Chapter 406: A Joyous But Extremely Helpless Reality
Above the gray fog, the magnificent palace stood silently.
Klein drummed his fingers rhythmically on the edge of the long bronze
table, concentrating on what he could do in the face of the threat of
the Aurora Order and Mr. A.
While having a hard time figuring out the other party's intentions, he
instinctively came up with an idea.
Report Mr. A! Report illegal gatherings!
Klein could very easily learn of the location where Mr. A held the
gathering through Miss Magician, and thus, he would be able to easily
report it to the Nighthawks, the Mandated Punisher, or the Machinery
Hivemind in secret.
An Oracle of the Aurora Order was bound to garner enough attention!
When that happens, Mr. A's safety would probably be at risk, so he
probably wouldn't have the time or effort to track down the believers of
The Fool.
The problem, however, was that this was bound to implicate a group of
innocent Beyonders, and Klein suspected that this was the reason why Mr.
A directly offered a reward for the believers of The Fool.
Perhaps he had long planned an escape. Once someone reports him, he
would be able to confirm without a doubt that The Fool's believers were
among the previous gathering members.
As for who it was exactly, that wasn't important. Mr. A and the lunatics
of the Aurora Order were definitely capable of taking exhaustive
measures!
And once these Beyonders fell into their hands, many of them would be
unable to hide their secrets. The Aurora Order, or the Shepherd pathway
which represented the True Creator, are the best at corrupting others.
When the ideology of a Beyonder was completely twisted and once they
believed in the True Creator wholeheartedly, what else could be kept a
secret?
*It's not like there's no other way. It's best not to report
it...* Klein leaned back in his chair, collected his thoughts,
and reorganized the entire matter.
As he was thinking, he suddenly realized a problem.
There were no believers or Blessed of The Fool in this world!
Even the Tarot Club only had a few members, and no one had divulged the
relevant information.
*In other words, the Aurora Order wouldn't be able to find any relevant
clues... There's nothing to worry about... The only bad outcome is that
The Fool is now targeted by the True Creator. Although being targeted by
an evil god isn't a pleasant feeling, it basically wouldn't affect
anything else...* Klein nodded thoughtfully.
He had thought it through very clearly. The only flaw in this matter was
that he had once used the title of The Fool, written in the language of
ancient Hermes, as a password for an anonymous account. However, with
the sacrificial and bestowal rituals having proven useful, the account
had long been abandoned and had long since been forgotten.
Since the last month and a half, no one had been noticed by Klein for
copying the password, so it was possible to deduce the actual situation.
As such, bank employees, who had been in contact with the password but
apparently do not understand mysticism, wouldn't be able to reveal it to
anyone, and Beyonders would at most make requests in the Loen language,
so even if they find the right person, it's not possible to connect the
content described in the Loen language with that of the ancient Hermes
password.
*If anyone had copied it down, I would be the first to know and would be
able to respond effectively... Besides, even if someone finds the
password, it would be difficult to trace it back to Sherlock Moriarty. I
use a variety of means every time... Miss Justice is also sufficiently
careful when saving money...* While rapping the table, Klein
relaxed and said with a chuckle, "You believe that The Fool has many
Blessed and believers and that this would result in many clues that
cannot be hidden?
"Wrong, especially wrong! There's only one believer and Blessed of The
Fool! And that's me!"
When he said that, he couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating
laugh.
"It doesn't seem like it's something that I should be proud of..."
*I need to be a little careful for the time being. I shouldn't go around
using the banner of The Fool...* Klein reminded himself and went
back to answering Miss Magician's prayers.
He adjusted his posture, and said in a low, gentle voice, "Don't worry
about it."
Don't worry about it... When Fors received the answer, she was
surprised but also felt that it was only right.
*In the eyes of Mr. Fool, the Aurora Order is nothing but a bunch of
ants!*
Fors once again recited his honorific name in a low voice, and she
curiously asked, "Honorable Mr. Fool, which existence does the Aurora
Order believe in?"
Then, she saw Mr. Fool sitting on a high back chair in the middle of the
gray fog. He leisurely said, "The True Creator."
The True Creator... Fors's eyes widened as she instantly
understood why Mr. A suddenly sought out the believers of The Fool.
*With the help of the Tarot Club, that Sun youth in the City of Silver
had successfully exposed the abnormality of the exploratory team and
thwarted the True Creator's ploy!*
*Behind this incident is a confrontation and struggle between Mr. Fool
and the True Creator...* Fors didn't dare to ask any further,
and she quickly recounted her meeting with the members of the Abraham
family. She also mentioned Lawrence's will, the strange notebook, and
the Beyonder characteristic he had left behind.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, what should I do?" she asked for advice with
uncertainty.
*What should you do? Miss Magician really is lucky... Why haven't I
encountered such a good thing...* Klein responded with a
chuckle, "Follow the true desires in your heart."
