Chapter 9 : Another Tarot Club (2)

Alger was not worried that Justice or the others would find his identity through his description because he did that on his own, out of the public eye.

« Sank… » Audrey was at a loss no how to reply or what expression to wear.

She drew a deep breath and suddenly failed to maintain her Spectator state. She asked bashfully :

« The third question. If—and I'm saying if—a normal animal were to drink a Sequence 9 potion, what would happen ? »

The Hanged Man, Alger, was obviously dumbfounded as well. He took a while to reply.

« Normal animals do not have the brains of humans. They wouldn't be able to learn Cogitation in a timely manner. Therefore, it would most likely lead to immediate death or a breakdown into a monster. However, if they survived the initial ingestion of the potion, they should become an extraordinary creature. If the potion has the ability to enhance their intelligence, they can even become smarter. »

« Alright. »

Audrey breathed out a silent sigh and nodded while saying with a relaxed tone.

« I have no other questions. »

I spoke up :

« About your second question, I can just sell you the potion formula. I have the complete potion formulas of the Sequence 9, 8, 7, 5 and 4 of the Spectator pathway. The Sequence 6's potion formula is incomplete. »

Audrey, Alger and Leonard were shocked while the others were surprised.

I grabbed my false Blasphemy slate and bragged :

« Of course, we also have the complete potion formulas of :

- Sequence 9 to 0 of the Fool pathway ;

- Sequence 9 to 0 of the Black Emperor pathway ;

- Sequence 9 to 0 of the Tyrant pathway ;

- Sequence 7 and 6 of the Demoness pathway ;

- Sequence 8 and 2 of the Door pathway ;

- and Sequence 9 to 4 of the Sun pathway »

Even the gods were shocked.

After all, we had at 3 complete pathways which was more than those in the possession of other secret organizations or the orthodox churches.

Meanwhile, the low sequence Beyonders were shocked to learn of the existence of sequence 0.

Miss Justice finally returned to her senses.

« I would like to buy the sequence 8 potion formula of the Spectator pathway. »

Ok. So, what is the price of a sequence 8 potion formula ?

« Would you like a private exchange ? »

She refused.

« How much do I have to pay. »

I answered.

« …600 pounds. »

I wanted to say 800 pounds but I really wasn't sure of the price.

« Okay~! »

Miss Justice cheerfully agreed.

Yes ! I'm rich now !

Then Marilyn cleared his throat and said :

« Ahem. Do you guys know of can us sanguine advance ? »

That's how Mr. Hanged Man began to explain some common sense to Mr. Moon while Lilith was thinking about sending some oracles to the sanguine to revise the education of the children.

Then came the turn of Mr. Wheel of fortune, which raised His hand.

Miss Justice looked at the little child while Alger was thinking that he shouldn't underestimate any of the members that Mr. Fool brought in the gathering.

While the attention was gathered on Him, Will said :

« Can someone help me get rid of Ourobouros ? I will do my best to satisfy all of your requests. »

He turned to the two goddesses but they didn't seem to want to do it.

Audrey also asked who was Ourobouros and was shocked to find that it was a sequence 1. She shut up.

Alger : As expected, we shouldn't underestimate any of the members.

Leonard was shocked too.

There was silence for a while.

Since nobody spoke up, I said :

« I would like a private exchange with Miss Chariot. »

(Mr. Fool : …Miss ? That ancient god ?

Xin Jian : That's because I call them like that that they like me. You really became ruder after ascending…)

Miss Chariot accepted.

« Would it be possible to make a blood moon appear after the Tarot meeting~? And I would like a blessing too~. Mr. Fool will pay the corresponding price. »

I leaned back and whispered :

« But be careful, Mr. Fool is poor. »

Then I heard Mr. Fool's thoughts :

"I heard everything !"

What ? That the truth. After all, you are the "poor god".

We ended the private exchange then everyone exchanged information and the Tarot Club came to an end.

At the end, we sent out of Sefirah Castle everyone except the gods (I mean the goddesses).

« Now, let's begin the divine meeting of the end~. » (to prepare against the outer gods)

Now that I think about it, in the Tarot Club we have three angels (even if the quality is a bit bad and no, I didn't count myself), two orthodox goddesses and a pseudo great old one (Mr. Fool).

