章節 391: Chapter 52: Roselle's Great Masculinity
3:00 p.m., Monday. In the space above the gray fog.
Several crimson flashes appeared on the moldy bronze table with two inhabitants, followed by various illusory and semi-transparent figures in their respective places.
As was now usual, Justice rose from her seat and curtsied gracefully; in a cheerful voice, she said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Giving a simple smile, Klein nodded slightly to the woman.
After the usual greetings, the Tarot Club officially began.
The lady did not sit down but said, "I have brought two pages of the Emperor's Diary, Mr. Fool."
"I have ready the last eight pages I have yet to deliver." The Hanged Man wasted no time and quickly added.
'10 pages in all... I hope there's something interesting... Surely one of them is a sexual escapade...' Lamponing a bit, Klein just nodded and manifested the red fountain pen and goatskin parchment so the members could write.
Before long, in his hands floated the promised pages, and he casually glanced at them.
<>
...14th January. I discovered a problem. If unconscious High-Sequence Beyonder objects are not sealed, they would unconsciously attract nearby Low-Sequence Beyonders from the same pathway, causing them to come into contact with each other. The higher the original Sequence, the more likely that this will happen.
However, this situation doesn't seem to be a constant. It seems to be intermittent...
<>
'This!' Klein restrained himself from tensing up. This diary part immediately caught his attention because he had had similar encounters!
'As soon as Mr. Chariot arrived in Azshara, I accepted a mission that led me to meet him. Mr. Chariot, who carries an artifact made with the characteristics of Faceless!'
An idea was born in his mind, and he glanced sideways at the place around him.
'The attracting force must come from this mysterious space. Another secret of my transmigration here to see later...'
This page delivered by Justice lacked more data and information, so he could only turn to the last one supplied by the woman.
<>
... 16th January, the taste of a Demoness still isn't bad.
<>
'... Why am I not surprised?' Klein wondered at his lack of reaction. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with him.
'Of course. I have already read that this guy got a 'divine milking' from a man. The only thing that would top that would be being the passive one next...' Klein lampooned a little, absent-minded and unsurprised.
Thanks to Chariot's 'joke.' Klein knew that any man who took the Witch potion from Sequence 7 would become a real woman. And with the escapes he had already read about from Emperor Roselle, the Clown felt that was enough for the man.
Unable to help, he put himself in the same shoes as Emperor Roselle.
'If my partner told me she was a Witch. And I knew the possibility that she was once a he was very high. Would I still have relations with her, even though she is now a real woman? Would I take that step and not be repulsed by the idea?' Klein lampooned for a few moments before coming up with an answer that defended him.
No, he doubted he would be able to do it. The knowledge would be too much for him, and Mini Klein could not be proud.
Maybe there were beautiful witches out there who would fight against that knowledge, but the lack of proof helped calm the clown.
After all, he had never met a real witch.
The closest thing to his mind when he thought of a witch was Madam Daly Simone, a woman of great beauty and a flirtatious yet gracious character.
Putting aside that existential doubt, Klein continued reading the last page delivered by Justice.
<>
...20th January. I finished making the second Card of Blasphemy.
Let me think, let me think, where should I hide it?
Yes, I plan to disguise it as a bookmark and insert it into a very valuable book. If the person who obtains it isn't someone fated, it would be hard to imagine that the most valuable thing in the book is actually that seemingly ordinary bookmark!
Not bad, that's a good idea!
<>
'Why do I always have to be provoked by my elders?! It's not only with Mr. Chariot, but now it's you, Emperor?! Why didn't you put what kind of bookmark!? In what book did you put it?! You dared to dream me up and then kill me coldly! You have no heart!' Klein felt his blood heat up and his brow quiver for the briefest of moments.
The Emperor had disappointed him twice in a row this day.
'Perhaps future diary entries will have more information on this...' Saving this hint for later, the clown finally moved his attention to the pack of pages delivered by the Hanged Man.
<>
... April 5. Mistress Not-so-straight-as-a-board, or as she prefers me to call her, Mistress Ameliee, has come to congratulate me on my future marriage to Lady Matilda.
She brought me a chocolate cake, which, by the way, was delicious!
... And she also brought a new 'costume' and whip, which she wore that very night while we were 'eating' the cake.
Usually, she would leave shortly after, leaving me with the marks of our games and adventures, but this time, she stayed a little longer.
