Chapter 228: More “Channels”

Chapter 228: More “Channels”

Cheek? Could it be that the Primordial Demoness was also once male? Klein nearly lifted a hand to pinch his own chin.

He had once speculated that it was precisely the existence of the evil god known as the Primordial Demoness that caused the Assassin pathway to mutate into female form starting from Sequence 7 and then remain fixed that way. Who would have thought that Roselle’s diary would indicate that the Primordial Demoness might also originally have been male?

This could explain two things. First, the Primordial Demoness was not a born deity, but rose to the position of Sequence 0 by relying on potions. Second, this pathway’s purely feminine transformation was contained within the Beyonder characteristics themselves.

Roselle had once speculated on the truth of the law of conservation of Beyonder characteristics, suspecting that all Beyonder characteristics came from, and only came from, the original Creator, and therefore would not increase, with a fixed total amount… If that assumption is true, does it mean the Lord who created everything encompasses everything—feminine, masculine, and neutral in one body… while the Demoness pathway is the representative of pure femininity? Of course, that ancient text might indeed be fake… Today’s Roselle diary contains a lot of information… As thoughts flickered, Klein made the diary vanish from his hand.

“You may begin,” he said to Justice, the Sun, and the others with a smile.

The Hanged Man, Alger, immediately looked toward the World.

“Your Werewolf Beyonder characteristic has been sold. An Artisan paid 1,200 pounds for it. According to our agreement, I will receive 200 pounds of that.

“Also, I found a clue regarding Deep-sea Naga hair. One strand costs 100 pounds. You need five strands in total. If you have no objections to this transaction, I will complete it as soon as possible.”

On the matter of the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic, Klein had promised a relatively high share because he knew that the energy the Hanged Man had expended and the risk he had borne were greater than those of the vampire Emlyn White.

At that moment, after brief thought, he manipulated the World to respond.

“No problem. Give me five strands of Deep-sea Naga hair and 500 pounds in cash as soon as possible.”

This way, only the Human-skinned Shadow’s characteristic remains. My money will also increase to 1,235 pounds. The two still don’t quite match. If I don’t want to wait for the Machinery Hivemind’s exploration of the Amon family mausoleum, then I need another five hundred to one thousand pounds or so before I can buy it outright if I encounter it… Klein unconsciously began thinking about what items or knowledge he still had that could be exchanged for money.

Of course, the prerequisite was that the trading partner had the ability to pay.

Hearing this, Justice Audrey very slightly raised her hand and, without concealing anything, said, “I wish to purchase three materials: a pair of Mirror Dragon eyes, 50 milliliters of its blood, and a fruit from an Elder Tree.”

Miss Justice has obtained the Psychiatrist potion formula… Klein instantly made that judgment, and the Hanged Man reached a similar conclusion.

“…I will write to ask my teacher and see if he has any of those materials,” Fors said after some thought.

The Sun, Derrick, also nodded.

“I will keep an eye out as well. Corrupted Mirror Dragons are not uncommon, nor are Elder Trees. Uh, in the City of Silver, there are also Beyonder characteristics left by Psychoanalysts, but they are very difficult to trade for and would easily arouse suspicion.”

Psychoanalyst was the ancient name for Psychiatrist.

Their exchange entered Klein’s ears. He immediately manipulated the World and made the dummy man speak in a gloomy, hoarse voice:

“I will ask within my circles as well. Also, continue helping me search for the Human-skinned Shadow’s characteristic.”

“All right.” Justice Audrey turned toward the opposite side with considerable confidence. “Mr. Hanged Man, I will also keep an eye out for the Wind-blessed potion formula you need.”

She had already joined the Psychology Alchemists and now had a secret organization behind her as support. There, many materials might no longer be scarce. As long as she paid an adequate price, she could obtain them.

Magician Fors repeated, “I will write to ask my teacher.”

Seeing things develop in this direction, Klein felt rather gratified. After long effort, the Tarot Club had finally opened up two major “channels”: the Psychology Alchemists and the Abraham family. Many matters would become much simpler.

The World gave a low chuckle.

“Your answers fill me with hope. But you must also be careful to protect yourselves and conduct these searches in ways that attract as little suspicion as possible.”

“Mr. World, you rarely speak this much,” Audrey replied with a slight smile.

…Got a little carried away and didn’t pay attention to the World’s established persona… Klein immediately compensated, making the World laugh in a low voice.

“You have all become valuable enough. I hope similar transactions can continue for a very, very long time afterward. That is why I reminded you.”

“Thank you,” Audrey said gracefully.

At that moment, the Sun, Derrick, hesitated briefly and said, “I will try as well. Recently, I have already completed several patrol missions, and there have been no abnormalities.”

Very good… Klein said inwardly, making the World close his mouth.

