Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 386 Hugh's Shock (Thanks to reader 2025…54369 for the donation to Old Wiseman)

"What opportunity to make a fortune?"

It has to be said that Roger really grasped the vampire guy's psychology very well.

Because this guy had recently tasted the joy of money, when he heard about an opportunity to make a fortune, even his previously relaxed and nonchalant demeanor turned into leaning forward and becoming completely focused.

"I told you, as long as your service this time is of high quality and quantity, I will tell you."

Roger finished speaking, and the corners of his mouth turned up again:
"Everyone should be well aware of the value of the information I provide."

"This……"

Emlyn, the "Moon," pondered for a moment and realized that the last time Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," gave financial advice was during wartime. The subsequent economic developments seemed to confirm his words: members of the "Tarot Club" who listened to the advice of this saint had all made some money.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' may I ask a question? Are you about to launch a major operation by sending personnel to that so-called... outer planet?"

The "Hermit" lady sensed something unusual in these words and asked a question.

"This information comes at a price."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"And I think that none of you, except the great 'Fool', can afford this price at this gathering."

After saying this, Roger solemnly apologized to Mr. Fool, hoping that this great being would forgive him for his momentary slip of the tongue.

"What's the price?"

Leonard, nicknamed "Star," initially didn't want to ask further, but his intense curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't resist asking one more question.

"A Sequence 1 level seal or its corresponding extraordinary property can barely pay half the value of this information."

"What???"

The members of the "Tarot Club" gasped again, completely unprepared for Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" to quote such an outrageous price.

The extraordinary properties of Sequence 1 are one thing, but what does it mean that the extraordinary properties of Sequence 1 "can barely pay half the value of this information"?

In fact, Roger was not making things up at all. The issues related to the oil industry may seem to concern enormous wealth, technological leaps, and energy leaps, but this great era contains many opportunities. If used properly, it could at least help the two angel kings complete their Sequence 0 ascension rituals.

Because, in essence, an industrial revolution and a technological leap can drive the development and foundation of an entire civilization, which is in line with the scale required in the ascension ceremony of a true god, which often involves multiple civilizations or even an entire continent.

To give a simple example, the ascension ritual of the "Red Priest" path requires the ascendant to start a war that sweeps across the entire continent and win enough victories—which is not an easy task when all the major powers possess the power of the true gods and angels. However, if a country controls modern industries based on oil, the balance of power will be instantly reversed, and the originally difficult ascension ritual will naturally no longer be so difficult.

Similar examples exist in the promotion ceremonies of the "Dreamer" and the "Black Emperor." The former is related to the tide of the times, while the latter is related to order and rules. A far-reaching industrial revolution is enough to provide enough opportunities for promotion, and can even help the gods seize a large number of "anchors," just as the "God of Steam and Machinery" did in the past with the help of Emperor Roselle.

Not to mention, those who control oil almost control the discourse of the times. The benefits and risks involved are far greater than ordinary people can imagine. Even someone of Roger's stature walks this path with trepidation and never dares to be careless.

Thinking of this, Roger shook his head again:

"But on the other hand, even if you have complete intelligence, you may not be able to understand its true meaning. So in a sense, the value of this intelligence to you is far less than it is to me."

"So if I were you, and if I really had a Sequence 1 Extraordinary Attribute, I wouldn't choose to trade."

This implies that he will not say much about this matter, at least not at the moment.

These words made Klein's heart itch. He vaguely guessed that Roger seemed to have made some remarkable discovery, but as the "Fool" himself, he didn't actually have any bargaining chips to exchange for the corresponding information with Roger.

"Phew... Never mind, I'll ask Roger about it later when I have the chance."

He felt a little regretful; even though he had a thousand kinds of curiosity, he could only give up for now.

“Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’, I have something I want to tell you.”

At this moment, Leonard, nicknamed "Star," spoke up again, addressing Roger directly:

“Last night, a demonic disturbance occurred in Redding, a town near Backlund, involving the Cult of Blood. It appears that a Sequence 6 demon was attempting to complete a ritual to advance to Sequence 5.”

"But it seems that his plan has not only failed, but dozens of demons have also been annihilated."

"Currently, 'Mechanical Heart' is in charge of investigating this matter—I don't know the specific details, but I do know that they seem to have caught some extraordinary individuals using the 'criminal' pathway."

