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82.47% Lord of Mysteries:Fire of Destruction / Chapter 350: Chapter 11: A Tense Tarot Day

Bab 350: Chapter 11: A Tense Tarot Day

Click.

Glancing at the time on his new but simple pocket watch, Klein let out a soft sigh and massaged his forehead with two fingers to relieve the stress he was feeling in preparation for what was to come.

It was currently 12:45 Azshara time. Due to the distance between this city and Tingen, the time difference was two hours later, so if he wanted to start the meeting at the normal time of 3:00 pm, he would have to wait until 1:00 pm.

'People here usually have lunch at 13:00, so it shouldn't be a problem if the meeting is at that time...

'But because of my current job as a detective, it's very likely that I'll be invited to lunch at that time to talk about assignments...'

As had become his habit, his finger began to tape the edge of his desk. His eyes calculated.

'It's better if it's after 13:00... An hour or two later should be fine, giving me more time to prepare.

I would have preferred another week, as I said, but Mr Chariot makes that impossible! This Tarot Club can't wait any longer.'

Taptaptaptaptap

His finger accelerated, and the clown's frown deepened. The acid from the newspaper lying in the kitchen corner deepened his frown even more.

'I knew I made a deal with the devil. I just never thought it would have such consequences!

'Now my name is going to be on that madman's back!'

But what made his expression even more angry and bitter was the fact that he had been warned. Chariot himself had said that he would use his name as The Fool and the existence of the Tarot Club to protect himself.

But the extent to which he did so was something Klein could not have imagined!

A long, deep sigh left the depths of his modern soul, 'At least the Tarot Club already has the protection of a true Great Existence... I just had to shake hands with a madman!'

He could never make a mistake like that again, even if the profits he promised himself could somehow make up for it.

And that's not counting what he asked for in return for his contribution points.

It was quite a request to make of a Great Being like the supposedly missing ancestor of the Antigonus family, 'The Fool', but Chariot had the points to consider his request...

From one second to the next, Klein's expression immediately relaxed. It was as if the man had forgotten everything and finally reached the highest peace of mind.

Clank

With the full force of the clown's powers, he rose from his chair, glancing at the simple pocket watch, and made his way to the bathroom at a somewhat hurried pace.

The hands of the cheap device he had bought for 2 Argens and 5 Cuppers read 12:50 p.m

...

In the Hall of Giants, at the musty bronze table.

Klein let out a light sigh as he took his place in the seat of honor. He waited a few moments before extending his right hand to the crimson star representing the newest member so far.

In a calm voice, he said, "The Tarot Club is about to begin, so be prepared."

...

City of Silver

'It's all right, it's all right... The meeting will start soon...' The Sun, Derrick Berg, tried to console himself as he flipped through the book in his hands for the fifth time.

It was a dark brown cover, eroding words by time and use. This book was the history of his home, at least from the time the Cataclysm struck, and everything was shrouded in storm and darkness.

The contents of this book were the payment he would give to Mr Chariot in exchange for taking the first step towards becoming the Sun!

'I just hope this is enough...'

'290...291...292...'

Even though his mind was complicated and he feared what would come, he never stopped counting. As there was no constant way of measuring time here, Mr Fool had the bright idea of counting heartbeats.

As soon as he reached 300, a crimson glow filled his vision. Derrick couldn't help himself and finally closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he found himself back in the Divine Hall, facing the inhabitants of the World of Light and the mysterious and omnipresent figure of the Lord of this gathering.

'We have not been abandoned... We have not been abandoned...' Large, tearful words of relief echoed in his soul, and the young man heaved a sigh of relief.

A part of him thought that he had offended the first God to accept a prayer after millennia by not heeding his word and keeping his mouth shut at the first meeting.

'Thankfully, Mr Fool is merciful... I can't offend 'Him' like that next time, the word of a God is law...' Derrick thought in a cold sweat.

"Good afternoon, Mr Fool..." The elegant lady rose from her seat and curtsied, clutching the edges of her dress. Unlike the first time he had heard her speak, Derrick could tell that Justice seemed anxious.

Unconsciously, the young man swallowed saliva. The nervousness in his chest receded, and he could finally feel the palpable, oppressive pressure that covered the musty table.

All that pressure seemed to be directed at the silent Chariot, who also greeted the occupant of the seat of honor with a slight bow.

Derrick's brow furrowed in concern as the greetings were barely over before Justice and the Hanged Man turned their attention to the last member.

