Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 330 The Favored Ones of "He Xing"

"Previously, regarding your request, I entrusted the information about Mr. X to a friend of mine and Mr. C, asking them to help find him, and I instructed them to keep it confidential."

"A few days later, Mr. C told me that Mr. X had apparently appeared at an extraordinary gathering in the suburbs of Backlund, and he seemed to be looking for the whereabouts of a creature called the 'Spirit Raider'."

"That gathering seems to have only recently appeared. It is highly secretive, the organizer's identity is unknown, and the minimum strength requirement for participants is Sequence 6. Even Mr. C is hearing about it for the first time."

"It's just that the Extraordinary Gathering has ended... It was held every Thursday at 2 p.m. in the East District of Backlund, and it's uncertain whether Mr. X will still be there."

"After all, he seemed very cautious and rarely spoke to anyone except when he was making his own demands."

"Mr. C is currently investigating the organizers behind that party, and he will let me know as soon as he has any news."

"The Magician" Fors recounted what he knew to Roger, who paused for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

Seeing Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" deep in thought, "The Magician" Fors hesitated for a moment before asking again:
"'Wheel of Fate', what is that 'Spirit Raider'? Is it the main ingredient for a Sequence 4 potion in the 'Apprentice' pathway?"

Foll's thinking is also very simple, because "Mr. X" Louis Wayne is a "Traveler" of the "Apprentice" pathway Sequence 5, and he will certainly seek to advance to Sequence 4 of that pathway.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense that "Spirit Raider" is likely the main ingredient needed in the corresponding potion recipe.

"...No, that's not right."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"'Spirit Raider' is not something required for the 'Apprentice' pathway Sequence 4 potion recipe, but it is suspected to be one of the main ingredients for potions in its adjacent pathway."

"Is the adjacent pathway to the 'Apprentice' pathway the 'Seer' pathway or the 'Thief' pathway?"

After spending a long time in contact with Sam and others, Fors also learned some information about the adjacency relationships of the three mysterious pathways.

"It's most likely through the 'fortune teller' route."

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger said, feigning deep thought.

Louis Wayne's considerations in this regard are likely due to two reasons: firstly, the "true creator" has once again entered a standby state; and secondly, it cannot be ruled out that the precedent of Boutis serves as a cautionary tale.

Roger is known to possess methods to counter the abilities of "Arcanists," so if Louis Wayne still insists on advancing to the rank of "Arcanist," it would indeed be a bit too stubborn.

It was manageable before the Abraham family didn't have any powerhouses above Sequence 5 due to the "Curse of the Full Moon." But now that they have Roger, a Sequence 4 demigod, even if he's not a demigod from the "Apprentice" path, it's really a bit of a stretch for Louis Wayne to forcefully show off his "Arcane" abilities in front of him.

Not to mention that to the outside world, Roger is a Sequence 4 "Black Knight" with the ability to herd nine souls at the same time; who knows what other strange abilities he might possess.

"The 'diviner' approach?"

Alger, the "Hanged Man," frowned:

"Isn't that the path that the 'Secret Order' possesses?"

"Yes."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded:
“I suspect that the sudden gathering is related to the ‘Secret Order’… They must have been watching me back then when I killed their member, Mitrom Gadirs.”

"They probably know that I recently left Backlund temporarily, and they certainly know that I have a grudge against Louis Wayne."

“Louis Wayne is most likely in cahoots with the Secret Order… The True Creator has not been very active lately, and His control over the divine messengers within the Aurora Society has also weakened, which may have given the Secret Order an opportunity.”

"The Magician" Fors nodded:
"So, should we try to capture Louis Wayne?"

Roger, upon hearing this, suddenly laughed.

"Mr. 'The Hanged Man,' what's your opinion on this matter?"

Roger posed the question to Alger the Hanged Man, wanting to hear the thoughts of this seasoned veteran of the Church of the Lord of Storms.

"There is one detail that needs to be confirmed."

