Chapter 60: Second Blasphemy Slate

"No problem." Klein tried to maintain his unchanging deep tone.

He rested his left elbow on the armrest of his chair and supported his

forehead slightly with his fingers, posing as though he was listening

calmly.

Alger deliberated over his words and said, "The Antigonus is an ancient

family. Their history can be traced back to the Cataclysm Epoch before

the Fourth Epoch and is related to the second Blasphemy Slate."

*The second Blasphemy Slate? There's a second Blasphemy Slate? How many

are there?* Klein's pupils shrank, and he nearly changed his

posture.

*According to what The Hanged Man and Justice have said previously, the

Blasphemy Slate contained the profound mysteries of the twenty-two paths

of the divine!*

There are two of such important items, or even more?

*Twenty-two paths of the divine... Sequences and pathways... Could these

two nouns mean the same thing? Every complete Sequence pathway leads

straight to the throne of the divine?*

At that instant, the description of the second Blasphemy Slate gave

Klein numerous thoughts. He believed that if not for the thick

grayish-white fog concealing him, his emotional reaction would probably

have been discovered by Miss Spectator.

As for the words Cataclysm Epoch, he was no stranger to that term as a

historian. It was the name of the third epoch.

After his recent revision, Klein even knew that the third epoch was

separated into two eras: the Glorious Era and the Cataclysm Era.

"A second Blasphemy Slate?" Audrey plainly revealed her ignorance on the

matter.

Before she calmed her emotions, she returned to her Spectator state.

Nice question! Klein secretly cheered for Miss Justice.

It was a question inconvenient for him to ask as The Fool.

Alger stole a glance at The Fool and noticed that his posture remained

the same, nor did he make a sound. Hence, he thought and answered, "The

first Blasphemy Slate appeared in the Dark Epoch, which is the second

epoch where we humans struggled to survive under the protection of gods.

The second Blasphemy Slate appeared at the end of the third epoch. It

could even be said that its appearance symbolized the end of the

Cataclysm Epoch.

"The content of the two Blasphemy Slates is kept secret by the seven

major churches. I only know bits and pieces of it. I only know that they

involve the paths of the divine, but I am not sure of the differences

between them."

"Was the Blasphemy Slate that Emperor Roselle saw the first or the

second?" Audrey asked curiously.

Upon hearing that, Klein recalled what Alger said about the potion names

during the first Gathering. He said that the names of the Sequence

potions were derived from the Blasphemy Slate!

*Similarly, Captain had also mentioned that the formation and completion

of the potion system was thanks to the birth of the Blasphemy Slate...

That indirectly confirms that the paths of the divine are the Sequence

pathway!* Klein answered his earlier question silently.

Then Alger simply replied, "The second one."

The glint in Audrey's eyes diminished and she returned to her Spectator

state. She did not continue asking questions; instead, all she did was

focus her gaze on The Hanged Man.

It was obvious that her scrutiny made Alger uncomfortable, but he

suppressed the emotions within him. He lowered his voice and continued,

"During the Solomon Dynasty in the Fourth Epoch, although the Antigonus

family was considered an illustrious part of the aristocracy, they

didn't do anything very memorable until they supported the establishment

of the Tudor Empire. They then stood right in the middle of the stage of

Northern Continent.

"In that period, Antigonus, Amon, Abraham, Jacob, and others were

illustrious names of the human kingdom. However, after the War of the

Four Emperors, the Blood Emperor from the Tudor Empire perished. They

fell from the top of their pedestal and are now hunted by the seven

deities.

"I am not sure about the actual process, but I do know that the

Antigonus family was destroyed at the hands of the Church of Evernight.

Mr. Fool, if you'd like to know more, I am afraid that you can only

obtain the information from the Church of Evernight or from the few

ancient secret organizations. You know which few I am referring to."

I don't... Klein nodded while feeling bitter inside.

"Okay."

*The Secret Order is one. Captain and Old Neil mentioned the Moses

Ascetic Order. I wonder if the Psychology Alchemists count...*

While he mentally checked off the candidates, Alger provided him with

the last bits of information.

"I similarly have no idea which Sequence pathways the Antigonus family

held. There are only two adjectives that appear repetitively in the

descriptions of the Antigonus family, and those are "strange" and

"terrifying."

*Strange and terrifying... Thinking back to the notebook, the original

Klein and his classmates, and what happened to Ray Bieber's mother, it

really is aptly worded...* Klein continuously rapped the edge of

the long table with the tip of his finger a couple of times.

Then, he slowly began to speak.

"Very well, I am satisfied with the payment."

The reason he continuously rapped the long table lightly with his

fingers was to emphasize the action, to make Justice and The Hanged Man

believe that he had a habit of rapping in order to conceal the fact that

the same motion was used to activate and deactivate his Spirit Vision.

"It's my pleasure." Alger did not say anything else.

Audrey took a look at The Hanged Man and then The Fool. She smiled

faintly and said, "Then, I shall ask the second question: what is the

name of the subsequent potion for Spectator? Where can I find the

clues?"

