Chapter 6: Living Expenses

Chapter 6: Living Expenses

Reserve the mystical item?

The Hanged Man Alger was stunned for a second before he reacted to what Miss Justice was saying.

The limits of his thinking were immediately opened, and he sensed room for this matter to be used to his advantage.

“In a certain sense, the Beyonder characteristic commissioned by The World has already been sold. The item has a definite destination… I can completely simplify the process, making things easier and more favorable for myself. In other words, I do not need to sell it to the Artisan first. I should choose the method of commissioning its creation. This way, I will not have to worry about whether the characteristic can be sold. I can obtain the commission The World promised, and also gain more profit from Miss Justice. The only upfront cost I need to pay is the processing fee. Of course, I must take into consideration the risk of the Artisan failing to honor his promise…”

As one thought after another surfaced, The Hanged Man Alger quickly weighed the pros and cons and made his decision.

“No problem. I will handle this matter,” he said, looking at Miss Justice, feeling as if the other party radiated golden light too dazzling to look at directly.

Even after joining the Church of Storms and drifting at sea for many years, he had never encountered such a person elsewhere.

There were plenty of maritime merchants who spent extravagantly, and even more who were incredibly wealthy, but not a single one of them truly did not care about money.

Miss Justice’s financial situation has improved to this extent? The Fool Klein was also startled.

For one instant, he wanted to speak up and urge her to quickly pay the two thousand pounds she owed his Blessed. But considering that he had already agreed to allow Miss Justice to postpone payment until February or March, he could only remain silent and still, so as not to damage The Fool’s image.

At least the money for the Faceless Beyonder characteristic will come soon. The speed depends only on how Mr. Hanged Man contacts a certain Artisan, and how quickly the Artisan creates the mystical item… What a pity. For now, I can only rely on Mr. Hanged Man to contact the Artisan. Otherwise, I could have sold the characteristic directly to Miss Justice and avoided paying a commission… At this thought, Klein’s feelings grew somewhat complicated.

After settling such a large transaction, The Hanged Man Alger silently let out a breath of relief, feeling that his own financial situation was slowly improving.

After thinking for a few seconds, he asked, “Ladies and gentlemen, does any of you have a method or item that can make everyone scattered across a ship fall asleep at the same time?”

The reason Alger had yet to go to that primitive island to hunt the blue shadow falcon was that he had not thought of a way to leave the Blue Avenger without arousing suspicion—without alerting the dozen or so sailors and crew members belonging to the Church.

Make everyone on a ship fall asleep? Klein’s first thought was the Biological Poison Bottle, but that item’s effects could not be controlled at all. The scene would likely be far from pretty.

Immediately after, he remembered the Nightmare soul within Creeping Hunger. Making people fall asleep and dragging them into dreams were specialties of that Beyonder profession.

“But the problem is that a Nightmare cannot cause that many people to enter dreams at the same time. The limit of influence is no more than ten people. To satisfy Mr. Hanged Man’s request, it would require at least a corresponding Sequence 5 of that pathway, and possibly even a demigod-level expert…” Klein dismissed the idea and did not have The World speak.

At the same time, Justice Audrey, The Magician Fors, and The Sun Derrick either shook their heads or answered that they had no such thing.

The Moon Emlyn thought back for a moment and said, “I can help you ask around. Perhaps we Blood Clan have a mystical item with a similar effect.”

He always says “we Blood Clan”… In the future, I can persuade him more by starting from that angle… The Hanged Man Alger grasped something and nodded with a smile.

“Thank you.”

Seeing that the transaction segment was nearing its end, Klein hurriedly had The World mention his newest needs.

“Everyone, help me keep an eye out for the remnant spirituality of an ancient wraith and the eye of a six-winged gargoyle.”

The supplementary ingredients aside from those would not be too difficult to purchase, so he believed there was no need to go through the Tarot Club.

“Alright.” The Sun Derrick was the first to respond, then added somewhat embarrassedly, “Mr. World, the method you want for removing mental corruption from Beyonder characteristics will still require some time. I should soon be able to advance to Sequence 7.”

As he spoke, he looked to the side.

“Mr. Hanged Man, once I return to the City of Silver, I will organize a list of common monsters in the surrounding region.”

He firmly remembered everything he owed others and every promise he had made but had not yet fulfilled. He felt that if he did not, he would not even sleep peacefully.

“No problem,” the gloomy World said, not particularly concerned.

Klein truly was not in a hurry. He had not yet fully summarized the Faceless principles, and the digestion of his potion had only just begun. It would still take several more months.

Thus, his plan was not to head straight to the Gargas Archipelago. Instead, he would take on the posture of an “adventurer” and “traveler,” becoming active on the colonial islands along the way, occasionally changing identities and experiencing life, so as to distill the principles of a Faceless.

During this process, he would inquire in greater detail about mermaids. After learning that the Goddess’s Church kept such spiritual creatures and also held the high-Sequence potion formulas of the Seer pathway, Klein could not help but worry that there was some trap around the Gargas Archipelago aimed at every Faceless seeking advancement.

In other words, Klein would need to spend two to three months, perhaps even longer, traveling and adventuring across the Sonia Sea. That interval was long enough for The Sun to obtain his potion formula, gather the corresponding ingredients, and advance to Sequence 7, Solar High Priest.

