4. The Empress

"I also have two Sequence 9 magic potion formulas here that might be more suitable for you than this lady's 'Assassin'."

"Is it really okay for you to interrupt our transaction like this?" With such a silent protest, Angel turned her gaze towards the short-haired man.

"Sorry, but please hear out my proposal first; it might satisfy you more." The short-haired man sensed Angel's mood, apologized first, and then turned his gaze to the young girl.

The girl was also looking at him with curiosity.

Angel suppressed the displeasure in her heart and decided to first listen to what this person had to say.

The short-haired man detailed the two Sequence 9 formulas he had. One was "Sailor," which could grant the consumer exceptional balance abilities, allowing them to move in water as flexibly as a fish, and even manifest fish scales; the other was the "Spectator" potion. Becoming a "Spectator" allowed one to gain sharp observational skills, perceiving the true thoughts of others through their facial expressions, gestures, speech patterns, and even unknown actions.

At the end of his introduction, he added, "You must remember, whether it's a lavish party or a bustling street, a spectator is always just a spectator."

This was the same as the magic potion mastery method Angel remembered; to advance further after consuming a potion, one must assume the identity corresponding to the potion's name, like Cole Granger becoming an assassin with blood on his hands or a Instigator inciting crimes.

Seeing the girl, who was obviously more interested in the short-haired man's potions and even sat up straighter, Angel felt a sense of loss but also a hint of relief.

"And this lady," after introducing the potions, the man turned his head towards Angel, "if you're just looking to obtain a legal identity, then I have more convenient and cheaper channels. You can get it on the same day, and even a week later, the Machinery Hivemind of Backlund won't find any flaw."

"It's not me, my friend," Angel emphasized.

"Cough, then your... your Tingen friend, go to the 'Wild Heart' bar under the Iron Cross Street after 10 p.m., just say 'Captain' referred you, the password is 'half and half, extra sugar.' Spend thirty pounds, and you'll get what you want." The man didn't expose Angel's obvious lie but followed her narrative, introducing his channel.

Thirty pounds... It seems my earlier quote was far beyond the market price, that damn middleman... Angel thought resentfully, responding to the man, "Thank you, your information is very helpful to me."

At the same time, she noticed the man's codename, "Captain," combined with the previously introduced Sequence 9 "Sailor" potion, could this be the origin of the codename, or even a higher-level potion name?

The girl politely waited for the two to finish their conversation before excitedly asking, "So, what about me? What do I need to exchange with you for the 'Spectator' formula?"

At this moment, she seemed to remember that she was about to close a deal with another person and turned her head to Angel, saying, "I'm really sorry, but I think 'Spectator' suits me better."

Such a polite girl, Angel slowly shook her head, "It's okay, I also got what I needed."

The short-haired man also made his demand: "The blood of the Ghost Shark, at least 100 milliliters of Ghost Shark blood."

It sounded like the main ingredient for some kind of magic potion. The short-haired man was likely already an extraordinary individual, so what he needed must be a potion for advancing to Sequence 8 or Sequence 7.

For higher sequences, the main ingredients could not be obtained by trading a formula for a Sequence 9 potion, even if this person did a lot of groundwork to covertly raise the price of the formula.

The girl nodded excitedly, seemingly without considering whether she could obtain the blood of the Ghost Shark, and then asked with a worried tone:

"If I can get it, how should I deliver it to you? And how can you ensure that after you receive the Ghost Shark blood, you will give me the potion formula, as well as the authenticity of this formula?"

That indeed was a problem. This wasn't like a transaction on Amazon or eBay, where a neutral third party guarantees the transaction for both parties. The short-haired man could simply disappear without a trace after receiving the Ghost Shark blood, or provide a false formula, and the girl would be powerless against him.

Wait, a neutral third party...

An idea struck Angel, and she looked up at the mysterious person who had been observing their transaction.

The short-haired man obviously thought of this as well: "I will give you an address. Once I receive the Ghost Shark blood, I'll send the formula to you, or I can tell you right here. I think with this distinguished gentleman witnessing, both you and I will feel assured."

Saying this, he bowed respectfully to the mysterious person at the head of the long table, saying:

"Your Excellency, allowing us to come here, possessing unimaginable power, your witness, neither she nor I would dare to contravene."

The girl clearly agreed with this point, and she too bowed to the mysterious person, saying:

"Your Excellency, please witness our transaction."

Angel didn't want to fall behind, and after bowing, she thought of a question.

"This distinguished gentleman, how should we address you?"

It wouldn't do to keep calling him "Your Excellency" over and over.

The mysterious person's fingers tapped lightly on the long table, and the others watched for a while, but felt this behavior was somewhat disrespectful and shifted their gaze away in turn.

"You may call me, 'The Fool.'"

After an unsettling silence, the mysterious person raised both hands, fingers interlaced and resting against his chin, and spoke indifferently.

