Although he was surprised, Klein quickly snapped to his senses. He lowered his head in thought and began analyzing the motive behind Tower's prayer.
On the surface, he's introducing the Sealed Artifact that requires communication to reduce the negative effects to The Fool… In fact, he's secretly asking me about the progress of the sacrificial ritual, right?
"This should be part of the previous test. It's still using a pious attitude to openly test Mr. Fool's strength…"
Thinking that he had guessed Tower's thoughts, Klein sighed and leaned back against the back of the ancient chair. He thought helplessly,
"But all the spiritual materials he gave for the sacrificial ritual add up to more than 15 pounds… Even if some of the materials to please The Fool can be simplified, it will still take at least 10 pounds to buy them all in the black market."
From the looks of it, I have to seek Mr. Azik's knowledge of 'sacrifice' without the need for expensive ingredients. If I don't make any progress for too long, not only the Tower, even The Hanged Man might have ideas… Sigh, the Tarot Club has gained a knowledgeable member. As The Fool, I'm under immense pressure…
However, there are quite a few benefits… Clown Mask? Tower said that the apex of the Sealed Artifact's pathway is The Fool. Furthermore, from the name, it should be related to the name of the Sequence 8 potion I know of, Clown… Yes, when I ask Mr. Azik, I should mention Tower's description of the mask's powers. Perhaps Mr. Azik will remember something.
The ability to change my appearance… I wonder if I'll have this ability after advancing to Clown? I'm really looking forward to it.
After looking forward to the future for a moment, Klein sat up straight and cast his gaze at the crimson star representing the Tower again. He transmitted the answer he had outlined in his mind through the subtle connection.
"I understand."
…
In an independent house in Backlund's East Borough, Ebner, who was still in a praying posture, suddenly sensed layers of gray fog appear in front of him. A distorted and blurry figure stood in the deepest part of it.
And in the empty world around him, a deep and solemn voice constantly echoed.
"I understand."
A moment later, Ebner's vision returned to normal. He stood up with a relaxed smile.
Since Mr. Fool had responded so quickly, it meant that there was indeed no problem.
He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. It was already 4: 30 pm.
Xio's steam locomotive will arrive at the station at around five o'clock. I should be able to rush over to pick it up in time… Yes, I'll also have to discuss the matter of extracting blood with her…
With that thought in mind, Ebner's hands didn't slow down. He quickly packed up the various items for the prayer ceremony, then adjusted his appearance in the mirror before leaving again.
…
It was also four-thirty in the afternoon. Fors struggled to get out of bed. For some reason, the blood moon had suddenly appeared in the sky last night, causing her to be tortured by the ravings. She only managed to recover after a day of rest.
Xio is coming back. I can't let her notice my abnormality… She will be worried. Fors hurriedly tidied up the hair that covered the ground before heaving a sigh of relief.
She looked at the time and saw that it was already close to five. She hurriedly left the house and rushed to the nearest train station. As she walked, she pondered and said,
The ravings during the full moon are getting more intense… Thankfully, it's still within an acceptable range… Sigh, Ebner once said that the source of the ravings is related to the Abraham family, but I've recently checked all the books and even asked Viscount Glaint about it, but there's no news of this family.
However, she then smiled helplessly and said self-deprecatingly, "Forget it. So what if I really found them? According to Ebner, that family is just as helpless against the curse of the full moon as I am. They might even be exterminated… Could it be that after I find them, I'll share with them the experience of scratching my hair under the ravings?"
At this moment, as she was still in a daze, she bumped into a lady who had just come out of an alley and was also distracted.
"Ouch!" The lady cried out in shock. The lunchbox in her hand fell out of her hand. Not only did the food and drinks in the lunchbox spill all over the floor, but the two of them were also covered in them.
Thankfully, I'm not wearing my favorite dress… This thought flashed through Fors's mind as soon as she snapped back to her senses. Then, she looked down at the large patch of butter on her clothes and couldn't help but sigh. She felt that she probably wouldn't be able to take the job today.
