Upon hearing the warning from Julian, The Tower, both Alger, the Hanged Man, and Audrey, Justice, expressed their thanks with solemn expressions.
Mr. Fool also fell into thought, though he showed no outward sign of it.
The Tarot Club then spent some time discussing recent events in the Loen Kingdom. During the conversation, Audrey, Justice, mentioned that both her father and her elder brother believed that the current practice of replacing large numbers of government employees whenever the ruling party changed led to inefficiency and a host of subsequent operational problems.
Mr. Fool offered a proposal in response: the country could select a permanent body of administrative personnel through civil service examinations, ensuring that government affairs continued to run efficiently even when the ruling party changed.
Just as Julian had expected, Audrey, Justice, immediately expressed her admiration for Mr. Fool upon hearing this proposal and said she would find a suitable opportunity to pass it on to her father and brother.
Julian offered little commentary. He knew that Klein had said this not merely to offer advice, but also to pave the way for his elder brother, Benson.
Once the procedures for implementing the civil service examinations were finalized, he could advise Benson to prepare in advance, giving him every advantage in the selection process that followed.
After they finished discussing the matter, Mr. Fool announced the end of that day's gathering.
"As you wish."
Julian, The Tower, and the other two Tarot Club participants rose together and spoke respectfully.
The next second, they turned into streaks of light and returned together to the sky above Sefirah Castle.
Unlike Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man, who had become crimson stars, Julian once again became that miniature, multicolored cloud.
Klein, the Fool, looked at the cloud and pondered for a moment before leaving the gray fog and returning to reality himself.
"...Phew."
Julian opened his eyes in the room. Using the glass cabinet door in the divination room as a mirror, he tidied his appearance, poured away the coffee that had gone cold in his cup, then picked up his Agarwood Cane and walked out.
"Good afternoon, Julian."
As soon as he stepped out, Julian saw Hanass Vincent.
The Divination Club's star diviner seemed to have just finished a divination session and was now reading the Tussock Newspaper while enjoying afternoon tea.
He greeted Julian warmly, and Julian walked straight over without hesitation.
"What a spread."
Julian smiled as he glanced at the table full of desserts, then said in a half-joking tone:
"It looks like you'll have something important to announce at tonight's banquet."
This was a fairly typical Loen-style joke, with the unspoken meaning being, "Don't eat too much now, or all you'll be able to do tonight is watch us eat and drink."
"You must find this amusing. That last client's divination request was a little troublesome. It took quite a bit of time... and spirituality."
Hanass put a piece of cake into his mouth, then smiled as he responded to Julian's concern.
At the same time, he was observing Julian's reaction. In Loenese, the word "spirituality" could also refer broadly to "energy" and "inspiration," making it quite ambiguous.
Apparently, Julian's display of clear Beyonder traits during their earlier divination for Viscount Oakley had prompted Hanass to sound him out about his understanding of, and willingness to discuss, Beyonder matters.
If Julian picked up the thread and continued talking about "spirituality," it would confirm that he was a Beyonder and had no objection to discussing such matters. If he steered the conversation elsewhere, however, it would suggest other possibilities.
"Divination certainly takes a lot of mental effort. I often struggle with that myself."
Julian recognized the probing note in Hanass's voice, but calmly steered the topic toward ordinary matters.
He did so out of caution. After all, the Aurora Order was a secret organization that worshipped an evil god. If Julian showed too much eagerness to discuss Beyonder matters, the Aurora Order might very well suspect that he was trying to entrap them, making them even more wary of him.
Besides, Julian could not be certain whether outsiders already knew about his part-time work with the Nighthawks, so there was no harm in being cautious.
Seeing that Julian had not taken the bait, Hanass Vincent felt slightly reassured. After chatting for a while, the two boarded a carriage bound for the southern district and arrived at the Tides restaurant on St. Godrian Street.
Hanass had reserved a private room for six in advance. When Julian pushed open the door, he found that a man had already arrived and was sitting at the table.
The man had a broad forehead, black hair, and brown eyes. He wore glasses with almost round lenses, and the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward, giving the impression that he was mocking everyone.
Apart from those glasses, there was nothing particularly distinctive about his features or build. He looked very ordinary.
Julian frowned slightly the moment he saw the man. He felt as though he had seen him somewhere before, but could not immediately remember where.
"Allow me to introduce you."
At that moment, their host, Hanass, took the initiative to speak:
"This is Julian, my colleague at the Divination Club and an excellent diviner.
"This is Lanevus, a very successful entrepreneur. He currently runs a steel company and owns a mine in Sivellas County."
Upon hearing that, the confusion in Julian's mind instantly cleared.
He finally knew where he had seen this man before.
When Julian had first fled Azshara, he had used the Jacob Family's connections to seek help from the Hermits of Fate. During the latter half of that journey, Lanevus had traveled aboard the same passenger sailing ship as him.
In other words, Lanevus, a Beyonder of the Marauder Pathway, was also a member of the Hermits of Fate, just like Julian.
Aside from that, this man had another identity in the original novel.
He was one of the principal culprits behind the later Evil God's Offspring Descent Incident-the instigator whose actions directly led to Ince Zangwill overrunning the Blackthorn Security Company and the tragic deaths of Dunn Smith and Klein Moretti.
Lanevus had paid a price as well.
The True Creator had planted a divine "sapling" inside him, making him the intended vessel for the True Creator's descent!
While Julian's thoughts raced, Lanevus spoke first.
With a teasing expression that was almost a smile, he said to Julian:
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Julian."
"But if I may ask, have we met somewhere before?"