"So, are you still selling it?"
Ashes asked Edwina, noticing her silence.
"Yes, I am."
Edwina quickly regained her composure and asked, "Does that mean you know its secret?"
"More or less," Ashes replied after a brief pause, speaking slowly. "Do you know about the world of paintings?"
"I know a bit."
Edwina's expression changed slightly, and she nodded.
"This book is like the world of paintings. There's a world inside it."
"Do you know how to enter it?"
A glimmer of excitement flashed in Edwina's beautiful eyes as she pressed further.
"No, I don't."
Ashes shook his head and said calmly, "But given enough time, I'll figure it out."
"A world, huh?"
Edwina murmured to herself, her expression complex.
If this book indeed contains a world, then its value far exceeds 8,000 pounds.
So...
"Deal."
Edwina took the gold pounds from Ashes hand and handed him Grosell's Travels.
Ashes was somewhat surprised by Edwina's straightforwardness.
He hadn't been here long and had no real concept of this world's currency.
But if a Sacrifice Ring is worth more than 10,000 gold pounds, then this 'book' containing a world would certainly be even more valuable.
However, even after learning its secret, Edwina still handed it over so easily, which indeed surprised him.
"Sorry, I have some matters to attend to. Please excuse me."
Edwina suddenly apologized, then turned and left the collection room.
Leaving Ashes alone in a room full of priceless treasures, it was hard to say whether this showed her great trust in him or just a boldness of character.
Of course, it could also be confidence.
After all, they were at sea. Even if Ashes took their collection, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Follow me."
As soon as she stepped out of the collection room, Edwina spotted someone hiding inside, eavesdropping, and said lightly.
Orff and the others exchanged glances but quickly scrambled to follow Edwina.
They followed her to the deck, where Edwina stopped and turned around to ask seriously, "Orff, did you find a painting on that One-Eyed Skull Ship?"
"A painting?"
Orff was taken aback, then nodded. "There was indeed a painting, hanging on the wall of the captain's cabin. But I figured it was the work of the 'Mad Captain,' completely devoid of artistic value—even a dog would nod at it."
' Bowtie' subconsciously nodded along. Although he usually disagreed with Orff, he agreed with his taste in art.
Since Orff said even a dog would nod...
"Huh?!"
' Bowtie' widened his eyes, glaring furiously.
"Orff, you dog! Are you plotting against me again?!"
Orff sneered, too lazy to respond.
"And the painting?"
Edwina pressed on.
"I didn't take it..."
Orff admitted, a bit embarrassed.
As he said, it was a piece he deemed completely worthless—he didn't even want to touch it.
"Should we turn back? If we go now, we might still find it," the first mate, Blue, asked softly.
Edwina hesitated but eventually dismissed the idea with a gentle wave of her hand, sending the others away.
Blue and the other two exchanged glances before turning to leave.
As Edwina gazed at the calm, blue sea, she felt a strange sense of disappointment. "So, did he really come out of the 'painting world'?"
If Ashes had indeed emerged from a painting world, his research value would significantly decrease.
After all, the Church of Knowledge already possesses a painting world, and she had once entered it.
Her teacher had told her that while each painting world differs depending on its holder, there were no 'miracles' in the painting worlds outside the control of the three major churches.
The painting world in the hands of the 'Mad Captain' couldn't possibly belong to one of the three major churches.
Ashes was likely just a lucky person who had stumbled upon a set of 'Ancient Black Knight Armor.'
Much like Orff.
"Indeed."
Edwina murmured to herself, "If my teacher hasn't found any clues after searching for so long, how could I possibly come across it so easily?"
...
Elsewhere.
Not long after Edwina left, Ashes also exited the collection room and returned to his room.
He stored Grosell's Travels in his soul space—
This surprised him a bit.
The true painting world couldn't be stored, as it was a real world.
But this also indirectly proved that Grosell's Travels wasn't as 'complete' as a painting world.
Since he didn't have much in common with the pirates, Ashes simply stayed quietly in his room.
Until noon, Edwina never came to find him again, possibly because she had already obtained the answers she sought.
Instead, it was first mate Blue who came to find him.
Blue warmly invited him to lunch, and even the other pirates started looking at Ashes with kinder eyes, a stark contrast to their earlier murderous glares.
After lunch, Ashes politely declined Blue's invitation for a walk and returned to his room.
