Chapter 18: One Finger to the Sky, One Finger to the Ground
Good news: the [Lovers] character card has leveled up.
Klein Moretti, the future "Fool," with his meager yet unconstrained imagination, had contributed the most substantial footnotes to the "Lovers" card.
[Connection], [Teleportation], [Unboxing], [Erudition], [Richness].
Five brand-new abilities were etched onto the [Lovers] card like brands, originating from the Tarot Club members—especially Klein—and their mental projections mixed with awe, fear, and reliance.
[Connection]: Threads of Bond. You can see and slightly pluck the invisible "Connections" between targets arising from fate, emotions, or transactions.
[Teleportation]: Anchor Leap. You can use strong "Connections" as coordinates to perform conceptual leaps, ignoring conventional obstacles.
—Just like that terrifying scene when he appeared outside Klein's door to "check the water meter."
[Doxing]: Information Insight. You can directly tear away disguises to glimpse a target's core secret or their current strongest desire. (Specialized against transmigrators, highly effective.)
[Erudition]: Information Barrier. Your vast knowledge itself constitutes a defense and grants you a higher degree of authority in the field of mysticism.
[Richness]: Value Bestowal. Richness is your tool; you possess an authority-level manifestation of the concepts of "Value" and "Exchange." You can briefly enhance the "perceived value" of certain items in specific transactions or rituals, making them easier to accept or trade.
—How strange. Why was it "Richness," an ability with no direct combat impact, that received the maximum enhancement?
Currently, these abilities lacked significant strength.
Even [Richness], which received the most benefit, was more like an embryonic form of authority—possessing the concept but lacking power.
But Nairn didn't care at all.
This was like obtaining a piece of source code with infinite growth potential. As long as he continued to direct good plays and had the "Fool" and other "Spectators" provide the computing power through their "mental projections," these abilities could be continuously filled and strengthened until... they truly touched the domain of high-level beings.
Klein, my dear fellow countryman, you really are quite good at overthinking things.
Nairn had originally just wanted to cooperate better with Klein, and perhaps get a bit of a boost for his "Lovers" persona along the way.
He hadn't expected to directly obtain five Beyonder abilities that were far from useless.
Among these, there was the inherent power of the "Identity Planning" Sequence itself, and more importantly, the massive amount of "play value" poured into the "Chaos Theater" caused by the "Fool acting cool online while being bewildered offline" factor.
On the other side, seeing that he had unconsciously grabbed the gold pound in his hand.
Klein fell silent for a moment before finally finding his voice: "Then... Above the Gray Fog, that place, just how much do you know?"
Hearing this question, the smile on Nairn's face faded slightly. He glanced at the ceiling, then at the floor, and said in an extremely peculiar tone:
"Those who understand, understand; those who don't, won't understand even if I explain. Don't ask; the interests involved are too great, and knowing won't do you any good. I can only say the water is very deep, and the relevant records have been deleted. So I can only say those who understand, understand, and if you don't, there's nothing I can do."
For a moment, Klein was stunned.
This familiar sentence, filled with the essence of 'nonsense literature,' was like a key precisely inserted into the mind of the "keyboard warrior" Zhou Mingrui.
Isn't this just saying a lot without saying anything at all!
However, Nairn only gave him a look, indicating he wasn't just having fun at Klein's expense—
Even though, in fact, he was.
"Some mystical knowledge comes with a price."
As he spoke, Nairn suddenly made a strange gesture.
He pointed one finger to the sky and one finger to the ground.
Klein looked on, completely bewildered.
What does this mean?
The Heaven and Earth Society? No... a flash of inspiration hit him, and he tentatively tried to interpret: "In the heavens and on the earth, I alone am the honored one?"
"Idiot!" Nairn almost burst out laughing, his voice carrying a hint of disdain. "It means this isn't a convenient place for discussion!"
Not a convenient place to talk... Klein's heart jolted as a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Walls have ears?
No, that's not it! In the Beyonder world, it should go a step further... There are deities three feet above one's head!
He instantly understood Nairn's meaning!
The "Gods" of this world truly exist; they are living, breathing, and extremely powerful Beyonders!
Even any mention of Them might be sensed!
At the thought of every time he had played the god Above the Gray Fog, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Klein's back.
He had always thought the gray fog was absolutely safe, but now it seemed it might just be because his level was too low to attract the attention of those Great Existences.
Nairn's reminder was like a bucket of cold water, dousing the slight flicker of self-satisfaction that had just risen in his heart.
This world was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
If he had carelessly discussed the essence of the gray fog with Nairn just now, would he have already been targeted by some unknown existence?
"Understood, we should talk Above the Gray Fog." Klein immediately grasped Nairn's hint and quickly made the correct judgment.
Seeing Klein catch on so quickly, Nairn nodded with satisfaction.
A teachable student.
He thoughtfully gave Klein a suggestion, then added: "In the future, if there's anything inconvenient to say at the Tarot Club, or if you need someone to help set the mood or explain your intentions, you can let me do it."
"Oh, and I won't undermine you."
Nairn winked at him, his smile full of "you can count on me" vibes.
Is this... taking the initiative to volunteer as his "Hype Man"?
He wouldn't be trying to use me for entertainment, would he?
Klein's first reaction was that there was a catch, but then he realized—
There probably weren't any traps in this.
For a moment, he didn't know what expression to make.
Having a big shot suspected to be at the level of an Ancient God act as his Hype Man—wasn't this treatment a bit too high-end?
He felt that his makeshift "Fool" organization had instantly become much more prestigious.
However, at the thought of his empty-shell image having to "show off" in front of Nairn.
"Mr. Nairn, we can discuss these topics less in the future."
Klein sighed helplessly; he felt his heart was very weary.
"Mm-hmm, of course." Nairn nodded compliantly and stood up. "It's getting late. Someone else will be coming soon, so I'll take my leave first."
Having said that, he walked straight toward the door.
Someone else is coming?
Klein's heart skipped a beat. He still had a mountain of questions, like how to get Beyonder materials for the "Spectator" pathway, what to do about subsequent potion formulas, how to make money quickly... but thinking of Nairn's Fun-seeker style, he'd likely just be brushed off with bad memes and nonsense literature. In the end, he didn't speak up to make him stay.
Creak—
The door was opened, then closed again.
Nairn's figure disappeared outside the door as if he had never appeared.
Silence returned to the room.
Klein slumped onto the sofa, feeling as if he had run a marathon; he was exhausted to the extreme, both physically and mentally.
It took him a long time to slowly digest everything that had happened tonight.
A fellow countryman from Earth, a mysterious and omniscient "Lovers," a Beyonder wielding bug-level abilities like "Connection," "Teleportation," and "Unboxing," and... his own future "Director."
At the thought of having to face this guy at the Tarot Club in the future, thoughts couldn't stop flooding his mind.
What kind of mess is this!?
But at least he no longer had to worry about money, or fret over potion formulas, and even the hardest task of acting as the "Fool" now had someone proactively helping him share the burden.
More importantly, Nairn had mentioned the "way home."
This was the first time in this strange world that he saw hope of returning home!
Even if that hope required him to pay the price of being the "lead actor."
Klein let out a long breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
He glanced at the shiny gold coin on the table and remembered the words Nairn said before leaving.
"Someone else will be coming soon..."
Who could it be?
Why did he know someone was coming?
Just then.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Clear and rhythmic knocking sounded in the quiet room.