God

"Esteemed Mr. Fool, if I obtain intelligence that is highly useful and clearly time-sensitive, may I also recite your honorific name and inform you through a ritual?" Audrey, who had watched Alger throughout the entire process and been deeply shaken, promptly raised her question.

"Yes." Klein nodded lightly, silently praising Audrey's choice of words in his heart. Then his gaze swept over Alice and Derrick. "The same goes for you."

Alice began wondering whether she could use a prayer to send him a strange picture while he was attending some important occasion... Huh, could prayers transmit pictures?

"Yes, Mr. Fool." Derrick responded humbly and lowered his head. Alice immediately realized that her thoughts and behavior had seemed far too disrespectful, so she promptly made herself appear respectful.

After everyone had fallen silent for several seconds, Audrey took the initiative to speak up. "I need an intact pituitary gland from a Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon."

"I don't have one. To be honest, I've only seen this creature in textbooks." Hearing the automatically translated term "Phantom Sub-Dragon," Derrick finally found an opportunity to join in.

This was highly likely one of the main ingredients for the Mind Reader potion. It was easy enough to guess, but unfortunately, Alice had no way of acquiring such material either. She shook her head. "I don't have one. You probably don't know this, but this sub-dragon is already on the brink of extinction."

"I may be able to obtain an intact pituitary gland from a Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon," Alger said immediately afterward. But before Audrey could rejoice, he named his price. "The condition is that we find Qilingus. At that time, including the portion I need to compensate you for, it will be exactly equal to an intact pituitary gland from a Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon. Just as Miss Fate said, this sub-dragon is already close to extinction. At present, they can only be found on certain Primitive Islands in the Misty Sea, Raging Sea, and Sonia Sea. The coordinates of those islands are known by only a very small number of people. Ah, if you are interested in the future, we can make certain exchanges in this regard, because I am one of those few people."

"I once dreamed of sailing at sea, searching for those Primitive Islands, and witnessing their ancient customs." Audrey answered with barely concealed excitement, then curiously pressed on, "If Seven-Colored Lizard Dragons are already on the brink of extinction, does that mean the Spectator pathway will soon become extinct as well?"

"No, there must be substitute materials." Alger answered in an exceptionally certain tone.

Alice could not help glancing at Alger. Of course, she knew what he meant. After all, that was how she had become a Beyonder in the beginning—by swallowing the Beyonder Characteristic that had seeped out of a dead Beyonder's body.

Audrey continued pressing on. "What substitute materials are there?"

Alger shook his head and answered with hidden meaning, "I don't know. Perhaps the Psychology Alchemists know."

Alice could not help looking at Alger again. She realized that this was probably one of Alger's rare displays of kindness—he did not want Audrey's pleasant mood to be ruined.

"Then how can you be certain there are substitute materials?" Audrey continued to press on, both bewildered and confused.

Alice glanced at Audrey and silently prayed in her heart: I hope her curiosity won't ruin her pleasant mood.

Audrey noticed Alice's action and turned toward her. "Miss Fate, do you know the answer?"

"...You wouldn't want to know the answer. Trust me, Miss Justice." After a moment of silence, Alice decided not to tell Audrey for now—something extracted from a person's corpse was probably still difficult for Most People to accept.

Alice's warning temporarily held back Audrey's curiosity. Trusting Alice, she finally gave up pressing on. "All right, since you say so."

This left Klein on the high platform rather conflicted. In truth, he was also very curious about the answer, but it would be terribly unbecoming if Mr. Fool did not know about such a thing. Perhaps he could ask Alice in private...?

After the Trading Segment ended, Klein looked around and turned toward The Sun. "Does the City of Silver still have faith in gods?"

Alice immediately turned her head toward Derrick. She was Full Of curiosity about the so-called Land Abandoned by God and the City of Silver.

"We still believe in the Lord of Everything Created, the Omniscient and Omnipotent God." Derrick answered in a reverent tone.

"...God?" Alice blurted out in confusion. The term was far too familiar. Only after noticing Alger and Audrey's gazes did she realize that perhaps she should not have spoken. She hesitantly looked toward Klein. "Sorry?"

That utterly insincere apology made the atmosphere even more awkward. Amid the silence where no one but Alice and Klein dared speak, Klein chuckled, glanced at Alice, and then looked at the others. "Why are you all so nervous?"

Then, as though he Didn't Care about the answer, he looked at Derrick. "Even if He abandoned you?"

This practically handed Derrick the answer that he came from the Land Abandoned by God. Naturally, Alger and Audrey both realized Derrick's origins.

Unlike Audrey, who knew little about this, Alger was stunned by The Fool's power while also suddenly realizing that Alice seemed to have never shown much reverence or fear toward Klein. If she had even the slightest respect for a god, she would not have rashly interrupted while a god was speaking.

Thinking back on Alice's behavior since joining the Tarot Club, he suddenly realized that Miss Fate seemed to have expressed Mr. Fool's intentions on his behalf several times, and Mr. Fool had not refuted her.

A Blessed? No, Even If she were a Blessed, she should not... A guess appeared in Alger's mind, but he quickly rejected it. After all, if she were a Blessed, shouldn't she be even more respectful?

Well, no matter how hard he racked his brain, he could never have imagined that Mr. Fool, in his eyes, was actually Alice's colleague—and In A Sense, even her Fellow Countryman...

"Yes, we all believe that we will eventually regain the Lord's favor. Perhaps it will be the day the sun rises again." In that strange atmosphere, Derrick answered with less than complete certainty. "We were once ruled by the Giant King's Court and believed in Giant King Olmir. Later, we received the Lord's salvation. We will never betray the Lord again."

Giant King Olmir... As Alice repeated the name in her heart, she decided to look for information about that "Lord of Everything Created, Omniscient and Omnipotent God."

In that case, what was the relationship between the True Creator and that Lord of Everything Created? After all, their names were far too similar...