After answering, " The Star " Leonard finally realized the hidden message in Klein's request:
He meant that the Old Man had seen something called a " Blasphemy Slate "?
Without giving Leonard a chance to think further, "The World" Gehrman Sparrow looked around and then brought up another matter:
" The Church of Evernight received intelligence from Major General Qonas Kilgor, Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Section 9, confirming that King George III of Loen is hiding a secret... He has secretly sent people to excavate the ruins of the ' Blood Emperor,' colluding with the Demoness Sect and the Psychology Alchemists..."
Klein Manipulation the dummy to describe in more detail what he had previously told Miss " Justice," and at the end, he made a special point:
"The three major churches seem to have found insufficient evidence, and with Herabergen Rambis's disappearance, things have seemingly calmed down... There is some reason to suspect that there may be a traitor among the high-ranking members of the three major churches."
... Such a major event happened in Backlund this week? Klein seems to have obtained the information from the church... How come I didn't know anything about it? As he listened, " The Star " Leonard glanced at "World" Gehrman Sparrow with a slightly strange expression, momentarily dazed, wondering who the " Red Gloves " of the Church of Evernight was, and who was the key person being groomed to get close to the higher-ups.
Looking back, he vaguely grasped something, but he couldn't truly seize that Spirit Intuition and bring the idea to fruition.
Hugh, who had intended to share Viscount Stratford's Judgement and testimony at this Tarot Club in order to seek help, was astonished to discover that what Mr. World was investigating had a considerable overlap with his own goals.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have asked Mr. "World" for help when I followed Viscount Stratford to that warehouse in the Dock Borough. Maybe we could have bypassed the restrictions and gotten more clues... Hugh glanced around, carefully choosing his words, preparing to speak.
At this moment, Alger, the " The Hanged Man," was shaken and recalled the Tarot Club he had held three or four months earlier, before " The Star " and " Judgement " had joined Gehrman Sparrow had asked the members of the Tarot Club to keep an eye on Qonas Kilgor's intelligence and to testify that Herabergen Rambis was the Manipulator Caron's suicide.
Sure enough, a simple case of Caron's suicide wouldn't have required "the World's" full attention. The things he was investigating and the people he was watching were likely related to secrets that could influence the world situation... Also, could there be traitors among the high-ranking members of the three major churches? Which cardinal or high-ranking deacon could this point to? Alger sensed the undercurrents and also smelled an opportunity.
Normally, as a not-so-highly regarded member of the Church of Storms, Beyonder has long Acting of a pirate on the outside, the best outcome he could hope for is to achieve merit and become Sequence 5 " Ocean Songster," return to the church, and serve as a deputy to the higher-ups of the " Mandated Punishers." It would be almost impossible for him to wield the sacred objects and become Demigod.
Only when circumstances change and events occur frequently can he, with the backing of the Tarot Club, demonstrate sufficient talent, make great contributions, and be regarded as a prospective member.
Similarly, " The Hermit " Cattleya seemed to be able to see the dark clouds gathering and the winds gathering in Backlund, and vaguely understood why the Queen had been staying there for the past six months. " The Moon " Emlyn frowned, once again feeling that Backlund was no longer a suitable place for Sanguine to live.
I can only hope this doesn't disrupt the operations of the important members of the Hunting Rose School of Thought... And, it would be best if the priest and I didn't have to be as busy as we were during last year's smog... Emlyn's brow furrowed even more as he recalled the past.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the " The Sun " next to him and noticed that although the boy was sitting upright, his eyes looked rather blank. He couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
"I'll keep an eye out for any trace of Herabergen Rambis. Justice," Audrey broke the brief silence and spoke up.
" Judgement," Hugh said, also looking towards "the world," Gehrman Sparrow said:
"I'm investigating something that involves the King's secrets. Please don't hesitate to ask for my cooperation if needed."
At this point, she briefly mentioned issues related to the Shermane Watchers.
"Alright." Klein knew it was the Witch Trissy, and had the dummy "World" nod. He chuckled softly, "Whether you're keeping an eye on Herabergen Rambis's movements or investigating the king's secrets, be careful about the coincidences around you. If you do, inform me immediately."
He didn't directly mention the " Hermits of Fate " and Adam, worried that Miss Justice and the others might overthink things in private, inevitably becoming overly tense, thus exposing the problem and attracting attention.
Too many coincidences... The " Magician " Fors and other members of the Tarot Club repeated this phrase in their minds, each with their own guesses.
After about ten seconds of silence, " The Sun " Derrick spoke:
"After a period of adjustment and preparation, I will join the exploration team to head to the Afternoon Town camp. This time, we will likely attempt to enter the ' Giant King's Court '."
