"You may call me, The Fool."
The brief answer quickly dissipated within the grand temple and the pervasive mist, but in the hearts of Audrey and Alger, that voice echoed for a long time, stirring ripples of emotion.
It was an unexpected yet fitting name, perfectly embodying the images of mystery, power, and eeriness!
After a few seconds of silence, Audrey stood up, gently lifted her skirt, bent her knees, and saluted Kevin:
"Honorable Mr. Fool, please allow me to presumptuously ask if you could witness our transaction?"
"A small matter." Kevin quickly thought of a suitable reply.
"It is our honor, Mr. Fool." Alger also stood up, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed.
Kevin pressed his right hand slightly, smiled, and said, "You may proceed."
Alger nodded, sat down again, and looked at Audrey, saying:
"If you can get the blood of a ghost shark, then have someone deliver it to the 'Brave and Sea' tavern on Pelican Street, White Rose District, Port Pritz, and tell the owner, Williams, that it is something the 'Captain' wants."
"Once I confirm it, would you like me to send the potion formula to you by mail, or should I tell you directly here?"
Audrey thought for a while, then smiled and said:
"I choose the more confidential way, right here, although it will test my memory."
Since Mr. Fool agreed to witness the transaction, it indicated that there would be similar "gatherings" in the future.
Thinking of this, she suddenly turned her head, looked at Kevin with bright eyes, and suggested with interest:
"Mr. Fool, would you mind having more such 'gatherings'?"
Alger listened calmly, and was also moved, quickly adding:
"Mr. Fool, don't you find such 'gatherings' interesting? Although your power surpasses our imagination, there are always areas in the world you are not familiar with. That lady opposite is obviously of noble birth, and I have my own unique experience, knowledge, channels, and resources. Maybe at certain times in the future, we could help you with trivial matters that you find inconvenient to handle personally."
In his opinion, since he was brought here without any defense or resistance, it meant that the initiative was in the hands of the mysterious Mr. Fool. It wasn't certain that he could refuse or not participate in future "gatherings," so it would be better to explore the benefits of this encounter more deeply and make up for the disadvantages of being passive.
The three parties at the long table had different backgrounds, resources, channels, and knowledge of different mysterious fields. If they could communicate and cooperate, the resulting effects would be immeasurable!
For example, the resource exchange just agreed upon, or if he wanted to kill someone, he could ask a "gathering member" who had no apparent or actual connection with him, leading the matter perfectly in another direction.
A noble lady... Is my performance, my accent, so obvious? Audrey's mouth opened slightly, stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered, nodding without hesitation:
"Mr. Fool, I think it's a great suggestion. If the 'gathering' becomes regular, you can hand over matters inconvenient for you to handle, provided they are within our capabilities."
From the beginning, Kevin was weighing the pros and cons. More "gatherings" could indeed yield more extraordinary mysteries and esoteric knowledge, aiding his future return. For example, the "Audience" potion formula that should appear in the next "gathering" could also provide valuable information for his current real life.
However, more "gatherings" also increased the risk of exposing himself!
Indeed, no matter which world, there are no benefits without drawbacks... Kevin tapped the edge of the long table with his right hand fingers.
Considering that the convening and dispersal of the "gathering" were under his control, even if something was exposed, it would be within manageable limits. The benefits clearly outweighed the disadvantages, and Kevin quickly made a decision.
He stopped tapping, met the expectant and apprehensive gazes, and smiled:
"I am a person who likes equal exchanges."
"I won't ask for your help unconditionally."
"Every Monday, at three in the afternoon, try to be alone. Once I have more tries and figure out a few things, perhaps you will be able to request leave in advance and not worry about being in inappropriate situations."
This was considered agreeing to Alger and Audrey's proposal.
Audrey, just turned seventeen, had been pampered all her life. With a heavy girlish heart, she couldn't help but clench her fists and wave them lightly in front of her chest when she heard Mr. Fool's response.
"Then should we also give ourselves code names? After all, we can't use our real names for communication." Without waiting for Alger to speak, she said eagerly with bright eyes.
Although my real situation may not be hidden from Mr. Fool, the guy opposite is dangerous too. I can't let him know who I really am!
"Good idea." Kevin answered simply and lightly.
Audrey immediately started thinking, pondering as she said:
"You are Mr. Fool, from the Tarot cards. For a regular, long-term, secret 'gathering,' the code names should be consistent. Well, I will also choose from the Tarot cards."
Her tone gradually became cheerful:
"I've decided, my code name will be 'Justice'!"
