Chapter 98: Mutual Observation

Chapter Ninety-Eight
Mutual Observation

Klein sat leisurely in the seat belonging to The Fool. He looked around and said, “This is Miss Magician, our newest member.”

Then he turned toward Fors and introduced each of them in turn.

“This is Miss Justice. This is Mr. Hanged Man…”

As Fors matched code names to figures and nodded in greeting, she also began observing those members.

Miss Justice is a blond lady, seemingly very young, and her sitting posture is exceedingly elegant. Mr. Hanged Man has dark-blue hair, messy like seaweed, and a build that is not especially burly. Although he does not speak much, being watched by him gives one an uneasy feeling. He should be the leader of some force… Mr. Sun seems to be just a youth, very quiet and reserved. Other than that, I cannot tell anything else. Perhaps he is as weak as I am. Mr. World’s gaze is very cold and he is extremely gloomy. One glance is enough to know he is not someone easy to provoke…

The author of a bestselling novel fully displayed her specialty.

While she observed the other members, the other members were likewise observing her. Among them, Justice Audrey observed most carefully.

Based on her figure, I can eliminate Miss Xio. Brown hair, slightly curled—this should be Madam Fors, yes? I temporarily cannot rule out the possibility that Mr. Fool pulled someone else in. Mm, her pronunciation and lip movements match; Backlund accent; the details of her aura and emotional colors also correspond very well… Mr. Fool should not specially forge a member’s image, right? He has no need to hide anything…

In only a few seconds, Audrey had nearly overlapped that blurred figure with the image of Fors in her mind.

If I can find one more point of support from another angle, then I can basically confirm it…

She waited with great interest to verify her Beyonder ability.

At the same time, she felt there was no need for her to expose her own identity to Fors.

It is better to keep a few secrets. Mm… Let us see when she discovers it!

Justice Audrey withdrew her gaze, wearing a faint smile as she quietly watched.

At that moment, because there were no new pages of Roselle’s diary, Klein controlled The World and said, “I wish to know information about the Sequences Demon and Guardian.”

He was certain that Student Sun knew the detailed situation of Sequence 6 Demon, because the latter had mentioned Demonology last time. In order not to expose that he was investigating the serial murder case, he deliberately added Guardian, Sequence 5 of the Warrior pathway—also known as the Giant pathway. Since this was the mainstream Beyonder path of the City of Silver, The Sun could not possibly be ignorant of it.

As for Sequence 9 Warrior, Sequence 8 Pugilist, and Sequence 7 Weapon Master, Klein had long since learned their detailed traits from the Nighthawks’ internal files. The information regarding Sequence 6 Dawn Paladin he had just learned from Father Utravsky. Therefore, what he could ask about, afford, and not waste money on was only Sequence 5 Guardian.

Additionally, he did not directly question The Sun. Instead, he issued this commission to everyone, because according to The World’s “setting,” he had only joined the Tarot Club recently and could not know that the City of Silver possessed the Giant pathway.

“If it is simply the Demon Sequence, I know a little,” The Hanged Man Alger, who held a certain status in the Church of Storms, interjected.

The Sun, Derrick Berg, glanced at him, stopped thinking, and straightened his back.

“I know both of these Sequences very clearly.

“The payment I want is information related to the Fallen Creator.

“Whether the two pieces of information are equivalent will be determined by Mr. Fool.”

Only after saying that did he remember that he had not asked for Mr. Fool’s permission. He hurriedly turned toward the seat of honor and respectfully made the request.

Student Sun, this cannot be blamed on me. You asked for it yourself…

The corner of Klein’s mouth moved slightly, and he gave a low laugh.

“Acceptable.”

And when it comes to understanding the True Creator, none of the ladies or gentlemen present are my equal…

He added that line inside his heart, feeling entirely justified.

While they discussed this, The Magician, Fors, was listening from the side in a complete daze.

“The Demon Sequence belongs to the Demon pathway? Which Sequence is it?”

“What pathway is Guardian from? Which Sequence?”

“I have never heard of any of them…”

“Fallen Creator? True Creator?”

“Gods! They are actually going to exchange information about the True Creator!”

“That is the existence known as the oldest and strongest among deities.”

“What kind of organization have I joined?”

After receiving Mr. Fool’s affirmative answer, The World said without hesitation, “Deal.

“I request a private exchange.”

I really want to listen… But I have to save money recently. There are still more than two months until New Year. Hold back, Audrey!

Justice Audrey blinked once and reluctantly withdrew her gaze from The Sun.

Klein immediately blocked the others’ vision, hearing, and spiritual intuition.

The World quickly lowered his head and “wrote” on the manifested paper what he knew about the True Creator. This included orthodox images such as the “hanged giant” and “the eye behind the curtain of shadows,” as well as information such as how members of the Aurora Order believed that this evil god was the Lord who had originally created everything.