She fed me what survived of the cake, and we even took a bath together, her rubbing all the marks she left on my body.
Was that the popular aftercare? It felt good.
Of course, that aftercare didn't last long, eventually revealing what I suspected. She wanted something!
"You let me stick a finger in there; you can stick it there." She said to me, wearing something that looked like something out of a sex fiend.
If you've read my diary, this isn't the first time she's played there. Several times, she's tempted me, and even on a drunken night, I let her eat it...
<>
For a moment, Klein closed his eyes, almost putting his face in his hands and cried.
Only his brutal endurance saved him from doing that and his clown control.
'I didn't even finish the first page!' Wailing in horror, the clown made the gray fog over his face denser and continued reading.
<>
Of course, when I woke up the next day, I was furious and almost lashed out at her.
How dare she destroy my masculinity like that!
All she said to me was, "I didn't hear you complaining about my tongue, Roselle~"
... Is this how people feel powerless before a superior being?
Because no matter how hard I looked, I found no way to take it back... I was pretty vocal, in fact...
Whatever!
The deal she gave me was very juicy, and after deliberate and deep, DEEP consideration, I accepted it.
You will understand if you see the ass that woman carries. If I must take a finger up there to taste it, so be it!
Only real men do that!!
I plan to meet her next week. At her recommendation and out of concern for myself, I'm bringing extra lubricant.
...April 12. I'm writing this as soon as we finished the deal.
It didn't feel bad at all; I would even recommend it.
Mind you, next time, I have to specify only one finger...
The bitch used three!
She still has my palm mark on her cheek, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She even tells me to be just as violent next time.
...Intis women are scary.
I'm going to pray to the God of Craftsmanship that Matilda will be gentler.
<>
If he had the original page in his hands, Klein would burn it with holy fire.
Wishing with all his might that he could forget this, he turned to the next page.
'The dates are different...' Frowning slightly, he gave a little more attention.
<>
... June 15. This is the fifth week of travel in search of the New Continent.
Normally I wouldn't write this early but today we came across something extremely interesting!
There wasn't much wind, so some of our Seafearers and Windblessed decided to have a little swim. It's nothing strange; we already know how much those gill-less fish love the water.
The depth those guys can reach still amazes me.
Well, it turns out that one of those Seafearers found the remains of a sunken ship!
We've dropped anchor and are now in the process of salvaging whatever managed to survive.
A little spoiler~
From its looks, it's a Fourth Epoch ship!
We have not yet found a mark of the family it belonged to, but by size, it is likely to have been one of the various Angel families of the Epoch.
But which one is the question~
Will it be during the Solomon Empire, the Tudor-Trunsoest Empire, or perhaps the separation of the aforementioned?
What a thrill! I'm sure it will be full of treasures!
I'll write more tomorrow.
...June 16. As always, the protagonist of this era turns out to be right!
We have found the Tudor family seal on it!
From what I could see, this ship was very likely made during the Tudor Empire. The coins we found there show the seals of the 5 Angel families that supported it.
This is quite interesting!
Unfortunately, all that was there were old notebooks ruined by time and sea and a few treasures.
We also found more ships in the vicinity, but due to a lack of time and worsening weather, we could only grab the most interesting and continue the trip.
How can I be so unlucky?!
I checked every artifact that was brought for abnormalities or specialties but found nothing.
I'm not interested in carrying useless junk, so I told the crew to grab what they wanted and throw the rest.
This was a waste of time.
...June 21. Something strange has been going on with some of the crew members.
They claim to hear voices and see things in the shadows. One even attacked another crew member because he thought he was a monster.
These same people were acting completely normal a few days ago.
Being a genius, I immediately noticed the cause of this.
I ordered everyone to hand over everything they had grabbed from the treasures of the Fourth Epoch ship.
Some resisted a bit, but in the end, they were all confiscated.
I went through each and every one of them again. But again, I found nothing unusual.
Is it possible that this is some sort of corruption?
Did one of these objects belong to a high-level Beyonder and be marked by 'Their' aura, affecting and causing strange reactions thousands of years later?
With the possibility of that being the case, I immediately ordered everything to be thrown overboard.
We did not have the resources or means to deal with something of such level and being so far from land. The best thing to do was to avoid accidents.
The people who showed changes have been removed and quarantined. We will be monitoring them these days to see if they improve.
