Chapter 127: Ince Zangwill and 008 - The Tarot Gathering

Chapter 127: Ince Zangwill and 008 - The Tarot Gathering

Klein, as usual, arrived early in the Sefirah Castle before summoning Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man for the meeting.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man."

Miss Justice, Audrey, greeted them warmly as always, in high spirits.

After the last forcefully requested gathering ended, she had purchased two original manuscripts of Roselle's diary from Mr. Hastur and received two handwritten copies as a complimentary gift.

With a total of four Roselle diaries, she could now make a small request to Mr. Fool.

She had intended to save this opportunity for Miss Fors, but Mr. Hastur had already resolved Miss Fors' full moon mutterings.

Her small request could be saved for her own use.

Mr. Hanged Man, Alger, did not share Audrey's relaxed joy; instead, he was filled with a hint of conflict and turmoil.

Klein glanced at them before starting to read the two Roselle diaries handed over by Audrey.

One was clearly just about Emperor Roselle's daily life, which, after reading, left nothing but a sigh and a slight disdain for Roselle's romantic escapades.

The second diary, however, contained much more significant content.

"On March 6th, I chatted with Mr. Door, who was idle as usual. This time, he mentioned a diary of the Antigonus family.

It's a high-sequence item for diviners, possessing magical and terrifying powers.

Mr. Door said that this diary is meant to guide diviners towards death, and it's also the inevitable fate among diviners."

Upon reading this, Klein felt a surge of emotions.

The Antigonus diary mentioned in Roselle's diary, this magical and powerful object, was inextricably linked to him.

And he had chosen to become a diviner.

It all seemed too coincidental, as if someone had arranged it.

Coincidence? Arrangement?

Klein couldn't help but recall a Roselle diary he had read before, which mentioned a magical pen that could create various coincidences, allowing stories that had been arranged to play out in the real world.

Could it be that he had become a character under that pen?

Playing out a story that had been arranged by someone else?

The more Klein thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. One occurrence might be a coincidence, two could be an accident, but a series of coincidences indicated that someone was up to something!

Considering his recent experiences, he could almost be certain that someone was wielding that magical pen in the shadows, orchestrating his fate!

Perhaps not just his fate, but also the fates of the captain, Old Neil, Leonard, and others were being manipulated in secret!

What was the purpose of the person secretly arranging all this?

Klein pondered for a while, suppressing various speculations in his mind, and turned his attention to the latter part of the diary.

"On March 17th, my friend Green encountered an enemy from the path of the Reaper, who was just a sequence 5 Gatekeeper not long ago. After some time apart, he had advanced to a sequence 4 Watcher of the Night pathway. Could this be the high-sequence pathway replacement?

Out of curiosity, I asked Green for details. Green said that to advance to sequence 4, the enemy devoured some sacred ashes, thus moving from a sequence 5 Gatekeeper of the Reaper pathway to a sequence 4 Watcher of the Night pathway."

"On March 21st, I had decided to cut ties with my past decadent and corrupt life, but when Baron Welle invited me to a ball, I couldn't resist the temptation.

Don't get me wrong, it's not because I have a close relationship with Baron Welle that I broke my vow, which was not even two days old.

It's truly because Baron Welle's wife fits my aesthetic perfectly."

"On March 28th, I finally caught a diviner! Even though this diviner was only a sequence 8 Clown, and I had already become a sequence 4 demigod.

Out of annoyance for diviners who only tell half-truths, I had him repent in the dungeon for a month and helped him become a true Clown.

I, Roselle, am truly a helpful and good-hearted young man."

Hmm, interesting. According to Roselle, the Reaper and Night pathways can replace each other at high sequences?

And that sequence 5 Gatekeeper of the Reaper pathway mentioned later sounds familiar.

The captain once said that an archbishop stole the level 0 sealed artifact 008 and defected from the Church of the Night Goddess.

That archbishop seems to be the sequence 5 Gatekeeper of the Reaper pathway, right?

