Chapter 219: Explanation

If The Fool had simply mentioned that there was some simple general

knowledge contained in Roselle's diary, The Hanged Man, Alger, wouldn't

necessarily be determined to pay the "price" for the answer, partly

because the description of it being "simple" killed his curiosity.

Another aspect stemmed from his constant wariness against making trades

with The Fool, as it reminded him of the examples when deals were made

with evil gods and devils.

But now that he knew the so-called contents of simple general knowledge,

his interest was piqued. Yet, he was unable to understand parts of the

description, much less gain any actual or deep grasp of the concept.

Therefore, he couldn't hold back his urges to ask in absolute reverence,

"Mr. Fool, what kind of payment do you want?"

"Yes, yes!" Justice Audrey nodded her head nearly indiscernibly but very

frequently, indicating that this was something she wanted to ask as

well.

Although The Sun Derrick remained silent and didn't make any additional

body gestures, the look he gave to The Fool explained everything.

Klein, who was waiting for a such a response, smiled and said,

"Information regarding the Secret Order."

"The Secret Order..." The Hanged Man Alger muttered to himself.

He wasn't unfamiliar with this term. He had once received payment for

explaining to Miss Justice about many secret organizations, including

the Secret Order.

Audrey and Derrick both frowned subconsciously. The former's only

understanding of the Secret Order was limited to what The Hanged Man had

described. And the latter had never even heard of such an organization.

Klein had long anticipated what The Sun would feel, but he wasn't

surprised. According to his conjecture, the area where the City of

Silver was located should've been a part of the Third Epoch after the

appearance of the first Blasphemy Slate and before the appearance of the

second Blasphemy Slate. It was even possible that it was the direct

catalyst or manifestation of the cataclysm. The Zaratul family had only

stepped onto the stage of history in the Fourth Epoch, and the Secret

Order was created in the latter half of the Fourth Epoch. There was no

way both entities could've existed in the same period.

It would surprise Klein if the Sun were to know about the Secret Order.

He would then have to overturn some of his speculations, reconstruct his

knowledge of the City of Silver, the Forsaken Land of God, and the

Zaratul family.

After nearly twenty seconds of silence, Alger looked at The Fool in the

gray fog, deliberated his words and said, "I will accept this request

and help you gather information regarding the Secret Order.

"Can you make 'payment' in advance?"

It wasn't surprising that a suspected deity was interested in an ancient

and secret organization; therefore, Alger wasn't puzzled about it.

More importantly, after many gatherings, he had a guess in his mind,

which was that Mr. Fool's state wasn't perfect, that "He" might be in a

predicament, that all "His" attempts and the actions of "His" Blessed on

the Northern and Southern Continents were to help "Him" break free from

"His" confines.

*This might even be related to the huge secret of why the seven deities

no longer descend upon the real world after the Fourth Epoch...*

A thought flashed through Alger's mind, and he shuddered as he felt

himself entering the realm of the gods.

Upon hearing The Hanged Man's request, Klein leaned back in his chair

and nodded.

"No problem.

"If the information you have collected exceeds the value of the answer,

I will provide you with further compensation."

*As for the circumstances in which the value of the answer was lacking,

it is naturally up to the esteemed Mr. Fool to decide. If he has the

ability to make the additional payment, so be it. If not, forget

it...* Klein silently added.

Justice Audrey's eyes lit up all of a sudden. She raised her hand and

said, "I want to partake in this deal."

Klein laughed and replied, "Sure."

Frankly speaking, his main target was Miss Justice because she was a

local of Backlund and she had mixed herself into several Beyonder

circles. Her access to information in the "Land of Hope" far exceeded

his, considering it was his first time in the capital. She was also more

informed than The Hanged Man who was out at sea most of the time.

According to the earlier revelation he received from his divination,

Klein believed that the clues related to the Secret Order would appear

in Backlund and not anywhere else.

The Sun Derrick listened quietly and after some thought, said, "I'm

willing to use the payment I reserved and exchange it for the answer."

In the previous three-way deal, he had traded the Sequence 8 Telepathist

formula for Sequence 9 Bard. Klein had promised to compensate him, and

his choice at the time had been to save it up and prepare for the

subsequent potion formulas and main ingredients.

Klein nodded his head and gave an explanation that he had long prepared.

"The so-called Similar Sequence refers to how High-Sequence Beyonders

are exchangeable with other pathways.

"Let me give an example. The Death pathway's Sequence 5, Gatekeeper, can

not only be advanced normally, but one can also choose the Giant

pathway, which is the Gatekeeper pathway's Sequence 4, Demon Hunter.

"This won't lead to the danger of losing control, nor will it accumulate

madness. It's different from taking the wrong potion.

"Of course, if it's not a similar Sequence, a semi-deranged state is the

best result."

