Lord of the Mysteries

Inside the captain’s cabin, Cattleya slowly got up from the floor and walked in silence to the full-length mirror next to the bookcase.

In the mirror, the skin on her face was fair and smooth, without a single crack. Her ears were small and normal, showing no signs of expanding. Her deep purple eyes were calm, as if nothing had happened.

However, she could see more with her eyes that carried a sense of mystery.

Hidden beneath her skin were eye-like flesh and blood that hadn’t fully dissolved; her Soul Body, whose pain and madness were rapidly dispersing; innumerable illusory objects with ineffable forms that roamed about; sailors who were cleaning the deck several rooms away…

Everything within a range of a few dozen meters was revealed to her in an unobscured but unusually chaotic manner.

From the day she had become a Sequence 5 Constellations Master, her Mystery Pryer powers had been greatly enhanced. She could faintly see that there were thick curtains around her that resembled shadows, and behind the curtains, something seemed to be watching her and all living beings.

There are no traces of being influenced by Mr. Fool, which in turn explains many things… He, no, ‘He’ was able to directly pull my Soul Body into that mysterious space with a strange, tyrannical, and secretive power. It’s not something that a demigod scepter can compare to… Although ‘He’ was dressed in contemporary clothing, this doesn’t mean anything. For an existence at this level, it’s very easy for different people to see ‘Him’ in different forms, and ‘His’ true appearance would probably cause every person that sees him directly to lose control and die… Cattleya stared at herself in the mirror, thinking silently about what had just happened.

It was inevitable that she had some predictions about Mr. Fool’s identity, but this was only guesswork without any evidence.

The fact that ‘He’ is wearing a tailcoat doesn’t mean that ‘He’ is very young or that ‘He’ was born recently. Perhaps, ‘His’ essence is ancient, even older than the seven gods. The knowledge that is pursuing me tells me that before the Cataclysm, there were indeed older gods, and ‘He’ might be one of them, Cattleya said silently to herself before turning away from the full-length mirror and walking back to the place where she had struggled in pain. She picked up her glasses that had fallen to the side.

She put the thick glasses on her nose, hiding her deep purple eyes. Everything that didn’t appear under a normal person’s vision quickly disappeared from her sight.

Cattleya stood there, thinking again about the influence Mr. Fool and the so-called “Tarot Club” would have on her.

Unknowingly, a tall figure surfaced in her mind. The words that she would never forget had once again echoed in her ears.

“Leave. Your destiny doesn’t lie with me.”

Is this my destiny, Your Majesty? She closed her eyes.

…

In the ancient and majestic palace above the gray fog.

Klein’s fingers tapped the edge of the long, mottled table as he made all the tarot cards on the table disappear.

He was thinking about what the subsequent developments would be after the Admiral of Stars joined the Tarot Club.

If there’s no other way, and if I might really need to take a detour from a safe sea route and enter the sea that was once a battlefield of the gods, to search for singing mermaids, having The Hermit, who is fearful of The Fool, in my control is better than cooperating with Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina. Using her ship would be much safer… Yes, Mr. Hanged Man will be a backup choice.

Admiral of Stars is a Moses Ascetic Order member. She grasps plenty of knowledge and is very helpful towards the Tarot Club, but it’s a latent risk for me. Mr. Fool’s image is built on the foundation of being unfathomable… In the future, I have to be more careful. I mustn’t answer things I’m not sure of. On matters I’m unconfident about, I’d rather be vague and handle matters like a charlatan. Of course, to fully resolve this problem, I should quickly improve myself and become a High-Sequence Beyonder. My strength needs to match my level, and my standards need to match that pedestal.

With such a Sequence 5 powerhouse with many subordinates under her, the overall strength of the Tarot Club isn’t considered low.

After obtaining the Sea God Scepter, I don’t have to worry that members of the Tarot Club will be too strong, with problems easily arising.

I hope that there will come a day when this member of the Moses Ascetic Order, Admiral of Stars, will be able to play an important role in my revenge against the Hidden Sage.

Klein exhaled as he vanished from above the gray fog.

…

Backlund. Beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.

A red-gloved Nighthawk entered the temporary office assigned to them, with a telegraph in hand.

“Captain, something happened at Enmat Harbor,” he said to Soul Assurer Soest with some excitement.

Soest touched the right side of his hair and asked, “What happened?”

“There’s a new development from The Fool, the one the Aurora Order is seeking.” The member holding the telegraph handed the piece of paper over.

His answer immediately attracted the attention of several Red Gloves who were present, including the man with black hair and green eyes who was taking an afternoon nap with his chair lifted up and his feet on the table. He had covered his face with his hat.

Soest took over the telegraph and scanned it before immediately laughing.

“Someone lied by claiming to be his Blessed in an attempt to scam others, but after chanting his name, he was smote to death on the spot by a bolt of lightning.

