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Even with the gray fog's concealment, Aaron, whose divinity had just been touched, still perceived Mr. Fool's subtle gaze.
Thinking of his promise to Arrodes, he raised his head and looked at the figure shrouded in gray fog, speaking respectfully: "Great Mr. Fool, I have a request. I wonder if I can receive your help?"
Klein, who had concealed himself with the gray fog without revealing any flaws, felt a sudden jolt in his heart. However, feeling the gazes of the other Tarot Club members focused on him, he had no choice but to brace himself and chuckle in a relaxed and comfortable tone: "Tell me about it..."
"Tell me about it so I know how to refuse you without losing my mystique as a hidden existence..." Klein added helplessly in his mind. How could he help such a powerful being, someone who could injure him just by peeking with Spirit Vision?
"Honestly, Mr. Fool's acting is really good. This steady tone doesn't seem faked at all..." Aaron clicked his tongue in his heart and, without hesitation, stated his request: "I know you are the supreme existence of the Seer Pathway. Any item imbued with your aura will display incredible power in divination, counter-divination, or revelation. Therefore, I wish to ask you to bestow upon me an item bearing your aura."
What? Supreme existence? Why don't I know about this myself?
Alright, you're strong, you're right...
Klein's fingers trembled slightly, unsure how to respond. Just then, he heard Mr. Emperor continue: "I know this request is a bit sudden. Please forgive my disrespect. As compensation, I am willing to pay 500 gold pounds and a very practical Mystical Item as compensation."
How much? 500 gold pounds? My weekly salary is 3 pounds, Benson's is 1 pound 10 soli. 500 pounds, that would be... Klein's mind was instantly filled with those glittering little darlings, and he restrained the question that almost blurted out: "What Mystical Item?"
As a hidden existence, a mere Mystical Item was not worth him personally inquiring about. Having decided on the transaction, Klein began to consider what would be suitable for the exchange.
He was very self-aware. Mr. Emperor didn't want his aura, but something related to this mysterious gray fog space. Klein pondered, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.
Seeing Mr. Fool fall silent, Aaron's lips curled slightly as he continued: "A hidden existence like yourself would certainly disdain such compensation, but your subordinates or your Blessed should still find them useful."
No, I can use them too, and I like your suggestion just now... Klein no longer worried about how to respond and replied with a smile: "Hmm, I have a Blessed who is currently busy with something and needs a certain amount of money. I will have him contact you later. As for the item you want, I will give it to you later through a Sacrifice and Bestowal ritual."
Audrey, who had been observing Aaron in her Spectator state, finally turned her head to look at Mr. Fool, her voice deepening to express her shock: "Sacrifice and Bestowal ritual?"
Klein, who had quietly activated Spirit Vision, had learned his lesson from last time and did not look at Mr. Emperor again, instead examining Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.
The result was quite disheartening. Klein now confirmed his conclusion that he was the weakest member of the Tarot Club.
Sighing inwardly, Klein looked at the Tarot Club members who were all looking at him, and added calmly: "That's right, this will save you a lot of trouble, allowing you to take leave in advance, so you don't have to worry about what to do if you're in an inconvenient situation on Monday afternoon."
Mr. Hanged Man, who had been observing cautiously in secret, subtly changed his expression. Nobles could use lunch breaks as a cover, but as a pirate wandering the seas, danger could strike at any time.
He couldn't guarantee that he would have enough time to attend this hidden existence's gathering every Monday afternoon at 3 PM, especially since he had now acquired a ghost ship and would have to report back to Pasu Island no matter what.
And this was also a good opportunity to probe.... He lowered his head and responded respectfully: "This is exactly what we hope for. What do you need us to do?"
Young man, you have a rich inner world. Watching the constantly changing emotional colors in Mr. Hanged Man's spiritual depths, Klein raised an eyebrow and replied: "Place four new candles on the altar, one at each corner, preferably the ones with sandalwood scent."
"Place a white bread at the upper left candle, Feynapotter noodles at the upper right candle, paella at the lower left, and Desi pie at the lower right."
"Use a silver dagger to create a sealed spiritual environment."
Listening to Mr. Fool's serious description of the food placement, Aaron forcefully suppressed the upward curve of his lips.
