Even for a large Beyonder organization like the Rose School, Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 members formed its backbone.
Audrey knew very well that Raphael's plan had a high chance of success. At the very least, it could eliminate one of their Sequence 7 Werewolves and one Sequence 6 Zombie.
After giving it a little thought, she asked, "If this plan goes ahead, what would you like in return?"
Raphael replied unhurriedly, "A Werewolf characteristic."
He was now very eager to advance to Sequence 7, because reaching that level would bring a qualitative change, granting him powerful offensive capabilities and a running speed far beyond that of ordinary people.
Although Werewolves had no particularly bizarre abilities, they ranked among the strongest fighters at their Sequence across the twenty-two Pathways.
Audrey did not answer immediately. Instead, she said, "I'll think about it."
Raphael rose. "Well then, Miss Hall, it was a pleasure to have you as a guest of the Mafia.
"But it's getting late. I believe it's time to escort the noble Miss Hall home."
Audrey did not know whether to laugh or cry. "A guest?"
Rather than dwell on the subject, Raphael called out, "Carter, hire a cab and take Hall... take our guest back to Queen's Road."
Over an hour later.
Earl Hall's mansion on Queen's Road.
After returning, Audrey first went to see her father and mother. Earl Hall and his wife did not seem particularly worried. Instead, they even gave their daughter a brief scolding.
During the previous day's kidnapping, Audrey had left a letter for her parents with her personal maid, Annie, telling them that she had not been kidnapped but had gone to attend to something very important.
To make the performance more convincing, Audrey had hypnotized Annie. As soon as Audrey left the carriage, Annie would immediately return to Earl Hall's villa and hand the letter to her mother or father.
The police knew nothing about the letter, so they had followed normal procedure. Upon discovering that it was a Beyonder incident, they immediately transferred the case to the Nighthawks team.
That was why only the coachman and carriage had been found at the scene, with no sign of Audrey's personal maid.
Earl Hall and his wife knew their daughter was a Beyonder, so they were not too concerned about her safety. For a noble, however, such conduct was far too reckless.
With a sweet smile, Audrey soothed her parents in a few words, then returned to her room. After asking Susie to stand watch, she prayed to the Fool and reported that she had finished her observations.
A dozen or so seconds later, gray fog covered Audrey's vision, and she arrived at the towering Giant Hall where the Tarot Club held its meetings.
At the head of the Bronze Long Table, behind the swirling gray fog, the mysterious and lofty Mr. Fool sat in a bronze chair.
Audrey stood and curtsied. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
Klein, the Fool, nodded gently. "Tell me about your observations and your final conclusions."
"Yes." After sitting down, Audrey began recounting the entire course of Raphael's kidnapping.
When Klein, behind the gray fog, heard that Raphael even stroked a cat while receiving people who came to seek help, he nearly failed to suppress a twitch of his lips. Does this fellow really think he's the Godfather?
Audrey's account was very detailed. It took her over twenty minutes to reach Raphael's proposed cooperation, at which point she asked whether Mr. Fool wished to use Raphael to strike against the Indulgence Faction.
Klein thought, Miss Sharron would certainly be interested in this.
Still, Raphael's attempt to leave the Indulgence Faction gave Klein some relief. He had been worried that this Lunatic was connected to the Mother Tree of Desire, another arrangement that Outer Deity had made to target him.
With that thought, he said leisurely, "Discuss this matter with the World."
The great and mysterious Mr. Fool would naturally not concern himself with such trifles, but Mr. World, who abhorred evil, was quite fond of striking against these wicked lunatics.
By now, Audrey had a way to contact Mr. World in the real world, and she agreed with a smile.
Next, she began presenting her conclusions. "The madness Raphael displays is closely related to his potion, but he makes very good use of its influence...
"Well, that is quite rare. Most Beyonders do their best to avoid their potions' influence. Very few make use of it."
Klein thought, That cuts straight to the heart of it. As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Only Beyonders from the East would understand that sort of wisdom.
Audrey continued, "Although Raphael is somewhat radical, he is very astute. He also seems prepared at all times to abandon everything he currently has, which makes his actions and thinking difficult to judge.
"Fortunately, he has shown me enough goodwill. Otherwise, he would be a very troublesome enemy.
"Overall, he is a deeply contradictory person-mad yet rational, kind yet evil. Yet he manages to find a delicate balance between those contradictions."
Klein, the Fool, nodded. "You have completed this task very well. As this is an equal exchange, you may now state what you require."
Privately, however, he thought, Justice has a very high opinion of Raphael.
Audrey had already decided what she wanted in exchange. "Honorable Mr. Fool, I would like to know where Raphael's unusual nature comes from. Why is he so unusual?"
Klein thought, If I knew, I wouldn't have asked you to investigate!
As the unfathomable Mr. Fool, however, he naturally could not say that. His tone remained calm as he replied, "Raphael's unusual nature stems from a struggle between certain hidden existences."
Of course, Klein would not explain which existences they were, but he could be certain that extremely high-level powers or beings were involved. Otherwise, they would not have stirred the power of Above the Gray Fog.
Mr. Fool's answer prompted a thought in Audrey. Hidden existences that draw the Fool's attention must be at a very high level!
Many more thoughts followed, but none led her to an answer.
Finally, Audrey thought, Mr. Fool hasn't explained any further. It seems that, at my level, I'm not yet authorized to understand the full picture.
Amid her disappointment, she never realized that this was merely Mr. Fool's charlatan act.
With their business concluded, Audrey returned to the real world. A dozen or so minutes later, a man wearing a top hat, his expression cold and stern, appeared at the door to her room. It was Klein, wearing the appearance of Gehrman Sparrow.
He politely knocked before entering and asking, "Mr. Fool told me that you obtained a lead concerning the Indulgence Faction?"
Caven Street, Bridge District.
Looking at the letter that had suddenly appeared on the table before him, Raphael could not help marveling at the wonders of the Beyonder world.
He had heard of Beyonder messengers before, but this was his first time seeing one.
Yet this formidable-looking messenger, carrying four heads in her hands, had asked him for a gold coin in postage!
He had never expected spirit world creatures to like gold too.
It was a letter from Miss Hall. After reading it, Raphael immediately called out to Carter outside the room, "Carter, didn't you say a few days ago that an arms-dealing friend had obtained a repeating rifle? Go ask how much it costs."
The so-called repeating rifle was a submachine gun that Loen had designed and begun producing a few years earlier. It was still rarely seen on the market.
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