Chapter 219: Hermit

Chapter 219: Hermit

Cattleya froze instantly. She suddenly felt uncertain about the other person's intentions—did they want her to keep a secret, or did they genuinely hope she would forget what had just happened?

Cattleya couldn't be sure, but either way, it didn't seem like a good thing for her. After all, only the dead can keep secrets.

At this moment, Cattleya heard the figure sitting at the head of the table chuckle softly, seemingly amused by the statement.

Then, the figure spoke up to stop Alice's nonsense: "Fate, don't joke like that."

Cattleya didn't dare to relax until the figure, still smiling, asked, "Are you a member of the Moss Ascetic Order?"

Thankfully, it seems I still have some value for now... Cattleya finally breathed a sigh of relief and softly replied, "Yes."

"Wow," Alice exclaimed, "isn't that the unlucky organization where the god they worship suddenly came to life?"

Cattleya hesitated and nodded. She suddenly felt that having only three people here might not be a good thing—because Miss Fate seemed afraid to be too aggressive towards Mr. Fool.

She instinctively glanced at the empty seats around her but did not speak first. Instead, she waited for the mysterious figure to finish asking questions.

Klein then continued to ask, "What did you do to provoke that guy?"

Cattleya was silent for a moment before saying:

"No, I didn't provoke Him.

"The members of the Moss Ascetic Order believe that everything is numbers and pursue knowledge itself.

"But Emperor Roselle once said that it is not we who chase knowledge, but knowledge that chases us. The 'Hidden Sage' is knowledge itself, and He chases us, every member of the Moss Ascetic Order. When a lot of knowledge floods in and cannot be quickly digested and mastered, the situation just now will occur. Either you open your mind and accept the transformation of the 'Hidden Sage,' or you rely on willpower to support yourself. If you can't hold on, you will lose control."

As she explained, a trace of barely noticeable doubt flashed through her mind: The members of the Moss Ascetic Order suffer from being pursued by knowledge, which is almost an open secret. Why would Mr. Fool, a being close to a deity, not know this?

She instinctively glanced at the restless Alice and suddenly had a bad guess.

Klein, unaware of his near exposure, continued, "If you encounter a similar situation again, you can recite my name."

Cattleya's lips moved slightly, instinctively wanting to refuse, but after glancing at Alice, who was staring at her, she quickly made up her mind, stood up, crossed her arms over her chest, and bowed, asking:

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

—If she refused, Mr. Fool's attitude was uncertain, but she always felt that Miss Fate was not someone easy to deal with... even hesitating might bring her danger.

Klein chuckled and said nonchalantly, "Provide some assistance to my followers in the future."

Alice gave Klein a meaningful look.

"At your will." Cattleya sat down again and cautiously asked, "Does the name provided by Mr. Z belong to you?"

She immediately repeated the name of "The Fool."

Klein nodded lightly, indicating it was correct.

Realizing that the other party had stopped speaking, Cattleya asked the question she had wanted to ask earlier: "Respected Mr. Fool, are there other people here?"

Klein smiled and said:

"Some people similar to you.

"They have established a regular gathering, and I am a witness."

Cattleya wisely refrained from asking about Miss Fate's role in this gathering. After careful consideration, she asked, "May I join?"

Klein leaned back in his chair and said:

"You may.

"Without my permission, you cannot disclose it."

"Okay!" Cattleya responded without hesitation.

Klein tapped his left index finger, making the remaining Tarot cards appear on the bronze long table:

"They use Tarot cards as code names. These are the remaining ones.

"Choose one."

It's starting! Alice, attending for the first time in person, sat up excitedly, eagerly watching Cattleya draw a card.

Cattleya, who had initially just glanced at the cards, paused for a moment, then reached out and drew the Hermit card, answering, "The Hermit."

Alice, satisfied, withdrew her gaze.

After the first part of the initiation, Klein cut off Cattleya's connection and turned to Alice, tactfully saying:

"Can you consider others' psychological endurance before you joke next time?"

Alice pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you mean her or you?"

"...Both." Klein replied with mixed feelings.

Alice humbly accepted the lesson, then waved the Sea God's Scepter in her hand and curiously asked, "What abilities does it have?"

Klein pondered for a moment before answering, "This is the 'Sea God's Scepter.'"

For Alice, having the name was enough. She guessed from the name, "Does possessing it mean becoming the 'Sea God' in some sense?"

Klein nodded, but he noticed Alice's eyes suddenly light up. He quickly interrupted, "It cannot be taken below the gray fog!"

Alice, disappointed, let go of the scepter.

Having timely prevented a disaster, Klein couldn't help but ask again, "Have you really considered going to school?"

Alice glared at him fiercely.

Such a fierce look on Alice actually lacked deterrent power. After a few seconds of brief eye contact with Alice, Klein became more determined to find a way to get Alice to go to school—otherwise, she seemed to be getting more and more out of hand.

At this moment, Klein didn't know that Alice had sent a "surprise" to the Goddess.

For Klein, the most important thing right now was to find something to divert Alice's attention, such as:

"The 'Sea God's Scepter' can respond to prayers. Do you want to try?

"Maybe this can help you recover some of your memories."

Alice suddenly fell silent. She understood Klein's meaning—if she truly existed as a deity before, she might have had the experience of responding to believers' prayers? Familiar scenes might help her recall some memories.

But at this moment, Alice suddenly felt a bit uneasy—the faint memories told her that her past self and her current self, although the same person, seemed to be completely different in some aspects.

Her past self might have been an evil god with a reputation no better than Amon's, and humans were just slightly more interesting playthings...

Wait.

Alice suddenly paused, blankly pressing her hand to her chest, recalling her previous behavior, with a trace of confusion in her eyes:

When did she start to care less and less about others' feelings?

Were they... really different?