Chapter 8: A Higher-Level Tarot Club

Chapter Eight
A Higher-Level Tarot Club

Upon the restless waves of the Sonia Sea, the Blue Avenger rose and fell like a leaf, sometimes thrown high, sometimes swept down, yet showing no sign of capsizing at all.

Alger Wilson stood inside the captain’s cabin, his back to the racks holding red and white wine, pacing several unconscious steps.

In the end, he clenched his teeth and returned to the mahogany desk with a grave expression. Moving aside the brass sextant, he found paper and a fountain pen, bent down, and began drawing the complex and mysterious symbol given by The Fool.

Relying on the memory of a Seafarer, Alger quickly completed the first step of the sacrificial ritual.

Immediately afterward, he opened a drawer, took out candles, and arranged them according to the dualistic ritual method: one placed above the symbol formed from the fusion of the Pupil-less Eye and the Twisted Lines, and the other in the center to represent the sacrificer.

After clearing the desk of miscellaneous items, The Hanged Man Alger condensed water in his palm, wiped the altar clean, and, with the help of a ritual silver dagger, barely created a sealed wall around the desk.

After finishing all this, he ignited the two candles with spirituality and stepped back several paces in the dim-yellow light.

Instinctively inhaling, Alger lowered his head and recited in ancient Hermes:

“The Fool that does not 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.

“Your faithful servant prays for Your gaze;

“He prays that You accept his offering;

“He prays that You open the gates to Your kingdom.”

…

The ancient incantation echoed inside the wall of spirituality, stirring a circling gale and bringing vibrations of natural forces.

It was the oldest sacrificial language created by human Beyonders. By itself, it contained many mysteries, but lacked sufficient protection for the user.

Enduring the pain of his skin being scraped by knives, Alger took a small dark-brown glass bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and poured out many sesame-like granules.

Those granules circulated with a metallic sheen and possessed an indescribable beauty.

The Hanged Man Alger scattered them into the wind.

Woo!

The gale surged even more violently, yet no longer felt cruel. It became colored in two shades, silver-white and deep black.

Amid constant collisions and merging, the two winds of different colors entered the candle flame symbolizing The Fool, expanding and tearing out a normal-sized illusory door. Upon its surface was engraved the same symbol Alger had drawn earlier.

At that very moment, Klein above the gray fog was watching the hazy door he had seen before appear behind the high-backed chair. He also sensed waves of spiritual power spreading outward, stimulating this mysterious space.

It seems possible…

Klein suddenly had a premonition. He immediately extended his own spirituality and joined the vibrations and stimulation.

Clang!

With a sound that did not seem quite real, the hazy door slowly opened.

Inside the captain’s cabin, Alger suddenly saw the illusory door made of wind and light open. Behind it lay deep darkness, countless nearly formless shadows that defied description, clear radiances containing immense knowledge, and above them, dense gray fog—an ancient palace overlooking the real world.

Faced with such a scene, Alger could not control the trembling of his body. It was profound fear, and it was inexplicable excitement.

He hurriedly picked up the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland he had prepared beforehand. Holding the palm-sized, constantly shifting, soft object that seemed full of grooves with both hands and head bowed low, he offered it before the illusory door.

Amid a suction that suddenly emerged and vanished in the next instant, Alger’s hands grew light. He lost the faint prickling sensation brought by the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland.

He did not dare lift his head until The Fool’s deep voice sounded beside his ears, spreading in continuous echoes:

“You did well.”

“It is my honor,” Alger answered without the slightest hesitation.

When he looked forward again, the illusory door had disappeared. The violent wind had ceased, and the candle flames had returned to normal.

After extinguishing the candles according to the normal procedure and ending the ritual, The Hanged Man Alger sat down with a complicated expression and silently murmured:

“At the beginning, He could only pull people into the world above the gray fog… After some time, He could listen to prayers and respond… Now, He can accept sacrifices and grant bestowals…

“Mr. Fool is step by step escaping His predicament, little by little extending into the real world?”

This guess, this conclusion, made Alger both fearful and worried, but also faintly expectant in relief.

At least I am a member of the Tarot Club. One of the earliest members…

He let out a sighing breath.

…

Inside the magnificent palace above the gray fog, Klein was playing with the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland, his face lit by changing colors that alternated continuously.

A faint prickling and numbing sensation came from his palm. A strong sense of accomplishment filled his heart, making him reveal a genuine smile.

“The Tarot Club will become even more ‘magical’ from now on…”

After sighing, Klein extended his spirituality and transmitted his will to the crimson star symbolizing Miss Justice.

After returning to her bedroom, Audrey could no longer sit quietly at the bedside. She sometimes flipped through a book by her pillow, and sometimes looked distractedly at herself in the mirror.

She was both looking forward to The Hanged Man completing the sacrificial ritual and afraid that the result would be failure.