After a moment's thought, Alger, the "Hanged Man," looked up at Fors, the "Magician":
How did Mr. C know that Mr. X was at the party in the East District of Backlund?

"According to him, it was information from an informant."

"The Magician," Fors replied immediately.

"That doesn't seem right."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," shook his head, then looked at Mr. "Wheel of Fortune":
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' are there people in the 'Secret Order' stronger than you?"

"It's possible."

After a moment's thought, Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," confirmed Mr. Hanged Man's guess.

Currently, the true form of the leader of the Secret Order, Zarathustra, is in a state of madness. After Roselle ascended to demigod status, he asked Roselle to steal the Antigonus Notebook from the Steam Church. After deciphering the relevant information, he went to the main peak of Hornachis and took the extraordinary characteristic of "Mysterious Servant" from Antigonus's side.

However, because his historical pore image was cut off and sealed in the misty town by the Goddess of Night, the main body of the Secret Order went mad when he was promoted to the Mysterious Servant.

Even so, it cannot be ruled out that there are still Sequence 3 or higher beings within the "Secret Order," or that they possess "0" level sealed artifacts. Without complete certainty about this information, Roger would not make any definitive statements.

After the "Hanged Man" was confirmed, another question was asked:
"If it's convenient, could you please tell me if you possess any methods to counter divination against members of the 'Secret Order' who are stronger than you?"

"……Have."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded, knowing that Alger had grasped the essence of the problem.

Alger nodded slightly and continued:

“A secret organization like the ‘Secret Order’, which is not small in scale, usually has its own intelligence network… Even if Backlund is not their main area of ​​activity, they will definitely try to collect as much information as possible about Mr. ‘Wheel of Fate’.”

"They must also know from Mr. X about the relationship between Mr. C and Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' so that so-called gathering is most likely just a smokescreen."

"Considering that Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' could not be known through divination, they deliberately released the news that Mr. X was looking for 'Spirit Realm Raiders' in order to test his attitude."

"This is tantamount to throwing a half-revealed card in front of Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'. If Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' chooses to give up this clue, the other party will clearly know that Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' has an understanding of their own strength and foundation, and is unwilling to confront them head-on."

"This is equivalent to testing the upper limit of Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune's' strength. Afterwards, when necessary, they will take more aggressive actions against Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' and even the Abraham family."

After listening to Mr. "The Hanged Man's" words, Ms. "The Magician" looked enlightened.

"So, what if Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' chooses to follow this clue?"

“Mr. X will not be present, but the ‘Secret Society’ will use him as a bargaining chip after the gathering to exchange for cooperation with Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’.”

Upon hearing this, everyone except Mr. Wheel of Fortune was struck by a strange feeling.

In other words, knowing that he was almost certainly going to die, "Mr. X" Louis Wayne was forced to contact the Secret Order and then became a pawn of the latter.

If Roger's actual strength was inferior to the Secret Order, and he was unwilling to contact the Secret Order out of fear, then Louis Wayne might have the possibility of being promoted to "Trickster" and gaining a place within the Secret Order. If Roger was not afraid of the Secret Order, then there was no use for the Secret Order to keep Louis Wayne.

From Louis Wayne's perspective, Roger's strength should not have exceeded Sequence 3 no matter what. Rather than facing certain death, he was willing to take a gamble and hope that the Secret Order could save him.

However, this is actually a wishful illusion.

What Roger didn't say was that, for the "Mysterious Three Paths," the possibility of switching paths only exists after Sequence 4. Louis Wayne was clearly unaware of this secret, so from this perspective, the Secret Order had intended to betray him from the very beginning.

In fact, even among members of the Abraham family, very few knew this, because the family itself had not produced any extraordinary individuals of Sequence 5 or higher for nearly a thousand years, and as time went on, knowledge about high-sequence jump pathways was gradually forgotten and forgotten by the vast majority of family members.

So it's normal that Louis Wayne, as their former student, didn't know this, but Roger did.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' what do you think of what I just said?"

Alger, the "Hanged Man," turned to Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," as if seeking his opinion.

