Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 359 The Hunt for Ince Zangwell

"Of course it's important."

Roger smiled:
"On the one hand, since I can't attend Master Qiu's classes every time, I'll most likely send a flesh-and-blood puppet wearing a cloak."

“I think if there were so many people at the scene, Master Qiu wouldn’t have noticed the abnormality of the flesh puppet.”

Fors nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then asked:
"What about the other side?"

"On the other hand, I noticed that although the number of 'masters' has increased, the previous dumbbell-shaped organizational structure has not fundamentally improved."

"I've also looked at the list that Mr. Jupiter gave me. The other tutors all have their own criteria for selecting students, and their tastes vary. In short, they are very picky."

"On the other hand, Master Qiu really likes to recruit students who have poor knowledge and aptitude and come from ordinary backgrounds, because he himself is an astrologer from a humble background, so he can empathize with the situation of these students."

"So, in fact, I think Master Qiu is not bad. His seemingly extreme and mechanical 'memorization' teaching method is actually to help students with poor basic skills strengthen their memory... From a teaching point of view, although it is a clumsy method, it is very suitable for students with poor foundation or those who are not focused enough on learning."

"That is precisely why he taught the most students in the entire 'Hexing School'. Among them were students who were knowledgeable, inquisitive, and of good character, but were not valued... I could only discover these people by observing them in the classroom."

“Once I find students who are suitable to become Level 2 or Level 3 members, I will recommend them to you. You can then promote these people through a process such as a quick evaluation, which will further make the organizational structure of the ‘Hexing School’ more organic and complete.”

Actually, there was another reason that Roger didn't mention: he felt that Master Qiu's class was quite similar to the morning reading class he had in his previous life. This made Roger feel nostalgic, and he also thought of using this way of getting along with his classmates to further stabilize his humanity and various complexes.

Of course, as he said, he wouldn't come every time. If "Jack Carbin" made friends in the class, he could use the flesh puppet to deal with the situation temporarily.

Originally, the flesh puppets created by the demigod-level "Rose Bishop" could be indistinguishable from real ones, but they did not possess full humanity. However, Roger, who has now mastered a portion of the "Chaos Sea" tributary, can use the power of the "Original Core" and "Fate-Granted" to temporarily weave a flesh puppet with a certain degree of humanity and the ability to think, and maintain it for a period of time.

Because this is somewhat similar to the ability of the "Dream Weaver," Roger suspects that it may be a chemical reaction between the power related to the mind and the "fate-given" ability contained in the tributary of the "Chaos Sea."

This was an unexpected discovery Roger made in recent days while testing his newly acquired abilities, and now, given his current situation, this research result comes in handy.

After hearing Roger's words, Fors understood:

"You really go to great lengths for the 'He Xing School'."

"There's no way around it. These days, it's not easy to cultivate a secret organization from scratch. As the boss, I have to put in a lot of effort."

Roger shrugged, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was "He Xing" from Fors.

After all, he also hoped that Fors could have a clear understanding of the relationship between the two parties, otherwise Fors would keep overthinking and not be sure who she was serving.

Sure enough, when Roger said that, Fors immediately tensed up and then relaxed again.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' please allow me to ask a question: what about you and 'He Xing'..."

"Ah."

Roger nodded and admitted it.

Fors let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Then she said in a joking tone:
"So, does that mean I'm considered one of your followers?"

"Of course, you are my true confidant."

Roger glanced at Fors:
"Otherwise, why do you think I would guide you into the 'He Xing School'?"

"what?"

Fors was startled. She had only said that as a joke, but she hadn't expected Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" to admit it so readily.

"I am a chosen one of Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'? When did this happen?"

Compared to Fors's deep confusion, Roger did not intend to explain much to her. After all, the issues related to the "Primal Core" were too complicated and too sensitive, and he did not intend to go into detail here.

"From now on, you can report any questions about the 'He Xing School' directly to me through my messenger."

After Roger finished speaking, he told Fors the prayer to summon the "Rat of Dela Hoya" and put the materials for an "Apprentice" potion back into the "Old Box".

"Now, I am an 'apprentice'."

Roger smiled as he activated Louis Wayne's apprentice ability, then joked:

"Praise be to you, Ms. Mercury."

"Please don't flatter me."

Fors never expected that the mysterious "Wheel of Fortune" at the "Tarot Club" would be such a nonsensical and joking person in real life. She quickly waved her hand.

"Should I go see my advisor next?"

Roger observed Fors's bewildered state with great interest as he asked a question.