"Exchangeable?" Audrey blurted out, surprised and delighted.

She was surprised that Sequence pathways weren't completely fixed, that

they didn't need to follow the original path all the way. The price of

switching wasn't being semi-deranged and never to advance again. Within

the twenty-two paths of the divine, there were special circumstances and

Sequences which were similar!

And what delighted her was that she had another chance to choose again

in the future. It was just like being able to select something that

caught her interest at Philip's Department Store. It was a wonderful

experience!

So that's how it is... Alger silently muttered to himself,

suddenly feeling like he had understood several things at once, and he

had resolved many of the doubts accumulated in his past experiences.

*This information is way too valuable! As expected of Mr. Fool.

So-called simple general knowledge is enough to shock and awe most

Low-Sequence Beyonders and benefit them immensely.* He sighed

inwardly.

Derrick the Sun was a little disappointed because he had no intention of

changing Sequences. He wanted to be the Sun that lit up the darkness and

dispelled the curse.

However, he quickly recalled an incident that happened in the City of

Silver:

The former Chief, a powerhouse who had the greatest possibility of

breaking past the limitations of Demon Hunter, had built a mausoleum for

himself and went deep inside, making it his home.

Afterwards, he appeared less and less, until the main door of the

mausoleum could no longer be opened.

Back then, the citizens of the City of Silver all believed that a

problem had arisen during the Chief's advancement and that he had gone

mad, to the point of being close to losing control. He was believed to

have finished himself off.

Now, combined with the description from The Fool, The Sun suddenly

thought of another possibility.

*That Chief might've been attempting to advance in Sequence through a

similar pathway!*

*In one of his explorations deep into the darkness, he had acquired the

corresponding formula for the Death pathway, and the mausoleum might

have been a special requirement... But in the end, he still failed? But

why didn't he turn into a monster? What did he encounter in that dark

mausoleum?*

*The City of Silver doesn't have the subsequence Sequence potion

formulas after Demon Hunter?*

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Derrick was suddenly jolted back to

his senses by Miss Justice's reserved voice.

"Mr. Fool, may I ask what other pathways are exchangeable with the

Spectator Sequencer pathway?"

*Sequence 4 Demon Hunter sounds pretty good... That's very suitable for

me, very suitable for 'Justice!'* Audrey admired the first

High-Sequence name that she knew.

I want to know too... Klein was tempted to answer Miss

Justice's question in such a manner.

Before he could say anything, Audrey added in a faltering tone, "I-I can

pay for the answer to this question. H-how many gold pounds do you think

is enough? I-I believe that your Blessed will need a certain amount of

funds for their activities..."

Having said that, she recalled how Mr. Fool's Blessed had easily

finished Pirate Admiral Qilangos who possessed Creeping Hunger. Clearly,

he was a High-Sequence Beyonder, so she nearly said, "I apologize. Mr.

Fool, treat it as though I never said a thing."

However, since she had already asked, she couldn't back down! *Come on,

Audrey! Perhaps The Fool has a weaker Blessed?* Audrey quietly

bit at her lips, silently encouraging herself.

Gold pounds? Klein thought about it seriously and said, "We'll

make the transaction after enough information about the Secret Order is

gathered."

As he spoke, he recalled his informant in the Psychology Alchemists,

Daxter Guderian.

*Captain and I-I... Sigh... Daxter's identity as an informant can no

longer be verified. I wonder if it's a tragedy or a comedy... It's a

pity that I can no longer contact him anymore. Otherwise, it would be

the most convenient way to obtain the information regarding the

Spectator pathway from him...* Klein smirked.

"Alright." Audrey answered happily.

The conversation between the two made The Hanged Man, who was about to

ask a similar question, shut his mouth. He left it until he had gathered

enough information on the Secret Order.

After a brief silence, Audrey turned her head to look at Mr. Fool and

raised her hand very slightly.

After receiving a nod of confirmation, she turned to the member opposite

her and asked with a sense of anticipation, "Mr. Hanged Man, my tip

allowed you to finish Vice Admiral Hurricane. Have you prepared the

complete pituitary gland of a mature Rainbow Salamander?"

That's one of the reasons why I returned to the sea... Alger

nodded gently and said, "I've gotten the Beyonder material you wanted.

"But how should I give it to you?"

How? How should it be given to me... Audrey froze for a moment

as she lost herself in thought.

*It's impossible to just give my address... Nor can I go through Xio and

Fors. That will reveal the fact that I'm a Beyonder... Hmm, it's not

impossible. Emperor Roselle once said that when we should choose the

lesser of two evils...*

At that moment, Klein's heart stirred. He lightly tapped the edge of the

long table and smiled.

"Miss, Sir, are you willing to cooperate with me in making an attempt

regarding this matter?"