"I'm very sorry, Ma'am! I… I'll compensate you." The lady who bumped into Fors was first stunned. When she recovered from her shock, she hurriedly apologized because she had indeed been distracted while walking.
Fors looked at the flustered lady in front of her. She was about twenty years old, and she wore a lusterless black funeral dress. She had a good figure and a pretty face, but she was also covered in grease stains. Even her hair was dripping with soup, making her look wet and extremely disheveled.
"It's fine. It's not your fault alone. I didn't notice it just now." Although Fors felt that her luck today was terrible, she wouldn't vent her anger on others. All she did was wave her hand.
"Thank you for your understanding, ma'am. My name is Chelly, and I'm a clerk at the Black River Security Company across the street. You can come to me anytime. I'll compensate you for your clothes…" As the lady named Chelly said this, the soup on her hair suddenly dripped into her mouth. She was stunned for a moment before she awkwardly apologized and took out a handkerchief to wipe her hair.
This rash look was about the same as Xio's. If the two of them could get to know each other, they might become friends. Fors lampooned before looking at her watch and realizing that it was already past five. She finally gave up struggling and decided to head back to change before waiting for Xio to return.
"There's no need to go through so much trouble, Ma'am Chelly. I'll go wash myself. Then, goodbye." Fors didn't wish to waste any more time with this rash lady as she turned and walked towards her rented apartment.
Chelly watched as Fors's figure disappeared into the distance. She smacked her forehead and muttered to herself, "I've spilled the food I brought to Madam Daly and the other Nighthawks… I have to buy another one."
…
At five o'clock in the Backlund steam train station, Ebner stood on the platform and looked around for a while. He found it odd that he didn't see Fors.
Did she oversleep and forget when Xio was coming back? That's not right. She has always taken Xio's matter seriously… Did something happen?
Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, the sound of the steam whistle echoed in every corner of the station. The monstrous steam locomotive slowly came to a stop, dragging more than twenty carriages behind it.
Under the guidance of the train attendant, the passengers disembarked in an orderly manner. Soon, Ebner saw an extremely eye-catching Miss Xio among the people who alighted.
She was striking not because of her messy blonde hair or her height of less than 1.5 meters, but because there were no passengers around her, making her stand out in the small space.
Seeing this, Ebner hurriedly went over and took the luggage. He then pulled her towards a place with fewer people… At least this way, it wouldn't seem so conspicuous.
Xio also knew that her situation was a little inappropriate. She obediently followed Ebner to a secluded spot before taking the initiative to say, "I've just advanced to Sequence 8 Sheriff. I still can't control the power of the potion."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Wouldn't it be safer to drink the potion after returning to Backlund? Ebner didn't ask the latter half of the sentence, but he believed that Xio would understand what he meant.
Xio looked around and whispered, "Something happened again… This isn't the place to talk. Let's find a quiet place to talk later."
Ebner nodded at that and led her out of the station.
During this period, Xio asked curiously, "Why isn't Fors here? Did something happen?"
Ebner spread his hands, indicating that he did not know.
Xio looked at him steadily and suddenly heaved a sigh of relief. "So there's something you don't know… That's good too. Once you 'know' it, it means that it's very dangerous…"
Hey, Miss. What kind of image do you have of me? Ebner choked when he heard that. He deeply felt that this future Miss Judgment might have learned "bad" from him… At least, she was complaining about this aspect.
Initially, Ebner wanted to have a welcome feast, but Xio was worried about Fors's situation and decided to return to Fors's rented apartment to take a look. This made it inconvenient for Ebner to follow. After all, Xio hadn't obtained Fors's permission, so it wasn't convenient for her to reveal it.
Seeing that Xio was about to stop the public carriage, Ebner hesitated before gritting his teeth and saying,
"Xio, can I ask you something?"
"What's the matter?" Xio turned her head and asked in surprise. It had been a long time since they had been so polite.
"It's just… Can you give me some blood?"