Lord of the Mysteries

If The Fool had simply mentioned that there was some simple general knowledge contained in Roselle’s diary, The Hanged Man, Alger, wouldn’t necessarily be determined to pay the “price” for the answer, partly because the description of it being “simple” killed his curiosity. Another aspect stemmed from his constant wariness against making trades with The Fool, as it reminded him of the examples when deals were made with evil gods and devils.

But now that he knew the so-called contents of simple general knowledge, his interest was piqued. Yet, he was unable to understand parts of the description, much less gain any actual or deep grasp of the concept. Therefore, he couldn’t hold back his urges to ask in absolute reverence, “Mr. Fool, what kind of payment do you want?”

“Yes, yes!” Justice Audrey nodded her head nearly indiscernibly but very frequently, indicating that this was something she wanted to ask as well.

Although The Sun Derrick remained silent and didn’t make any additional body gestures, the look he gave to The Fool explained everything.

Klein, who was waiting for a such a response, smiled and said, “Information regarding the Secret Order.”

“The Secret Order…” The Hanged Man Alger muttered to himself.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with this term. He had once received payment for explaining to Miss Justice about many secret organizations, including the Secret Order.

Audrey and Derrick both frowned subconsciously. The former’s only understanding of the Secret Order was limited to what The Hanged Man had described. And the latter had never even heard of such an organization.

Klein had long anticipated what The Sun would feel, but he wasn’t surprised. According to his conjecture, the area where the City of Silver was located should’ve been a part of the Third Epoch after the appearance of the first Blasphemy Slate and before the appearance of the second Blasphemy Slate. It was even possible that it was the direct catalyst or manifestation of the cataclysm. The Zaratul family had only stepped onto the stage of history in the Fourth Epoch, and the Secret Order was created in the latter half of the Fourth Epoch. There was no way both entities could’ve existed in the same period.

It would surprise Klein if the Sun were to know about the Secret Order. He would then have to overturn some of his speculations, reconstruct his knowledge of the City of Silver, the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and the Zaratul family.

After nearly twenty seconds of silence, Alger looked at The Fool in the gray fog, deliberated his words and said, “I will accept this request and help you gather information regarding the Secret Order.

“Can you make ‘payment’ in advance?”

It wasn’t surprising that a suspected deity was interested in an ancient and secret organization; therefore, Alger wasn’t puzzled about it.

More importantly, after many gatherings, he had a guess in his mind, which was that Mr. Fool’s state wasn’t perfect, that “He” might be in a predicament, that all “His” attempts and the actions of “His” adorers on the Northern and Southern Continents were to help “Him” break free from “His” confines.

This might even be related to the huge secret of why the seven deities no longer descend upon the real world after the Fourth Epoch… A thought flashed through Alger’s mind, and he shuddered as he felt himself entering the realm of the gods.

Upon hearing The Hanged Man’s request, Klein leaned back in his chair and nodded.

“No problem.

“If the information you have collected exceeds the value of the answer, I will provide you with further compensation.”

As for the circumstances in which the value of the answer was lacking, it is naturally up to the esteemed Mr. Fool to decide. If he has the ability to make the additional payment, so be it. If not, forget it… Klein silently added.

Justice Audrey’s eyes lit up all of a sudden. She raised her hand and said, “I want to partake in this deal.”

Klein laughed and replied, “Sure.”

Frankly speaking, his main target was Miss Justice because she was a local of Backlund and she had mixed herself into several Beyonder circles. Her access to information in the “Land of Hope” far exceeded his, considering it was his first time in the capital. She was also more informed than The Hanged Man who was out at sea most of the time.

According to the earlier revelation he received from his divination, Klein believed that the clues related to the Secret Order would appear in Backlund and not anywhere else.

The Sun Derrick listened quietly and after some thought, said, “I’m willing to use the payment I reserved and exchange it for the answer.”

In the previous three-way deal, he had traded the Sequence 8 Telepathist formula for Sequence 9 Bard. Klein had promised to compensate him, and his choice at the time had been to save it up and prepare for the subsequent potion formulas and main ingredients.

Klein nodded his head and gave an explanation that he had long prepared.

“The so-called Similar Sequence refers to how High-Sequence Beyonders are exchangeable with other pathways.

“Let me give an example. The Death pathway’s Sequence 5, Gatekeeper, can not only be advanced normally, but one can also choose the Giant pathway, which is the Gatekeeper pathway’s Sequence 4, Demon Hunter.

“This won’t lead to the danger of losing control, nor will it accumulate madness. It’s different from taking the wrong potion.

“Of course, if it’s not a similar Sequence, a semi-deranged state is the best result.”

