Faced with the Son of Chaos's mockery of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Bernadette ignored him and calmly read the letter Cattleya had sent.
In the letter, Cattleya mentioned that someone seemed to have found the island where the black mausoleum stood and was asking whether she wanted to set out together to take a look.
After finishing the letter and pondering for a moment, Bernadette went to her desk and wrote a reply to Cattleya. She intended to transfer Cattleya away from those waters and have her return to the waters between the Loen Kingdom and the Southern Continent, keeping her away from this incident.
Although she knew Cattleya would fall silent and resist because of this, in the end, she would still follow her instructions.
"Tsk, aren't you being too cruel? That little girl is wholeheartedly thinking about you, running around and doing everything she can for what you want to accomplish." The Son of Chaos came over and uttered a few words of lament.
Bernadette ignored him. In her view, freedom and life were far more important than loyalty.
After finishing the letter, Bernadette had Cattleya's spirit world messenger take it back. Then she walked out of the captain's cabin and instructed the second mate to steer the Dawn toward the waters Cattleya had mentioned.
The light of dawn gradually brewed in the depths of the sea, then slowly encroached upon the azure ocean, dyeing it golden before finally leaving the surface of the sea and rising high above.
When Cattleya aboard the Future silently finished reading the reply from Bernadette, the world that had just brightened before her seemed to dim once again.
But this time, she did not strongly protest her dissatisfaction to Bernadette. Instead, she silently followed her will and left this place, returning to safer waters.
However, a powerful yearning for strength and knowledge surged within her heart. If she could become stronger, perhaps Bernadette would no longer worry about her safety and hesitate to let her carry out dangerous missions.
Just as the desire in her heart grew intense, her eyes seemed to see an enormous mass of knowledge transform into a grayish-brown torrent that surged toward her, seeking to drown her.
This sight instantly reminded her of the time she had been pursued by knowledge. It was Bernadette who had given her a pair of glasses capable of sealing the Eyes of Mystery Prying, helping her escape the pursuit of knowledge.
Those glasses were still on her face and had never been removed. Logically speaking, unfamiliar knowledge shouldn't suddenly come flooding toward her.
Unless someone behind the scenes was pushing the knowledge forward, forming it into a torrent that sought to devour her.
Cattleya did not allow herself to continue thinking. Instead, she took the mysterious astrolabe resting on the table and activated it. The surrounding stars shifted and transformed, as though a starry sky had descended upon this place, tightly protecting her within it.
When the pursuing knowledge encountered this starry sky, it instinctively halted its advance and even seemed to want to flee for its life. Yet, as if possessing spirituality, it silently sensed its surroundings for a moment, seemingly ruling out some mistaken possibility. The scattered knowledge then began gathering once more into a torrent and surged forward.
The starry sky formed by the astrolabe was ultimately not a true starry sky.
And this starry sky was not that terrifying starry sky.
The torrent of knowledge broke through the starry sky. Countless pieces of knowledge transformed into mysterious and lively symbols, like tiny fairies of knowledge, scrambling over one another as they rushed into Cattleya's mind, seemingly eager to let her taste forbidden and mysterious knowledge as soon as possible.
Cattleya's face turned pale. As she staggered backward, she knocked over the table. The astrolabe in her hand emitted a cracking sound as though unable to bear the immense burden, before collapsing and shattering.
At the moment the astrolabe cracked apart, a new point of light blossomed above the gray fog. At the same time, within the Hall of Stars, a tiny point of light also rose beside the one belonging to Bernadette.
But Cattleya knew nothing about these things. At present, she was being corrupted by knowledge far beyond the limits of what she could withstand.
Among it were secret events from the era of the Ancient Sun God, forbidden knowledge from beyond the starry sky, and also a small portion of knowledge she had always yearned for, such as how to advance to higher Sequences.
Vast as an ocean and seemingly endless, the knowledge gradually spread throughout Cattleya's mind, seeking to drag her completely into the abyss of knowledge.
Out at sea, Klein, who was hunting a pirate worth 2,000 pounds, suddenly sensed that some subtle changes were taking place above the gray fog.
He removed the head that could serve as proof of the pirate's identity, then found an empty washroom, walked four steps counterclockwise, and entered the space above the gray fog.
A new point of light had appeared near the points of light belonging to Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and the others. This meant that, through various coincidences, a new person had established a connection with the gray fog.
As long as he wished, he could pull the other party above the gray fog, allow them to participate in the Tarot Club, and make them one of its members.
It had been a long time since a new member joined the Tarot Club. Klein quickly directed his gaze toward the point of light and saw the captain's cabin of a ship.
Because he had recently been hunting the captains of various pirate crews, he was almost as familiar with the different layouts of captain's cabins as he was with going to washrooms.
There was a woman inside, surrounded by a shattered starry sky. She clutched her head and looked to be in great pain, as though she were currently facing some kind of crisis.
