Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 311 Hunting Bounty

Dixi Bay, Captain's cabin of the "Star Lord".

Roger glanced at the misty, rain-drenched coastline outside the window, poured himself a hot, sweetened Dipsy coffee, and started reading a book while sipping it.

That was a compilation of legends about the "Forsaken Land" at sea, given to him by the "mysterious queen" Bernadette—in fact, it was also the result Roger himself requested.

"...Indeed, it is very different from the reality."

After reading the three chapters, Roger breathed a sigh of relief and drew a preliminary conclusion.

The author of this book was not a real navigator, but merely a compiler of folk legends—he came to an incorrect conclusion that the “forsaken land” was located beyond the Sea of ​​Mist, in that perpetually impenetrable haze.

"Never mind, it was just a reference after all... But this book probably influenced a lot of Bernadette's understanding. We can discuss the next steps in more detail after the 'Star Fleet' and her ship rendezvous."

Roger glanced at the empty captain's cabin. Just the day before, he had been having dinner with his family and friends in Backlund, and today he was back on the ship, directing his crew to prepare for another voyage.

Since becoming a "traveler," Bandit has been frequently traveling around, saying he wants to visit every medium-sized or larger city in the Kingdom of Rune.

It promised to return to the Star Lord within two days and therefore pleaded with Roger not to sail too far, which is why the latter docked the ship in Dixi Bay.

Klein chose to stay in Backlund to continue exploring opportunities to advance to "Trickster"—yes, he had already learned the name of the potion for Sequence 4 of the "Diviner" pathway through his own means and was actively seeking advancement.

Roger did not directly tell him the potion recipe for "The Trickster," even though his memory as a Sequence 4 demigod could recall every tiny detail of the potion recipes for each sequence of the "Fool" pathway—exploring the contents of potion recipes is an important process for understanding the truth of the mysterious world.

Klein has many doubts, but his knowledge is still very limited. Fortunately, he has many people he can seek help from, whether it is Will Onsett or Mr. Azik, who has already met with Klein and Roger again, both of whom are forces he can rely on.

Of Roger's four younger siblings, Sam has successfully advanced to become a "Faceless Man," while Cecilia is just a little short of fully digesting the "Necromancer" potion. Roger left her the "Necromancer" potion recipe and a set of potion ingredients, and encouraged her to find all the potion materials herself.

Alister and Perseus, with Roger's help, were promoted to "Barbarian" and "Clown" respectively. In terms of playing these two types of potions, Alister was, in a sense, playing himself, while Perseus had a much more difficult role.

With Roger's help as a "living astrologer," Alice has fully digested the "astrologer" potion and is now seeking to advance to the Rank 6 "recordist."

Overall, their progress was somewhat slower than Roger had previously estimated, but it was roughly in line with expectations. Roger's immediate priority was to find a stable passage into the "Forsaken Land" with Bernadette and the possible "Hermit" Cattleya, before any further steps could be taken.

Fortunately, Zeus, Lupin, and Matteo had all fully digested the "Wrath of the People" potion during the previous landing operation, and Roger had already found three potion ingredients for them to advance to "Navigator" through Mr. C's channels.

This greatly enhances the strength of the "Star Fleet" as they traverse the "Gods' War Ruins," and this process will inevitably allow them to consume the "Navigator" potion to a large extent.

"It's almost time, let's start the meeting."

Roger swallowed his coffee as he pondered the words; it was already three in the afternoon.

As Roger took a deep breath and counted down the seconds, the clock struck three, and Roger once again felt the rust-colored stars within him erupt.

A moment later, he once again transformed into Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" and sat inside the magnificent "Source Castle".

Good afternoon, Mr. Fool.

Audrey greeted "The Fool" Klein, who sat high at the head of the long bronze table, with a lighthearted air. She then turned to Roger, who sat to the right of "The Hanged Man" Alger, and said with a smile:

"Good afternoon, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' it's so good to see you back."

The other members of the "Tarot Club" also extended their greetings to Roger, whose absence from the "Tarot Club" last time without a word had led many of them to make some strange assumptions.

Among them, Alger, the "Hanged Man," was the most worried. He knew about Roger and his "Star Fleet" entering the Interstellar Sea, but he had no information about what happened after that.

This made Alger wonder if Roger had been seriously wounded during the landing operation by the Rune army. He was only relieved when Roger reported that he was safe and sound through Mr. Fool.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," smiled and nodded.

"The war is finally over, and the world is starting to get better."

Everyone in the Tarot Club, including Mr. Fool, deeply agreed with Roger's words.

