Julian had thought this matter through very carefully. One of the two Beyonder items corresponded to the Solar High Priest of the Bard pathway, while the other corresponded to the Sequence 7 Warlock of the Mystery Pryer pathway.
The Solar High Priest had its advantages, especially when facing Beyonders of the Corpse Collector and Prisoner pathways.
By comparison, the Beyonder abilities of the Secrets Suppliant pathway would also be restricted by a Solar High Priest, but overall, the impact would not be as great as it was on the other two pathways.
Besides, Julian was not buying this Beyonder item solely to target the Aurora Order. He also needed to consider other combat scenarios, such as encounters with the Secret Order, which had vanished without a trace since the incident involving the Antigonus Family's notebook.
Moreover, Julian currently had no good way of dealing with frequent burns, so the side effects of this Beyonder item would affect him more severely than he might expect.
By comparison, a Warlock's abilities suited Julian better. This was not only because they were more versatile, but also because Julian's existing knowledge could amplify the item's effects.
As for the supposed side effect of knowledge infusion, suspected to come from the Hidden Sage, Julian was not afraid of that either-there was already someone buzzing in his ears at the slightest provocation, which could mitigate the effects of the knowledge infusion to some extent.
When he had encountered Old Neil earlier, the Colour Out of Space had seemingly intervened to punish the Hidden Sage. Now that the two forces would clash again, there was undoubtedly some personal animosity involved, so Julian himself was not the one who needed to worry.
"Agreed."
Mr. Hanged Man nodded, then looked at Miss Justice.
"Then, Miss Justice, we can discuss the payment afterward."
"All right... but how do you intend to contact me? By letter?"
Miss Justice paused in surprise before asking.
"Heh heh..."
Mr. Fool's soft chuckle drew everyone's attention at once.
"You need not concern yourselves with that."
The mysterious being folded his hands together.
"We will discuss it once this transaction is complete."
"Understood."
Hearing Mr. Fool say this, Mr. Hanged Man realized that this great being must have a way for the members of the Tarot Club to communicate with one another.
After all, Mr. Fool had already demonstrated all manner of incredible feats. Such a trivial matter should be well within his capabilities.
"Thank you both, and thank you, Mr. Fool."
Seeing that the deal had been settled, Julian, The Tower, spoke.
"As agreed, I will tell you why the churches of the orthodox gods restrict the spread of the acting method."
Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice immediately pricked up their ears, listening intently to what Julian had to say next.
"There are three main reasons."
Julian, The Tower, chuckled softly.
"The first stems from a fundamental rule, which we generally call the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics.
"I assume you do not know what Beyonder characteristics are?"
"Indeed, I don't."
Miss Justice confirmed Julian's assumption.
"Beyonder characteristics are the source of Beyonder powers. Through inheritance or specific combinations of main potion ingredients, they are incorporated into potions, which then introduce them into humans and non-supernatural creatures, granting them supernatural abilities.
"Even after these Beyonders and supernatural creatures die, their characteristics remain and will separate from their bodies some time after the corpses completely lose their vitality.
"The Beyonder characteristics that separate out can be used directly as main potion ingredients. That heart-like object I gave you earlier was the Beyonder characteristic left behind by a Psychiatrist."
Understanding dawned on Miss Justice as she listened to Julian.
"I see... so does the separation you just described always happen?"
"Unless there are special circumstances, it always happens."
Julian nodded slightly.
"This is also one of the reasons the Beyonder world is so cruel. As we advance, Beyonders of our own pathway naturally become our enemies. While we hunt, we also become other people's prey. One careless moment could turn us into the main ingredient of someone else's potion."
Once he had made sure Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man fully understood this, he continued his explanation.
"The Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics states that the total quantity of Beyonder characteristics within the same pathway remains constant.
"In other words, when high-sequence characteristics increase, low-sequence characteristics must decrease, and vice versa.
"Thus, if the acting method spreads widely, the number of low-sequence and even mid-sequence Beyonders will rise sharply.
"This will directly affect the number of high-sequence Beyonders, and may even affect the churches' high-level combat strength and their control over mid- and low-sequence Beyonders. This is undoubtedly very dangerous.
"Does that make sense?"
"Mr. Tower, there is something I don't understand."
At this point, Miss Justice asked another question.
"Can't the churches control the number of Sequence 9 Beyonders? As long as there aren't so many Sequence 9 Beyonders, there shouldn't be so many mid-sequence Beyonders either, should there?"
"No."
Mr. Hanged Man suppressed the sense of sudden understanding welling up within him and began explaining to Miss Justice.
"You're thinking about this too simply, Miss Justice...
"I believe I understand what Mr. Tower means now. This is not something that can be resolved through control alone.
"Because the churches of the orthodox gods face not only hidden dangers within their own ranks, but also the problem of unaffiliated Beyonders."
"Unaffiliated Beyonders?"
"Yes, unaffiliated Beyonders."
Mr. Hanged Man nodded.
"Take my Sailor pathway, for example. In theory, this pathway is entirely controlled by the Church of Storms, but in reality, there are large numbers of unofficial low- to mid-sequence Sailor pathway Beyonders at sea.
"In other words, the corresponding potion formulas and ingredients have always circulated through unofficial channels. And according to Mr. Tower, conflict and death among Beyonders also replenish the corresponding Beyonder characteristics.
"Therefore, if the churches do not restrict the acting method, large numbers of official Beyonders who have digested their low-sequence potions may be able to purchase potion formulas from outside sources without any difficulty, then advance in secret without informing their churches.
"The acting method would also spread beyond the churches, giving rise to large numbers of unofficial mid-sequence Beyonders.
"And according to the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics, this would directly affect the number of official Beyonders, and even threaten their lives."
At this point, Mr. Hanged Man cast a cautious glance at Mr. Fool and bowed slightly to the great being.
Only after completing this respectful gesture did he continue.
"Because when that happens, even the Saints of the churches... or even the Angels who may exist in myths and legends, could become targets hunted by unaffiliated Beyonders-or even by their own people!"