Opening his eyes, Cattleya the scene in front of Apocalypse and the low murmur in his ears all disappeared.
She got up and went to the captain's cabin. She looked at the room filled with various decorations and posted different charts. Her thoughts slowly pulled away from the dream just now and returned to reality.
"Clairvoyant" Potion, who had been digested to a large extent in her body, told Cattleya that what she just saw was probably the horror Apocalypse that would happen next in this world.
Is it because I feel a little uneasy about leaving the Queen again, or am I anxious about not being able to digest Potion quickly and be promoted to Angel... I have never had such a clear precognitive dream before. Even if it is a future that will definitely happen, there are only hazy perceptions and ambiguous interpretations...
She muttered, came to the window, opened the curtain and looked at the deck of "Future".
Several Sailor on duty were doing routine cleaning under the urging of Sailor Chief Nina, because Sharff was sent to Queen Anne's Revenge Frank Lee, who had lost his experimental subject, was fiddling with something listlessly next to a wooden barrel filled with soil. Further away, the blue sky and white clouds, the gentle breeze, and the calm sea surface were the rare good weather on the Berserk Sea.
None of this is like the scene when Apocalypse comes.
Of course, in the process of digesting "Clairvoyant" Potion in the past two years, Cattleya has experienced many things that were calm one second and then erupted into various crises the next, and will not let down their vigilance because of this.
But the strange behavior of "Queen Mystic" a few days ago, the delay of the secret gathering, and the failure to pray for help to "Fool" and "Goddess of Calamity" all made the Tarot Club member codenamed "Hermit" a little restless.
Wait, I prayed to God, and then I had a prophetic dream of the arrival of a huge Catastrophe... I digested Potion, and had the opportunity to experience and prevent a Catastrophe?
Cattleya was suddenly stunned and had a reasonable guess.
"Will this be my only chance? Although the Queen said that I would probably not be promoted in the short term, she handed me a Beyonder Characteristic of 'Sage' before leaving. After asking for help from Two Gods, 'Catastrophe' came...
"Believe in the power of God, but don't believe in their kindness..."
Taking a long breath, Cattleya made a decision. She pressed her hands on the window frame and let the sound spread throughout the ship:
"Set sail, set sail, target East Sonia Sea."
The alarm clock rang, and Benson·Moretti returned from the dream to the soft bed.
He grabbed the small jingling mechanical device on the bedside table and fiddled with it a few times but failed to stop it. He could only get up with squinting eyes and subconsciously touched his side and found that Lily had already gotten up.
She's been getting up earlier and earlier recently... Benson murmured, finished washing up in a half-asleep state, and came to the living room on the first floor. She immediately smelled the aroma of fried eggs and wheat flavor of bread.
"Tromi, fry one more egg for me. I want it to be soft."
He said to the maid who followed from Tingen to Backlund and was already quite good at cooking, and then sat at the dining table to enjoy breakfast.
At this time, the sound of children crying came from the living room next to the sun room. Benson smiled, put down the knife and fork he had just raised, got up and came to the room next to the dining room.
Lily Granger was holding her daughter who had just turned one year old, rocking her body while softly comforting the child who couldn't stop crying for some reason. The maid in charge of taking care of the child was a little at a loss.
"Honey, leave it to me."
Benson took the child from Lily, looked at the eyes with the same color as his own, and calmed her down with a few words, turning her chubby face into a smile, and kept calling "Daddy".
After handing their daughter to the maid, the couple returned to the restaurant, and Lily said with some frustration:
"Every time I have to hold her, she won't cry... Am I a little unqualified?"
"Actually, my Persuasion power is stronger. "Benson winked and joked, "Everyone from a 3-year-old child to a 60-year-old man is within my scope of work."
"Really, why didn't I feel it last night?"
The two were laughing in a low voice when the door to the study room was opened. Melissa, whose hair was a little messy, walked out quickly and sat at the dining table under the surprised eyes of Benson and Lily. He picked up the coffee and poured it into his mouth without even adding sugar.
"Melissa, you didn't sleep all night?"
Lily asked worriedly.
"Well, I'm sorting out the information I'll use today, and I have to hand it over to Professor Momont later."
Melissa nodded and replied. His expression did not look tired after a long night, but was full of energy. She snatched the freshly baked omelette and bread in front of Benson, quickly made a homemade sandwich, swallowed it in a few bites, and drank the rest of the coffee in one gulp.
"Is it the 'Difference Engine' you were studying some time ago?"
Benson, who had been robbed of his breakfast, asked curiously.
"That one is outdated, Benson," Melissa replied seriously, "The current mainstream research direction is the 'Analytical Engine' model proposed by Professor Charles."