"But in any case, I think you might be interested in this."

At a previous gathering, Leonard noticed that Roger seemed very interested in the "Blood Cult," so he told Roger as soon as he learned about the situation.

"Thank you for your intelligence, Mr. 'Star'."

“I already have information about the situation. In fact, I was the one who annihilated those demons.”

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded slightly, then added:
“I also captured a Sequence 3 ‘Whisperer’ alive and am currently interrogating him.”

Capture the "talking maniac" alive?
This sounded very strange, especially to the knowledgeable "Hermit" lady and "Star" Mr. Lun.

They all knew that once the "criminal" pathway reached a higher sequence, it would possess an extremely strong ability to sense malice. Any plot to harm them or any hostile behavior towards them would be detected in advance, thus giving them a chance to escape or retaliate.

Aside from a very few Sequence Pathways that are extremely effective against demons, such as the "Warrior" Pathway, it is extremely difficult for other Divine Pathways to successfully annihilate or even directly "capture" a Sequence 3 member.

However, in comparison, Alger the Hanged Man and Klein the Fool seemed less surprised.

The former witnessed Roger severely injuring the "Whisperer" Agarito on "Blackwing Reef," fighting and successfully killing two Sequence 4 "Devils," while the latter personally witnessed a toy-like "Devil" in the toy space on the first floor of Roger's "Old Box."

In fact, Roger's battle this time was fundamentally different from the previous one.

At that time, both Agarito and the two Sequence 4 demons were captured by the aura of the "Abyss," which caused their intelligence to decline. This gave Roger the opportunity to strike them hard.

However, Sebastian Montoya's situation is different.

He was found and defeated by Roger when he was at full strength. Neither he nor his subordinates noticed Roger's presence before Roger appeared. From this perspective, the "malicious perception" of the "Abyss" pathway extraordinary individuals seems to have no effect on Roger at present.

At this point, Roger glanced quickly and discreetly at Mr. "World," then added, "Don't worry too much, this is all under my control."

This statement may seem uninformative, but it is indeed a way of changing the subject.

Roger knew that Klein would likely contact him later to go to Trier to find the "Reformers'" stronghold. If he revealed too much information now, Klein might worry about the risk of his identity being exposed and choose to suppress the matter for the time being.

"Then, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' is there anything I can do for you?"

"Including but not limited to using resources within the church to gather information on the movements of 'Blood Worship Cult' members, and providing you with advance information about the destination environment when necessary."

At this moment, Alger, the "Hanged Man," spoke.

In fact, he had always been curious as to why Roger was investigating matters related to "criminal" extraordinary individuals, so at this moment he took the initiative to ask if he could be of any help.

"Thank you, Mr. 'Hanged Man'."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded slightly.
"If possible, I would appreciate it if you could help me investigate the activities of the 'Reformers,' including but not limited to details of their records of illegal activities, as well as the main areas of activity around Backlund and Ahowa County."

After saying that, Roger thought for a moment and then continued:
"An investigation is sufficient; there's no need for direct action. Of course, as long as they don't cause any large-scale mass incidents, I believe the Storm Church won't act rashly against them at present."

"So, it's really just about needing some information... if it's convenient."

“No problem, Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’, I can agree to this right now.”

Alger the Hanged Man nodded; for him, who had now become a Sequence 5 and a key member of the Church of Storms, this was a trivial matter.

Not to mention that he had already heard about the relevant information within the "Punishers" and knew who to ask, the Storm Church was not a monolithic entity. As long as he knew what kind of people liked what kind of things, he could exchange the corresponding information at a relatively low cost.

What kind of compensation do you need?

After Alger agreed, Roger took the initiative to ask about Alger's needs.

Upon hearing this question, Alger looked up at the "Fool" seated at the head of the long bronze table, and then spoke:

“‘Fool’, I request to speak with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ alone on this matter.”

Mr. Fool nodded slightly and pulled the two into the soundproof enclosure to allow them to communicate freely.

After confirming that the other members of the "Tarot Club" could no longer hear him, Alger asked:
"Can you give me some hints as to whether anything will change in this country?"
"Rest assured, our conversation will end here, and I will not share this information with anyone else."

