Chapter 197: A Request to Kill

Chapter 197: A Request to Kill

“One must not pry into God…”

The Hanged Man Alger’s murmured words soon faded into silence, yet they continued echoing in everyone’s ears, alerting them to one fact:

Although Mr. Fool usually showed little airs, rarely spoke, granted almost every request, and gave people a gentler impression, He remained a god—a god who could not be pried into, a god high above, transcending reality!

Justice Audrey, The Moon Emlyn, and the other members of the Tarot Club instinctively accepted Mr. Hanged Man’s amended phrasing, pretending not to remember that the original saying should have been, “One must not look directly at God.” After all, they often looked toward Mr. Fool, asked questions, or sought His opinion, and Mr. Fool did not seem to mind.

Of course, we aren’t really looking directly at Him, because the thick gray fog is blocking everything… Judging from Madam Hermit’s condition just now, Mr. Fool is doing this for our own good… Justice Audrey slowly let out a small breath.

At that moment, however, the thought in The Fool Klein’s mind was:

Mr. Hanged Man is really cooperative. What I had prepared was to manipulate The World to say something similar and complete the final step of the warning…

He had originally felt that letting the fake person, The World, say something like “a deity cannot be deceived” or “a deity cannot be pried into” would be extremely awkward. In the future, if others learned that this so-called Blessed, this so-called The World, was actually The Fool’s alternate account, then he would have no face left to meet anyone. Later, though, after thinking it over, he realized that The World seemed to have done similar things long ago, so one more would make little difference. Besides, as long as no one ever found out, there would be no problem.

After removing that psychological obstacle, Klein had been preparing to perform each part according to rehearsal. Who would have known the actual situation would be even better than he expected? The Hanged Man seemed to have been shaken to the core by the process of warning The Hermit, and had voluntarily spoken the phrase “one must not pry into God” on Klein’s behalf. The overall effect immediately became far more natural and perfect.

Mm… Regarding Madam Hermit leaking information about the Tarot Club, The Fool only made a simple point of it and gave a warning through implication. Her subsequent suffering came from prying into a deity, not from anything The Fool did deliberately…

This is the result I most wanted. It most effectively preserves The Fool’s image. After all, gods do not haggle with mortals over every little thing. That would lower Their standing far too much…

Still, Madam Hermit’s style of acting is truly bold. Only today did I discover and confirm that this isn’t the first or second time she has pried into The Fool. Although one can’t say she held malice, it was still something worth tapping down. Heh. My previous reaction made her think that I had “tacitly allowed” her “gaze,” and so she developed a habit. As expected, she eventually ran straight into the muzzle…

In addition, when she was not certain about Mr. Fool’s attitude, she still directly gave outside hints. Her boldness is obvious. This proves that she hasn’t suffered enough in the past. Today’s lesson should be enough for her to remember for a very long time…

Thinking back to her state inside the dream, all this also seems rather normal… When a child is not taught, the mother is at fault!

Heh. Today also counts as warning Mr. Hanged Man along the way, and warning the other members as well? Klein silently muttered to himself in amusement. He looked around the table once, then said flatly and without emotion, “Let it end here.”

Hearing that sentence, The Hermit Cattleya, whose spirit body had only just recovered, immediately relaxed. Intense fatigue and relief surged madly upward, making her want nothing more than to find an easy chair, lie down, and rest for a while.

The first time is a warning. There will not be a good ending if there is a second… The pirate admiral sighed inwardly, warning herself not to play petty tricks again, not to believe her hints could be hidden from Mr. Fool, and never to entertain any thought of prying into Him again.

To her, the pain from just now was no weaker than the torment caused by the Hidden Sage’s forced infusion of knowledge. Therefore, she believed without any doubt that Mr. Fool, in essence, was indeed a god—a true god, a god immeasurable and impossible to pry into!

At least, the Queen now knows where the answer she has been seeking so bitterly can be exchanged for… I must not give any more hints or reminders in the future… Cattleya again turned slightly, still trembling faintly, and looked toward the seat of honor at the bronze long table. This time, she only dared look at the table’s edge and the armrests. The deep purple in her eyes had faded considerably.

Amid the silence, she said sincerely, “I will remember Your leniency.”

Shrouded in gray fog, The Fool Klein nodded lightly and did not repeat his previous words.

After a brief wait, The Magician Fors straightened her back and spoke before Justice Audrey could. Looking around, she asked, “Everyone, is anyone interested in taking on an assassination mission?

“The target is an important member of an evil cult organization.”

Grateful for her teacher Dorian Gray’s care and favor, Fors had recently been thinking constantly about doing something for him.

After consideration, she set her sights on the Aurora Order oracle who had once inflicted serious harm upon her teacher’s family: Louis Wayne, who might be a Recorder, or perhaps a Traveler!

She did not become inflated enough by obtaining Leymano’s Travels to believe she could assassinate an experienced Sequence 6—or perhaps even Sequence 5—Beyonder skilled at escape. The reason she considered this at all was because she trusted that the hidden organization behind her, the Tarot Club, could provide assistance others could hardly imagine.

Madam Hermit and Mr. World both look capable of contending with Louis Wayne. If one of them acts, and I help with Leymano’s Travels, success isn’t impossible… The Magician Fors outlined the ideal situation in her mind.

