Joining the Tarot Club

After giving it some thought, Odys said, "Mysterious and great existence, although I do not wish to deal with that powerful lady, may I pray for Your protection when necessary?"

Before encountering Bernadette, Odys had not been very willing to contact Klein or the other members of the Tarot Club, because that often meant trouble and danger.

But the situation was different now. Influenced by his profession before transmigration, Odys enjoyed conducting research, and necessary experiments still had to be carried out.

Although he did his best to conceal them, his experimental subjects had still drawn the attention of certain influential figures or Beyonder organizations, making his situation somewhat dangerous.

And now, there was not even a trace of the Church of the Fool. To balance out the crisis brought by Queen Mystic, he could only cling to the Fool's thigh for the time being.

Of course, Odys could also choose to directly join the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, or join Dawn of Elements.

But he knew full well that the God of Steam and Machinery had questionable judgment when it came to picking sides, and if he were going to join Dawn of Elements, he might as well directly join the Tarot Club, which was guaranteed to have a Demi-God in the future.

The Fool behind the Gray Fog revealed a gentle smile after hearing Odys's question. "You may."

This was exactly what Klein had been waiting for. It would allow him to completely seize the initiative.

Odys said according to normal logic, "I will worship You and believe in You."

But the Fool said, "I do not lack believers. I prefer equal exchange."

Following Klein's expectations, Odys pressed further. "What should I sacrifice to You in order to receive Your protection?"

In truth, he knew very well that sacrificing gold pounds would definitely please this "great and mysterious existence."

After considering it briefly and performing a simple divination, Klein said, "There are several people similar to you whom I brought here for other reasons.

"They hoped that I would hold regular gatherings for formula trades, material sales, information exchanges, and task commissions. I agreed.

"You may learn of my needs, or the needs of my blessed, during the gatherings."

This was actually a little rash, considering he had not had time to examine the stranger before him.

But Klein's spirituality told him that the stranger before him was different from Justice and Hanged Man, and also somewhat different from Sun and Magician. He was more like someone whom the space Above the Gray Fog had "invited."

He had a premonition that if he did not establish a deeper connection, this stranger might appear outside the great doors again tomorrow night. Rather than that, he might as well directly invite him to join the Tarot Club.

Klein was still quite confident in his control over Above the Gray Fog. Although he did not know why Above the Gray Fog would "invite" a stranger, without his permission, those who were invited could only appear outside those two mysterious doors.

Thus, after performing a simple divination and confirming that inviting this stranger into the Tarot Club held no danger and would even bring benefits, Klein invited him to join.

Odys said, "It is my honor."

The Fool said, "Every Monday at three in the afternoon. Exclude all interference."

He added, "They have decided to use the names of Tarot cards as their respective codenames. You may choose one for yourself as well."

A deck of Tarot cards appeared before Odys. He casually drew one. "Hermit!"

Just as expected, Odys thought. I've stolen Cattleya's codename. I wonder if she can still join the Tarot Club smoothly?

The Fool announced, "Your codename is Hermit. Remember the gathering time."

He then added, "When you encounter danger, you may pray to me."

With a raise of his hand, Klein stuffed Odys back into the crimson star.

He did not leave immediately. Instead, he used Dream Divination to find out why Hermit had appeared outside Above the Gray Fog.

To Klein, Above the Gray Fog was a relatively private space that belonged solely to him. No living creature had ever appeared around this space before.

"The reason Hermit appeared here.

"The reason Hermit appeared here.

"..."

After silently reciting it seven times, Klein fell asleep through meditation.

Very quickly, the illusory gray fog before his eyes parted, and he appeared once again on the second floor of the Kingdom Museum, inside the replica study of Emperor Roselle.

Klein saw that after his spirit body suddenly vanished, the mysterious lady in a hood, whose appearance could not be seen clearly, vanished as well.

With the isolation of Above the Gray Fog, it was impossible for the mysterious lady to know where his spirit body had gone. Thinking of their later encounter, Klein guessed that the lady had completely relied on her spiritual intuition to chase after him.

At that moment, there was still a hooded figure on the bookshelf. He stretched a hand toward the direction in which the mysterious lady had vanished, as if saying, You left me behind!

Right then, Klein saw a gray, illusory sphere suddenly appear where his spirit body had vanished. At the same time, the hooded figure on the bookshelf underwent a change. Behind him appeared a wilderness formed from illusory light, and deep within that wilderness seemed to stand a tower.

There seemed to be a powerful attraction between that tower and the gray sphere. In an instant, the sphere sank into the hooded figure's chest, and the tower in the radiant wilderness became exceptionally bright...

Pop!

Klein's head suddenly exploded like a rotten watermelon, forcibly ejecting him from the Dream Divination state.

Under the effects of the Gray Fog, it took more than half a minute before it felt as though his head had grown back. All the knowledge in his mind was boiling, only easing several seconds later.

Immediately afterward, some memories that had not originally existed appeared in Klein's mind: Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer:

"Main ingredients: a pair of Naslagu Mountain Giant Ape eyeballs, 70 grams of Star Crystal.

"Supplementary ingredients: 80 milliliters of pure water, 8 drops of Fatsia Flower juice, 7 grams of Magnolia Flower powder, 9 grams of Dragonblood Grass."

Sequence 9 Savant potion formula:

"Main ingredients: the head of a Brownback Firefly, one complete Five-Colored Leaf Grass.

"Supplementary ingredients:..."

Sequence 7 Warlock potion formula:

"Main ingredients: the complete brain of a Pale Long-Necked Beast, two Fleabane Tree Fruits.

"Supplementary ingredients:..."

Sequence 5 Astronomer advancement ritual: Ride on the back of a Multicolored Star-Eyed Beast and drink the potion beneath the midnight sky.

Klein quickly understood that this was knowledge he had obtained from that radiant wilderness just now. What was that illusory wilderness? How could it inflict such damage even with the protection of the space Above the Gray Fog?

This was completely beyond Klein's expectations. He had suffered similar damage before, but that was because he had recklessly divined the origin of the drop of blood within the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem.

Thinking of Hermit's reaction, he seemed unaware of his own uniqueness. Moreover, Hermit was currently seeking his help, and the power of Above the Gray Fog could completely control Hermit. Only then did Klein's concerns gradually settle.

Klein then sighed inwardly. The new member's identity was not simple. He seemed to possess many secrets as well.

Next, he recalled the previous divination result: Perhaps it was precisely Hermit's secrets that could bring me some benefits.

Thinking of this, the corners of Klein's mouth curled up slightly. With Hermit's addition, the Tarot Club had gained a little more mystery.

Odys woke up in his secret hideout. Klein told me to pray to him when I'm in danger, but he never told me the Fool's Honorific Name! How the hell am I supposed to pray without an Honorific Name?

Thank you all for your support and votes. I never expected to receive more than forty monthly tickets right after starting this book. ╰(￣▽￣)╭