"You think the same way I do."

Roger smiled and nodded, acknowledging Alger's thought process.

He could also roughly guess why the Secret Order sought cooperation with him, which was essentially related to Zarathustra's insane state.

This Sequence 1 archangel may have accidentally transmitted some fragmented messages during his madness, making the rest of the Secret Order aware that he might be able to return to normal.

With Adam, the leader of the Twilight Hermits, having already achieved godhood and chosen Roger as an ally, the resources the Hermits can choose to utilize are very limited.

Therefore, Roger was undoubtedly a suitable choice. In addition, he had connections with the Church of the Night Goddess. If they could get his support, the Secret Order could find a way to use him without his knowledge to help Zarathustra return to normal.

As for the bargaining chips, Roger could guess them all. They were nothing more than potion recipes from Sequence 4 to Sequence 3, or even up to Sequence 2, through the "Diviner" pathway. After all, there were currently two "Diviners" in Roger's family, and normally he would never refuse such a temptation.

However, what the Secret Order did not know was that Roger knew Zarathustra, the leader of the Secret Order, better than they did themselves.

Seeing this, "Magician" Fors immediately asked:
"So, Mr. Wheel of Fortune, Mr. Hanged Man, what do you think we should do now?"

"Have Mr. C contact the 'Secret Society' through his informant to ask if there are any spots left. I will go there in person once the time is set."

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger answered very straightforwardly.

This conversation made "The Fool" Klein somewhat worried. He knew that the leader of the "Secret Order" was most likely Zarathustra, an angel of at least Sequence 2, and Roger clearly knew this as well.

Even so, Roger was still willing to go without hesitation, and it's unclear what gave him such confidence.

On the other hand, Klein also wanted to know information about the main ingredients and formula of the "Trickster" potion. During this time, he had been planning to enter the Church of the Goddess of Night to steal the Antigonus family's notes—which was undoubtedly very dangerous.

Klein is willing to try other methods to obtain relevant intelligence.

On the other hand, Zarathustra, the leader of the Secret Order, and Klein are bound to be enemies, and Zarathustra may also use Roger's "network" to attack him, so Klein also wants to know Roger's final attitude.

So he manipulated Mr. World and asked in a hoarse voice:
"You intend to cooperate with the 'Secret Order'?"

"There's nothing we can't do together."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shrugged and replied:
"They can just give me Mr. X."

Klein's eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing this, but before he could say anything more, Roger continued with a smile:

"But on the other hand, cooperation is not so simple."

"A cooperation requires the agreement of both parties, but to part ways, only one party needs to make the decision."

"Are you planning to back out after you've gotten Mr. X?"

Emlyn, who had been silent all along, asked with some curiosity. This vampire also knew some of the secrets of the Secret Order, and he was very curious about how Roger planned to end things if he really did this.

"Let them kill me if they dare."

Roger shrugged, looking like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

In Backlund, the one most afraid of dying is not even Roger himself, but the Church of the True God. If the Secret Order really wanted to harm him, the Church of the True God would probably take action immediately, so Roger had nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, what Klein didn't know was that even without his connection, Roger and Zarathustra were destined to be mortal enemies.

Even Emperor Roselle was unaware, but Roger was very clear that Zarathustra was a born traitor with wicked intentions, and eliminating him sooner would save Earth resources and increase its margin for error.

After saying that, Roger smiled and said:

"Of course, if they can't kill me, they'll be the ones who die."

"If any of you here are willing to stab the 'Secret Society' in the back, we can distribute the spoils fairly."

"Of course, you don't need to identify yourselves on the spot. I will have a way to determine each of your contributions."

Roger was actually giving Klein an opportunity. So if Klein was willing to help Roger fight against the Secret Order and actually found the "Spirit Raiders'" property, he could take it. Roger was happy to help.

If Klein can also find the "Trickster's" potion recipe, then Roger will be fine too.

