Acting Method

Hearing The Fool's question, Angel felt as though an invisible hand had gripped her chest, and her heartbeat began to quicken.

Part of her nervousness came from the diary pages she had "watered down." Although The Fool probably would not care about such trivial matters, that did not stop panic and excitement from welling up inside her as she deceived a mysterious existence.

The other part was that Angel was not sure how rare Roselle's Diary was.

Perhaps two centuries had turned an emperor's notes into a commonplace puzzle-solving craze for the masses, but that clearly did not fit with The Fool's urgent demand for the diaries.

The more likely possibility was that these notes circulated only within the major Churches and secret organizations. If so, could obtaining the diaries so easily expose her identity?

The other two seemed to share similar concerns. Miss Justice, who usually liked to speak first, appeared to have gained a measure of composure after becoming a Beyonder. The first to answer was instead the Hanged Man.

"I found two pages from Emperor Rosell's Diary."

"I have one page as well."

Justice answered immediately afterward.

It seemed she had the most after all... Angel pondered before replying according to her original plan, "I also found two pages. Do we need to write... express them now?"

"Yes, please."

With The Fool's concise reply, curled-edged parchment and Steel Pens filled with ink instantly appeared before the other three.

Angel picked up the Steel Pen, recalled the diary content she had only recently "split apart and rearranged," focused on the nib in her hand, and expressed the urge to write.

Square characters left behind in this world by the transmigrator Emperor Rosell appeared smoothly upon the parchment.

To avoid letting The Fool guess that she understood Chinese, she deliberately rendered the handwriting in strange and varied styles. Some were small and graceful, some wild and rough, and she even mixed up the order of several characters, making them appear as though they had come from different copyists and been pieced together on a single sheet.

After displaying the two diary pages on the parchment through this miraculous method of writing without touching pen to paper, Angel set down her pen and looked up, only to see that the other two had finished as well.

Just as they had appeared, the parchments vanished in an instant, then reappeared together at one end of the long table before Mr. Fool.

His figure behind the Gray Fog remained indistinct, but his hands were already holding the diaries as he lowered his head to read. The others scarcely dared to breathe, afraid of disturbing The Fool's reading.

He really did know this language...

Angel had already guessed that The Fool wanted everyone to collect Emperor Rosell's Diary so he could read it. Therefore, he had to understand this language, perhaps even master it.

Yet as she watched The Fool turn page after page like he was reading a newspaper, reading words that did not belong to this world, even more questions arose in her heart.

Had he already deciphered the meaning of Chinese? Had he translated it through some mystical means?

Or perhaps, he was also...

The Fool read faster and faster. For the final two pages, he did not even spend a minute. Then he set down the parchment and looked at each of the other three in turn, pausing on Angel for a moment and making her think that her tampering with the diary had been discovered.

"My apologies. I became somewhat engrossed."

The Fool's deep voice pierced through the Gray Fog, making Angel breathe a sigh of relief. In a slightly cheerful tone, she said, "I hope that one day, I can learn some of the diary's contents from you."

She truly wanted to see what unknown secrets Roselle Gustav, another transmigrator, had recorded in his diary. Would they be profound and unfathomable mystical knowledge, treasures hidden in secret strongholds, beautiful sights unlike those of Earth, or perhaps even a method of returning to her original world?

"Here, everything can be exchanged, but everything also requires a price."

"Continue searching for diaries for me. Perhaps I will disclose some information that you can safely learn."

So there really was much profound mystical knowledge in the diaries, knowledge that even learning of now posed a great risk to them... Upon hearing The Fool's response, Angel hurriedly rose and placed a hand over her chest in salute. "Thank you for your generosity."

Justice and the Hanged Man also stated that they would do their utmost to collect more of Emperor Rosell's Diary for The Fool.

"Mr. Fool, Empress Miss, Mr. Hanged Man, I happen to have three questions I would like to ask." After sitting back down, Justice, who had just become a Spectator, could not wait to ask, "If the answers are very valuable, please tell me what you require. I will do my best to satisfy you."

Ah, it was time for curious Miss Justice's questions again. The sharing of knowledge among Tarot Club members probably would not be one-on-one like the Potion Formula transaction last time, right?

Angel secretly rejoiced. She stole a glance at The Fool and saw that he neither agreed nor objected, nor did he manifest new parchment. It seemed he did not intend to interfere with Justice's questions, so Angel nodded to Justice.

"Please go ahead."

The Hanged Man also leaned back against his chair, assuming a listening posture.

"My first question is that I want to understand in detail what 'acting' means. After drinking the Spectator Potion, I felt the lingering mental influence in the potion fade very quickly. Was that because I had constantly been acting as a Spectator?"

At the previous Tarot Club gathering, The Fool had reminded everyone with a few brief words that the key to mastering a potion's power was "acting," and that the key to acting lay in the potion's name itself.

It seemed Miss Justice had already found the key through The Fool's hint, but as a newly minted Beyonder, she still had doubts. She was even willing to promise a high reward to obtain an answer in the Tarot Club.

"I can answer that question."

Seeing that the Hanged Man remained motionless in his original posture, while The Fool rested a hand on the table's edge without any intention of answering, Angel pondered briefly before taking the initiative.

"You have already realized that the potion's name is the key to acting, which means you have found part of the way, but it is not enough."

Based on Cole Granger's summary of the rules of potion acting from her memories, as well as Mrs. Sharon's teachings, Angel distilled the key points to mastering—or, in The Fool's words, digesting—a potion and patiently explained them.

