Deal Reached

Alger and the young lady had both shown fear and wariness toward the Fool, yet this gentleman selling the formula seemed utterly unfazed.

The mysterious Fool had raised a hand and pulled all three of them into this space above the Gray Fog. Such terrifying power meant he was at least a demigod. Yet the black-haired man, clearly another victim dragged into this space just like Alger and the young girl, showed no respect or fear toward the Fool at all...

Either he was extremely powerful and did not fear potential threats from an unknown existence—but that could be ruled out. Judging from his tone when selling the formula, as well as the fact that the Fool had easily pulled him into this space, and comparing him to Alger and the other girl who had been dragged in as well, he definitely was not a demigod. He was not even mid-Sequence, perhaps merely low-Sequence.

Then there was only one other possibility...

Alger watched as Mr. Fool calmly granted his request, watched the girl rise and bow to the Fool, watched her voluntarily offer to pay first before receiving the formula, and watched the man shrug as though he did not care about such details...

He knew something about the "Fool," knew what would not anger the Fool. Perhaps he was even the Fool's subordinate, planted here as an insider after being brought in—a "shill," as Emperor Roselle had called it... Could that mean the Fool was not actually that powerful? He was not confident he could intimidate us, so he planted a shill among us? No, that was wrong. I must not think that way!

Rejecting his bold guess, Alger quietly warned himself that regardless of their identities and objectives, he only needed to observe and make the most basic probes. He absolutely could not offend the "Fool"!

"Sir? Are you listening?" The girl's voice interrupted Alger's thoughts. He raised his head and only then noticed that they had already completed the formula transaction. Aster shifted his gaze back to Alger. "Sir, please help me prepare Whispering Sheep horns. I'll try to gather Ghost Shark blood. If I can't find it, I'll consider paying directly in cash."

Since Mr. Fool had agreed to witness the transaction, that meant there would be another similar "gathering" in the future.

"That is your freedom." Alger nodded steadily, then rose and respectfully bowed to the Fool. "Honorable Mr. Fool, may I ask whether you would be interested in holding more gatherings like this?"

"Your power is far beyond our reach, but perhaps there are matters that may be inconvenient for you to handle personally. In that regard, whether it is myself, this gentleman, or that noble lady, we all have certain resources and channels that may help you resolve those trivial problems."

Smart... With him speaking up in a situation like this, it saves me a lot of trouble... But isn't his attitude a little too respectful? I seemed too casual just now... Could that expose something? Probably not... Aster, who had his arms folded across his chest, suddenly regretted his earlier smugness.

"Mr. Fool, I think that is an excellent proposal. As long as the 'gathering' becomes regular, there are matters that you can hand over to us if it is inconvenient for you to appear personally. Of course, that would have to be within our capabilities." Audrey spoke without hesitation as well. She, too, longed for Beyonder powers and for such a mysterious gathering.

"You may address me as Mr. Fool." The Fool lightly tapped the table and said with a smile, "I am someone who likes equivalent exchange. I will not have you help me unconditionally."

Every Monday, three in the afternoon... Aster lowered his head slightly, predicting Mr. Fool's next words.

"Every Monday at three in the afternoon, try to be alone. Once I make a few more attempts and understand certain matters, perhaps you will be able to request leave in advance and not need to worry about being in unsuitable circumstances." The Fool's deep voice echoed above the Gray Fog, and the answer immediately lifted the spirits of the three people opposite him.

"Praise you, Mr. Fool!" Audrey was the first to react. She blinked and eagerly suggested,

"Um, we are a long-term gathering. To avoid exposing our true identities, should we each give ourselves a codename?"

Seeing that none of the other three voiced any clear opposition, she continued thoughtfully, "Mr. Fool's title obviously comes from the tarot cards, so I'll choose my title from the tarot cards as well. After all, codenames within the same organization should be as consistent as possible..."

Just like in the game, she quickly settled on Justice as her codename, while Alger Wilson likewise chose Hanged Man as his.

"What about you, sir?" Audrey asked Aster with some excitement. He thought for several seconds before answering, "Lovers."

"My choice is Lovers."

Tarot's sixth card—VI [Lovers]—symbolized connections and communication between people. It could also refer to cooperative relationships between players, and Aster used it to hint at his identity as a player.

In the game, the protagonist's codename was the twenty-first card—XXI [World]. It stood opposite [Fool], symbolizing endings, fulfillment, and ascension. Aster did not particularly like what that card represented, so he had not chosen it.

[Lovers]... I thought only women would choose that card... Audrey was still contemplating what their codenames symbolized when the Fool's indifferent voice came from the seat of honor. "That will be all for today's gathering."

