Chapter 220: Klein's Sacrificial Trial

"Attempt?" Justice was instantly thrilled as she nodded her head, acting

reserved and elegant.

"I'm very willing to cooperate."

As a Spectator, she clearly remembered that Mr. Fool had only used the

word "attempt" on two things. The first time involved bringing her and

The Hanged Man into this mysterious space, and the second time was when

they were given an honorary name so that they could attempt to make a

prayer. And the outcome was sufficiently successful, revealing "His"

true nature.

*What would it be this time? It really is something to look forward

to!* Audrey restrained her impatience and tried her best to

behave as a qualified Spectator.

Attempt... Alger suddenly tensed up, viewing The Fool's

proposal with utmost wariness.

*What does "He" want to do? What is "His" true purpose? Is this good or

bad for me?* One by one, thoughts popped up in his mind. The

rapidly rotting appearance of Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos surfaced

in Alger's mind.

Finally, he lowered his head and respectfully replied, "Your wish is my

wish."

Beside him, Derrick looked at The Hanged Man, and then at Justice,

wondering why they were so sensitive to this so-called "attempt."

Klein lightly tapped his fingers on the edge of the long bronze table

and smiled.

"This attempt will make your transaction easier and safer, and it will

definitely be sufficiently confidential."

He turned his head to the side and looked at The Hanged Man. He said

with a moderate pace, "Do you remember the sacrificial ritual described

by The Sun?"

Klein had deliberately mentioned it to show how open he was. It made it

difficult for the members of the Tarot Club to imagine that the

sacrificial ritual he was about to provide had actually first been

obtained from The Sun and that he had gone through all that time and

effort back then to trick The Sun out of a template sacrificial ritual.

"I remember. I do come into contact with such things usually," Alger

answered truthfully, but his heart was throbbing.

Since the orthodox gods rarely responded to similar rituals, the word

"sacrifice" had often been equated to evil gods and devils in the Fifth

Epoch!

Thinking about how this could lead to a terrifying outcome, The Hanged

Man felt as if he was walking at the edge of the abyss. If he wasn't

careful, he would fall in, only to be eroded and devoured.

Klein followed his plans and didn't provide further explanations. He

nodded slightly and said, "My idea is for you to sacrifice the Beyonder

material to me through the ritual and I'll bestow them to Miss Justice.

A transaction like this will be beneficial for both of you."

That can be done? Audrey was instantly dumbfounded. She felt

that this exceeded the limits of her imagination.

But she very quickly came to her senses and understood the advantages of

this method and the true nature of a deity hidden behind this simple

act!

*Mr. Fool is great! As expected, our Tarot Club will be different from

the other secret organizations! We'll use the method of deities to

exchange for material goods and ingredients!* Audrey almost said

"Praise the Lady" in her mind out of habit, but in the end, she said,

"Praise Mr. Fool" instead.

Alger turned even warier as he entered a state of calm thoughts.

"Honorable Mr. Fool, what do I need to do?"

He tried to figure out the true purpose of The Fool from the process of

the sacrificial ritual.

Klein lightly pressed his right hand and said, "Like I said, this is

only an attempt. It might not succeed, so it will need your cooperation.

"First of all, prepare an altar. There's no need to make it too

complicated; it can be very simple and crude. The only requirement is to

engrave or draw this symbol."

As he spoke, a screen of light appeared in front of him. On it was the

symbol of the hidden "Pupil-less Eye" and the mysterious symbol of the

partial Contorted Lines; the same symbol on the back of The Fool's

chair.

After previous experiments without using materials with spirituality,

Klein was certain that the sacrificial ritual he designed could create

an illusory gate above the gray fog, similar to the Door of Summoning.

However, his strength alone couldn't construct a stable channel, and he

could only use the uniqueness of the mysterious space above the gray fog

to complete the sacrifice.

Therefore, he was 90% confident that the ritual would be successful. The

only problem was if an ordinary passageway could be constructed using

ordinary materials that contained spirituality or did it need to be

Beyonder materials as well as a sufficient number of them.

*I'll let Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man bear the cost of this

experiment... In any case, they knew from the very beginning that the

Tarot Club was a product of an attempt. It can be foreseen that there

would be other attempts subsequently and failure is inevitable. Even

deities are no exception...* Klein decided to transfer the

costs.

As The Hanged Man, Justice, and the Sun were attempting to memorize the

symbol, Klein chuckled.

"If you forget, you can pray to me, and then you can 'remember.'"

"Alright," Audrey answered happily.

With Mr. Fool, rituals aren't tedious and troublesome! she

thought happily.

The Hanged Man nodded in response as Klein continued the description.