"But Analytical Engine's prototype design is too huge and cannot be manufactured in reality...Professor Momont has found a way?"
Lily and Melissa on the side are both students of Backlund Industrial Technical University. Department of Mechanical Engineering immediately took over the latter's words and asked.
"Well, the real 'Analytical Engine' will probably be bigger than our house and won't be able to function properly. So we plan to replace some mechanical parts with circuits. The principle is similar to that of telegraph, but faster and more precise..."
"How to convert electrical motion and mechanical motion..."
The two college students immediately entered into a discussion, leaving Benson speechless. He could only enjoy Tromi's newly fried eggs, his eyes lingering on his lover and sister from time to time.
He could see that Melissa, who had not yet graduated, was significantly stronger in knowledge reserve and thinking speed than Lily. This was not because the latter had just given birth to a child and entered the "three-year" state, but...
...Melissa is already a Beyonder, and there is a high probability that "Church of Steam" has mastered the Potion formula "Savant".
"Lawyer" Benson made an accurate judgment.
When Lily was pregnant, Benson, who had been continuously promoted and held an important position in Ministry of Finance Special Affairs Division, accidentally came into contact with a Beyonder at work and received a copy of the Potion formula.
And long before that, Benson had already learned some secrets of the occult world from Leonard Mitchell, a colleague of Klein who informed him of the death of his brother and Angel. Potion was no stranger to extraordinary abilities.
After he asked Leonard and made it clear that the Potion named "Lawyer" would not be in great danger, he exchanged the opportunity to become Beyonder at the cost of becoming the informant of Church of Evernight "Nighthawks".
After becoming "Lawyer", his already good eloquence became a "Persuasion" in an extraordinary sense. He can deliberately Distortion other people's thoughts, giving himself a special affinity.
Only then did he understand that there were an extremely small number of people in the world who possessed extraordinary abilities, and he understood the truth of that incident, and that Klein and Angel had died in the battle against the out-of-control extraordinary power.
Benson did not tell Melissa about this, but during daily observation, he found that his sister had also become "Savant" and had extraordinary powers. Of course, at present, it seems to be limited to the improvement of memory, understanding and learning abilities, and strong energy.
This "coincidence" that the three brothers and sisters became Beyonder made Benson instinctively feel a little weird.
Moreover, there seems to be something special near our house... He thought, walked to the door with coffee in hand, stayed away from Lily and Melissa where the discussion was getting fierce, opened the door and came to the entrance garden.
The street was a little quiet in the early morning, but Benson noticed that there were two people, one tall and one short, standing at the door of his neighbor's house. The taller one was Leonard Mitchell who introduced him to the extraordinary world. His shirt was buttoned casually, his hair seemed to be uncombed, and he was talking to a girl who was almost two heads shorter than him.
His eyes stayed on the girl for a moment, Benson was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that he knew the girl.
Unlike her petite figure, Ms. Xio Derecha is already an adult and holds a high position. She is the director of a special department in the military. According to Benson's guess, she is also a Beyonder, and Sequence is not low.
In order to rehabilitate her father Mason Diel Earl who was wronged by Execution and Deprivation, she went to Kingdom Government multiple departments. After submitting the information, I got to know Benson, and pointed out his identity as Beyonder unceremoniously, making Benson almost think that he would be captured by the military.
Fortunately, this lady did not report him. Instead, she revealed some experiences of "digesting" Potion and "playing" the role, which benefited Benson a lot.
This is what I find strange. The power of occultism around me and Melissa seems to be a little stronger... He muttered silently. When he saw Leonard and Xio turning their heads to look at him, he quickly smiled in a friendly manner and turned to look at the other side of the garden.
In another house adjacent to Moretti's house, a couple left the house with a little boy who looked to be only about four years old and were about to get on the carriage.
It's Dr. Aaron's family... The smile on Benson's face became even thicker.
Benson has always had a certain fondness for this doctor who helped Lily a lot during her pregnancy. But he always felt that the other party's little kid, Will Kris, was a little too precocious.
I heard that the Aaron family sold their single-family villa in Hillston Borough and moved into North Borough. The decision was made under Will's influence.
Benson's eyes lingered on the bouncing child. The latter seemed to notice and turned around to look at Benson, showing a bright smile.
Maybe I'm just overthinking... After I became Beyonder, I became a little suspicious... Mr. Mitchell is Beyonder. Could it be that his pregnant wife is also? Could it be that Dr. Aaron's four-year-old child is also the same? How is this possible...
Looking up at the spire of Saint Samuel Cathedral not far away that was somewhat reflective in the morning sun, Benson shook his head and returned home.
Seeing Benson returning home with a strange look on his face while holding a coffee cup, Leonard and Xiucai tacitly looked away and continued the conversation.