Roger had previously mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, at the "Tarot Meeting" that stocks would rise after the war, so apart from "The Moon" Emlyn and "The Sun" Derrick, everyone else bought some stocks through their connections and have been reaping the benefits in the past two days.

The same was true of "Justice" Audrey. She told her father about buying stocks in advance—to her surprise, Earl Hall did not object and even looked at her with a hint of appreciation.

This made Audrey realize that her father was not completely unaware of this; on the contrary, as a high-ranking nobleman, he may have known some of the course of the war in advance and had already been thinking about this matter.

Sure enough, the Earl of Hall made a fortune from the stocks he bought, and he gave Audrey more than £40,000 of the profits as an extra reward on top of her annual pension. This greatly improved Audrey's already tight savings due to her frequent purchases of extraordinary materials.

This was especially true given that she had recently obtained the Sequence 6 "Hypnotist" potion recipe from the "Psychological Alchemy Society"—Sequence 6 extraordinary properties or potion ingredients could easily cost tens of thousands of pounds, and if she didn't get some supplies soon, Audrey would probably have to beg from her parents.

“‘Fool’, I have obtained a copy of Emperor Roselle’s diary this time.”

"The Hermit," Cattleya said cautiously, seemingly quite afraid of Klein.

"what?"

Seeing Cattleya's appearance, Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," couldn't help but feel a little strange.

It seems that the "Hermit" was reprimanded by the "Fool" when she didn't attend the "Tarot Meeting" last time.

Roger quickly realized the possible reason behind it.

Judging from Klein's promotion to "Master of the Puppet," he may have sought Cattleya's help as "Mr. World," which may have also attracted the attention of Bernadette, who was interested in "Mr. Fool" and His "Tarot Society."

Either Bernadette has already contacted Klein, or Klein learned from other sources that Bernadette knew about the "Tarot Club".

In addition, Roger had mentioned some things related to the "Mysterious Queen" a few days ago. Klein may have connected all these things and concluded that the "Hermit" Cattleya had revealed the existence of this secret gathering to people outside the "Tarot Club" and had given her a warning while Roger was away last time.

Meanwhile, both Roger and Klein were internally complaining about something else.

Bernadette, the "mysterious queen," must have possessed many items related to Emperor Roselle, and her diary was likely among them.

However, she has only given "The Hermit" Cattleya a page of her diary so far, which is clearly because she is somewhat wary of Mr. Fool's ability to decipher her father's diary—no, rather than wary, it is more like a test.

She wanted to gradually share this information with the "Tarot Club" and, in the process of contacting Roger, a member of the "Tarot Club," she would also try to find out more about Mr. Fool's reaction.

After all, in the eyes of the "Hermit" lady, Roger "The Wheel of Fortune" is most likely a favorite of Mr. "The Fool".

In just a few months, he went from an unknown sea adventurer to one of the new kings of the sea, which can hardly be said to be anything other than the support of Mr. Fool.

The diary page that "The Hermit" Cattleya has given to Klein is most likely one that was selected by Bernadette and has some special significance.

Because there was clearly a page before this diary entry, which seemed very unusual, Bernadette wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

Furthermore, with over a hundred years having passed, this demigod "Mysterious Queen" who has entered the "Secret Seeker" path should also be able to decipher part of Emperor Roselle's diary. Although not comprehensive, she should still be better than most people.

"The Fool" Klein quickly considered the cause and effect in his mind, deciding to put aside his thoughts for the time being and instead read the only page of the diary.

This page of the diary still mentions some of the history of the Quaternary period that Mr. "Men" told Emperor Russell.

This history is divided into two parts. One part is the various peculiarities of the "Black Emperor" of the Fourth Age that Mr. "Men" knows. The other part is the "Blood Emperor" Arista Tudor forcibly switching paths and, at the cost of losing his mind and becoming a madman, forcibly ascending to become a true god.

In fact, His original plan was that even if He went mad, He could still interact with all kinds of living beings in an indescribable way based on his instincts.

In this process, if Alistair Tudor is lucky enough to expel all the extraordinary traits other than "Red Priest," then the madness will gradually tend to improve over time.

Upon learning of these events, Emperor Roselle once again felt the power and terror of Mr. "The Door" and deduced that He might be trying to break through to Sequence 0 before being exiled.

As a result, Emperor Roselle became wary of this great being who showed great disdain for his friend Zarathustra and lacked respect for the true gods, and was even more reluctant to put him back into the real world.

"The Fool" Klein looked at these materials and pondered them for a long time.

