Chapter 101: Brainstorm

Chapter 101: Brainstorm

“Good morning. Where is Mr. Dantès?” Audrey asked the young manservant of mixed Loen and East Balam blood with a polite smile.

Enuni bowed.

“He has gone to the washroom and will return very soon, esteemed miss. Would you like to wait here?”

“All right.” Audrey found a single-seater sofa and sat down. All kinds of thoughts surged through her mind.

To be honest, if the problem were simply to deal with Hvin Rambis, she already had a concrete idea: hypnotize herself in advance so that when Hvin Rambis came to obtain feedback, she could trigger, without any “malice,” the charm that The World, Gehrman Sparrow, had given her. After that, she would cooperate with that mad adventurer in hunting a demigod.

Hmph. To ensure there are no problems, I could even ask Madam Hermit for help. She is already a demigod. She could lie in ambush and join forces with Mr. World at the critical moment. If that happens, Hvin Rambis should be unable to escape, right… Audrey pressed her lips together, restraining the impulse to bare her teeth softly.

As for how The Hermit would come to Backlund, she did not think that would be troublesome. They could rent Leymano’s Travels, ask Mr. World to record Teleportation, and then pray to Mr. Fool to transfer it.

However, even if Hvin Rambis failed to escape and reveal the culprit, the Psychology Alchemists would have every reason to suspect the person this demigod had last contacted—namely Audrey herself.

And that meant there would be countless troubles afterward… Audrey’s eyes shifted slightly as she worked hard to calm herself.

At this moment, Dwayne Dantès, with graying temples and a refined bearing, returned from the washroom and smiled as he greeted the noble young lady waiting for him.

After having his personal valet Enuni stand guard at the door, the wealthy gentleman looked around the room, finally settling his gaze on Audrey.

“You seem to have encountered some difficulty?”

Audrey did not try to interpret Mr. World’s body language. She answered frankly,

“Yes…”

She summarized her earlier encounter, focusing only on the important points. At the end, she said,

“What should I do in order to truly solve the problem?”

By “truly solve,” she meant leaving no future trouble behind.

Klein smiled.

“Why not discuss it with those two ladies?”

That’s right! I can apply for a small-scale private exchange like Mr. Moon did… Hmm. Judgement Xio and Magician Fors, who are already involved in this matter, definitely need to participate. Other than them, Mr. World, Mr. Hanged Man, Madam Hermit, and Mr. Moon should be invited. Uh, perhaps not Mr. Moon… Audrey inexplicably felt a little more energized.

In that instant, she felt that she was not fighting alone.

“I understand.” Audrey nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face.

She then thought of another question and hurriedly took the chance to ask for advice.

“Hvin Rambis asked me not to resist several princes anymore, and to praise them before my parents. What exactly is his goal?”

Klein thought for a moment.

“It might be to display a superficial friendliness, to draw in your father, and to hint at the Church of Evernight behind him. Regardless of what secret the king is hiding, or whether he can succeed, in the end, he will certainly need the support of at least one orthodox Church. This can be used to divide the forces opposing him.”

“So that is it…” Audrey did not feel much resistance toward Mr. World’s explanation, because once one removed the shell of Beyonder powers, the essence was the politics she was familiar with.

She did not stay any longer. After returning to her office and finishing her daily work, she seized the lunch break to pray to Mr. Fool and request the convening of a small-scale gathering.

…

Above the boundless grayish-white fog, one crimson beam after another shot upward around the ancient, mottled bronze long table.

Justice Audrey looked around, rose, and curtsied to the other members.

“Everyone, I have a matter on which I hope to receive your opinions.”

“It sounds urgent.” The Hanged Man, Alger, gently nodded in response.

Justice Audrey sat down.

“Yes.”

She then looked toward Judgement Xio and Magician Fors.

“This morning, I encountered Hvin Rambis. He hypnotized me into helping him do two things and forgetting that he had come.

“Fortunately, I was cautious enough. I quickly discovered the abnormality and, with Mr. Fool’s blessing, remembered everything.

“One of the things Hvin Rambis asked me to do was arrange a meeting with Miss Judgement and Miss Magician, then take the chance to hypnotize them, learn from them who directed their recent actions, and have them leave Backlund as soon as possible.”

What? Magician Fors had at first only been worried for Miss Justice’s safety, never expecting that after circling around, the matter would return to herself and Xio!

He actually tried to act through Miss Audrey. That is truly hard to guard against! And now a demigod has his eyes on us… After her astonishment, Fors felt more shock and fear well up inside her.

She could not help glancing at her friend, only to see Judgement Xio sitting there seemingly calm, while her hands had already unconsciously clenched into fists.

The Hermit Cattleya listened with slight incomprehension. Her brows furrowed as she said,

“The Psychology Alchemists—or rather, Hvin Rambis—has discovered that Miss Judgement and Miss Magician are members of our Tarot Club?”