“Exchangeable?” Audrey blurted out, surprised and delighted.

She was surprised that Sequence pathways weren’t completely fixed, that they didn’t need to follow the original path all the way. The price of switching wasn’t being semi-deranged and never to advance again. Within the 22 divine pathways, there were special circumstances and Sequences which were similar!

And what delighted her was that she had another chance to choose again in the future. It was just like being able to select something that caught her interest at Philip’s Department Store. It was a wonderful experience!

So that’s how it is… Alger silently muttered to himself, suddenly feeling like he had understood several things at once, and he had resolved many of the doubts accumulated in his past experiences.

This information is way too valuable! As expected of Mr. Fool. So-called simple general knowledge is enough to shock and awe most Low-Sequence Beyonders and benefit them immensely. He sighed inwardly.

Derrick the Sun was a little disappointed because he had no intention of changing Sequences. He wanted to be the Sun that lit up the darkness and dispelled the curse.

However, he quickly recalled an incident that happened in the City of Silver:

The former Chief, a powerhouse who had the greatest possibility of breaking past the limitations of Demon Hunter, had built a mausoleum for himself and went deep inside, making it his home.

Afterwards, he appeared less and less, until the main door of the mausoleum could no longer be opened.

Back then, the citizens of the City of Silver all believed that a problem had arisen during the Chief’s advancement and that he had gone mad, to the point of being close to losing control. He was believed to have finished himself off.

Now, combined with the description from The Fool, The Sun suddenly thought of another possibility.

That Chief might’ve been attempting to advance in Sequence through a similar pathway!

In one of his explorations deep into the darkness, he had acquired the corresponding formula for the Death pathway, and the mausoleum might have been a special requirement… But in the end, he still failed? But why didn’t he turn into a monster? What did he encounter in that dark mausoleum?

The City of Silver doesn’t have the subsequence Sequence potion formulas after Demon Hunter?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Derrick was suddenly jolted back to his senses by Miss Justice’s reserved voice.

“Mr. Fool, may I ask what other pathways are exchangeable with the Spectator Sequencer pathway?”

Sequence 4 Demon Hunter sounds pretty good… That’s very suitable for me, very suitable for ‘Justice!’ Audrey admired the first High-Sequence name that she knew.

I want to know too… Klein was tempted to answer Miss Justice’s question in such a manner.

Before he could say anything, Audrey added in a faltering tone, “I-I can pay for the answer to this question. H-how many gold pounds do you think is enough? I-I believe that your adorer will need a certain amount of funds for their activities…”

Having said that, she recalled how Mr. Fool’s adorer had easily finished Pirate Admiral Qilangos who possessed Creeping Hunger. Clearly, he was a High-Sequence Beyonder, so she nearly said, “I apologize. Mr. Fool, treat it as though I never said a thing.”

However, since she had already asked, she couldn’t back down! Come on, Audrey! Perhaps The Fool has a weaker adorer? Audrey quietly bit at her lips, silently encouraging herself.

Gold pounds? Klein thought about it seriously and said, “We’ll make the transaction after enough information about the Secret Order is gathered.”

As he spoke, he recalled his informant in the Psychology Alchemists, Daxter Guderian.

Captain and I-I… Sigh… Daxter’s identity as an informant can no longer be verified. I wonder if it’s a tragedy or a comedy… It’s a pity that I can no longer contact him anymore. Otherwise, it would be the most convenient way to obtain the information regarding the Spectator pathway from him… Klein smirked.

“Alright.” Audrey answered happily.

The conversation between the two made The Hanged Man, who was about to ask a similar question, shut his mouth. He left it until he had gathered enough information on the Secret Order.

After a brief silence, Audrey turned her head to look at Mr. Fool and raised her hand very slightly.

After receiving a nod of confirmation, she turned to the member opposite her and asked with a sense of anticipation, “Mr. Hanged Man, my tip allowed you to finish Rear Admiral Hurricane. Have you prepared the complete pituitary gland of a mature Rainbow Salamander?”

That’s one of the reasons why I returned to the sea… Alger nodded gently and said, “I’ve gotten the Beyonder material you wanted.

“But how should I give it to you?”

How? How should it be given to me… Audrey froze for a moment as she lost herself in thought.

It’s impossible to just give my address… Nor can I go through Xio and Fors. That will reveal the fact that I’m a Beyonder… Hmm, it’s not impossible. Emperor Roselle once said that when we should choose the lesser of two evils…

At that moment, Klein’s heart stirred. He lightly tapped the edge of the long table and smiled.

“Miss, Sir, are you willing to cooperate with me in making an attempt regarding this matter?”