"You asked Mr. The Fool for help? Is that even possible?" The Hermit, Cattleya, was taken aback.
She had no doubt about Mr. The Fool's status and abilities. After being punished and discovering that His Blessed, Gehrman Sparrow, was becoming increasingly powerful, she had no further questions about such matters. In fact, when Mr. The Fool used ancient artifacts to lure her here and help her evade the knowledge he was pursuing, she already understood that he was at least at the level of " Hidden Sage " or " The Moon Primordial," but for various reasons, he could not directly interfere with the real world and was suspected to be an ancient god in the process of resurrection.
To her surprise, " The Moon the Fool " offered effective and substantial help to members of the Tarot Club, rather than providing knowledge or simply recruiting them.
This shows that I can directly ask Mr. The Fool for help in times of crisis... This is more exaggerated than any ritual... On the other hand, it vaguely reveals that Mr. The Fool's recovery process is faster than I imagined... Many thoughts flashed through the mind of " The Hermit " Cattleya in an instant.
" Justice " Audrey, " The Sun " Derrick, and others were not surprised by this, as they had all more or less prayed for the help of " The Fool " and had witnessed the Angel under the command of this great being.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, " The Moon " Emlyn shrank back and raised his chin, saying:
I was paid.
"This is an equivalent exchange!"
"Equivalent exchange... The immediate response and effective feedback from a great being are priceless!" The Hermit Cattleya, couldn't help but retort in her heart.
The reason she didn't say it directly was that she also hoped to have such an opportunity for "equivalent exchange" in the future, which often meant that she would have one more life than others!
" Magician " Fors expressed his incomprehension of Mr. " The Moon's " deliberate emphasis on equivalent exchange, noting that those who had sought help from Mr. " The Fool " had all received corresponding rewards!
"Mr. The Moon " is truly a proud man, no, Sanguine... " Justice " Audrey carefully observed " The Moon " Emlyn's emotional changes in a short period of time.
The exchange continued, and the Tarot Gathering gradually came to an end.
Back in City of Silver, " The Sun " Derrick first carefully memorized the advantages and disadvantages of the " Notary " as described by " The Hanged Man," before heading back to the Twin Towers in the north of the city to select a magical item.
He hadn't done this before because he was in a unstable state after his promotion and was worried that contact with magical items would cause him to lose control.
Inside the round tower, Derrick Berg, having completed the process, stated his requirements, saw the selected items, and obtained the corresponding documents.
After careful reading and observation, he quickly narrowed it down to two options:
One is " Calderón's Ring," with an antique appearance, entirely iron-black in color, and engraved with obscure and intricate patterns. It was left behind by a long-time resident of City of Silver. It can help the wearer Awe targets, causing them to pause for a certain period of time. It can also cause normal humans to temporarily lose their minds, or awaken the hidden tenderness and memories of crazy Monster, causing them to fall into a state of self-doubt for a very short time and stop attacking.
The other is " Roar of the God of Thunder," obtained from a ruined city-state. It is quite heavy, shaped like a giant hammer, with a deep blue surface wrapped in silvery lightning. The handle resembles a leg bone of a living being. In battle, it can emit a sound that terrifies and confuses the enemy, as if Thunder God has descended to the earth and is roaring incessantly. Every strike of its is extremely destructive, and terrifying lightning is never absent.
The negative effect of " Calderón's Ring " is that the wearer will unknowingly develop another "self," so they must receive regular treatment from a " Psychoanalyst." If they miss one or two sessions, the problem will become extremely serious and difficult to cure. The struggle between the two selves will inevitably lead to loss of control.
Comparatively speaking, " Roar of the God of Thunder " doesn't have such a big hidden danger. It only allows the user to gradually accumulate irritable emotions, which can be resolved by venting them regularly. However, it has a negative effect: the person who possesses it has a 100% chance of being attacked by terrifying Monster from the depths of darkness in a lightless environment!
The probability of being attacked is 100%... Upon seeing this data, Derrick was immediately disheartened, because it meant that several residents of City of Silver had already disappeared for this reason.
They were all former owners of " Roar of the God of Thunder "!
Which one should I choose? Developing another "self" is a terrifying thing; Miss Justice seems to have mentioned it—it's called split personality... " Roar of the God of Thunder " not only has the ability to affect the enemy's status, but also possesses considerable offensive power... My " Hurricane Axe " will likely break down sooner than expected due to overuse... I can emit my own light, so I don't need to worry too much about absolute darkness... Derrick pondered for a moment, then pointed to the eerie blue giant hammer:
"I want ' Roar of the God of Thunder '."
