Chapter 488: Living Expenses

Preordering a mystical item? Alger was stunned for a second

before he realized what Miss Justice was talking about.

The limits of his mind were widened, and he felt that there was room for

exploitation.

*In a particular sense, the Beyonder characteristic The World has

entrusted to me has been sold. There is a definite destination to the

item... I can easily simplify the process and make things benefit me

more easily. That is to say, I don't have to sell it to the Artisan

again. Instead, I should choose to entrust the work. This way, I don't

have to worry about whether the characteristic can be sold. I can

receive the commission from The World and also obtain more profit from

Miss Justice's side. The only capital I need to put up is the

fabrication fees for entrusting the job. Of course, I have to consider

if the Artisan will be willing to promise to take the risk...*

Many thoughts flashed through his mind as he quickly weighed the pros

and cons and finally came to a decision.

"No problem, I'll take care of this matter." He looked at Miss Justice

and felt that she was emitting a blinding light of gold.

Even after joining the Church of Storms and drifting out at sea for so

many years, he had never encountered someone like that anywhere else.

There were plenty of sea merchants, and even more wealthy people, but

none of them really didn't care about money.

*Has Miss Justice's financial situation improved to this

extent?* Klein was shocked too.

For a moment, he wanted to speak out to urge her to pay the 2,000 pounds

she owed to his Blessed as soon as possible, but, considering that he

had already agreed to Miss Justice postponing her repayment until

February or March, he could only keep silent and not ruin his image as

The Fool.

*At the very least, the money for the Faceless Beyonder characteristic

would be available soon. The speed only depends on how Mr. Hanged Man

contacts that particular Artisan and the speed at which the Artisan can

produce the mystical item... Unfortunately, I can only rely on Mr.

Hanged Man to contact an Artisan for the time being. Otherwise, I can

directly sell the special characteristic to Miss Justice without having

to pay a commission...* With this in mind, Klein's mood became

mixed.

After finalizing a big deal, Alger heaved a silent sigh of relief,

feeling his financial situation slowly improve.

After thinking for a few seconds, he asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, which

one of you has a way or item to make everyone on board a ship sleep at

the same time?"

The reason why Alger still hasn't gone to that primitive island to hunt

down the Blue Shadow Falcon was that he hadn't thought of a method of

leaving the Blue Avenger, as well as the ten or so sailors and crew

members of the Church without garnering any suspicion.

Let everyone on a boat fall into a deep sleep? The first thing

Klein thought of was the Biological Poison Bottle, but the effect of

this thing was completely uncontrollable, so he was afraid that the

outcome wouldn't look too good.

Then, he remembered the Nightmare soul in Creeping Hunger. Making people

fall into a deep sleep and dragging them into dreams were specialties of

this Beyonder job.

*But the problem lies in the fact that a Nightmare is unable to make

that many people fall asleep at the same time. The limit to its

influence doesn't exceed ten. To satisfy Mr. Hanged Man's request, it

needs to be a Sequence 5 of the corresponding pathway or even that of a

demigod...* Klein struck down the thought and didn't let The

World speak.

At the same time, Audrey, Fors, and Derrick either shook their heads in

response or answered with "no."

Emlyn tried to recall and said, "I can help you ask. Perhaps us Sanguine

have some mystical items that have a similar effect in the clan."

*Always saying "us Sanguine"... In the future, I can convince him by

targeting this angle...* Alger noticed this and nodded with a

smile.

"I'll have to trouble you."

Seeing that the transactions were coming to an end, Klein quickly got

The World to bring up his latest necessities.

"Everyone, help me keep an eye out on the remnant spirituality of

ancient wraiths and a pair of eyes from a six-winged gargoyle."

Other than that, the supplementary ingredients weren't too hard to

purchase. He didn't think it was necessary to go through the Tarot Club.

"Alright." Derrick was the first to respond. Then, he added, feeling

somewhat embarrassed, "Mr. World, the method for removing the mental

corruption of a Beyonder characteristic will still require some time. I

should be able to advance to Sequence 7 soon."

With that said, he looked to his side.

"Mr. Hanged Man, once I return to the City of Silver, I'll make a list

of the commonly seen monsters in the vicinity."

He had kept everything he owed others and every promise he made without

fulfilling them in mind. These plagued him to the point that he couldn't

even sleep in peace.

"No problem," the gloomy World indifferently said.

Klein really wasn't in a hurry. He hadn't finished concluding his

Faceless principles, and his digestion of the potion had only just

begun. It would still take several months.

Therefore, his plan wasn't to head straight for the Gargas Archipelago.

Instead, he would act as an adventurer and a traveler as he worked his

way through the colonial islands. From time to time, he would change his

identity and experience life in order to extract the Faceless

principles.

During this process, he would inquire more about mermaids in detail.

After knowing that the Church of the Goddess reared such spiritual

creatures and that they possessed High-Sequence potion formulas of the

Seer pathway, Klein kept feeling worried about traps placed against

every Faceless in the Gargas Archipelago who sought advancement.

In other words, Klein had to spend two to three months or more time

traveling and adventuring on the Sonia Sea. This long period of time was

long enough for The Sun to obtain a potion formula, gather the

corresponding ingredients, and ascend to the Sequence 7 Solar High

Priest.

