Chapter 100: Ancient Gods

Chapter One Hundred
Ancient Gods

Justice Audrey was just about to request a private exchange when she suddenly noticed something: The World, seated at the lowest end of the bronze long table, showed no interest in the acting method at all. He did not even reveal an impulse to ask about it.

He already knew the acting method? Or did he ask Mr. Fool privately?

Audrey muttered inwardly but still acted cautiously, requesting an isolated environment for private communication.

Then she looked at Fors and chose her words and pronunciation carefully.

“Our attitude toward potions should not be mastery, but digestion.

“The key to digestion is acting, and the key to acting is the name of the potion.”

“Why?” Fors blurted out.

After considering briefly, she added another question. “And how should one act?”

Audrey recalled the posture and example Mr. Fool had once given, repeating the series of descriptions involving a castle, a guard, an invitation, and disguise. At the end, she said, “In short, the goal of acting is to harmonize body, mind, and spirit, bypass the stubborn resistance of the residual spirit within the potion, then shatter and digest it.”

As a novelist, Fors possessed powerful imagination. At the same time that Justice finished speaking, corresponding images and scenes had already formed in her mind, allowing her to basically understand what the other woman meant to express.

“So that is how it is…”

“So there is actually a way to eliminate the residual mental influence inside a potion and reduce the risk of losing control.”

“The more I think about it, the more possible it seems!”

…

Fors’s doubts gradually diminished, and surprise slowly filled her heart.

Finally, as if seeking confirmation, she asked, “This was taught by Mr. Fool?”

“Yes. Without Mr. Fool, perhaps we would already have lost control. The fact that we still exist proves the acting method effective,” Justice Audrey praised sincerely.

Hoo…

Fors quietly exhaled, feeling that her future was filled with the radiance of hope.

Is this the fortuitous encounter described in all sorts of novels? It truly feels wonderful! Still, I cannot be careless. Mr. Fool may be an evil god with ill intentions hidden very deeply…

Fors reminded herself inwardly.

Immediately afterward, she began thinking about the more important question: how should she act as an Apprentice?

From the literal meaning alone, “Apprentice” means that one’s skills in all areas are not yet mature, that one still must receive instruction, still must focus on learning. One must not be arrogant or overreach. One must understand how small one’s own strength is?

Fors’s thoughts quickly scattered outward. She did not even notice that the private exchange had ended.

At that moment, The Sun, Derrick, silently looked around once. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I want to know which seven gods make up the Seven Gods you speak of, as well as their general situations.”

He finally could not help asking the question that had long rested across his heart.

…I know this!

Justice Audrey almost failed to react at first, but she quickly understood what The Sun was asking and slightly raised her right hand.

At the same time, The Hanged Man and The World also indicated that they could answer.

…What are they doing?

Fors looked on blankly, struggling to recall what had just happened.

An instant later, she remembered The Sun’s question and chewed out the implication hidden within his words.

No way. He actually does not know the Seven Gods? Where did he come from?

Fors stared in astonishment at Mr. Sun, who was only a youth.

On the Northern Continent, apart from children who knew nothing yet, no one was ignorant of the seven orthodox deities!

Even the poor and the homeless who struggled to survive were no exception.

To them, the free food churches occasionally distributed was terribly tempting, and the almshouses they established were like a candle flame amid despair.

Someone from the Southern Continent colonies? But why would he ask such a simple question here? There is no need at all! He could simply find a church and ask a pastor or priest to preach, and he would learn the relevant information! Where exactly does The Sun live? What an oddity!

As Fors muttered inwardly and looked left and right, she discovered that Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and Mr. World were not surprised by this at all.

At that moment, The Fool, Klein, shrouded within the fog, saw that three people had rushed to answer and smiled.

“Mr. Sun, with whom do you wish to trade?

“What payment are you willing to offer?”

The Sun, Derrick, pressed his lips together and thought for a few seconds.

“I will trade privately with each of them.”

Only that way could he obtain the most complete intelligence… Derrick had matured somewhat in the harsh environment of the City of Silver and through the previous patrols and clearing operations.

He paused, then said, “The payment will be one question for each of them. Any question I am able to answer.”

“I accept. I am very interested in the City of Silver,” Justice Audrey said with a shallow smile, without hesitation.

City of Silver? What place is that? Why have I never heard of it?

Fors looked around blankly, feeling that she could not understand a thing they were saying.

Audrey glanced at her and kindly explained, “Mr. Sun is not on the Southern or Northern Continents, nor on an island in the ocean. The City of Silver lies beyond the limits of what we recognize—or rather, beyond the limits of our exploration.”

That has to be a lie, right?

The thought instinctively appeared in Fors’s mind.

However, The Sun’s performance and the fact that everyone could not possibly be colluding merely to deceive her made her quickly accept Audrey’s explanation.