After a brief silence, the Hanged Man, Alger, looked thoughtfully at Miss Justice.

“I would like to know the details of Duke Negan’s assassination. What payment do you require?”

Why ask me? As someone with close ties to the Church of Storms, shouldn’t you already have a full understanding of the case’s specific circumstances? Audrey first froze, then quickly understood Mr. Hanged Man’s intention.

What he wants to ask about is the organization or faction that drove the Apostle of Desire. But he cannot directly ask Mr. Fool, believing that would be too abrupt and carry a hint of questioning. Therefore, he took a detour, using a question directed at me to open the topic and gently shift the focus to what he truly wants to know… He knows I am a noble young lady, so I should naturally pay attention to Duke Negan’s assassination. There is no worry that I will not answer… Mr. Hanged Man truly is experienced… Justice Audrey’s lips curved slightly as she said, “No payment is needed. Is the free exchange of common information from the regions we each are in not the purpose of our Tarot Club?”

Only in this way can our Tarot Club develop and grow rapidly! she thought with a strong sense of ownership.

“Your words shame me.” The Hanged Man was stunned for two seconds, then pressed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly.

…The Fool, Klein, who was enveloped in thick gray fog, gave a dry laugh inwardly.

Audrey pressed her lips together lightly and considered her words.

“The Apostle of Desire used a special scene and his ability to detonate intense emotions and desires to complete the assassination of Duke Negan. At the cost of severe injuries, he broke out successfully and entered the sewers.

“By the time the Nighthawks caught up to him, he was already dead. At the scene was also the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor. This gentleman had not gone there to silence him. His target was the organization that had commissioned the Apostle of Desire.”

That organization? Just as the Hanged Man was muttering in confusion, at the very head of the long bronze table, the Fool, Klein, silently praised Miss Justice and naturally turned his gaze toward her, as if casually reminding her:

“In the outside world, do not mention that organization’s name, and do not write it down.”

“Why?” Audrey blurted out, rather astonished.

Klein leaned back against his chair and responded in a calm tone.

“Wherever it is spoken of, it shall be known.”

Wherever it is spoken of, it shall be known… Justice Audrey unconsciously looked toward Mr. Fool, feeling that the blurry eyes hidden within the gray fog seemed to be emphasizing something.

Mr. Fool means that as long as it isn’t in His divine kingdom, and as long as one isn’t speaking with Him, if one mentions or writes the name “Twilight Hermit Order,” they will use some method or some item to sense it… That should be what He means… It truly is an extremely secretive, extremely high-level organization! To a certain extent, it may even be more frightening than the Churches of the seven gods… And Mr. Fool, and our Tarot Club, are pursuing their traces… Audrey felt that she had suddenly understood many things. She immediately straightened her back.

“I shall follow your instruction.”

Wherever it is spoken of, it shall be known… A secret organization whose name cannot even be mentioned? A powerful organization I know nothing about? Is this the force behind the Apostle of Desire? Mr. Fool has sent His Blessed to search for them? The situation at the higher levels of this world is indeed far more complicated than I imagined, with more secrets beyond all speculation… The Hanged Man, Alger, nodded almost imperceptibly, inwardly both shocked and excited.

At that moment, he felt an impulse to pay a price and obtain that organization’s name from Mr. Fool.

But after thinking carefully, he felt that it was unnecessary. Although understanding higher-level matters would help him improve his plans for the future and play an important role under certain circumstances, as someone currently at the bottom of the middle Sequences, he had virtually no chance of coming into contact with anything related to that mysterious organization. His most urgent need at present was still the formula and materials of the Wind-blessed, for which he had to accumulate enough wealth.

After I advance successfully, I’ll find an opportunity to ask Mr. Fool… The Hanged Man, Alger, noted the matter down.

Magician Fors listened in slight confusion. Whether it was the Apostle of Desire, or an organization where “wherever it is spoken of, it shall be known,” all of this was completely different from the information she had learned from the newspapers.

There really are many secrets and undercurrents behind the assassination of a duke… What a pity. It seems I can’t write down that organization’s name. Otherwise, using it as the villain in a future novel would definitely be classic… I still owe ten pages of the diary, and I still haven’t bought the Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch. There’s no need to spend money to understand such high-end matters for the time being… Uh, the secrets and knowledge circulating in the Tarot Club are simply ten times greater than at Mr. A’s gatherings—perhaps even more! Fors suppressed the curiosity of a writer.

As for the Sun, Derrick, he did not know who Duke Negan was anyway, so he did not particularly care who had assassinated him.

He sat silently and reservedly, as quiet as though attending class.

After the matter of the Twilight Hermit Order came to an end, Magician Fors looked around and tentatively asked, “Ladies and gentlemen, do you know any method to resolve the problem of too much accumulation of Beyonder characteristics at the same level?”