"I've got two pages, Mr Fool." Who didn't seem to mind the attention at all, keeping that friendly smile on his blurred face.

'You're looking too comfortable, Mr Chariot... What are you going to do this time, you bastard?' Klein stopped himself from blinking but kept his guard up. Too often, he had overestimated what the madman could get away with, and too often, he had paid the price.

No more! This time, he would be ready! His skin became hard and wrinkled; he was no longer the newborn he had been before!

'Overestimate your enemy, underestimate your strength...' Klein repeated wisely in his heart. After repeating this several times to encourage himself, he slightly nodded and said calmly, "Alright."

As much as he wanted to address the giant pink neon elephant in the room and get the headache out of the way, it didn't fit with the persona of The Fool he had created. He could only leave it for later, no matter how much he wanted to get started.

"I also prepared my 2 pages, Mr Fool." Alger added his part only seconds behind, earning a simple nod from the Fool.

'It was his pages that contained information about the mysterious Transmigrator. The possibility of more among the remaining eighteen is not small...' A small whirl formed in his stomach, eager to learn more about this compatriot.

Not expecting this gathering to be 'normal', Audrey stood in a daze for a few moments, not knowing what to do, recovering as best she could. She grabbed the edges of her dress and made a slight, elegant bow.

"Excuse me, Mr Fool, but I won't be able to deliver a page today."

Klein only nodded slightly at the apology from the only woman in the Tarot Club. He had already produced the fountain pens and goat parchment before the previous duo.

Adryan looked calmly at the yellowish parchment in front of him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the red fountain pen and quickly wrote down the information on the pages he had left. Only one of the two was there; the other was written from memory.

'Better give him a balm for what's to come. I don't want him to walk funny.' The redhead thought as he lowered the pen to the side of the fresh page of the diary, the corners of his lips slightly raised.

The last time he spoke to Klein, he had revealed the existence of Sequence 0 in advance; it was time to secure the leader's mind with the most reliable database, oldshame.net.com, in the hands of the beloved Huang Tao.

'With everything I've already told him, I wouldn't be surprised if he already discovered the name Sequence 0 from his path...' He even expected it, the man was smart after all.

Sighing inwardly, Adryan calmly called with a hint of milk and honey in his voice: "I'm done, Mr. Fool."

'This one's up to something...' Klein frowned inwardly as he nodded to both men's words, his inner shield held high and pointed at Chariot. The pages disappeared in front of both of them and reappeared in front of the clown.

Keeping his instincts open, he prepared to control his body to suppress any reaction that might occur. Klein decided to remove the bandage from one and start with Chariot's page.

--

January 1st, the beginning of a new year. I happen to have finished my first card of blasphemy...

I will hide the ultimate secret of the Twenty-Two Paths of the Divine in these various Cards of Blasphemy and scatter them throughout the world. If all else fails, they'll be the best insurance my children can fall back on.

Haha, I'll disrupt the order they want and spread the deep mysteries of the Divine!

These Cards of Blasphemy will have the properties of being anti-divination and anti-prophecy. Apart from those I'll give to my children, those who are destined to receive them will do so!

I am a person who makes sure that accounts are settled when it comes to grudges, and after I die, who cares if floods deluge the heavens! Oh, I didn't write that sentence.

This old organisation is my last and greatest insurance. I don't know if they will support me, or how they will support me.

I still remember the shock when I saw the blasphemy slate for the first time.

So it turns out that the paths of the Beyond are paths of the Divine. It is true that the Blasphemy Slate blasphemes the gods.

Above the Sequence 1 of each path, there is a Sequence 0! And there's a corresponding potion and ritual!

Every path has a Sequence 0!

And Sequence 0 is the Sequence of a True God!

For example, Sequence 0, Sun!

--

'This is...' Inwardly blinking, Klein took a moment to savor this page as he jotted down the information on the blasphemy card for later review.

'So the blasphemy cards not only hide the secret of Sequence 0, but possibly all the formulas as well...' Kein mentally cupped his chin, his gaze deep and his body strangely still.

'A set of 22 cards, each hiding a complete sequence... This must be one of the most coveted treasures in the world!'

Was this his legendary treasure? His One Piece?

Holding back his trembling excitement, Klein relaxed his body and sighed inwardly.

Although he was somewhat stunned, he wasn't as surprised as he thought he should be.

If this had happened five days ago, it would undoubtedly have been a different case. He would have been shocked and disbelieving at this revelation... But because of a certain lunatic, that wasn't the case.

The bandage was torn off with the arm.

