Not long after, ripples appeared in the space as the tiny bird, Silika, emerged from the spirit world with a letter in its beak.
Ebner first used Amantha extract as a reward for Silika who had painstakingly delivered the letter. Then, he opened the envelope and began reading seriously.
"…I'm very happy to receive your letter. However, you shouldn't be asking me this question. Instead, you should be asking Silika directly.
"If she's willing to help you, I have no objections… This is because I also wish to understand her relationship with the first Baron Lamud.
"It should be known that the era in which Silika was born was nearly a thousand years after the era when the first Baron Lamud was active. She shouldn't have had any interactions with him… But the reality is that she had been searching for everything about the baron ever since she was alive. Even after she turned into an undead and lost most of her memories, she was still stuck in that ancient castle for a long time, unwilling to leave…"
After putting down the letter, Ebner cast his gaze to the side of the glass bottle, where she was happily drinking the scent of Amantha extract. He began to calculate inwardly.
Perhaps my guess isn't wrong. Silika might very well be closely related to Mr. Azik…
But how should I move her to help me?
Yes, perhaps I can try it with the Book of Dead…
With this in mind, Ebner went to the storage room and took out the black-covered book that seemed to suck out a person's soul.
What was worth mentioning was that, as he had activated Hurricane of Light the night before yesterday, in order to save Xio, he had watched the sunrise with the Sword of Dawn for two days. Then, ignoring its "protest," he sealed it with the strange black-skinned book.
On the other side, Silika had just finished absorbing the Amantha extract in the bottle. She looked wistfully at the cabinet where Ebner had taken out the bottle before retracting her gaze. She planned to flap her illusory wings and return to the spirit world.
But at that moment, she suddenly smelled an aura that made her feathers tremble slightly. That aura made her yearn for it, but it also made her fear it… This was because that aura belonged to a true Mythical Creature.
After Ebner carried the black-bound book back to the study, he saw Silika retract her wings like a quail, but her eyes were fixed on the Book of Dead.
Without waiting for Ebner to speak, Silika tilted her head and controlled the black fog around her to form a simple sentence in the air.
"Can I help you keep the book?"
Could it be that your constant chatter in the past was because you didn't really want to communicate with me…
Upon seeing this scene, Ebner was instantly rendered speechless. To think that he had been considering how to ask the man…
But to hand it to you for safekeeping? Are you sure you won't steal it?
With that in mind, Ebner smiled and said, "Thank you for your goodwill, Silika… I won't trouble you any further… But if you can do me a favor, I can allow you to 'watch' it for two hours a day."
Silika tilted her head, and the fog in the air changed once again, forming a line of Loenese text. "I'm helping you by watching over you? Wouldn't I be at a disadvantage then?"
Don't you know if you'll suffer a loss or not? I didn't expect this little guy to be so smart and have so many tricks up his sleeve…
After lampooning a few times, Ebner rolled his eyes and pretended to put away the Book of Dead. He then said regretfully, "Then forget it… I'll find a spirit who's willing to help…"
Before he finished his sentence, the fog above the bird's head quickly formed a single word. "Deal!"
Right on the heels of that, the fog changed again, changing into a line of Jotun. "Bullying little birds is shameful."
Don't think that I can't understand it just because you changed the language…
The corners of Ebner's eyes twitched as he pretended not to know the giant language. He said without a change in expression, "Next Wednesday night, I need you to lure a gentleman to my location…
"I'll tell you the details in the future. However, you can come to me at night for the next few days and help me watch the Book of Dead."
Silika tilted her head as though she was thinking or divining something. After a while, she nodded and looked at the black book. After chirping a few times, she flapped her wings and disappeared.
What does he mean? Come again in the evening? Why can't he be bothered to communicate?
Ebner rubbed his forehead and sealed the Book of Dead. Then, he continued thinking.
If nothing unexpected happened, Mr. Azik would appear near Duke Negan's manor next Wednesday night to kill Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos.
When that happens, all I need to do is get Silika to follow Qilangos and I'll be able to successfully meet the Death Consul.
