"You may address me as The Fool."
The brief answer soon faded within the magnificent temple and the pervasive fog, but in Audrey's and Alger's hearts, that voice echoed for a long time, stirring ripple after ripple.
It was a title they had not expected, yet felt was exactly right, a title that perfectly embodied mystery, power, and strangeness!
After a few seconds of silence, Audrey stood, lightly lifted her skirts, bent her knees, and curtsied to Zhou Mingrui.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, please forgive my presumptuous request. Would you bear witness to our transaction?"
"A small matter." Zhou Mingrui's thoughts raced as he answered in a manner befitting his status.
"It is our honor, Mr. Fool." Alger also rose, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed.
Zhou Mingrui pressed his right hand downward slightly and said with a smile, "Please continue."
Alger nodded, sat back down, and looked at Audrey.
"If you can obtain Ghost Shark blood, have someone deliver it to the Bravehearts Bar on Pelican Street in White Rose Borough, Pritz Harbor. Tell the owner, Williams, that this is what 'the Captain' requested."
"Once I confirm it, will you give me an address to mail the potion formula to, or would you prefer that I tell you here directly?"
Audrey considered for a while before smiling.
"I choose the more confidential method. Here, though it will certainly test my memory."
Since Mr. Fool had agreed to witness the transaction, that meant there would be another similar "gathering."
At that thought, she suddenly turned her head and looked at Zhou Mingrui with shining eyes, proposing with great interest, "Mr. Fool, would you mind making a few more 'attempts' like this one?"
Alger listened calmly, and the idea tempted him as well. He hurried to agree.
"Mr. Fool, don't you find this sort of 'gathering' very interesting? Although your power exceeds our imagination, there must be fields in this world that you do not understand or excel in. The young lady opposite me clearly comes from a noble background, and I have my own unique experience, knowledge, channels, and resources. Perhaps, at certain times in the future, she and I could help you accomplish trivial matters that would be inconvenient for you to handle yourself."
In his view, since he could be pulled here without warning and without any power to resist, it meant the initiative lay with the mysterious Mr. Fool. Simply wishing to refuse and stop attending these "gatherings" did not guarantee he could do so. Therefore, he might as well delve deeper into the benefits of this encounter and use his gains to compensate for his passive, unfavorable position.
The three parties at the long table had different backgrounds, different resources, different sources of information, and different understandings of the mystical domains. If they could exchange information and cooperate to a limited extent, it would produce wonderful effects that could neither be estimated nor measured!
For instance, the exchange of resources they had just agreed upon. Or, if he wanted to kill someone, he could ask a "gathering member" with no connection to him, either in appearance or in reality, to help. This would perfectly misdirect the matter elsewhere.
A young lady from a noble background... Are my behavior and accent that obvious? Audrey's lips parted as she froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and nodded without hesitation.
"Mr. Fool, I think this is an excellent proposal. As long as the 'gatherings' become regular, you can entrust matters to us when it is inconvenient for you to act personally. Of course, they must be within our capabilities."
Zhou Mingrui had been weighing the advantages and disadvantages since earlier. More "gatherings" would indeed allow him to obtain more supernatural secrets and knowledge of mysticism, helping him eventually transmigrate back. The "Spectator" potion formula that should appear at the next "gathering" was one example. Likewise, he could obtain information and some assistance for his present life.
However, more "gatherings" would also make it easier to expose the truth about him!
Sure enough, no matter which world you're in, nothing comes with benefits alone... Zhou Mingrui extended his right hand again and tapped the edge of the long table with his fingers.
Considering that convening and dismissing the "gatherings" were both under his control, even any problems exposed would remain manageable. The benefits clearly outweighed the drawbacks, and Zhou Mingrui quickly reached a decision.
He stopped tapping and smiled under their expectant yet apprehensive gazes.
"I am someone who favors equivalent exchange."
"I will not ask you to help unconditionally."
"Every Monday at three in the afternoon, try to be alone. Once I have made a few more attempts and clarified certain matters, perhaps you will be able to request leave in advance, without worrying about being in an unsuitable setting."
This counted as accepting Alger's and Audrey's proposal.
Audrey had only just turned seventeen and had always been well protected. Still very much a young girl at heart, she could not help clenching her fists and pumping them twice before her chest upon hearing Mr. Fool's answer.
"Then should we choose titles for ourselves as well? After all, we cannot communicate using our real names." Without waiting for Alger to speak, she spoke eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
Although I might not be able to hide my true circumstances from Mr. Fool, that fellow opposite me is somewhat dangerous too. I cannot let him know who I really am!
"A good idea." Zhou Mingrui's answer was brief and relaxed.
Audrey immediately put her mind to work, speaking as she thought.
"You are Mr. Fool, a name from the tarot cards. Since this is to be a regular, long-term, secret 'gathering,' our titles should be as consistent as possible. Hmm, I will choose from the tarot cards too."
Her tone gradually grew cheerful.
"I've decided. My title will be 'Justice'!"
This was one of the twenty-two Major Arcana cards of the tarot.
