Queens Borough, Earl Hall's residence, inside the dining room.
As is customary, Audrey was doing pre-meal prayers with her father, mother, and brother.
"Praise be to the goddess!" she concluded by tapping her chest four times clockwise.
However, before she could finish speaking, a thick Gray Fog filled her vision, obscured by her eyelids, and a lofty and majestic figure, seemingly looking down upon all people and things, spoke:
"That's a ' Card of Blasphemy ' made by Roselle."
"Mr. The Fool "... " The Card of Blasphemy "? Audrey, who had finally received a response, was initially delighted, but then slightly stunned, not understanding what the so-called " Card of Blasphemy " referred to.
However, she soon had a guess. She had always known that Emperor Roselle had created a Concealment deck of cards, symbolizing some unknown power. This deck of twenty-two cards was considered to be the reference for Tarot cards.
Moreover, she had heard from the " The Hanged Man " that the secret hidden in that deck of cards was the Divine Pathways, the path to becoming a god!
So, it's called the " Card of Blasphemy "... corresponding to the " Blasphemy Slate "... This is definitely one of the most precious treasures in the mystical world!
The Divine Pathways!
No wonder Mr. The Fool's Blessed requested help to ensure it was the correct card before acting, lest they make Error, fail to reach the correct target, and instead awaken the Church of Steam to the fact that a certain bookmark contained a " Card of Blasphemy "...
I wonder if he succeeded...
None of the Beyonder from the Church of Steam came to conduct the routine inquiry; perhaps he was still plotting something...
As her body trembled slightly, Audrey saw a praying figure again in the thick Gray Fog, a figure so blurry it was almost imperceptible.
He said respectfully:
"Great the Fool, please convey my gratitude to the verifier; it made my mission very smooth."
"Therefore, I am willing to increase the payment to £3,000, deducted from the outstanding £5,000, which is the share the other party is entitled to."
Success? That's it? But when I looked at the front pages of those newspapers just now, there wasn't any news about the stolen exhibits; they were all about the reappearance of the 12th victim in the serial murder case... Raising the reward to 3000 pounds proves that Mr. The Fool 'Blessed actions were indeed successful. He took the bookmark containing the " Card of Blasphemy " without anyone noticing! How brilliant! Although the term coined by Emperor Roselle isn't elegant, isn't reserved, and doesn't fit the aristocratic status, it's my only feeling right now!
Our Tarot Club mastered a complete " Divine Pathways "!
It should be complete, right?
I wonder which one it will be?
Regardless, this symbolizes the path to godhood!
Under the brilliance of Mr. The Fool, we will one day become the most powerful and top-tier Concealment force!
I wonder if other bookmarks contain " Card of Blasphemy "...
Audrey controlled her excitement, and with a mixture of longing and pride, let the maid lay out her napkin.
Her gaze shifted to the Earl Hall, who had a habit of reading the newspaper while having breakfast:
"Dad, is there any news worth paying attention to today?"
Earl Hall sighed:
"That Devil has murdered another innocent person, the twelfth time. It was a fashion designer who had only recently become famous. She had worked as a streetwalker a few times because she was too poor to make ends meet, and this terrible thing happened to her."
"Fortunately, this time there were witnesses. Someone saw the scene of that Devil committing the bloodshed. He was terrified and kept shouting 'Murder!' and 'Help!' in the street. Hehe, I must say, his shouts and cries for help had a very good effect. The Devil didn't chase after him."
"Police used this information to identify the suspect and are currently conducting an intensive manhunt."
Audrey drew Crimson Moon on her chest again and said:
May their mission succeed.
"Dad, from your description, it was a scene that was both terrifying and hilarious."
Hopefully, the witness won't have nightmares about this.
That same night, Mr. The Fool's Blessed, without alerting anyone, took the " Card of Blasphemy " from the heavily guarded museum... Audrey added this to herself longingly, and filled in some details.
Inside the Kingdom Museum, in the restored study.
"Are you sure only two bookmarks were stolen?" Max Livermore, the leader of the " Machinery Hivemind " team, asked his team members.
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the important figure standing in front of the desk with his back to him.
It was an elderly man dressed in a white priest's robe and wearing a clergyman's soft cap. He was Archbishop Horamick Haydn, the head of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in Backlund, a member of the Holy Synod- Church Council.
This important figure was not only a clergyman, but also a very famous scientist, an emeritus professor of physics at Backlund University.
"Yes, only those two bookmarks were stolen," the team member replied with considerable certainty.
