Roselle Gustav's secret diary?
The Emperor Roselle?
Of course, only something like this would capture the attention of someone as powerful as Mister Fool… Audrey was initially surprised, but quickly realized she didn't find it strange at all.
It was said that Emperor Roselle had once glimpsed the "Desecrated Tablets" and that the secret cards he created contained the paths to twenty-two godly domains—something that every high-sequence powerhouse would undoubtedly be interested in!
"A diary? It's a diary?" Alger's brows furrowed slightly, sensing an intriguing detail.
Mister Fool had referred to Roselle Gustav's legacy as a diary with absolute certainty.
How did he know?
How could he be so sure?
Could he have somehow mastered a method to decipher the "Roselle Cipher"?
Seeing that his response had had the desired effect, Klein leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced, and replied in a relaxed tone, "For now, let's assume it's a diary."
He neither confirmed nor denied it directly.
"It's said that Emperor Roselle's… well, diary, was written in a secret language or symbols of his own invention?" Audrey had heard this from other noble youth but had never seen it herself, so she asked with some curiosity.
"Yes," Alger answered simply. "Some believe it's a unique set of mystical symbols, others that it's a form of hieroglyphics. But to this day, no one has managed to decipher it—at least not to my knowledge."
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Klein, as though seeking confirmation or harboring doubts.
It's a script that evolved through several generations, far from the original pictographs. Following that line of thought, there's no way you could decipher it… Klein remained composed, chuckling to himself internally.
As for the idea of treating it as mystical symbols, Klein instantly imagined an absurd yet amusing scene:
An evil sorcerer dressed in a black hooded robe, rolling up his sleeve to reveal what he claims is a powerful symbol left behind by Emperor Roselle. The tattooed "mystical symbols" are two large, bold Chinese characters:
"Idiot!"
Klein's lips curled slightly, his mood improving.
After listening to the Hanged Man's description, Audrey said with a hint of hesitation, "Symbols or text that we can't understand… how would we relay that to you here, Mister Fool? Or, should we send it somewhere?"
That's a key issue… I don't have a discreet way of receiving physical items here yet… Klein didn't rush to answer. His interlaced fingers shifted, his thumbs separating and touching, touching and separating again.
Quickly, an idea came to him:
If I can manifest a temple and furniture here based on my thoughts, could I let others project the contents of their minds directly?
Let's give it a try…
At that moment, Audrey and Alger watched as Mister Fool, shrouded in thick gray fog, slowly sat up straighter and said, "Miss Justice, let's try something. Imagine a piece of text and give it the urge to be written down. Then, pick up the pen beside you and write on the paper."
Before Klein had finished speaking, Audrey saw a yellowish parchment and a dark red fountain pen appear in front of her.
Curious and slightly puzzled, she picked up the pen and, as instructed, visualized a line from one of Emperor Roselle's poems:
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
After reviewing the text in her mind, she took up the pen with the intention of reproducing it fully.
Klein sensed this "intention" and, using the "pen" as a medium, guided her thoughts into form.
As Audrey lowered the pen, she saw the words appear on the parchment before her:
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
"Goddess, this is incredible!" Audrey exclaimed, filled with wonder.
Then, a hint of apprehension crossed her face as she looked at Klein. "Mister Fool, can you read my thoughts?"
"No, I'm merely a guide, simplifying the process by which you express the words, transforming it into a kind of imprinting," Klein replied in a calm, reassuring tone. "If you have no desire or intention to 'express' something, nothing will appear."
"I see… so as long as we remember the appearance of the symbols or ciphers, we can imprint them directly based on our intent?" Audrey relaxed, realizing how it worked.
"Yes," Klein answered simply.
"That's quite a remarkable method, Miss Justice. Don't doubt your memory; once you become an Audience, your memory will improve significantly in this regard," Alger said, observing the experiment and feeling that Mister Fool was even more mysterious and powerful than he'd thought.
He trusted that his memory would also improve with further progression.
Audrey nodded in delight. "That's wonderful advice. Mister Hanged Man, do you have any further guidance on the Audience path?"
Then, turning to the head of the table, she added, "Mister Fool, I will do my best to fulfill your request and gather more of Emperor Roselle's secret diary entries."
"I've mentioned before, I'm someone who values fair exchange. The advance payment I just provided is equivalent to two pages of the diary per person. If there's more, I'll offer additional rewards accordingly," Klein said calmly, in a tone that seemed almost as if he were ensuring a fair deal with a child.