'At least this confirms the information revealed by Mr Chariot... The true level of a god, Sequence 0...' When he had finished tasting this dish, Klein turned to the man's second page.

--

3rd March

Last night I drank too much and woke up in my bathroom with a parrot and a raccoon in the bathtub.

I have no idea where they came from.

--

'...'

The information difference between this page and the previous one wasn't even funny anymore; it was disappointing and pathetic.

Only a few seconds were spent reading it, a few seconds he wished he had back.

Klein turned to the pages The Hanged Man had handed him.

--

August 2nd. This goes deeper than I thought. History is certainly something that can be easily manipulated.

August 5th. I witnessed the abilities of a High-Sequence Beyonder today. It was truly frightening. There was a qualitative change that happened to them in one particular aspect, it was as if they'd transformed into a deity. It's no wonder that we call them 'demigods'...

6th August. There's something strange going on. Why would the Seven Great Churches have such a strange attitude towards the potions?

9 August. The events of the past two days have made me uncomfortable. I started the Industrial Revolution with my own hands and personally ushered in the age of steam and machinery, but this will create the conditions necessary for the Evil God to descend upon this world?

--

'History is an easy thing to manipulate, eh? Repeating the Emperor's words, Klein knew and felt that simple sentence's dark and evil truth.

He only had to look at his home as an example before he transmigrated.

If it were so easy to manipulate history there...

What would it be like in this world of Gods, Angels, and Demigods? 

How much history would be buried in their lies and manipulations?

'Qualitative change...' Klein thought, his memory recalling his encounter with the sword of the goddess Crestec Cesimir, the baby in Megose's womb, and the true appearance of Mr. Chariot.

The mere presence of these beings was oppressive and suffocating, and the fact that death was certain if one saw their true appearance made Klein shudder as he remembered his experience with the golden blood.

To find his way home, it was obvious that he would have to continue climbing the sequences... But how far was he willing to go?

'Giving up my humanity to return home... Can I really do that?'

He couldn't help but feel some fear and anxiety at such a thought, his hands wanted to shake, but he held them back. For a few long seconds, his eyes did not leave the page.

He read it several times, noticing different details in each symbol. Though much had been lost in the process of transcription and recopying, Klein could still see the small traces of great emotion that permeated each symbol.

Emperor Roselle's clear desire for the great power he called divine could still be seen.

'Perhaps I would be as excited as he was, if I didn't know what I know... To gain this power, demigods give up a part of their humanity to transcend it...'

A soft sigh sounded inside him, and Klein lowered the pages that had barely left his hands and vanished as if they had never existed. He rested his cheek on his knuckles and looked serenely ahead.

Now is not the time to hesitate, there is no turning back.

'I'm going home, no matter what,' the clown thought determinedly as his eyes fell on the farthest member of the table.

Seeing that the Fool had finished his reading, Justice and Hanged Man made the same move, turning their gaze to the black-robed figure.

Feeling the stares, Adryan leaned back on his elbow and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. His eyes were bright and an innocent smile was on his face.

'Let the show begin~' the redhead thought as he licked his lips. His tongue was already out, dripping with venom.


Bab 351: Chapter 12: The Fool's Majesty

Audrey's crystalline eyes focused on the robed man, her expression serene, yet her frown was slightly furrowed, almost imperceptibly.

She had never dared stare at the man for very long in the past, as it always ended in her being teased.

But in this situation, she decided she could do it. 

Watching the man intently, trying to detect any signs of nervousness or discomfort, Audrey could only squeeze her dress under the table. Her hands were trembling, and she could barely maintain her status as a spectator.

The noblewoman found herself extremely disturbed and stunned. She wanted to deny what she was seeing, but it was impossible.

'Why are you so calm, Mr. Chariot?!'

The aura he was emitting was the very reflection of calm, a sea of peace and tranquility. The clear waters of the sea made it easy to see the land at the bottom, and the sun's reflection created a beautiful mirror that reflected everything.

Her heart, which had been pounding since the Tarot Club began, could not resist the influence of this calm and slowed until it returned to a normal rhythm.

Amid this state, a fleeting thought struck Audrey. Her eyebrows rose, and she felt she had seen the truth.

'I was right! It was all Mr Fool's plan, after all! I knew Mr Chariot would never betray the Tarot Club! It was all part of a plan! No...

'A secret mission personally commissioned by Lord Fool!!!' the noblewoman thought ecstatically, barely able to contain a squeal of delight but unable to contain a huge, joyous smile.