“Yes, the course is about to end now, let me take you to meet Master Qiu.”

Fors nodded slightly.

Upon hearing this, Roger immediately used his "Apprentice" ability to create a hole in the wall of the alchemy room and went outside.

Then, Fors heard a surprised and uncertain cry coming from the corridor; the voice sounded exactly like that of an ordinary person who had just become an extraordinary being.

Fors rubbed his temples and walked out with a rather helpless expression.

Sure enough, Mr. Jupiter was standing at the end of the corridor. He saw Roger, who had just emerged from the wall, looking both surprised and delighted, and Fors, who was following closely behind. He nodded to the latter from afar, then turned and went down the spiral staircase with a pile of documents in his arms.

Roger, led by Fors, then went to the classroom on the first floor with the name "Ottom" hanging on it.

At that moment, just as all the apprentices were finishing their lessons, they saw a man and a woman walk into the classroom at the same time, and all the young people looked over curiously.

Roger nodded to the young men and women, appearing very friendly.

During this process, two girls vaguely saw the handsome face that Roger had conjured up. They were both stunned for a moment, but before they could observe it carefully, Master Qiu had already looked over.

"get out of class is over, aren't you going to leave?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Master Ottom."

The students seemed intimidated by Master Qiu's tone and quickly nodded and left. One of the girls, a tall, thin girl with short hair, kept looking back as she walked away, seemingly very interested.

"Good evening, Ms. Mercury."

After the students left, Master Qiu greeted Fors.

Roger was still wondering how Master Qiu recognized Fors when he noticed that Fors had a new emerald green ring on his thumb, with an ancient cursive letter "M" engraved in the center of the ring.

"A level 5 member's ring... you just put it on, right?"

Roger immediately understood, and then she heard Fors speak to Master "Qiu":
"Good evening, Master Otto."

"This is Jack Cabinet. He passed my and Mr. Jupiter's tests and has now become a formal Level 2 apprentice."

"During the mentor selection process, he chose you as his mentor. If you don't mind, he will be relying on you from now on."

"You chose me?"

Master Qiu was taken aback. He adjusted his thick glasses and looked at Roger with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, Roger finally got a clear look at the appearance of this Level 3 instructor.

This was a middle-aged man in his forties. Although he was wearing a cloak, he was not wearing a hood, so Roger could clearly see his greasy brown hair, which looked like dandelions popped open by static electricity, and his bloodshot eyes, caused by years of staying up late, hidden behind his thick glasses.

From Roger’s collar, it was clear that this “master” was wearing an old, pilling sweater, and the cuffs of his cloak were stained with ink. On the podium next to him, a nearly worn-out leather notebook was laid out flat, filled with many deductions and annotations of celestial orbits.

At this moment, Master Qiu finally reacted. He quickly took two steps forward and grabbed Roger's arm with his bulging veins.

His thick glasses reflected a frenzied light under the gaslight, making him seem like a living footnote straight out of a moldy ancient book.

"You're the astrologer who drew dozens of Trensost points during the interview?"

"what?"

Roger hadn't expected that Master Qiu's first words to him would be this. After a moment's thought, he nodded:

"Yes, Master Ottom."

Upon hearing this, Master Qiu gripped Roger's hand even tighter with his bulging veins. He stared intently at Roger with his amber eyes for a long time before suddenly turning around, picking up the notebook from the podium, and shoving it into Roger's hand.

"What are you doing?"

Roger was even more confused. He was about to ask Master Qiu what he meant when he heard the latter speak urgently:

"Turn to the page with the bookmark. There you'll find the calculation formulas for the 10 Trensus points that I've estimated. Check if they're correct!"

"what?"

This time it was Fors's turn to open her mouth wide. She originally thought Roger had come to become his apprentice, but she didn't expect that Master "Qiu" would start discussing the problem of the Ternsault Point with Roger right away.

"Well……"

Roger composed himself, took the notebook, and carefully began to flip through it.

During this process, Roger tried his best to control the force in his hands to prevent himself from accidentally tearing a page off the rickety notebook. In the process, he also saw a lot of Master Qiu's research.

"Element distribution method, astrological semiotics, numerical symbolism?"

At this point, Roger's eyes finally narrowed, and his expression became serious.

He originally thought that Master Qiu, who was only a level 3 mentor, would be mediocre in ability and skill, but he never expected that he would be researching such obscure knowledge.