Sharing the same extraordinary pathway as Lady Dai.

Klein frowned again, level 0 sealed artifact 008…

This item wasn't detailed in the information provided by the captain, and he was unclear about its specific type.

If everything is such a coincidence, could this level 0 sealed artifact be the magical pen mentioned in Roselle's diary?

Given its demonstrated abilities, it certainly qualifies as a level 0 sealed artifact.

If my guess is correct, then the mysterious person hiding in Tingen is the archbishop who stole the level 0 sealed artifact 008 and defected!

A sequence 5 Gatekeeper holding a level 0 sealed artifact, still hiding and plotting, what is he planning?

What is worth his careful scheming?

The answer is almost obvious!

This defected archbishop wants to use the story-creating ability of the level 0 sealed artifact to successfully advance to a sequence 4 Watcher!

That's why he came to Tingen, targeting the Nightwatcher squad I'm part of!

It all seems to connect!

And it all fits logical reasoning!

The only reason I'm not certain is that I know too little about some situations!

After today's Tarot gathering ends, I'll go to the captain for a clear explanation!

Like who the defected archbishop is, what level 0 sealed artifact 008 is, and what within the Nightwatchers' protection is worth the sequence 5 Gatekeeper's attention…

Thinking this, Klein wanted to end the Tarot gathering immediately.

But he patiently continued reading.

In the end, he could only give Roselle two comments: decadent and shameless!

"You may now converse freely."

Klein signaled to Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man that they could enter the free discussion phase.

Audrey briefly shared some extraordinary knowledge taught by Mr. Hastur, without mentioning Miss Fors.

Alger, as usual, chatted with Audrey for a while and made a trade.

After some thought, he said, "I've received intelligence that the so-called Hurricane Admiral, Qilangos , has secretly come ashore and infiltrated Backlund for unknown purposes."

Hurricane Admiral Qilangos ? One of the seven pirate admirals?

Audrey's eyes widened slightly, almost unable to maintain her composure as an audience member.

"Mr. Hanged Man, do you need my help?"

"Yes, I hope you can help me determine his whereabouts and figure out his purpose for infiltrating Backlund."

Alger thought for a moment and added, "If there's a possibility of danger, you can terminate this transaction directly, and I will compensate you according to your contribution to this transaction."

"Alright, I accept this mission."

Audrey agreed with a smile, not particularly interested in Mr. Hanged Man's so-called compensation, but caring that this was her first real commission since joining the Tarot gathering.

"Mr. Fool, when necessary, may I request the help of your patron?"

Alger's gaze turned to Klein.

"If he's available."

Klein just smiled, neither refusing nor agreeing.

"I'll provide you with all the information I know so far…"

Alger began to recount the information about Qilangos , and Klein listened silently.

Little Sun, Derrick Berg, also listened quietly. Those matters were far from him, and although he was interested, he could not cross the forsaken land.

"Shepherd, the ability you just mentioned sounds a lot like the sequence 5 Shepherd of the Secret Prayer."

Little Sun finally found knowledge he was familiar with and began to freely educate Mr. Fool, Miss Justice, and Mr. Hanged Man.

Klein was also interested in the extraordinary item, the Creeping Hunger but knew the chances of obtaining it were slim.

After the free discussion phase ended, Klein cut off contact, sitting alone atop Sefirah Castle to think for a while. He decided to log off and head to Blackthorn Security Company to verify his suspicions.

In the outskirts of Tingen, a house with a verdant lawn stood, its garden marked by a dark red chimney.

Behind the bedroom window, there was a desk of moderate size, on which lay an ordinary diary.

A somewhat pale hand held a pen, uncontrollably writing in the diary:

"The incomprehensible Klein, the Klein who should have long been dead, he somehow learned about Ince Zangwill and the level 0 sealed artifact 008."

(End of Chapter)

—--

You are the lord of chaos

You are the Unspeakable One, 

You are ruler of the lost city of Carcosa, 

You are the King in Yellow,

I pray for your blessing