After that, the gods were also sent out of Sefirah Castle.

Soon after, we received Lilith's prayer that She made the blood moon appear and Miss Justice asked to hold a sacrifice ceremony.

I showed the gold pounds to The Fool.

« Since the potion formula came from you, let's split it. »

I gave Him 200 pounds.

« Aren't we supposed to split it evenly ? » He asked

I nodded.

« Yes. 200 pounds for you, 100 pounds for Klein and 300 pounds for me. Aren't you supposed to be the same person ? »

Mr. Fool was speechless.

At this moment, a crimson star which didn't belong to any of the members shone.

We listened to the prayers and saw a familiar face.

Mr. Fool looked at me while I smiled and asked Him to pull that person above the gray fog.

I talked to her then made her draw a card when she asked to join the Tarot Club.

That person was naturally Fors and that is how Miss Magician entered the Tarot Club earlier than the previous timelines.

(Of course, I only needed the blood moon to appear to give a push to Fors for her to recite the honorific name of The Fool~.)

Meanwhile, Mr. Fool discreetly contacted Lilith to tell Her that She could end the blood moon.

After Fors went out, I also returned to reality with Arrodes and sighed.

« Arrodes, I will need you to guide me somewhere once again. Do you want a salary ? I also want a salary… » I complained even if what I was doing was something I decided to do and I was not forced to do it…

So I went to see Xio and made her join the Tarot Club because she was worried that her friend joined an evil secret organization and was now in danger.

That's the power of friendship !

I also said that she could find clues to her father's death there.

That's how Miss Judgement also joined the Tarot Club early !

3rd viewpoint :

Klein, no, Merlin Hermes was acting on the streets.

« Hello, Ma'am. I see that something is bothering you. Do you want a divination ? »

The lady looked around and hesitated.

« What is the price ? » She finally said.

Our dear Merlin smiled brightly and said :

« That will be 1 soli. »

(Xin Jian : That's because you charge so low that you're so poor.)

The lady accepted.

« How should I call you ? »

The lady introduced herself.

« My name is Anne. »

Merlin observed her then asked :

« Then, Miss Anne, what do you want to divine ? »

Anne explained her circumstances :

« 3 months ago, my husband went to the sea to search for a treasure, something called the treasure of Atlanta, he said that he would come back with a lot of money for our family but he hasn't contacted us since then. I'm scared that something happened to him and I would like to divine if he is in danger. »

Merlin nodded.

« Then I will make a Tarot divination, please draw 3 cards. »

Merlin upturned the first card.

It was an inverted "wheel of fortune" card.

It means that the person had encountered bad luck.

He upturned the second card.

It was a "world" card.

It means the end of possibilities.

Merlin upturned the third card and had a cold sweat.

It was a death card.

So, the husband went to sea, had bad luck, then it was the end and he died…

« Can you please describe your husband ? »

Anne nodded and took out something from her pocket.

« Look, this is a photo of me, him and our children. »

Because you also have children… ?

« …I will make a dream divination.

Merlin hurriedly made a dream divination while praying that he wouldn't have to announce someone's death to their family.

In his dream, he saw people on a boat.

He saw someone resembling the person in the photo being pushed and falling to the sea.

Merlin opened his eyes and maintained a normal expression with the clown's ability.

He looked at Anne's pleading eyes and finally said :

« …Your husband is fine. »

Anne brightened up then became angry.

« So that guy is fine but he didn't come back home ? When he returns… ! »

She left while stomping.

Merlin's lips were twitching.

Klein : You forgot to pay, Ma'am…

Klein continued acting as a Seer named Merlin Hermes while mourning in his heart for Anne and the children waiting for a husband or a father that would never come home.

Soon, someone came to him :

« I heard you made divinations ? »

That person seemed in a hurry.

Merlin smiled.

« Yes, how should I call you ? »

The stranger introduced himself :

« You can call me Richard. »

Merlin nodded :

« Okay. It will cost 2 solis. What do you want to divine ? »

(Author : Klein increased the price because he wasn't paid earlier.)

