Above the Gray Fog

The small gathering Aster had been pulled into was none other than the Tarot Club, the mysterious organization the game's protagonist belonged to, and the Fool was the true god worshipped by the Tarot Club.

The blonde girl's real name was Audrey Hall, codenamed "Justice"; the blue-haired man's real name was Alger Wilson, codenamed "Hanged Man." They were the first members of the Tarot Club and would continue making their presence felt throughout the story. Of course, they had not yet chosen their respective codenames at this point.

Audrey in particular was immensely popular among players for her outstanding looks and charming personality. Even a normie like Aster had read a few Audrey fanfics... on the pink app.

After glancing at Alger Wilson, who seemed to have been thoroughly overwhelmed by the title "Fool," Aster gave Mr. Fool a slight bow. "Mr. Fool." Having thus offered his greeting, he turned his attention back to Audrey Hall.

"Miss, are you interested in a Sequence 9 potion formula?"

The potion formulas the natives spoke of were actually the materials needed for players' advancement quests. Every ten levels, players needed to complete an advancement quest to obtain a new class. Sequence 9 corresponded precisely to levels 1 through 10 in the game.

For players, all they had to do was search the wiki to learn what ingredients each formula required. But for natives, a single formula was enough to stump most people.

"Which Pathways?" Audrey did not ask much else, clearly understanding what Sequence 9 meant.

Aster suddenly had a bold idea. He spoke unhurriedly. "Seer, Bard, Spectator, Assassin, and Lawyer." He wanted to see whether he could change the class this girl would have in the story.

In the game, "Justice" Audrey Hall was a Beyonder of the Reader Pathway. This Pathway could copy other classes' abilities and was said to embody the principle that omniscience was omnipotence. It was one of the strongest Pathways in the story. Unfortunately, it had been heavily nerfed in the game—only twenty-four skills could be brought into each battle, and their values were reduced to 75% of their original strength. The versatile Reader had been forcibly turned into a class that could do anything but excelled at nothing. Rumor had it that the developers planned to lower it to 70% in the next minor patch... Though the developers had tried their best to explain that "this is for game balance," the enraged Reader players had still greeted their parents with warm and friendly language.

In version 3.0, Audrey became connected to the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, which had a very long quest chain. But none of that mattered to Aster anymore. He simply wanted to know whether Audrey in this world would choose Reader as she had originally, or become a Beyonder of another Pathway under his intervention.

Alger Wilson moved his neck, seemingly trying to conceal his inner surprise. Five Sequence 9 formulas... That number... only major factions could possibly possess them... Who exactly was this silent fellow? A church Beyonder operative? Or a member of some secret organization? No, how could a Beyonder affiliated with a church sell formulas...

"So many!?" Audrey exclaimed.

Heh, that was actually all he could remember... Aster tugged at the corner of his mouth. Memorizing formulas was something many players did, especially players like Aster who had worked as power-leveling substitutes. But most players had no interest in memorizing them. Once they reached a level bottleneck, the advancement quest containing the formula would naturally appear in their quest log, so there was no need to painstakingly memorize it.

"A Sequence 9 potion formula costs around 250 pounds." Alger interjected from the side. "If you are not interested in this gentleman's formulas, I also have a Sequence 9 potion formula on hand: Sailor."

Aster was not surprised at all by Alger trying to steal his business. He merely continued watching Audrey. "Miss, my asking price is 300 pounds. If you think that is too expensive, you can also exchange a Whispering Sheep horn for it. I only need one."

"I have channels to obtain Whispering Sheep horns. Their market price is around 200 pounds." Alger immediately followed up, seemingly determined to involve himself in this transaction.

"Sorry, I need to think about it." Rubbing her forehead, Audrey was clearly still somewhat dazed by the shock. After thinking for a few seconds, she cautiously asked,

"Sir, could you introduce the abilities of these Sequence 9s for me? Um, I mean, what abilities would one gain after drinking these potions?"

Audrey's wording made Aster want to laugh a little. He pressed his lips together and organized his phrasing. "That is exactly what I intended to tell you. Consider the potion information and abilities a bonus."