This was an extremely serious and crucial issue.

Justice Audrey shook her head.

“No. It is only because I know them in the real world.”

At this point, she no longer tried to conceal her identity from Fors and Xio.

In truth, ever since Xio joined the Tarot Club and obtained the Judgement card, Audrey had known that she would be exposed sooner or later. Through repeated observation, she had also confirmed that her two friends had probably already guessed it, but had tactfully left the matter unspoken.

“You know them?” The Hermit Cattleya pushed the heavy glasses on the bridge of her nose, quite surprised as she asked back.

Justice Audrey nodded.

“Yes. In fact, I was the one who recommended them to join. Mr. Hanged Man can testify to that…”

Huh? Weren’t we pulled here after reciting Mr. Fool’s honorific name to save ourselves? How did that turn into being recommended to join? Magician Fors looked at Miss Justice, then at Judgement Xio, her face full of confusion and incomprehension.

Xio also rarely showed a similar expression, because the word “recommended” exceeded the scope of her understanding and guesses.

Justice Audrey felt a little embarrassed. She blinked and sheepishly explained to her two friends,

“Because each of you had something special about you, and because I hoped the Tarot Club could grow stronger, I recommended you to Mr. Fool. However, this only gave you an opportunity. If you had failed Mr. Fool’s test, He would not have pulled you here.”

A test? Did I ever undergo any test? Magician Fors remained bewildered, while Judgement Xio thought of many things, especially the origin of the paper on which Mr. Fool’s honorific name had been written, as well as the encounter that had once sent her rushing to find someone to exorcise evil.

No wonder I had the feeling that they knew each other… No wonder Miss Judgement only joined after such a long interval. Their tests must have differed… Each has something special—does this “specialness” serve as the Tarot Club’s selection standard? Do I have it too? The Hermit Cattleya came to some realizations while also forming guesses.

Having already made a certain judgment in this regard, and not surprised at all, The Hanged Man, Alger, chuckled.

“We can talk about those matters later. Miss Justice, the question you wish to ask is how to resolve Hvin Rambis?”

“Yes.” Justice Audrey returned to the main topic and asked seriously, “If I not only want to deal with Hvin Rambis, but also prevent the Psychology Alchemists from suspecting me, what should I do?”

The Hanged Man Alger had no experience dealing with demigods either. He could only rely on the thinking habits he had developed over a long time and speak after careful consideration.

“Lock onto Hvin Rambis’s trail and only act after he contacts someone else?”

“How do we lock onto him?” Justice Audrey asked the question herself, then answered it herself. “After obtaining answers from Miss Judgement and Miss Magician, once I see Hvin Rambis again, I can wait until he has just left, then recite Mr. Fool’s honorific name and ask Him to cast His gaze upon that demigod?”

In theory, that can work. My “true vision” above the gray fog covers a radius of nearly ten kilometers. As long as Hvin Rambis cannot “teleport,” I can determine his short-term whereabouts and trajectory. Then I can return to the real world and directly Travel over. Hmm, divination assistance will be needed… The problem is that this means The Fool personally intervenes… Klein, under the identity of The World, Gehrman Sparrow, spoke in a hoarse voice:

“I will remind you of one thing. Miss Judgement and Miss Magician once mentioned Adam in the real world. The Psychology Alchemists originated from the excavation of Hermes’s ruins. Hermes is a member of the Twilight Hermit Order, and one of the founders of the Twilight Hermit Order is Adam. Mr. Fool does not wish to directly become enemies with the Twilight Hermit Order over this matter. Even if we do something, we should avoid being known.”

The information contained in this chain of words made The Hanged Man Alger, The Hermit Cattleya, and the others feel as though they were enduring a real brainstorm. Judgement Xio and Magician Fors were even more strongly frightened.

So that organization is called the Twilight Hermit Order… Mr. Fool does not wish to become enemies with the Twilight Hermit Order over this matter because He recently cooperated with the Angel of Imagination Adam to plot against Ince Zangwill? I did not expect the Psychology Alchemists to actually be connected to the Twilight Hermit Order… Wait. Hermes? He—He is actually still alive? He is actually a member of the Twilight Hermit Order? This organization’s members really are all unimaginable great figures? The Hanged Man Alger first glanced at The World, Gehrman Sparrow, then could not help looking toward The Hermit Cattleya.

He discovered that the latter was equally shocked and did not conceal it.

“The Twilight Hermit Order… Is this the ancient secret organization Emperor Roselle joined?” The Hermit Cattleya asked, as though speaking to herself and seeking confirmation at the same time.

The World, Gehrman Sparrow, gave the answer:

“Yes.

“After you return to the real world, it is best not to think back on matters related to it. They can easily be sensed. If you are not confident in yourselves, you can ask Miss Justice to give you psychological suggestions here.”