Klein described the ritual magic he had modified from the "Luck Transfer Ritual." Although the four food items seemed a bit strange, that was what the "Luck Transfer Ritual" required. He had just changed them to some foods he liked.
After simply explaining the remaining ritual steps, Klein, shrouded in the gray-white mist, tapped the edge of the long table with his finger, answering in a calm, unruffled voice in Hermes: "The Fool who does not belong to this era, you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog, you are the King of Yellow and Black who controls good luck..."
Aaron listened with a strange expression, subtly glancing at Mr. Fool in the dense gray fog. These ritual incantations always gave him a strange sense of familiarity, as if they were his own incantations that had been modified.
Audrey and Alger silently recited these three descriptions, and a storm surged in their hearts. They clearly understood what the three-part description Mr. Fool spoke of represented in other rituals:
That represented, that pointed to, the seven deities who overlooked the entire world!
It was almost equivalent to "Lady of Crimson, Mother of Concealment, Empress of Misfortune and Horror"!
Klein pressed a hand to his forehead and tapped the edge of the bronze long table with the other, keenly noticing the changes in Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice. As for Mr. Emperor, there were no obvious emotional fluctuations.
But he pretended that nothing had happened, maintaining a state where everything was within expectation, and continued to speak to himself: "I pray for your help."
"I pray for your favor."
...
He described each line of the incantation in a different format, and finally smiled: "Everyone, have you remembered?"
"Ah..." Audrey gasped softly, quickly covered her mouth, and began to recall seriously.
With the Spectator's powerful memory, she quickly finished recording and repeated it aloud for confirmation.
Alger, on the other hand, appeared much more normal than her. No matter what he thought inwardly, his surface remained as steady as an old dog.
Looking at Mr. Fool, who was no longer speaking, Alger, his thoughts churning, broke his silence. Facing such a terrifying existence, he wanted to show his enthusiastic participation in the gathering as much as possible.
"I want Ghost Shark blood, at least 100 milliliters of Ghost Shark blood. For this, I am willing to pay 250 pounds, or a Sequence 9 Beyonder potion formula."
"Really? Which two?" Audrey instantly became interested. Glaint had told her at the last gathering that he wanted to become a Beyonder, but he didn't have the corresponding formula.
Alger leaned back slightly, answering in a measured tone: "I actually have two Sequence 9 Beyonder potion formulas in my possession, one is called 'Sailor', and the other is called 'Spectator'..."
Before Alger could continue his introduction, Audrey blurted out: "Deal, let's go with that 'Sailor' Beyonder potion formula, witnessed by Mr. Fool."
Feeling the increasingly heavy spiritual burden in his mind, Klein swept his gaze over the members of the Tarot Club and spoke of the acting method he had learned from Roselle's diary.
Finally, Klein leaned back, looked at both sides, and said in a low, soothing voice: "Help me collect Roselle Gustav's secret diaries, even if it's just one page!"
"If there's nothing else to share, then today's gathering will end here."
"As you wish." Audrey and Alger, who were a half-beat slow due to surprise, followed Aaron in standing up and said respectfully.
Klein slid his finger, disconnecting from the crimson star, and the three figures instantly vanished from the majestic hall.
Looking at the bronze long table, which had once again become quiet, Klein finally relaxed and silently sighed: "What a pity, this place is still fundamentally different from online dating platforms. Otherwise, I could create a small account to join and specifically ask questions I find inconvenient to ask."
"Or perhaps next time at the 'Council of Entropy,' I could inquire if there's anything similar to mirror magic, hehe, for example, having half the members be my alt accounts..."
His lips unconsciously curled upwards. After what had just happened, Klein also realized the various inconveniences of impersonating a hidden existence. He recalled the sudden appearance of the bronze long table earlier.
I wanted a temple, and a temple appeared. I want an "alt account," will an "alt account" appear?
Klein rubbed his brows, trying to imagine an "alt account."
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he saw a figure appear at the very bottom of the bronze long table. The figure wore a black tailcoat and a semi-tall silk top hat, with a vacant expression and wooden movements. Even with the illusory gray fog covering it, its abnormality was clear.
It's not working... Klein tried many times, sighed, and gave up on the idea of creating an alt account.