Although Saint and Leonard, who are "dark" Pathway, can easily hide the traces of the two of them, he always feels that doing all this in front of Benson is a bit redundant and disrespectful to each other.
Disrespecting a God brother... Leonard's thoughts diverged and converged. He lowered his head and looked at "Judgment" Miss, and continued:
"The church arranged for me to return to Holy Cathedral, which is Serenity Church of Winter County, to complete a task. I'm afraid I have to leave for a while.
"I hope you can pay attention to the situation of Moretti's family and prevent them from being harmed or approached by people with malicious intentions... Of course, it is best to take care of Shermane, my love."
This kind of thing could have been communicated on Gray Fog, but now that Tarot Club has been postponed and the prayers to "Fool" have not been answered, meeting directly may be a better choice.
"No problem," it was already "Chaos Hunter." Xio, who had arrested and killed more than one Saint on the Loen Kingdom's underground front, immediately nodded in agreement, "Moretti Family is also at the top of the military's protection list... Of course, it is done in the most secretive way. Many MI9 members themselves don't know that they are protecting their family."
That's why I moved next to their house... Leonard muttered. He was not prepared for his sudden departure from Backlund, so he could only temporarily find "Judgment" who was working in the military and specializes in dealing with extraordinary events, and asked her to help look after Shermane.
According to Old Man, when I went to Holy Cathedral this time, I was probably promoted to Sequence 2 in advance, but how could this be possible... The number of Saint who taught Mid Sequence 3 should far exceed the Sequence 2 that can be allocated's characteristics, including Adjacent Pathways, how could it be my turn... Could it be for the sake of Klein and Angel... Seeing Xio agreed simply, Leonard was a little hesitant, and he asked in a low voice:
"Is it possible that you will be promoted to Sequence 2 recently?
"I mean, are there any promotion opportunities offered to you?"
What he faced was a pair of green pupils that dilated due to shock:
"How do you know?"
The crimson light dissipated, and Gray Fog shrouded the palace and the long bronze table came into view. "Justice" Audrey was relieved.
After a month, Tarot Club was finally convened again... She straightened up and looked around, and immediately noticed the difference in this gathering.
Not only were Mr. "Fool" and his "world" missing from the twenty-two high-backed chairs surrounding the long table, but "Empress" Miss and "Chariot" Miss were also missing.
She counted again in disbelief and confirmed that including herself, there were only eight members of Tarot Club participating in the party.
The other seven people also noticed this, and the somewhat blurry faces of Gray Fog were full of astonishment and surprise.
It is not that they have not participated in Tarot Club that lacked the host of "Fool" or "Empress" before, but those were temporary gatherings of a small number of people for some joint operations or private communication. They believed that although Mr. "Fool" was not present at the time, he was always paying attention to the situation here.
But now, it is a formal party that has been revised and postponed. Even when "Fool" just fell asleep, there was a formal party hosted by "Empress"!
Could it be that "Empress" Miss is also asleep? Is this related to the late night change a month ago? The postponement of Tarot Club and the lack of response to the prayer of "Fool" also happened at that time... Several people looked at me and I looked at you. For a while, no one dared to speak, and an uneasy atmosphere filled the air.
Just when Gray Fog seemed to be solidifying, "Justice" Audrey slowly stood up and bowed to the high-backed chair of "Fool" in the eyes of everyone.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool, Miss Empress."
After a brief silence, the remaining seven people also stood up and completed the customary greetings to the head of the long table just like they had done countless times before when Tarot Club started.
At this time, Audrey, who was the first to sit down, also discovered the subtle differences between the others and a month ago.
Although their appearance has not changed, some figures are more blurred as if blending into the surrounding shadows, some eyes are bright as if reflecting sunlight, some movements are calm and no longer frivolous, and some are still 1.5 meters tall but give people an aura of 5 meters tall...
Suddenly, Audrey had a glimmer of understanding.
After she waited for everyone to sit down, she said after careful consideration:
"Everyone, one month ago, with the help of 'Magician' Miss, I killed the Mind Dragon 'Edefana' that had aged to almost death since Second Epoch was alive until now, thus becoming Sequence 2's 'Discerner'."
As she expected, although others were a little surprised, it was not beyond the necessary limit. It was not as exaggerated as when they suddenly announced that they had become Angel in front of "Magician".
"I think you should have gained something of your own in this month," she continued. "I hope everyone can share their experiences. The great Mr. Fool and Miss Empress may be listening."
After finishing speaking, she looked at "Hanged Man" opposite, who understood and said in a low voice that seemed to carry power with every word:
"Two weeks ago, with the help of Mirror World created by 'Goddess of Calamity', I jumped from Storm Pathway to Sequence 2 of 'Hanged Man' and became 'Profane Presbyter'."
