Without waiting for The Hermit to answer, Audrey added, âIf you believe this is an important piece of information and isnât something to be given for free, then I can provide you with some payment.â
âNo, thereâs no need to. Anyone familiar with the Feynapotterâs Church of Earth Mother will have some understanding of this.â Cattleya didnât doubt Miss Justiceâs sincerity when it came to the principle of equal exchange. She believed that Miss Justice was fully capable of satisfying her price in terms of wealth and resources, but she decided to provide the information for free.
Firstly, it raised Miss Justiceâs impression on her and would build a foundation for any future transactions. Secondly, by providing the information, she could observe the reactions of the members and estimate their standing in their own organizations and factions.
Iâm very familiar with the Earth Motherâs Blessed, Bishop Utravsky, but I didnât know anything about that⊠Of course, I truly am a little scared of him. His height and build are just too intimidating. Every time Iâm there, I only seek out Emlyn White⊠Sitting at the end of the long bronze table, Klein thought in a self-deprecating manner.
Cattleya didnât pause as she continued, âVampire is from the Moon pathway. The corresponding Sequence 9 is Apothecary; Sequence 8 is Beast Tamer; Sequence 6 is Potions Professor; Sequence 5 is Scarlet Scholar; Sequence 4 is Shaman King. Iâm not sure about the higher Sequences.â
âAhem.â Emlyn White coughed. âMaâam Hermit, I have to emphasize that itâs Sanguine, not Vampire. Heh heh, I wonât object it if you call those humans who consume the characteristics of my kinsmen vampires. I would even be very agreeable to it.â
So Vampire is from the Apothecary pathway. So is Shaman King. Itâs no wonder they revere the Primordial Moon and not the GoddessâŠ
Could the Scarlet Lunar Corona, that Maâam Sharron obtained, be from a dead Scarlet Scholar or Sanguine Viscount? Apart from being able to recreate the effects of a full moon and neutralizing the corresponding effects, it can provide terrifying speed, unimaginable recovery speed, and rather powerful darkness-related spells. The negative effects can be neutralized by drinking the fresh blood of the living⊠Indeed, it does seem to be a result of a SanguineâŠ
Among the various jobs of this pathway, there are some that resemble the Seer pathway. Thereâs no connection between the Sequences, while there are some that have an obvious progression. How strangeâŠ
Klein joined the bits of bread crumbs together, feeling somewhat enlightened and puzzled.
Alger, Fors, and company were either in thought, listening in relish, or pretending to be disinterested. Everyone had different reactions, but Cattleya was able to figure out that they didnât understand much about Vampires prior to this.
They are low- or mid-ranking members in their organizations or factions. They match the characteristics of being recently pulled into the Tarot Club and at the stage of rapidly advancing⊠The World didnât react. Either heâs very staid, or he long knew of the matter regarding Vampires, or both⊠After repeated observations, I have to admit that The World is the Tarot Club member that needs to have the most attention paid to and be guarded againstâŠ
Audrey listened with great interest as she thought over it carefully. As though she was attending a family education class, she raised her hand slightly.
âMaâam Hermit, why are the Sequences in the Moon pathway seemingly unrelated?â
The Hermit Cattleya looked at Miss Justice and discovered that the dress and accessories she wore were completely different from the last gathering. There was no repeat, but it exuded her luxurious and noble bearing.
As her mind went adrift, she seemed to see the portrait of the Queen back when she was young. Every piece of clothing she wore was completely different. The same set of clothing was never worn a second time at a formal event.
After a moment of silence, Cattleya said, âA pathwayâs Sequence doesnât necessarily need to be related or superficially connected. The common trait is that this pathway corresponds to the godâs domain. For example, the Moon represents spirituality, plants, beauty, parts of life, parts of darkness, and parts of mystery. Therefore, this pathway has Apothecary of the plant domain, Vampire of the life domain, and Beast Tamer of the intersection of life and spirituality.â
âSanguine!â Emlyn White emphasized and lifted his chin slightly. âThis should be why us Sanguine are very handsome and beautiful.â
No, thatâs not the case. The vampires Iâve seen are all disgusting and ferocious⊠Derrick retorted weakly in his heart.
It can be explained in such a manner? Itâs quite different from Captainâs and Dalyâs explanations⊠Different pathways represent the domain possessed by a Sequence 0⊠Or could it be that the two combined is the most accurate answer? I wonder what the domains the Sequence 0 of the Seer pathway represents. From the symbol behind my chair, it represents strangeness and change? Kleinâs expression didnât change as his mind whirled.
Audrey easily understood Maâam Hermitâs explanation and couldnât help but guess the name of her pathwayâs Sequence 0.