"Secondly, follow the normal procedure, but there's no need to burn any

more additional herbs or apply the holy oil. There's no restriction on

time, just chanting my name is enough.

"Remember, use ancient Hermes or Jotun to recite this piece of prayer.

"Your devoted servant prays for your attention,

"I pray for you to take his offerings.

"I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom.

"After you finish chanting, combine the materials that contain

spirituality with the natural power created by the incantation, and

await my response.

"If you don't succeed in this step, change from materials containing

spirituality to Beyonder materials, and try again from the beginning."

After listening quietly to the procedure, Alger felt that his previous

guess was very likely to be the truth.

The Fool was in a predicament!

He offered alluring attempts, making attempts one step at a time and

planned to use himself, Justice, and The Sun to slowly break free of the

restrictions. In the end, he might even descend into the real world!

This was also the true reason why "He" had initially pulled people into

this mysterious space, agreeing to the establishment of the Tarot Club!

Even without this previous speculation, Alger believed that he would've

come to the same conclusion after hearing of the experimental procedures

required after the sacrificial ritual and comparing it with The Fool's

previous attempts.

The only thing that stumped him was the possession of a powerful

Blessed; therefore, there was no need for him to use himself, Justice,

and The Sun. His Blessed could make similar attempts.

There must be secrets I don't know about yet... *The attempts

need to be sufficiently secretive. And perhaps "His" Blessed is being

watched by certain existences?* Alger began connecting the dots.

After Klein finished describing the ritual, he asked in a low but gentle

voice, "The sacrificial ritual needs a specific time. Mr. Hanged Man,

when do you plan on making the attempt?"

This was different from responding to a request which could have a

delayed response. The stable passage created by the sacrificial ritual

could only exist for a very short period of time, so Klein had to wait

above the gray fog ahead of time.

"The Rainbow Salamander's pituitary gland is the only Beyonder material

I have with me for the time being. As for materials with spirituality, I

do have quite a lot... Mr. Fool, once the gathering ends, I'll

immediately attempt the first scenario. If it fails, I'll seek out other

Beyonder materials. Once I obtain anything, I'll inform you by praying

to confirm a time," Alger said as he couldn't help but turn his gaze

towards Miss Justice.

As a Spectator, Audrey instantly understood what he meant. She answered

without the slightest hesitation, "If any additional Beyonder materials

are required, I'll compensate you afterward. Well... I can't guarantee

the specific type of material you would want."

As expected of the wealthy Miss Justice... The

Fool---Klein---couldn't help but sigh before chuckling.

"We have come to an agreement."

He looked at Justice and said after some thought, "Once Mr. Hanged Man's

attempt succeeds, I'll inform you of the bestowment ritual."

"Alright!" Audrey was entirely confident with Mr. Fool's abilities.

After answering the question, a sudden thought struck her as she

realized that the exchange of money could also be done through this

method. Of course, this was only if the attempt was a success.

*I wonder if items without any spirituality would work or not... I'll

ask Mr. Fool again after the attempt is successful...* Audrey's

lips curled as she thought of the beautiful future.

With the sacrifice and bestowment topic coming to an end, she

deliberated for a few seconds before saying, "Mr. Fool, I've found two

ladies suitable for our Tarot Club. They're both Beyonders and have

their own circle and resources in Backlund. They're also able to keep a

secret and have decent personalities. Are you willing to let them join

the gathering?"

*Does Justice want to strengthen her faction within the Tarot

Club?* This was the most instinctual thought that Alger had.

Derrick was very interested in this matter as he looked sideways at Mr.

Fool, waiting for his answer in anticipation.

Klein appeared to be in a bit of a dilemma. Previously, he had imagined

that the members of the Tarot Club wouldn't know each other, and they

would then develop their own subordinates, forming a relatively tight

and secretive organization.

This way, even if a certain member was exposed, captured, or had their

spirit channeled, it wouldn't have much of an impact on the Tarot Club.

But Miss Justice's description just happened to hit his weak spot. He

was hoping to find clues regarding the Secret Order and Lanevus by

acquainting himself with Beyonders with different circles and resources

in Backlund.

*If it's done through Justice, the person involved would eventually hold

back... However, I'm not sure if it's possible to pull them up above the

gray fog simply by reciting my name...* In order to maintain his

image, Klein didn't think too much and instead procrastinated on it.

He said calmly, "It will require a certain amount of examination.

"Miss Justice, use a clandestine method that wouldn't expose yourself to

let them know of my name to garner interest in them."

When Audrey saw that her proposal was about to be accepted, she

immediately responded in excitement, "Yes, Mr. Fool!"

After a few more exchanges, the gathering came to an end. The Sun, The

Hanged Man, and Justice returned, while Klein remained in the gray fog,

waiting for the sacrifice.