The Hanged Man Senses a Crisis

"A... a huge bargain?"

A curious and puzzled look appeared on Audrey's face.

"Mr. The Lovers, what do you mean? Could you explain in more detail?"

Wilt nodded. "First, we need to understand that all things have Spirituality, and humans have the highest Spirituality of all animals."

"That's why, after taking a Sequence 9 Potion, humans can become Beyonders with just a little meditation, with almost no chance of losing control."

"But animals are different. They have only instincts and can't use meditation to control their rampaging Spirituality after taking a Potion like humans can. As a result, animals have almost a ninety-nine percent chance of dying after taking a Potion. That's one reason I said there were so few ordinary animals that became Beyonder creatures."

Wilt then changed tack. "But there are many uses for a Beyonder creature, and many people want one. So is there a way to improve an animal's chances of success?"

"The answer is yes. Among all the Paths of the Divine, there's one called the Apothecary Pathway. Its Sequence 8 is called Beast Tamer. One of a Beast Tamer's main abilities is helping animals withstand Potions and become Beyonder creatures."

"But a Beast Tamer can only provide assistance. The chances of success improve, but they still aren't very high."

"So, if someone wants a Beyonder creature of their own, once they account for the cost of the Potion ingredients, the Beast Tamer's fee, the extremely low success rate, and the repeated losses..."

"In the end, succeeding would cost several thousand pounds, if not over ten thousand."

"Your friend's animal became a Beyonder creature just by accidentally eating a Potion, so she got a huge bargain."

After hearing Wilt's explanation, Audrey looked delighted and pleasantly surprised. Her earlier confusion and unease vanished, and she thought happily:

Audrey, you're amazing!

You succeeded in one try at something that costs other people over ten thousand pounds. That's just like you!

I have to give Susie a proper reward when I get back!

Elsewhere, Klein and the Hanged Man also had strange looks in their eyes.

I originally thought Miss Justice letting an animal drink a Potion was a bizarre thing to do. I never expected it to imply a cost of over ten thousand pounds. People really can't earn money beyond their own understanding.

Klein was also very relieved. Thankfully, I didn't say much about Miss Justice's situation earlier. Otherwise, my Fool persona would surely have been exposed today.

Still, Wilt knows quite a lot. Apothecary, Beast Tamer... Today I learned the names of the first two Sequences of another Pathway. Bringing Wilt here really was the right choice.

At that moment, Audrey recovered from her excitement and said to Wilt, "Mr. The Lovers, thank you for sharing such valuable knowledge with me."

"I'm willing to pay you for it. How much do you think would be appropriate? Hmm... how about five hundred pounds?"

"There's no need." Wilt smiled and shook his head. "Consider it a gift to you on my first visit to the Tarot Club."

"Mr. The Lovers, you're such a generous gentleman." Audrey then asked somewhat hesitantly,

"You just said that many people want Beyonder creatures. What can they be used for?"

"That depends on the type," Wilt said thoughtfully.

"For example, Miss Justice, suppose you had a Beyonder creature of the Spectator Pathway. First of all, you'd be able to communicate with it without any difficulty, because animals can soon speak human languages after becoming Beyonder creatures."

"Second, you could have the Beyonder creature do things that are inconvenient for you. For example, when other people are discussing secrets, you could have it eavesdrop. Ordinary people don't pay attention to animals."

"Finally, you could have it help you with certain tasks. For example, if you wanted to commission a bounty Hunter or a wild Beyonder to do something or pass on a message, but it was inconvenient for you to appear in person, a Beyonder creature would be your best assistant..."

"It could deliver your letter into the recipient's hands without fail, and there's also a chance it might overhear the person you commissioned talking. That would all be important information for you, helping you keep track of how the situation is developing."

"That's all for now."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!!" Audrey nodded repeatedly as she listened. She had thought of ways to use Susie.

Immediately afterward, a question suddenly occurred to Audrey. Why did Mr. The Lovers use me as an example, and why was the Beyonder creature he mentioned also of the Spectator Pathway? This... can't be a coincidence, can it?

Then Audrey recalled what she had accidentally said while she was happy. Oh no, I let it slip in the heat of the moment. I should have said I was paying on my friend's behalf. Mr. The Lovers must know I was lying now!

No, Audrey, this isn't anything to be ashamed of. Helping Susie become a Beyonder creature wasn't a stupid thing to do. It was a great thing, something many people want but can't have.

So even if Mr. The Lovers knows I don't have a so-called friend and that the person I was talking about was me, it doesn't matter. But lying is wrong after all.

Her good upbringing made Audrey decide to apologize, so she said in a low voice:

"Well... Mr. The Lovers, actually, the friend I mentioned who accidentally let her pet drink a Potion was me."

"Miss Justice, I'm glad to see your sincerity," Wilt said with a smile. "And you've accomplished something that many Mid-Sequence Beyonders, and even High Sequence Beyonders, have wanted to do but failed to achieve."

"I'm guessing that in real life, you must be a beautiful, kind girl blessed by a God, which is why you're so lucky."

Audrey's eyes curved, and the corners of her mouth slowly lifted into a happy smile.

Klein was speechless at the sight.

Miss Justice, you're a Spectator. You need to stay calm at all times. Showing your emotions so openly isn't how a qualified Spectator should behave.

And the person you're talking to is a Swindler. What he said earlier may have been credible, but the last few sentences were obviously flattery. Did you really fall for that?

Klein checked and found that half his Spirituality had already been consumed. He decided he couldn't let them keep talking like this, so he spoke up directly. "You may begin trading."

As soon as Klein finished speaking, the Hanged Man was unexpectedly the first to speak. Wilt and Audrey's conversation had given him a deep sense of crisis.

He and Audrey had been the first to join the Tarot Club, among its earliest members, but The Lovers, who had just joined today, had brought Audrey's favorable impression of him nearly to its peak in just a few minutes.

The Hanged Man, who had originally planned to do nothing today and quietly observe the newcomer, immediately changed his plan. He urgently needed to make his presence felt at the Tarot Club.

So when Klein gave him the opening, the Hanged Man hurriedly said, "Miss Justice, I need your help investigating something."

"I want to know whether the Loen Kingdom intends to retaliate against the Feysac Empire by the end of this year or before June next year, and start a new war on the Balam East Coast..."