As Klein's understanding of the mysticism and the supernatural deepened, and as he gradually tested some of the abilities of the space above the Gray Fog, he slowly became less apprehensive when facing " Justice," " The Hanged Man," and " The Sun." He no longer tried so hard to maintain an unfathomable image, lest the members of the Tarot Club keenly see through his disguise.
He now knows that although the gods of this world are powerful and mysterious, they are by no means Omnipotence and Omniscience. This description only exists in the legends of the Creator created everything, and only City of Silver still recites it.
Gods have limitations, and they can also fall into difficulties. This is something Klein can confirm at present. Both the Book of Storms and the Revelation of Evernight involve such content to varying degrees.
Therefore, at the recent Tarot Gathering, Klein consciously added a "persona," gradually shaping himself into a powerful being who was close to a god but unable to act freely for some reason.
In this way, even if he occasionally shows a lack of understanding about certain things or occasionally asks for help, it will not arouse suspicion from the Tarot Club members.
Of course, all of this was predicated on the fact that, through his previous attempts and the immense power displayed by " Azik the Blessed," he had undeniably implanted the near-divine image into the hearts of " Justice," " The Hanged Man," and " The Sun."
Whew, hopefully this shaping will be successful, then I won't have to worry too much about not being able to answer their questions... Of course, I still have to keep up the "common sense" stuff, I can't show any weakness... Klein tapped the edge of the old table lightly with his fingers and chuckled softly:
I'm going to issue a task.
" Justice?" Audrey's ears twitched, her eyes widened, a mixture of surprise, anticipation, and trepidation in her expression.
She clearly remembered that this was the first time Mr. The Fool had formally issued a task!
Although He had made some requests before, they were all the type with advance payment, seemingly just random collection tasks to comply with the principle of equivalent exchange... This time He used the word "issue"... As a " Mind Reader," Audrey was already very good at reading hidden meanings from a few words.
At the same time, she keenly noticed that the " The Hanged Man " seemed unchanged, but was actually unusually tense, while the " The Sun " was oblivious and took it as a normal thing.
"You can choose to accept it or not." Klein, using the " Clown's" abilities, made his tone sound quite relaxed. "Another of my Blessed has arrived in Backlund. He wants to accomplish something, but it's inconvenient for him to do it himself."
The other Blessed... " The Hanged Man " nodded as if deep in thought, showing no surprise whatsoever.
In his eyes, it was an accepted fact that a powerful being like Mr. The Fool, a god-like figure, possessed multiple Blessed.
I wonder what Sequence Mr. The Fool is among His Blessed... Hmm, I actually still owe His previous Blessed a bounty... Although Mr. The Fool's reward was paid by the Hanged Man, and He doesn't care much for money, I was genuinely praying for help at the time, and it was that Blessed who killed " Admiral Hurricane "... His Blessed still need some operating funds... " Justice " Audrey thought with a slightly guilty conscience.
Frankly speaking, in her eyes, 30,000 gold pounds plus a large plantation was indeed a huge fortune, but that was all; it wouldn't have a significant impact on her life.
It's good to have it, but it's okay if I don't. Hmm, I'll still feel a little heartache, just a tiny bit... Audrey nodded sincerely to herself.
As a young girl who was not yet truly an adult, not to mention the large plantation, she didn't actually have absolute control over the remaining 30,000 gold pounds. She could only follow her father, Earl Hall's, arrangements to buy a small share of the Backlund Arms Group and invest in a company that was trying to introduce some of the ironclad warship technology into the commercial shipping sector.
This meant that she ultimately received only £5,000 as pocket money; however, her fixed annuity income increased by at least £2,000 from the original £15,000 to £25,000 level.
Seeing that " Justice " and the others remained silent, Klein issued the mission:
"His task is to assassinate the Republic of Intis's ambassador to the Kingdom of Loen, Bakerland Jean Madan."
"Assassinate the ambassador of the Republic of Intis? Justice?" Audrey couldn't control herself and asked in astonishment.
This is an act that could cause conflict between the two countries, or even war! As a proper noble lady, her first thought is international relations.
As for Mr. The Fool's refusal to do it himself, she thought it was perfectly reasonable:
What kind of important person always helps their subordinates?
After the kingdom's defeat in the war on the East Coast of Balam, His Majesty the King did not personally lead the expedition; at most, he replaced the general and sent out new troops.
Well, it's said that His Majesty the King quite wanted to lead the expedition himself, but was stopped by the nobles and ministers...
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," was only slightly surprised by the task; his focus was on something else entirely.
