"
After seeking Mr. "Tower's" opinion, "Fool" Klein blocked the perceptions of the others.
"Mr. 'Tower,' I've already redeemed the bounties on some of the pirates from the 'Black Death' you entrusted me with… a total of fifteen thousand pounds."
Only fifteen thousand? Looks like the organization acting as intermediary skimmed quite a bit… I estimated at least twenty thousand. Ebner did a quick calculation and immediately saw the trick in it, but there was nothing to be done—redeeming that many bounties at once without bleeding a bit was impossible.
Fortunately, I don't lack this small amount of money… Ebner muttered quietly, then asked, "You've already joined Tracy's fleet, right?"
Listening in on their conversation, "Fool" Klein's mouth twitched slightly as he thought, Fifteen thousand, twenty thousand—these are 'small amounts' to you now? Old Liu, you've really gotten carried away. After making a killing in the 'Nation of Evernight' this time, even after paying Miss 'Messenger' fifty thousand pounds as a 'handling fee,' and even if I sell all the characteristics at good prices, I'll only have at most eighty thousand pounds left.
Twenty thousand is a full quarter of that!
Hearing Ebner's question, "Hanged Man," Alger nodded and said, "I'm now the captain of a sub-fleet under 'Admiral of Ailment' Tracy… I've also reported to the 'Church of Storms.' The archbishops instructed me to get as close to Tracy as possible and find out the true identities of Gehrman Sparrow and 'Professor.'"
"You don't need to tell me these things… but you could talk to 'World' about the price of related intelligence. If the price is right, he might even sell himself." After joking with a smile, Ebner returned to the previous topic. "Just give Tracy the bounties of her original crew directly. Consider it operating funds, I'm giving her."
After no longer robbing merchant ships and only intercepting vessels involved in human trafficking, the "Black Death" had indeed become much poorer.
And Ebner was a boss with a "conscience." Naturally, he wouldn't have them work without pay.
"Alright." "Hanged Man," Alger nodded, but inwardly, his wariness toward "Tower" deepened even further.
He knew very well what kind of person "Admiral of Ailment" Tracy used to be… yet now, she was carrying out "Tower's" orders without any discount at all!
And from his observations, Alger knew that Tracy was perfectly normal in her words and actions most of the time. Only when Mr. "Tower" was mentioned would she reveal a fanatical expression.
Such methods were extremely frightening in Alger's eyes. If not for Mr. "Fool's" presence, he would absolutely never had any form of contact with the other party again.
After this matter, "Sun" Derrick also brought up the progress of exploring the former Chief's mausoleum to Ebner. However, since there was still no major breakthrough, it was brushed over in just a few sentences.
Of course, the more important reason was that Ebner had already preliminarily confirmed the Goddess's level of control over the Death pathway in the "Nation of Evernight," so there was no need to investigate through other channels.
The reason he hadn't withdrawn the commission given to "Sun" was simply to avoid dampening his enthusiasm.
—The child had always felt indebted to Ebner and wanted to do something to repay him.
After that, everyone exchanged a bit more, and this Tarot gathering officially came to an end. The members each returned to the real world, leaving only Ebner and Klein above the gray fog.
"World" Klein fell silent for a few seconds. Then, having decided to speak frankly, he looked at "Tower" and asked bluntly:
"You've gained a certain level of 'authority' over this space above the gray fog?
"Is it because of Alvin Abraham?"
(End of Chapter)