This was obviously a codename, and its everyday meaning did not command respect, but Angel did not dare show any disrespect. Instead, she stood up straight, placed her right hand on her chest, and bowed deeply.

"Respected Mr. Fool, thank you for informing us of your name."

The other two also stood up and bowed.

After "The Fool" gestured with his right hand for everyone to sit down, Angel then sat back down in her own high-backed chair.

The girl revisited her previous question: "Respected Mr. Fool, please allow me the presumption to earnestly request, could you serve as a witness to our transaction?"

"A trivial matter, you may proceed."

Mr. Fool seemed quite interested in the transaction among the individuals, continuing to rest his chin on his hands, patiently playing the role of a witness.

With Mr. Fool acting as a neutral third party, the transaction between the short-haired man and the girl was able to continue.

"If you can obtain the blood of the ghost shark, have someone deliver it to the 'Warrior and the Sea' tavern on Pelican Street in the White Rose District of Priz Port, and tell the owner, Williams, that it's something 'the Captain' requested.

"You can give me an address now, and I will send the potion formula after confirming the item, or shall I tell you directly here?"

After some thought, the girl chose the latter option.

"Although it tests my memory, I still prefer the more secretive approach. Tell me here."

"Mr. Fool, would you mind if we conduct a few more of these 'experiments'?"

Angel, who had already gained something from this encounter, agreed:

"Mr. Fool, your power surpasses our imagination, but there are areas in the world that you are unfamiliar with and not adept at. This lady, obviously of noble birth, and that gentleman have their own special channels and resources, and I can contact some capable Beyonders. Perhaps at some point in the future, we could help you with tasks that are insignificant but inconvenient for you to handle yourself."

"Sorry, Mrs. Sharon, now we can only pull you in to make up the numbers."

The short-haired man nodded in agreement: "Mr. Fool, don't you find this kind of 'gathering' interesting? We come from different backgrounds, possess different resources, and have access to different channels of information. If we could exchange and cooperate, even on a limited basis, it would produce wonderfully unpredictable results!"

The girl, who benefited the most from this meeting and the future "audience," excitedly said: "Mr. Fool, I think this is a great proposal. As long as the 'gathering' becomes regular, any inconvenience you face can be handed over to us, of course, within our capabilities."

Everyone looked at Mr. Fool anxiously and expectantly, waiting for his agreement.

Mr. Fool's right hand left his chin, slowly tapping the edge of the bronze long table, perhaps a subconscious action while he thought.

The grand temple was surrounded by drifting mists, seemingly reflecting the fluctuating mood of the host.

The tapping stopped.

"I am a person who likes equivalent exchange; I won't let you help unconditionally."

"Every Monday at three in the afternoon, try to be alone. After I've tried a few more times and figured some things out, you might be able to ask for time off in advance, without worrying about being in unsuitable circumstances."

This is considered as an agreement to hold regular gatherings, and everyone relaxed noticeably, especially the young girl who exaggeratedly clenched her fists and swung them in front of her chest as if to celebrate.

"Since the gathering has been set, should we not consider adopting codenames for ourselves?" Angel suggested, seizing the moment as the atmosphere was pleasant. "We can't always use our real names for communication, can we?"

"The Fool" nodded in agreement: "Good idea."

The girl took over the conversation: "You are 'The Fool,' from the Tarot cards. As this is a regular, long-term, and secretive 'gathering', the codenames should be consistent. I think we should also pick from the Tarot cards."

Tarot cards?

It was then that Angel realized "The Fool" was not derived from its common semantic meaning but was one of the 22 Major Arcana cards, also known as the "Major Arcana," numbered 0.

The history of Tarot cards in this world is not very long, less than two hundred years, yet it has already become one of the mainstream methods of divination. Its inventor, "Emperor Caesar" Rosell Gustav, is considered one of the most legendary figures of the fifth era.

As Angel tried hard to recall the origins of Tarot cards, the girl had already chosen her codename: "I've decided, my codename will be 'Justice'!"

Wait, that was what I wanted to choose...

Angel, a step behind, found her desired codename already taken. Without hesitation, she quickly chose her own from among the other options: "Then, I'll choose 'The Empress.'"

After all, she had somehow become a woman.

The short-haired man simply said:

"The Hanged Man."

All were Major Arcana cards from the Tarot.

"So, are we the founding members of the 'Tarot Club'?" Miss Justice looked around the few people in the temple, finally turning her gaze to "The Fool," "Is that alright with you, Mr. Fool?"

"You can decide for yourselves." Clearly, "The Fool" did not wish to expend energy on such trivial matters.

Excited, Miss Justice began discussing the history of Tarot cards with Mr. Hanged Man. Angel, worried about speaking too much, remained silent, but she felt "The Fool's" gaze sweeping over her occasionally, making her uncomfortable.