The Trensost Point, inherited from the Trensost Empire of the Quaternary period, goes without saying. The elemental distribution method and astrological symbolism are even more retro and obscure knowledge that have been circulating since the early Quaternary period.

As for numerical symbolism, it is the foundation of the mystical significance of houses in modern astrology. Together with the elemental distribution method, it is known as one of the two cornerstones of astrological house theory. However, most astrologers in the Fifth Age only conducted divergent research based on these cornerstones and rarely touched upon these most fundamental things.

"It seems I underestimated Master Qiu before."

While Roger was surprised, he turned the notebook to the page with the bookmark stuck on it.

Indeed, just as Ottoman said, starting from that page, there were several calculation derivations of the Trenshorst point. He had clearly drawn inspiration from some ancient texts, hoping to deduce the correct calculation method by using the knowledge framework of the relevant field.

What surprised Roger even more was that Master Qiu's calculations were mostly correct, but he made incorrect assumptions at some key points, which caused the subsequent calculations to fail to converge and obtain the correct results.

"There's a problem here."

Roger glanced at Master Qiu, who was engrossed in his work, and spoke.

The latter hurriedly pulled a black fountain pen from his pocket, tore off the cap, and handed it to Roger.

Can I write directly on this?

"Keep writing, if there aren't enough pages, keep writing."

Otto spoke rather eagerly.

"it is good."

Roger nodded and began replacing some symbols and numbers in the middle of the calculation.

Otto stared intently, and as Roger wrote, his furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

By the time Roger finally wrote down the formulas, Otto's hands were trembling. He took the notebook from Roger and looked at it over and over again.

"I see, I see, haha!!!"

After a long while, Otto, who had been in a frenzy, finally came to his senses and looked at Fors.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Mercury, I was too focused.”

"It's alright, you don't need to worry about me."

Fors smiled and waved her hand. She had also looked at a lot of the notes and found that most of the calculations required the extraordinary abilities of "astrologers" or "astrologers". As a "secret seeker" with a Sequence 8 extraordinary ability, Master Qiu had already reached the limit of his own ability to achieve this level.

On the other hand, Fors finally understood why Master Qiu's "Fighting Scholar" potion digestion progress had been so slow. He spent most of his time studying astrology-related issues, so naturally he didn't have much time to delve into fighting techniques.

“Young man, you’re quite interesting.” Otto patted Roger heavily on the shoulder.

"In fact, I think that with your skill level, it is a waste for you to come to me, a level 3 master."

"I dare not accept that. Your dedication to academic research is something I deeply admire."

Roger said seriously that he originally thought Otto was the kind of mentor who emphasized cramming and focusing on building basic skills, but he did not expect that Otto had done so much research in private.

"Are you really not going to reconsider? You want to study in my class?"

Otto asked again, somewhat uncertainly.

"I'm not going to think about it anymore, I'll go with you."

Roger answered without hesitation.

"Good, good, with your level of knowledge, you're more than qualified to be the class monitor in my class."

Upon hearing Otto's words, Roger immediately thought he had misheard:
"What did you say? Class monitor?"

"Yes, class monitor, you can be my class monitor!"

Otto slapped Roger's shoulder hard again, making a loud "bang bang bang" sound.

"What's this? Reborn as a class monitor in another world?"

Roger was both amused and exasperated. Although his academic performance wasn't too bad in his previous life, he often caused trouble at school, so he was frequently called to the school by his parents and punished by being made to stand in the corner.

Back then, the highest-ranking class officer Roger ever held was the life committee member—though being called the life committee member meant he was essentially a sucker responsible for the class's cleanliness, the only advantage being that he could direct the students on duty without having to do the work himself.

This time, he originally wanted to relive his campus life in the "Hexing School", but he didn't expect to be assigned to be the class monitor by the teacher right away.

"That's okay."

Roger scratched his head and reluctantly agreed.

"Then it's settled, we agree."

Otto rubbed his hands together, seemingly very excited:
“I teach here every Wednesday and Sunday at 7 p.m. You just need to come at least once a week.”

“Yes, Master Ottom.”

Roger nodded. The other party was indeed a serious mentor, and his attitude was very enthusiastic, so he had no reason to refuse the other party's good intentions, after all, it would be too impolite.

Otto was very satisfied. He patted Roger on the shoulder again and then turned around to wipe the blackboard.

"Let me help you."

Because Roger was taller than Otto and could easily reach the top of the blackboard, he also picked up a blackboard eraser and started helping his master with his work.

