Tarot Divination

[He's divining you.]

[He's divining your origins. Unfortunately, his standing isn't high enough, not even with "Sefirah Castle" added to it.]

The Celestial Worthy suddenly spoke, making no effort to hide his regret:

[What a shame. If I occupied a greater share of the mind in this body, I could revive in him right now. Why would I need to stay imprisoned in you?]

Nimrod did not answer the Celestial Worthy. He simply stopped knocking and called through the door:

"May I come in? I hope I'm not disturbing you."

What does he want to come in for... Several possibilities abruptly surfaced in Klein's mind, but he forced himself to remain calm. After confirming that he could roll and leap out of the second-floor window, he said:

"Please come in."

He had just checked his distance from the window and was confident he could leap out and escape the instant he detected any hostility-but that would ruin his plans to act as a "Seer" here!

Hearing Klein's reply, Nimrod gently pushed the door open and glanced around the room. Noticing the tension Klein was struggling to suppress, he said in a gentle tone:

"Forgive the unexpected visit, Mr. Moretti-I chatted with my friend and discovered that someone else had joined the Divination Club today besides me, so I thought I'd come and get acquainted."

"After all, I believe this is the guidance of 'fate.'"

The guidance of fate? Diviners do believe in that sort of thing... so he really just wants to get acquainted? Klein felt somewhat puzzled, unable to quite follow the young man's train of thought:

"It certainly is a coincidence. Hmm... as Emperor Roselle said, 'Fate often leads the willing' (note 1). As Seers, we must respect fate."

"Seer"... A faint smile appeared on Nimrod's face:

"Speaking of Emperor Roselle, he certainly was an interesting man-since fate has guided us to meet, would you perform a divination for me?"

"Me? But as you know, I only joined the club today too. You trust my divination skills?"

Listening to Nimrod, Klein could not help being amused-for some reason, upon suddenly hearing those words about fate, he had begun picturing the young man before him, whom he suspected was a Beyonder, as Leonard.

"You did only just join the club." Nimrod kept smiling. "But I trust the abilities of a 'Seer.' Don't be nervous, my friend. I can tell you're acting as a 'Seer.' It certainly isn't because I just saw you divining me."

Klein: "?"

Does this guy really hold a grudge... wait, he saw me divining him? Hearing Nimrod's words, Klein briefly lost control of his expression. All he could do was give a dry laugh, embarrassment seeping into his voice:

"I didn't mean to... I was just a little curious."

Nimrod glanced at Klein and waved a hand:

"It's all right. I don't mind. Plenty of Seers are like that: they speak in riddles and let curiosity kill the cat. But be careful with divination, my friend. If a Beyonder who was more prone to losing control, or a little less mentally stable, discovered you were divining his location, he might already have come charging over to kill you."

"So, will you do a divination for me? I've never met a living 'Seer' before."

Nimrod gazed at Klein, already beginning to formulate what he would say next. Klein had just quoted one of Roselle's "famous sayings" in this world, and he could use that to make Klein believe he was a "fellow countryman"...

He had also used terms from Earth, translated into Loenese.

Unlike most protagonists who had fought their way out of Qidian's orphanage, Zhou Mingrui had enjoyed a harmonious family life before transmigrating. Although he had faced the risk of being "optimized" out of his company, he had still had a bright future ahead of him.

As a result, Klein was naturally inclined to view "fellow countrymen" through a lens of trust.

Looking at the "senior Beyonder" before him, Klein still felt somewhat wary, but his attitude had softened without his noticing. Sitting behind the desk, he looked at Nimrod and quickly settled into his role:

"All right, then. What would you like to divine? And what should we use?"

"What to divine... let's do the past, present, and future. A classic tarot spread."

Nimrod smiled as he spoke:

"Since we mentioned Roselle, let's use tarot cards. I've heard they're a divination tool created by Roselle Gustav."

"It seems you know a little about tarot cards?" Looking at the closed door and the young man's relaxed expression, Klein eased up slightly. "Come to think of it, I still don't know your name."

"Nimrod."

Nimrod deliberately paused. A pause like this could create a sense of awkwardness, and perhaps allow Klein to pick up on something:

"Oh, Nimrod Emonsal. Heh, sorry. I'm not quite used to people calling me by my full name. Just call me Nimrod."

Klein made no comment. He deftly shuffled and cut the tarot deck before him, casually saying to Nimrod:

"Many people think it's more of a game, but some believe the tarot cards Roselle 'invented' hold certain mystical secrets."

After saying this, Klein could not help chuckling. However, he saw an odd look cross Nimrod's face. It vanished in an instant, and Nimrod said hesitantly:

"Hmm... Roselle certainly did 'invent' a lot of things."

Did his expression turn strange because of my tone just now? The thought surfaced in Klein's mind, but he did not dwell on it. By then, he had finished shuffling the cards:

"Go ahead, Mr. Nimrod-pick any three cards you like. Once they're turned over, I'll interpret them for you."

"All right." Nimrod nodded gently and drew a card from the spread before him. "This is the 'past.'"

Klein reached out and turned over the tarot card in front of Nimrod, his gaze sharpening slightly:

"The reversed 'Lovers.' Whew, that isn't a very good card."

The reversed Lovers sometimes signified "deception."

"Oh, I certainly was that sort of person in the past, but that isn't important," Nimrod said casually. After all, he was insulting the Amon avatar from before he had taken over its body, which more or less amounted to insulting Amon:

"Let's look at the 'present' and the 'future.' Those are what matter."

"You're right." Faced with a Beyonder who clearly understood the meanings of tarot cards, Klein did not insist on interpreting it. He simply watched quietly as Nimrod drew two more cards:

"This is the 'present'... and this is the 'future.'"

The two tarot cards were turned faceup before them. The "present" was represented by an upright "Devil," while the "future" was...

The reversed "Devil."

Looking at the cards drawn before him, Klein slowly uttered one perfectly enunciated syllable:

"Huh?"