With the conclusion of the transaction portion of the gathering, the

Tarot Club members entered the period for free communication.

Audrey didn't disappoint The Hanged Man's expectations by standing up

first and raising the ends of her skirt, bowing towards the very end of

the long bronze table.

"Honorable Mr. Fool, I would like to know the hidden truth behind

Backlund's Great Smog. Is it purely a result of those cultists' bid to

awaken the Primordial Demoness and to allow the True Creator's descent?

Why did Prince Edessak choose to cooperate with them?

"According to your principle of equivalent exchange that was set by you,

what do I need to pay in order to obtain the relevant information?"

If I knew, things would've been completely resolved now... The

experienced Klein maintained his relaxed posture, chuckled and said,

"There's no need.

"The root of the problem hasn't been discovered yet, but there are

enough clues. I hope the members of the three Churches aren't too

stupid."

*The root of the problem hasn't been discovered yet? Mr. Fool has made

his Blessed give the Churches and the military a certain amount of

clues?* Audrey was rather shocked when she heard this, but she

felt that this wasn't too surprising within her previous concerns and

worries.

"Thank you for your answer." She sincerely bowed once more.

"Is Backlund still in danger?" Fors suddenly felt uneasy.

After Miss Justice sat down, Klein controlled The World to chuckle and

say, "Mr. Hanged Man, I discovered the Baelen person you mentioned."

"The Baelen who was involved in the escape of many slaves from the

colonial islands?" The Hanged Man replied with disbelief.

"Yes, reddish-brown skin, of Southern Continent descent, Backlund

accent, and the third tooth on his left fake," The World answered

hoarsely.

"...It should be him." Alger recalled for two seconds before saying,

"Where is he? What's his present identity? Also, Mr. World, do you wish

to receive 100 pounds in cash directly or an item of equivalent worth."

This was the mission of the Church of Storms, and purchasing clues was a

reimbursable act; therefore, The Hanged Man wasn't pressured at all.

Of course money! Klein, who was vexing over his living

expenses, controlled The World to say, "100 pounds in cash.

"Baelen is in Backlund. He was seen meeting a member of MI9 who was

loyal to the royal family. I don't know who it was exactly, because he

was wearing a mask."

A member of MI9 who was loyal to the royal family... The

Hanged Man ruminated over the words, and then he remembered Miss

Justice's question: Why did Prince Edessak work with the Aurora Order

and the Demoness Sect?

*It also points to the royal family... Can the two cases be one and the

same? The truth behind all this involves the disappearance of the

slaves?* Alger felt that he could vaguely see some key points.

"You really are a well-informed and well-connected person. The 100

pounds in cash will be paid tomorrow," Alger calmly said his thanks.

"Heh." The World laughed and turned to look at The Sun.

"Kid, do you know ancient Hermes?"

Derrick didn't try to hide anything as he replied honestly, "I've heard

of the Hermes language, but the City of Silver doesn't have that kind of

knowledge."

*During the Second Epoch, there was no distinction between Hermes and

ancient Hermes. It was only some time during the Fourth Epoch that

ancient Hermes was simplified accordingly, making it easier to be used,

taught, and disseminated for daily use. However, it no longer had such a

strong and direct effect on rituals. That is to say, the Hermes spoken

by Little Sun is equal to ancient Hermes... There really is a person

known as Hermes in the history of the City of Silver...* Klein

secretly nodded and said, "A pity; I wanted to ask you for a favor."

At this moment, Audrey remembered something from their conversation. It

was something that originated from the Psychology Alchemists.

She had intended to communicate directly, but after looking at the new

member, Mr. Moon, she felt that she didn't understand him too well, so

she raised her hand slightly and said, "Honorable Mr. Fool, I have

something to report to you."

Klein nodded slightly and isolated the senses of everyone else.

"What is it?" he asked in a calm manner.

Audrey said, honestly, "I got some information from the Psychology

Alchemists. The most important thing is that they were founded after

excavating the ruins of Hermes, who was the master who created ancient

Hermes."

*The ruins of Hermes? This old gentleman was still alive a hundred or

two hundred years ago... Had he deliberately guided the Psychology

Alchemists to discover the relics, or had he perished in the Roselle

incident?* Klein was stunned for a moment. After deliberating

for a moment, he smiled and reminded her, "Hermes is a member of the

Twilight Hermit Order."

He didn't mention that Hermes could still be alive, because it was

impossible to confirm.

*Hermes is a member of the Twilight Hermit Order? The Psychology

Alchemists might have something to do with this mysterious

organization?* Audrey was stunned before she let out a sigh of

relief.

*Fortunately, I have the Tarot Club and Mr. Fool backing me. Otherwise,

I would have no way of knowing and no way to guard against...*

Once again, she gratefully praised The Fool.

At this point, Klein wanted to comfort Miss Justice, so that she

wouldn't be too distressed and worried about the Backlund incident.

Maturing didn't mean that she had to give up positive moods and smiles.

It wouldn't affect her ability to take things seriously and would

instead help her persevere for a longer period of time. However, after

consideration, in order to maintain his image as The Fool, he had to

give up this advice he gained from being a former Clown.

He then removed the isolation barriers around the other members, waiting

for the end of the exchange and for the end of this Tarot Gathering.