Chapter 7: A Stranded Proposal

Chapter 7: A Stranded Proposal

After they exchanged information for a while longer, The Sun Derrick suddenly came up with a question.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, what gesture should we use when we thank you in ordinary times?”

A gesture? For a moment, Klein was actually stumped by Little Sun.

He had never thought of imitating the Church of the Goddess, which tapped clockwise four times to draw a circle, or the Church of Storms, which struck the left chest with the right fist, and designing a prayer gesture for himself.

This is probably the final bottom line of a false god… he lampooned inwardly.

Seeing that Mr. Fool’s gaze carried a smile but that He did not speak, as though waiting for them to display their own initiative, Justice Audrey immediately found many sparks of inspiration, and even associated them with a new issue.

Her eyes shining, she looked around and said, “Everyone, should we also design a hidden movement that signifies our identities? At present, the Tarot Club does not have many members, so we do not yet need to worry about encountering one another at the same occasion and, for various reasons, becoming enemies. But in the future, that will be difficult to avoid. We need a special ‘signal’ to distinguish friend from foe.”

I have an idea for that… Klein immediately recalled the secret gestures he knew from his previous life—such as the hand-tucked salute.

He was just about to manipulate The World into offering a suggestion when The Hanged Man spoke.

“No, Miss Justice. I do not think that is a good idea.

“Compared with other secret organizations, one of the Tarot Club’s most distinctive characteristics is that its members do not know one another. Even—well, I will give the most extreme example—even if one of us were captured and interrogated, it would not affect the others, unless someone could resist Mr. Fool and directly enter this place. That, obviously, is impossible.

“Once we have a complete set of ‘signals’ and ‘passwords,’ the betrayal of a traitor would allow hostile forces to use those methods to fish us out one by one.

“Are all of you so eager to show off your identity as Tarot Club members to others?”

“…” Audrey was briefly unable to refute him. She could only mutter, “But…”

“The situation you are worried about does make sense, but it can be avoided through fixed weekly exchanges, prearranged temporary gestures, and prayers to Mr. Fool,” said The Hanged Man Alger. Considering that she would soon be providing him with a large sum of gold pounds, his tone gradually turned gentler.

Justice Audrey seemed to gain understanding as she asked, “The simplest example would be this: during the Monday Tarot Gathering, if we learned in advance that there was a possibility of meeting, or even coming into conflict with, a certain member, we could design a temporary gesture to identify ourselves to each other. Once the matter passed, that gesture would immediately be discarded. Mm, if we encountered an emergency and had no time to communicate, but held some suspicions, we could find an opportunity to pray to Mr. Fool and confirm whether another member was involved?”

“More or less,” Alger said, silently exhaling.

At that moment, The Sun Derrick also came to a sudden realization.

“I am sorry. I asked a foolish question. Mr. Fool has never mentioned what gesture should be used when thanking Him because He is worried we might expose ourselves.”

He immediately looked once more toward the seat of honor at the end of the long bronze table.

“Your will is our path.”

I had just thought of a special gesture… Klein gave a soft laugh.

“Not bad.”

His gaze moved to the other members, and he said calmly, without any ripple in his tone, “Today’s gathering ends here.”

“We obey your will!” All the members except The Moon rose at the same time.

Emlyn was stunned for a second before hurriedly standing and copying the others in saluting.

Deep crimson light immediately appeared before his eyes, and his body felt as though it were slightly falling.

Then, his vision returned to normal, and he saw the dolls of various sizes within his room.

Whew… Only at this moment did Emlyn White calm down and begin reviewing his first Tarot Gathering.

“Other than Mr. Fool, the other members do not seem too strong. Could they all be like me, chosen for various reasons? Behind me stands the Ancestor. Who stands behind them?

“How ridiculous. At first, I actually thought The Sun was a demigod-level expert who had just escaped an angel’s pursuit. Who would have known that he is only Sequence 8 and is currently seeking advancement to Sequence 7!

“An impolite child, definitely not yet an adult! However, the City of Silver he mentioned and his experience of being trapped in an endless cycle are both very strange. I must find an opportunity to ask Lord Nibbs. No, first I will ask Cosmi, and my father and mother, to see whether they know of the City of Silver. Hmph, the historical documents of the City of Silver actually dare to distort the deeds of us Blood Clan!

“Miss Justice is from Backlund, and is very, very rich. Is she the daughter of some great banker, or the child of a high noble? Perhaps she herself is a banker or titled noble…

“Miss Magician looked at me strangely. She must admire the noble Blood Clan. She did not speak much and did not reveal much information about herself. Mm, she is a quiet girl.

“Mr. Hanged Man is a mature gentleman. He knows a great deal, has a noble character, is willing to answer questions for a new member, and provides appropriate help and information. It is clear that he is very popular. The Sun and The World are both willing to consult him or ask him for assistance.

