"Perhaps I'll live to see a dog of Imagination."

"That... might be worth a try."

Nimrod nodded. "If I get the chance, certainly."

"Oh, you truly are my best friend." At Nimrod's answer, the Celestial Worthy said with a touch of exaggeration, "Let's keep watching my dear successor's performance, compatriot."

While the two conversed, the Tarot Club meeting continued in an orderly fashion.

After Alger finished sharing information related to the Blasphemy Slate, Audrey raised several more questions, including but not limited to the subsequent Sequences of her Spectator Pathway, and what would happen if a dog drank a potion.

"I think that, since the dog showed no adverse changes after drinking the potion, she might share an innate resemblance with God Almighty."

The Celestial Worthy spoke solemnly, without the slightest hint that he was retaliating.

"...You might actually have a point." Nimrod thought for a moment and decided there might be some truth to the Celestial Worthy's words:

"According to the principles of the Acting Method, an innate resemblance could indeed lower the risk of losing control after consuming a potion..."

"Perhaps I'll live to see a dog of Imagination." The Celestial Worthy leaned back in his chair, his tone rather flat. "Much as I hate to admit it, I've certainly seen quite a few interesting things since awakening within you."

"...I need you to attempt something new." Before the two of them, at the Tarot Club meeting below, Klein, unaware that someone was watching him "pretend to be the Fool," lightly tapped his armrest and said with effortless calm:

"Perform a ritual..."

"...The incantation is:"

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, you are the mysterious ruler above the Gray Fog, you are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."

Hearing the three-part honorific name Klein had devised for himself, the Celestial Worthy couldn't help rising to his feet. His face, formed from radiance, seemed to darken:

"-Who taught him to translate my name like that? Translating 'Xuanhuang' directly as 'Yellow and Black'?"

At least it bears some resemblance to 'the King in Yellow.' It's not too terrible a translation, and it won't make anyone think of a 'yellow-and-black thing'... Nimrod grumbled inwardly before picking up where the Celestial Worthy had left off:

"Perhaps that's also part of his spiritual intuition-Celestial Worthy, your act is a little too obvious. You don't need to put on a show for me."

The Celestial Worthy seemed to exhale, then sat back down in the chair he had conjured. His somewhat exaggerated expression tightened, and his voice became as still as a lake in deepest winter:

"It was only an attempt made on a whim."

"It wasn't on a whim, nor was it an attempt. You wanted to use humanlike behavior to reinforce your earlier claim that 'you could become the most benevolent god,' so I would agree to cooperate with you." Nimrod analyzed it carefully. Then, with a faint smile, he addressed the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings before him:

"There's something I'm wondering about now: when it comes to great beings like you, even someone like Zhou Mingrui, who has no status of his own, can establish a connection between 'ordinary people' associated with your honorific name after breaking that name down."

"Then I imagine that, since I also control part of Sefirah Castle, I wouldn't even need to deliberately modify the honorific name to establish a connection and elicit a response from the Gray Fog here... Wouldn't you agree, Lord of the Mysteries, King of Space-Time?"

"I'm very curious what sort of response Sefirah Castle would give if I recited your four-part honorific name in Chinese in the real world."

"For example, that ritual Zhou Mingrui has to perform every time before stepping onto the Gray Fog... Celestial Venerable of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, Celestial Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, God Almighty of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings?"

"Perhaps after this Tarot Club meeting ends, I could try something similar in the real world."

As he listened to Nimrod, the Celestial Worthy's gaze remained unchanged. He merely spoke softly:

"You really are far more perceptive than I imagined. But why won't you believe me? I can assure you that I've never lied to you."

"Now that Sefirah Castle has an owner, even if you reproduce Zhou Mingrui's ritual in reality, you won't be able to enter Sefirah Castle."

"You know a great deal about our world, even many things that have yet to happen but already show signs within fate... There's no way you haven't tried my ritual."

"But before this, did even a single one of your rituals succeed?"

"Oh, please. Trust a pillar that symbolizes 'deceit'?" Nimrod said offhandedly:

"Do you take me for the Genie? Of the three pillars, your symbolism leans the most toward pure chaos and madness-the Fool, Error, Door. Which of those symbols leans toward anything positive?"

Nimrod could never believe the Celestial Worthy's words. He might indeed have never lied, but neither had he told the whole truth. Just like a certain "Incubator" who never told girls that "magical girls become witches once they mature" before enticing them into becoming magical girls (note 1).

After all, once certain qualifiers were added, the meaning of a statement could change completely, turning sincerity into a lie. The Celestial Worthy was undoubtedly well versed in such techniques; he was, after all, the most powerful "deceiver" in this world.

For instance, if "none of Nimrod's attempts before this had succeeded," then after Nimrod transmigrated and first stepped into Sefirah Castle through Klein's actions, might his ability to control Sefirah Castle have improved to some extent?

Just as Nimrod had tried earlier, after the first Tarot Club meeting he "attended," he had become able to send objects into Sefirah Castle. Wasn't that also an improvement in his control over Sefirah Castle and his access privileges?

Information of this kind was clearly something the Celestial Worthy didn't want him to discover. Though he kept saying that he "didn't mind cooperating with Nimrod" and "hoped they could achieve transcendence together," making it sound like a beautiful dream.

In reality, however, once Nimrod believed the Celestial Worthy's words, he would inevitably suffer a fatal stab in the back from him the moment an opportunity arose.

One could glimpse something of the Celestial Worthy's nature in how his successor, Klein Moretti, ultimately treated the Genie. He had indeed fulfilled his promise and prepared to release the Genie into the cosmos-but that was a scheme to use the Genie as bait for his own body, the Uncertain Mist.

And compared with Klein, who still retained some humanity, the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings would only be more shameless and despicable.

"...I think you're bad-mouthing me in your head."

"You're imagining things."

"Heh. As if I don't know what I'm like. If you can keep company with me, how good a person could you possibly be?"