Chapter 81: Inverted Hierophant

Tomorrow marks the first graduation exam for the Arasaka Adult Education program—of course, even if you don't pass, you can continue attending classes. However, the longer you stay, the less money Arasaka will refund. There are four chances to pass the graduation exam, which consists of the technical license assessment. The sooner you pass, the sooner you get your refund. If you take longer or fail entirely, you lose all the money you invested. To get to Old Vic's shop, Leo had to pass by Misty's Esoterica—and this time, there was someone new outside Misty's place. To be precise, it was a homeless man. The homeless man was dressed in a black cotton coat, over which he wore a robe sewn from black leather. He looked somewhat like a priest? Well, strictly speaking, priests wouldn't usually wear leather robes, but Leo couldn't help but feel the style was somewhat similar. This homeless man looked vaguely familiar, though. The homeless man had dragged over a moldy mattress from somewhere and seemed intent on claiming a corner of the street as his new home. This was the most common sight in Night City—a homeless person's "house." Seeing Leo staring at him, the homeless man suddenly became vigilant. "What do you want?" "I'm just checking to see which homeless guy decided to set up camp near my friend's shop. Don't get any funny ideas." Leo activated his scanner, only to find that the man's scan results were problematic— The data in the list of cyberware implants was flickering, indicating it was falsified and, even more troubling, being falsified in real-time, making it extremely difficult to crack. "I'm not just any homeless guy. I'm here to spread the truth—this is your friend's shop?" The homeless man pointed to Misty's Esoterica. Leo nodded. He continued, "This is a good place, a place where one's mind can be at peace—" Then he paused, speaking in a more mysterious tone: "Did you know? Our world has already been taken over by lizard people!" Leo was momentarily stunned—wasn't this the kind of nonsense Garry the Prophet spouted in the game?! This guy was rumored to have a mysterious implant, which turned him into a conspiracy theorist. Every time the in-game V passed by Misty's Esoterica, they'd see this guy ranting about incomprehensible things. Like now. Leo smirked, "Are you also going to say these lizard people have cold, blue eyes? That they're minions of the undead engineers from Alpha Centauri?" Garry paused, visibly more surprised, "You know! You've uncovered the truth too!" "Listen, if I were you, I'd just get a job—and don't go around saying stuff like the nomads are werewolves who howl at the moon. If they beat you to death, someone will have to clean up your corpse." "You really do know! But you don't understand the seriousness of these matters!" Leo shook his head, "Your implant is faulty; it's likely picking up fragmented hidden communication frequencies. Those things can cause hallucinations. Get a ripperdoc to check it out." "No!" Garry suddenly shouted, "I won't give up my pursuit of the truth!" "Suit yourself, but don't die outside my friend's shop." Leo shrugged— People had speculated about Garry's true nature, both in and out of the game, but the most plausible explanation was what Leo had just said. He had some strange implant installed by a ripperdoc, allowing him to pick up hidden frequencies. Then Garry would process these fragmented messages and scare himself, turning them into conspiracy theories. Not bothering to argue further with Garry, Leo entered Misty's Esoterica. Misty asked curiously, "Leo, aren't you joining them for the celebration? Jackie said V's got the Wild Wolf Bar all to themselves." "Not feeling well, can't drink. Besides, they can afford to be out of it; I need to stay sharp." After saying this, Leo asked, "Where did you learn your tarot reading? Do you need an implant for it?" "Of course not." Misty casually shuffled the deck on the table, "This practice has a long history, and the people who invented it didn't have implants." "True enough—tomorrow, we're heading to the Afterlife. How about another reading?" "Sure, but remember not to rely on it too much. If you do it too often, it loses its accuracy." "Well, last time it was pretty accurate. If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd probably want to draw two cards before every job." "If tarot cards were always right, everyone would just sit on their couch, thinking about getting rich, and then spend all day drawing cards." Misty cut the deck into three piles as she spoke. "This time, let's keep it simple—when I strike this crystal ball, you draw a card." "Clear your mind, relax, feel the connection between you and the universe." Misty's tone gradually became ethereal, guiding Leo into a relaxed state before gently striking the crystal ball with a stick on the table. Ding— The clear, crisp sound seemed to resonate with the soul. In this relaxed state, Leo's thoughts were interrupted by the sound. [Mind detachment caused by implanted cyberware has been removed.] The same notification appeared, which almost certainly indicated that tarot reading had some connection with implants. A very subtle connection, maybe even coincidental? "Is there any particular reason for striking it?" Leo drew a card from the middle pile, and Misty used a finger to press down on the card, sliding it over to herself. "It's just part of the ritual, to clear your mind and draw the card with an empty mind. Mysticism is all about the first impression—the more you empty your thoughts, the better. Now, let's see what your card is." Card: The Hierophant, Position: Reversed. "This card signifies misleading information, malicious advice, and biased external influences. An evil Hierophant seeks to deceive and manipulate you." "Doesn't sound like a good omen." "It's not." Misty hesitated before adding, "But remember, this is just a reading; it doesn't mean the future will definitely turn out this way." Leo shrugged, "Of course, I understand that. Like you said, if readings were 100% accurate, people would just draw a card before doing anything." "As long as you understand. Be careful, Leo; Night City is full of lies and deception." "I'll be careful—if I get fooled, those two will probably lose their pants too. Anyway, I have to go see Old Vic and buy some stuff. Take care." The meaning behind the reversed Hierophant card was vague... but also quite accurate. What merc hasn't been deceived at The Afterlife? Leo made his way to Old Vic's clinic—just in time, as Old Vic was about to close up for the night. "Leo? Here this late, got something urgent?" "Sort of. Tomorrow, I have my first license exam, for the ripperdoc and tech specialist A-level licenses. I'm thinking of getting a pair of tool hands—one for handling implants, the other for modifying equipment and circuits. Like the ones you have." "Tomorrow? That's pretty tight. Alright, sit down, and I'll see what I have in stock that's still usable—how've you been?" Leo lay down on the operating table, "Pretty good, made another few hundred thousand. Between us, V's got over 800k on her right now." Old Vic looked surprised. "I always thought V and Jackie were destined for big things, but this is beyond what I imagined..." "Sigh, but I'm broke again, Old Vic." Old Vic paused, then chuckled and shook his head, "So that's what this is about—you're just setting yourself up to get scolded by V again?" "Hey—Old Vic, think about it. I'm the smartest one in the crew. If V can make that much money, I should be able to make even more. At worst..." "I'll just ask her for money—so, confident about the exam?" "Definitely. I'll pass on the first try." Old Vic nodded slightly, a grin forming on his lips, "With that attitude, I can't let you miss tomorrow's exam. Just don't go stealing my business afterward." "Come on, I'm just getting the license for show. No way I'd steal your business."