Chapter 570: Not Admitting or Denying

Eh, why is she looking at Mr. Fool... Audrey sharply noticed

The Hermit's subtle motion. This left her somewhat suspicious.

From her point of view, this was an atypical response. Mr. Hanged Man

was clearly mentioning something that had little to do with everyone. He

was talking about the so-called Sea God Kalvetua's ability to

occasionally reply to its believers despite its apparent death, so why

would Ma'am Hermit look towards Mr. Fool?

*Kalvetua's death... Occasionally replying to its believers... Ma'am

Hermit is looking at Mr. Fool... Could it be...* Audrey's eyes

lit up as she came to a conclusion.

*Could it be that Mr. Fool is the one replying to Kalvetua's

believers?*

Ma'am Hermit knows about this, so?

As thoughts whizzed through her mind, Audrey had turned her body halfway

to look expectantly at Mr. Fool, who was seated leisurely at the end of

the long bronze table.

Meanwhile, Alger was also surprised and alarmed about The Hermit's

unexpected reaction.

*I was only trying to sound her out about what connection she has with

the Moses Ascetic Order member, Leticia. Why would she suddenly turn to

look at Mr. Fool?*

*Could it be that she knows that the current "Sea God" is a

manifestation of Mr. Fool?*

Her reaction implies this is highly likely!

*Before she was recruited into the Tarot Club, did she have a lot of

secret exchanges with Mr. Fool, and was already secretly working for

him?*

The more Alger thought, the more he paid attention to The Hermit. Then,

he subconsciously joined her in looking towards Mr. Fool, who was

shrouded in the grayish-white fog.

He, The Hermit, and Justice turned around at different times, but their

nearly unanimous actions made The Magician Fors and company notice

something amiss.

*Why are they looking at Mr. Fool? Does Sea God Kalvetua's death have to

do with Mr. Fool?* Believing they were smart, Fors and Emlyn

began guessing at the reason as they cast their gaze to the end of the

long bronze table.

Derrick didn't know who Sea God Kalvetua was, nor did he understand what

it meant for it to respond to its believers even after its death.

However, since everyone was looking at Mr. Fool, he naturally looked

over as well.

The World was late by a second, as though he was deliberating over

something.

He first scanned The Hanged Man, making him shudder in fear. Then, he

changed the direction of his gaze.

At this point, Klein had already come to realize which detail Ma'am

Hermit had used to guess that he was the one replying to Sea God

Kalvetua's believers in its stead. He was still stumped over what stance

to use.

*Should I pretend that it's a trivial matter and that I didn't take it

to heart, but since you mentioned it, I'll just admit it in passing? Or

should I take the stance that since I'm a god, there's no need for me to

explain myself to you, so there's no need for me to admit or deny

anything...* Klein recalled The Fool's persona and quickly made

a decision.

The choice was to neither admit or deny anything, so as to prevent him

from losing his standing as a god. However, he would add a single

sentence on a particular point, making those who had failed to guess it

become more puzzled, while the suspicious ones would be enlightened but

would still be left shrouded in confusion as they realized, deep down,

how unfathomable Mr. Fool was.

With this in mind, Klein, who had leaned back, chuckled. He said

leisurely and indifferently, "Kalvetua became a demigod by relying on a

relic left behind by Calamity Cohinem."

*So they're consulting Mr. Fool about the situation with the "Sea

God"... But that doesn't convince me. It feels like there's a deeper

truth hidden behind this matter... Could it be... No way,

right?* Fors frowned as she began coming up with all sorts of

thoughts.

As expected! Cattleya believed Mr. Fool was giving a

straightforward answer while also informing them of some secrets.

*That demigod scepter is Kalvetua's characteristic or Calamity Cohinem's

relic, or is it something that covers both definitions? Who is Calamity

Cohinem? The name sounds elven. Yes, The Hanged Man mentioned that

Leticia found an ancient elven ruin... It's the residence of a high

elf?*

*How did Mr. Fool get that scepter? Did he rely on The Hanged Man or

someone else? No, it doesn't seem like The Hanged Man; otherwise, he

wouldn't have proactively mentioned this matter... What motive does Mr.

Fool have behind responding to the Sea God's believers? Is this required

for "His" awakening, something that can truly affect reality?*

The more Cattleya thought, the more she found Mr. Fool unfathomable. It

was just like how "His" body was being concealed by the thick gray fog.

The clearer she could see him, the more puzzled, horrified, and

apprehensive she became.

This might be a tussle between gods... Cattleya sighed

inwardly as the emotions got the better of her.

I guessed right! Alger finally verified that the present "Sea

God" was a manifestation of The Fool. His worries and indecision from

before were instantly rewarded.

