Chapter 5: Drawing a Card

Chapter 5: Drawing a Card

By the time Leonard reacted, what appeared before his eyes were towering stone pillars. They stood above endless grayish-white fog, supporting a magnificent palace that seemed built for giants.

His green eyes were dazed. After freezing for a second, Leonard finally realized that, at some unknown point, he had been seated beside a mottled, ancient bronze long table. Around him and opposite him were high-back chairs that gave off an air of solemn authority.

At the head of the mottled long table, a figure was shrouded in thick gray fog. He leaned leisurely against the back of His chair, as though looking down upon everything in the world.

The instant that figure entered Leonard’s eyes, he felt as if he had boarded a passenger ship and was facing a vast, abyssal sea whose edges and bottom could not be seen. Or as if he had walked out of the city, arrived in the suburbs, and raised his head to gaze up at a mountain peak that towered into the clouds.

In that moment, one thought after another flashed through Leonard’s mind. He gained a rough guess about his situation. As a Beyonder of the Church and a believer who was certain that deities truly existed, he could not resist the feeling rising from within him. Almost by instinct, he was about to leave his seat and worship the being before him.

Divine might was like mountains and seas!

Leonard had only just begun to stand when an invisible force pressed him back down. Immediately afterward, a low, calm voice echoed beside his ears:

“There is no need for such trouble.

“You may call me Mr. Fool.”

The Fool… As expected… Leonard’s heart, originally fearful of the unknown, settled at once. Although he was still worried about what might happen next, he was no longer as uneasy, no longer fidgeting, dry-mouthed and parched.

He half rose, pressed a hand to his chest, and bowed.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, why have You summoned me here?”

As an experienced Nighthawk, and as a Red Glove who had participated in several major cases, Leonard knew very well how dangerous it was to establish contact with a hidden existence. He understood that he had begun sliding down from the edge of an abyss, with no chance of being saved.

The moment he had decided to recite the Fool’s honorific name, he had already been able to foresee a tragic end. Yet for revenge, he had made that choice without caring about the consequences.

However, all humans possessed the instinct to survive. Thinking that Klein Moretti, who believed in the Fool, was not only still alive but had even become a demigod, Leonard could not help holding on to a sliver of expectation and hope.

At this moment, he heard the Fool shrouded in gray fog chuckle.

“Since you prayed to me for help, then according to the principle of equivalent exchange, you naturally must pay something.”

Leonard’s body trembled. His head lowered even further.

“What do You wish to obtain?”

After a brief interval, the Fool’s voice sounded again:

“There is no need to be anxious. Perhaps in the future, I will have you do certain things, or provide certain people with some assistance.

“Sit.”

Leonard slowly breathed out and sat down. He looked left and right, then asked,

“He—Klein Moretti—has he come here like I have?”

The Fool’s tone did not fluctuate much.

“In a different way.”

A different way… As expected, Klein didn’t come here by reciting an honorific name. He was guided by Azik Eggers, the Death Consul, and only then became a believer of Mr. Fool… Leonard could not help sweeping his gaze around again and discovered that there were twenty-two high-back chairs around the mottled long table.

Do they correspond to the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, or to the twenty-two Tarot cards… The Fool… Just as that thought arose in Leonard’s mind, he heard Mr. Fool chuckle.

“Other than you, there are other beings who were drawn here for various reasons.

“They requested that I convene regular gatherings, where they exchange information, buy and sell materials, trade formulas, and help one another. This assists them in advancing quickly and becoming high-sequence Beyonders.”

This is somewhat different from the secret organization I imagined, one using Tarot cards as code names. It’s rather loose… What purpose does Mr. Fool have in agreeing to such a request? Ever since arriving in this ancient palace above the gray fog, Leonard’s spirit had remained highly tense. This made his thoughts far sharper than usual, and many questions occurred to him.

After successfully taking revenge, he had indeed been depressed and empty for a while, as though he had lost his goal in life. But he had soon pulled himself together, because Daly’s death told him that he was still not strong enough. If he wanted to reduce the number of comrades who died in future missions and no longer be powerless to save them, he had to at least rise to Sequence 4 and become a demigod.

Therefore, the Fool’s words stirred his heart. He felt this was an opportunity. At the same time, he believed that joining the gathering and gaining deeper understanding of this secret organization’s internal situation would help him avoid, to the greatest degree possible, the dangers produced by establishing a connection with the Fool.

After considering his words, Leonard asked,

“Is Klein Moretti also a member of that regular gathering?

“Does he have a seat here?”

The Fool, shrouded in gray fog, answered casually,

“Yes.”