"When you drank the potion, you should have sensed mysterious gazes that ordinary people could not perceive, as well as maddening whispers tempting you at your ears. Only after meditating afterward did those whispers gradually disappear."

Only after seeing Justice nod gravely did she continue. "That was the effect caused by the conflict between the residual mental influence in the Beyonder Ingredients and your own spirit. Meditation can temporarily suppress this influence, but the potion's spirit itself has not vanished. It is like a foreign object inside your body. Whenever your spirituality is exhausted or you come into contact with mysterious powers, it may erupt again and cause you to go Out of Control."

"The purpose of the 'Acting Method' is to gradually eliminate these residual mental influences and completely master the potion's power. To use a more vivid analogy, the potion is like a heavily guarded villa. The power we need to master is controlled by the villa's owner. To break through layer after layer of obstacles, kill him, and seize that power, the best way is to disguise yourself as him, deceive the villa's guards, and smoothly deal with the target."

This was the analogy Mrs. Sharon had used when teaching Cole the Acting Method. It carried a bloody flavor born of the Assassin identity. Since the original author was already dead and could not defend her rights, Angel boldly appropriated it.

"But the guards are smart. To deceive them, you must perfectly match the villa owner in appearance, clothing, and behavior. Otherwise, if you enter rashly, you will only be exposed, treated as an enemy, and attacked."

"So the potion's name is the villa owner's defining feature?" Miss Justice suddenly understood.

"That's right. When you act perfectly, infiltrate the villa, and kill the target, you will have a very distinct feeling that the potion has been completely digested. It is difficult to describe. You will understand when you reach that point."

At this point, Angel wanted to describe the sensation of completely digesting a potion more specifically, but after racking her brains, she could not find suitable words and could only give a vague explanation.

Miss Justice was instead even more satisfied with this answer, which carried a rather mystical flavor. She praised, "What a very Assassin-like analogy. I think I completely understand now. Fortunately, these past days I have instinctively been playing the role of a Spectator. It seems I have been walking the correct path."

"Empress Miss, what price do I need to pay for this answer?"

Angel thought for a moment. At present, she did not seem to urgently need anything. The Potion Formulas for Sequence 8 Instigator and Sequence 7 Witch were already in her mind. Although the Main Materials were difficult to obtain, she would not need them immediately. Gold Pounds were certainly useful, but she still had considerable savings and a stable source of income, so she was not short of money for now. Besides, asking for money at this kind of Beyonder gathering somehow felt as though it lowered the tone of both the Tarot Club and Mr. Fool.

After considering it back and forth, what she needed most right now was probably a weapon with extraordinary power—an Extraordinary Weapon, the kind Old Neil had once mentioned that "the whole of Tingen City might not be able to scrape together even one of."

"I need a way to purchase or commission an Extraordinary Weapon, preferably somewhere near Backlund. If this lead is very valuable, I can make up the difference." She limited the range to the vicinity of Backlund to avoid revealing the secret that she had long been in Tingen City, and also to prevent them from giving her a location that was not even within the Ruen Kingdom.

Although she felt that the Hanged Man probably already knew something about her identity, after all, the identity documents she currently used had been arranged by someone he provided.

"Extraordinary... weapon..." Miss Justice spoke hesitantly, appearing to know even less than Angel about Extraordinary items and weapons.

The Hanged Man, who had silently watched their exchange, suddenly said, "I can provide such a lead. This is also my thanks for the Acting Method."

Angel had always viewed the Hanged Man as a businessman who would never allow himself to suffer a loss. This impression had formed during their first gathering, when he produced a trading proposal that satisfied everyone. She had not expected him to voluntarily offer payment now. It seemed the Acting Method had helped him greatly.

"At Emmett Harbor, in Oak District, on Golden Avenue, there is a Kavi Clock Shop. Go find the Artisan Kavi. She often has Extraordinary Weapons for sale, and if you truly cannot find one you like, you can spend extra money to commission one."

"Rest assured, it is a legitimate channel, but you had best prepare more Gold Pounds. These things are not cheap."

This time, the Hanged Man did not mention anything like "introduced by a Captain," so this apparently was not a private connection of his.

Emmett Harbor...

A map of the area around Tingen City appeared in Angel's mind.

Emmett Harbor lay on the coast of East Chester County, east of Tingen. It was about four hours away by Steam Train and was a port city roughly the same size as Tingen.

The Medium Daly Simone also served as a Nighthawk in that city.

Unfortunately, Angel was about to become an official member of the Tingen City Nighthawks, so she likely would not have a chance to leave Tingen for Emmett Harbor anytime soon. Moreover, judging from what the Hanged Man meant, an Extraordinary Weapon probably could not be bought for just two or three hundred pounds. She would need time to save money as well.

"Thank you. This information is very important to me."

No matter what, she still thanked the Hanged Man for providing the lead. Her lack of money was her own problem, not his.

"Um... this cannot count as the payment I owe." Miss Justice said. Since the two sat beside each other, Angel could vaguely make out her movements through the Gray Fog. She seemed to clench her fist as though making up her mind. "How about this, Empress Miss? If you encounter any difficulties when purchasing an Extraordinary Weapon, mainly financial ones, I can provide part of the funds."

"Let us set the upper limit at no more than 500 pounds."

Perhaps feeling that an unlimited "check" sounded too exaggerated, she added that sentence.

That was already the price of a Sequence 9 Potion Formula plus its Main Materials, just for paying for a little knowledge... Miss Justice, just how wealthy are you?

Angel felt that she might need to reassess Justice's family circumstances.