Chapter 354: The "I Have a Friend" Series

Chapter 354: The "I Have a Friend" Series

On Monday, above the gray fog, Klein sat upright at the head of the bronze long table.

He had been doing well lately, hunting down many notorious pirates as Gehrman Sparrow. This allowed him to collect a heap of spoils and claim substantial bounties from relevant official agencies. 

Klein felt wealthier than ever before - the bounty for a single famous pirate was enough to match several years of hard work in Backlund. Being a pirate hunter suited him well, but he needed to disappear for a while. Otherwise, he would become the pirates' public enemy, increasing the difficulty of hunting and putting himself in danger.

Mr. Azik had regained his past memories and invited Klein to go skiing and seal fishing in a coastal city in northern Feynapotter Empire before winter. While skiing made sense, seal fishing seemed quite wild for Mr. Azik.

Given the chance, Klein would enjoy some carefree living and give himself a perfect vacation.

After pondering for a while, Klein summoned the Tarot Club members to begin this week's gathering.

The usually cheerful and enthusiastic Justice seemed preoccupied and somewhat gloomy, despite greeting everyone as usual. 

The Hanged Man, typically adept at controlling his emotions, was also in a bad mood today, as if burdened by something major.

Even the Magician, who usually preferred being a spectator, appeared lost in thought. Her hesitant expression betrayed her true feelings.

The Sun remained as innocent as ever, while Mr. Moon was still carefree - or rather, immersed in his own pure world.

Klein discreetly observed everyone, noting the state of all Tarot Club members. He knew something significant must have happened recently.

Without receiving Roselle's diary this week, Klein proceeded directly to the discussion.

Both Justice and the Hanged Man, preoccupied with their own concerns, refrained from speaking first.

It was the usually unreliable Mr. Moon who slightly raised his hand. Once everyone's attention was on him, he lowered it, cleared his throat, and tried to speak as naturally as possible.

"I have a friend who has been acting strangely lately. He often goes to the Earth Mother's church to help the priest with chores like wiping tables and sweeping floors, feeling the joy of harvest."

"But he's a noble vampire - how could he abandon the vampire faith? So this must be an illness that needs treatment."

"I was wondering if any of you have special methods to help my friend change his current situation? If the method works, my friend is willing to pay a certain reward for it."

Emlyn finished speaking calmly, though his gaze was somewhat evasive.

The scene fell silent for a moment, with the others giving him knowing looks, making Emlyn feel a bit flustered.

*Mr. Moon, I've already used the "I have a friend" excuse before*, Audrey thought, trying hard to resist the urge to facepalm.

When Susie accidentally consumed the Spectator potion, Audrey had also used "my friend" as an excuse, but the Fool and Hanged Man still saw through it. That feeling was truly embarrassing.

Alger had an odd expression as he considered for a moment before saying, "Let's assume your friend is a pure vampire like you..."

"Not vampire, Noble blood vampire! How many times do I have to emphasize that we're different from those dirty vampires!" Emlyn interjected angrily.

"Alright, alright, noble blood vampire," Alger corrected himself and continued, "The Earth Mother church has a tradition of converting blood race members. This may not necessarily be a bad thing for you. With the church's backing, you could live more legally in the sunlight."

"Hah, we noble blood race don't need such small conveniences," Emlyn scoffed disdainfully.

Alger couldn't be bothered to educate him further and said directly, "I see two possibilities for your wavering faith. First, the church priest may possess a magical item that can influence your mind, subtly making you accept the Earth Mother's teachings."

"Second, your own faith may not be firm enough, leading to it being easily shaken."

Emlyn listened intently at first, but then realized something was off. After careful consideration, he said with a slightly reddened face, "That person isn't me, it's my friend! I wouldn't change my faith so easily!"

Alger merely responded with a light "Oh" and said nothing more.

Audrey, suppressing her urge to laugh, tried to speak calmly, "Mr. Moon, you don't need to worry so much. If you don't want to believe in the Earth Mother, just stay away from the church and places associated with that faith."

"Is staying away enough?" Emlyn pondered, then said with a troubled expression, "But my friend always unconsciously goes to the Earth Mother's church. When helping the priest with chores, he feels a strong sense of recognition and joy from the bottom of his heart. Especially lately, he's almost treating the church as his second home."