Alger originally wanted to find out what Roger was doing on the alien planet, but after thinking about it carefully, he chose a more subtle way of asking questions.

The advantage of asking this question is that Alger can confirm whether Roger's actions are related to him as a Rune, and what benefits he might gain from them.

Roger also grasped Alger's true intentions, but he wasn't worried at all about the assurances Alger gave him.

Because he knew Alger's nature very well, he always kept things firmly in his own hands, especially information gaps that could bring him benefits.

Moreover, Alger always had a natural fear of Roger. Based solely on the belief that Roger was a follower of "The Fool" and Roger's endless tricks, he would not reveal what Roger had said.

After thinking for a while, he spoke:
"Industrial and materials technologies will undergo earth-shattering changes, and civilization will usher in a brand new era of development."

"While this development benefits military technology, ordinary people can also greatly enjoy its convenience."

Industry...materials, civilization?

Alger's heart skipped a beat. Although Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" hadn't explained things very clearly, he had still grasped a certain key point.

Is this development comparable to the arrival of the steam age during the reign of Emperor Russell?

he continued to ask.

"Comparable to".

Roger nodded slightly. In fact, he originally wanted to say "even worse," but after thinking about it, he swallowed the words back.

"Well, I think I understand roughly now."

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

Roger nodded slightly upon hearing Alger's words.

In fact, he did not believe that the "Hanged Man" fully understood the matter; he was merely imagining Roger's vision of the revolution through his own preconceived notions of the steam age.

However, this is enough for Alger to gain some benefits from this wave, which is sufficient for the deal.

It wasn't until Roger announced the end of the private deal that "Fool" Klein snapped out of his daze and hurriedly deactivated the mute mechanism that had been surrounding the two of them.

Compared to Alger, Klein, being a time traveler from the old era, was naturally able to glean more meaning from Roger's words.

Although Roger didn't mention the word "energy," Klein immediately thought of oil.

Of course, it's also possible that Roger discovered some special mineral deposits or alien technology on that so-called alien planet, but in either case, an event that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" described as comparable to the arrival of the "Steam Age" is definitely not something simple.

"Judging from what Roger said earlier, he seems to want to organize the extraordinary individuals on Earth to go to that alien planet to do long-term work."

"From this perspective, it does indeed resemble mining, but it's not clear what kind of ore is being mined at the moment."

Although "Fool" Klein was itching to discuss things further with Roger, he couldn't do so because of his position.

So the meeting had to move forward, and at this moment, Miss "Justice" spoke up and asked:
"Ladies and gentlemen, who among you can find the heart of the Dreamcatcher, the crystallized mind illusion, or the complete brain of an adult mind dragon?"

These are all potion materials for the audience's path to Sequence 5 "Dreamwalker". At this moment, Audrey has begun to prepare to advance to Sequence 5, which makes her very excited.

"The treasury of 'Silver City' should contain the complete brain of an adult mind dragon, but I need to go back and check for details."

At this moment, "The Sun" Derrick spoke up, his attitude quite casual, which made Audrey slightly dazed.

"Is it really that simple..." The righteous young lady composed herself and then added:

"I also need some blood from an adult Mind Dragon, which is one of the most difficult materials to obtain, so if possible, please keep an eye out for information on this."

After receiving confirmation from Mr. "Sun," Audrey breathed a slight sigh of relief before continuing:
"If there's something I need, what price would you need in return?"

Upon hearing this, Derrick scratched the back of his head. To be honest, he hadn't figured out what he needed yet and needed to think about it further before making a decision.

Seeing that Mr. "Sun" did not answer immediately, Audrey, with her high emotional intelligence, suggested that they could wait until he confirmed the relevant information before responding.

Hughes, the judge, then spoke:
"Everyone, please keep an eye out for the potion recipes and main ingredients for the 'Arbitrator' pathway, Sequence 6 'Judge' and Sequence 5 'Punishment Knight'."

To be honest, Hugh had been worrying about these two potion recipes for a long time. Although she, working for MI9, did have the opportunity to get the potion recipes from them, it would inevitably come at a very high price.

After all, working for the intelligence service is never easy.

"I can help you think of a solution."

"Wheel of Fortune," Roger said, taking the initiative to speak. In fact, he had originally intended to get the "Judge" potion recipe from Luna.