On the one hand, he was surprised by Tudor's scheme, and on the other hand, he couldn't understand why Bernadette had specifically chosen this page of the diary.

"By the way... could it be that Emperor Roselle did something similar back then?"

Klein suddenly realized that the Civil Code and a series of new social systems that Russell implemented in his later years were likely preparing him for becoming the 'Black Emperor'—he must have been inspired by the story told by Mr. "The Door" and decided to emulate Aristotle's behavior.

His later actions, including his ascension to the throne, likely occurred roughly after this page of the diary was written. Therefore, Bernadette's decision to have her daughter, Cattleya, submit this page of the diary to Mr. Fool was probably an attempt to test whether the deity could decipher any new information.

When "The Fool" Klein put down his diary and inquired about Cattleya's needs, the "Hermit" lady, as he had predicted, asked:
"Besides Emperor Roselle, who else is the protagonist of this diary?"

This question immediately piqued everyone's interest, and even Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," acted very cooperatively.

"Mr. Door".

As he spoke, Klein, taking advantage of the cover of the gray fog, raised his eyes and glanced discreetly at Roger, the "Wheel of Fate," below.

Before anyone could react, Mr. Fool chuckled again:

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' and Ms. 'Magician' should be familiar with this person."

"Full Moon Talk?"

As soon as Forsley the Magician recalled, he understood what Mr. Fool meant.

Mr. Fool nodded, agreeing with Fors's statement.

What is "full moon ramblings"?

This statement puzzled everyone in the "Tarot Club," but seeing that Miss "Magician" didn't seem inclined to explain, they didn't press further.

After a moment's thought, the "Hermit" lady looked up at the "Wheel of Fortune" gentleman:
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' do you have any information to share about this Mr. 'Door'?"

"Please let me know if I need to pay any price."

"No need for a price, I don't want anything right now."

Roger shook his head:

"I can say a little, but not too much; consider it a small gift."

Upon hearing Mr. Wheel of Fortune say this, the members of the Tarot Club all looked over curiously.

"'Mr. Men' was an ancestor of the Abraham family, one of the angelic families of the Tudor Empire in the Fourth Age."

"The ancestors of the Abraham family..."

The Hermit, Cattleya, suddenly remembered that her mother had mentioned that Mr. Wheel of Fortune was a member of the Abraham family.

At this moment, she finally understood why Mr. Fool said that Mr. Wheel of Fortune would not be too unfamiliar with Mr. Door—after all, he was her family's ancestor, so of course he would be familiar with him, just as Cattleya herself was very familiar with the life and deeds of her maternal grandfather, Emperor Roselle.

At this moment, Miss "Justice" suddenly spoke up:
"By the way, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' you mentioned earlier that you went to the stars... Do you have any observations to share with us?"

However, before Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," could speak, Mr. Fool, sitting at the head of the bronze table, coughed softly.

"Justice" Audrey looked up curiously, only to hear Mr. "Fool" speak softly:
"This is not something you are qualified to know right now."

"Yes, Mr. Fool, please forgive my abruptness."

Audrey, feeling a pang of unease, quickly apologized.

"Good heavens, is Klein learning something new and then putting it into practice?"

Roger couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He had just told Klein a few days ago about the potential pollution from the information about the star system, and now Klein was putting it to use. "I have something to share."

Miss Magician changed the subject:

"Recently, a new... secret organization has emerged in Backlund."

"They call themselves the 'Hexing School,' but while they call themselves a school, they look more like a new religious sect."

"The 'Hercules School' worships a new celestial body near Mars that was sighted by many people a few days ago, but then disappeared."

The "Hexing School" claims that Hexing is currently in a hidden state, but will respond to the calls of believers to its name and send down revelations, including knowledge of the stars. Moreover, it will not ask for anything other than faith, including the human blood sacrifices or animal offerings commonly found in secret organizations.

"They are now actively recruiting new members in Backlund, and the focus seems to be on extraordinary individuals through the 'peepers' and 'apprentices' pathways. I met some of their members through my participation in some astrology discussion groups and was invited to join them."

"Considering what you just said about the starry sky, I'd like to ask if anyone knows anything about the origins of that He Star. Is it... or is it a deity, or perhaps an evil god?"

After saying this, Fors looked around at the attendees at the bronze table, and then turned his gaze to Mr. Fool and Mr. Wheel of Fortune.

Why are you looking at me? I don't know either.

Klein thought to himself.

Klein did indeed know the origins of that so-called He Xing.

He not only witnessed the celestial body with his own eyes, but also knew that it was a manifestation of Roger's mythical creature form going out of control.

