The Exchange

Klein's initial impulse to compare Mr. Door to greater entities like the Evernight Goddess dissipated quickly as he calmly considered whether to agree to Tower's request.

Mr. Door... that peculiar name undoubtedly belongs to the "pitiful fellow" trapped in the depths of a storm and lost in darkness, as noted in Roselle's diary.

He's supposedly the ancestor of the Abraham family? Well, the Emperor's diary does imply a thorough understanding of Fourth Epoch history, especially the War of the Four Emperors… He might have been sealed by a powerful figure during that conflict. As for Ms. Fors hearing those full-moon murmurs, could that be his voice calling for help? With such a vast difference in the nature of their beings, it's no wonder it was nearly overwhelming for her, putting her on the verge of losing control.

This suggests that Mr. Door hasn't escaped and his influence over reality is still limited… especially beyond the gray fog.

But, to be safe, I'll do a divination before giving a final answer.

Klein's thoughts churned rapidly, and he tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table with a slight smile.

"Mr. Door? So, it's him.

"His book may contain hidden dangers, so offer it to me first. If it's clear, you may 'study' it here for up to two hours each week."

Quite the display—pretending familiarity with Mr. Door, yet speaking entirely in ambiguous phrases! Ebner rolled his eyes, but he knew that, given Klein's cautious nature, he'd only give an answer after divining. In fact, Klein's response indicated that his request would likely be granted.

In the original story, Klein conducted divinations on the "Universal Key" associated with Mr. Door, revealing it to be "far less risky than peeking at the Eternal Blazing Sun or listening to the True Creator's wrath." And the Astrological Book probably doesn't have as direct a "connection" as that key, so Klein will likely agree in the end…

With these thoughts, Ebner responded respectfully, "Praise your generosity."

Klein was slightly embarrassed by "Tower's" flattery, especially since he hadn't actually agreed to anything directly—it was more a matter of Tower's own "interpretation."

…

After concluding their private conversation, the Tarot Gathering naturally moved into the trading session.

Klein had his dummy "The World" survey the group, rasping, "Mr. Fool has informed me that items and tasks can be traded here. Is that correct?"

"Indeed," Ebner confirmed, nodding cooperatively with a smile. "In fact, I have a mystical weapon I'd like to sell."

Weapon? Audrey's curiosity piqued. She didn't particularly need a weapon, but if it were aesthetically pleasing, she'd consider buying it. Although my finances are a bit tight, I can still borrow from friends if necessary—one or two thousand pounds would be easy to arrange.

"Justice" Audrey resolved.

Mystical weapon! Derrick's eyes gleamed; with his recent assignment to a patrol squad, he was in dire need of one.

Wonder if Tower's selling a sword or spear? Preferably something I'm skilled with… Though, what could I offer in return? Thinking of his options, Derrick suddenly recalled that he still hadn't handed over the "Monster Records" and "Mythological References around Silver City" to The Hanged Man.

As for Xio and Alger, they were less interested. Xio had known what Ebner planned to sell for some time and, as a full-fledged member of the Military Intelligence 9, could request needed equipment directly, eliminating the need for purchases.

Alger was presently saving for the "Wind-blessed" materials, and aboard the sea, the most formidable weapon was "Blue Avenger" itself.

Interesting… Klein, puppeting The World, was also intrigued. At this stage, he lacked a powerful weapon and had just received a small fortune from "Justice," so he put his own matters aside to listen to "Tower's" description.

Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, Ebner obtained "The Fool's" approval before manifesting an image of the revolver "Confession," clearing his throat as he gave a detailed explanation of its abilities and limitations, concluding with:

"It's priced at 600 pounds, with two years of use left… Believe me, it's fair value."

I bought it from "Black Snake" for 625 pounds, so I'm even discounting depreciation. Ebner thought with satisfaction.

A revolver? Is that a weapon from Tower's part of the world? But it's so short; how can it be effective? It's an odd shape… Do you hold the barrel and strike with the other end? Derrick listened with a puzzled frown, finally sighing in regret. Without the skills for such a weapon, and with neither "Bard" nor "Prayer of Light" granting weapons proficiency, buying it would leave him unfamiliar with its use—a fatal flaw in dangerous situations.

"Justice" Audrey also found herself unenthused with "Confession's" stark, black appearance, and her interest quickly waned, unwilling to dip into her "modest" allowance for it.

Only Klein's interest surged. Being fully aware of how powerful Witches could be, he found the revolver's ability to imbue bullets with "black flames" and "frost" especially appealing. It's the perfect investigator's sidearm! With this, I won't need to rely on Hunter's Bullets.

Even better, it can be "invisible" when not in use! Klein admired its practicality for a detective. He then had "The World" speak in a rasping tone, "Quite a weapon. I'll take it."

As for the monthly cleansing ceremony? Klein mused, The World can simply pay Tower to borrow his "Light of the Ritual" item. I doubt he'd refuse.

—Seeing the ritual item used so often by "Judgment" Xio, Klein was already well aware of its "exorcism" capabilities.

And with the 3,000 pounds from "Justice" next month, I can purchase a similar item myself, then invoke the gray fog's powers to perform a "Divine Gift" on it… likely achieving even better results than Tower's purification and exorcism.

"You know how to conduct the transaction?" Ebner asked knowingly.

"Yes. Mr. Fool has instructed me—through the 'offering' and 'bestowing' rituals, correct?" "The World" replied in a low, rough voice.

"Exactly," Ebner nodded. Seeing no further bids, he dismissed the image of "Confession" and resumed his seat.

With their transaction completed, Derrick hurriedly presented the list of creatures around Silver City to Alger, saying, "I've compiled the list of local monsters and noted down mythological references too."

What an honest kid, needing no prompting at all… Klein mused appreciatively after securing his desired weapon.

Such naivety, Alger shook his head faintly but accepted Derrick's documents and read them intently.

Derrick didn't forget the other members, manifesting additional copies of the list and sharing them with each.

Seeing that The Hanged Man, Justice, and Judgment were all memorizing the list, Klein tapped the edge of the long table and chuckled softly, "No need for that. Simply seek me out in prayer whenever you wish to 'recall' the list."

"Understood!" Audrey responded brightly, first to react.

The Hanged Man Alger also rose respectfully, "Thank you for your generosity."

After this interlude, "The World" spoke once more:

"I'm seeking genuine roots from the Mists Tree, a minimum of 60 milliliters of its sap, crystallized core from the Spring of Elves, spinal fluid of the Sinpattern Panther, and a stalk of Berserker Grass.

"Does anyone have these items or know where to find them?"

(End of Chapter)