He quietly waited for 3 PM to arrive.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool! Good afternoon, Mr. Lover! Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man! Good afternoon, Mr. Sun!"
With Miss Audrey's sweet and lively voice, another session of the Tarot Club began promptly.
When she saw Ashes across from her, she visibly relaxed.
But as a 'Spectator,' she maintained basic restraint and calmness, not appearing too excited.
"Mr. Fool,"
Miss Audrey turned her head to the Fool at the head of the table and said sweetly, "I was very lucky this time and obtained a large amount of Roselle's diary entries at once. However, even though I've advanced to 'Telepathist,' I can only remember five pages of Roselle's diary, so please forgive me for having to give them to you in several installments."
As usual, it was time for Mr. Fool to read.
Miss Audrey and Alger each presented the Roselle's diary entries they had obtained.
Although there were some repetitions, Klein still gleaned some hidden information from them.
For example, the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics and the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics within a Sequence.
Klein felt a bit excited.
He wanted to act cool and glanced at Ashes with some hesitation.
He probably, maybe hadn't seen these diaries yet, right?
Oh well, even if he had, it wouldn't make a difference.
Klein took a deep breath and said with a calm, even voice, "Roselle mentioned some concealed history in his diaries, along with some simple common knowledge. The latter reminds me that I haven't told you about it yet."
"The first piece of common knowledge is the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics: Beyonder Characteristics do not perish, they do not diminish; they only transfer from one thing to another."
"The second piece of common knowledge is the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics within a Sequence."
As he spoke, Klein paused and specifically glanced at Ashes.
The latter seemed unaware of these, nodding thoughtfully instead.
This made Klein secretly breathe a sigh of relief, feeling both lucky and pleased.
A Fool's life is never weaker than others!
"Beyonder Characteristics... where was it, oh, here it is."
Ashes quietly searched through the countless items in his soul space, finally fixing his gaze on a glowing object.
[Beyonder Characteristic of a Sheriff]
[Can be used as a substitute for materials in advancing to 'Sheriff,'
It appears to be the last remnant of a poor Beyonder.
It seems to contain a deep-seated madness,
Slowly eroding humanity.]
Ashes expression turned understanding.
He hadn't killed many Beyonder individuals, but each one had dropped a Beyonder Characteristic.
He originally thought these were like the Silver Knight's ears, so he hadn't paid much attention to them.
He hadn't even bothered to read their descriptions.
He didn't expect them to have such a use.
"Why is it within the same Sequence?"
Alger couldn't help but ask.
Klein smiled and replied, "You'll need to pay something to get that answer."
Common knowledge is free; explanations come at a cost. This both fits the character and prevents wasting information.
After everyone accepted Mr. Fool's commissions or paid the corresponding price, Mr. Fool spoke again.
In the midst of their astonishment, he revealed that the 'same Sequence' refers to the interchangeable paths at high Sequences.
"Mr. Lover."
After conversing with the Fool, Audrey finally asked, "You don't seem to be in Backlund lately. Is it an assignment from the Church of the EverNight?"
"No, it's because of an accident."
Ashes shook his head and explained, "To put it simply, I went to find Mr. A to search for the painting world, but he ambushed me, resulting in my accidental entry into the painting world. When I left, I found myself in the Sonia Sea."
"And due to the different flow of time, I thought I had only been inside for a few hours, but several days had passed in the outside world. So, I may not be able to return to Backlund in the short term."
"A painting world? A different flow of time?"
Audrey's eyes sparkled with increasing brightness, feeling that the painting world was more magical than the real world.
"Mr. Hanged Man."
Ashes then turned to Alger and said, "Edwina is leading her crew on an expedition that will take about five days, so she may not leave the Sonia Sea for a while."
"It seems I can rest easy for now."
Alger nodded, smiling.
At that moment, Klein couldn't help but speak again, "You mentioned the painting world earlier."
Audrey, Alger, and Derrick all looked at Ashes with curiosity, as did Klein.
"This is a 'Complete Painting' made by a Level 1 Sealed Artifact, capable of pulling people inside."
Ashes explained in a casual tone, "It should have been used in this way, but Roselle's mechanical creations were too weak, causing the 'Complete Painting' to lack the necessary material support and eventually shattering, reducing it to an incomplete painting. However, its influence still lingered, so the painting world survived."
"Roselle..."
"Mechanical creations..."
"This book..."