This secret gathering is even more inconceivable than I imagined… Mr. Fool is even more powerful than I imagined…

Fors silently exhaled, sighing inwardly.

Audrey vaguely read her current thoughts and suddenly felt a strong urge to show off how Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, Intis Ambassador Bakerland, and Swindler Lanevus had all died because of the Tarot Club.

What a pity. If Fors learns those three things, she will immediately be able to deduce that Audrey is Justice. Keep it secret. Keep it secret… Even if it is painful, I must keep it secret!

Justice Audrey suddenly took a deep breath.

Because she did not understand the City of Silver and did not know what she should ask, Fors did not participate in the next transaction and chose only to observe.

The Hanged Man and The World, one after another, also agreed to The Sun Derrick’s request.

The happiest person was Klein. To him, this meant one gain had become three.

During private exchanges, The Fool could listen in! And Klein obviously did not plan to block himself.

“Student Sun really is so simple and honest!”

He laughed silently inside his heart.

Because there was a large amount of information related to the Seven Gods, Justice, The Hanged Man, and The World could only select what each believed to be most important and write it down. After a while, they each passed their descriptions to The Sun.

Derrick rapidly skimmed through them, his gaze pausing on several lines of words:

“Apart from the Lord who created everything, the oldest deities are the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Their Churches are likewise the oldest Churches.”

Why have I never heard of them… These deities—I have not heard of a single one… I feel as though something very important is hidden here…

The Sun, Derrick, knew the Tarot Gathering’s time was limited, so he hastily ended his reading, planning to pray to Mr. Fool for help in recalling the contents after he returned.

The first to ask a question was Justice Audrey.

Because of the serial murder case, she was quite interested in the Sequence Demon. Imitating Mr. World, she asked the corresponding question.

Derrick answered skillfully and additionally added, “At the corresponding Sequence 7, Beyonders of the Abyss pathway can already effectively interfere with divination and spirit channeling.”

A Demon’s abilities really are frightening. I wonder whether my Sequence 7, Psychiatrist, will bring a qualitative change… Or will that have to wait until Sequence 6?

Audrey listened with a fair amount of fear.

The second question came from The Hanged Man, Alger.

He seemed to have considered it for a very long time. Looking at The Sun, he said in a deep voice, “I wish to understand the City of Silver’s creation myth.”

The slightly tense Derrick relaxed a little and said, “The omniscient and omnipotent God created everything, then entered slumber.

“The Giant King, Aurmir; the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt; the Elf King, Soniathrym; the Vampire Ancestor, Lilith; the Demon Monarch, Farbauti; the Phoenix Ancestor, Gregrace; the King of Mutants, Kvastir; and the Demonic Wolf King, Flegrea, divided the authority left behind by the Lord. They became the gods who ruled the sky, the earth, and the sea; who ruled the real world, the spirit world, and the Astral World; who ruled the various races. They were true gods, ancient gods.”

Flegrea?

Listening from the side, Klein suddenly noticed a familiar word.

Whenever he advanced and his state was unstable, or whenever he came into contact with the residual influence of the Antigonus family notebook, illusory ravings from an unknown source would echo beside his ears:

“Hornacis… Flegrea… Hornacis… Flegrea… Hornacis… Flegrea…”

Klein had long known that Hornacis referred to the mountain range with the ruins of the Nation of Evernight, but he had never understood what the word Flegrea represented.

And now, for the first time, he heard “Flegrea” from someone else’s mouth.

The Demonic Wolf King—an ancient god!

But why would He be connected to the Hornacis mountain range?

Klein maintained his posture without changing, quietly listening as The Sun, Derrick, continued.

“Some of Them perished in struggles with one another. Others, after the Lord who created everything—the omniscient and omnipotent God—awoke, were deprived of Their authority by Him.

“The first part is the creation myth. The latter is history that the City of Silver truly experienced.”

The Hanged Man, Alger, listened with lingering interest. He very much wanted to gain a deeper understanding, but since The Sun was unwilling to say more, he could only stop in time and begin thinking.

The Demonic Wolf King, Flegrea, withdrew from the stage of history during the Second Epoch, the Dark Era long before the Cataclysm?

While Klein pondered, he controlled The World and asked his question.

Originally, he had wanted to ask which Sequence of Beyonder could freely switch between flesh and Spirit Body, like Miss Sharron. If The Sun did not know such information, he would then consider another question.

But now, he had something more important and more urgent to learn. In a gloomy, hoarse voice, he said, “Everything about the Demonic Wolf King, Flegrea.”

The Sun, Derrick, looked at Mr. World in slight astonishment and frowned faintly.

“I do not know much about this ancient god.

“He was also called the Demonic Wolf of Destruction and the Demonic Wolf of Evernight.”

“Demonic Wolf of Evernight… Evernight?”

Klein’s eyes narrowed slightly.