This would appropriately slow down the timeline for Klein to steal the "Antigonus Family Notes," and as a "Trickster," he would undoubtedly have a stronger ability to protect himself in "Misty Town." Roger would also have more time to digest the "Living Star Chart" potion and advance to the "Black Prophet."

As for releasing Zarathustra's historical projections, that can be postponed for a while, but it is still necessary to do it.

For someone like Zarathustra, Roger wanted him to die knowing the truth. On the other hand, Roger also wanted him to actively carve out a Sequence 2 "Miracleist" trait while he was conscious. This way, Roger could save a lot of trouble by taking it and keeping it for the Abraham family's "Mysterious Three Paths" Beyonder advancement.

"So, who would like to join?"

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," smiled and looked at the members of the "Tarot Club," then asked.

"I'll join."

"The Magician" Fors was the first to speak up. "Okay."

Roger nodded with satisfaction:

"Any more?"

"I'll go as well."

Mr. World spoke in a hoarse voice.

"May I participate, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'?"

At this moment, "Justice" Audrey suddenly spoke up.

As one of the founding members of the "Tarot Club," she had never met Mr. "Wheel of Fortune." In contrast, Mr. "The Hanged Man" and Ms. "The Hermit" had both confirmed that they had met this saint, which made Audrey somewhat envious. She really wanted to see what the saint's strength was like.

"Yes, but be careful not to let the people from the 'Psychological Alchemy Society' notice your actions beforehand."

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

"Okay, thank you."

Audrey was somewhat excited; barring any unforeseen circumstances, this would be the second offline group activity of the "Tarot Club" that she had participated in.

The last time was when she, along with Mr. Wheel of Fortune, Mr. Hanged Man, and the followers of Mr. Fool, surrounded and ultimately eliminated "Hurricane Admiral" Ziringus, who was attempting to assassinate Duke Pallas Negan.

Everyone gained something at the time. Audrey received a large amount of cash and a valuable bay estate, Mr. Hanged Man gained the extraordinary trait of "Wind Favorite", Mr. Fool's favorite gained money, and Mr. Wheel of Fortune received a Sequence 5 seal left by Zilingus.

Although Roger promised certain benefits for this operation against "Mr. X" Louis Wayne, Audrey's main purpose was to hone her own skills and contribute to the "Tarot Club".

Although she is still a little short of becoming a "hypnotist," that doesn't stop her from doing what she can do.

As for "The Hermit," "The Moon," and "The Sun," they were all unable to participate in this operation due to various practical reasons, and Roger expressed his understanding.

"No one outside this gathering should know about this."

Finally, Mr. Fool added one more sentence.

"Yes, Mr. Fool."

Everyone in the "Tarot Club" felt a chill run down their spines and respectfully nodded, giving their promises.

"Thank you, Mr. Fool."

"In addition, there is one more thing."

Roger, seeing that the discussion about Louis Wayne had ended, spoke up:

"Lady 'Hermit' and I recently found a survivor city-state in the 'Forsaken Land'."

"Survivor city-states?"

"The Sun" Derrick immediately and instinctively said:

"Is it the city-state outside of the suspected 'Silver City' that you mentioned before?"

Derrick was referring to the human settlement that had been attacked by the "Mirror God".

He saw Roger nod, then shake his head:

"It is a new city-state, but not the one we talked about last time."

"In fact, the latter one is just my guess. There is no new solid evidence to prove that it still exists or that there are living people in it. Unless I actually find it, I cannot draw this conclusion."

Derrick nodded. Although Roger said that, for the young man, the discovery of another city-state was exciting enough, but which city-state it was was not so important.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' what is the name of the city-state that you and Ms. 'Hermit' recently discovered?"

He quickly pressed for an answer.

Its name is 'New Fog City'.

Roger replied, and then he and "The Hermit" Cattleya recounted the history and current situation of "New Fog City" while avoiding sensitive topics.

However, Roger still mentioned "Angel of Fate" Urolius and "Saint of Calamity" Vinera, and recounted what he knew about them.

The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, and even the well-informed members of the "Tarot Club" were a little overwhelmed at first.

