At this moment, Klein fell silent, lost in thought.
He had no way to deal with this mysterious visitor who had now intruded upon the gathering for a second time, but what truly mattered was the crucial information the man had revealed.
The name of the Sequence 0 True God of the Seer Pathway was the Fool.
And the words, "You are not in a good condition," weren't directed at the Fool, but at him—Klein.
It was clear that the man was indirectly pointing this out in front of Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.
Combined with the term "Joker" that this person had previously mentioned, Klein was now nearly certain—this intruder was the same type of being as himself.
But this person knew more. Much more. And he could even manipulate the Gray Fog.
All of this made Klein fall further into silence.
What unsettled him most were the words just spoken. He could tell this man was trying to warn him, but the warning wasn't entirely direct.
Even so, one thing became clear.
Someone had already set their sights on him.
The Seer… the Fool… It seems there are things I still don't understand. They've always been around me. Klein's eyes remained calm as he buried that realization deep within his heart.
However, the subtle, stream-of-consciousness-like conversation between Ren and Klein was starting to wear heavily on Audrey and Alger.
Both of them had already realized that if Mr. Fool was a Sequence 0 True God, then this man calling himself Joker was likely a god as well.
Ren smiled and deliberately broke the tense atmosphere.
"Miss Justice. You showed the amulet I gave you last time to the gods, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
Audrey was clearly caught off guard.
"How… how did you know, sir?"
"I'm quite familiar with the scent of the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway. You were carrying my amulet. There's no way I wouldn't notice when something I created was examined by a Sequence 0 being."
"But Miss Justice, you're really brave. You dared to make an offering to a true god just to verify the authenticity of my amulet. You're lucky. If the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway hadn't been lenient, you might've been arrested and executed on the spot for heresy."
There was obvious amusement in Ren's voice as it resonated inside Audrey's mind, but the underlying chill made her shudder.
She had come dangerously close to death… and hadn't even known it.
"Well~ I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just assumed you'd be cautious and test it. But I didn't expect the impulsive one would be you, our Spectator."
"Miss Justice, next time you face something like this, ask the Fool first. At least be aware of your situation. You joined an organization outside the Orthodox Churches, and then you went and did something that openly drew divine attention."
"But it's fine now. The Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway let you go. That's a very clear signal. She's aware of the organization you've joined and still chose not to interfere. That's tacit approval. Next time, you can visit the church her directly for help."
His words were laced with sarcasm, and Audrey wanted to dig a hole and disappear inside.
How reckless could I be?
Klein's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected anyone would actually offer the amulet to a god for verification.
He had considered it himself... and decided against it. Clearly, he wasn't as daring as Miss Justice.
So the Evernight Goddess already knew?
Well, it's not like that could've been kept from her. Especially since Miss Justice handed it over herself.
Perhaps some things could be hidden, but now that he wanted to establish a secret organization above the Gray Fog, complete concealment was no longer realistic.
Still, Ren's words lingered in his mind.
It was true. The Evernight Goddess had not taken any action, nor had she labeled Miss Justice a heretic. That alone was her answer… Klein immediately understood. The amulet had passed the test. Otherwise, the Evernight Goddess wouldn't have ignored the situation.
That realization eased some of the tension in Klein's heart.
After becoming a Beyonder, he understood more than anyone that the gods were not just myths, and their influence was terrifyingly real.
If a god had chosen to spare him, then for the time being, Klein was confident he wouldn't be exposed.
But this also confirmed something else—the Fool's persona must never collapse. At the very least, it had to remain separate from his true identity.
Audrey's face stiffened. She asked anxiously,
"Sir, do you mean… Mr. Fool was exposed because of me?"
"It's not that serious. This guy's exposure wasn't caused by you. In his current state, he can't conceal the aura of the Sefirah Castle. Any angel can sense its presence and know that he's most likely the Fool."
Ren simply chuckled and waved his hand, though his tone was still laced with amusement.
"I imagine the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway was pretty confused. She's probably never encountered a fool who walks right into a divine trap."
"But she and the Fool aren't enemies. And that amulet I casually crafted suppresses corruption and stabilizes the mind. She's probably quite interested in it."
"So don't worry about the Fool. He'll be around longer than you think."
"But you still need to be more cautious moving forward."
After saying this, Ren sighed faintly.
"By the way, the Fool's condition is worse than expected. He can't even mask the breath of the Sefirah Castle."
"Oh well. Even though I'm just a Spectator, I don't want this show ending too early."
He lightly tapped the surface of the bronze table with his fingers.
The surrounding starlight shifted and rearranged itself, forming the interior of a luxurious villa. The starry void transformed into a ceiling woven from gray fog.
Beside the long conference table, a fireplace lit up, casting a warm glow and heat. The space, once filled only with illusion and divinity, suddenly felt much more alive.
"I'll help conceal the breath of the Sefirah Castle a little."
"Then... go ahead with your gathering."
"I'm just a spectator here to listen in."
(To be continued.)
***
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