Chapter 13 - 13: Thrilling Game of Tarot

"Damn it, why did they attack me?" Edward was utterly baffled. He had only just left the Hall family's mansion—he hadn't even done anything yet. "Wait!" Xio's main job was mediating and arbitrating disputes among the lower and middle classes, but she also took on bounty tasks to earn gold pounds. Could it be that Earl Hall had already put a bounty on him? But wasn't Audrey supposed to help obscure the truth? Had she not had the chance to act yet? No, this place was no longer safe! Edward immediately erased all traces of his presence in the room, then Apparated to a small alley he had passed earlier. He quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself. He had tested the Disillusionment Charm with Audrey before. As long as Spirit Vision wasn't activated, even a Sequence 9 like her wouldn't be able to see him. Back then, Susie had only noticed him because she first caught the scent of an unfamiliar person and then used Spirit Vision to confirm his presence. Moving swiftly through the crowd, Edward plucked a few hairs from a couple of random passersby with unremarkable faces. He then ducked into a deserted alley, took out a fresh batch of Polyjuice Potion, dropped in the hair, and reluctantly drank it down. "Ugh! The ordinary people taste absolutely disgusting!" When he stepped out again, his appearance had completely changed to that of a nondescript, forgettable face. Wandering aimlessly for several blocks, he finally reached an area near the Backlund Bridge and found another cheap inn. By the time he was settled in, he was completely exhausted. As he collapsed onto the bed, he muttered to himself, "If they can still track me down after all this…I might have no choice but to leave Backlund." ——— [Fors and Xio's Apartment] As soon as she got home, Fors flopped onto the plush sofa, letting out a lazy, contented sigh. "Ahh~ nothing beats lying down." Xio, still sore all over from the earlier confrontation, frowned as she asked, "Why were you even there?" Fors, eyes closed, responded as if she were half-asleep, "I was out looking for inspiration and just happened to see you enter that inn, so I followed you in." "Heh, you? Out looking for inspiration?" "I…" Fors tried to sit up and refute the accusation with righteous indignation, but after several failed attempts, she simply gave up and admitted, "Fine, fine. I was avoiding my editor's demands for my manuscript. And also, I needed to buy cigarettes." "If you don't submit your draft soon, will you even have money for next quarter's rent?" "Don't worry, I'm almost done, almost done." Fors lit a cigarette with practised elegance, taking a leisurely puff before lazily remarking, "By the way, I did just save you back there. And all you're doing is nagging me. No 'thank you'?" Xio clenched her fists, still furious. "The client didn't provide any details about the target, and the bounty wasn't even that high. I just assumed it was an ordinary person." She gritted her teeth. "I'm definitely going to settle this with him!" Fors raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, Viscount Glaint just contacted me. He wants us to arrange a meeting soon so he and Miss Audrey can attend a Beyonder gathering." "Let's do it tomorrow, then." Just as she habitually reached for her triple-edged dagger, Xio suddenly froze. "Shit…I left my dagger with that Beyonder back there! I heard that some of them can use personal belongings to track people…" The two girls exchanged looks, the air between them growing heavy. After a long silence, Fors sighed and shrugged. "Guess I was right not to worry about rent after all." A few seconds later, she added casually, "Time to move." ——— [Cheap Inn] Edward never had any intention of tracking down Fors and Xio. After all, they had just fought—if he suddenly showed up at their door, they'd probably think he was there for revenge. Fors might even waste another Stone of Traveler's Bracelet on him. "Forget it. I'll just get a good night's sleep first." ——— [The Next Day] Fully rested, Edward woke up feeling refreshed. After washing up, he Apparated to the designated meeting spot and found a letter hidden within a tree crevice. "2 PM." The note only contained a time, but Edward immediately understood. Audrey was letting him know that she would be leaving the house at 2 PM to attend a Beyonder gathering—this was his cue to meet up with her when the opportunity arose. "I remember Audrey's first Extraordinary gathering was one arranged by Fors and Xio, hosted by Mr. A." Mr. A was one of the 22 Oracles of the Aurora Order, a dangerously unhinged "mad beauty." In the early to mid stages of the original story, he was incredibly active and an extremely dangerous figure. "But then again, Mr. A is more of a fanatic. Everything he does is in service of his god. As long as it doesn't involve his deity, he actually knows how to act with some restraint. It's best to keep a respectful distance and avoid provoking him." Back at the inn, Edward finally had the chance to try the famous Desi Pie—something he had been looking forward to for a while. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the inn's mediocre culinary skills, the taste left him rather disappointed. Alongside the Desi Pie were a few pieces of dessert and a cup of black tea. He took a small bite of everything before setting them aside. Even though he had transmigrated into a Brit's body, he had no fondness for baked beans and bland food. Rather his tastebuds still leaned towards his original preference. To him, the highest praise for a dessert was that it was "not too sweet"—but the ones in front of him were so cloyingly sugary that they made his teeth ache. He recalled that Klein had quite the sweet tooth. Since there was still plenty of time, Edward decided to head out and find something else to eat. The moment he stepped out of the inn, a small, scrawny child came limping toward him, pursued by a group of thuggish-looking men. They were clearly furious, their expressions menacing. "Stop right there, you little brat!" Edward hesitated for a brief moment before subtly waving the wand hidden in his sleeve. Instantly, the men seemed to crash into an invisible barrier, stumbling over each other in a tangled heap. The boy seized the opportunity to flee, disappearing into the crowd. "Damn, if things like this happen even on the streets near Empress Borough, I can't even imagine the chaos in the slums. And they call this the 'Land of Hope'?" More frustratingly, this disorder was likely orchestrated by the King of Loen himself to aid in his ascension to the Black Emperor. As a citizen under such a ruler…what sheer bad luck. Edward wandered through the streets, sampling all sorts of so-called authentic Loenese street food. By the end of his impromptu food tour, he had only one thought: Eat, eat, eat—I'll just keep eating! No food of Backlund is safe from my clutches hahaha! When noon arrived, he found a café and settled in, deciding to stay there until the evening. "Sir, here is your coffee and ice cream." Just as the waiter placed his order on the table, a small figure suddenly crawled out from beneath it. The boy stared longingly at the ice cream, gulping audibly—none other than the same limping child from earlier. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, dressed in tattered clothes, with a newspaper boy's cap perched on his head. "Here, take it." Edward handed over the ice cream without hesitation. The boy's eyes lit up as he eagerly grabbed it and started licking away with delight. Edward, on the other hand, picked up a copy of The Daily Observer and flipped through it absentmindedly. The newspaper focused primarily on local affairs and common people's issues, with some sections reading like short stories straight out of Story Club. "Sir," the boy suddenly spoke up after finishing his ice cream. From somewhere—Edward wasn't sure where—he pulled out a deck of tarot cards. "I happen to know a bit of tarot divination. Would you like to try, sir?" Edward chuckled and reached out his hand. If Klein had been the one saying this, he might have been truly intrigued. But from a limping kid? This was probably nothing more than a child's game… Wait. His smile froze. A limping child. Loves ice cream. Tarot cards… Why did this combination of keywords seem oddly familiar? No way. Isn't this exactly like the plotline with that doctor in the original novel? Then that would mean this boy was—Will Auceptin, the Snake of Mercury?! Without hesitation, Edward retracted his hand. "Uh…on second thought, maybe not." "???" The boy blinked, clearly confused. "You don't trust me?" "It's not that." Edward shook his head, forcing a smile. "I just think that fate is meant to be unpredictable. If I learn about the future in advance, wouldn't that make life a bit dull?" The boy was taken aback for a moment before nodding slowly. "You…make a good point." "Alright, I have some matters to attend to. You can have this coffee if you want." Edward picked up his hat, gave the boy a polite nod, then turned and left the café. "Good luck, sir," the boy called after him. He remained seated even after Edward had disappeared from view. A moment later, he murmured to himself in a dazed tone, "Should I wait another five years…or follow the original fate?" ——— After leaving the café, Edward aimlessly wandered through several more streets before finally using Apparition to teleport near the Hall family's mansion. "That was way too damn scary!" To be honest, Will Auceptin hadn't exactly been portrayed as a villain in the original work. If Edward were just an ordinary transmigrator, he would have leapt at the opportunity to get close to such a powerful figure. But with his secret of transmigrating every fifteen days? That was the kind of anomaly that would undoubtedly pique the interest of gods and angels alike. Someone like the Snake of Mercury? Best to stay as far away as possible. "Good thing I ran when I did." Edward took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Just then, a light piece of paper drifted out from the hat. On reflex, he caught it—only to instantly fling it away as if it had burned him. It was a paper crane! ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.