Let me sort this out.

Mr. Hanged Man thought for a moment and continued:

"You mean you've formed an alliance with a saint of the 'Aurora Society,' found the survivors of the city-state destroyed by the 'Saint of Calamity'... and that 'Saint of Calamity' is an underling of 'Angel of Fate' Urolius?"

"Yes, exactly."

Roger nodded.

Mr. Fool, who was standing to the side, was also listening intently. As intelligent as Klein was, he immediately realized that there seemed to be some kind of force leading Roger astray on the issue of the ownership of Sequence 0 of the "Monster" pathway.

For Klein, he had already established a good relationship with Will Onsetin, the chairman of the "Mercury Serpent" and the "School of Life". For Roger, as long as he showed some goodwill to "Saint of Calamity" Vinera, with the help of "Saint of Black" Leomaster, Roger could unify the "Aurora Society" almost without bloodshed.

However, what he didn't know was that because of Roger's repeated attempts to undermine the "True Creator," it was highly likely that the "Saint of Calamity," Vinera, and the "Angel of Fate," Urolius, would not cooperate with him. In fact, in a sense, if Amon hadn't been in "Fog City" to maintain order, it was even possible that the "Angel of Fate," Urolius, would have directly caused Roger some trouble.

Sure enough, Mr. Hanged Man continued:
"If it was truly the 'Saint of Calamity' who gave 'New Fog City' a way out, then you and she should have had the opportunity to cooperate."

"But on the other hand, your position on the issue of a 'real creator' is also debatable, so this is a dilemma?"

"You're not entirely correct."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"In fact, this seems to be a choice between two options, but I don't actually have a choice, at least not now."

"My conflict with Vinera will continue for quite some time... but that's not my point. What I want to say is that I hope you can help me find something similar to the 'True Star Map' that the 'Hermit' gave me before."

“Especially you, Miss Magician.”

The "magician" lady then spoke up:
"Is it for 'New Fog City'? Or does it require an item corresponding to the 'Astrologer' extraordinary trait?"

"Do not."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
“The standard can be lowered this time, because I have already started to popularize astronomical and calendar knowledge among the ‘readers’ of ‘New Fog City’, and they are learning very quickly, so I only need something that can display the stars.”

"So whether it's an 'astrologer,' a 'astrologer,' or even an 'astrologer,' any seal corresponding to their extraordinary characteristics is acceptable."

"But……"

"Magician" Fors was taken aback upon hearing this:
"Aren't you...?"

At this point, Fors suddenly shut his mouth.

What she didn't say was that, as the current head of the Abraham family, you should have the extraordinary qualities and resources of an 'astrologer'. You only need to find a 'craftsman' to solve the problem; there's no need to make things so complicated.

"I understand your idea."

Roger blinked:
“I want you to entrust this matter to the ‘He Xing School’.”

"'He Xing School'? You want me to issue missions within the organization?"

"The Magician" Fors immediately grasped the meaning behind Roger's words, and she frowned as she asked to confirm.

"Yes."

Roger nodded:

"If you can find the extraordinary characteristics or seals corresponding to the 'astrologer', you will be able to get a promotion opportunity."

"If you find the extraordinary traits or seals corresponding to 'astrologer' and 'astrologer', you can not only promise to cover all the price difference on my behalf, but also provide them with an opportunity for promotion."

After saying that, he smiled and looked at the "hermit" Cattleya:
“I already have potion recipes for Sequence 9 to Sequence 6 of the ‘Hidden One’ pathway… Speaking of which, ‘Hermit’ lady, if I need to purchase potion recipes for the ‘Astrologer’ from you in the future, would you consider it?”

Roger asked this question because, in addition to the extraordinary individuals in the "Apprentice" path, there are also members in the "Secret Seeker" path within the "Hercules School." For the latter, if Roger were to promise them the opportunity to advance, he would have to obtain the corresponding potion recipe.

Considering that he has already grazed "The Scroll Professor" Ludwig Sergei, Roger will only need Sequence 5 potion recipes in the future.