« I would like to divine the location of the treasure of Atlanta. »

Merlin thought :

"That treasure again ? The lady spoke about it earlier…"

Merlin divined the location of the treasure but it failed.

He frowned.

It's definitely not his day…

—————— I am the dividing line~

Xin Jian's point of view :

I looked at the door.

It's starting to become a little dark, should I wait for them to eat dinner ?

There's nobody in the house, it's so creepy~.

I hurriedly turned on all the lights.

It wasn't any better.

I ran to my door and slammed the door shut.

« Haa… Haa… »

I turned on the light, looked at the wall, the ceiling, the floor, everywhere, then regulated my breathing.

The light didn't make it any better, being alone was so scary.

« No, it's fine~. »

My ears were ringing so I made a bit of sound to make it go away.

Then, I hummed a song.

In truth, I didn't remember any song so I improvised.

I calmed down.

« It isn't scary at all. Why would it be scary ? »

While talking to myself, I pulled off an exaggerated expression on my usually stoic face.

I'm sure, if I was a clown, I could have digested the clown potion easily~.

I nodded.

Speaking of it, why is Klein coming back so late ? He shouldn't even have any clients…

I clapped my hands then I saw the mirror in front of me.

It was a body mirror.

I habitually smiled at my reflection then a tear dripped down.

I stopped smiling and wiped it away but it wouldn't stop streaming down my cheeks.

« Hey, why am I crying ? »

I really hate mirrors. Each time I see my smiling reflection in the mirror, I always end up in this situation.

That is why I hate photos and drawings of myself too.

« There's really no reason to cry… »

I heard someone come home and shut up.

I took the closest book, opened it in the middle and lay down on my bed.

Then, I heard a knock on my door.

« Enter. »

Leonard entered and wanted to say something but…

« Why are you crying ?! »

I lowered the book.

« I'm sorry, this book was just too sad… »

Leonard's mouth twitched :

« Are you seriously telling me that COMMON SENSE is sad ? »

Oh~, so that was the book I picked ?

« Yes, yes. It says that little Tom once fed salt to his friend the goldfish so the goldfish… died ? »

What the-

I was speechless.

« …Wasn't it a book for children ? » asked Leonard

Well I am a child and I am already traumatized ! (a child of a few centuries old…)

« Yeah, right ? » I said.

Why is this thing so dark ?

Leonard finally returned to his senses.

« I just wanted to ask if you already ate or not. »

« I didn't eat. I was waiting for you. But please wait for Klein, he cooks better. »

I'd rather wait to eat Klein's cooking than eat yours.

« What ?! »

I repeated :

« I want to eat Klein's cooking ! »

When Klein came back, he had to cook.

—————— I am the dividing line~

3rd point of view :

After eating, Klein went back to his room and went above the gray fog.

After all, they said that he could come there to eliminate interferences, right ?

He took out his pendulum and divined the location of the treasure of Atlanta.

His divinations had never failed before, he wanted to know why it was different this time.

He even gathered some information about that treasure at a library to make sure that it wouldn't fail because of a lack of information.

(Xin Jian : So that's why you came so late…)

His divination failed once again.

Klein frowned and tapped the table, deep in thought.

Meanwhile, The Fool was observing him while being invisible.

"He really came here to divine… Am I such an opportunist ?" thought Mr. Fool

He thought that Klein would have been suspicious… Has the fact that he was a sequence 1 risen his recklessness ?

While Mr. Fool was doubting life, Klein left.

A few days later, someone knocked on the door.

Since Xin Jian was (forcefully) sent to buy some things (still with Leonard's money), Klein was the only one left in the house.

He went to open the door and was surprised to find "policemen".

"They seem to be Beyonders… From which church are they ?"

« Hello, Mister. Are you alone ? »

Klein nodded.

One of them took out a drawing.

« We would like to know if you know or came in contact with this person. »

The picture showed Richard, one of his rare clients.

« He came to me for a divination, why ? »

One of them nodded and the other said :

« We would like to ask you a few questions. Please follow us to the police station. »

Klein hesitated.

If he just told them that he was from the Nighthawks, it could have ended easily but he finally decided to stay shut and cooperated.