Fors, who was standing to the side, originally wanted to join in, but suddenly realized that she was a high-ranking member of the "Hexing School" and that participating in such a thing would embarrass Master Qiu. So she maintained a reserved and ladylike demeanor on the side.

"Well then, Cabin, see you next week."

After erasing the blackboard, Otto solemnly shook hands with Roger, then turned and left the classroom.

"A very interesting gentleman."

Roger watched Otto leave, then smiled and made this comment.

"really."

Fors nodded, deeply moved.

“Well then, Miss Magician, see you at the meeting tomorrow.”

Roger gave Fors a slight bow, and then, under her gaze, his figure quickly blurred and disappeared from the classroom.

……

Around 3 p.m. the next day, Roger, who was sitting in a dimly lit room in the "Underground Midnight City" using Bandit as a cushion, suddenly sat up.

"It's almost time."

He carried Bandit to the side and sat back down in his chair.

With a burst of rust-colored light, Roger reappeared in the gray mist of "Source Castle" and sat in a high-backed chair next to the bronze table.

Good afternoon, Mr. Fool.

Audrey's cheerful greeting rang out once again, and as the members exchanged greetings, the weekly "Tarot Meeting" began once more.

“Dear Mr. Fool, this time there are three pages of diary entries.”

"The Hermit," Cattleya began, her tone remarkably calm.

"very good."

"The Fool" Klein nodded slightly, knowing that this was yet another test from the "Mysterious Queen".

As he thought this, Klein began to peruse his diary.

The first page of this diary is mostly about the Emperor's various attempts to pick up women while drinking in bars during his visit to Fussac. Towards the end, he mentions his visit to the "Twilight Palace".

Nearby, Rosell met a Fusak man named Oneg, who was of extremely pure giant blood. Oneg considered himself a descendant of the Giant King and told Rosell many things about the Giant King's court.

In this account, Oneg mentions that he believes the path to the Giants' Court is hidden in the easternmost region of the Sunia Sea.

"Isn't the easternmost part of the Sunia Sea the 'forsaken land of God'?"

Klein glanced discreetly at "The Sun" Derrick Berg, who also had some giant blood, before turning to the second page of his diary.

In this page of the diary, based on the relics, customs, and murals left by the elves on the island of Sunia, Roselle speculated that the Elf King Sunia Solem might also be a time traveler from China. However, upon further investigation, Roselle ultimately rejected this conjecture.

Klein felt a pang of regret. He turned to the last page, which recorded some of his thoughts on educating Bernadette. The Emperor had hesitated about whether to teach Bernadette Chinese, but in the end, he was afraid that his daughter would understand his diary.

Ultimately, after much deliberation, the Emperor decided to teach Bernadette the word "homeland." Although she did not know the meaning of the word, she knew that it was a "protective spell" left to her by her father and that she needed to remember it forever.

"My hometown..."

Klein's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He finally understood why Bernadette had provided those three pages of the diary—because they all contained the word "hometown."

He struggled to calm himself and his turbulent thoughts and emotions, then turned his gaze to the "hermit" Cattleya:
What is your question?

Cattleya seemed to have been prepared, and she respectfully replied:
"Dear Mr. 'Fool,' I would like to know the meaning of these two symbols?"

Immediately, with Klein's help, she materialized the words "hometown" and "homeland".

"Together, they mean home, a place of belonging for the heart and spirit."

"Together... a haven for the soul and spirit?"

The "hermit" Cattleya unconsciously overlooked the meaning of "hometown"—because as Bernadette's adopted daughter, she knew very well where the latter's hometown was and did not think it was anything special, instead turning to the section that had more "mystical significance".

The rest of the Tarot Club members, apart from "The Sun" Derrick and "The Wheel of Fortune" Roger, took the opportunity to learn the new "Roselin" and tried to memorize the shapes and meanings of the two symbols.

"You guys start."

With Mr. Fool's announcement, the Tarot Club officially entered the free discussion phase.

"Everyone, I would like to issue another bounty for your capture."

Roger was the first to speak, referring to "The Wheel of Fortune."

"A bounty for his capture?"

The members of the "Tarot Club" were drawn to these words, because this was the second kill order issued by "Wheel of Fortune" within a month.

Compared to their astonishment, Alger, the "Hanged Man," was more concerned with the meaning behind it. While carefully observing Mr. Wheel of Fortune's reaction, he wondered to himself:
"Another kill order... Is Mr. 'Fool' striking at his own rival forces, or guiding his saints to purge traitors? Or perhaps both?"

