Hearing Klein's question, the elegant receptionist with honey-brown hair kept her polite smile, showing no sign of impatience.
"Our members are free to offer divination services here at the club and set their own prices. We only take a very small commission. If you're interested, you can browse this catalog, which lists members who are available for divination along with their prices."
She gestured for Klein to sit on the sofa near the window in the reception area, then flipped open the catalog across from him, pointing out the members currently in the club.
"Here's Hines Vincent, a well-known diviner in Tingen and a resident club mentor, skilled in various forms of divination. His rate is 4 soli per session."
So expensive… That could buy Benson, Melissa, and me two good dinners… Klein thought, surprised but keeping his expression neutral.
Seeing his reaction, the receptionist continued flipping through the catalog, introducing each member in turn:
"…Lastly, we have Grassis, a new member this year. He practices tarot divination and charges 2 pence per session."
"Which one would you like to choose, sir?"
Klein answered without hesitation, "Mr. Grassis."
The receptionist was silent for a couple of seconds before responding, "I must inform you, sir, that Mr. Grassis is somewhat of a beginner."
"I understand. I'll take responsibility for my choice," Klein replied with a smile.
"...Please, follow me." The receptionist stood and led Klein through the door next to the reception hall.
They entered a short hallway with a meeting room at the far end, flooded with sunlight, furnished with tables, chairs, newspapers, magazines, and cards, and carrying a faint aroma of coffee.
As they approached, the receptionist gestured for Klein to wait while she moved ahead and called out softly, "Mr. Grassis, someone has requested a reading from you."
"Me?" A voice filled with surprise and confusion responded, accompanied by the sound of a chair being pulled back.
"Yes. Which divination room would you prefer to use?" the receptionist replied in an even tone.
"The Yellow Crystal Room. I like yellow crystal," Grassis answered, stepping into the doorway of the meeting room and looking curiously at Klein, who stood nearby.
Grassis appeared to be in his thirties, with a darker complexion, deep green eyes, and soft, light blond hair. He wore a white shirt and black waistcoat, a monocle hanging at his chest, giving him a rather refined air.
The receptionist wasted no time, opening the "Yellow Crystal Room" next to the meeting room.
Inside, the curtains were drawn, casting a dim light. It seemed only under such conditions could the divine and spiritual insights be revealed, allowing for accurate readings.
"Hello, I'm Grassis. I really didn't expect someone to choose me for a reading," Grassis greeted Klein with a polite bow and quickly entered the room, taking a seat behind the table. "To be honest, I'm just experimenting with divination, and I don't have much experience yet. I'm far from a skilled diviner at this stage, so you still have a chance to change your mind."
Klein returned the bow and closed the door behind him as he entered.
Smiling in the dim light filtering through the curtains, he replied, "You're certainly an honest gentleman, but I'm quite firm in my choices."
"Please, have a seat." Grassis gestured to the seat across from him and, after a few moments of thought, continued, "Divination is just a hobby of mine. Life often grants us divine guidance, yet most people can't accurately interpret the Lord's will. That's the purpose of divination, and it's why I joined this club. I'm still not very confident in my skills, so let's consider this reading a discussion—a free one. How does that sound? I'll cover the club's commission myself; it's only a quarter penny."
Klein didn't say yes or no. Instead, he smiled and remarked, "I can tell you have a respectable, decent job."
As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, tapping his brow twice with his right fist.
"That doesn't improve my accuracy in divination," Grassis replied with a hint of humor before pausing to ask, "Do you have a headache? Looking to divine something about your health?"
"Just a little. I'm actually hoping to divine the whereabouts of an item," Klein had his cover story ready and leaned back in his chair.
Through Spirit Vision, he observed Grassis's aura. The orange hue around his lungs was faint and dim, affecting the brightness of the other colors.
This wasn't the usual sign of fatigue… Klein noted silently.
"Looking for a lost item?" Grassis pondered briefly. "Let's start with a simple assessment."
He pushed the neatly stacked tarot deck on the black table toward Klein.
"Calm yourself, picture the item in your mind, and silently ask, 'Can it still be found?' Meanwhile, shuffle and cut the deck."
"Alright." Klein didn't actually remember the exact appearance of the old notebook, so he expanded his mental question: Can the Antigonus family notebook still be found?