After a few seconds, Roger spoke again:

"As for the corresponding main materials, you can contact Mr. 'Fool' directly after the meeting."

“If I remember correctly, I still have about two or three ‘Judge’ extraordinary traits stored with Mr. ‘Fool’.”

What? The extraordinary characteristics of a "judge"? Two or three?
Hugh suddenly wondered if he had misheard. When did the extraordinary properties of Sequence 6 become so common?

In fact, she brought this up at the tarot reading because she was prompted by the "Magician".

The hint is that Mr. Wheel of Fortune once deposited a batch of mid-sequence extraordinary traits with Mr. Fool for sale. The only problem is that Fors doesn't know if there are any traits left from the Arbitrator pathway.

After a long while, Hugh finally closed her slightly open mouth, nodded gratefully to Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," and thanked him.

"Don't mention it, it's business."

Roger chuckled, seemingly unconcerned.

In fact, he didn't really care. After all, he had a lot to worry about right now, and compared to that, trading potion recipes and extraordinary traits in the middle sequence was really not a big deal.

"By the way, how are the vampires preparing for the upcoming hunt against the 'Moon Followers' within the 'Rose School'?"

At that moment, Alger the Hanged Man suddenly spoke and looked at Emlyn the Moon.

This is something that Mr. Moon mentioned when Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," was absent from the "Tarot Meeting." Alger brought it up again now, partly out of curiosity about the progress of the matter, and partly to remind Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" of its existence.

As expected, Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," immediately turned to look at Emlyn, waiting for his next answer.

"It will be soon. The specific plan is still under discussion. Once the plan is finalized, I will seek everyone's advice."

"The Moon," Emlyn began.

"no problem."

Upon hearing Emlyn's words, Roger and Mr. World spoke at the same time, then exchanged a glance before subtly looking away from each other.

Roger knew that the vampire clan's siege of the "Primal Moon" followers in the "Rose School" was most likely supported by Lilith, the progenitor of vampires. After Ince's attempt to control Archbishop Mattiada of the Church of the Earth Mother, Lilith was probably getting restless.

“There’s something I need to remind you, Mr. Moon.”

Roger paused, then said:

"If you encounter any relics related to the 'Primordial Moon' belief or the names of deities of unknown origin during your investigation, you must avoid prolonged contact with them or reciting these texts. You must report to the high-ranking members of your vampire clan immediately for appropriate action."

“I understand, Mr. Wheel of Fortune.”

Upon hearing this, Emlyn, the "Moon," felt a chill run down his spine. He recalled what Mr. Wheel of Fortune had mentioned during a previous "Tarot Meeting" about the power gap between the "Primordial Moon" and its deities. Now, the other party was reminding him again, probably out of concern that he might be corrupted during his subsequent explorations.

After the other members of the "Tarot Club" agreed to help Emlyn advise the vampires on their next encirclement operation, "The World" Gehrman Sparrow sat up straight and looked at "The Star" Leonard.

"Please ask that person if they have seen the second 'Blasphemy Slab'."

"it is good."

Leonard, the "star," composed himself, realizing that Klein was referring to the old man, Palez Zoroaster, on his body.

However, he was also somewhat shocked.

"The old man saw the second 'blasphemous stone tablet'? Isn't that something from myths and legends?"

Little did he know that Klein's question stemmed from a record he had read in Emperor Roselle's diary—that several prominent angelic families during the Fourth Age had viewed the "Blasphemy Tablet" together and possessed the divine path potion recipe and related ascension rituals.

This request also attracted the attention of other members of the "Tarot Club," including Miss "Justice." They couldn't help but take a few more glances at Mr. "Star" and begin to reassess the identity of this seemingly somewhat dim-witted young man.

To be able to meet someone in real life who has seen the second "Blasphemy Slab" and is most likely an angelic being, Mr. "Star" must be quite extraordinary.

In fact, not to mention them, even Mr. "Star" himself was still a little dazed at this moment.

But before he could think further, "The World" Gehrman Sparrow looked at "The Wheel of Fortune" again and asked:
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' is Amon's alter ego still in Backlund?"

The reason for this question is that Roger had previously revealed at the "Tarot Club" that he knew Amon and that the two had a lot of cooperation.

"As far as I know right now, not yet."