After all, according to Alger's known information, the "Mr. X" whom Roger "Wheel of Fortune" wanted to hunt down was a traitor who betrayed the Abraham family. Considering that the Abraham family was under the protection of Mr. Fool, and that "Mr. X" was one of the messengers of God who believed in the "True Creator," he couldn't help but make such a guess.

Especially given the precedent of "Wheel of Fortune" defeating two "Aurora Society" saints in Backlund, this speculation seems even more reasonable.

"So who are they going to kill this time? A divine messenger from the 'Aurora Society'? Or a saint?"

Just as Alger the Hanged Man was silently speculating, Mr. Wheel of Fortune, with the help of Mr. Fool, materialized the appearance of a man.

The others weren't very familiar with this person, and they didn't show any particular reaction, except for Klein, whose heart tightened slightly.

The person in front of him was all too familiar to him!
"Ince Zangwell, former archbishop who defected from the Church of the Night Goddess, 'Night Watchman' of the 'Sleepless' pathway Sequence 4."

"If you can help me find his exact clues, I can offer a reward of 5000 pounds. If someone can help me kill him, I can pay 2 gold pounds or something of equal value."

"In addition, if any of you can make him suffer before he dies, I will offer an extra 5000 pounds."

Roger had a very clear understanding of this matter.

Putting aside Roger's current wealth and status, 2 or 3 gold pounds are just a drop in the ocean. More importantly, if he can help the Church of the Night Goddess eliminate Ince and recover his Sequence 4 Extraordinary Ability, while also gaining the friendship of the Church of the Earth Mother, the benefits he can obtain will far outweigh the bounty he pays.

On the other hand, Klein's hatred for Ince was no less than Roger's own. Roger desperately needed Klein to kill Ince and become a "trickster" as soon as possible, which was crucial to his subsequent plans.

Just like in the original story, Ince Zangwill was the best sacrifice in Klein's "Trickster" ascension ritual, but this time the story may be different.

Based on Roger's understanding of Klein, although he would likely take the bounty in the end due to his financial difficulties, Klein would probably find another way to repay Roger in order to avenge his former teammates.

Just as Roger had predicted, his words struck like a thunderbolt, sending shockwaves through the hearts of several members of the "Tarot Club."

"The Church of the Goddess of Night? Sequence 4?"

Alger, the "Hanged Man," suddenly felt his mind go blank. When did Mr. Fool start helping another god clean house?
The others all had similar thoughts, but in the end, it was the "Hermit" Cattleya who was the first to come to her senses. She cautiously asked:

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' may I ask you a question... if it's convenient, could you please tell me why you are hunting down Ince Zangwell?"

"Huang Jiajia is still as stubborn as ever..."

Roger mentally scoffed, then began to explain:

“I have some personal grudges against him. He killed one of my friends and even tried to kill me with the help of two other saints from the Aurora Society during the ‘Great Smog of Backlund’.”

"In fact, he was also one of the masterminds behind the 'Great Smog of Backlund'."

“I also thought about reporting his whereabouts to the ‘Goddess of the Night’ church, but I always felt that if this matter were handled through official channels, it wouldn’t be satisfying enough.”

"I see."

The members of the "Tarot Club" then realized that Roger's reasoning was indeed very reasonable.

This is not just Roger's personal vendetta, but also an extension of the "Backlund Smog" incident. From this perspective, Mr. Fool seems to be continuing to repay and settle scores with the evil forces that disturb the peace of Backlund.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' could you please describe the other party's abilities and his approximate whereabouts? This would help us find him."

At this moment, Miss Justice spoke up, breaking everyone's train of thought.

"can."

Roger nodded, then looked at Mr. Fool:
"What I am about to say must be kept strictly confidential."

"Regarding this matter, esteemed Mr. 'Fool,' I would like to ask you to be my witness. Is that alright?"

"can."

"The Fool" Klein nodded slightly, and then everyone in the "Tarot Club" made an oath before this deity.

After making sure there were no problems, Roger finally spoke:
"This Friday is the national day of the Kingdom of Fenneport, and a grand celebration will be held in the capital city of Fenneport."

"Ince Zangwell has taken control of a high-ranking member of the Church of the Earth Mother. He will most likely use the power of an evil god to create a supernatural event that could shake the entire city of Fenneport, or a terrorist attack that could cause a large number of civilian casualties."

"Under the cover of this incident, Ince plans to seize a '1' level sealed artifact controlled by the Church of the Mother Goddess, which can help him advance to Sequence 3!"

(End of this chapter)