As for where the additional rewards would come from, of course, they would be from the new pages of Emperor Roselle's secret diary—a self-sustaining cycle.
"You are indeed a generous gentleman," Alger paused for a few seconds, then placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.
After this gesture, he turned to Justice and said, "Let me emphasize once more: an Audience is always merely an audience."
"I understand that many Audiences enjoy imagining themselves as the protagonist or another role, investing a great deal of emotion—crying, laughing, raging, or grieving along with the drama—but that's not the role you, as an Audience, are meant to play."
"When observing the 'theater' of worldly society, facing people consciously or unconsciously playing certain roles, you must maintain an absolute observer's stance. Only in this way can you calmly, objectively examine them, notice their habitual actions, detect their lying quirks, or sense their nervous aura. You'll find their true thoughts by capturing these subtle clues."
"Trust me, each person, depending on their emotions, will naturally secrete certain 'substances' and emit unique scents. But only a true Audience can pick up on them."
"Once you invest emotions, your observations are compromised, and your sensitivity to others' emotions becomes skewed."
Audrey listened intently, her eyes shining brighter with each word. "This sounds… so interesting!"
At the head of the table, Klein's thoughts were stirring.
It seemed the essence of the Audience potion was to be an "absolutely neutral observer." This was akin to a form of "role-playing"…
Role-playing?
Could it be that Emperor Roselle's concept of "role-playing" meant exactly this?
Does that mean I need to "play" the role of a Seer to gradually digest the potion?
As Klein delved into these thoughts, Alger finished explaining what he knew about the requirements of an Audience. He paused briefly, then said, "I suppose that covers everything?"
"Perhaps we could casually exchange information, share what's happening around us. What might seem ordinary to one could be a crucial clue to another."
"Alright," Klein nodded slightly, returning to his thoughts.
He had decided to try embracing the role of a Seer, figuring that there was no apparent downside to doing so.
"Then, Mister Hanged Man, why don't you start?" Audrey agreed with interest.
Alger thought for a moment and then said, "The notorious pirate who calls himself 'Admiral of Blood,' Ludwell, has resumed his voyages exploring the eastern edge of the Sonia Sea."
"Hmm, the captain of the *Black Tulip*?" Audrey confirmed with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes," Alger nodded.
I have no idea who that is… Klein silently listened, pondering what information he could share that wouldn't reveal too much about himself but might yield useful insights in return.
Soon, he decided, keeping up the mysterious demeanor of the Fool, and traced his fingers along the edge of the bronze table as he spoke: "To my knowledge, the Secret Order has lost a notebook belonging to the Antigonus family."
This information wasn't confined to the Tingen City Night Watchers; the Secret Order and their close associates among the extraordinary were also aware of it.
"An Antigonus family notebook?" Alger repeated, chuckling softly as he shook his head. "I'm quite curious about how the Church of the Goddess of the Night would react to that news."
Why only mention the Church of the Goddess of the Night? Klein caught the detail, but refrained from asking, as it would break the Fool's enigmatic aura.
At that moment, Audrey voiced her own curiosity, "Why does that interest you? Would the Goddess's Church have a particular reaction?"
Alger smiled and replied, "The Antigonus family was actually destroyed by the Church of the Goddess of the Night."
"Whether it happened at the end of the Fourth Epoch or the beginning of the current one, I'm not certain."
This… Klein's eyes narrowed slightly, and a chill washed over him.
"It seems the Night Watchers' concern over the Antigonus family notebook runs deeper than I imagined!"
"Their suggestion that I become an extraordinary, due to my 'service' and to 'prevent future dangers,' must have been only a small part of it. What they really want is for me to heighten my spiritual sensitivity, which could help locate the notebook."
"The Captain didn't exactly hide this; he mentioned it, but I didn't think much of it at the time…"
After listening to Alger's explanation, Audrey, intrigued, commented, "I had no idea about that… fascinating."
"Alright, I suppose it's my turn. Let me think of what to share." She tilted her head slightly, resting a hand on her forehead, and laughed softly.
"Yesterday, my etiquette teacher taught me how to faint gracefully—how to collapse in a way that's polite and elegant. It's a practical skill for avoiding awkward situations and detestable people at social gatherings… Haha, I was organizing my thoughts. What I actually wanted to mention is that, ever since the recent defeat on the eastern coast of Byam, the King, the Prime Minister, and all the gentlemen have been under immense pressure and are eager for change."