"As you will." The three of them rose and bowed. Then they saw crimson light extend from the surrounding Gray Fog once more, enveloping them and sending them falling.

The moment Klein escaped the Gray Fog, he collapsed to the floor and dry-heaved soundlessly. The intense dizziness from having so much spirituality drained away, along with the stabbing pain in his temples, assailed his nerves. The exhaustion of having gone without sleep all night also flooded his mind. After using his last strength to crawl into bed, he fell into a deep sleep before he could analyze what he had seen and heard during the gathering.

It really worked!

Aster watched the strange black eye-like pattern in his palm gradually fade, and the excitement in his heart swiftly calmed. He picked up the Mysterious Ring and examined it closely, discovering several fine cracks had appeared across the metal on its inner band. Most of the gemstones around its outer rim had lost their original color and become transparent like glass. Only one grayish-white stone remained unchanged.

When he summoned the system again and checked the item panel, Aster found that it had changed dramatically. Most of the question marks in its previous data had vanished, leaving only a few lines.

[Name]: Mysterious Ring—Death God

[Level]: 1

[Skill]: None

[Remarks]: It has fulfilled its mission.

Fulfilled its mission... Heh, so its only effect was bringing me above the Gray Fog... Aster put the ring back on his right thumb, rubbed his eyes, rose to his feet, and began considering his next move.

If there are no problems on Hanged Man's side, I can get the Whispering Sheep horns next Monday and become a Spirit Medium... The progress isn't too slow. Thinking of that, Aster's expression became somewhat strange.

If he had a choice, he would never become a Beyonder of the Death God Pathway. In his previous life, Aster's main class had been [Calamity] of the Storm Pathway, an extremely violent pure damage-dealing class skilled in large-scale AOE attacks. If he could choose, he would definitely rather become a Beyonder of the Storm Pathway. After all, he understood that Pathway best and could even be considered an expert at gearing, knowing what equipment could maximize a Beyonder's own power. Moreover, the Death God Pathway carried an enormous hidden danger: when facing higher-level beings, all their attributes would decline, and they might even collapse and submit outright.

But there was no helping it. The Crowley Family had likely inherited the Death God Pathway for generations, and Aster Crowley had been half a Sequence 9 from the moment he was born. That meant he had no way to choose another Pathway.

"Life..." The black-haired man shook his head and headed out, preparing to visit the trading market in Evil Dragon Bar once again. Because the Mysterious Ring had frightened him yesterday, he had returned to the inn in a hurry without thoroughly searching the entire market. He did not know whether it had the materials he needed, so he had to make another trip today. While he was there, he could also see whether they had the Ghost Shark blood Hanged Man needed.

After boarding the horse-drawn tram again, Aster rubbed the ring on his hand and planned his next course of action.

The main villains of the 1.0 storyline should be Megose and Lanevus. The former was the type who had been completely exploited by the latter... And Lanevus was only a Sequence 8 Swindler of the Marauder Pathway. In Tingen, probably only a handful of people knew his true face, so before completing his scam, he likely would not pay much attention to disguising his appearance... This is my chance!

From his appearance, Aster was a quiet, soft-spoken young man. The original "Aster Crowley" had indeed been a calm and steady person, but unfortunately, the Aster who had transmigrated into this body was not. He was the kind of combat-oriented player who threw punches before discussing reason!

Although he could not remember the complicated plot clearly, Aster could still grasp its key points!

In his memories, Lanevus was not the only villain in the 1.0 storyline, but Aster was certain that this guy was definitely one of the greatest culprits!

In any case, I'll kill this guy first and see how things develop afterward... He definitely isn't a member of any secret organization—I remember that clearly. In other words, as long as I strike fast and hard enough, I can kill him before Lanevus receives any support!

Lanevus... Just wait for me!

Unable to resist licking his lips, Aster felt no goodwill toward this man whatsoever. It was not because of the evil deeds he committed in the story, but because the mockery Lanevus left for the protagonist had greatly annoyed him. It was not just him; most players agreed on this point: Lanevus would be better off dead.

If I remember correctly, he probably hasn't started scamming people yet? No, Lanevus must already be in Tingen City... Still, I can put him aside for now.

Aster might have been reckless, but he was not stupid. Even after advancing to Spirit Medium, he had no absolute confidence that he could kill Lanevus, much less carry out the planned "quick kill." Therefore, before that, he needed to try obtaining an item first.

Thanks to that copywriter who had recommended Sequence Wars to him, Aster remembered clearly that Tingen City hid a side quest chain. If things went smoothly... he could obtain a minor artifact that would remain useful all the way to version 3.0, while also gaining the confidence to kill Lanevus quickly.