Mr. The Fool is indeed still unable to deeply interfere with the real world... My guess was correct... I wonder to what extent He can affect us who have established a connection... Can He easily Deprivation life? With a touch of smugness, Alger's thoughts gradually wandered.
" The Sun " Derrick looked completely bewildered.
What is the Republic of Intis? And what is an ambassador? This cobbled-together, Jotun is very strange!
Klein glanced around, maintaining his relaxed demeanor, and said:
Who among you is willing to take on this mission?
What kind of reward do you want?
Um... I can't convince myself to kill an innocent person without a reason... and it could very well lead to a disaster, a disaster stemming from war... Audrey " Justice " one who wanted to raise her hand, hesitated.
Just then, the " The Hanged Man " chuckled and said:
"I've heard that Ambassador Bakerland is also the head of intelligence for the Republic of Intis within the kingdom. He secretly supports the bloody demonstrations, orchestrates events that damage relations between nobles and the wealthy, and spreads numerous rumors to incite the public against the government."
He seemed to sense the hesitation of " Justice " and described Bakerland's dark side in detail.
He then added:
"I'm not sure if this ambassador is Beyonder, but many clues suggest that he probably is."
"He has many Beyonder Beyonder him, belonging to the Intis intelligence agency, which has long been influenced by the former royal family, the Sauron Family, and controls the early Sequence of the ' Hunter ' pathway."
"Moreover, whether war breaks out between the two countries depends solely on whether their respective leaders want to fight, and has nothing to do with the life or death of a diplomat."
After the assassination of Emperor Roselle, Intis underwent several major upheavals but ultimately maintained a stable republican system. The Sauron Family, having suffered a brutal blow during the Roselle era, had their strength in all aspects greatly diminished and had no choice but to accept this reality. They changed their goal to vying for seats in parliament and secretly influenced the national intelligence agency and a small number of troops.
After hearing the information provided by the " The Hanged Man," Audrey's hesitation vanished instantly, and she nodded gracefully.
"In recent years, the Feynapotter Empire has expanded rapidly, successively defeating the Kingdom and the Republic of Intis on the East Coast of Balam and in the Star Highlands. Afterwards, as long as the blame is shifted to them, it is acceptable and believable to the leaders and people of the Republic of Intis."
Audrey didn't know much about politics, but with a father who was a hereditary earl and a senator, she would inevitably hear about and witness quite a lot.
Whether it's shirking responsibility or diverting domestic conflicts, the unpopular northern barbarians are the most favored and convenient targets for nobles and ministers.
Whether they did it or not is not important.
Of course, over a hundred years ago, this role was played by Intis and Roselle.
After a few seconds of hesitation, " Justice " Audrey looked nervously and guiltily towards the head of the bronze table:
"Mr. The Fool, I can try to complete this task, but I can't guarantee success."
On one hand, she planned to confirm with her father whether Ambassador Bakerland was indeed the head of Intis' intelligence network. On the other hand, she never even considered doing it herself. Neither the " Spectator " nor the " Mind Reader " were the type who were good at fighting. She could only gather as much information about Ambassador Bakerland as possible in high society and then delegate the task to others.
Hmm, we can have Hugh and Fors ask Mr. A to take action... or find the leaders of a few other extraordinary circles... We can't expose myself... This must Concealment, there might be Intis's intelligence agents lurking in those circles... I don't know how much money it will cost, 5,000 pounds might not be enough... Audrey has already started thinking about the next steps.
Klein didn't expect that the " Justice " Miss of Sequence 8 would definitely succeed, and nodded slightly:
What kind of compensation are you hoping to receive?
"The ' Psychiatrist ' formula," Audrey blurted out, then added hesitantly, "And the corresponding extraordinary materials... well... we can discuss that after the mission is complete. If it fails, I'll bear the costs myself. I... I still owe your Blessed a bounty."
Bounty? So the bounty went to " Justice "... 10,000 gold pounds, split in half, that's 5,000 pounds... Klein, shrouded in Gray Fog, pondered for a few seconds about how much Ambassador Bakerland was worth, and finally concluded that he was definitely more valuable than " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos.
"Sure," Klein replied casually.
At this moment, Alger, the " The Hanged Man," spoke:
"I'll also take this task; the reward can be determined after completion."
"Didn't you go back to sea?" Audrey asked in surprise.
"My absence from Backlund doesn't mean I can't assassinate Ambassador Bakerland," Alger said with a smile, offering no direct explanation.
Derrick " The Sun," who was standing next to him, couldn't seem to join the conversation.
Klein nodded in agreement:
"Good."
He immediately turned his gaze to Roselle's Diary in his hands.