Long time no see

After sitting down, Lin Chuan looked around. His gaze lingered briefly on Audrey and Alger before finally settling on Zhou Mingrui at the head of the Bronze Long Table.

From his perspective, Audrey's silky blond hair swayed slightly as she turned her head in shock. She wore an exquisite dress suited to lounging at home, and her emerald-green eyes were clear and bright, now slightly widened with shock and wariness.

Alger, meanwhile, had dark blue hair that was fluffy and somewhat disheveled. His features were deeply chiseled, their strong lines almost rugged. He wore a robe embroidered with lightning patterns, his body taut and his eyes filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

Their true appearances were laid bare before Lin Chuan, perfectly clear and entirely unobscured. Only the mysterious figure sitting upright was enveloped in layer upon layer of grayish-white fog, leaving no more than a hazy outline visible.

Zhou Mingrui sat at the head of the long table, leaning back slightly in a relaxed posture. Behind him stood a broad, high-backed bronze chair. His right hand idly stroked the edge of the table, giving him an air of looking down upon everyone, unfathomable.

The corners of Lin Chuan's mouth lifted slightly. With an appearance like that, it was no wonder the two people brought up for the first Tarot Club gathering had later concluded that Mr. Fool was, at the very least, close to a god.

He even suspected that the ring of gray fog surrounding Zhou Mingrui was more than a decorative veil concealing his appearance. It might also provide some passive mystical enhancement. After all, he had been marinating in Sefirah Castle for so many years that the flavor must have soaked right through. It was perfectly reasonable that he could draw on some of it unconsciously.

Fooling? No, that's impossible. If it's one of the Sequences under the Cowardly Trio, perhaps Swindler? The eloquence and charm do fit...

Lin Chuan put those inconsequential associations aside. He relaxed and leaned back against the high-backed bronze chair behind him, turning his head slightly as though meeting Zhou Mingrui's eyes through the gray fog.

His eyes were clear and familiar, without the slightest sense of distance. In a complex tone mingling nostalgia and teasing, he greeted him:

"...Long time no see."

Long time no see?

Long time no see!

At that moment, Zhou Mingrui appeared to remain seated without reacting, but towering waves had already surged through his heart. His thoughts nearly froze in that instant, and his stroking fingers paused unnaturally for half a second. Fortunately, the gray fog concealed the lapse.

After that momentary freeze, his mind began racing. One conjecture after another flooded his thoughts:

Who is he? I clearly only touched two Crimson Stars, so how did a fourth person appear? Unless there's another way to get here-or he was already here before I arrived?

As that thought occurred to him, Zhou Mingrui noticed that Lin Chuan's figure was exceptionally solid. Unlike the sweet-voiced girl and the calm, reserved man, whose figures were illusory and tinged with faint crimson, he seemed physically present in this place.

Long time no see-is he talking to me? Does he know me? No, that's not right. He's only looking in my direction, which means he probably can't make out my appearance. So... is this a misunderstanding? Has he mistaken me for someone else? Was there someone else here before?

Calm down, calm down. I can't let my current composure waver at all. It looks like he doesn't know my actual circumstances. That's my cover.

In short, until I figure out exactly how much he knows, I absolutely must not volunteer the fact that I know nothing. Whether he's here to cause trouble or catch up, I should remain mysterious and let him offer more information first.

There were still many questions to consider, but he had no time left to think. Zhou Mingrui's fingers resumed their steady, slow stroking, as though that half-second pause had never happened. He nodded slightly, the gray fog concealing the lingering shock in his eyes, and spoke in a low, even voice:

"You're here."

The gray fog grew still, and it was as though someone had pressed pause on the air inside the palace.

After seeing Lin Chuan sit down, Audrey swallowed the words of agreement that had nearly slipped from her lips. Instinctively, she looked toward the figure shrouded in gray fog at the head of the table, waiting for "His Excellency" to respond.

"You're here."

Two words, as casual as a remark about the fine weather. The voice from within the gray fog was the same as ever, revealing neither pleasure nor anger, neither closeness nor distance. There was no questioning rise at the end, nor the warmth of meeting an old acquaintance or the reserve of greeting a stranger. It was as though this visitor's presence here was entirely natural.

She instinctively turned her gaze toward the visitor, and a natural thought crossed her mind: So His Excellency knew he would come today. They already knew each other.

That conclusion quietly revised her understanding of today's extraordinary encounter. But the seventh chair on the left... why had he chosen that one?

Did it hold some special significance? Or was that his seat? Whatever the case, Audrey silently committed the position to memory.

How interesting. The girl's emerald eyes flickered, her curiosity quietly kindled. Yet manners and caution prompted her to suppress her many questions for now. She sat quietly in her chair, letting her gaze pass politely over Lin Chuan as she waited to see what would happen next.

On the other side, Alger Wilson's pupils had already contracted slightly when Lin Chuan emerged from the gray fog, his body instantly tensing. He quietly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Lin Chuan, while secretly observing the attitude of the "mysterious gentleman" at the head of the table.

You're here.

He turned those two words over and over in his mind.

That means the mysterious Excellency knows this man and isn't surprised by the way he arrived. At least, he shows no surprise. Alger rapidly worked through the possibilities. But the question is: did His Excellency actually invite this man?

Or perhaps His Excellency isn't as certain as he appears, and merely responded to the man's greeting in the least revealing way possible.

But even so, saying "You're here" rather than "Who are you"... at least proves this man isn't an enemy? Or at least not an openly hostile one. Alger weighed the possibilities. Then these two have most likely had dealings before, and this man's standing... probably isn't low. Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared here speaking to him as an equal.

From the corner of his eye, he observed Lin Chuan's posture after sitting down: no bow, no introduction, just a mildly curious glance at the two of them. His ease was far too natural.

Alger continued calculating inwardly while unobtrusively shifting his gaze away from Lin Chuan and back to the mysterious figure enveloped in gray fog.

Since the master of this place had already responded, all that remained was to see how the visitor would answer. Until then, observing was the only thing he ought to do. He abandoned the probing questions he had prepared earlier, deciding that it would be best not to say a single unnecessary word.