Chapter 34: The Hanged Man’s Guess

Chapter 34: The Hanged Man’s Guess

Amid his shock, another doubt surfaced in The Hanged Man Alger’s mind.

Since Mr. Fool had foreseen it long ago, why would He still speak up and point out that the matter of Bansy Harbor was related to Redemption Rose and the King of Angels Medici?

He deliberately told us?

He hopes that, through us, this matter will be spread outward?

Is His target pointed directly at the King of Angels Medici? No. The greater possibility is the True Creator!

Mr. Fool has repeatedly sabotaged the True Creator’s plots before, and this time should be no exception… The term Redemption Rose appeared inside the True Creator’s abandoned temple and was founded by the Kings of Angels Medici and Ouroboros. Clearly, it has a very deep connection with the True Creator…

Bansy Harbor has only our Church of Storms. The person Mr. Fool is truly informing is me?

The Hanged Man Alger vaguely understood something.

Immediately afterward, he keenly noticed another problem.

Last time, The World mentioned that a major incident would happen in Backlund, and it was immediately confirmed by Mr. Fool. Afterward, it involved the Primordial Demoness’s awakening and the True Creator’s descent. This time, the mutation in Bansy Harbor that he described likewise received a response from Mr. Fool, exposing the hidden secret of ancient Binsy and revealing Redemption Rose and the King of Angels Medici before every member of the Tarot Club… Is this not too, too much of a coincidence?

Mm. The information The World mentioned before was all related to Backlund. This is the first time it involves matters at sea. And Mr. Fool said last week that His Blessed had been forced to leave Backlund because of the great smog. The two match.

Therefore, The World is actually Mr. Fool’s Blessed? No, he should be the representative of all His Blessed within the Tarot Club, completing things that Mr. Fool finds inconvenient to do directly. Of course, through this gathering, the Blessed can also trade items and knowledge in order to improve himself. That counts as Mr. Fool’s nurturing of him.

Thinking carefully, this guess is very likely correct. At the very least, The World has never collected Roselle’s diary to exchange for knowledge or intelligence from Mr. Fool… As His Blessed, that is his duty, and he must have already submitted them privately!

Starting from this conclusion, The World’s deliberate questions and contradictory performances are meant to conceal his identity as a Blessed. This fits his experienced, seasoned, and cunning characteristics.

Mr. Fool organized the Tarot Gathering not only because He has a hidden intent to revive in secret and gradually undo His seal, but also because He wishes to use us to interfere in certain events. The members’ composition reveals some clues: an upper noble, a Church bishop-level Beyonder, a survivor from the Land Abandoned by the Gods, a student of the Abraham family, an adult vampire. Each represents either a force, a circle, or a channel.

Thought after thought flashed by. The Hanged Man Alger was not made gloomy by his own conjectures. On the contrary, he felt somewhat excited. To him, Mr. Fool’s unknown purpose had been the most terrifying thing. Now that he had preliminarily understood what He wished to do, he could effectively avoid risk and use it to improve himself.

As long as The Fool wants to make use of us, He will definitely give us corresponding benefits. This is exactly what I hope for… Otherwise, who knows when I will be able to see the hope of becoming a demigod… Heh, The World, you definitely cannot imagine that I have already seen through your disguise… Alger’s frightened mood eased, and he began considering how to make use of the intelligence about Bansy Harbor.

He could not report the information directly in this state. That would arouse suspicion. He had to patiently wait for an opportunity—one that would allow the higher-ups to appreciate him and grant him rewards, while not placing him under surveillance.

Justice Audrey could tell that Mr. Hanged Man had gone through quite a bit of inner struggle, but she could not imagine that, in such a short time, so many thoughts and conjectures had surfaced in his mind.

From Mr. Fool’s words, she was delighted to learn that Redemption Rose was a secret organization founded by certain Kings of Angels and held some relationship with the True Creator.

At the same time, she also vaguely sensed something peculiar about The World. She discovered that this organization member, whose emotions were the hardest to read, was always involved in major events, always able to learn very important intelligence, and constantly produced formulas, materials, and characteristics, as if he could hunt one Beyonder every week or two!

Has he left Backlund and gone to sea? Or did he hear the rumor while still in Backlund? Should I tell the Church about this intelligence? Mm, Mr. Hanged Man has close ties with the Church of Storms. It will be more effective and less problematic if he does it… Audrey suppressed the urge to probe and asked curiously, “Honorable Mr. Fool, what is the title of the King of Angels Medici? Or rather, which pathway does He belong to?”

Klein leaned back in his chair and laughed in a low voice.

“Red Priest.”

Red Priest? Which pathway is that? It sounds quite similar to Black Emperor. Could it be another Sequence 0 title? Justice Audrey thought, both excited and delighted.

Red Priest… The Sun Derrick silently recited the term and discovered that there was no corresponding record in the history of the City of Silver.

It may also be that I have not read enough materials and have only received a general education… he thought with some regret.