*On certain occasions, as a fake Sea God believer, I can openly pray...

I wonder how much Mr. Fool has recovered. How much of his power can he

release from the seal? It's at least at the demigod level. He will be

able to provide tremendous protection at sea...*

*The Hermit's unsurprised reaction implies that she had long interacted

with Mr. Fool and had learned of certain things ahead of time. This

implies that her Sequence isn't low. She might really be a powerhouse at

the pirate admiral level... This is both good and bad news for

me.*

*The good news is that I have an additional powerful faction at sea

supporting me. At times, we can tacitly cooperate and complete matters

that were previously deemed unimaginable. The bad news is that a lot of

my news and resource channels will be overshadowed by hers. My purpose

in the Tarot Club will drastically decline. Of course, that's under the

premise that she really is Admiral of Stars.*

*Yes, I have to adjust my focus from gathering news and resources and

align it towards the Church. This is something she can't supplant

me,* Alger thought with joy and wariness.

*That Sea God is really Mr. Fool! No, no, no, it should be said that the

present Sea God is Mr. Fool's manifestation! "He" has truly begun

interfering with the real world? This is great! In the future, I can

pray to Sea God directly and receive a response when I'm out traveling

at sea?* Audrey felt surprised, overjoyed, and proud.

According to what she knew, the Churches didn't do fixed ritualistic

magic internally. The ones who received responses by solely praying to

the deities were mainly priests or a chance occurrence; otherwise, they

were Blessed who just numbered at a handful.

As for receiving a response from every prayer, they would be an extreme

exception, even among Blessed.

*But I can! Mr. Fool is returning to his throne, one step at a time.

Replacing Sea God is one of those steps...* Audrey didn't hide

the changes in her emotions as she smiled, sitting straight and

elegantly.

*Cohinem? That's an elf's name. I think I've heard someone mention it

before...* Emlyn attempted to recall, but it was in vain.

As for Kalvetua's death and how the "Sea God" still replied to its

believers, as well as the reason why The Hermit, Justice, The Hanged Man

had looked towards Mr. Fool, he had made a slight guess without thinking

too deeply about the matter.

*What has this got to do with me? It doesn't affect my saving of the

Sanguine, nor is it anything of interest! Anyway, I can just pray to Mr.

Fool if there are any problems!* Emlyn mumbled to himself,

showing disdain towards the emotional changes the others had.

*Calamity? Queen of Calamity? But there are no records that say that her

name is Cohinem...* Derrick turned his head to the left very

slightly, a common tick he did when he recalled things.

*From the looks of it, Little Sun isn't sure if Cohinem is the Queen of

Calamity; otherwise, he wouldn't have such a reaction...* Klein

retracted his gaze in disappointment.

He controlled The World to cough, pulling everyone back from their

thoughts.

Following that, The World conjured a picture with The Fool's help. He

showed it to both sides of the table and asked, "Does anyone know her?"

It was a picture of the red-haired Helene. Klein mainly wanted to know

if Admiral of Stars Cattleya or The Hanged Man Alger knew her. After

all, they were well-informed people out at sea.

Alger glanced at it and just as he was about to say that he didn't know

her, he heard Ma'am Hermit say with a deep voice, "Red-haired Helene.

She's from a fallen noble family and has the bloodline from the Intis's

Sauron family."

Cattleya paused before adding, "She was once a trader out at sea, but

she was later said to have been abducted by Ailment Maiden Tracy."

*Abducted by Ailment Maiden Tracy? I thought it would be some contrived

story about a domineering pirate and a noble lady... However, Tracy can

be considered a domineering pirate. Heh heh...* Klein instantly

made some connections.

Fors was still lost in her thoughts over the connection between Sea God

and The Fool when she suddenly snapped to her senses. She acutely

noticed that great opportunities lay in red-haired Helene and Vice

Admiral Ailment's story as she began to daydream.

To her regret, Ma'am Hermit had only said a few sentences without

continuing.

*The Hermit knows Vice Admiral Ailment... However, that doesn't imply

anything. Beyonders of a certain Sequence or knowledgeable people will

know who the seven pirate admirals are. Their bounty posters are

everywhere... Hmm, The Hermit is rather aware of matters over at Intis.

This is something that can be determined for now...* The Hanged

Man wasn't interested in red-haired Helene, only The Hermit's real

identity.

With red-haired Helene's matter coming to a close, Audrey began

considering if she should consult the others about the mind dragon.

Unlike before, there was now the addition of Ma'am Hermit, who was of

unknown character and dubious allegiances. This left her hesitant.

After a brief deliberation, she said, "I recently sought out the traces

of a mind dragon and went to a place which has the tradition of

worshiping dragons."

She had concealed the exact location as the details might implicate her.