“There really is a hidden existence known as The Fool…”

The files relating to the Tarot ritual and The Fool had been handed over to Soest’s Red Gloves team. They were in charge of the investigations, but there were no leads, and they didn’t put much emphasis on it because they had other missions on hand.

“The Fool has powers in the lightning domain?” Leonard Mitchell removed the black hat from his face.

“Who knows? If he’s the embodiment of some old friend of ours, it’s possible to do something similar by preparing a corresponding mystical item. It’s not without precedent. This is especially so for the fake gods in the Southern Continent and the colonial islands. Holy Lord of Storms, those cheats claim that The Fool is another manifestation of the Lord of Storms. This might also be why he was smitten to death.” Soest leisurely threw the telegraph aside.

Leonard glanced at it, lowered his feet, half turned, and chuckled.

“Aren’t we going to perform some investigations?”

“How? Are you going to feign ignorance and recite his honorific name?” Soest sneered.

This has a high probability of catching the tail of The Fool, but I will basically be bidding farewell to this world. My digestion of the Nightmare potion has been going pretty well, and I just got another good item. There are still plenty of Sequences up ahead which are waiting for me. How can I enter into an eternal sleep so soon? Leonard stroked his drooping hair strands and said, “We can get a few criminals on death row to give it a try?”

“But he could just as easily not respond.” Soest shook his head.

“We can start from the two cases that involved the tarot rituals. I’m more and more convinced that it has something to do with The Fool. Firstly, The Fool is one of the Major Arcana tarot cards. Secondly, the organization that is seeking or cracking down on his Blessed is the Aurora Order. And the first case that involved the tarot ritual is the Lanevus case. As such, the Aurora Order’s attempt to allow the True Creator’s descent was foiled.” Lanevus pulled at his black vest and got up.

Soest thought about it seriously and said, “The clues from the other cases happen to have been cut off as well. For now, we have nothing else to do. You can try to investigate the two tarot ritual cases.”

“Sure.” Leonard smiled back.

This was exactly what he wanted. With a case that no one cared about being handed to him, he had won a certain amount of time to act freely.

…

At 2:50 p.m., Fors returned from the cold streets to her residence while trembling.

It wasn’t that she wanted to go out in this damp, cold weather, but it was that she had run out of food at home. As for Xio, she had gone all the way to Pritz Harbor to capture a fugitive and collect the bounty. It was unknown when she would be able to return home.

She’s always instinctively chasing after and capturing fugitives. It can be said that she has been acting in some way… Holding the large brown paper bag in her arms, she habitually fished for her keys to open the mailbox and take out the letters and bills.

She entered the house, put the food away, and took off her thick coat that tightly clung to her body. Fors began to look through the letters.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. There was a letter from her teacher, Dorian Gray.

After she advanced to Trickmaster, the first thing she did was to write about it in her letter and mail it to Dorian Gray, hoping to receive her teacher’s praise and subsequent guidance. However, days had passed without her receiving a reply. For a moment, she wondered if she should visit Pritz Harbor out of concern.

Fors quickly opened the envelope and began to read through it.

“… I’m sorry that I have only replied now. I previously left Pritz Harbor for some time for a relative’s funeral.

“… Your talent leaves me gratified. Perhaps the stories hidden in your heart have helped you in acting. After you digest the Trickmaster potion, I’ll provide you with the Sequence 7 Astrologer formula and some ingredients, as well as a gift…

“… The crux when it comes to acting as a Trickmaster lies in ‘performing’ and ‘hoodwinking.’ Hoodwinking can also be replaced with deceit. This has been verified by generations of Beyonders… You can take into consideration other pathways like Swindler and Magician. The meaning behind their names is, in some sense, similar…”

Fors heaved a sigh of relief, glanced up at the wall clock, and hurried back to her bedroom before locking the door behind her.

The weekly Tarot Gathering was beginning.

Not long after, a crimson light flooded her eyes, drowning everything.

In the ancient and mysterious palace, just as Fors was about to look at Mr. Fool, she suddenly saw a figure beside her.

That seat had always been empty!

A new member? A lady? The Magician Fors moved her eyeballs slightly, pretending not to care as she half turned her body.

Another new member? And it’s a lady… Miss Justice was about to get up and greet Mr. Fool when she saw an unfamiliar figure.

While feeling puzzled and expectant, she discovered a problem. The women were on one side of the table, while the men were on the other side.

This should be divided according to Mr. Fool’s intentions. I wonder if there’s any symbolic meaning behind it… Yes, the ladies are on the left, and the men are on the right. Being neither left or right is what defines a god like Mr. Fool. Ah, yes, there’s also Mr. World… Heh heh, could it be that he’s neither man or woman, or even a human? Audrey, you’re thinking too much… Justice stood up and bowed, speaking with a light and brisk tone.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~”