Chapter 192: “Cult”

Chapter 192: “Cult”

“The Fool?”

The Beyonders participating in Mr. A’s gathering either repeated the word to themselves or leaned close to their companions, discussing whether they had ever encountered people with a similar faith.

“When did a cult like this appear?” someone murmured in confusion.

At that moment, Mr. A had the attendant beside him raise a blackboard. Written upon it in Loenese were several lines of words:

“The Fool that does not belong to this era;

“The mysterious ruler above the gray fog;

“The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.”

As the crowd examined the blackboard, Mr. A spoke in a voice so hoarse that it made people deeply uncomfortable.

“Do not recite the contents written above in Hermes. Giant, Elvish, Dragonese, and ancient Hermes are even more forbidden. You must not even write the corresponding descriptions in those languages. Otherwise, there is a high probability that something terrifying will happen.

“Help me find those who believe in the Fool. Of course, they might also follow the mysterious ruler above the gray fog or the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck. As long as you obtain even a single clue, tell me immediately. The reward I offer will be richer than anything you can imagine!”

“That description… It sounds like an extraordinary existence. I’ve only seen similar titles in the scriptures of the Seven Gods!” one gathering member exclaimed.

His companion shook his head.

“Many targets worshiped by cults have similar descriptions as well.”

“So it really is a cult organization?” another gathering member asked in astonishment after hearing their discussion.

“Most likely. Generally speaking, the spirit world creatures we summon might also have three-part descriptions like this, but one of the lines will inevitably be ‘the Blessed of so-and-so’ or something similar to ‘the something belonging exclusively to so-and-so.’ It wouldn’t take this form.” A gathering member proficient in mysticism gave a theoretical explanation.

While they conversed heatedly, Fors was nearly stunned where she sat.

Isn’t this Mr. Fool’s honorific name? Although it’s described in Loenese, I’m absolutely certain! Why would Mr. A want to find Mr. Fool’s believers? Is this the Aurora Order’s intention? Fors’s mind was in chaos.

She knew that Mr. A was a member of the Aurora Order because, during the assassination of Intis Ambassador Beckland, a certain “terrorist organization” had publicly claimed responsibility.

After a brief daze, Fors subconsciously examined herself, worried that others might discover that she was already a member of the Tarot Club and, in a certain sense, one of the Fool’s Blessed.

I merely recited Mr. Fool’s honorific name in ancient Hermes from that piece of paper and was pulled above the gray fog. Absolutely no one knows about that. I’m not afraid of investigation… But that piece of paper with Mr. Fool’s honorific name does have a source. It was hidden inside the books we borrowed from Viscount Glaint… Fors’s thoughts flashed rapidly.

“The Fool that does not belong to this era… Isn’t that the description I saw on that piece of paper? I even dreamed of an evil spirit!” At the same time, Xio also remembered the incident that had once left lingering fear in her heart. Yet her long experience as a bounty hunter kept her from revealing anything unusual.

Following that, she traced the matter backward, thinking of the paper’s origin:

It had been hidden in the interlayer of A History of the Nobility of the Loen Kingdom… And A History of the Nobility of the Loen Kingdom had been borrowed from Viscount Glaint’s study…

All at once, the same name flashed through both Fors’s and Xio’s minds:

“Viscount Glaint!”

At that very moment, Viscount Glaint was looking at the blackboard, muttering with great interest,

“This honorific name is quite rare.

“But it sounds incredibly powerful!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked around in confusion and asked Fors and Xio, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Xio and Fors shook their heads at the same high frequency.

…

After dinner, inside an elegantly decorated house.

Audrey, accompanied by the golden retriever Susie, entered the sitting room under the guidance of her psychology teacher, Islant. This was the “academic” gathering they had arranged the previous week.

Her maid and bodyguards were all left there, while she and Susie walked toward the spacious living room.

Inside the living room, perhaps for atmosphere or perhaps for some other reason, none of the gas wall lamps had been lit. The light in the room depended entirely on candles held by several gilded candelabras placed on the coffee table and cabinets.

Before Audrey could examine the environment carefully, she saw a gentleman in his thirties, wearing a gray tailcoat, walk toward her.

“This is the owner of this place, Mr. Stephen Hampres, a furniture merchant,” Islant, whose hair reached her waist, introduced.

She was about to mention Audrey’s identity when Hampres gave a soft laugh and said, “Islant, don’t say anything. Give me a chance to guess.”

He had a neatly trimmed mustache and a pair of charming dark-brown eyes. He looked extremely refined and gentle—not like a furniture merchant, but more like a university lecturer.

After studying Audrey seriously for a few moments, he smiled and said, “Islant only mentioned that you were her student. Heh, I believe you are a cultivated noble young lady, and not the type with only appearances. Without a doubt, you do not need to worry about any decline in your quality of life…

“You are a little excited. You are curious. You are comparatively innocent and full of love…

“Of course, the most obvious point is that you are very beautiful, like an angel!”

