Chapter 32: Sacrificial Ritual?

Monday, August 27th, 3 pm Lenburg time

Above the grey mist, in the palace of the giants...

A lone figure shrouded in mist that made it difficult to make out his face stretched out his hand towards the crimson stars. Five crimson sparkles appeared on the seats surrounding the bronze table the next second, and the hall came to life.

Looking around as usual as she prepared to salute, Audrey Hall's eyes froze for a second as she saw that there was someone new, but this time, this person was on her side!

"This new member will be joining us from now on, Miss Magician" Klein mentioned calmly, his posture relaxed, his cheek resting on two of his knuckles.

Looking at Fors, he introduced the rest.

"This is Miss Justice, this is Mr. Hanged Man. This is Mr. Sun. And this is Mr. Chariot."

"Thank you for receiving me." Rising from her seat, Fors Wall gave a curtsy, clutching the edges of her dress.

'So this is the Tarot Club...' biting down somewhat hard on the inside of her cheek, she could barely contain the trembling of her hands.

While she was nervous, this was more from being in the presence of a God than before these mysterious members. Thanks to her new boss, who gave her a simple meeting summary, she knew that most of the members present were low sequences. No higher than Sequence 7.

According to his own words, she would be among the top five strongest members once she joined. Counting her, the total sum was 6.

It was a newborn organization.

'Where are you, where are you...' Her blue eyes moved quickly and discreetly over the male members present. Finally, her gaze shifted to the far end of the table and opposite side, where a lone person was seated.

This one wore a strange robe that covered his entire body, and although his figure was illusory, she could still easily see the long, bright red hair.

The head of the figure staring at the ceiling boredly moved towards her for a moment and gave an amused nod, a familiar taut smile on his lips.

Feeling an eyebrow twitch, Fors only let out an inward sigh.

'Yep, that's him.' Giving a glance, she returned her attention to Fool, not wanting to show they knew each other.

'A new member! And a lady this time!' The Spectator found herself happy, no longer being the only woman in the Tarot Club, but she didn't show that joy beyond a simple smile.

She had been disappointed a few days ago after losing contact with the Beyonder writer Fors Wall and Xio Derecha, people she had planned to invite to the club.

But that didn't matter now. A new member had joined!

Her eyes took a good look at her. Miss Magician wore an elegant, somewhat expensive green going-out dress and a soft-capped lady's hat. Her hair was a soft yellow-like cream, and she had an air of nervousness and anxiety.

'Her fingertips are yellowish, a common smoker. She is also not sitting still in her place. Someone who lives with a lot of stress and anxiety who uses cigarettes as an escape...' Giving a simple diagnosis, Audrey gave an inward nod, but her brow furrowed slightly.

The woman looked somewhat familiar. Perhaps if she saw her face, she would recognize her, but thanks to the fog, that was impossible.

Returning to her usual motion and grasping the edges of her green dress, Audrey stood up, curtsied, and said happily, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

Klein, who had been stressed these past few days over money problems and the recent events with Chariot and was seeing things a little darker, felt his soul lighten and his heart relax at the happy noblewoman.

He smiled and nodded, "Good afternoon, Miss Justice."

'A woman this time... What's so special about her? Mr. Sun is part of a continent of legends, while Miss Justice is part of the Loen Kingdom nobility, not to mention the background of Mr. Chariot. What extraordinary thing could she bring?' Alger only glanced sideways at the new club member, debating what the woman's background might be. He thought all this over as he stood up and saluted, analyzing the new member as best he could.

'Surely it's more important than mine.' The man pursed his lips a little as he applied a little more force to the fist on his chest.

He knew that was the truth. Compared to the others, his background was the least impressive.

With those thoughts in mind and the greetings over, he spoke seriously: ''I memorized 8 of the Diary's entries. I'll hand over the other half at the next meeting."

'Looks like what Chariot said last time did hurt...' Klein couldn't help but think that as he nodded. "Alright."

If he was lucky, this time there would be more information about the Tower and the mysterious transmigrator, or perhaps something to boost his image as The Fool. Though he preferred the former, he already got the latter last Monday.

Seeing that no one else responded, Klein manifested the parchment goat skin and the red fountain pen, and after a while, he had the journal's pages in his hands.