For his part, Alger gazed unsurprisedly at the red-haired man in the distance, his back straight.

A silent sigh left his lips, and he could only nod toward Chariot.

A nod that Adryan returned with a slight chuckle in his throat. 'We men understand each other, after all~'

'What is this, a pact of manhood? Are they that close?' Klein thought with a quiver in his lips, his smile trembling as he didn't know how to process the strange exchange.

'Turns out their relationship wasn't as bad as I thought; maybe they'll get some booze when this is over.' Klein joked inwardly at such a ridiculous possibility.

'Mr. Hanged Man finally recognizes Mr. Chariot as his superior and tries to stay on his good side... Yes, he has shown the traits of someone like that. Someone who only hangs around with the strong to gain similar strength...'. Audrey read the man's psychology with crystal clear eyes; what she had noticed in previous meetings and how he acted showed her a little more of his true self.

Derrick looked at the other members in confusion. The tension was still there but wasn't as strong as before. Now, there was a strange feeling that he could not describe, but it was both uncomfortable and highly fragile.

'Has something happened in the World of Light? His brow furrowed, and his attention also shifted to where everyone was looking, 'Something Mr Chariot was involved in?'

Being the victim of so many stares, some doubtful and some suspicious, Adryan didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable at all, but his smile widened a little. He raised his head, his left hand now free, and extended it to the group before him as he bowed slightly.

"I know you have many questions, so why don't we get right to it? Go ahead, ask, and I'll answer. Let me save you from the world of the unknown with my knowledge~" he said poetically and with a hint of mischief. His hand opened a little wider, inviting them to take it.

At such a move, Audrey couldn't help but think of the many others she had seen at parties and dances, between men and women, when music played, and their feet and bodies wanted to move to the notes.

She couldn't help raising her eyebrows somewhat incredulously: 'Is he asking us to dance?

Klein and Alger had similar thoughts.

Chuckling softly, Adryan lowered his hand but kept a slight smile on his face.

"So? Who gets the first piece?" The man asked as if he knew what they were thinking.

'Mr Chariot, if it's with you. I'd rather stand in a dark corner and look at my calculator...' Klein grunted, holding back the urge to bite his tongue and ignoring the shiver down his back, "And Mr Hanged Man and Miss Justice are no better off than I am..." The clown glanced sideways at those mentioned earlier.

Both stood strangely still, not responding to Chariot's invitation. Although they stared at the man with clear annoyance and a great desire to strike him, neither dared to take the first step.

"Excuse me, Mr Chariot..."

The eyes of the trio shifted to the newest and youngest member of the Tarot Club.

"Has something happened in the World of Light?" Derrick asked worriedly. Was that world of blue skies, not the paradise he thought it was?

'Well done, Mr Sun!' Klein praised happily in his heart that someone was willing to dance with that snake.

'Mr Sun...' Audrey couldn't help biting the inside of her cheek.

'He's either very brave or foolish... I shouldn't be surprised, Mr Sun is still inexperienced about what Mr Chariot's full personality is like. Not to mention that he does not know about his exploits in the Forgotten Land of the Gods, nor of what has happened on this side of the world, so he is not as alert as we are...' Alger thought coldly, criticizing the innocence of the young man who did not yet know how to defend himself on this battlefield disguised as a 'gathering.'

'If you want to rise to the top with the Scarlet Monarch and the Fool, you must be much more careful, Mr Sun...' The Seafarer made a mental note to work on this in the future. If this aspect wasn't polished soon, it would only be a matter of time before Sun died from not knowing how to read the environment.

They couldn't afford to lose a member so soon, and Alger knew Sun's importance because of his background and his enormous potential.

Unaware of what his fellow members were thinking, Derrick looked expectantly at the man in the black robes.

'Ah~ Sweet child of summer, you are warm, you know that, don't you? I'm sure if it weren't for this mist, your eyes would shine so brightly it would hurt to look at them.' Shaking his head gently at such purity, Adryan sighed softly before speaking.

"To say 'something happened' is a vast understatement of what happened, Little Sun." He paused for a moment before continuing in a heavy voice.

"The most important city in the world suffered a terrible attack by the Rose School of Thought a few days ago. As we speak, more and more bodies are being pulled from the rubble and ruins of the disaster.

"I'm not up to date, but at last count, the death toll is around 190,000."

'As if that's real.' He added in his heart with a snort of derision.

'I thought it would be much higher, but it's only about 30,000 in 3 days? Yeah, right.'

The redhead didn't believe that the number was that low for a second.

