Chapter 129 - 129: Another Tarot Gathering

There was no need to dwell on the Medici family descendant—it could only be found in Bansy, formerly known as Binsy. In the original novel, Klein had come here early during his sea journey and encountered a series of bizarre incidents. Later, the place was erased from maps by the Church of the Lord of Storms. Of course, that wasn't the important part. What mattered was that behind a certain door in Bansy Harbour lay what was suspected to be one of the Sefirot—the "City of Calamity." The strange occurrences in Bansi were also attributed to its influence. As for the Einhorn family, they were now the royal family of Feysac. Though of noble status, the royal descendants were numerous. Obtaining their blood wouldn't be too difficult—perhaps simply posting a few commissions could get the job done. The Sauron family had been the royal family of Intis before they were overthrown by the current regime. Most of their descendants either fled or perished. If Edward wanted to locate one of them quickly, only one candidate came to mind—the red-haired Helene, the lady hunter favoured by Vice Admiral Tracy. "So, in order to undo the seal, I must go to Bansy Harbour. And if I can't find any other Sauron descendants, I might have to pay a visit to Vice Admiral Tracy. Hmm…Helene shouldn't have escaped yet at this point, right?" "Either way, the priority now is to digest the potion. Going to Bansy is probably more fruitful than staying in Backlund." Edward stretched lazily. "Looks like it's back to the sea again!" ——— [Backlund] 9 P.M. Klein had just finished collapsing the entrance to the basement under Baron Pound's old house, together with Sharron. Faced with such an ancient ruin, most people who saw themselves as protagonists would've tried every means to explore it. But not our dear Fool. He didn't even bother to consider what kind of precious treasures might lie beneath the ground where six true god statues resided. Instead, he chose to blow it all up without hesitation. No wonder Klein was later able to ascend to a 'Pillar'. Unfortunately, the future Pillar didn't expect that he'd run into a police inspection team—complete with a police dog—just a short distance away from the old house. Klein's first reaction was—Crap! He was still carrying a firearm under his arm! He quickly changed direction, planning to take another route. But one of the officers ahead, who was questioning a tall man, keenly spotted him and began waving for him to come over. Klein's lips twitched. He could only step forward, though he quickly came up with an excuse: he'd claim he found the gun and was on his way to hand it in. But just then, the officer inspecting the tall man suddenly shouted, "What is this?! Quick, get—" Before he could finish, the tall man had already lifted him by the jaw. "Shut up." With a slight twist of his fingers, the tall man effortlessly snapped the officer's neck and tossed the body aside like trash. The second officer panicked. While drawing his gun and backing away, he shouted, "Don't—don't come any closer! I'll shoot!" "I'll shoot—" Boom! With an explosion, the officer was blown into pieces, his body reduced to scattered flesh. Klein froze on the spot, watching in horror as the blood-drenched tall man turned his cold gaze toward him. Without a second thought, Klein bolted. The tall man was just about to give chase when he suddenly paused, as if hearing something. He nodded slightly and turned into an alleyway, his heavy footsteps fading into the night. Klein didn't stop running until he'd sprinted across four or five blocks. Only when he was certain the man wasn't following did he finally slow down, bent over and panting heavily. Sweat poured from his brow, and a scorching pain stung his eyes—an all-too-familiar sensation he could never forget. Tingen City. Blackthorn Security Company. Lanevus! That was the aura of the True Creator! Klein's heart pounded wildly. Was that tall man another vessel of the True Creator? No—not just that! That wave of familiar malice—it was almost identical to what he'd felt when facing Lanrus back then! What the hell is going on?! Whatever it was—Lanevus, the True Creator—Klein knew there was only one thing he could do: Report it! ——— Two days later, Edward purchased his ticket to Bansy. The ship would set sail from Pritz Harbour. That evening, just after finishing dinner with Lilith and returning to the inn, an endless grey fog appeared before his eyes. Klein's (not the Fool's) silhouette flickered into view, and he spoke with deep reverence: "Mr. Fool, please pass a message to Mr. Tower. I have something important to discuss with him. It's about Lanevus and the True Creator. I'll be waiting at No. 13 Minsk Street." Lanevus? Wasn't he already turned to ash by lightning? Edo Tensei? No way! There's no way Tobira—ahem—Leodero would let someone tainted with the True Creator's divinity live! With doubts in mind, Edward made his way to 13 Minsk Street and knocked on the door of Klein's home. "So fast?" Klein looked a bit surprised at first, then added with a tinge of envy, "Well, you do have a mystical item that records various abilities, don't you?" Don't worry, you'll get one too…once Mr. Azik finishes studying the Creeping Hunger. "You said it's about Lanevus and the True Creator?" Edward walked in and cut straight to the point. "I get the part about the True Creator. But what's going on with Lanevus?" Klein's expression turned serious. "Are you certain Lanevus is dead?" "Well, I personally don't believe he could've survived what happened to him."