By the time Leonard came to his senses, towering stone pillars appeared before him, standing atop the boundless gray-white mist, supporting a magnificent palace that resembled the dwelling place of Giant.
With a blank look in his green eyes, Leonard paused for a second before realizing that he had somehow ended up sitting to the side of a weathered, ancient bronze table, surrounded by high-backed chairs that exuded a sense of majesty and solemnity.
At the very top of the mottled long table, a figure shrouded in thick Gray Fog leaned back in his chair with a leisurely posture, seemingly looking down upon everything in the world.
The moment Leonard saw that figure, he felt as if he had boarded a passenger ship and was facing a bottomless Abyss, or as if he had left the city and arrived in the suburbs, looking up at the towering, cloud-piercing peaks.
In an instant, a series of thoughts flashed through Leonard's mind, and he made a rough guess about his situation. As Beyonder of the church and a believer who was convinced of the true existence of God, he could not resist his inner feelings and subconsciously wanted to leave his seat to worship.
The power of the gods is as vast as mountains and as boundless as the sea!
Leonard had just stood up when he was pressed back down by an invisible force, and a low, calm voice echoed in his ears:
"No need for that trouble."
You may call me Mr. ' The Fool '.
The Fool... As expected... Leonard's heart, which had been filled with fear of the unknown, immediately calmed down. Although he was still worried about what he would encounter next, he was no longer so uneasy, no longer so restless, and no longer had a dry mouth.
He rose slightly, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed, saying:
"Respected ' The Fool,' why have you summoned me here?"
As a seasoned " Nighthawks " and a " Red Gloves " who has been involved in numerous major cases, Leonard knows just how dangerous it is to establish contact with a Hidden Existence. He understands that he has already begun to slide down the edge of the Abyss, with no chance of being saved.
The moment he decided to recite the name of " The Fool," he could foresee the tragic end, but for the sake of revenge, he still made the choice regardless.
However, humans have a survival instinct, and considering that Klein Moretti, who believed in " The Fool," was not only still alive but had even become Demigod, Leonard couldn't help but harbor a sliver of expectation and hope.
At that moment, he heard the " The Fool " shrouded in Gray Fog chuckle softly:
"Since you've asked me for help, then according to the principle of equivalent exchange, you must give something in return."
Leonard's body trembled, and he lowered his head even further.
What do you hope to get?
After a brief pause, the voice of the " The Fool " rang out again:
"Don't worry, maybe in the future you'll be asked to do some things, to provide some help to certain people."
"Sit down."
Leonard slowly let out a sigh of relief, sat down, glanced around, and said:
"Has he, Klein Moretti, been here before, just like me?"
The " The Fool " in the Gray Fog spoke in a largely flat tone:
"A different approach."
A different way... Sure enough, Klein didn't enter here by chanting the name of the venerable one. He became a follower of Mr. The Fool by being guided by Azik Eggers, the " Death Consul "... Leonard couldn't help but look around again and found that there were twenty-two high-backed chairs around the mottled long table.
Corresponding to twenty-two Beyonder Pathway, or twenty-two Tarot cards... " The Fool "... Leonard had just formed a guess when he heard Mr. " The Fool " chuckle:
"Besides you, there are other beings who have been drawn here for various reasons."
"They implored me to convene regular meetings for the exchange of information, the buying and selling of materials, the trading of recipes, and mutual assistance, which would help them advance rapidly and become High-Sequence individuals."
This is a bit different from the Concealment organization I imagined that used tarot cards as its code name; it's rather loosely organized... What is Mr. " The Fool's " purpose in agreeing to this request? Since arriving at this ancient palace above the Gray Fog, Leonard's mind has been on high alert, making his thinking much sharper than usual, and he has thought of many questions.
After successfully avenging himself, he was actually depressed and empty for a while, seemingly losing his purpose in life. But he quickly cheered up because Daly's death told him that he was not strong enough. In order to reduce the number of casualties among his comrades in future missions and no longer be unable to save them, he had to improve himself to at least Sequence 4 and become Demigod.
Therefore, the words of " The Fool " just now stirred his heart, and he felt that this was an opportunity. At the same time, he also believed that joining the gathering and gaining a deeper understanding of the inner workings of this Concealment organization would help him to avoid the dangers that might arise from establishing contact with " The Fool " in the future.
After considering for a moment, Leonard asked:
Is Klein Moretti also a member of that regular gathering?
Does he have a seat here?
The " The Fool " gave a casual reply:
"Yes."
Leonard paused for a second and then said:
"Dear Mr. ' The Fool,' may I join that regular gathering?"