Emperor Roselle said that when encountering important matters, one must stay calm… Audrey, come, take two deep breaths… Or should I tease the dog? But Susie can speak and think now. She is a creature with self-respect. I cannot casually tease her…

Audrey’s thoughts scattered aimlessly while she unconsciously kneaded a finely crafted doll dressed in luxurious clothing.

At some unknown point, dense gray fog suddenly surged before her eyes, and in its depths was a high, lofty chair.

The Fool sat there and smiled.

“Miss Justice, the experiment has succeeded. Have you prepared spirituality-containing materials?”

Wonderful! As expected of Mr. Fool!

Audrey threw The Hanged Man completely aside and restrained her excitement.

“Yes. I always have similar materials nearby.”

Even before joining the Tarot Club, Audrey had been like this. Only back then, she had not known which materials counted as possessing spirituality and had simply moved various incense and essential oil formulas from the family treasury according to what she had collected.

Klein nodded lightly.

“When do you wish to hold the ritual?

“The premise is that you have confirmed there are no Beyonders around.”

Does a Beyonder dog count…?

Audrey guiltily glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door.

“I can do it now.”

Klein acknowledged this with a soft sound.

“The ritual procedure is the same as what I described earlier. Only the prayer must be changed to:

“Your faithful servant prays for Your gaze;

“She prays that You open the gates to Your kingdom;

“She prays that You grant power.

“In addition, use the dualistic ritual method.”

Audrey recalled it once, restrained the impulse to nod repeatedly, and began preparing the ritual.

When the illusory door opened, when that scene even more dreamlike than the starry sky appeared, Audrey felt intoxicated in both body and mind.

This is the mystical world I have always pursued. This is the feeling I have always wanted!

She praised Mr. Fool sincerely.

Toward the Goddess, it is faith. Toward Mr. Fool, it is admiration…

Audrey silently justified herself in her heart.

Immediately afterward, she saw in astonishment that an object had appeared upon the “altar”—a soft, groove-covered thing whose color kept changing.

“The Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland!”

Joy surged inside Audrey’s heart. Her eyes brightened, and she was about to step forward to take it.

But her ingrained etiquette quickly controlled her. Audrey once again sincerely praised Mr. Fool.

After ending the ritual, she impatiently approached and carefully examined the Beyonder material five full times.

“Our Tarot Club is one level higher than every other secret organization…”

Audrey grew secretly proud for a moment.

Then she looked warily toward the door, as if afraid Susie would suddenly burst in.

She needed to press on, immediately concoct the potion, and complete her advancement.

Several minutes later, Audrey held a bottle of liquid whose luster changed constantly, as though it could shine into the bottom of every person’s heart.

Confidently, she drank the Telepathist potion and smoothly passed through the stage of Beyonder characteristics merging, obtaining advancement.

Everything before her eyes seemed to suddenly become much clearer, and many additional details appeared. Audrey skillfully used meditation to gather her scattered spirituality.

Once the Sequence stabilized, she walked lightly toward the door with a smile, let the golden retriever in, and saw a clear suspicious expression appear on Susie’s dog face.

“You spent longer than usual,” Susie said, not concealing her thoughts.

Audrey sat on a soft stool, gave two dry laughs, and changed the topic.

“Susie, tell me, how should I secretly tell Xio and Fors about something without exposing myself, and make them interested in it?”

Before she even finished speaking, Audrey herself began seriously considering the task Mr. Fool had assigned.

Then, she looked at Susie, and Susie looked at her. One person and one dog simultaneously fell into deep thought.

…

Having completed his scheduled goal, Klein returned to reality. He slept for a little over an hour, then hurried out again. Spending one pound, he bought gold-rimmed glasses for disguise, wigs, and all kinds of beards that could be pasted on and torn off. These were necessary for future disguises.

Before dinner, he made another trip to the East Borough, the place with the worst public security and the largest population. There, he rented a one-room apartment for four soli and three pence per week, paying two weeks’ rent up front along with an equal deposit, for a total of seventeen soli.

Only at this point had Klein made preliminary preparations. The East Borough had also left him with a deep impression. Most places there were similar to Lower Street in Tingen, except the area they occupied was many times broader.

For residents there, old clothes already counted as fairly respectable. Many people were dressed in rags, with yellow, emaciated faces. It seemed as though they might turn into beasts at any moment because of hunger and poverty. Thus, in the East Borough, gangs ran rampant and crimes happened frequently.

When Klein returned to Cherwood Borough, he felt as though he had moved from hell into heaven.

Over the next two days, he experimented with conducting rituals using only his own spirituality, creating charms without praying to the Goddess, while also waiting for the effects of his small advertisement to ferment and bring commissions to his door.

On Thursday morning, Klein finally heard the sound of the doorbell being pulled.