Roger shook his head. Although Amon's "A Good Thing" general store was no longer open, considering that Sam had said that Amon, disguised as a postman, had approached his family's mansion in Worston Gardens, it was highly likely that Amon still had at least one clone left in Backlund.

But soon, he realized a new possibility.

"Does Klein's question imply that Amon had approached and tested him in Backlund, which indirectly led to his temporary departure from Backlund and his trip to Trier?"

In fact, Roger had found it strange when he met Klein in Trier, because this "Fool" spent most of his time in the Backlund region. However, Roger was preoccupied with his promotion and didn't think about what Klein had experienced in Backlund.

It now appears that Klein may have temporarily escaped Amon's pursuit through some means and then transferred himself to Trier through the spirit world or other channels.

It's possible that Klein paid a heavy price in this process, as if it were a test, but so far it seems Klein hasn't gained any advantage.

Thinking of this, Roger added:
“Amon’s whereabouts are mysterious and unpredictable. In fact, I have seen Him not only in Backlund, but also in County Ahova, Port Laus, and even the Forsaken Lands.”

"Based on the information I have, this may be a common phenomenon."

"Understood, thank you, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

Mr. World nodded in thanks.

Afterwards, everyone discussed some more things, and when the time was almost up, Mr. Fool once again announced the end of the meeting.

"As you wish."

Amidst the praises of the crowd, Roger once again transformed into a rust-colored streak of light and returned to reality.

Roger took a deep breath, stood up from his seat, put on his waistcoat and coat, donned his wide-brimmed hat, and went outside with his cane.

He flagged down a horse-drawn carriage and stepped inside.

"Sir, where are you going?"

The coachman spoke respectfully.

"Newhouse Road in St. George's, just stop at the subway station entrance."

Roger gave an address, which was the residential address of Master Qiu that he had obtained from Miss "Magician" before the meeting ended.

"okay."

The coachman's voice rang with delight. The distance from Joewood to St. George was not short, which meant he could earn a considerable sum of money.

In fact, Roger originally planned to take the subway, but since it was Monday and it was close to rush hour, he decided after consideration not to squeeze onto the chaotic subway with the office workers and students.

On the other hand, Roger chose to ride in a carriage because he saw a possibility for the future: that he would encounter some unusual things during the journey.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes after the carriage started moving, Roger saw a woman with delicate features, wearing a black classical court dress and a small soft hat flash by in the carriage window.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sharon."

Roger took off his hat and held it to his chest, then greeted Sharon in a low voice.

"Hello."

Sharon, who hadn't seen Roger in a long time, nodded slightly to him, and then said:

Are you free tomorrow evening? I'd like to talk to you.

"Yes, where?"

Roger nodded. He knew that Sharon must have something important to tell him at this time, so he agreed without hesitation.

“At 15 Minsk Street, Marich and I will be there promptly at 6:30 p.m..”

"it is good."

Upon hearing Sharon's words, Roger nodded slightly, then watched as Sharon's figure quickly disappeared again into the illusory image on the glass.

"Speaking of which, Sharon coming to see me at this time, could it be that she has something to do with the 'Blood Worship Cult'?"

This was Roger's intuition, after all, the "criminal" and "prisoner" pathways were adjacent to each other, and the unusual activities of the "Blood Cult" might have also affected the members of the "Rose School".

"Phew... Never mind that for now, let's finish what we're doing."

Roger took a deep breath and leaned against the partition next to his seat, closing his eyes to rest.

More than an hour later, Roger heard the sound of knocking on the partition coming from the front of the carriage.

This is the coachman's reminder, meaning that we will soon arrive at our destination.

So he rubbed his face, quickly got up from his seat, and got off the carriage.

After paying the carriage fare, Roger began searching for the neighborhood where Master Qiu lived, following the address given by Fors.

Soon, in Roger's "premonition" vision, he saw a house highlighted.

What's even stranger is that the house was still shrouded in black mist, a blackness very similar to the blackness Roger had seen inside Master "Qiu's" body.

This time, Roger felt a strange sense of familiarity with this black color, and a guess couldn't help but arise in his mind.

Moreover, Roger can now see another power within this black mist.

It was a faint purple glow, seemingly containing endless knowledge.

This immediately made Roger think of the "Hidden Sage".

After a brief moment of thought, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

(End of this chapter)