... June 30. It seems that whatever was affecting the auditory and visual visions went to the bottom of the sea, the people in quarantine have shown improvement.
This was merely an oversight on my part. I underestimated the danger of certain things, but nothing escalated further.
... July 1. We have lost five men.
Not all the artifacts were thrown into the sea.
One of the normal people hid a mirror he had taken from the treasures. The bastard hid it in his room, and who knows what he did with it.
This person, who was not a Beyonder, had neither extraordinary abilities nor basic mystical knowledge.
This ordinary person was suddenly able to sing melodies that bristled and froze the spirit and launched attacks through music!
He produced symphonies that increased or decreased the area's spirituality in meaningful measures. Even summoning a rather strong Evil Spirit wasn't much of a problem; luckily, we had several Sun Pathway artifacts.
This person I had previously shared drinks and food with was a man searching for adventure like myself. He became a complete stranger; no matter how I looked, I didn't recognize him.
Now, his body was covered with strange marks and lumps of flesh that released music. He used his hair like guitar strings and his thighs like drums.
We managed to subdue and kill him. But when we blew his head and torso off with the combined attack of a Wind Blessed and a Sun Pathway artifact, instead of blood and brains, shards of glass came out.
His body had become a huge crystal, and the mirror in the middle of it all reflected a space filled with a strange gray mist.
I checked this object multiple times but found nothing strange. Now, this once-normal object emitted a dark and oppressive aura that took my breath away.
Before I could do anything about it, this mirror shattered into multiple pieces, but not before I saw my reflection in it—a reflection that was me, but my eyes were crimson in it.
All that gloomy aura vanished as if it had never been there.
What the fuck was that mirror? What the fuck were those ships carrying?
And more importantly.
Who the fuck did that mirror belong to?
It has been precisely six hours since the monster died.
No characteristics or artifacts have formed. No matter what artifacts we use to speed up the process, the body isn't releasing anything.
...
The remains of the mirror, along with the entire ship and everyone on it, were treated by various purification rituals, and the quarantine of the people affected by the ship's objects was reinstated.
Everyone is tense and wants to return.
I hope to find something of real value soon, or all my efforts will have been for nothing.
<>
Klein internally swallowed a little saliva. What he just read could easily be considered an adventure movie that quickly descended into a horror one!
'It seems that the Emperor's journey in discovering the South Continent did not go smoothly... From the dates this event was 1 month before discovering the continent... How he maintained morale in that situation is beyond me...' Praising the Emperor's ability to lead, Klein felt his respect for the man increase slightly.
The events written in this diary were not in the history books. This event was hidden.
'Manipulation of history...' Recalling the words written by the Emperor not long ago, Klein saw another clear example of them.
The abilities of the Monster the man had also faced were things he had never heard of.
A monster that attacks using music and whose own body is an instrument? That was something he had not thought he would read.
'But I don't know of any Pathway with those abilities... Is it even one of the 22? Or is it a new one?'
Was a new pathway even possible? Wouldn't it contradict everything he knew so far?
'I can't help but notice that too... Angel Families... I wonder if the Abraham family was one of them?'
Internally shaking his head, Klein made the pages disappear.
This wasn't something he needed to worry about now.
With that in mind, he smiled calmly at the rest, "You may begin."
章節 392: Chapter 53: Creativity is Important
With the approval given by the leader of the organization. The exchanges did not take long to begin.
Alger turned his attention to Justice. "I have the Rainbow Salamander's complete pituitary gland. By the end of this Tarot Club, I will send them to you. Have the money ready."
The noblewoman looked at the Hanged Man for a moment before nodding with a small smile, her eyes twinkling slightly. "I have everything ready for the exchange."
Alger didn't show any emotion or respond to what the woman said; he just shifted his focus to the Magician. "I managed to obtain the Terror Demon Worm's eyes but failed to find information on the crystallized blood of a Lavos Squid."
Fors wasn't upset that her material couldn't be found, she was used to deceptions by now. But that didn't mean she wasn't happy.
'Now Xio will be able to advance!' Smiling sideways, like a writer finding inspiration, she looked at the man, "How much do you want for the eyes?"
"600 pounds," Alger replied with simplicity and a calm look.
The ingredients cost him 800 pounds, so once he received the money from the ladies, he would have made a profit of 300 pounds. He could have made more, but he knew how badly greed could hurt him.