—Even late-stage Angel Klein in the original novel couldn't handle a full-strength Leodero, let alone Lanevus back then, who was radiating divine aura. Would the Lord of Storms at the time really hold back? "Last night, I ran into a tall man. He killed two patrolling officers on the spot. Then he looked at me—and though it was just a moment, I'm absolutely certain I felt it again…that same aura I felt when facing Lanevus." "Malice. Chaos. Terror. Madness." "He's either another vessel chosen by the True Creator, or…he has some unknown connection to Lanevus." Klein took a deep breath and said gravely, "My intuition tells me—it's the latter." "A tall man? True Creator? And the aura of Lanrus?" Edward paused, then muttered, "Isn't that the guy—Yurigus?" Klein's eyes lit up. "You know him?" "Yeah, I just found out about him yesterday." As for his 'friendly' relationship with the Aurora Order in Backlund, Edward had no intention of revealing that to Klein—for now, at least. After all, the True Creator and the Aurora Order had…less than stellar reputations. It wasn't like he actually believed in the True Creator anyway. This was just a matter of mutual exploitation. "Actually, earlier today I happened to accept a bounty for Yurigus…" Before he could finish, the two men locked eyes and suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. "Happened"? That was never a good word in this kind of situation. After a moment of silence, Edward said, "We have two choices now. One, ignore it—pretend nothing happened. Two, hunt him down and try to uncover the truth." If this had been like the original novel, where Dunn was killed in battle, Klein—burning with vengeance—would have chosen the second option without hesitation. But now…he hesitated. After a long while, he said seriously, "Let's try to find him first." "Alright." The two quickly reached an agreement. "Alright, I'll be heading back then." Klein hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "I'll be attending tomorrow's Tarot Gathering as well." "Huh?" "I…I just received permission from Mr. Fool a few days ago to participate in the exchanges and transactions at the Tarot Club. My code name there is…'The World.'" Oh? So the man who almost offed a future Pillar and an Angel—Rosago—had already been taken down by Klein? Impressive. Edward extended his hand with a grin. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. World. I'm the Tower." "Likewise, Mr. Tower." ——— Monday. 2:40 p.m., Klein entered the mysterious space above the grey fog ahead of schedule. In the grand, ancient palace, he took his seat at the Fool's position. With a flicker of thought, a dummy manifested across the mottled bronze table—"The World." It was a puppet Klein had crafted using the all-black eye taken from Rosago's corpse, leveraging the Marionettist's abilities to build an "alt account." Until now, he had to maintain the persona and dignity of Mr. Fool, so there were many things he couldn't ask or say freely. But with this 'World' identity, things would be different. From now on, whenever something was inconvenient for Mr. Fool to do or say, the "The World" could take care of it. The thought filled Klein with relief, as if he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. ——— 3:00 P.M. Streaks of light flared one after another in the palace as vast as a giant's dwelling. The Tower, Justice, the Hanged Man, and the Sun all projected hazy figures tinged faintly red. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~ Good after—" The class rep, Miss Audrey, had just started her usual round of greetings when her gaze landed on a new figure seated at the far end of the table. It was a stranger draped in a hooded black robe, equally vague and illusory. A new member? Audrey's heart fluttered with excitement. The Tarot Club was expanding again! Could it be Fors? Or Xio? "This is a new member—Mr. World." Knowing that everyone was curious, Mr. Fool introduced the newcomer in a calm tone. Then Klein controlled the World persona to nod coolly at everyone in greeting. That was the basic setup for this identity: emotionally restrained, taciturn. Audrey immediately entered spectator mode, her curiosity piqued as she began analysing this mysterious new member. The Hanged Man, Alger, also scrutinised him quietly—out of caution. Little Sun merely gave a passing glance before lowering his head again, lost in his own thoughts. "Hello, Mr. World." Edward greeted him warmly, then asked with mock confusion, "Mr. World, maybe it's just me, but…I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Oh, quit the act already! Klein groaned inwardly. If only he hadn't impulsively told Edward about his alt account's identity. Now he had to play along. He made the World respond in a hoarse, vague voice, "Perhaps." Then he swept a glance around and continued, "Mr. Fool told me I can issue commissions and request materials here, is that correct?" "Yes, Mr. World," Audrey replied. "But you'll need to wait a bit—Mr. Fool will let us know when it's time for free discussion." "Understood." At that moment, Mr. Fool turned to Audrey and said, "Miss Justice, the two candidates you proposed—I'm still observing them. Please be patient." "Yes, Mr. Fool." Alger bowed respectfully. "Mr. Fool, this time I have six pages. I'll present the final page next time." "Very well." Klein nodded and cast his gaze on the six pages projected by Alger: "February 9th, I had my third child. I named him Bornova…" Klein read the entries at a steady pace, while the others waited silently. He seemed as calm and inscrutable as ever—but inwardly, Klein was marvelling at what he saw on the pages. First, the Cards of Blasphemy. He had heard about them from Edward—each one was said to contain formulas for an entire Beyonder pathway. And now, the diary confirmed it. Unfortunately, Roselle didn't mention where he had hidden them. Next, the shocker: there was something above Sequence 1—Sequence 0? And Sequence 0 meant True God? That meant the lofty deities…had likely ascended by consuming potions too! Whew… Of course, those were concerns for much further down the road. Klein dismissed the diary pages, tapped the edge of the bronze table, and turned to his right. "Mr. Tower, you did well. You handled Bakerland in under a week. According to our agreement, what kind of reward would you like?" This news greatly surprised Alger. That was a national ambassador! Even if he wasn't protected by a demigod, there should've been at least a few mid-sequence guards. And he was eliminated that quickly? He quickly bowed toward Mr. Fool. "My apologies, Mr. Fool. I had only just finished gathering my contacts." "This was a commission, not a favour. No need to apologise," Klein replied lightly, before turning his gaze back to Edward. "Mr. Tower, have you decided?" Meanwhile, the great Mr. Fool was screaming internally: Don't ask for money! Don't ask for money! Don't ask for money! ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.