Klein murmured to himself, piecing together Roselle's connection to this painting world, trying to deduce his purpose.
After a while, Klein chuckled softly and said, "I'm afraid I know Roselle's true purpose."
"I am the Fool who does not belong to this era."
"He didn't just want to leave a diary behind but also left some dangerous materials in this painting world."
"He wanted someone to enter it, find those materials, and uncover his secrets."
"So what did you find?"
Alger, Audrey, and Derrick we're all intrigued. Ashes showed a rare, wry smile. "Just a set of armor."
Ashes nodded lightly, then turned his gaze to Audrey. "Miss Justice, I hope you can accept a commission from me."
"What kind of commission?" Audrey blinked.
"I have four Beyonder Characteristics in my possession," Ashes said. "One is of Sequence 6, two are of Sequence 7, and one is of Sequence 8, all belonging to the Arbitrator pathway." After a pause, Ashes continued, "We have a friend whose friend might need a Sequence 8 Beyonder Characteristic. So, I hope the Fool can transfer that Sequence 8 Beyonder Characteristic to you, and you can sell it to her."
Upon hearing that these were Beyonder Characteristics from the Arbitrator pathway, the others immediately realized this was likely the spoils from the Kapin case. At the time, Ashes probably didn't know what these items were for, which is why he kept them. But now, with the Fool's guidance, he understood that these items could replace illegal materials.
However, this also revealed another piece of information: he had a friend on the Arbitrator pathway.
"Are you referring to Miss Xio?" Audrey quickly understood who Ashes was referring to and nodded discreetly. "No problem, I'll hand it over to her."
"I mean sell it," Ashes corrected. "Also, Miss Justice, you need to be careful not to be discovered by anyone with ill intentions."
"Understood," Audrey nodded lightly.
She wasn't foolish and knew Ashes was referring to the royal family. After all, Ashes had killed four Beyonder individuals from the Arbitrator pathway in Kapin's villa, so the royal family would certainly have people monitoring the circulation of Arbitrator pathway Beyonder Characteristics on the market. Fortunately, Ashes hadn't known the use of these Beyonder Characteristics earlier, or the royal family might have already had their eye on him. Even though some time had passed, there was no guarantee that the royal family had let down their guard.
Therefore, even when dealing with just a Sequence 8 Beyonder Characteristic, the transaction must be kept strictly confidential. The reason Ashes emphasized selling it rather than simply handing it over was to avoid exposing the existence of the Tarot Club or himself. After all, Ashes was currently far away in the Sonia Sea. He couldn't exactly fly over and personally give the Beyonder Characteristic to Audrey, could he?
"One more thing," Yu Jin continued after Audrey had processed everything. "What has the Church of the EverNight's reaction been?"
"The Church of the EverNight?" Audrey explained softly. "I asked around, and the captain of your squad said you took a month off to return to your hometown in Winter County. No one seems suspicious, and everything appears normal."
Ashes nodded in understanding. After all, he had 'reported' the incident before leaving. By the time he entered the world of the paintings, Anthony should have already arrived, and the person in the basement wouldn't have escaped. It was also normal for the Church of the EverNight to cover up his 'disappearance.' Since Anthony knew about the world of the paintings and had warned him, he must have guessed that Ashes would enter it. Although it was a passive situation, the outcome was the same.
As for Al and the others not being suspicious, that was even more expected. After all, he usually didn't show up at work to clock in, so whether he took leave or not didn't really make a difference.
This session of the Tarot Club was relatively short. After all, everyone had obtained what they wanted and had no special needs for the time being. So, after some exchanges among the group, Klein ended the meeting for the day.
Then, his gaze fell on an item on the long table—
It was a glowing object, about the size of a child's fist. This 'fist' was composed of three colors: iron black and dark red entwined with a large portion of silver-white.
This was the 'Beyonder Characteristic' that Ashes had left behind before departing, hoping that the Fool would 'grant' it to Audrey.
"Mr. Lover, couldn't you at least pretend a little? You're making things really difficult for me!" Klein's mouth twitched slightly, feeling a bit speechless.
While others needed to perform a sacrificial ritual to send items above the gray fog, Ashes didn't. For him, entering the gray fog was like returning home—he could casually pull something out of his 'soul' and toss it onto the table.
But this lack of ceremony made Klein sigh inexplicably.
Even if you just pretended, it would help! At least make it look like you're trying!
(End of Chapter)