"of course."

"The Hermit" Cattleya nodded and agreed.

"But what's the point of doing this?"

Fors, the "magician," was momentarily puzzled by Roger's seemingly roundabout approach.

At this moment, Mr. Hanged Man suddenly spoke up:

“I think Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’ probably wants to groom you into a leader of the ‘Hercules School’.”

"Huh? The leadership?"

Fors, the "magician," was a little confused for a moment. She stared blankly at Alger, the "Hanged Man."

"Correct."

Alger nodded, then asked:
"Currently, does the 'He Xing School' have virtually no substantive trading activities beyond astrological discussions and prayers to 'He Xing'? And are there any opportunities for advancement through internal resources?"

"...Yes, how did you know?"

"The Magician," Fors asked with some curiosity.

"Because most clandestine organizations start out like this."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," smiled:
"Organizations and systems may initially emerge from shared values, but their continued existence depends on secrecy."

"Secrecy means qualification assessment, concentration of power, and the fact that the top ruler of the organization has the power to distribute and deprive others of power. This means that the communication of the core members of the organization will become increasingly secretive, which is also the origin of several relatively large secretive organizations."

"To put it bluntly, the Church of the True God is essentially a secret society. It's just that their external influence, values, and culture have developed so extensively that everyone has the illusion that they can easily get close to God."

Having said that, Alger looked up again at Mr. Fool, who was sitting at the head of the long bronze table, and bowed slightly.

This is an act of surrender, signifying gratitude to Mr. Fool for being willing to include oneself in the Tarot Club.

After completing this action, he continued:

"The current 'Hexing School' clearly lacks the characteristic of knowledge confidentiality. Anyone could receive a response from 'Hexing,' and there is no qualitative difference in the knowledge possessed by the members of the school."

"This suggests that 'He Xing' itself may not have established a system of secrecy, or that it may not have paid much attention to this aspect before. It also suggests that it may not be a high-ranking figure in the 'Secret Seeker' or 'Apprentice' pathways at all."

"And Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' wants you to master this secrecy system, become the rule-maker and the distributor of power, so that you will easily have a class advantage over the rest of the 'Hexing School' and have full say."

Great.

Roger couldn't help but admire Alger in his heart. Alger was indeed Alger. He had successfully grasped his meaning simply by listening to what he said to the "Magician" lady, and had even successfully deduced part of the situation of the "He Xing" body.

This also implies another layer of meaning: Alger suspects that Roger has a strong connection with "Hellstar," but he is very tactful and does not express this view directly, which makes Roger give him high praise in his heart once again.

Indeed, as Alger said, if the "Hestar" entity is a superior being through the "apprentice" or "secret seeker" pathway with sufficient knowledge and reasoning abilities, then in order to maintain the stability and resilience of the "Hestar School," it would certainly distribute the esoteric knowledge of the corresponding extraordinary pathway to help the organization's leaders advance in rank.

However, He did not do so, which means that either He Xing did not pay much attention to the He Xing School before and just let them develop freely for the time being, or He was not the superior of either of these paths at all.

In a sense, Alger had revealed most of the truth. On the other hand, he was right; Roger did intend for Fors to gain a significant share of the discourse power within the "Hertz School."

This kind of control differs from the nature of the discourse power held by Yale Nicholson, the chairman of the "Hertz School." Nicholson will play more of a spiritual leader role in the organization, while Fors can become the power holder of the organization.

This is similar to a combination of intellectual and military skills. On the other hand, the commencement of the transaction will also make the "Hexing School" a true community of interests, which will help the organization's long-term existence and strengthen the members' sense of collective dependence.

After all, in every sense, Fors can be considered a follower of "Hellstar".

Although this point has not yet been made clear within the "Hestar School," considering that Roger needs someone who can have a real personification of "Hestar," that is, someone who can communicate with the existence of "Wheel of Fortune" and convey information that he does not currently possess within the "Hestar School," Fors is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate!

(End of this chapter)