At the end, Klein added his own direct impressions after coming into contact with the evil god’s child, sensing a deity’s aura, and hearing the True Creator’s voice:

“Fallen. Twisted. Bloody. Mad. Heretical.”

Immediately afterward, as Mr. Fool, he gave a judgment:

“The value of this information is slightly higher than the information on the Demon and Guardian Sequences, but the difference is not large.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fool.”

The Sun, Derrick, sincerely accepted the sheet of goatskin and carefully read it from beginning to end several times.

The point he focused on most was that the True Creator claimed to be the Lord who had originally created everything!

Twisted. Fallen. Mad…

Derrick silently recited those words. In a daze, he seemed to see the black tragedy that had covered every person in the City of Silver for more than two thousand years.

Could it be that the Lord has not abandoned us? Only—He has gone mad…

The Sun, Derrick, discovered that he was already able to examine the “Lord who created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent God” worshiped by the City of Silver with blasphemous thoughts and without any resistance.

“You should answer my question now,” The World urged hoarsely.

Derrick gathered his boiling yet sorrowful thoughts and was silent for two seconds before saying, “After different races consume the Demon potion, the mutations they produce are not the same. Each has certain traits. Which kind of Demon do you wish to know about?”

There are even differences like that?

Klein was somewhat astonished.

Immediately afterward, he discovered one thing: his earlier thinking had a blind spot.

What if the murderer in the serial murder case is not human, but an animal?

An animal that consumed the corresponding potion and mutated into a Demon!

Step by step, Sequence by Sequence, it became a Demon!

Although the probability is very low—animals have a far higher risk of losing control than humans—that does not mean “what if” cannot happen… I must investigate that point… But if that is the case, there are even more problems. Where would an animal that became a Demon obtain potions and Beyonder ingredients? It should be impossible for it to join human Beyonder circles…

Maintaining silence, Klein controlled The World and said, “I wish to know the common traits shared by all types of Demons.”

The Sun, Derrick, recalled and organized his knowledge.

“The most frightening point about Demons is this: if you can cause fatal harm to him after a very short period of time, and if you have taken action to put it into practice, then he can sense it, detect it, and grasp where the danger comes from and who it comes from. He will then target that source to eliminate it or retaliate.

“This time point can range from several minutes to one day. Different Demons possess different intuition.”

That ability is somewhat frightening… But it is not the same kind of intuition and premonition as a Clown’s. It does not seem usable in combat. Rather, it detects the source of danger in advance and responds in time. It is closer to, mm, that “sudden stirring of the heart” ability from xianxia novels I read in my previous life… I wonder whether the mysterious space above the gray fog can interfere with or even shield this kind of “intuition.” Could Stuart be in some danger…

Klein leaned back in his chair, seeming uninterested in the topic The Sun and The World were discussing.

Seeing that The World displayed no astonishment, Derrick continued, “They all possess the ability to enlarge their bodies, thereby breaking free from restraints and temporarily increasing their strength and speed. Their skin mutates and becomes equivalent to a layer of hard armor. Their blood and flesh can also impede objects and reduce harm. They are immune to the vast majority of toxins and do not fear curses or flames within a certain degree. They have innate spells involving fire and filth. They are cold-blooded, do not panic, do not fear, possess extremely strong close-combat ability, and excel at using all kinds of objects to cause harm.

“Their greatest weakness is that they easily lose control. Even when they do not, they often display a madness that is both cold-blooded and cruel, and they are easily controlled by desires such as bloodlust and slaughter.”

Truly strong. As expected of Sequence 6 Demon. Could it be that among the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, below the high Sequences, Sequence 6 or Sequence 7 is the threshold of qualitative change, and that the exact point differs by pathway? That is why they respectively became the ancient and modern dividing lines for the mid Sequences…

Klein controlled The World and said, “I am very satisfied with your information.”

Derrick did not answer modestly. He nodded, then shifted to the other topic.

“Guardians are rarely injured. Once they enter a guarding state and give up attacking, below the high Sequences, very few can break through their defense. The same applies to all types of damage. When they attack, the corresponding defense drops quite a bit, but even then it remains far stronger than refined full-body armor.

“Their Sword of Dawn, their Storm of Light, and their other Beyonder abilities can harm any type of monster.

“They are not deceived by illusions. They can also bear damage on behalf of companions within a certain range, protecting them.”

…

As The Sun, Derrick, described further, Klein could not help sighing inwardly:

Compared with a Guardian, the defense of a Dawn Paladin is like a child’s physique and strength compared to an adult’s. A Guardian might be able to directly withstand steam rifle bullets… In the warfare of this era, as long as he is not focused down by large-caliber artillery, he probably will not die.