"And you, sir?" Audrey looked at her "companion" opposite her with a smile.
Alger frowned slightly, then relaxed his brow.
"The Hanged Man."
This was another Major Arcana card.
"All right, then that makes us the founding members of the Tarot Club!" Audrey first blurted this out happily, then looked a little timidly toward Zhou Mingrui, who was shrouded in grayish-white fog. "Is that all right, Mr. Fool?"
Zhou Mingrui shook his head in amusement.
"You may decide such minor matters yourselves."
"Thank you!" Audrey was clearly excited.
Then she looked at Alger again.
"Mr. Hanged Man, could you repeat the address from earlier? I'm afraid I haven't committed it firmly enough to memory."
"No problem." Alger was quite satisfied with Audrey's seriousness and repeated the address.
After silently repeating it three times, Audrey eagerly spoke again.
"I heard that tarot cards are merely a game invented by Emperor Roselle and do not actually possess any divinatory function?"
"No. In many cases, divination originates from oneself. Everyone possesses spirituality and can resonate with the Spirit World, with information concerning themselves on a higher level. Ordinary people simply cannot perceive this, let alone interpret the 'hints' they receive. When they use divination tools, this information manifests through those tools. A very simple example is dreams and dream interpretation." Alger glanced at Zhou Mingrui and, seeing no response from him, contradicted Audrey's statement. "Tarot cards are actually such a tool. Through more symbolism and more reasonable elements, they help us interpret the 'hints' more conveniently and accurately."
Zhou Mingrui appeared nonchalant, but was actually listening very closely. However, his mind was beginning to go blank more severely, and his head throbbed with pain.
"I understand." Audrey nodded in acknowledgment, then emphasized, "That wasn't what I meant. I'm not questioning tarot cards. I heard that Emperor Roselle actually created another deck of cards, a secret deck symbolizing certain unknown powers. There were twenty-two cards in total. After completing them, he used them as a reference to invent the twenty-two Major Arcana cards of the tarot as a game. Is that account accurate?"
She looked at Zhou Mingrui, seemingly hoping to obtain an answer from the mysterious Mr. Fool.
Zhou Mingrui merely smiled without speaking and turned his gaze toward The Hanged Man, as though testing him.
Alger unconsciously straightened his back and said in a deep voice, "Yes. It is said that Emperor Roselle saw the Blasphemy Slate. That deck of cards conceals the secrets of the twenty-two Divine Pathways."
"Twenty-two Divine Pathways..." Audrey repeated in a tone filled with longing.
At that moment, Zhou Mingrui's headache worsened, and he felt the invisible connection between himself, the crimson stars, and the grayish-white fog begin to waver.
"All right, that concludes today's gathering." He immediately made his decision and spoke in a low voice.
"As you wish." Alger bowed his head.
"As you wish." Audrey imitated The Hanged Man.
She still had so many questions and ideas that she was entirely reluctant to end things.
As Zhou Mingrui severed the connection, he smiled.
"Let us look forward to our next gathering."
The "stars" brightened again, and the crimson light receded like water. Just as Audrey and Alger heard Mr. Fool's words, their figures grew hazier and increasingly illusory.
In less than a second, the "projections" shattered, and silence returned above the gray fog.
Zhou Mingrui felt himself rapidly grow heavier. The sense of floating around him vanished, and his vision first darkened before filling with brilliant sunlight.
He was still in the apartment room, still standing in its center.
"Like a dream... What exactly is that world of gray fog... And who, or rather, what kind of power caused those changes just now..." Zhou Mingrui murmured, filled with confusion, as he walked toward the desk with legs that felt filled with lead.
He picked up the pocket watch he had left out earlier to check how much time had passed.
"Time flows at a one-to-one ratio," Zhou Mingrui roughly concluded.
Putting down the pocket watch, he could no longer hold on with his head throbbing as though it would split. He sat in the chair, lowered his head, and began massaging his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his left hand.
After a long while, he suddenly sighed and said in Chinese, "It looks like I won't be going back anytime soon..."
Only the ignorant could be fearless. Having witnessed such miraculous things and learned of the supernatural domain and the world of mysticism, Zhou Mingrui no longer dared rashly attempt the "luck enhancement ritual" in Ancient Feysac or Loenese!
Who knew whether some other situation might arise? It could be even stranger, even more terrifying, or even make life worse than death!
At the very least, I must gain a thorough grasp of mysticism before trying, Zhou Mingrui thought helplessly.
Fortunately, the so-called "gatherings" could offer him help.
After another stretch of silence, he murmured to himself with dejection, disappointment, pain, and melancholy, "From now on, I am Klein."
Klein tried to turn his thoughts back toward methods and plans to dispel the negative emotions in his heart.
Next week, I might get to listen in on the "Spectator" potion formula...
That "gathering" just now really was amazing. People in different parts of the world, turning thousands of miles into a distance of mere feet, communicating face-to-face and exchanging what they had... Uh, that sounds a little familiar...
Klein froze for several seconds, then suddenly chuckled. Pressing his temples, he mocked himself in a low voice.
"Care to try an online social platform?"