Taking a glance at the dates, the Clown could only nod internally. None of these appeared to be repeat entries. Returning them to the order they were in, he began to read.

---

...16th December. I managed to contact the pathetic fellow who's trapped in the storm and was lost in the darkness.

He called himself Mr. Door and tried to teach me a complicated and difficult ritual. He wanted me to help him return to the real world and promised to fulfill three of my requests.

Does he think I'm stupid? I've lived for more than sixty years over my two lives. Does he think I can't tell that this is the usual manipulation done by evil gods and devils?

But the history of the Fourth Epoch that he described was fascinating.

I know of the most famous 'War of the Four Emperors' in the Fourth Epoch, but the specific details and main figures involved are limited to the information spread by the major Churches—for example, the 'Black Emperor' of the Solomon Empire.

It wasn't until today that this so-called Mr. Door finally answered my questions by letting me know who the remaining three emperors were. The half-insane Blood Emperor of the Tudor Dynasty, the Night Emperor of the Trunsoest Empire, and the Underworld Emperor of the Southern Continent, also known as Death.

According to Mr. Door's description, in this war that changed the situation of the entire world, the Black Emperor, Blood Emperor, and Night Emperor fell one after another. The Underworld Emperor reaped the greatest benefits.

Although there was something he added as an additional piece of information, Mr. Door said that it was during this time that the Hidden Sage was born.

Before I could question him about that, he went on to talk about...

Death went mad but also became stronger!

Even deities can go mad?

What a horrifying sentence!

...

I asked Mr. Door if he had participated in the 'War of the Four Emperors'? If so, what role did he play? And what was the position the seven deities maintained in this war? What role did they play?

Mr. Door didn't answer my question. He only said in a teasing manner that the number of pre-eminent mighty figures in the Fourth Epoch far exceeds my imagination.

When he said that, I couldn't help but remember the strange way he had mentioned the Hidden Sage. His attitude was as if he had picked up an apple on the way, wholly disinterested and unimportant, just worthy of a short mention, as if it had just crossed his mind.

Is it possible that he was part of whatever gave birth to this Evil Deity?

To my bad luck, I couldn't get him to give me any more information about the Hidden Sage. He just continued with what he was saying before. He mentioned two laws: the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility and the Law of Similar Sequence Beyonder Characteristics Conservation.

----

---

29th October. The leader of the Secret Order, Zaratul, visited me once again...

He told me that he was a Sequence 2, Miracle Invoker!

...

Zaratul told me that the Life School of Thought specializes in astromancy, seeking to use medicine, music, light, wine, and fragrance to eliminate paths with unfavorable star readings and fate. They believe that disasters and diseases are caused by the loss of balance between man and nature and between man and his own mind.

He added meaningfully that the Life School of Thought worships the moon.

Why worship the moon and not go one step further, the Evernight Goddess?

--

18th April. Matilda is pregnant.

It's to be expected, and I can even tell you exactly which love-making session she conceived in, because I felt a decrease in my Beyonder characteristic...

---

9th February. I have a third child. I named him Bornova.

My eldest daughter, Bernadette, was lucky. Her mother and I were just Low-Sequence Beyonders back then. She is free to choose the path she wants to take...

---

Klein found himself shocked and almost speechless. If it hadn't been for his clown powers, he would have been sure his mouth would have hung up long ago.

The information on these pages was too rich!

Not only did he learn the name of Sequence 2 of his path, along with part of why he could resurrect, but he also learned the name of Sequence 1!

'Miracle Invoker and Snake of Mercury... Those are some powerful names! Worthy of angels!'

'There's also something about Mr. Door... Lost in the dark and caught in the storm, Evernight Goddess and The Lord of Storms? It was smart of me not to divine anything about him...' Klein inwardly patted himself on the back for having been cautious and having avoided another incident like his sunburn.

Chariot told him about this when he accepted the Scarlet Monarch's deal: about the family's specialty and what it stood to gain, about the path they controlled, their curse, and Mr. Door.

One of the reasons he had accepted Fors so readily into the Tarot Club was that Mr. Door, a very possible angel, had a connection to the Abraham family, a Fourth Epoch angel family that controls the path of the Apprentice.