“The World is not a very likable fellow. When he speaks, it sounds as though there is phlegm stuck in his throat that he can never spit out. I would not even deign to drink such a person’s blood. It must have a dirty taste… He is very withdrawn, very skilled at hiding his emotions, and he can easily take out a Sequence 6 Beyonder characteristic, while also promising to provide the Beyonder characteristic of a Psychiatrist within two months… He is quite formidable!”

As various details flashed through his mind, Emlyn discovered that the Tarot Club was both simple and not simple, and that Mr. Fool did not interfere too much with the development of the gathering.

“He seems only interested in the so-called Roselle’s diary… But He is willing to provide miraculous conveniences to His members.” Thinking of this, Emlyn could not help feeling a little proud of his identity as The Moon.

After looking around at the dolls in his room, he recalled his own problem.

“A ‘legacy’ worth four to five thousand pounds, and the hope of becoming a baron in a short period of time. This really is difficult…”

At that instant, although Emlyn had not yet made a final decision, he felt the room grow even gloomier, as though he had already shouldered a heavy debt.

…

Above the gray fog, within the ancient palace.

Klein pressed the thumb and middle finger of his right hand against his temples and gently rubbed twice.

In the silent environment, he soon straightened, causing a small badge to fly out from the pile of miscellaneous items and land before him on the long bronze table.

The badge was only the size of an eyeball. Its surface bore symbols representing “fate” and “concealment.” It was precisely the relic Klein had found on Lanevus.

On the back were ancient Hermes words etched into it: “Possessing this item grants entry.” It also provided the corresponding gathering information:

“January 4th, 1350. Eight o’clock in the evening. Babur Valley.”

The question Klein needed to consider now was whether he should take this badge to Babur Valley tomorrow night and try his luck.

Frankly speaking, his heart inclined toward not going. Even though he had already advanced to Faceless and could create a fairly perfect disguise, he still did not wish to take the risk, because he knew nothing about that gathering.

A Magician never performs unprepared… Klein murmured, then took out a gold coin and held it between two fingers.

With his other hand, he picked up the badge and muttered in a low voice, “There is danger in attending the gathering in Babur Valley.”

After repeating it several times, he flicked the gold coin with a clang.

The coin tumbled down and landed upright in his palm.

This indicated that the divination had failed.

“As expected…” Klein was not surprised.

This was not a problem of insufficient prerequisite information. Rather, there was none at all.

He sat there in silence, the gold coin rolling back and forth between his fingers.

In the end, Klein overcame both his curiosity and his adventurous spirit and decided not to go.

“But that does not mean I cannot get involved in this matter. Tomorrow night at eight… Mm…” The corners of his mouth curved upward in a faint smile, and he returned to the real world.

…

January 4th, 10:35 a.m.

Klein stood before the mahogany desk and picked up a stack of banknotes.

There were five ten-pound notes and ten five-pound notes, adding up to one hundred pounds. It was the remuneration The Hanged Man had just paid through sacrifice.

Those fifteen gold pound notes made Klein’s wallet much fuller. At last, he could go purchase a ticket with peace of mind.

After putting away his wallet, he picked up the thin human-skin glove on the desk and put it on his left hand.

One major characteristic of Creeping Hunger was that when not in use, it possessed a disguising effect and could not be detected by most Beyonder methods. Thus, Klein could switch it between its original appearance, gloves of various colors, and disguised skin. This time, he chose a black glove.

For this reason, Klein had specifically prepared a single black glove for his right hand as well.

Immediately after, he placed the brown Biological Poison Bottle into an iron box, sealed it with a wall of spirituality, and tucked it into the inner pocket of his clothes.

As for the Sun Brooch, as long as it was worn or carried on his person, it would create the sensation of being in the heat of summer. Klein had no choice but to place it into an iron cigarette case and hide it at the bottom of his suitcase.

“Nine purifying bullets, fifteen demon-hunting bullets, three demon-exorcising bullets…” Klein took out his revolver and the box containing the bullets, counting silently as he loaded them.

Click!

He closed the cylinder, placed the revolver into the holster beneath his arm, then put on his black woolen coat and his half top hat. Picking up his cane and suitcase, he walked out of the hotel room.

Aside from unusable items such as the All-Black Eye, which remained above the gray fog, he was fully armed.

By carriage, Klein arrived at the Pritz Harbor Ticketing Company in the White Rose Borough.

The company was located in a rather old three-story building. At the entrance hung a wooden board pasted with notices.

Klein walked over and stopped in front of it, casually glancing at the words.

“Notice:

“1. Maintain order and queue properly.

“2. No urinating, defecating, or spitting anywhere.

“3. If disputes arise, seek the guards in the hall.

“4. Do not open cans of wolffish in any room!”

Canned wolffish? What is that? Klein raised an eyebrow.