The " The Fool," shrouded in Gray Fog, smiled and said:
"Can.
"But when you get back, remember to mention this to Pallez Zoroast, and don't try to hide it from him."
He... the Old Man really is Angel! No wonder the " Fate Siphon " spell is so magical... Although Leonard already had some knowledge of this, he was still inevitably shocked after Mr. " The Fool " confirmed it.
He hesitated for a moment before saying:
Why must we tell Pallez Zoroast?
Although he got along well with Pallez Zoroast and they had built a certain level of trust, he still harbored considerable wariness. The reason he had volunteered earlier was that he hoped to balance the potential danger posed by the ancient Parasite by joining Mr. The Fool's Concealment gathering.
He immediately heard Mr. The Fool laugh:
"Deterrence is often more effective than combat."
Deterrence is more effective than combat... That's true. Forcing a balance might provoke the Old Man. In any case, the final battlefield will definitely be inside my body, which is very disadvantageous for me. Deterrence can make Him realize the situation, and even if He has malicious intent, He will think of other ways and other solutions... Leonard lowered his head in realization and said:
"Dear Mr. ' The Fool,' I have no further questions."
At the head of the long bronze table, the " The Fool " manifested a tarot deck, pointed to it, and said:
They each chose a tarot card as their code name; you can draw one too.
"Those cards that already have owners have been removed from this list."
As expected, they used tarot cards as codenames... Leonard sighed, and couldn't help but ask another question:
Which card did Klein Moretti draw?
"The World. The Fool " said casually, "That's him, and that's not him."
What does that mean...? Leonard didn't dare ask any more questions, and stretched out his right hand to draw a card from the tarot deck.
Upon opening it, he saw a sky full of stars and a goddess pouring holy water.
" The Star " brand!
This wasn't really to Leonard's taste, but since the ceremony had already been completed under the witness of " The Fool," he had no choice but to accept it.
"Go back. The gathering is every Monday at 3 PM sharp, Backlund time." The Fool, shrouded in " Gray Fog," raised a hand, causing Leonard was hurriedly bowing, to disappear into the ancient palace.
" The Fool " Klein then chuckled and turned all the tarot cards face up.
They have the same image, the same starry sky.
Every single one of them is a " The Star " card!
After laughing for a while, Klein turned his gaze back to the deep red star representing Leonard.
When he tried to pull his poet classmate into the Gray Fog, he made careful observations beforehand and discovered that Leonard Mitchell. The ball of light seemed to be composed of countless Worm of Time, deeply hidden within his Spirit Body.
This confirmed to Klein that Pallez Zoroast was only a preliminary Parasitism and had not yet taken control of Leonard's Mental Body, Astral Body, Ether Body, and physical body. However, having advanced to Demigod and gained a deeper understanding of the mysterious space above the Gray Fog, he was now able to effectively divide and select people when pulling them in, no longer targeting only the soul as a whole.
Therefore, Klein decided not to touch Leonard's Spirit Body, but only to pull his Astral Body above the Gray Fog. This would avoid provoking Pallez Zoroast, or bringing Him along to this mysterious space. Of course, this Sequence 1 Angel of the " Marauder " pathway would surely notice what was happening.
The ability of those Beyonder the " Evernight " pathway to enter other people's dreams originates from their Astral Body and does not prevent Leonard from using his strengths in this mysterious space.
"Hopefully he can gradually break free from Pallez Zoroast's Parasitism..." Klein suddenly sighed.
The reason he brought Leonard into the Tarot Club was to help his teammate gradually grow stronger and escape the shadow cast by Pallez Zoroast.
If the Angel who appeared through the " Marauder's " path meant no harm, then Leonard would help Him deceive Amon and aid His recovery; otherwise, He would be forced to find another Parasitism.
Withdrawing his gaze, Klein pondered for a moment, then tossed the " Hunter " pathway Sequence 6 " Conspirer " Potion recipe into the light spot representing Danitz, and, in Gehrman Sparrow's voice, instructed him to leave the Southern Continent and return to the Golden Dream."
"The compound eyes of the Hunting Black Spider, the brain of the Human-faced Lion..." Danitz recalled what he had just "seen" in a daze, and stood up happily.
He decided to immediately say goodbye to Anderson Hood and flee the dangerous Southern Continent.
Arriving at the door of the Strongest Hunter in the Sonia Sea, he knocked lightly and saw the wooden door open.
Anderson hadn't closed the door!
Danitz was taken aback and quickly looked over, only to see Anderson holding a short blade and gesturing at his stomach.
P. S.: I went to celebrate Qixi Festival yesterday, cough, I'll update first and revise later~