'This is a meeting where equivalent deals and exchanges are sought. To break that rule would only be looking at being punished or expelled...' Alger held back his hand, not wanting to miss his greatest opportunity to leave the Church of the Lord of Storms.
"Deal. I'll send the money as soon as I finish the Tarot Club." Fors smiled calmly. Before, such an amount of money would have caused her to go into cardiac arrest, but now? She could only laugh as she lived off her gold cup.
'If there's one good thing about following a madman. It's that he's crazy rich!' Knowing this wasn't coming out of her pocket, the woman savored her meal with relish.
Watching the exchange, the red-haired man didn't rush in. His bored gaze moved across the crimson stars surrounding the brass table until it fell on the club's youngest member.
"Mr. Sun, as I understand it, the City of Silver has in its control some of the Planter Pathway potion formulas, right?"
"Ah, yes, Mr. Chariot. Although we only have up to Sequence 7." Derrick commented with a slight nod.
One of the reasons they have survived as long in the dark as they have been able to is because of that Pathway. If they didn't have the Beyonders specialized in healing and plant care, it was inevitable that the mutations among the members would be much more noticeable, as well as the losses on expeditions. Not to mention the care of the food...
Hearing that, Adryan continued, "I need the Doctor's potion formula. What would you like to receive in return?"
The young giant licked his lips, which suddenly felt dry.
'I know that Mr. Chariot possesses several Sun Pathway formulas; the logical thing to do would be to request the following formula from Bard... But I am still far from digesting my potion. Not only that but even if I had the formula, I would not have enough contribution points to obtain the ingredients.'
A good portion of his contribution points were used for the ingredients of his Bard potion; the young man seriously doubted that the few he had left would be enough.
Not to mention that he would have to go on an expedition again soon...
The decision was obvious, and he was quick to show it.
"I need a powerful Beyonder weapon with decent destructive power."
The request made the redhead raise an eyebrow curiously, but his answer didn't take long.
"A powerful artifact. Mmm, include one of the main ingredients for the potion, and I'll get it to you before the next Tarot Club."
Derrick smiled hugely and nodded happily. "Deal, Mr. Chariot!"
As soon as he answered, a slight blush adorned his cheeks, and the young man shrank back a little embarrassed;
"Excuse me, Mr. Chariot, but getting your request may take a while. I don't know if it would be possible to receive the weapon first, and at the next Tarot Club, I will deliver what you need..."
"Fufu~ Wow, wow. A bit bold, eh Little Sun?" Adryan laughed delightedly before closing his eyes and waving his hands disinterestedly. "No problem."
As soon as he said that, one eye opened, scarlet glowing mischievously. "Just don't forget it, yeah?"
Derrick pursed his lips and nodded gratefully. "I won't, Mr. Chariot. Thank you very much."
'That's very kind of him... Is he in a good mood?' Klein noticed the man's curious demeanor and couldn't help but wonder if something might have cheered him up.
After a second, he snorted internally and rolled his eyes a little. 'Nah. I'm sure it's because he knows Mr. Sun will keep his word whether or not. The boy looks up to him. It's also because he probably isn't in a hurry to get it...'
Seeing the man's true intentions, Klein couldn't help but roll his eyes.
His almost certain fellow transmigrator was certainly quite a personality.
Having the money to buy an artifact with a solid offensive attack and not being worried about getting a return on his investment so soon...
Seeing that the exchange had passed, Alger took advantage and looked at Chariot.
"Mr. Chariot. I have yet to find any information regarding your request."
Adryan looked a bit quizzically at the blue-haired man before chuckling.
'Someone is anxious to make daddy proud, eh~'
Of course, the red-haired man knew that if he said that, it was certain that the man would explode, so he softened the massage a lot.
"It's okay. It's a weird request. It's the normal thing to do. You don't have to tell me every meeting. I'm not your wife to tell me you failed to get the anniversary chocolate."
An eyebrow quivered, but the older man just nodded in understanding.
'This would make for a good scene...' Fors felt the embrace of inspiration. She calmly decided she would continue writing as soon as she returned to her room.
'A boy trying to impress his teacher/father figure...'
Seeing that the exchanges seemed to be over and sensing his fast, worn-out spirituality, Klein calmly kicked off the free talk.
Immediately that was said, Audrey turned to the farthest member of the table.
"Mr. Chariot, all preparations on my side are finished."
The redhead looked at the woman as he rested his elbow on the armrest of his seat, his cheek in his palm. "That's good."
