Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Misfortune is the Norm in the Beyonder World
The Fool Klein: What kind of monster did I bring in? He knows it's Roselle's diary too? Could he also be... impossible! To borrow a phrase from Emperor Roselle, I am the child of destiny in this era! No, I must test him if I get the chance to see if he's a transmigrator. Then again, if he is indeed a "fellow countryman," he might be more trustworthy.
Justice Audrey: He actually knows it's a diary! Could he also understand those special symbols? Are there so many people in this world who understand these symbols? Or has he mastered relevant occult knowledge? He must come from a Beyonder family or a secret organization.
The Hanged Man Alger: I should have thought of this earlier—any new member approved by Mr. Fool must have some Beyonder qualities. Just now, I even doubted Mr. Fool. Fortunately, I didn't express my doubts.
A few seconds later, their second round of scrutinizing Hobert ended. By now, they no longer underestimated him as they had at the beginning of the meeting.
Next was the time for The Fool to read the diary. Hobert was also curious because there were many of Roselle's diaries, and he couldn't remember the exact content of the diary in this meeting.
After The Fool finished reading, Justice asked, "Mr. Fool, could you explain the concepts of 'acting' and 'digesting' to the new member?"
The Fool glanced at Hobert, who showed no signs of surprise. "I've already received your payment. You may explain these concepts or use them for equivalent transactions."
With a look that said he wouldn't compete with children for candy, he added, "But the new member should know these concepts."
At this point, Klein and Audrey had similar suspicions, believing that "The Emperor" must be from a Beyonder family or organization. Even so, it was very unusual for someone who wasn't a Beyonder being to know so much about Mystical knowledge. After all, who would allow a non-Beyonder family member or organization member to learn such knowledge?
Justice realized this too. "Mr. Emperor, do you know about 'acting' and 'digesting'?"
"As Mr. Fool said, I know these concepts," Hobert replied with a bitter smile. "But I don't need these concepts yet, as I haven't taken any potions."
Justice didn't find this surprising, but The Hanged Man was once again shocked. He had previously thought he knew a lot and could achieve great things in the Beyonder world. Justice's ignorance had made him feel good about himself. But today, Hobert had thrown cold water on him. Like The Fool, he found it abnormal for a regular person to know so much Mystical knowledge.
Hobert continued, "I am grateful to Mr. Fool for allowing me to join this gathering. I hope to find the cause of my increasing madness here."
He briefly recounted his experiences over the past month. "If anyone can help me find the 'cause,' I can trade some Mystical knowledge that you definitely don't know."
"But I must inform you first, I am not naturally a half-sequence 9; I have repeatedly recalled, and I did not come into contact with any Beyonder items that could contaminate me a month ago."
"Of course, it is possible that I was unknowingly contaminated. But if that were the case, I would have likely come into contact with the same Beyonder item multiple times, and I should have noticed."
The Hanged Man, hoping to regain some confidence, fell silent. All the possible reasons he could think of were covered in Hobert's description.
Justice weakly asked, "Mr. Emperor, what does 'half-sequence 9' mean? Do I need to pay for this answer?"
Hobert smiled, "I can answer this question for free as a gift, a reward for your kindness."
Justice happily replied, "Thank you for your generosity."
"The term 'half-sequence 9' refers to individuals born with Beyonder traits," Hobert explained. "This usually happens when both parents are powerful Beyonders, or one is very powerful."
"During childbirth, the Beyonder traits of the parents have a certain probability of being passed down to the newborn. The more Beyonder traits a parent has of a particular sequence, the higher the probability of inheritance."
"But most of the time, this is not a fortunate thing because the child can only follow the same pathway inherited from the parents."
"If the parents can help control these traits during childhood, it's manageable. If not, how can a baby control Beyonder traits? Most likely, the child will go mad from a young age."
Justice nodded, "Thank you for your explanation. I didn't expect such unfortunate things to happen in the Beyonder world."
Hobert sighed, "Misfortune is the norm in the Beyonder world."
It's like me, happily eating hotpot and singing songs, and suddenly going mad!
At this moment, The Fool suddenly tapped the bronze long table with his finger and, in a supreme voice, said, "You are under a curse!"
This conclusion came from his discussion with Old Neil earlier today.
Hobert's thoughts opened up: Right, there's also the possibility of a curse!
But then he wondered, who would curse an orphan who had never seen his biological parents? If it were his foster father's political enemies, wouldn't they curse Donna or Tyron instead?
Hobert thought again: Maybe this disaster was caused by my unknown biological parents. Their deaths in their youth were unusual, so perhaps their enemies cursed their child?
He thought about discussing this with his foster father this afternoon and could take the opportunity to ask about his biological parents.
Hobert said to The Fool, "This gives my investigation a new direction. How can I thank you for your answer?"
"Roselle's diary," The Fool said, "or information about the Antigonus family, even if it's what I already know."
Hobert replied, "I can pay you now with the information you requested. The Antigonus family first appeared in the Solomon Empire era, establishing their kingdom in the Hornacis Mountains, bringing the family into historical prominence."
"In the Fourth Epoch, Antigonus had good relations with two significant figures. But I can't reveal their names here for now."
"I believe Mr. Fool knows who these two figures are. It's safe to discuss them here under Mr. Fool's protection, but in the outside world, merely mentioning them would invite disaster."
"So, for the safety of Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man, let's discuss them when they are strong enough."
(End of the chapter)
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