This is one of the twenty-two major arcana cards.
"And you, sir?" Audrey looked at her "companion" with a smile.
Alger frowned slightly, then relaxed and said:
"The Hanged Man."
Another major arcana card.
"Alright, then we are the founding members of the Tarot Club!" Audrey blurted out happily, then looked a little timidly at Kevin, who was shrouded in gray-white mist, "Is that okay, Mr. Fool?"
Kevin shook his head with a smile:
"Such trivial matters, you can decide for yourselves."
"Thank you!" Audrey was obviously very excited.
Then, she looked at Alger again:
"Mr. Hanged Man, can you repeat the address from earlier? I'm afraid my memory isn't deep enough."
"No problem." Alger was quite satisfied with Audrey's seriousness and repeated the address again.
After silently reciting it three times, Audrey enthusiastically said again:
"I heard that Tarot cards were invented by Emperor Roselle, and they don't actually have divination functions?"
"No, often divination comes from within oneself. Everyone has spirituality and can resonate with the spirit world and higher levels of personal information. However, ordinary people cannot perceive this, let alone interpret the 'hints' they receive. When they use divination tools, this information manifests through the tools. A simple example is dreams and dream interpretation." Alger glanced at Kevin and, seeing no objection, spoke up to refute Audrey's statement, "Tarot cards are such tools. They use more symbols and elements to help us interpret 'hints' more conveniently and accurately."
Kevin seemed nonchalant but listened attentively, though he began to feel increasingly mentally exhausted and his head throbbed with pain.
"Understood." Audrey nodded in agreement, then emphasized, "I don't doubt Tarot cards. I heard that Emperor Roselle actually made another set of cards, hidden, symbolizing some unknown power, with twenty-two cards in total. After completing it, he invented the twenty-two major arcana of the Tarot cards as a game tool. Is this accurate?"
She looked at Kevin, seemingly wanting an answer from the mysterious Mr. Fool.
Kevin merely smiled and did not speak, turning his gaze to "The Hanged Man" as if to test him.
Alger instinctively straightened his back and said solemnly:
"Yes, it is said that Emperor Roselle saw the Blasphemy Slate, and that deck of cards holds the secrets of the twenty-two divine paths."
"Twenty-two divine paths..." Audrey repeated with a tone full of longing.
At this moment, Kevin's headache intensified, and he felt the invisible connection between himself, the crimson stars, and the gray mist begin to shake.
"Alright, today's gathering ends here." He decisively concluded.
"As you wish." Alger bowed his head.
"As you wish." Audrey mimicked "The Hanged Man."
She had many questions and ideas, and was reluctant to end.
Kevin cut off the connection while smiling and said:
"Let's look forward to the next gathering."
The stars shone again, the crimson light retracted like water, and Audrey and Alger's figures became more blurred and illusory.
In less than a second, the "projections" shattered, and the gray mist returned to silence.
Kevin felt himself rapidly becoming heavier, his surroundings fluctuating, and his vision first darkened, then was filled with brilliant sunlight.
He was still in his apartment room, standing in the center.
"It's like a dream... What is that gray mist world... and what force caused the changes just now..." Kevin muttered, full of confusion, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead as he walked towards the desk.
He picked up the pocket watch he had left outside and confirmed how much time had passed.
"Time flow is one-to-one." Kevin roughly judged.
Setting down the pocket watch, his head pounding with pain, he couldn't hold on any longer and sat in the chair, massaging his temples with his thumb and middle finger.
After a long time, he sighed and said in Chinese:
"It seems I won't be able to go back in a short time..."
Only the ignorant can be fearless. After witnessing such amazing things and learning about the extraordinary and mysterious world, Kevin didn't dare to recklessly attempt the ritual of "fortune transfer" in the ancient Feysac
or Ruen languages again!
Who knows what might happen, maybe something more bizarre and terrifying, perhaps even worse than death!
"At least I need a deeper understanding of mysticism before trying again." Kevin thought helplessly.
Fortunately, the so-called "gathering" could provide him with assistance.
After a period of silence, he self-deprecatingly murmured with frustration, loss, pain, and longing:
"From now on, I am Klein."
Klein worked hard to shift his thoughts back to methods and plans to alleviate the negative emotions in his heart.
Next week, he might overhear the "Audience" potion formula...
The "gathering" just now was really amazing, bringing people from different parts of the world together, allowing face-to-face communication and mutual exchange. Uh, this sounds familiar...
Klein was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed, pressing his temples and muttering self-mockingly:
"Online social platform, anyone?"