He wasn't the least bit worried that Dorian Gray, from Pritz Harbor's
Fishermen Association, would harm Miss Magician, because he knew she had
two more stones on her bracelet, allowing her to teleport through the
spirit world twice.
Follow the true desires in my heart? Fors lowered her head in
thought.
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Fool."
She decided to buy a steam locomotive ticket tomorrow. Using this mode
of transportation, it would take a little over an hour to get from
Backlund to Pritz Harbor, or maybe less.
After reporting everything, Fors requested to hold a sacrificial and
bestowal ritual. After receiving a positive response, she exchanged 600
pounds in cash for the Sheriff Beyonder characteristic.
Holding up the fist-shaped object comprised of black iron, dark red, and
silver colors, as well as its beautiful spiritual radiance, Fors felt
joy and admiration.
*Xio had long gathered the supplementary ingredients, so she would soon
be promoted to Sequence 8... And I don't know when I'll become a
Trickmaster... I hope Mr. Hanged Man and the others can help me find the
appropriate Beyonder ingredients as soon as possible...*
*Xio had been subconsciously acting as an Arbiter, so she didn't have to
worry about her digestion of the Sequence 9 potion, but once she becomes
a Sheriff, what should she do? Should I ask permission from Mr. Fool to
teach her the "acting method"... or should I simply suggest that she
sneak into the police force?*
At the end of the long, mottled table, Klein looked at the thick stack
of cash in front of him and carefully counted it several times.
*Through this method, I would have 1,230 pounds. I would still be short
of 300 pounds to obtain a single Sequence 6 Beyonder ingredient. Of
course, 1,500 pounds is the minimum price, and the actual transaction
price is usually much higher than this...*
Where else can I get money these days?
*As soon as the bicycle patent is granted, shall I sell a portion of the
shares?*
*Yes, I almost forgot how special the Tarot Club is. The Werewolf
Beyonder characteristic cannot be sold in Backlund for now, so as to
avoid being discovered by High-Sequence Beyonders from the Rose School
of Thought. But I can always sell it elsewhere! I'll let The World
entrust Mr. Hanged Man to sell it at the Sonia Sea at the next
gathering. I'll offer a corresponding amount of the commission as his
reward.*
*After subtracting the costs, the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic
should give me at least 1000 pounds. It will be more than enough for a
single Sequence 6 Beyonder ingredient.*
Klein quickly came up with a plan and decided upon it.
He found it a little regrettable that Miss Xio didn't seem to have much
money. After she became a Sheriff, even if she could quickly digest the
potion, it would still take her a long time to buy the Interrogator's
Beyonder characteristic. And if the Abraham family were to take interest
in Miss Magician, his subsequent Astrologer potion formula would no
longer be marketable.
What a pity... Klein sighed and returned to the real world.
Wednesday morning.
Klein didn't suffer from insomnia due to being targeted by the True
Creator and the Aurora Order's pursuit. He slept till daybreak and
happily went out to buy a Desi pie for breakfast.
There was no doubt that Desi pie required sweet iced tea to match it.
As he enjoyed the food and flipped through the newspapers, he discovered
the advertisement for the Ernst Firm and learned that there would be a
Beyonder gathering convened by Eye of Wisdom tomorrow night.
*This time, I'll be able to request to purchase the relevant Beyonder
ingredients... But there's a high chance that it wouldn't be available.
Even if there's something, it will be supplementary ingredients like the
hair of a Deep-sea Naga...* Klein seriously considered the
channels in which he could find the ingredients.
He spread out his left hand and counted with his fingers.
*From the Tarot Club, there are the outlets of Little Sun, Mr. Hanged
Man, Miss Justice, and the rest. Beyond that, I have Eye of Wisdom's
gathering; Miss Bodyguard and Maric, but I shouldn't contact them if
possible for the time being. Also, hmm... Yes, I have Vampire Emlyn
White. Didn't he mention that he would write to ask some powerful
Sanguines? That's what social connections can bring about!*
Coming to this thought, Klein immediately decided to go to the Harvest
Church to wait for Emlyn White.
Although it was impossible for the Aurora Order to track him down, it
still gave him a sense of urgency, making him want to gather the
Beyonder ingredients as soon as possible. One he digested his potion, he
would quickly advance to Sequence 6.
Ten in the morning, South of the Bridge, Rose Street.
In his double-breasted frock coat, Klein took off his half top hat and
strolled into the rather small Harvest Church.
At first glance, he saw the giant-like Father Utravsky and Emlyn White
who was dressed in brown priest robes.
The latter was wiping the candle lamps with a numb look on his face, as
though he would rather be dead.
*What a coincidence... Wait, don't tell me he's here for the entire day?
He only returns home at night?* Klein casually found a seat and
sat down. There were less than five devotees in the entire cathedral.
Emlyn White also saw him and put down the rag. He walked over and sat
beside him.
The vampire's expression suddenly became lively. He raised his chin and
said with a chuckle, "You came here suddenly because you have something
you need my help with, right?"