āThe Fool?ā The Beyonders who attended Mr. Aās gathering either ruminated over the phrase or conversed with their companions to discuss whether they had ever met anyone who had a similar faith.
āWhen did such a cult appear?ā someone asked in a low voice.
At this point, Mr. A made the attendant beside him hold up a blackboard with a few lines of words written in the Loen language.
āThe Fool that doesnāt belong to this era.
āThe mysterious ruler above the gray fog.
āThe King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.ā
As the attendees examined the blackboard, Mr. A said in a hoarse and jarring voice, āDo not use Hermes to read whatās written here. Even more so for Jotun, Elvish, Dragonese, and ancient Hermes. You shouldnāt even write the corresponding descriptions; otherwise, there is a high probability that something terrible will happen.
āHelp me find believers in The Fool. Of course, they might also be followers of the mysterious ruler above the gray fog or the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck. As long as thereās a clue, inform me immediately. The reward Iāll provide will be so handsome that it will far exceed your imagination!ā
āThis descriptionā¦ It sounds like an incredible existence. Iāve only seen similar descriptions in the ancient texts of the seven gods!ā a gathering member exclaimed.
His companion shook his head and said, āThe beings which many cults believe in have similar descriptions.ā
āIs it really a cult?ā The other gathering members were stunned when they heard their discussion.
āLikely. Typically, when we summon a creature from the spirit world, we might have three lines describing it, but one of the lines would be about āthe blessed one of someoneā or āthat who belongs to.ā It wouldnāt be in this format!ā A gathering member who was well-versed in mysticism gave an explanation.
As they vehemently conversed, Fors was nearly dumbfounded.
Isnāt that the honorific name of Mr. Fool? Even though itās described in the Loen language, Iām sure of it! Why would Mr. A want to find the believers of Mr. Fool? Is the Aurora Order behind this? Forsās mind was in a mess.
She knew that Mr. A was a member of the Aurora Order because of a particular āterrorist organizationā had announced its responsibility in the assassination of Intis Ambassador Bakerland.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Fors subconsciously began to examine herself, afraid that someone would discover that she was already a member of the Tarot Club and that, in some sense, she was an adorer of The Fool.
I just recited the honorific name of The Fool according to the ancient Hermes on that piece of paper and was pulled above the gray fog. No one knows about this, and I donāt have to be afraid of being investigatedā¦ But thereās a link to that piece of paper with Mr. Foolās honorific name written on it. It was hidden in a book we borrowed from the Viscount Glaintā¦ Thoughts rapidly flashed through Forsās mind.
The Fool that doesnāt belong to this eraā¦ Isnāt that the description I saw on that piece of paper? I even dreamed of an evil spirit! At the same time, Xio remembered the incident that had frightened her, but her long experience as a bounty hunter had kept her from revealing anything unusual.
And then, as she recalled, she thought about the origin of the piece of paper.
It was hidden in the bookcase of āHistory of the Loen Kingdomās Aristocracyāā¦ That book was borrowed from Viscount Glaintās studyā¦
Suddenly, a name flashed in both Forsās and Xioās minds at the same time: Viscount Glaint!
At that moment, Viscount Glaint was looking at the blackboard and said to himself with interest, āThis honorific name is very rare.
āBut it sounds very impressive!ā
Just as he finished his sentence, he looked to his side in puzzlement, asking Fors and Xio, āWhy are you looking at me like that?ā
āNothing.ā Xio and Fors rapidly shook their heads at the same time.
ā¦
After dinner, in an elegantly decorated house.
Audrey brought the huge golden retriever, Susie, into the living room under the guidance of her psychology teacher, Escalante. She was attending the āacademicā meeting that had been agreed upon last week.
Her maid and bodyguard stayed behind while she walked with Susie into a spacious activity room.
In the activity room, be it for the atmosphere or some other reason, the gas lamps were not lit. The room was lit by gold-plated candle lamps on the coffee table and cupboard.
Before Audrey could take a good look at her surroundings, she saw a gentleman in his thirties walking towards her. He wore a gray tailcoat.
āThis is the owner of this place, Mr. Stephen Hampres, a furniture merchant.ā the long-haired Escalante introduced him.
She was just about to tell him Audreyās identity when Hampres chuckled and said, āEscalante, donāt say anything. Let me have a chance at guessing.ā
He had a neatly trimmed mustache and charming dark brown eyes. He appeared very gentle and elegant, nothing like a furniture merchant but more like a university lecturer.
