Crimson rays of light rose up and solidified into different human figures on both sides of the bronze table.
The timeless silence above the Gray Fog was broken, and an indescribable vitality filled the magnificent ancient palace.
As soon as " Justice " Audrey regained her senses, she prepared to rise from her seat and bow to the person at the head of the bronze table.
At this moment, as a seasoned " Spectator," she keenly sensed that this gathering was somewhat different:
There are two more members than last week!
One of them is a man, sitting to the right of Mr. " The Moon," and the other is a woman, sitting to the left of " The Hermit."
Audrey was initially pleased with the growth and expansion of the Tarot Club, but then, following her "professional" instincts, she quickly made an observation.
Given her position, the man diagonally opposite her was easier to observe discreetly than the woman two people away in the same row, so she focused most of her attention on him.
Black hair... greenish eyes... no coat... vest and shirt... six-pack... six-pack sitting posture is a bit awkward, doesn't seem to like sitting so formally usually... height estimated to be around 180cm... a somewhat nonchalant demeanor... quite tense... just a glance, and " Justice " Audrey "read" a lot of information from that somewhat blurry figure.
She then noticed another difference:
The man was quickly looking around.
There's nothing wrong with such behavior in itself. Anyone who comes to such an unfamiliar and Concealment place will subconsciously look at the other members, trying to grasp their characteristics and understand the general situation to make themselves feel more at ease. But the problem is that the gentleman's eyes moved too fast!
His gaze swept over the members, including " The Moon " and " The Hanged Man," without lingering on them.
For Audrey, this was a very clear sign that the man wasn't observing the environment or scrutinizing the members, but rather searching for someone!
Find people with a clear objective!
" Justice " Audrey was instantly excited, convinced that the new gentleman knew one of the members present!
Who could it be? She observed for another second and noticed that the man diagonally opposite her was staring at "The World" Gehrman Sparrow.
Audrey felt a secret joy, as if she had discovered something, and thought to herself with a sudden realization:
"The newcomer is friends with Mr. 'The World,' at least in the real world, and knows he's a member of the Tarot Club..."
"Or perhaps it was Mr. 'World' who brought him to the party... No, that's unlikely. If that were the case, the newcomer would be more certain and wouldn't be so eager to find acquaintances; his gaze would definitely linger on the other members more..."
"Moreover, this behavior also proves that he is not Blessed of Mr. ' The Fool '."
What exactly is his relationship with Mr. 'World'?
With the intention of continuing to observe, Audrey stood up and turned to the head of the long bronze table.
During this process, she seized the opportunity to casually glance at the new member next to the " The Hermit " lady.
She made eye contact with the " Magician " lady... her height... Hugh finally passed the test and joined the party? Audrey recognized the other woman, and with a surge of joy, lifted her skirt and bowed to the figure shrouded in Gray Fog:
Good afternoon, Mr. The Fool.
The cheerful greeting had barely faded when she noticed another problem:
Mr. The Fool has undergone a subtle change compared to before.
This magnificent presence seemed to blend more harmoniously and uniformly with the entire palace, the entire space, and the vast expanse of Gray Fog, its aura becoming increasingly profound and lofty, like both the sea and the sky.
This feeling is beyond words... Has Mr. The Fool been revived further and regained more power in the Kingdom of God? Audrey's eyes flickered, filled with curiosity, joy, and a touch of pride and arrogance.
At this moment, Alger the Hanged Man and the Hermit the Cattleya also saw the two new members and noticed that the woman was shorter and had a subtle interaction with Miss Magician. She seemed both inexperienced and familiar with the Tarot Gathering, unlike the man in the white shirt and black vest who hurriedly stood up only after everyone had started to bow.
In addition, they sensed that the new male members seemed to pay special attention to "The World" Gehrman Sparrow, leading to numerous unfounded speculations.
These thoughts lingered in their minds but were never expressed. The Hanged Man and the Hermit followed Miss Justice without revealing anything amiss, completing the first part of the party's proceedings.
As for " The Sun " Derrick, he was simply happy because the Tarot Club had gained more members! " The Moon " Emlyn's emotions were somewhat complicated. On the one hand, he felt a sense of superiority as a senior among the new members, but on the other hand, he wondered if there were too many saviors of the Apocalypse.
After searching for a while, Leonard, nicknamed " The Star," initially determined that the person at the bottom of the bronze table should be Klein Moretti, because the other person's physical characteristics were similar to those of Gehrman Sparrow in the data.
He was concealing his true identity... He didn't let his guard down even at this Concealment gathering, he wore two layers of disguise, I have to be careful too... Just as Leonard had this thought in mind, he saw the girl sitting in the first seat to the left of " The Fool " stand up and lead everyone in bowing.
He paused for a moment, not reacting immediately, which made him stand out in an environment where everyone else had already gotten up.