At 160 Böklund Street, Klein had just stepped out of the master bedroom when he saw the butler Walter, waiting outside with several invitations in his hand.
"Sir, there are three invitations this week: afternoon tea on Wednesday, a literary salon on Friday, and a dinner on Saturday. They are from..."
Klein listened with a gentle expression, then smiled and said:
"Tell these friendly inviters that I will attend."
"Yes, sir." Walter bowed and left the third floor.
Watching his figure disappear at the top of the stairs, Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If I receive such an invitation in another week, it will be my turn to invite the neighbors to a dance or dinner party...
Only after several such invitations could I truly enter their circle and be introduced to higher-level figures, thus gaining access to different clubs...
Haha, such an introduction must be based on substantial financial resources; someone without any value wouldn't receive an introduction...
Socializing in high society is such a hassle. It'll be at least another month before I can get in touch with the fringe figures of the Great Smog of Backlund Incident... The church is much better. As long as you have enough donations and enough piety, you can freely enter and listen to the bishop preach—provided, of course, you can pass the vetting process...
If all goes well, I might be able to figure out the shift schedule of the internal guards within a month and find a chance to get behind the Chanis Gate...
Klein snapped out of his thoughts and instructed his personal valet Richardson, to bring him his coat, hat, and cane.
According to the schedule, he was going to the Kingdom Grand Theater to see the latest popular play, " The Ring of the Betrayer ".
This wasn't just for entertainment; only by understanding popular dramas, famous music, and trends could he have topics to talk about with others at various high-society gatherings.
A popular gentleman must be very tired in private. One minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage... These social gatherings are really exhausting... While Klein was thinking to himself, he let Richardson put his coat on him, and then took a high-class four-wheeled carriage to the Kingdom Grand Theater in the West Borough, where he sat in a luxury box to enjoy the play " The Ring of the Betrayer ".
"Unlike movies and TV series, theatrical performances are more exaggerated and forceful. Well, that's determined by the performance environment..."
"The story is not bad, but why does it seem so familiar? Could it be that the original author was Emperor Roselle...?"
"These must be famous theater actors. They've been mentioned in the newspapers; they're said to be very popular, almost like celebrities in the internet age..."
"If I attend more high-society gatherings, I'm sure I'll have a chance to run into them..." Klein thought to himself as he watched the theatrical performance.
The box office of a large theater in the Cherwood Borough.
Finally, when it was Melissa's turn, she took out banknotes and coins, pushed them through the window, and said:
" The Ring of the Betrayer, Sunday afternoon at 3 PM, two tickets."
After finishing " The Ring of the Betrayer," Klein got into his carriage, took a sip of red tea, and accepted the various evening newspapers that Richardson had bought.
He first went to the drama review section, found some professional comments, compared them with his own viewing experience, and gradually summarized a personal and insightful experience.
Well, at least it can fool those gentlemen and ladies... After finishing his "homework," Klein leisurely flipped through the newspaper and unexpectedly discovered a news item:
"The 10% stake in Backlund Bicycle Company has been sold. Please do not disturb us further!"
It's already settled? Mr. Isengard publishing this news means he's already received the money... Klein was initially delighted, but then frowned slightly.
His gaze lingered on the last exclamation mark!
The message did indeed contain what he and Isengard Stanton had agreed upon beforehand, but he felt that the exclamation mark at the end was a bit jarring.
"The emotion conveyed in that sentence clearly didn't require an exclamation mark... Mr. Isengard is a very detail-oriented person and wouldn't allow the newspaper to improvise... What message was he trying to convey by deliberately using that exclamation mark?"
"Is he issuing a warning?" Klein suddenly realized something while pondering.
The 10% stake in Backlund Bicycle Company sold by Isengard Stanton clearly came from Sherlock Moriarty, and given Moriarty's moral character, he would not have sold it without a reason. This, to some extent, indicates that Sherlock Moriarty, or his agent, has returned to Backlund!
Therefore, a certain faction within the royal family involved in the Great Smog of Backlund Incident keenly sensed the situation and began monitoring Detective Isengard Stanton, determined to apprehend the target who went to collect the cash!
How am I supposed to get the money...? Klein looked at the newspaper as if it were nothing, but seriously pondered this crucial question.
P. S.: I'll update first and revise later. I'm taking a break this afternoon to write one chapter. Curly-haired Baboon is having writer's block again. Writing the daily life and foreshadowing in an interesting and engaging way is really giving me a headache.