With the power of the gray fog, Klein clearly saw the true nature of the countless points of knowledge surrounding the woman.
Behind those points of knowledge, he saw a pair of concealed pupils. Their owner was using the power of the torrent of knowledge to peer at the tormented woman before them.
This was at least the work of a Sequence 2 angel!
Klein could only roughly estimate the Sequence level of the owner of those pupils and could not determine whose eyes they belonged to.
However, an existence connected to a torrent of knowledge and at least at the level of a Sequence 2 angel already narrowed the possibilities considerably.
Could those spying pupils belong to someone from the Mystery Pryer pathway? Then this woman should be a Sequence 5 Astrologer.
This was the suppression of a lower-Sequence Beyonder by a high-Sequence Beyonder.
Klein observed more clearly, but he did not immediately pull the woman above the gray fog.
An existence that was at least a Sequence 2 angel was not something he currently had any effective means of dealing with, even if the other party had only cast a gaze over here.
He needed to make some preparations first before attempting to help this woman who was suffering from the pursuit of knowledge. For now, he could only let her endure the pain a little longer.
At that moment, Klein saw the shattered and dim starry sky around the woman suddenly shine again. Brilliant starlight instantly purified the corrosion from the torrent of knowledge. The pair of pupils hidden behind the points of knowledge hurriedly withdrew the instant the starry sky lit up again, not lingering for even a moment.
Had this woman relied on her own strength to turn the tables at the last moment and resolve the trouble plaguing her?
As expected of a Sequence 5 Astrologer. They truly possessed mysterious powers capable of reversing the situation. Even the starry sky could become their aid.
Klein observed for a while longer. After confirming that nothing unusual appeared again, and even performing a divination, he finally attempted to make contact with the woman and guide her above the gray fog.
Cattleya stared blankly at the bronze long table that had appeared before her, her face filled with shock as she looked at Mr. Fool above the gray fog.
Only after a long while did she ask in a trembling voice, "What is this place?"
After asking, she couldn't help but shiver. What had happened today was simply too bizarre.
The torrent of knowledge she should have been able to avoid had suddenly come after her. Just as she was about to fall into the abyss of knowledge, another starry sky had replaced the starry sky she possessed, frightening away the torrent of knowledge that had been entangling her.
At that instant, she had seen a grand and mysterious Hall of Stars. She had seen a mysterious existence whose face could not be clearly discerned seated within the Hall of Stars, while all the stars in the sky gathered their light upon that figure.
Although she had never seen Him before, she quickly understood the other party's identity.
The starry sky, the hall, this was the Stars!
The Stars whom her lady believed in!
Because of Bernadette, the light of the Stars had also shared a small portion of His protection with her.
However, after resolving her troubles, the Stars had no intention of speaking with her and quickly disappeared.
While she was still in a daze, she was brought into this world of gray fog, where she saw the bronze long table and another mysterious figure seated at the head of it.
This was not the Stars, but another ancient existence. The various twists and turns nearly caused her mind to shut down on the spot.
"A gathering place for people like you who, through various coincidences and circumstances, have found their way here." Klein patiently explained, "You may call me The Fool."
"The Fool? You're The Fool of the Tarot Club!" Cattleya was shocked once again. She had just encountered the Stars, and immediately afterward, The Fool had brought her to this mysterious place.
Since when had she become so sought-after?
Klein merely smiled as he looked at the shocked woman. After waiting for her emotions to settle somewhat, he said, "If you're willing, you can also join the Tarot Club and become its newest member."
At present, among the Tarot Club members, aside from himself, who was close to advancing to Sequence 5 Marionettist, the fastest-advancing Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man had only recently stepped into Sequence 6.
The addition of a Sequence 5 Astrologer from the Mystery Pryer Beyonder pathway could further increase the overall strength of the Tarot Club.
More importantly, he had already recognized the identity of the woman before him.
A Sequence 5 Astrologer, a captain, and with her general appearance taken into account, there was only one person across the entire sea who fit: Cattleya, captain of the Future, Admiral of Stars.
Her relationship with Bernadette was also an important reason for allowing her to join the Tarot Club.
After all, the Beyonder knowledge and assistance that Mr. Hanged Man could provide were gradually becoming unable to keep pace with the overall progress of the Tarot Club members.
The addition of the Admiral of Stars could perfectly make up for this shortcoming.
Cattleya remained silent and did not speak. After thinking for a long time, she ultimately decided to join the Tarot Club and participate in its gatherings.
The Fool was just as mysterious as the Stars. Since Bernadette was already a believer of the Stars, she could conveniently help her lady secretly listen in on information from The Fool's side.
That would make her even more useful to Bernadette, wouldn't it?
"Choose a Tarot card to represent your identity."
"I choose The Hermit."
"Before the next Tarot Club gathering, I will summon you again."