"..."

Audrey felt that Mr. Moon was probably beyond help. His reason for seeking a solution at the Tarot Club was likely just to find a reasonable excuse for abandoning his blood race faith.

In fact, he had already fully embraced the Earth Mother's faith in his heart. It was only because of his blood race identity and fear of being criticized by other blood race members that he was exhibiting such painful inner conflict.

Derrick couldn't help but interject, "Aren't you already fully devoted to the Earth Mother? When I devoutly believe in the Creator, I'm in the same state."

Audrey, Alger, and Fors simultaneously looked at Derrick, all thinking the same thing: *Little Sun, how could you be so straightforward in exposing Mr. Moon's last bit of stubbornness?*

Realizing he had misspoken, Derrick quietly lowered his head.

Emlyn's face had turned completely red, and he wanted to raise his voice several times to argue with Derrick about this matter.

What did he mean by saying he had fully embraced the Earth Mother's faith?

Damn it, he only believed in Lilith, the ancestor of the blood race!

But when the Fool's gaze turned towards him, Emlyn transformed from a fighting rooster into a small quail, silently closing his mouth. His lips still moved slightly in reluctant mumbling.

Derrick breathed a sigh of relief, having thought he was about to get into another argument with Mr. Moon.

With Emlyn's mood-lightening opening, the gloom in Audrey and Alger's hearts dissipated somewhat.

Alger looked at Audrey seriously and said, "Miss Justice, I'd like to know why the Loen Kingdom has declared all-out war on the Feysac Empire. I can offer a generous reward for this information."

*Good question, Mr. Hanged Man. This is something I've been trying to find out as well*, Audrey thought with a sigh. She had even sent Susie to sneak into Earl Hall's study, but hadn't obtained much useful intelligence.

It wasn't that Susie couldn't distinguish between important content and useless information. Rather, Earl Hall simply hadn't discussed anything related to this matter in his study, as if he had some unspoken concerns.

She had also tried asking Earl Hall directly, but he just smiled and told her not to worry about it, expressing high confidence in victory for this war.

"I'm also seeking answers to this question. When I find out, I can share that information for free," Audrey gave a reasonable response.

"Thank you for your generosity," Alger said, then tried to look towards the Fool, but the Fool didn't seem interested in discussing this matter.

Klein was completely baffled. The Loen Kingdom had declared all-out war on the Feysac Empire? When did this happen?

He had been at sea lately and was far less informed about such news compared to the Hanged Man and Justice.

The latest version he had heard at sea was still about the possibility of the Southern Continent attacking the Loen Kingdom.

In this situation, how could the Loen Kingdom dare to declare all-out war on the Feysac Empire? Their confidence seemed excessive. Had the military made some breakthrough in technology?

It seemed he should return to Backlund to check on Benson and Melissa, see if they were affected by the war, and catch up on the latest current events.

But that would have to wait until after he advanced to Sequence 6 Faceless in a while.

At this moment, Fors, who had been silent all along, dropped a bombshell with a slightly trembling voice.

"I know why the Loen Kingdom has declared all-out war on the Feysac Empire at this time. It's because the God of Combat has fallen."

As she said the last sentence, Fors's trembling voice became more apparent.

The God of Combat has fallen?!

Alger felt a tremendous shock and suddenly understood the reason for the unusual atmosphere within the church lately.

How terrifying that the God of Combat would fall at this time.

Emlyn shuddered upon hearing this, suddenly feeling that his own little troubles were insignificant in comparison.

The fall of the God of Combat - so this was the king's confidence in declaring all-out war.

Audrey was initially shocked, but quickly calmed down.

A god has fallen. Is a new era about to dawn?

Derrick felt both anxious and strongly expectant about the future.

How did the Magician come to know this major news?

Klein was both shocked and troubled.

Faced with the bombshell dropped by the Magician, how should he handle it?

He knew nothing about the fall of the God of Combat.

Would this expose the true face of the Fool?

Everyone, with their different perspectives, looked at Fors in unison.

Fors instinctively shrank her neck back, wanting to lower her head and bury it in the sand like an ostrich.