A path that, in high sequences, made one able to travel between worlds!

If there was a way to find the way back, Klein was sure that this traveling path was one of the necessary pieces.

Putting aside his success in obtaining information, he looked at the names of the Emperor's children.

'Bornova, Ciel and Bernadette... Zaratul gave Roselle a prophecy about each. With one of them being about his daughter turning her back on him, resenting him...'

'What a sad prophecy.' Klein couldn't imagine hearing that his children would grow up resenting him and turn away from him.

Of course, it's not like he ever stopped to think about whether he wanted to have a family. He didn't even have a girlfriend when he was still in his home...

'It also seems that the Emperor is really curious about the Hidden Sage, and he believed that Mr. Door had a lot to do with 'His' birth...' Clicking his tongue internally, he would have to write this down to check later.

With another member in the club, he could feel his spirituality wearing off rather quickly. In 9 more minutes, he would not be able to hold the meeting and would have to cut it short.

With time against the clock, he released the journal pages that disappeared as soon as they left his fingers and looked up calmly, "What is it that you desire, Mr. Hanged Man?"

Alger shook his head, his gaze downcast and his head slightly hung, "I have no questions Mr. Fool, I would like to turn them into contribution points."

"All right."

With those final words from the Fool, the time for exchanges began.

"I'm looking for a Southern Varano's brains and an Oiled Rusk's venom. Does anyone have either, or can you get them?" Adryan was the first to make a request. His sudden voice surprised some.

Those were the main ingredients of the Sequence 8 Robot potion. He already had the ingredients for the Monster potion ready, now he only needed the ingredients for the next potion.

'If I take what happened with Jerry as an example and as Klein described Ademisaul, I'm sure the Monster potion will melt in his mouth...' The redhead thought, a smile forming on his lips.

"I've got a contact who can get the brain." Alger didn't take a second to respond. 'I'll need a few days to contact them; by the first days of September, I can get it."

"Deal. I'll be waiting for you, Mr. Hanged Man~" With a foxy grin, Adryan said, amused, causing the man's eyebrow to twitch.

"I have the venom of the Oiled Rusk. How much do you need, Mr. Chariot?" Audrey replied.

"Fifteen milliliters will cover it. What do you want in return, Miss Justice?"

"200 pounds will be enough. I will send you the venom once this meeting is over." Audrey said calmly, not needing anything else at the moment, that reptile venom was not difficult for her to obtain nor very valuable. In her home storage, she easily had 15 different types of animal venom.

"Deal." Adryan laughed a little; having someone rich as a member was the best.

'Luckily, these ingredients aren't too strange. One advantage when the formula of the path is so well guarded, and the Beyonders on it are so rare, is that you don't need to hide and trap every creature there is. Having a few of them is enough to control a good farm.' He wasn't surprised they were easy to obtain; it was only logical.

Watching the quick exchange of materials and deals before her, Fors was a little taken aback. This was the first time she had seen such a meeting, let alone participated in it.

Feeling inspired by the moment, the writer quickly made her own request.

"I'm looking for the crystallized blood of a Lavos Squid and A pair of Terror Demon Worm's eyes. Does anyone have any information on these?"

Now that they were following this madman, money was not a concern, so she could afford to see her friend's last missing ingredient to advance to Sequence 8.

"I've seen the pair of Terror Demon Worm's eyes at several pirate auditions. One isn't too far away. I can get it for you." Alger grabbed another deal, a streak forming.

Adryan glanced sideways at the man, one eyebrow raised in amusement. 'Looks like someone is insecure in their position~'

Oblivious to his thoughts, Alger turned to Justice, his gaze serious: "I managed to find a seller for the Rainbow Salamander's complete pituitary gland; he's interested in selling it for 500 pounds."

Derrick Berg watched all this from the sidelines, unsure how to get involved. Because of where he was, he had no way of getting materials to the hands of the other club members, even if he wanted to.

The only thing he could get from them was potion formulas and some information, which was also all he could offer.

This frustrated him greatly.

Watching all the excitement unfold on his game plane, the clown couldn't help but feel quite fulfilled. His gaze passed over each member, ignoring one, until it ended on the youngest.

