"How could that be..."
Upon hearing this, Miss Justice covered her mouth with her fair, slender left hand, disbelief written all over her face.
"That is simply how things are. The so-called orthodox Churches are not monolithic themselves."
Mr. Hanged Man shook his head.
"Faith cannot control people's instinctive desire to survive and grow stronger. Only a sound system can do that."
With that, he turned to Julian, The Tower.
"Please continue."
"What you just said was the second reason I was going to give."
Julian, The Tower, applauded softly and said with a smile.
Should I say that's the Reverse Commissar for you... He figured out so much so quickly.
As Julian thought this, he continued.
"As for the third reason, it is primarily to prevent defections.
"As Mr. Hanged Man just mentioned, widespread dissemination of the Acting Method would produce large numbers of Mid-Sequence Beyonders within the Churches. But once their advancement reached a certain point, they would encounter obstacles.
"This is not only because those higher up a given Pathway exert powerful suppression over those below them, but also because the orthodox Churches strictly control High Sequence potion formulas and ingredients.
"In that case, if a force hostile to these orthodox Churches could offer potential opportunities for advancement, even if it was nothing more than an empty promise, these Beyonders could easily be persuaded to defect... They would also take a great deal of internal Church intelligence with them, which would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous.
"By comparison, restricting the spread of the Acting Method reduces the orthodox Churches' administrative costs and risks. The Pontiffs can focus their attention on the few High Sequence Beyonders, rather than having to watch everyone as if they were thieves.
"Although low-ranking Beyonders would occasionally lose control and die as a result, this would become a kind of personnel 'metabolism'... The total number of Beyonders would be kept in check, while older Beyonders who had accumulated a tendency to lose control over the years would make way for newcomers. That, too, could be considered a kind of metabolism."
Miss Justice heard clear undertones of sarcasm and desolation in Julian's account.
Reflecting on this inwardly, she continued to ask.
"You mean... those hostile forces can provide the potions, ingredients, or formulas these Beyonders need to advance?"
"Yes and no."
Julian smiled and shook his head.
"On the one hand, as I just said, it could be an empty promise.
"On the other, even if they really can advance, the situation might not be quite what you imagine.
"But if you want a full explanation, you will have to pay an additional price... and spend more time."
"All right. Thank you for sharing, Mr. Tower."
Although Miss Justice felt somewhat disappointed, she did not dwell on it. As a Spectator, she had picked up from Julian's tone in the latter part of his remarks that he seemed unwilling to continue for the moment.
"Please accept my thanks as well, Mr. Tower."
At this point, there was something inscrutable in Mr. Hanged Man's tone.
"This information is extremely important to me... It has also convinced me completely that what I am doing is right."
After speaking, he raised his head once more and bowed slightly to Mr. Fool, expressing his respect in this way.
Alger was referring to his decision to bypass the Church of the Lord of Storms and seek opportunities for advancement on his own.
Although he had already done so, Alger had inevitably harbored some worries about the possible consequences of his actions.
But now it seemed that working within an orthodox Church involved far murkier waters than he had previously realized. Unless Alger strove to advance to a higher position, he would never be able to control his own destiny.
As an orphan, his desire to survive and rise in the world was stronger than Miss Justice's. Thus, he was also deeply grateful that Mr. Fool had chosen him to attend this gathering.
"I have another question I would like to ask, Mr. Fool, Mr. Tower."
Mr. Hanged Man continued.
"Since our last meeting, I have begun trying to digest my potions through acting.
"As you know, I previously consumed potions from several Sequences, all of which remained undigested... One of those Sequences is called Seafarer, and it is higher than Sailor.
"While acting as a Seafarer, I also digested some of my Sequence 9 Sailor potion along the way. I found this discovery very interesting.
"When I reviewed it afterward, I realized that, while interacting with my crew, I had unconsciously come to understand that a Seafarer was still fundamentally a Sailor, and that the most powerful Sailor was a Seafarer.
"I suspect that this self-understanding prompted me to digest the Sailor potion at the same time... I would like to know whether my conjecture is correct.
"Of course, if either of you requires any payment, please feel free to name it."
Upon hearing Alger's question, Julian, The Tower, said nothing and instead turned his gaze toward Mr. Fool.
This was partly a gesture of respect, and partly because he suspected that Klein now possessed enough knowledge to answer the question.
Sure enough, after a brief silence, Mr. Fool spoke.
"Throughout the acting process, the action that contributes most to potion digestion is formulating the corresponding acting principles.
"As you just said, the acting principles you formulated apply to both Seafarer and Sailor. That allowed you to digest both potions simultaneously."
"I see. Thank you for your generous explanation, esteemed Mr. Fool."
Alger, The Hanged Man, expressed his gratitude.
"What would you like as payment?"
Klein, The Fool, thought briefly before replying.
"More of Roselle's Diary... or intelligence about those ancient, powerful Beyonder families. Any information will do.
"Even information I already know can serve as payment."
Klein had initially wanted to ask for information related to the Seer Pathway, but he was afraid that doing so would diminish The Fool's mystique.
If he asked about the Antigonus Family, Julian might notice something amiss, so Klein could only make his inquiry in a more roundabout fashion.
"Very well, Mr. Fool."
Alger, The Hanged Man, nodded, then began giving Klein a detailed
account of what he knew about those Angel families, as well as information concerning the Blasphemy Slate.
Klein, The Fool, listened intently. Although he appeared perfectly composed on the surface, inwardly he was rapidly extracting the parts of this information that were useful to him.
"Very good. I am satisfied with this payment."
A short while later, Mr. Fool nodded in satisfaction.
Miss Justice took over the conversation at an opportune moment. After asking Mr. Hanged Man for some information about the Spectator Pathway's Sequence 8 potion and receiving his answers, she continued in a somewhat strange tone.
"I have a question I would like to ask... um."
She mustered her courage, though there was still an almost imperceptible haste in her voice.
"If, and I mean if, an ordinary animal drank a Sequence 9 potion, what would happen?"