Max nodded slightly, looked at Horamick Haydn, thought for a moment, and then asked carefully:
"Your Excellency, after the museum closed yesterday evening, some noble children came to visit. They touched some of the exhibits, including one of the two stolen bookmarks. Should we have them cooperate with the investigation?"
"I am aware of this matter." Horamick turned around, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, and said calmly, "I have already confirmed that those noble children have no connection with the thieves who stole the bookmarks, and there is no need for them to cooperate with the investigation any further."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Archbishop." Max himself didn't see anything wrong with it, especially since Archbishop Haydn had enough occult knowledge and various extraordinary skills to confirm it.
Horamick had a very gentle and kind face, and at this moment he showed no anger whatsoever. He looked around and said:
"Moreover, there wasn't just one person here last night; there were at least two, divided into two opposing sides."
"One of them might even have a higher Sequence than me, but the other one strangely escaped."
"Although I can't recreate the complete scene, some things are still 'visible'."
"Things are more complicated than we thought."
At this point, he sighed:
"Now I know why they Stealing the bookmarks."
"We've been fooled by Roselle for over 150 years..."
£3000, that really hurts! I've saved up for so long and I don't even have £1000... But the " Card of Blasphemy " is priceless; money can't buy it. Miss Justice's contribution to this matter is absolutely worth the price...
Fortunately, it was all deducted from what she owed me, which eased the pressure a bit. If I ever run into Mr. Azik again, I'll use the High-Sequence formula to pay the 15,000 pounds that belonged to the " Blessed "... I wonder what the other " Card of Blasphemy " have been disguised into. Given the Emperor's personality, they should all be quite unexpected... Klein finished his response, looked at the Gray Fog sea outside the palace, and sighed silently a few times.
Out of caution, he temporarily left the " Black Emperor " card on the Gray Fog, on the surface of the bronze table directly opposite the " The Fool's " chair, as well as the Azik Copper Whistle.
Upon returning to the real world, he performed another ritual, summoning himself and throwing the " Master Key "—a combination of getting lost and bad Sealed Artifact, a seemingly minor negative influence that could be fatal in serious situations—onto the Gray Fog, intending not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
The " Master Key," merely the relic of an unfortunate fellow who had just advanced to Sequence 9, possesses a negative effect that even Mid-Sequence Beyonder mitigate... It seems there were additional factors behind that " Apprentice's" loss of control, hence its unusual nature...
Thinking about it now, my previous decision was correct. Exploring 32 Williams Street in the Bridge South Borough requires caution and preparation... Hmm, one thing must be clear: the effect of Sealed Artifact isn't necessarily entirely related to the Sequence of its original owner. Multiple factors must be considered, such as whether it has been corrupted by an evil god...
Klein took a shower with the water that had cooled down considerably, and feeling refreshed, he walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs to enjoy the corn tortillas he had bought on the way. These were a specialty of the highlands of the Kingdom of Feynapotter, crispy, fragrant, and sweet.
After eating and drinking his fill, he reflected on his experiences from the previous night, trying to see if he had left any clues for anyone else:
"Even with the ' Master Key,' if one isn't Beyonder, it's impossible to escape from a Devil's clutches. That mysterious and powerful woman must have confirmed that I wasn't an ordinary private Detective, and I never intended to hide that."
"The fact that she didn't arrest me means she's either an official who has a certain affinity for wild Beyonder, or she doesn't belong to the three major churches or the military. Hmm, I lean towards the latter. The former would most likely confiscate the ' Master Key.' Sigh, I was a bit desperate at the time. I thought I would be imprisoned in the underground of the Church of Steam as a regular Beyonder, and I had even started thinking about how to escape. Who knew she would just leave like that."
"Which organization is she from? Or is she a wild one? No, a wild Beyonder has reached such a powerful level must have their own organization."
"That Devil Dog will definitely use its extraordinary abilities to erase any clues related to itself, including mine. In the realm of the occult, these are indistinguishable. And that lady is probably not suitable for exposure either. It seems that the clues I used to escape have also been interfered with."
"As for what's going on inside the museum, they're looking for special spirits, strange beings Sherlock Moriarty?" Klein joked to himself, feeling increasingly at ease.
Of course, his courage to go home was also based on prior Divination, just as he wasn't afraid of the completely unsolvable traps inside the museum.
Phew, that's all settled for now... What to do today? Practice his extraordinary abilities, and maybe mooch some food at the Cragg Club? Hmm, I wonder if the Nighthawks Mandated Punishers have identified the culprit yet Isengard Stanton, giving him a hint? As his thoughts raced, Klein heard someone approaching and then moving away outside.
Another letter? He Door Opening in confusion and, sure enough, saw a letter lying in the mailbox.
This letter is from Isengard Stanton.
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