Noticing how tense he was, Klein could get an idea of what might be bothering him.

'Don't worry, Mr. Sun. After this meeting, your value here will increase even more!' As soon as there was a moment of silence, he raised a finger against the brass table.

Tap Tap Tap

All noise died to the familiar tapping, everyone's attention moving to the seat of honor at the top of the musty bronze table.

'Mr Fool is going to say something!' Audrey let out a soundless sigh and opened all her senses.

Alger tensed for a moment. 'A revelation from Mr. Fool? Did something happen?'

Nodding dismissively, Klein focused on the group, "I need your help to make an attempt."

'An attempt?' Audrey was immediately excited.

"I'm willing to cooperate."

As a Spectator, she clearly remembered that Mr. Fool had only used the word "attempt" twice: once when Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Chariot, and she were brought into this mysterious space and once when he gave them an honorific name for a prayer attempt, revealing his true nature of God.

'What will it be this time? It's something to look at!' Audrey thought happily—a sweet smile on her face.

It was not only a new attempt that was sure to be a success but also a new member.

The Tarot Club was growing!

'I don't understand what's happening here...' Fors found herself at a loss.

Everyone suddenly fell silent to listen to what The Fool wanted to say.

'An attempt? For what?' She wanted to turn to look at her boss for answers, but remembering his request, she could only wait and see where this turned to.

"Attempt..." Alger tensed even more, his suspicion growing.

'What is Mr. Fool trying to accomplish? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?' Sighing internally to calm his heart, he nodded.

"Your wish is my wish."

Beside him, Derrick looked at the Hanged Man, then at Justice, wondering why they were so sensitive about this supposed intent.

'At least I'm not the only one confused.' The young giant thought as he watched Miss Magician share his doubt.

His eyes then moved to the farthest member of the group. To the only other member besides the Fool, who looked on calmly, one cheek resting on his palm.

'Hopefully one day I can be as calm as you, Mr. Chariot.' Derrick thought with admiration.

The Blessed of a God, most likely speaks often with "Him." Someone who takes on missions personally commissioned not only by his God but by Mr. Fool. Someone with power and fearlessness who throws himself headlong into danger. Someone who can be counted on.

The Chariot was everything Derrick wanted to be.

As if sensing his gaze, Chariot turned from The Fool to him. The young man could only lower his gaze, somewhat embarrassed at being found out.

'Come back when you're 30.' Adryan looked flatly at this, hoping it was just admiration or respect the young man was showing. He returned his attention to the chair of honor, not wanting to think about it now.

Klein continued the plan, saying, "This attempt will make your transaction easier and safer and will be confidential enough."

Looking at Justice. He smiled: "Do you remember the ritual to summon Mr. Chariot's messenger?"

"Yes, I do." Audrey nodded gracefully. It was hard to forget a bone bigger than your leg.

Following his plan, Klein made no further explanation. He nodded solemnly and said, "My idea is for you to sacrifice an item, whichever one you wish, to me through the ritual."

'Can that be done?' Audrey thought in astonishment. She very quickly recovered and understood the advantages of this method.

Once this attempt proved effective, they could make deals and trades with Mr. Sun! She could see how Sun himself came to the same conclusion by the huge smile on his face.

'Mr. Fool is great! As expected of our Tarot Club, we will be different from other organizations! We will use the method of the gods to change materials and ingredients!' Audrey was about to think, 'Praise the Lady', but stopped herself. After some consideration, she thought, 'Praise Mr. Fool.'

'Isn't that how the Scarlet Monarch receives and sends materials?' Fors thought, remembering the events of a few days ago and unable to avoid making a comparison. She was confused for a second before brightening.

'Of course! The Fool and the Scarlet Monarch are allies! It's not uncommon for some of their methods to be similar.'

Klein described the process of the ritual he had confirmed, but he added extra things like oils and powders, all to enhance the ritual's mystical and mysterious image, which in turn enhanced his image.

After confirming that the attempt would take place half an hour after this meeting- to regain his lost spirituality- along with the new 3 pm Lenburg time, Klein leaned back, letting the club go on a little longer.

At this point, Adryan decided to begin. The red-haired man turned to look at Audrey, his gaze heavy.

"Miss Justice, I have a mission that requires your help."