It's fair to say that if Adam hadn't appeared and alerted Klein to come to his rescue, Roger probably wouldn't be sitting here having a proper meeting right now.

After that incident, Klein even attempted a divination within the "Source Castle" to interpret the whole affair.

However, to Klein's surprise, all the divinations returned invalid conclusions—which was very unusual, considering that "Source Castle" was likely something at Sequence 0 level, and "Hell Star" should not be much lower in rank.

In other words, Roger may also possess something similar to the uniqueness of a path!

However, since he had only recently returned to Backlund, he knew nothing about the Hersing School that Fors had mentioned, nor did he know whether it was a secret organization developed by Roger, so he couldn't make a judgment for the time being.

As Mr. Fool pondered, Mr. Wheel of Fortune spoke up as expected:

“Uh, Miss ‘Magician’, as far as I know, there’s nothing wrong with this organization, you can join… of course, as long as Mr. ‘Fool’ has no objections.”

"The knowledge they provided was all correct, and their organizational background was also clean."

Of course, that's knowledge I personally selected; its quality is absolutely guaranteed...

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger thought to himself as he spoke earnestly.

Huh? I didn't say I wanted to join!

Fors, the "magician," was a little confused. She had only intended to share her experience, but the topic inexplicably turned into "whether she should join this organization."

But since things had come to this point, Fors was too embarrassed to say anything more. She opened her mouth slightly twice, but ultimately chose to keep quiet.

"Uh, he just said 'uh,' right?"

Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and Ms. Hermit all noticed Mr. Wheel of Fortune's interjection.

"'Uh' indicates that Mr. Wheel of Fortune was caught off guard and seemed not to have expected Ms. Magician to ask this question. Combined with his later endorsement of the Hexing School, it can be seen that he knows this organization very well."

"In other words, the 'He Xing School' might be an organization supported by this Sage? If Mr. 'Wheel of Fate' is a follower of Mr. 'Fool,' then this organization was also established at Mr. 'Fool's' behest?"

Not to mention, according to Miss Magician, the "He Xing" seems to have a prestigious name, which could also refer to Mr. Fool.
Within a few seconds, all three of them had thought of this.

With a touch of curiosity, the "hermit" lady asked:
“Miss Magician, may I ask what the honorable name of that ‘He Xing’ is? Could you tell us? Of course, if Mr. Fool doesn’t mind.”

"I do not mind."

Mr. Fool shook his head; he too wanted to know Roger's current name.

"A wanderer from ancient times, a blood-red star behind a veil of shadows, a descendant of the lost beacons of stars, a protector of the music and inspiration of Backlund."

"This is the honorific name of 'He Xing'."

Miss Magician recounted her experience.

"A wanderer from an ancient time...a wanderer?"

Upon hearing this, "Fool" Klein's heart stirred, for he suddenly realized that the title "wanderer" also suited him quite well.

As for "ancient," Klein couldn't understand why Roger used those two words. After thinking about it for a while, he still couldn't figure it out, so he had to put the question aside for the time being.

He sighed inwardly. Although he was basically certain, after hearing the full name of "He Xing," Klein was once again absolutely certain that the name must refer to Roger.

In other words, this is very likely a secret organization he created for himself.

The learned "Hermit" Cattleya also discerned many unusual meanings from this name.

"The four-part title suggests that it is not a true god, but most likely a saint or angel."

"'The lost descendants of the Beacon of Stars'... This reminds me of what Mr. Fool mentioned about Mr. 'Door'. My mother once said that the 'Apprentice' path leads to a high position and allows one to travel to the stars. In other words, the 'Beacon of Stars' may be pointing to Mr. 'Door', and his descendant a thousand years later should be Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

"The guardian of backlund's rhythm and inspiration... rhythm, does this refer to the work of Baleno Jones?"

The Hermit, Cattleya, had a slight thought. Her purple eyes swept over Mr. Wheel of Fortune without leaving a trace, but she did not see any unusual reaction from the saint.

Audrey savored the moment for a while, then asked Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," with some curiosity:
"Then, Mr. 'Wheel of Fate,' in that case, may I also join this 'Hercules School'?"

"Yes, but I don't recommend it."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," looked up at the "Fool" at the head of the bronze table and spoke:
"Just as Miss 'Magician' said, that organization only recruits extraordinary individuals who are skilled in astrology and astronomical abilities... as well as ordinary enthusiasts who aspire to develop in this field."

Roger did not want to compete with Klein for followers, because he had injured "Celestial Venerable" when he was in Tingen City, but then used the "Key to the Gate" in "Source Castle" to corrupt and suppress Gherros. It was only a matter of time before "Celestial Venerable's" will resurface.