"Seers excel at all kinds of divination. Though they lack the ability to fight enemies head-on, they are proficient in many methods of divination and can already be considered experts in mysticism." Aster tried hard to recall the overview descriptions of each class from the wiki, then put them into his own words. "Bards gain enhanced physiques and can use song to bring strength and courage to their companions; Spectators gain exceptional mental faculties and keen observational abilities, allowing them to glimpse others' true thoughts through their subtle movements; Assassins can make their bodies lighter, hide in the shadows, and unleash all their power in a single strike; Lawyers excel at finding loopholes in order and can use words to guide a target's thoughts."

After Aster's brief introduction, Alger spoke as well. "Sailor will grant you excellent balance. Even on a ship engulfed by a storm, you will be able to walk as freely as if you were on solid ground. You will also gain extraordinary strength, as well as illusory scales hidden beneath your skin. They will make you as hard to catch as a fish and as agile in water as a sea creature. Even without any equipment, you will be able to dive with ease for at least ten minutes."

"Mm... I do not think I will have much contact with the sea." After pondering for a few seconds, Audrey tactfully declined Alger's Sailor formula. Alger sighed but said nothing more. He actually had a Spectator Pathway formula as well, but bringing it up now would inevitably offend the black-haired man who could produce five Sequence 9 formulas—offering a different formula could still be explained as "giving this lady another choice," but offering the same formula would definitely be seen as stealing business... Moreover, the two of them would likely end up in a vicious price-cutting battle. That was not only unwise, but also contrary to his intention of merely making a small test.

Glancing at Audrey, who had fallen into the agony of choice, Aster did not urge her. Instead, he turned to Alger. "Sir, you said you had Whispering Sheep horns? Your asking price is 200 pounds?"

"250 pounds, or at least 100 milliliters of Ghost Shark blood. That should be a reasonable price." Alger instinctively glanced at the Fool seated at the head. "You know, Beyonder materials always carry something of a premium."

Aster nodded thoughtfully. Rather than replying immediately, he turned to Audrey and asked, "Miss, have you made your decision?"

"Mm... Spectator. I think it suits my tastes better." After a brief deliberation, Audrey had made her choice. Then she asked somewhat worriedly,

"If I can obtain a Whispering Sheep horn, um..." The girl glanced at Alger. She had heard this gentleman's asking price as well. "All right, if I am to give you 300 pounds, how should I do it? And how can I guarantee that the potion formula you give me after receiving the money is genuine? ..."

Aster's attention was not on the transaction at all. A wave of delight surged through him. Audrey would most likely become a Beyonder of the Spectator Pathway instead of becoming a Beyonder of the Reader Pathway as she had in the game's story!

I changed fate! Aster briefly felt a trace of superiority.

That also meant he could snuff out some future Catastrophes before they even began!

"Sir?" Audrey's voice by his ear pulled him back from his thoughts. Aster shook his head and answered her question. "I will give you an anonymous bank account. You only need to deposit the money into it. As for the formula, I can give it to you right now. As for whether it is genuine, we can ask Mr. Fool, who brought us into this space, to bear witness. I believe neither you nor I would dare violate that agreement."

Aster had taken the initiative to propose a transaction process where he gave the formula first and received the money afterward. If he were trading with anyone else, he would definitely not dare act so arrogantly, but this was above the Gray Fog! And his trading partner was Audrey Hall, the naive, sweet little girl from version 1.0. What the hell did he have to fear!

She was a great noble whose pocket money exceeded his entire life savings. How could she possibly covet this little bit of money? Besides, Audrey had always been known for being honest, trustworthy, and easy to deal with!

"Mr. Fool, would you be willing to bear witness for us?" Only then did Aster begin seeking the Fool's opinion. He knew the "Fool" was actually a true god, but Aster did not act overly cautious—because he had read posts mocking the Fool before.

The poster had harshly criticized the Fool's inaction. In his words, the Fool was supposedly a god in the setting, but was actually more like a wooden stake, existing solely to prop up the Tarot Club's image...

Aster could tell that the poster was merely venting, so he naturally did not wholly believe the Fool was just a useless piece of setting. But he could still extract useful information from it. Combined with the fragmented story content he had read, he could determine that this Fool was probably a highly divine, Lovecraftian god who rarely meddled in human affairs and would not care about mortals' offenses. That was why Aster appeared so brazen, lacking the proper reverence for this higher being.

Yes, brazen. His behavior could only be described as brazen... Alger narrowed his eyes and quietly watched the exchange between this gentleman and the Fool seated at the head, speculating about the man's mindset and identity.