Now, his main task was to quickly fulfill Mr. Emperor's request and get those 500 pounds and that Mystical Item.
-----------------
Cross Street 24, Port Area, Symeem Island, the easternmost island of the Rorsted Archipelago.
Leticia, an Archaeologist on the surface and a member of the Moses Ascetic Order in reality, stood by the window, watching the sunset's afterglow sink into the sea, silently.
Guided by the residual power of the "Star-Moon Pillar," she and her companions had crossed the Fog Sea and the Berserk Sea, transiting from Bayam to here.
In the past few days, they had explored all areas of Symeem Island except the primeval forest, but still found no reaction. And besides its inherent dangers, the primeval forest was also the main base of the resistance army that worshipped the "Sea God" on Symeem Island.
The reality forced her to temporarily give up the search and wait for an opportunity to enter that primeval forest. Her thoughts gradually converged, and Leticia slowly felt a hint of something amiss.
The room today was so quiet, unusually quiet. Her companions...
Her thoughts suddenly froze. Leticia subconsciously looked at her arm, where the imprint of the "Star-Moon Pillar's" residual power should have been, but it had now disappeared.
Not good, this is a dream... When did this happen... In the last moments before her consciousness plunged into eternal Darkness, this thought flashed through Leticia's mind.
Aaron, who had temporarily borrowed the Death Mask to change his appearance, lifted the Nightmare ability of the "Ring of Mysteries." Looking at the four bewildered corpses on the ground, these guys, the strongest of whom were only Sequence 7, were not worth mentioning, but his expression became solemn.
In front of Aaron, a slowly rotating mass of stardust emerged from Leticia's corpse, and one star after another appeared, densely packed and dazzling.
These stars shed beams of light, converging into a magnificent pillar of light that enveloped the void, and an ancient portal appeared behind the starlight.
Before acting, he had specifically learned from Arrodes that the person behind the Moses Ascetic Order's current operation was the "Star-Moon Pillar," one of the top-ranked among the Ten Pillars.
That was a Sequence 3 Clairvoyant who had worshipped the Hidden Sage since the Fourth Epoch and had long since successfully advanced.
Unlike the "young" Bernadette, this old fossil had likely personally seen Faolles-Ellen during the Fourth Epoch. Coupled with the Clairvoyant's special abilities, to reduce the risk of his identity being exposed, Aaron had not brought him along this time.
Originally, the plan was to quietly kill these Moses Ascetic Order members using the Nightmare ability to secretly take the key, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and this power was still triggered.
Knowing that a Mystery Pryer could use Mystical Reenactment to create various incredible magic or witchcraft after advancing to demigod, Aaron couldn't guess what ability the opponent was using.
The safest method was to take advantage of the opponent's skill wind-up and directly eliminate her power projection medium. The drawback was that it would cause a huge commotion, impossible to conceal, and might attract the attention of the Sea King in nearby Bayam, requiring a quick resolution.
Astolfo's figure appeared before the star-constituted vortex, and a silent shriek swept through, instantly extinguishing most of the brilliant starlight.
The Spirit World was sealed, and the spells cast relying on the Spirit World were forcibly interrupted. Several Unshadowed Spears appeared simultaneously, completely destroying the starlight, then transformed into golden patterns adhering to the crystalline key that fell to the ground.
Skillfully picking up the key, the illusory whispers in his ear flashed and faded. Aaron glanced at the harbor, which had suddenly become noisy due to the aftermath of the battle, and then allowed Astolfo to pull him into the Spirit World.
He planned to lay low for the next two days, at least until the irritable old man's anger dissipated before going to retrieve the Book of Calamity. Anyway, the key was already in hand, and the seal applied could last for a period of time.
But this did not mean Aaron could rest easy. After that irritable old man left, if the Church of the Lord of Storms did not discover the Book of Calamity, the "Star-Moon Pillar," whose subordinates had died, might personally take action.
As Aaron was thinking this, a familiar prayer suddenly reached his ears. It was the voice of Frank, the Great Biologist. His heart stirred, and he immediately had a guess.
Allowing Astolfo to take him through the Spirit World, he manipulated a sub-consciousness within the Nation of Disorder to extend his spirituality towards the suddenly expanding prayer light point.
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