Laughing a little, Adryan added, "So, Operation Catch the Rat has begun."
The official name for getting the Ambassador Bakerland out of the way is simple, but it defines the man's character very well.
Audrey had no complaints about it and even applauded it; both beings were very similar in her eyes.
"The Ambassador usually has one party a week, on Saturdays. Though it's not uncommon for him to occasionally organize dances during the week." She reminded a detail that seemed important to her.
"The series of his parties is no reason to rush. We only have to worry about the guy not realizing what we're doing." Adryan commented.
Pursing her lips slightly, the blonde woman looked at the man deeply, "How come you're so sure your man will find the information we need? Being that the Ambassador is a spy, wouldn't it be normal to think that he destroys it?"
This was something that bothered her the more she thought about it. Did this information even exist?
Adryan laughed in amusement at the woman, "That would be the normal thing to do. Even more so considering the man's arrogant personality and the security his house has. I wouldn't be surprised if that arrogance has caused him to retain several of his involvements with the recent kingdom troubles.
"Of course, there's also the fact that he could have kept them as future blackmail. After all, even as a Conspirator, he can't do anything in this kingdom alone. It is inevitable that he will receive some help, which leaves traces."
"And if you're wrong?" Audrey was so quick with her question that she surprised herself.
"Looks like not having your pet left you with a short fuse, eh?" Adryan mumbled boredly but loud enough to be heard by all.
The noblewoman slowly inhaled some air through her nose and looked with crystalline eyes at the man, "I trust she's behaving properly?"
"Of course. She's a real sweetheart." Adryan could barely contain the sideways smile as he remembered his student's letter about how the Dog of Imagination kept making her uncomfortable.
Nodding absent-mindedly, Audrey couldn't help but imagine the strange hidden lair her furry friend would be in. She also couldn't help but feel a little envious, but it wasn't very big.
'After all, I am actively participating in a mission to unmask a spy attempting to go against the kingdom, which is in a precarious situation... Hm! I might even be seen as a counter-spy!' Feeling the beginnings of a smile rise on her lips, the noblewoman quickly controlled her emotions.
"While it calms my heart to hear that, my question has yet to be answered."
Turning his hand disinterested, the red-haired man added simply, "If there's nothing, we'll just plant the information, duh."
Then the man snorted and looked disappointed at her. "If you want to move up the Spectator path, you really need to be more creative, Miss Justice. Personal advice? Grab a book."
The spectator was exited as a familiar vein began to throb in her neck with great intensity. "...I will keep your advice in mind, Mr. Chariot."
'He was already taking his time bullying someone.' Klein thought curiously as he nodded inwardly at the man's words.
The Spectator's pathway in high sequences was able to manipulate a large number of people and create stories with them. It stands to reason that being Creative is necessary to advance.
'His words are even good advice...' Shaking his head internally, the Clown calmly observed the Tarot Club's progress.
After a while, seeing that the meeting was not progressing any further and his spirituality quickly wearing thin, Klein gently tapped the table, drawing the attention of the other members.
With a simple smile, he said, "Before ending today's meeting, I simply wanted to remind you of something.
"If you ever find yourselves in trouble, you can call out my honorific name, and I will lend a hand. Same with the Scarlet Monarch, if you feel a situation overtakes you or you are in great danger, say 'His' name."
Finishing with a slight nod and without giving anyone time to say anything, he added, " That is as far as we go."
The members gave a graceful bow with one hand on their chests, "By your will."
Cutting the connection to the stars and observing the members' now empty places, Klein's eyes paused for a moment at the farthest place on the table.
The Emperor's words replayed in his mind, as did his short experience with the strange copper whistle.
'Objects that have been in contact with high sequence Beyonders for a long time undergo a change...'
Could that apply to Chariot's seat?
It was still unknown to him which Pathway the man belonged to, but Klein was sure he had Anti-Divination methods.
What if he could apply Chariot's specialty in this space? Use the man's seat to enhance his divination? Of course, this place had purification properties, so would even the seat be affected?
Frowning slightly at the pressure on his brain, the clown decided he would try it once he was in Sequence 7. When his control over the space above the Gray fog was stronger, the possibility of an accident diminished.
With a new experiment in mind, the clown finally closed his eyes and dropped down, leaving this mysterious space.
每周推薦票狀態
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
97 推薦票 
段落評論