The Magician Fors and The Moon Emlyn listened as though hearing a story and were equally interested in this kind of information.

The only problem is that I cannot brag about it to anyone, and I cannot write it into a novel! Fors felt a wave of regret.

Mr. Hanged Man should report this upward. I hope he will not delay too long… With his shrewdness, perhaps he has already noticed certain issues with The World and grasped the relationship between him and The Fool. Fortunately, from very early on, I deliberately overlapped The World’s persona with Sherlock Moriarty and assigned him the identity of a Blessed. Mr. Hanged Man can at most perceive that layer. He cannot imagine that The World is actually a fake person… The Fool Klein raised a hand to stroke his chin and said with a smile, “Continue.”

Seeing that Mr. Fool no longer mentioned the earlier topic, The Moon Emlyn, who had broken free from his savior-like mood, began facing his practical difficulty.

That was a lack of money!

No matter what, he had never considered selling those dolls. He merely told himself that from now on, he would have to save, and only after half a year, or even a year, could he reward himself with a new doll, or buy a new outfit for the ones he already owned.

Apart from that, the way he could think of earning money was selling certain potions with mystical effects. But this could easily bring hidden danger to the Blood Clan hiding in Backlund.

This is the Ancestor’s arrangement. Logically speaking, Lord Nibbs should provide corresponding assistance, but Mr. Fool also requires me to keep it secret and become a savior who shoulders the burden in the darkness, unable to reveal it proactively… After a few seconds of thought, Emlyn cleared his throat twice.

“Everyone, I have a question.

“The matter is like this. Suppose a certain powerful figure arranges for you to investigate something. Although you successfully obtained intelligence, because of certain reasons, you cannot report it to that powerful figure. Then how should you continue obtaining support from that powerful figure?”

After speaking, Emlyn suddenly felt that such behavior was somewhat shameful.

This—this is very much like a traitor or spy… No, I am doing this for the continuation of the entire Blood Clan. For that, I must sacrifice my reputation and bear misunderstanding. Once the matter ends and the truth is revealed, they will surely be moved by me… The Moon Emlyn quickly eased the feeling from just now.

At that moment, Justice Audrey, The Magician Fors, The Sun Derrick, and the others all turned their gazes toward Alger. In their minds, Mr. Hanged Man possessed abundant experience in this area and was the best teacher.

The Fool Klein thought the same.

The Hanged Man Alger glanced at The Moon and gave a heh.

“It is simple, but you must bear a certain risk.”

Emlyn instinctively denied it.

“It is not me!”

The Hanged Man replied with a light laugh, “Suppose it is you.”

He then described, “In daily life, slowly display a certain abnormality and allow that powerful figure to sense that something is wrong with you.

“He will have two choices. The first is to interrogate you directly, but that can easily sever the clues. The second is to provide you help seemingly by accident, allowing you to investigate more deeply, and then send someone to monitor you.

“I believe the second possibility is greatest. The risk you must bear is how to avoid exposing the intelligence you wish to hide while under surveillance.”

It can still be done this way? Actually, nothing would be exposed. Every time there is a Tarot Gathering, I am resting at Harvest Church, and there is nothing abnormal in my appearance. The rituals for sacrificing items and receiving bestowals themselves can be shown to Lord Nibbs and the others, allowing them to guess that I have established a certain connection with Mr. Fool, but they could never imagine that I have already joined a secret gathering… Very good. When studying history, I will proactively ask Baron Wimandy about the City of Silver! The Moon Emlyn’s eyes lit up as he found a plan.

He then remembered something and turned to The Hanged Man.

“Did you not ask last week about a method to make everyone on a ship fall asleep at the same time?

“It is very simple. I can provide a kind of mystical anesthetic gas. It spreads effectively and has no irritating smell. Even on the deck, directly inhaling it will cause unconsciousness. Of course, you had best choose a night without much wind. Also, the targets must not possess danger intuition, and their physiques must not be too robust. Among Sequence 9s, those known for their bodies are the limit.

“It can create more than three hours of sleep. After that, its effects continuously weaken.

“One hundred pounds per canister, with an additional thirty pounds as my remuneration.”

The Hanged Man thought over the situation of the sailors on the ghost ship and did not bargain.

“Alright.”

He needed to establish a certain image before The Moon, preparing for larger transactions in the future. He had previously considered using Slumber Charms, but those required him to recite the activation incantation, which would let the sailors sense something amiss and become suspicious afterward.

The exchange segment gradually drew toward its end. Klein lightly tapped the surface of the mottled long table and gave a leisurely smile.

“I have already foreseen that each of you will have a new appearance next week.

“This gathering ends here.”

“Thank you for your blessing.” Justice Audrey was the first to rise, offering both farewell and thanks.

With these words from Mr. Fool, she gained several more points of confidence in consuming the Psychiatrist potion.

As The Magician and the others repeated similar words, figure after figure vanished from the palace. Above the gray fog, an ancient, unchanging silence returned once more.