That day, Danitz chose a quiet hour late at night to visit the room of Alger Wilson, who still served as Pope of the Church of the Sea God but was, in truth, a believer of the Fool. There, he met the man who usually wore a Silver-Black Mask, now showing his true face.
This was not a formal conversation, so Danitz dispensed with most of the pleasantries and quickly got to the point.
"Your Holiness," he began with difficulty, "there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Just use my name in private, Danitz." Alger had a special regard for this believer, who had become an Oracle before Mr. Fool had truly awakened, when the faith still spread only underground. "I take it you're still troubled about how to advance to Iron-Blooded Knight?"
With his thoughts exposed, Danitz took a seat and nodded.
"It's a very difficult ritual to complete.
"For some reason, the people I try to win over and recruit soon distance themselves from me. They get along well with each other, but I, their captain, end up isolated.
"Do you think the great Mr. Fool would agree if I prayed to Him and asked Him to send down a divine revelation ordering thirty believers to become teammates who are in tune with me?"
Alger chuckled and instinctively glanced at the sacred emblem of the Sea God hanging high in the room. Of course, it actually pointed to Mr. Fool.
"You should know that this sort of forced 'recruitment' doesn't meet the ritual's requirements. It might even have the opposite effect." Putting aside his amusement, he explained patiently, "Otherwise, you could sell one of your houses on Xiangshu Avenue in Bayam and hire a team of Beyonders to serve as temporary teammates and help you complete the ritual."