Of course, she knew her current savings were not enough to pay the fee for killing a powerful Beyonder like Louis Wayne. After all, 830 pounds would not even buy one of the other party’s hands. She knew very well that Audrey Hall had spent more than 10,000 pounds to kill the Intis ambassador, a Sequence 6 Conspirer. Louis Wayne, who was of the same Sequence or perhaps higher, could be imagined accordingly!

Fors’s plan was to promise a series of commissions to the person who accepted the mission in order to repay the cost. In other words, she would offset the assassination fee by helping the other party complete certain matters that were inconvenient for them to do personally. In her view, after obtaining Leymano’s Travels, she did possess a certain level of capability and could handle some difficult matters.

After hearing Miss Magician’s request, The Hermit Cattleya, The Hanged Man Alger, and Justice Audrey all turned their gazes toward The World at the same time. In their view, this gentleman had a special fondness for hunting Beyonders and possessed enough ability to do it.

I’m not in Backlund… But I can’t respond that way. Otherwise, in front of Mr. Hanged Man and Madam Hermit, I might expose the “truth” that Mr. Fool probably has only two or three Blessed… Klein manipulated The World, merging with the other party’s senses, and gave a hoarse laugh.

“Where is he? What organization?

“What Sequence? What are the characteristics of his abilities?”

Huh, Mr. World feels a bit different from before… I can’t quite describe it. It’s like his mood suddenly improved. Perhaps something good really happened to him… Justice Audrey abruptly noticed something and began speculating with great interest about what good things Mr. World might have encountered recently.

The Magician Fors replied with delight, “He is an oracle of the Aurora Order, in Backlund. He used to be Sequence 6. Now he may be Sequence 5, but I’m not certain.

“He can record Beyonder abilities other people have used and release them once. He is skilled at escaping, difficult to surround, and perhaps can even travel through the spirit world…”

The target is an Aurora Order oracle, Sequence 6 or Sequence 5, with abilities resembling the Apprentice pathway… As expected, Miss Magician is not as ordinary and simple as she appears. My earliest judgment was correct… The Hermit Cattleya quickly recovered her state and was not surprised at all that The Magician dared plot against a certain gentleman of the Aurora Order.

As for which oracle it was, she did not know. She was familiar only with Mr. Z and Madam D.

At the same time, Klein swiftly made his own assessment:

An oracle of the Aurora Order cannot possibly be innocent. In any case, they are all madmen who harm lives. Killing one would carry no guilt…

As for offending the Aurora Order, it isn’t as if I’ve only done that once or twice…

Sequence 6 or Sequence 5 is within what I can handle… The recording-and-releasing Beyonder ability Miss Magician described seems familiar. I think I’ve seen it before. Mr. A used something like that, though that might not necessarily be it…

To me, being skilled at escape or spirit-world traversal is not something I need care much about. As long as I can get close to that oracle and successfully manipulate his Spirit Body Threads, he won’t be able to run!

In a direct confrontation, the outcome is difficult to say. In a surprise attack, though, I do have a fairly good chance. Of course, whether or not I can successfully launch a surprise attack is another matter…

After seriously thinking it over, The World turned back toward The Magician Fors and said, “I can consider taking it, but not recently. At least two months later.”

He did not know whether he would encounter more accidents at sea, so he set the time frame rather loosely.

“Two months later…” The Magician Fors repeated the time with great hesitation.

That was simply too long. She did not even know how long Louis Wayne would remain in Backlund.

At that moment, The Hanged Man Alger, who had been observing from the side, considered briefly before interjecting, “Miss Magician, must you personally kill that Aurora Order oracle?”

“No. I’m already considering whether to ask Mr. World for help, aren’t I?” Fors replied with a smile.

Alger nodded as if in thought and said, “The prerequisite for killing him is being able to find that oracle. Can you find him?”

“I can’t, but I will investigate,” The Magician Fors answered frankly.

“You’ll wait until you have a result, then have The World act?” The Hanged Man pressed.

“Yes, but I haven’t decided yet.” Fors was somewhat bewildered, unable to understand the purpose behind Mr. Hanged Man’s string of questions.

The Hanged Man Alger immediately chuckled.

“If you can confirm that Aurora Order oracle’s whereabouts, why would you spend a large sum to hire someone to kill him? You can simply report him to the Churches. After the Great Smog, not a single Church will be willing to let such a clue go.”

He was not trying to ruin The World’s business. Rather, he had clearly heard Miss Magician’s hesitation and believed it was most likely that she would no longer commission anyone. After all, countless accidents could happen in two months. Therefore, he offered a suggestion, so the matter could be tentatively settled.

Report him to the Churches? That sounds very familiar… Klein was stunned, having never expected Mr. Hanged Man to say something like that.

Heh. While everyone is being influenced by Mr. Hanged Man, he is also being influenced by us… Klein immediately understood and felt rather gratified.

“Report?” The Magician Fors froze.

After several seconds, she whispered, “That is possible…”

Hearing that, The Hanged Man smiled.

“Then the matter can proceed like this: you first investigate the target and search for his whereabouts. If you gain something within two months, hand it over to the Churches. If more than two months pass and Mr. World is free, then let him help. What do you think?”

The Magician Fors thought seriously, then said, “All right.

“When the time comes, I’ll discuss the commission price with Mr. World.”