However, to be safe, I'd better think of a way to sneak into that ball to prevent any unforeseen circumstances from happening…
Although it's very likely that I'm the biggest accident… After all, I've attended balls and banquets, so it's rare for nothing to happen.
After lampooning a few times, Ebner reined in his thoughts and felt that he could think of a solution with Father Utravsky.
Due to Member of Parliament Macht's repeated introductions, the half-giant bishop had produced excellent results over the past month. He had already established friendly ties with many of the upper-class aristocrats.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was Monday.
At noon, after eating, Ebner was at home selecting suitable diary pages for the Tarot Gathering. At this moment, Xio suddenly carried a suitcase and went up to the door.
After the two came to the study, Xio took out a huge pile of bottles, wigs, and clothes from the suitcase.
"Is this… a disguise tool?" Ebner asked with uncertainty as he watched Xio fiddle with the items.
"Of course, I have to ensure that I'm not recognized by Audrey… Yes, it's Miss Justice. She recognized me!" Xio arranged the items in categories before looking at Ebner. "Wait outside. I need some makeup and clothes…"
Does she think it's hard to explain that Fors is at her place, so she came to me? But what is she going to disguise herself as?
With this thought in mind, Ebner opened the door and left the study.
After waiting in the corridor for nearly an hour, Xio's voice sounded from the study. "Come in."
Ebner found the voice a little strange, but he didn't think too much about it. He opened the door in passing, but he was immediately stunned. He almost asked, "Miss, who are you?"
It turned out that there was a blonde-haired beauty in a classic regal dress and feathered hat standing in the study. She was slightly taller than 1.6 meters.
If it wasn't for Xio's appearance, Ebner wouldn't have dared to recognize her.
And perhaps it was because of her makeup, Xio's face, which had some baby fat, no longer looked that obvious… If she went out with this appearance, perhaps only someone very familiar with her would recognize her.
This is comparable to the "Asian heretic magic" from my previous life…
Despite lampooning inwardly, he couldn't help but laugh. "In Mr. Fool's kingdom, the members of the Tarot Club can't see each other's faces. There's no need for you to wear makeup."
"This is actually a psychological cue… I disguised myself as this, so I naturally had to simulate this personality," Xio replied slowly. Her tone was like that of an educated noble lady, but her choice of words was still the Xio he was familiar with.
However, Xio seemed to have received a similar education when she was young… Is this a reenactment of her childhood dreams? Ebner silently thought to himself, but on the surface, he reminded her, "You still have to watch your words."
Xio nodded in thought and replied, "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll try to keep quiet at the Tarot Club."
However, she had decided to secretly study with a noble lady, treating it as helping Fors gather material.
…
Three in the afternoon.
Xio, whose vision had recovered from the crimson and blurry state, once again saw the boundless gray fog that didn't belong to reality. She saw the palace that looked like a giant's residence, as well as the three men sitting opposite her.
According to the information that Ebner had told her, they were followed by The Hanged Man, The Tower, and The Sun.
And the "Tower" was none other than Ebner!
In the blink of an eye, Xio's tense and worried emotions eased. All of this matched what Ebner had said, which meant that what he had previously described was likely true, and not just a figment of his imagination after he was bewitched by the evil god…
Of course, it's also possible that I've gone mad…
Just as Xio was secretly spying on the other members, Miss Justice Audrey had proudly straightened her back, tipped her chin, and happily greeted,
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool ~
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man ~
"Good afternoon, Mr. Tower ~
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sun!
"Good afternoon, uh…"
At this moment, Audrey suddenly saw a lady appear beside her.
New member? I was only thinking about Qilangos, and I didn't realize it… That's really not right!
After some self-reflection, Audrey cast her gaze at Mr. Fool, awaiting the introduction of the mysterious existence.
But how would he know that Klein was also staring at Xio with his mouth agape under the cover of the gray fog? He sighed inwardly just like what he had before,
"Miss, who are you?
"Did I pull the wrong person?"