Leonard was silent for a second.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, may I join that regular gathering?”

The Fool smiled and said,

“You may.

“But when you return, remember to mention this matter to Pallez Zoroast. Do not try to conceal it from Him.”

Him… The Old Man really is an angel! No wonder the Luck Stealer charm was so miraculous… Although Leonard had already gained a certain understanding, he still found it difficult not to be shocked after receiving confirmation from Mr. Fool.

After hesitating, he asked,

“Why must I tell Pallez Zoroast?”

Although he and Pallez Zoroast had gotten along rather well and had built a certain degree of trust, Leonard still kept no small amount of vigilance hidden in his heart. The reason he had actively made the request just now was to use his entry into Mr. Fool’s secret gathering to balance the potential danger brought by that ancient Parasite.

He then heard Mr. Fool laugh softly.

“In many situations, deterrence is more useful than battle.”

Deterrence is more useful than battle… That is true. Forcing a balance may very well provoke the Old Man. No matter what happens, the final battlefield would definitely be inside my body, and that would be extremely disadvantageous for me. Deterrence, however, can make Him recognize the situation. Even if He harbors malice, He will think of finding another way, another path out… Leonard came to a realization and lowered his head.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, I have no further questions.”

At the head of the bronze long table, the Fool conjured a deck of Tarot cards. Raising His hand, He pointed at them.

“The others each chose a Tarot card as their code name. You may draw one as well.

“The cards already belonging to others have been removed.”

So it really is based on Tarot cards… Leonard breathed out and could not help asking another question:

“Which card did Klein Moretti draw?”

“The World,” the Fool said lightly. “That is him, and not him.”

What does that mean… Leonard did not dare ask further. He stretched out his right hand and drew a card from the deck.

When he flipped it over, he saw a sky filled with stars and a goddess pouring holy water.

The Star card!

It was not quite to Leonard’s tastes, but since he had already completed the ritual under Mr. Fool’s witness, he could only accept it.

“Return. Backlund time, every Monday at three in the afternoon, the gathering will begin on schedule.” The Fool shrouded in gray fog lifted His hand, causing Leonard, who hurriedly bowed, to vanish from the ancient palace.

The Fool, Klein, then chuckled softly and turned all the Tarot cards face up.

They all had the same image: the same sky filled with stars.

Every one of them was The Star card!

After laughing for a while, Klein turned his gaze back to the crimson star representing Leonard.

When he had attempted to pull his poet classmate above the gray fog, he had observed carefully in advance and discovered that there was a ball of light hidden inside Leonard Mitchell’s body. That ball of light seemed to be formed from countless Worms of Time and was hidden deep within his mind body.

This allowed Klein to confirm that Pallez Zoroast was only performing preliminary parasitism and had not taken control of Leonard’s mind body, astral body, ether body, or physical body. Having advanced to demigod and deepened his grasp over the mysterious space above the gray fog, Klein could now avoid targeting the soul as a whole when pulling someone in. He could make effective divisions and selections.

Therefore, Klein decided not to touch Leonard’s mind body and only pulled his astral body above the gray fog. This would avoid provoking Pallez Zoroast or pulling Him into this mysterious space as well. Of course, this Sequence 1 angel of the Marauder pathway would certainly be able to sense that something had happened.

And since the ability of Evernight pathway Beyonders to enter other people’s dreams came from the astral body, it would not affect Leonard’s ability to display his strengths in this mysterious space.

“I hope he can gradually break free from Pallez Zoroast’s parasitism…” Klein suddenly sighed.

The reason he allowed Leonard to enter the Tarot Club was that he wanted to help this former teammate gradually grow stronger and slowly escape the shadow brought by Pallez Zoroast.

If that angel of the Marauder pathway truly harbored no malice, then Leonard could help Him deceive Amon and aid in His recovery. Otherwise, Klein would force Him to seek another host.

Withdrawing his gaze, Klein thought briefly, then threw the Hunter pathway’s Sequence 6 Conspirer potion formula into the point of light representing Danitz. Using Gehrman Sparrow’s tone, he instructed Danitz to leave the Southern Continent and return to the Golden Dream.

…

“The compound eyes of a Hunting Black Spider, the brain of a Manticore…” Danitz blankly recalled the contents he had just “seen,” then stood up happily.

He decided to immediately find Anderson Hood, say farewell, and flee the dangerous Southern Continent.

Arriving outside the room of the strongest hunter of the Misty Sea, he knocked lightly and saw the wooden door swing open.

Anderson had actually not closed the door!

Danitz felt a wave of surprise. He hurriedly looked inside and saw Anderson holding a short blade, gesturing over his own stomach.