A second later, Leonard snapped out of his daze, hurriedly stood up, and followed suit with a greeting.
Hugh, who was sitting opposite him, glanced at him and equated him with Fors in some ways.
Fors so too, except that she equated the gentleman opposite her with Hugh to some extent, because both of them seemed unreliable at first glance.
"This is ' The Star,' and this is ' Judgement.' Please sit down and introduce yourselves. The Fool," Klein raised his right hand and pointed casually.
" The Star " always reminds me of a woman's code name... Leonard thought helplessly as he concentrated and, following the order of introductions, gave each member a preliminary label:
Miss Justice appears to be a young girl, but perhaps like Klein, she wears two layers of disguise... She's a rather optimistic and cheerful type; although the details of her clothing and appearance are unclear, she seems to have excellent taste...
Mr. The Hanged Man, rugged and reserved, is probably a straightforward but reckless person...
The " Magician " lady was giving me a strange look, glancing at Klein every now and then, seemingly lost in thought. Overall, she was rather ordinary, nothing particularly remarkable...
Mr. " The Sun " was very tall, and his voice sounded like he was still going through puberty. Although he was quiet, he seemed very friendly...
The " The Hermit " lady—well, the woman—possessed a mature and composed demeanor; she must be an exceptionally experienced Beyonder...
Mr. " The Moon " is rather young and a bit reserved. For some reason, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't quite place him. I'll observe him further later...
The " Judgement " lady was short and had distinctive features, but it's unclear whether she had also used a secondary disguise...
"The world"—it's gloomy, so gloomy. This must be his disguise... well, it might also reveal a glimpse of his true self... He wasn't Demigod before, which means there are quite a few Mid-Sequence beings at this gathering. I wonder if I'm the weakest one...
While Leonard scrutinized the remaining members, " Judgement " Xio Derecha also used his " Sheriff " abilities to extract the characteristics of the different members and memorized them:
A noblewoman... Sailor or crew member... rather naive, a little withdrawn, but not severely so... powerful, at least the leader of a medium-sized crew... Pride, of good birth... carefree, lacking composure... gloomy, frightening...
As their thoughts raced, the other members finished their introductions, and " The Hermit " Cattleya turned to the head of the long bronze table, bowed, and said:
"Dear Mr. ' The Fool,' the Roselle's Diary has not been received this time."
Not received... Does that mean the " Mystery Queen " hasn't replied? I wonder what Bernadette is busy with...? " The Fool " Klein nodded slightly, calmly responding:
"Let's begin the transaction."
As he spoke, Audrey noticed the reactions of the Hermit and the Hanged Man, and realized that neither of them seemed to realize that Mr. The Fool had become even more majestic and lofty.
"Am I the only one who noticed?" Audrey, the " Justice," turned her eyes thoughtfully, a hint of sigh mixed with a touch of happiness in her expression.
Of course, she also knew that neither the " The Hermit " nor the " The Hanged Man " dared to look at the " The Fool " too much, especially the former, who most of the time only dared to stare at the edge of the table in front of the " The Fool ".
On the edge of the table... wait, there's an extra " Card of Blasphemy "! Audrey's gaze froze for a moment, then she withdrew her surprise.
Based on her " Spectator " intuition, she inexplicably believed that the acquisition of the new " Card of Blasphemy " and the recurrence of psychological problems in "The World" Gehrman Sparrow were simply different outcomes of the same thing.
She considered it for a moment, then looked around and said:
"I don't want anything."
" The Hermit " Cattleya, " The Sun " Derrick, " The Moon " Emlyn, and " The Magician " Fors are all those who are ready and about to be promoted, and have no need for it at this time. The same is true for " The Hanged Man " Alger, who is still in the process of digesting his abilities.
Leonard, the " The Star," was interested in buying a magical item, but since no one was there to demonstrate, he hesitated to ask. Instead, he was distracted by thinking about why Mr. The Fool needed Roselle's Diary.
After selling the " Kindling " glove, he was not short of money, and his previous experience with " Creeping Hunger " made him realize that a powerful magical item was indeed quite useful.
Just then, " Magician " Fors glanced at the silent Hugh beside him, then looked across at the other side and said:
"Mr. ' The Hanged Man,' I have some material that I'd like to commission that ' Artisan ' to make into a magical item."
She was referring to the Ancient Evil Spirit dust in Hugh's place.
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," shook his head and said:
"That ' Artisan ' has been controlled by some members of the ' The Moon Primordial ' faction within the Rose School of Thought. This is all I know. The matter has been handed over to the ' The Hermit ' lady for further handling."
The Rose School of Thought... the " The Moon Primordial " followers... handed over to the " The Hermit " lady for handling... " The Star " Leonard and " Judgement " Hugh looked around and suddenly realized that the gathering they were attending wasn't as relaxed as they had expected:
They operate Concealment in the shadows of the world!
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!