*I'd also like to ask so straightforwardly, but different choices lead

to different difficulties...* Klein did not speak but cast his

gaze towards The Hanged Man.

Alger remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I'll answer the

question for free because I led you on this pathway.

"The subsequent Sequence for Spectator is Sequence 8 Telepathist. The

ancient name of Sequence 7 is Psyche Analyst but is called Psychiatrist

now. This is what I found out from a member of the Psychology

Alchemists. I think they should have quite a number of potion formulas

for this pathway."

*Psychology Alchemists... Spirit Medium Daly was rather approving of

their theory, but Captain thought of them as evil and crazy...*

Klein listened while in deep thought.

"Do you know the whereabouts of that particular Psychology Alchemists

member?" asked Audrey as her eyes beamed with joy.

Be it Telepathist or Psychiatrist, both names appealed to her

aesthetics.

Alger gave a rare laugh.

"I do. He's immersed in the seas around Sonia Island. I sank him with my

own hands.

"If you would like to look for the Psychology Alchemists, I have to

apologize since I severed the clues."

He was not worried that Justice would find his identity through his

description because he did that on his own, out of the public eye.

"Sank..." Audrey was at a loss how to reply or what expression to wear.

She drew a deep breath and suddenly failed to maintain her Spectator

state. She asked bashfully, "The third question. If---and I'm saying

if---a normal animal were to drink a Sequence 9 potion, what would

happen?"

What kind of a question is that? Klein tapped his glabella

unnoticeably with his finger that was supporting his forehead.

Very quickly, he saw the changes in color and noticed that Audrey's

emotions had turned frantic, nervous, and a little ashamed.

Could she have done something that stupid? Klein was

astounded, but didn't find it strange.

After the past two Gatherings, he was certain that Miss Justice was

quite an airhead.

The Hanged Man, Alger, was obviously dumbfounded as well. He took a

while to reply.

"Normal animals do not have the brains of humans. They wouldn't be able

to learn Cogitation in a timely manner. Therefore, it would most likely

lead to immediate death or a breakdown into a monster. However, if they

survived the initial ingestion of the potion, they should become an

extraordinary creature. If the potion has the ability to enhance their

intelligence, they can even become smarter."

"Alright." Audrey breathed out a silent sigh and nodded while saying

with a relaxed tone. "I have no other questions."

Alger considered for a moment and did not mention matters regarding the

Aurora Order or the Listener. Similarly, he shook his head and said,

"Nor do I."

"I have something." Klein didn't change his posture but said with a

smile, "It will require your cooperation."

He had yet to turn off his Spirit Vision, and he immediately saw that

The Hanged Man was showing signs of nervousness, while Miss Justice was

too simple-minded to show fear or carefulness.

Before they could reply, Klein comforted them, "Don't worry. It's

trivial. If it succeeds, it will be beneficial to you, so I wouldn't be

paying extra remuneration."

"Go ahead." Audrey instinctively entered the Spectator state, but she

couldn't see through the thick gray fog engulfing The Fool.

"As you will," Alger replied, steadying himself.

Klein moved his fingers and smiled when he said, "Previously, I said

that we would do some experiments to enable you to ask for a leave of

absence. That way, you do not have to worry if you have to be somewhere

inappropriate on a Monday afternoon."

"That's our wish." Audrey loosened her tightly knitted eyebrows.

Alger thought and said, "What do you need us to do?"

"You could try a piece of ritualistic magic during your free time. It

need not be too formal. As long as you are in an environment that won't

be disturbed... Put four brand new candles on an altar, placed on four

corners respectively. It's best if they are candles with a sandalwood

scent. Put a loaf of white bread near the candle on the top left corner,

a bowl of Feynapotter noodles near the candle on the top right corner,

paella by the candle on the bottom left corner, and a Desi pie by the

candle on the bottom right corner... Use a silver knife to make a sealed

spiritual environment..."

Klein described his modified version of the luck enhancement ritual and

taught Miss Justice how to create a spiritual environment for free.

To be frank, as the ritual was targeted at himself, Klein believed that

the former part, which was intended to attract the interest of an

entity, could be omitted completely. However, he still worked hard to

make the procedure seem important. Of course, it didn't comply with what

Old Neil taught about gods being second and oneself being third.

"...Mix moon flowers, gold mint, slumber flowers, fingered citron, and

rock-rose together then distill it. Extract it for its essential oil,

then pour a drop onto each candle..."

Audrey listened with piqued interest as she recorded all that he said.

When he was done, she asked, "What about the incantation? Mr. Fool,

what's the corresponding incantation?"

Alger stopped writing with the fountain pen in his hand as well. He

turned his head to look at The Fool.

Klein, who was immersed in the gray fog, tapped the edge of the long

table with his finger lightly and said calmly and monotonously in

Hermes, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, you are the

mysterious ruler above the gray fog; you are the King of Yellow and

Black who wields good luck..."