"…After Emperor Rosell saw the Blasphemy Slate, those cards hid the secrets of the twenty-two pathways of the gods…" Mr. Hanged Man spoke eloquently, sharing his knowledge of Tarot cards, eliciting gasps of amazement from Justice.

"That will be all for today's gathering," Angel felt "The Fool's" gaze withdraw from her, followed by his deep voice, concluding this session of the "Tarot Club."

"As you wish." The group quickly bowed, bidding farewell to "The Fool."

A deep red light spilled from the thick fog surrounding them, enveloping Angel, and she saw Mr. Hanged Man and Justice beside her similarly engulfed. Their figures became blurred and ethereal, and from within the mist, "The Fool's" final words were heard:

"Let us look forward to the next gathering."

——————————

In the howling storm of the Sonia Sea, a three-masted sailing ship rose and fell among the peaks formed by the waves, like a toy in the hands of a giant.

"Hanged Man" Alger Wilson stood on the deck at the bow, as if his feet were nailed to the ground, completely unaffected by the storm.

The deep red in his eyes faded away, his consciousness returned to his body, and he looked around, everything was as before.

But Alger knew that everything had changed.

The strangely shaped glass bottle in his hand "crack" shattered, and the fragments melted in his palm like snowflakes meeting boiling water, disappearing without a trace on the deck with the torrential rain.

A hexagonal snowflake mark appeared in Alger's palm, flickered a few times, then faded and disappeared.

He did not care about the destruction of this precious Beyonder item; instead, he clenched his fist and continued to stand against the wind and rain on the turbulent deck.

...

In the capital of the Kingdom of Loen, Backlund, surrounded by lush gardens, there was a luxurious villa.

"Justice" Audrey Hall sat in front of the vanity, watching the ancient copper mirror in front of her shatter into pieces.

A star-like deep red appeared on the back of her hand, flowing uncertainly, and then disappearing beneath the skin, leaving no trace.

It was not until then that she was sure she was not dreaming.

Unable to suppress her excitement, Audrey's mouth curved into a smile. She stood up from the vanity, lifted her skirt, and curtsied to the air.

"Praise Mr. Fool."

Light footsteps sounded in the bedroom.

...

At No. 6 Daffodil Street in Tingen City, in a cluttered study.

"Empress" Angel Grey held a gun in one hand and a bronze badge in the other, shivering as if her soul had returned to her body, and she woke up.

The badge in her hand, as if it had undergone a millennium of time, quickly became mottled and turned to dust in the non-existent breeze.

A teardrop-shaped gem was imprinted in her palm, a deep red light flashed, and a mark of the same shape was embedded into her skin, then all the strange phenomena disappeared, and the study returned to calm.

Were it not for the change in the angle of the sun outside the window, she would have almost thought everything just now was an illusion.

Her respect and fear for "The Fool" deepened, Angel put the revolver back into the desk drawer, planning to go back to the living room for a nap before dinner.

She still had to go get her "ID card" tonight.

Just as she stepped out of the study, she stiffened, remembering something important.

"That badge... wasn't it worth two hundred pounds?"

…

Tingen City, Iron Cross Street, on the second floor of Frank's apartment.

"The Fool" Zhou Mingrui stood in the center of the room, looking confused. As the fog cleared, he watched the three people he had brought in disappear together. Then, everything went dark before his eyes, and he found himself back in the apartment at the site of the "Luck Enhancement Ritual."

His legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and his head throbbed painfully, the physical toll of the "Luck Enhancement Ritual" far exceeding his expectations.

Zhou Mingrui glanced at his pocket watch to roughly estimate the time passed. The time in the fog and in reality seemed to synchronize.

Dropping his pocket watch, the tormenting headache made it impossible for him to stand any longer, forcing him to sit down on a chair, massaging his temples with both hands.

"It looks like I won't be able to go back for a while," Zhou Mingrui thought despondently. The method of "returning the way he came" had clearly failed. Having witnessed the mystical world, he dared not try other methods in the short term.

He would wait until his strength improved and he gained a deeper understanding of mysticism.

"From now on, I am Klein Moretti," a voice filled with frustration, pain, and melancholy echoed in the apartment.

To distract himself from the overwhelming negative emotions, Klein turned his thoughts back to the "Tarot Gathering" that had just concluded.

People from all corners of the globe communicated face-to-face through the fog, sharing what they had. It was almost like...

"Ever heard of online dating platforms?"

The group's host, "The Fool," said mockingly.

Especially since one of the three people was from Tingen City, possibly not far from him. When he discovered this, Klein couldn't help but take a few extra looks at her, attempting to discern Miss 'The Empress' features through the fog. Unfortunately, the mystical fog effectively obstructed his view, leaving him with only the memory of her light golden hair and impressive figure, while her face remained a blur.

"Anyway, they're just 'internet friends.' Even if we're in the same city, there's no chance of meeting, right?" Klein shook his head, pushing away the impulse to meet face-to-face.