Chapter 565: Eye of Mystery Prying

Inside the captain's cabin, Cattleya slowly got up from the floor and

walked in silence to the full-length mirror next to the bookcase.

In the mirror, the skin on her face was fair and smooth, without a

single crack. Her ears were small and normal, showing no signs of

expanding. Her deep purple eyes were calm, as if nothing had happened.

However, she could see more with her eyes that carried a sense of

mystery.

Hidden beneath her skin were eye-like flesh and blood that hadn't fully

dissolved; her Soul Body, whose pain and madness were rapidly

dispersing; innumerable illusory objects with ineffable forms that

roamed about; sailors who were cleaning the deck several rooms away...

Everything within a range of a few dozen meters was revealed to her in

an unobscured but unusually chaotic manner.

From the day she had become a Sequence 5 Constellations Master, her

Mystery Pryer powers had been greatly enhanced. She could faintly see

that there were thick curtains around her that resembled shadows, and

behind the curtains, something seemed to be watching her and all living

beings.

*There are no traces of being influenced by Mr. Fool, which in turn

explains many things... He, no, 'He' was able to directly pull my Soul

Body into that mysterious space with a strange, tyrannical, and

secretive power. It's not something that a demigod scepter can compare

to... Although 'He' was dressed in contemporary clothing, this doesn't

mean anything. For an existence at this level, it's very easy for

different people to see 'Him' in different forms, and 'His' true

appearance would probably cause every person that sees him directly to

lose control and die...* Cattleya stared at herself in the

mirror, thinking silently about what had just happened.

It was inevitable that she had some predictions about Mr. Fool's

identity, but this was only guesswork without any evidence.

*The fact that 'He' is wearing a tailcoat doesn't mean that 'He' is very

young or that 'He' was born recently. Perhaps, 'His' essence is ancient,

even older than the seven gods. The knowledge that is pursuing me tells

me that before the Cataclysm, there were indeed older gods, and 'He'

might be one of them,* Cattleya said silently to herself before

turning away from the full-length mirror and walking back to the place

where she had struggled in pain. She picked up her glasses that had

fallen to the side.

She put the thick glasses on her nose, hiding her deep purple eyes.

Everything that didn't appear under a normal person's vision quickly

disappeared from her sight.

Cattleya stood there, thinking again about the influence Mr. Fool and

the so-called "Tarot Club" would have on her.

Unknowingly, a tall figure surfaced in her mind. The words that she

would never forget had once again echoed in her ears.

"Leave. Your destiny doesn't lie with me."

Is this my destiny, Your Majesty? She closed her eyes.

In the ancient and majestic palace above the gray fog.

Klein's fingers tapped the edge of the long, mottled table as he made

all the tarot cards on the table disappear.

He was thinking about what the subsequent developments would be after

the Admiral of Stars joined the Tarot Club.

*If there's no other way, and if I might really need to take a detour

from a safe sea route and enter the sea that was once a battlefield of

the gods, to search for singing mermaids, having The Hermit, who is

fearful of The Fool, in my control is better than cooperating with Vice

Admiral Iceberg Edwina. Using her ship would be much safer... Yes, Mr.

Hanged Man will be a backup choice.*

*Admiral of Stars is a Moses Ascetic Order member. She grasps plenty of

knowledge and is very helpful towards the Tarot Club, but it's a latent

risk for me. Mr. Fool's image is built on the foundation of being

unfathomable... In the future, I have to be more careful. I mustn't

answer things I'm not sure of. On matters I'm unconfident about, I'd

rather be vague and handle matters like a charlatan. Of course, to fully

resolve this problem, I should quickly improve myself and become a

High-Sequence Beyonder. My strength needs to match my level, and my

standards need to match that pedestal.*

*With such a Sequence 5 powerhouse with many subordinates under her, the

overall strength of the Tarot Club isn't considered low.*

*After obtaining the Sea God Scepter, I don't have to worry that members

of the Tarot Club will be too strong, with problems easily

arising.*

*I hope that there will come a day when this member of the Moses Ascetic

Order, Admiral of Stars, will be able to play an important role in my

revenge against the Hidden Sage.*

Klein exhaled as he vanished from above the gray fog.

Backlund. Beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.

A red-gloved Nighthawk entered the temporary office assigned to them,

with a telegraph in hand.

"Captain, something happened at Enmat Harbor," he said to Soul Assurer

Soest with some excitement.

Soest touched the right side of his hair and asked, "What happened?"

"There's a new development from The Fool, the one the Aurora Order is

seeking." The member holding the telegraph handed the piece of paper

over.

His answer immediately attracted the attention of several Red Gloves who

were present, including the man with black hair and green eyes who was

taking an afternoon nap with his chair lifted up and his feet on the

table. He had covered his face with his hat.

Soest took over the telegraph and scanned it before immediately

laughing.

"Someone lied by claiming to be his Blessed in an attempt to scam

others, but after chanting his name, he was smote to death on the spot

by a bolt of lightning.