He was only an apprentice anyway.

He followed the policemen to the nearest police station and they made him wait on a bench.

A long time after, he was led to a room where two other officers were present.

Klein felt that they were also Beyonders.

The first to speak up was a blonde girl with furrowed eyebrows. She was only 1.60 meters tall but there was a majestic aura around her.

(Xin Jian : Xio cheated. She used special boots to boost her height.)

(Author : Since "someone" spread the honorific name of The Fool in the slums, the MI9 employed bounty hunters to investigate it and Xio was noticed by her father's friend earlier. As for why Klein met Xio in the police station, the church needed an Arbiter to interrogate people for this case and the other MI9 members were busy investigating somewhere else. Since Xio was free, she was called here.)

« I will ask a few questions. If you tell a single lie, you will be imprisoned immediately. If you don't want to answer, we will have to torture you. »

Klein nearly frowned.

"Police officers, no, official Beyonders are not supposed to threaten innocents, right ?"

He felt that she was using a Beyonder ability to intimidate him and faked a scared expression.

Meanwhile, the other person in the room put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He spoke with a gentle smile on his face.

« Don't worry, as long as you answer our questions truthfully, nothing will happen to you. »

Klein realized what was happening.

"Don't tell me Roselle also copied that..."

As a keyboard warrior, Klein knew a lot of everything.

He knew that this was "good and bad policemen" scenario.

It was a scenario where a policeman played the bad guy to obtain information by threats while the other played the good policeman and reassured the person being interrogated to gain their trust.

That way, if the person interrogated didn't comply under threats, the bad policeman would go out and the good policeman would offer to make them be safe if they told them the truth while the other was out. Because of the pressure and the trust they would have in the only person who was kind to them here, the person being interrogated would spit out everything.

Well, that wasn't the point. What was important was that they seemed to attach great importance to this matter to employ such means.

Fortunately, Klein didn't intend to lie from the beginning anyway.

Xio began her interrogation :

« When and where did you last meet that person ?

- A few days ago, it was around the afternoon. He came to me for a divination.

- Did you know each other before ?

- No. It was the first time I saw him.

- What did he want to divine ?

- The location of a treasure… »

After a few perfunctory questions, they let Klein go.

Xio sighed. The other man turned to her.

« It was the last person. What should we do now ? »

Xio shook her head.

« It was an order from above so we have to continue to investigate. »

The other person also sighed :

« The churches seem to attach a lot of importance to treasure of Atlanta. They even sent high sequence Beyonders to search for it. If that man didn't run away with the treasure, he could have even been enrolled into an official Beyonder team. What was even so important in it anyway ? »

« Sometimes, money can make people go crazy. For now, we should just search for that man. We only know that he was going to… »

While leaving, Klein overheard the conversation of the two. He had very keen senses after becoming a Beyonder.

Curious, Klein divined if it was dangerous to go where Richard was going.

The pendulum turned counterclockwise but he decided to check it again above the gray fog when he came home.

Above the gray fog, he also got the result that it wasn't dangerous so he put on another face and prepared to go there.

However, it was at that time that Xin Jian came back.

« Whoah ! What is a stranger doing here ?! Be careful, I can fight ! »

*total bluff.jpg*

Xin Jian prepared to fight.

"I could have believed you if it was at least a proper fighting stance… Are you sure you're an angel ?"

Klein smiled bitterly and used his Faceless ability to return to his original face.

« Oh, Klein. It was you ? I did not take you for a robber at all… What were you doing ? »

Klein's lips twitched but he still answered.

« I was going somewhere. »

Xin Jian nodded and looked at Klein, leaving.

"You didn't even ask if I wanted to tag along… I'm bored. »

So Xin Jian went back to her room and read a book about common sense.

« I should really buy other books… Wait, why is a children's book so dark ?! »

She also wondered if it was really a book made for kids.

« I'm sure, the illustrator must have just been bad at drawing… It is not for children at all… »

If it wasn't the case, then why was someone dying on every page because they didn't follow common sense ?!

Xin Jian arrived at a weird conclusion.

« I'm not dead so I have common sense. »

*completely serious.jpg*

Xin Jian nodded.