As the transaction segment came to an end, the Tarot Club members entered the free exchange period.

Justice Audrey did not fail to live up to The Hanged Man’s expectations. She was the first to rise, lightly lift the hem of her dress, and salute the seat of honor at the end of the long bronze table.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, I wish to know the truth hidden behind Backlund’s great smog incident. Was it purely caused by those evil cultists’ efforts to awaken the Primordial Demoness and allow the True Creator to descend? Why did Prince Edessak choose to cooperate with them?

“According to the principle of equivalent exchange you established, what must I pay to obtain the corresponding information?”

If I knew, the matter would already be completely resolved by now… The experienced Klein maintained his relaxed sitting posture and gave a soft laugh.

“There is no need.

“The root of the problem has not yet been discovered, but there are already enough clues. I hope the people of the three Churches are not too foolish.”

The root of the problem has not yet been discovered? The matter has not been thoroughly resolved? Mr. Fool had His Blessed leave certain clues for the Churches and the military? Audrey was quite shocked upon hearing this, yet she also felt that it was not too unexpected given her previous worries and concerns.

“Thank you for your answer,” she said, saluting once more with genuine sincerity.

Backlund is still in danger? The Magician Fors immediately became a little uneasy.

After Miss Justice sat down, Klein manipulated The World and chuckled.

“Mr. Hanged Man, I found the Baron you mentioned.”

“The Baron involved in several slave escape cases across the colonial islands?” The Hanged Man asked in disbelief.

“Yes. Reddish-brown skin, a Southern Continent ethnicity, a Backlund accent, and the third tooth on the left is false,” The World answered hoarsely.

“…It should be him,” The Hanged Man Alger said after recalling for two seconds. “Where is he? What identity is he using now? Also, Mr. World, would you prefer one hundred pounds in cash, or an item of equivalent value?”

This was a task from the Church of Storms. Buying clues could be reimbursed, so The Hanged Man felt no pressure.

Money, of course! The Fool Klein, currently worried over living expenses, manipulated The World into saying, “One hundred pounds in cash.

“Baron is in Backlund. Someone saw him meeting with a member of MI9 loyal to the royal family. I do not know exactly who that person was, because he wore a mask.”

“A member of MI9 loyal to the royal family…” The Hanged Man chewed over this sentence and suddenly thought of Miss Justice’s earlier question: Why had Prince Edessak cooperated with the Aurora Order and the Demoness Sect?

This likewise points toward the royal family… Could the two cases be merged? Does the truth behind everything involve the disappearance of those slaves? Alger felt as though he had vaguely glimpsed several key points.

“You truly are someone with many channels and excellent information. The one hundred pounds in cash will be paid tomorrow,” The Hanged Man Alger thanked him calmly on the surface.

“Heh.” The World laughed, then turned toward The Sun.

“Little fellow, do you know ancient Hermes?”

Derrick did not conceal anything and answered honestly, “I have heard of Hermes, but the City of Silver has not mastered knowledge in this area.”

During the Second Epoch, there was no distinction between Hermes and ancient Hermes. Only at some point in the Fourth Epoch was ancient Hermes simplified accordingly, making it more convenient for daily use, teaching, and dissemination, but no longer possessing such powerful and direct ritual effects. In other words, the Hermes language Little Sun speaks of is equivalent to ancient Hermes… The history of the City of Silver indeed contains the person Hermes… Klein nodded inwardly.

“What a pity. I had originally wanted to ask you for help.”

At this time, Justice Audrey recalled something from their conversation, something that came from the Psychology Alchemists.

She originally intended to exchange the information directly, but after glancing at the newly joined Mr. Moon and feeling that she did not understand him well enough, she raised her hand slightly.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, I have something to report to you.”

Klein gently nodded and isolated the perception of the other members.

“What is it?” he asked in an even tone.

Audrey said truthfully, “I received some information from the Psychology Alchemists. The most important point is that their establishment originated from the excavation of Hermes’s ruins—the ruins of Master Hermes, the one who created ancient Hermes.”

Hermes’s ruins? That old gentleman was still alive one or two hundred years ago… Did he deliberately guide the Psychology Alchemists to discover those relics, or did he fall during the Roselle incident? Klein felt a jolt of alarm. After considering his words, he smiled and reminded her, “Hermes is a member of the Twilight Hermit Order.”

He did not mention that Hermes might still be alive, because that could not be confirmed.

Hermes is a member of the Twilight Hermit Order? The Psychology Alchemists may very well be connected to that mysterious organization? Audrey was startled, then immediately let out a breath.

Fortunately, I have the Tarot Club behind me, and Mr. Fool. Otherwise, I would have had no way of knowing this or guarding against it… Once again, she gratefully praised The Fool.

At this moment, Klein had originally wanted to comfort Miss Justice with a few words. He wanted to tell her not to be too pained or worried over Backlund’s great smog incident. Maturity did not mean having to abandon a certain amount of good mood or the smile on one’s face. That would not affect the seriousness with which one treated the matter, and could instead help one persevere for longer. However, after some consideration, in order to maintain The Fool’s image, he could only give up this piece of advice from the former Clown.

Immediately after, he removed the shielding around the other members and waited for the nearly concluded exchanges to end, and for this Tarot Gathering to come to a close.