"There really is a hidden existence known as The Fool..."

The files relating to the Tarot ritual and The Fool had been handed over

to Soest's Red Gloves team. They were in charge of the investigations,

but there were no leads, and they didn't put much emphasis on it because

they had other missions on hand.

"The Fool has powers in the lightning domain?" Leonard Mitchell removed

the black hat from his face.

"Who knows? If he's the embodiment of some old friend of ours, it's

possible to do something similar by preparing a corresponding mystical

item. It's not without precedent. This is especially so for the fake

gods in the Southern Continent and the colonial islands. Holy Lord of

Storms, those cheats claim that The Fool is another manifestation of the

Lord of Storms. This might also be why he was smitten to death." Soest

leisurely threw the telegraph aside.

Leonard glanced at it, lowered his feet, half turned, and chuckled.

"Aren't we going to perform some investigations?"

"How? Are you going to feign ignorance and recite his honorific name?"

Soest sneered.

*This has a high probability of catching the tail of The Fool, but I

will basically be bidding farewell to this world. My digestion of the

Nightmare potion has been going pretty well, and I just got another good

item. There are still plenty of Sequences up ahead which are waiting for

me. How can I enter into an eternal sleep so soon?* Leonard

stroked his drooping hair strands and said, "We can get a few criminals

on death row to give it a try?"

"But he could just as easily not respond." Soest shook his head.

"We can start from the two cases that involved the tarot rituals. I'm

more and more convinced that it has something to do with The Fool.

Firstly, The Fool is one of the Major Arcana tarot cards. Secondly, the

organization that is seeking or cracking down on his Blessed is the

Aurora Order. And the first case that involved the tarot ritual is the

Lanevus case. As such, the Aurora Order's attempt to allow the True

Creator's descent was foiled." Leonard pulled at his black vest and got

up.

Soest thought about it seriously and said, "The clues from the other

cases happen to have been cut off as well. For now, we have nothing else

to do. You can try to investigate the two tarot ritual cases."

"Sure." Leonard smiled back.

This was exactly what he wanted. With a case that no one cared about

being handed to him, he had won a certain amount of time to act freely.

At 2:50 p.m., Fors returned from the cold streets to her residence while

trembling.

It wasn't that she wanted to go out in this damp, cold weather, but it

was that she had run out of food at home. As for Xio, she had gone all

the way to Pritz Harbor to capture a fugitive and collect the bounty. It

was unknown when she would be able to return home.

*She's always instinctively chasing after and capturing fugitives. It

can be said that she has been acting in some way...* Holding the

large brown paper bag in her arms, she habitually fished for her keys to

open the mailbox and take out the letters and bills.

She entered the house, put the food away, and took off her thick coat

that tightly clung to her body. Fors began to look through the letters.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. There was a letter from her teacher, Dorian

Gray.

After she advanced to Trickmaster, the first thing she did was to write

about it in her letter and mail it to Dorian Gray, hoping to receive her

teacher's praise and subsequent guidance. However, days had passed

without her receiving a reply. For a moment, she wondered if she should

visit Pritz Harbor out of concern.

Fors quickly opened the envelope and began to read through it.

"...I'm sorry that I have only replied now. I previously left Pritz

Harbor for some time for a relative's funeral.

"...Your talent leaves me gratified. Perhaps the stories hidden in your

heart have helped you in acting. After you digest the Trickmaster

potion, I'll provide you with the Sequence 7 Astrologer formula and some

ingredients, as well as a gift...

"...The crux when it comes to acting as a Trickmaster lies in

'performing' and 'hoodwinking.' Hoodwinking can also be replaced with

deceit. This has been verified by generations of Beyonders... You can

take into consideration other pathways like Swindler and Magician. The

meaning behind their names is, in some sense, similar..."

Fors heaved a sigh of relief, glanced up at the wall clock, and hurried

back to her bedroom before locking the door behind her.

The weekly Tarot Gathering was beginning.

Not long after, a crimson light flooded her eyes, drowning everything.

In the ancient and mysterious palace, just as Fors was about to look at

Mr. Fool, she suddenly saw a figure beside her.

That seat had always been empty!

A new member? A lady? The Magician Fors moved her eyeballs

slightly, pretending not to care as she half turned her body.

Another new member? And it's a lady... Miss Justice was about

to get up and greet Mr. Fool when she saw an unfamiliar figure.

While feeling puzzled and expectant, she discovered a problem. The women

were on one side of the table, while the men were on the other side.

*This should be divided according to Mr. Fool's intentions. I wonder if

there's any symbolic meaning behind it... Yes, the ladies are on the

left, and the men are on the right. Being neither left or right is what

defines a god like Mr. Fool. Ah, yes, there's also Mr. World... Heh heh,

could it be that he's neither man or woman, or even a human? Audrey,

you're thinking too much...* Justice stood up and bowed,

speaking with a light and brisk tone.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool\~"