'Something else happened that day... A fourth power, perhaps?' Hiding his discomfort, he continued his act, masterfully observing the frozen Sun, who - even through the thick fog that made it impossible to see his features - looked much paler than before.

Evidently, the young man was frightened, and Adryan had an idea why.

It was never confirmed or explicitly stated, but it was theorized that the Silver City had a population of around 40 to 50 thousand.

'That's the number he's known all his life, his world. What you hear now is like someone saying that Brazil was wiped out and its entire population died; 215 million, gone in an instant. A ridiculous number compared to the mere 7 million in Paraguay.'

'190,000?!!! THAT'S THREE TIMES THE POPULATION OF SILVER CITY! Derrick trembled visibly. His hands clenched into pale-knuckled fists, a nervous gasp accompanying him.

So many dead...

"Who could commit such a barbarity..." Derrick murmured, stuttering slightly.

"Kuku..." A dark laugh, without grace, came from Adryan's throat, who paused for a second before answering.

"Pathetic, shameless wretches who have abandoned their humanity and blindly follow divine whores for mere momentary pleasure, unaware that they are only pursuing a painful, deathless existence that will leave them in a ditch as soon as they get what they want, but not before leaving them drained of life and soul."

Adryan looked at those present, his scarlet eyes glowing with a cold edge, "Only miserable, wretched beings like those are capable of such a thing."

"..."

Audrey could not hold his gaze and finally ducked her head towards the bronze table. A cold sweat ran down her back.

The crystal clear water suddenly became turbulent, dark, abyssal blue, with high, powerful waves ready to crush any fool who dared to ride them.

The next second, a chuckle escaped his lips, and the red-haired man rolled his shoulders in disinterest, his eyes losing their edge, "That was our side; what about yours?"

'This guy's bipolar,' Klein suppressed a shudder along with the urge to growl.

'Is that normal for those blessed by the gods? Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies?'

Fortunately, he hadn't met enough blessed ones from large existences to draw any conclusions...

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Derrick shook his head, "Nothing as dangerous and scary as what you went through...

"I don't know what the Rose School of Thought is; I've never heard of anything by that name. But if they're capable of such an atrocity... There's no way they're on the side of humanity."

'Oh, little one, you have no idea.' Adryan added in his heart and said nothing more, his only response being a small, simple smile.

'So the culprit of the attack was the Rose School... That's all you will say? What about the things you told me, eh?!' Klein mentally tapped his chin and could only curse how little the man had said. A vein in his neck threatened to explode.

'You were kidnapped by them and held captive for several days and tortured horribly? Isn't that something worth mentioning? Is this just another Thursday for you? Is it so normal to be kidnapped by an evil organization?'

The last time they spoke, Chariot had told him everything that had happened, but Klein had noticed several details had been left out.

'You bastard! At least say something else!

Klein glanced at the other members, using his control over this room. It was a little trickier, but he could see Justice clenching her fists under the table and the Hanged Man looking a little tense.

'He knows how much we want to know; that's why he holds back...' Klein lamented for a moment before a shiver ran down his spine.

He realized immediately that it was a reminder of his spirituality!

As he did so, a young voice spoke again.

"But Mr Chariot, why would the Rose School do such a thing? It's obvious that it was for some ritual, but why? So many lives lost..." Derrick asked with obvious annoyance and anger, his voice dropping to just above a whisper.

The smile on the red-haired man's face widened, his scarlet eyes flashing between Justice, Hanged Man, and Sun.

Unconsciously, Audrey and Derrick straightened while Alger tensed a little more.

"Fufu~" Adryan shook his head complacently with a simple chuckle.

"If you are unable to understand something so obvious... hehe... I fear and envy that simple mind." Dragging his tongue at the end, he continued, "But if you want to know so badly..."

Despite the clear insult, they had already built up a slight resistance, and no sooner had they received the slap than they were up and ready for more.

'Answers at last!' Audrey bit the inside of her cheek and moved a little closer to the edge of her seat, her crystalline eyes sparkling like gems.

Alger kept his guard up, only narrowing his eyes as he braced himself for what Chariot was about to say.

'Let's see what else the Church is hiding from me...'

Derrick was the one who hid his excitement the worst. The young giant stepped up to the edge of the chair, both arms resting on the musty bronze table, his hands trembling slightly.

Klein's eyes lit up, his senses opened a little wider, and he turned his full attention to the man in the robe.

Grinning from ear to ear, Adryan chirped, "You cannot know that now."

'...'

The entire palace fell into an awkward silence.


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