He ended with a joke, then pressed a hand to his chest and bowed.

“Welcome, beautiful Miss Angel.”

Everything you said is correct. As expected of a member of the Psychology Alchemists. But what you observed is the me from several months ago. It is the version of myself I deliberately displayed… Audrey responded with both surprise and astonishment.

“Mr. Hampres, did you know me before?”

She did not allow the look of shock to remain on her face for too long, because that kind of emotion itself was a reaction that occurred in an instant and could not last very long.

If anyone remained surprised for several seconds, it likely meant their performance was fake.

Audrey had not noticed this point at first either, but after observing other people “act” for long enough, she had naturally summarized quite a few patterns.

“No. Even now, I still don’t know you. That is merely the basic ability of a psychology enthusiast.” Hampres gave a soft laugh.

Before his voice had fully faded, Audrey had already completed her own observation and combined it with the surrounding environment to make the corresponding judgments:

His clothing and appearance, as well as the furnishings of his house, all show that he is someone who greatly cares about respectability…

The sapphire in the ring on his left hand looks large, but its actual quality is very average, and it contains no symbols or magical marks… His financial situation is not as good as he makes it appear… He is very vain…

Although he was warm just now, his posture, the direction of his feet, and the changes in his emotional colors all show that he still has many concerns and is quite guarded…

He sincerely praised my appearance, but not in the way a man looks at a woman. There are traces of skincare products on his face, and his eyebrows have definitely been drawn. His technique is not as good as my makeup maid, Surya’s, but it is better than mine… The perfume he wears is “Confusion,” which I have only seen women use… Mm, the person he likes should be men, and he plays the relatively weaker role…

At the same time, Audrey skillfully displayed her longing.

“Mr. Hampres, I truly wish I could possess observational skills like yours.”

As she spoke, wearing a faint smile, she was guided by Hampres and Islant to meet the other seven or eight people inside the living room one by one.

These dual enthusiasts of mysticism and psychology included descendants of fallen nobles, university associate professors, and children of wealthy businessmen. For example, the father of one young man was the owner of Backlund’s most famous department store, Philip’s Department Store.

During the exchanges that followed, Audrey mostly listened and did not speak. When she did speak, it was to ask questions, fully displaying her curiosity and yearning.

In this “academic” discussion, Islant, Hampres, and the others deliberately mentioned the ether body and the mental body, the spirit world and the collective subconscious, and offered some relatively unique viewpoints. This gradually cleared up some of the doubts Audrey had accumulated over time.

When the gathering ended and they stepped out of the house, Audrey looked at Islant beside her and asked with a touch of innocence, “Teacher Islant, when will I be able to become as, as outstanding in the field of psychology as Mr. Hampres?”

Islant’s lips curled up. Turning her head slightly, she looked at Audrey and said,

“Very soon.”

…

Late at night, just as Klein was preparing to slip under his blankets, he once again went above the gray fog.

Still rather sleepy, he was instantly shaken fully awake by the news Miss Magician told him.

“The Aurora Order knows about the Fool? They know my honorific name? The True Creator has locked onto me?” Klein suddenly sat up straight, as if facing a great enemy.

He swiftly denied the last guess. If the True Creator truly had locked onto him, Mr. A would have long since come knocking to collect the copper pennies from the gas meter. The visitor might even have been a Saint.

In other words, they only know the Fool and the corresponding honorific name. They know the clue is in Backlund… Who leaked the information? Klein frowned and carefully recalled recent events.

Very quickly, he found one possibility.

Recently, Little Sun was the only one who recited my honorific name, and it happened while he was interacting with members of the exploration team corrupted by the True Creator… He held a sacrificial ritual. At the scene, there should have been the corresponding symbol of the Fool, and the ancient palace above the gray fog should have appeared… So the True Creator sensed the existence of the Fool and confirmed that I was the one who had previously blasphemed—no, harassed—no, that’s not right either, peeped at Him…

Also, Little Sun used the All-Black Eye at the time. It contained the True Creator’s mental corruption… Through that, He confirmed that my Blessed or believers appear in Backlund?

I must not bring the All-Black Eye out again!

After roughly understanding where the problem lay, Klein fell into another dilemma.

Mr. A is offering a bounty for the Fool’s believers at a Beyonder gathering that isn’t especially private and is comparatively open. Is that because his brain really isn’t working properly, or is he deliberately “fishing”?

Sigh. The Aurora Order are all paranoid lunatics. Their brains are more or less broken. There’s no way to deduce their true intentions!

Is this what people mean by: as long as I’m insane, you’ll never be able to guess what I’m thinking?