As he repeated this question, he skillfully shuffled and cut the deck.
Grassis took the top card and slid it horizontally across the table to Klein.
"Turn it clockwise to make it vertical, then reveal it. If it's reversed, meaning the image faces you upside down, it means the item is irretrievable. If it's upright, we can proceed to divine its specific location."
Following his instructions, Klein rotated the card clockwise to vertical.
He grasped the edge of the tarot card and flipped it over.
It was an upside-down, reversed card.
"I'm afraid it's unfortunate," Grassis sighed.
Klein didn't respond immediately; his focus was on the card in front of him.
The image on the reversed card was the *Fool*, adorned in ornate clothing and an extravagant headdress!
The Fool again? It can't just be coincidence… According to the Hanged Man and Old Neil, divination communicates with one's spirituality and the spiritual realm, reaching a higher aspect of oneself. The tarot cards are merely a tool to interpret symbolic hints, so theoretically, the choice of tool shouldn't affect the outcome… Klein frowned slightly, contemplating for a moment.
"Could I divine whether someone else has already obtained the item?" he asked.
"Certainly. Let's repeat the same process," Grassis nodded, intrigued.
Klein reshuffled, cut the deck, and silently focused on his question.
Drawing a card, placing it horizontally, and then turning it clockwise, Klein performed each step with utmost seriousness.
Taking a deep breath, Klein reached out to flip the card.
Please don't let it be the Fool again…
Inwardly praying, Klein relaxed as he saw the card reveal itself as *The Star*, reversed.
"It seems the item hasn't been found by anyone else," Grassis smiled as he interpreted the result.
Klein nodded, raising his right hand and tapping his brow thoughtfully twice. Then, he took out two tarnished copper pennies from his pocket and pushed them toward Grassis.
"I thought I said it was free," Grassis frowned.
Klein smiled as he stood up. "It's a gesture of respect for the divination."
"Well, thank you for your generosity," Grassis replied, standing up and extending his hand.
They shook hands, and Klein took two steps back, turned toward the door, and twisted the handle.
Just as he was about to leave, he looked back and said, "Mr. Grassis, I'd suggest you visit a doctor soon, especially regarding your lungs."
"Why?" Grassis asked, taken aback.
Is he unsatisfied with the reading and cursing me?
Klein thought for a moment, then answered, "It's a symptom visible in your complexion. You, uh… have a darkened brow."
"A darkened brow…" Grassis was hearing such a diagnosis for the first time.
Without further explanation, Klein smiled and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Is he some unlicensed doctor or a rural herbalist?" Grassis muttered with amusement, picking up his silver divination mirror.
He looked closely and indeed noticed a shadow on his brow.
However, he realized it was just the dim lighting in the room filtering through the curtains. Under such light, his entire face appeared shadowed!
"A bit of a strange joke," Grassis murmured. Just to be sure, he performed a health divination on himself and confirmed there were no issues.
…
As Klein left the Divination Club, he had a new plan in mind.
He would start saving up to pay the annual fee, become a club member, and officially begin "playing" the role of a Seer.
As for why he wouldn't just set up shop on his own, he didn't have the resources or contacts, nor was he about to stand on the street offering readings—he still had his pride to maintain.
After a few minutes, he caught a public carriage, spending 2 pence to reach Zotland Street, which wasn't too far away.
Entering the Blackthorn Security Company, he didn't see the familiar brunette girl. Instead, he noticed Leonard Mitchell, the black-haired, green-eyed man with a poet's aura, sitting behind the reception desk.
"Good afternoon. Where's Rosanne?" Klein asked after tipping his hat politely.
Leonard smiled and gestured toward the partition door. "She's on duty in the armory tonight."
Before Klein could ask further, Leonard seemed to be pondering something and said, "Klein, there's something that's been bothering me."
"What is it?" Klein asked, feigning a look of innocent curiosity.
Leonard stood up, smiling thoughtfully, his tone calm, "Why did Welch and Naya commit suicide on the spot, while you went home first?"
"It's generally believed that the unknown entity wanted me to take the Antigonus family notebook away and hide it," Klein replied, repeating the accepted theory.
Leonard took a few steps, then abruptly turned, locking eyes with Klein. "If the goal was to silence you all and erase the trail, then why didn't it just make you destroy the notebook on the spot?"