After seriously sizing up Audrey a few times, he smiled and said, āEscalante only mentioned that you were her student. Heh heh, I believe youāre a cultured noble lady, and you arenāt someone who only looks good. Thereās no need for you to worry about a decline in the quality of your lifeā¦
āYouāre a little excited, very curious, and a relatively simple but also full of loveā¦
āOf course, the most obvious point is that youāre very beautiful, just like an angel!ā
He made a final joke, pressed his hand to his chest, bowed, and said, āWelcome, the beautiful Miss Angel.ā
Youāre right, as expected of a member of the Psychology Alchemists. However, what you managed to observe was the me from a few months ago. Itās all a facade Iāve put on for myselfā¦ Audrey opened her mouth in surprise and astonishment.
āDid you know me before, Mr. Hampres?ā
She didnāt let her shocked expression linger too long on her face, because such emotions were meant to be instantaneous and wouldnāt last too long.
If anyone were to be surprised for several seconds, then it meant that their performance was most likely an act.
Audrey didnāt notice this at first, but after watching others āactā all this time, she naturally came up with a lot of rules.
āNo, I still donāt know you. This is just the basics of being a psychology enthusiast.ā Hampres chuckled.
Before he could finish his sentence, Audrey had already completed her observations and made a corresponding judgment based on her surroundings.
His attire and the furnishings of his house all indicate that heās a person who cares deeply about how people view himā¦
The sapphire on the ring of his left hand doesnāt look small, but its actual quality is very ordinary. There are no symbols or magic labels on itā¦ His finances arenāt as good as he presents them to beā¦ Heās vainā¦
Even though he was very enthusiastic just now, the way he stands there, the direction in which his feet point, and the changes in his emotional colors all indicate that he still has many concerns and is on his guardā¦
He sincerely commended me on my looks, but it wasnāt in the way a man would look at a woman. There are signs of him using facial products, and his eyebrows are definitely drawn. His skills are inferior to my make-up maidservant, Solia, but theyāre better than mineā¦ The cologne he uses is āConfusion,ā something that Iāve only seen women use beforeā¦ Yes, he probably likes men, and the role he plays is the weaker one in the relationshipā¦
At the same time, Audrey expressed her longing skillfully.
āIād love to have your observational powers, Mr. Hampres.ā
As she spoke, she maintained a faint smile while being introduced to the other seven or eight people in the activity room under Hampresās and Escalanteās lead.
The lovers of both mysticism and psychology were either descendants of fallen aristocrats, associate professors at universities, or the children of the rich. For example, the father of a young man was the owner of Philipās Department Store, the most famous department store in Backlund.
In the exchange that followed, Audrey basically only listened. The only time she spoke was by asking questions, fully expressing her curiosity and yearning.
In this āacademicā discussion, Escalante and Hampres deliberately mentioned the Body of Heart and Mind, as well as the spirit world and the collective subconscious. They also shared some relatively unique points of view, allowing Audrey to gradually understand some of the questions she had accumulated all this time.
When the discussion ended and they were out of the house, Audrey glanced at Escalante beside her and asked, with a little naivety, āMs. Escalante, when will I-I be as good in psychology as Mr. Hampres?ā
Escalante curled the corners of her lips and slightly tilted her head as she looked at her.
āVery soonā¦ā
ā¦
At night, Klein, who was about to get into bed, once again appeared above the gray fog.
Despite being a little sleepy, he was jolted awake by the news Miss Magician had reported.
The Aurora Order knows of The Fool? They know of my honorific name? The True Creator has locked onto me? Klein abruptly sat up straight, as though he was about to face an attack.
He quickly rejected the final theory. If the True Creator had indeed locked onto him, Mr. A would have long visited him on the pretext of collecting a copper penny for the gas meter. Perhaps, even a Saint might appear.
That is to say, only The Fool and his corresponding honorific name are known, and the clues point to Backlundā¦ Who leaked the news? Klein frowned as he carefully thought about it.
Soon, he discovered a possibility.
Little Sun has recently chanted my honorific name, and it happened when he was interacting with a member of the exploratory team who was corrupted by the True Creatorā¦ He held a sacrificial ritual, and there were likely symbols corresponding to The Fool at the scene. The ancient palace above the gray fog appearedā¦. So, the True Creator sensed the existence of The Fool and confirmed that I was the one who had been sacrilegious, noāharassing, no thatās not right eitherāspying on himā¦
Also, Little Sun used the All-Black Eye at that time, which contains the mental corruption of the True Creatorā¦ Through that, āHeā has confirmed that my adorers and believers are in Backlund?
I canāt take the All-Black Eye out in the future!
Having roughly understood the problem, Klein was left with another problem.
Mr. A announced the bounty for Mr. Foolās believers at a not-so-private, relatively open Beyonder gathering. Is he just dumb, or is he deliberately āfishing?ā
Sigh, the Aurora Order members are all bigoted lunatics. Their brains are mostly damaged, so itās impossible to deduce their real intentions!
This is as the saying goes, as long as Iām crazy, you wonāt be able to guess what Iām thinking?