Sure enough, Mr. Hanged Man, the veteran member of Tarot Club, also became Angel. Although it jumped to Adjacent Pathways, it is understandable. "Lord of Storms" fell not long ago. Most of the Beyonder Characteristic he left behind should have been acquired by Church of Storms. I wonder when I will have the opportunity to get it... Audrey thought about it and nodded to Mr. "Sun" who joined later.
"Not long ago, City of Silver exchanged a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact for a Sequence 2 characteristic taught by 'Eternal Blazing Sun', and I used this as Potion material to be promoted to 'Lightseeker'." Derrick, who is tall and has bright eyes, said, "During this process, 'Church of Steam' borrowed a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact from Sun Pathway to help me with the ceremony."
After him, skipping over Fors who had become "Planeswalker", "Moon" Emlyn introduced in a no longer proud tone:
"A month ago, the ancestor provided me with Beyonder Characteristic of Sequence 2'Life-Giver', which is equivalent to 'Duke' within Sanguine. Under the witness of the other three Duke, I took it Potion, became Angel... During the final digestion process of Sequence 3 'High Summoner' Potion, 'Empress' Miss provided a lot of help."
His tone did not express the joy of being successfully promoted, but instead carried an invisible burden. His eyes looked dullly at Ms. "Hermit" sitting opposite.
The latter adjusted the heavy glasses on the bridge of his nose, subconsciously glanced at the empty seat belonging to "Fool", and then said:
"Shortly after the vision occurred a month ago, I had a premonition that a huge disaster might occur in the East Suniya Sea near the 'Land Abandoned by God', affecting the archipelago and the northern and southern continents.
"Ten days ago, I finally got there. Under the inspiration of God, I entered the ruins left by the war between God alone, found the source of Catastrophe, and prevented that Catastrophe from happening.
"The prophecy of this incident allowed me to digest Potion of Sequence 3, and stopping Catastrophe became a ritual for me to be promoted to 'Sage'."
Her tone was quite strange, not like she was holding back a real Catastrophe joy and relief, but rather a sense of helplessness that everything had been arranged.
Because the way to stop that apocalyptic Catastrophe is to find the "Empress" Miss hidden in God War Ruins, and make the Goddess in charge of "Calamity" smile.
Of course, this is not a risk-free Travel. The many magical powers left by God War Ruins and the ravings that made the divine Beyonder lose control have a great impact on Cattleya. It was a threat to, but fortunately "Queen Mystic" had entered that sea area many times and gave her a lot of help with his own experience, allowing her to open a path in danger and find the traces of God.
But I always felt that this was an arrangement... In the end, I had to rely on Emperor Roselle's jokes to make this God laugh, and stopped the terrifying Catastrophe from approaching the planet... She sighed secretly and looked at "Judgment" Miss beside her.
The latter briefly elaborated on his promotion process:
"Between His Majesty Loen King Edessak II and a certain Archbishop of 'The End Church' Through's mediation, the church returned a long-lost Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and disassembled it on the spot to restore it to 'Balancer' Beyonder Characteristic.
"A requirement that comes with the return is that members of the royal family and members of the military who served during the George III era are not allowed to use it.
"Except for a few princes who do not meet the conditions and Saint from the military, I am the only one who has a chance to be promoted..."
This... was clearly arranged... In the words of this "Balancer", Cattleya felt a little more balanced, and then looked at Mr. "Star" who joined Tarot Club with "Judgment".
Under the gaze of everyone, Leonard cleared his throat and said slowly:
"Last month, I suddenly received a notice from the church to carry out a secret mission, but it wasn't until I returned to the church headquarters that I learned that I had received special permission to be promoted to Sequence 2 earlier than the senior Archbishop and senior deacons within the church.
"The promotion ceremony requires me to cut off all social relations, neither influence nor be influenced by others, and live alone in darkness and silence for three years... I originally thought that I would not be able to participate in this Tarot Club, and that I would not be able to see my family, but when I stayed in the darkness for only three weeks, I realized that the conditions for promotion had been met...
"It's as if time has been affected by Fooling."
Leonard's tone was full of doubts. He once tried to ask Pallez in his body, but the latter firmly stated that he had not stolen time, and that he could not steal the three years needed for the ceremony without affecting the person who was promoted, unless a higher-level existence took action.
Higher status... Thinking of this, he looked at the seat belonging to "The World" at the end of the long table, and then glanced at the empty "Fool" seat.
It seems that all the "Angel" present were successfully promoted at a surprisingly fast speed with the help of Klein and Angel?
His inner doubts also filled the minds of all the members who had been promoted in the past month. Unknowingly, they all looked at "Magician" Miss, who first became Angel and seemed to know many secrets that they should not know.