For Justice and the others, this was not a sudden event. They had long known Audrey City of Silver would likely launch a similar operation after " The Sun " advanced to Sequence 5.
Therefore, at this moment, they felt no surprise or astonishment, but rather a sense of relief and anticipation, as if an ancient myth was about to be unveiled and presented to the world.
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," thought for a moment and then offered a subtle reminder:
"At that time, follow your chief's instructions and pray to Mr. ' The Fool ' as much as possible. If you encounter any difficulties, you can request a small-group discussion, just like ' The Moon ' did."
"Okay, Mr. The Hanged Man, the Sun." Derrick didn't find it difficult; this was something he usually did or wanted to do.
After discussing this matter, " The Hanged Man " Alger turned to the head of the long bronze table and bowed reverently:
"Dear Mr. ' The Fool,' the matter you previously asked me to investigate has been answered."
Amidst the puzzled and curious looks from the other members, he continued:
Five captains of the Feynapotter Empire participated in the Battle of Conot in 1338. Two of them died in the battle, one retired due to old age and died two years ago from alcoholism, one was promoted to commodore and transferred to the Royal Naval College as vice-commander, and one has become a rear admiral and is currently the commander of the second squadron of the Feysac Conquest Fleet.
As soon as he finished speaking, Alger obtained the necessary permissions and materialized a blank sheet of paper filled with more detailed information.
" The Fool " Klein had it Blink in his palm and quickly scanned it.
He had the " The Hanged Man " investigate the Feynapotter Empire Colonel in the Battle of Conot in 1338, mainly to find the original owner of the " Creeping Hunger," a naval officer who captured Andy Haydn of the " Enmat," in the battle, and Grazing him, making him one of the absolute victors, so it was impossible for him to have died on the spot.
The subsequent discovery and encounter with the " The Hanged Man " on that primitive island led Klein to suspect that the gloves given to Qilangos were from the " Hermits of Fate."
Whether a formal member or a peripheral member, it's unlikely they could die so easily, especially from excessive drinking... Of course, it's possible they were essentially silenced... Klein's thoughts raced, and he noted down the three names on the white paper:
Boris died in 1347 from excessive drinking.
" Suzdal... 48 years old, Brigadier General, Feysac Royal Naval Academy..."
" Dmitriyev... 45 years old, Major General, Commander of the Second Squadron of the Feysac Conquest Fleet..."
Turning his gaze away, " The Fool " Klein nodded slightly and said to " The Hanged Man ":
"Continue to gather detailed information about the latter three and find out about their life experiences."
"Yes, Mr. The Fool the Hanged Man," Alger agreed without the slightest hesitation.
This is also an opportunity for him; once the mission is completed, he can try to apply for the cross.
After exchanging ideas for a while, this week's Tarot Gathering came to an end, and " The Star " Leonard returned to the real world.
Sitting on the sofa, he hesitated for a moment before putting his legs up on the coffee table, then lowered his voice and said:
" Old Man, have you seen the second ' Blasphemy Slate '?"
In his mind, Pallez Zoroast's slightly aged voice rang out:
"No, it was my great-grandfather who saw the second ' Blasphemy Slate,' haha, who brought this up?"
Leonard didn't answer Pallez Zoroast; only one thought kept echoing in his mind:
The " Blasphemy Slate " really exists!
The Old Man's great-grandfather had seen the second " Blasphemy Slate "!
No wonder He became Angel!
After a few seconds, Leonard asked with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation:
" Old Man, do you know the Nightwatcher's Potion recipe?"
Pallez Zoroast immediately scoffed:
"Naive! According to my great-grandfather, the situation was urgent and opportunities were limited. The ' Blasphemy Slate ' could Blink and disappear on its own at any time. Every wise person knows that it is best to master one complete Beyonder Pathway before exploring others."
"Furthermore, the knowledge on the ' Blasphemy Slate ' is presented in essence rather than in words, requiring time for each viewer to decipher. Even after the ' Blasphemy Slate ' is taken away, not everyone will be able to truly remember a complete Beyonder Pathway, let alone take other aspects into account."
"I have many other Potion recipes, but those were gradually collected by my family over a long period of time, and there aren't many High-Sequence recipes among them."
"I see..." Leonard chuckled dryly, then asked, "Who took the second ' Blasphemy Slate '?"
Pallez Zoroast paused for a moment and then said:
"If my great-grandfather's description is correct, it should be Adam, the Angel King."
" The Seven Gods, no, it should have been the Six Gods back then, who weren't involved in this?" Leonard asked, quite surprised.
Pallez Zoroast gave a cryptic laugh:
"At least not openly."
P. S.: There will be an extra chapter tomorrow for the top-ranked player in August's monthly votes, so there will still be two chapters.