Itâs definitely Dragon. There are many species of dragons. Many powers are not contained within this pathway. Itâs closer to the domain represented by the mind dragonâŠ
I wish Mr. Fool can quickly find the Card of Blasphemy of this corresponding pathwayâŠ
That Groselleâs Travels originates from dragons. I wonder if it has anything to do with a mind dragonâŠ
At this moment, Emlyn asked as a form of validation, âThat is to say that to successfully become a Sanguine Viscount, I similarly have to act as a Potions Professor, even if Iâm a favorite of the Moon?â
My dear Emlyn, I know you are trying to bring attention to the latter half of your sentence⊠Klein nearly reached out his right hand to pinch his chin.
This was also one of the reasons why he had entrusted Miss Magician to check for abnormalities in Williams Street. He ultimately felt that Emlyn White, a vampire who didnât enjoy going out or socializing, was rather unreliable at present. Another reason was that he knew that he was being controlled by the Sanguineâs upper echelons in secret. Getting him to head to Williams Street made it easy to expose the matter regarding the underground ruins.
âYes.â Cattleya nodded.
The exchange continued, and as it came to a close, Audrey seemed to recall something. She turned her body and looked towards the end of the long bronze table.
âMr. Fool, the second round of the Civil Servant Unified Examination officially ends today. Whatâs left is the final interview.â
Her tone was brisk and with clear delightful emotions. It was like an excellent student reporting her results to her parents.
From her point of view, the Civil Servant Unified Examination was a suggestion raised by Mr. Fool in passing. She had pushed forward the idea via inconspicuous methods, the first time she had attempted to use her Beyonder powers to change reality. Therefore, she had always paid great attention to it, often reporting the situation to the suggester.
The second round of the examinations are over? I wonder if Benson can pass and have the opportunity of entering the final interview⊠Klein leaned back and suddenly felt wistful.
He nodded slightly and said with a smiling tone, âNot bad.â
Audrey, who had been praised by Mr. Fool, became happier. She felt that she was indirectly changing the fates of many people, allowing people who were stuck in the lower and middle classes to have a chance at entering the middle and upper classes.
When Cattleya heard this exchange, she couldnât help but frown. She felt that this was very different from the style the Tarot Club had previously shown.
Could it be that the reforms of the past half a year in the Loen Kingdom were a result of the Tarot Clubâs turning of the wheels? As a young noble lady, Miss Justice played an important role? If thatâs the case, I have to reevaluate my views⊠Although the members arenât of a high Sequence and are low-ranking members of their organizations, theyâre still able to influence the situation of the world to a certain extent? Cattleya retracted her gaze and considered whether she wanted to use her different resource channels to figure out the backstory of Loen Kingdomâs reforms.
After a few minutes of exchanges, The Fool Klein announced the end of the Gathering.
While Miss Justice and company got up to express their farewells, he severed the connection and leaned back into his seat. He silently watched the endless grayish-white fog around him for a very long while.
âŠ
Backlund. In a coffee shop next to Kingâs Avenue.
Melissa was holding a porcelain teaspoon as she gently stirred the black tea which had a lemon in it. From time to time, she would turn her head to look out into the faint fog.
Her black veiled hat was sitting beside her. Placed in front of her was a plate of the cheapest toast, but she hadnât taken a single bite.
She originally imagined that she would anger the coffee shopâs owner for sitting there all this while, preventing him from earning more. But she later discovered that there were many people waiting for the end of the test opposite the road like her.
As seconds turned into minutes, the water condensing on the glass windows grew thicker. Melissa couldnât help but extend her hand to clean up a relatively clear spot.
Finally, she saw a bunch of people surge out of the test venue. The glass-inlaid wooden door of the coffee shop was pushed open as about eight men and women entered.
Just as Benson took off his rather old top and before he could smooth his rather high hairline with his fingers, he discovered his sister standing as she asked nervously, âHow did you do, uhâWere the questions tough today?â
âIt mightâve been considered difficult for others, but it was a piece of cake for me. Mathematics is my forte.â Benson looked around and saw everyone discussing it without noticing him. Hence, he chuckled. âAfter the test ended, I saw quite a number of people with blank sheets. Do they think a low-ranking civil servant will have a mathematics secretary? If thatâs the case, whatâs the difference between hiring a curly-haired baboon and them?â
Melissa heaved a secret sigh of relief and looked to her side before turning her head back.
âBenson, if youâre really confident, you should consider the matter regarding the interview.
âYou need to buy a new decent set of clothes.â
âLetâs leave that to tomorrow. We should celebrate today. Iâve already decided on the restaurant.â Benson smiled as he pointed outside.
Melissa pursed her lips and looked at her elder brother in an extremely serious manner.
âIâve already bought the meat and vegetables.â
Benson locked his gaze with his sister for a few seconds before moving it away in submission.
âAlright, letâs go home.â
âŠ
Above the gray fog, Klein gradually found his train of thought and calmed his emotions. He began considering how to separate the True Creatorâs mental corruption of the All-Black Eye.