In fact, this hidden danger has always existed—the starting point of the "ring" that Roger relied on to fight back against the "Celestial" who wanted to turn him into a puppet was only at the point in time when he traveled through time. As the strongest "Ancient Scholar," the "Celestial" could have used his projection in history combined with the ability of a "Miracleist" to achieve resurrection, even if the process would be extremely slow under the suppression of the power of the "Key to the Gate."

Now that the contamination of the "Key to the Gate" has been removed, the process is accelerating. When Klein becomes a demigod or an angel, the "Celestial Venerable" will surely be restless. At that time, Klein will definitely need the "Tarot Society" to maintain his faith in Him.

Especially since "Justice" Audrey was originally the richest person in the Tarot Club besides Roger, and Roger forcibly snatched away such a wealthy patron, Klein must be so angry that he would wake up in his dreams.

As for Miss "Magician", her situation is rather special.

She was already influenced by Mr. "Men's" "Full Moon Musings". Most importantly, as Roger's compatibility with the "Original Motion Core" increased during this period, he discovered that there was a faint rust-colored star in the spiritual sky of the "Original Motion Core" that corresponded to Fors!
Although he didn't know what was going on, Roger's intuition told him that he should recruit Miss "Magician" into the "Hercules School" so that she could exist as a member of both the "Tarot Society" and the "Hercules School".

It doesn't really matter. Anyway, the "Tarot Club" is already full of traitors. Joining another organization just means having another source of intelligence.

Seeing this, Miss Magician finally paused and asked Mr. Fool:
"Then, esteemed Mr. 'Fool,' may I join the 'Hercules School'?"

"Yes, but don't tell them about me or the existence of this party."

At this point, "The Fool" Klein had figured out what was going on and answered very decisively.

As long as he doesn't cause him trouble, Fors is fine with whatever he wants.

"Thank you, Mr. Fool."

Fors then turned to Roger and said:

"Thank you as well, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

"You are Welcome."

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger replied with a smile.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'"

After all that had happened, when the "Hermit" Cattleya spoke to Roger, her tone became much more solemn:
"Regarding the transaction you mentioned earlier about the Tier 3 sealed artifact, I am willing to proceed and have prepared the corresponding payment... Of course, I have already deducted the value of the heterochromatic mermaid tail scales that Mr. 'The Hanged Man' requires."

"After this gathering, I will give a pair of heterochromatic mermaid tail scales to Mr. 'The Hanged Man' as a deposit for this transaction."

"Do you need cash, or precious metals of equivalent value?"

Upon hearing the words of the "Hermit," Alger the Hanged Man immediately became excited.

Last week, because Mr. Wheel of Fortune did not attend the meeting, Ms. Hermit indicated that the deal needed to be postponed.

This is one of the reasons why Alger showed such concern for Roger; now that the deal is finally back on track, Alger is excited.

Because this means that he will soon become the "Ocean Singer" of Sequence 5!

Those who reach this level of extraordinary beings are almost one step away from becoming demigods—of course, this step is longer than the path they have taken before, and may even be longer than all the paths they have taken combined, both in terms of the extraordinary materials required for Sequence 4 and the complexity of the ascension ceremony.

"Cash is fine."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded:
"After this gathering, I will give you the sealed artifact called the 'Warning Bell' through Mr. 'Fool'."

"Of course, I will also include precautions, including its sealing conditions and usage methods, etc."

"Okay, thank you."

"The Hermit" Cattleya nodded in reply.

"Fifty thousand gold pounds in cash, even after accounting for the mermaid's heterochromatic tail scales, should amount to more than forty thousand pounds..."

"The Fool" Klein was momentarily dazed; since coming to this world, he seemed to have never seen so much cash.

"By the way, Mr. 'World'."

The "Hermit" Cattleya then looked at the "World" Gehrman Sparrow and spoke:
"I have received the necklace you obtained from Señor in our last transaction. Thank you."

"You are Welcome."

Mr. World answered in a hoarse voice.

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," knew that this was a deal the two had discussed while he was away, and he didn't show any strange expression.

He then changed the subject to something else.

"Friends, I'd like to post a hunting intelligence bounty."

Roger began by saying that with the help of Mr. Fool, he quickly drew a portrait of a certain man and, with Mr. Fool's cooperation, circulated it within the Tarot Club.

His name is Louis Wayne.

Roger's lips curled up in a smile:

"Of course, his most well-known title is 'Mr. X' of the Aurora Club."

(End of this chapter)