Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 152 New Members

A reward of 20,000 pounds!
The "Hanged Man" sitting opposite Audrey shifted his body unnaturally. He really wanted to compete with the "Queen" for this commission. He knew some "friends" who dared to do such a thing.

However, because they were worried that such an assassination would cause a lot of public outcry, they were only paying attention to the news about Ambassador Intis to see if there was any opportunity for action.

The "Hanged Man" never expected that the heavily protected Intis ambassador would be assassinated so soon!

When the news of Ambassador Intis' assassination reached him, the first person he thought of was the "Queen" who had accepted the commission at the party.

But the Hanged Man wondered if it was just a coincidence—it happened so quickly, so smoothly!
So before Audrey could respond, The Hanged Man turned sideways to Tessa and spoke first:

"You can't be Beth Lyonness... Twenty thousand pounds is a lot, but if you combine Beth Lyonness's connections and assets in Backlund, the value is still higher than that. You need to submit proof to Miss Justice that you committed the assassination, and the commission will be considered complete."

"Proof?" Tessa chuckled. "Does Beth Lyonness's body count as evidence?"

Tessa's hard-core way of proving it made The Hanged Man pause. After a brief pause, he said with a mixture of emotion and disbelief, "Do you know who Beth Lyonness is?"

The "Hanged Man" does not have a high status in the Storm Church, but he has been quite ambitious since he was a child. After joining the church, he is good at building connections. Therefore, the "Hanged Man" can always find out a lot of secrets that others don't know.

For example, this time, the "Hanged Man" discovered that Beth Lyonness was not simply the daughter of a wealthy overseas businessman, but was also Backlund's greatest political broker. Because of her deep connections with those female nobles, Beth Lyonness was able to come into contact with many conservative nobles and ministers.

Tessa smiled playfully and said, "I killed her, disguised myself as her, and even plundered many fragments of her memory from her spirit... Mr. 'Hanged Man', do you think I know who Beth Lyonness is?"

The Hanged Man fell silent.

Regarding the private affairs of Backlund's aristocratic circle, Audrey curiously interrupted and asked, "Besides her...fame in the female circle, does Beth Lyonness have any other special status?"

Tessa had already found out that "Justice" was the daughter of Earl Hall, and had also long known that "The Hanged Man" was a Beyonder of the Church of Storms.

In fact, it wasn't just her. It could be said that after months of gatherings and exchanges, all the members of the Tarot Club had vague guesses about each other and had even conducted private investigations.

Especially since the three of them had activities in Backlund, it would be difficult to completely hide it from each other.

Tessa is still unwilling to pray to the Fool, not because she is afraid of exposing her identity. Tessa knows that her identity cannot be concealed. She is just preventing her movements from being discovered by the Fool or others through means she does not understand.

Tessa looked at Audrey, who was the furthest away, and chuckled. "Here's a piece of information for you. Beth Lyonness is the white glove of the Loen Conservative Party and a political broker. Furthermore... she's a Sequence 6 'Devil' Beyonder."

Hearing this, Audrey thought of the Beyonder trait of "Psychologist" that the "Queen" had traded to her, and a chill welled up in her heart. How many Beyonders' blood was on this woman's hands...

Fortunately...we are both members of the Tarot Club.

Suppressing the vigilance that was rising in her heart, Audrey asked the Fool for a private conversation with Tessa.

Audrey told Tessa her plan: "Twenty thousand pounds in cash, even if I use it, it will attract attention from people around me, so I plan to divide it into three installments and pay it off within a month. Is that okay?"

Tessa nodded slightly. "This was already agreed upon. It's no problem on my end. As for payment, if you don't find a more suitable method, you can deposit it at the Soledad Club."

Audrey recalled the last time she went to collect her payment. She was deeply impressed by the people in the club.

Audrey asked cautiously, "Ms. Queen, do you know the details of the Soledad Club?"

Tessa explained patiently:

"This is a club for women, organized by a female Beyonder from the Church of Steam. The Church of Steam is in a weak position within the Kingdom of Loen, so their style of conduct is relatively gentle. As long as you don't actively cause trouble in the club and pay enough money, you don't have to worry about their reputation."

"Especially since you're a noble, the Church of Steam is very wary of making enemies with the Loen nobles, so you don't have to worry about them harming you. It's safer than taking the risk of joining a gathering of wild Beyonders."

Afterwards, Tessa and Audrey made detailed arrangements and checks on the amount, time, place and code.

Claire, who was listening in, frowned at this "Soledad Club".

Claire had previously done some cursory research on the Soledad Club. It was ostensibly a place for women to make friends, but the women who frequented it were all female...

Tessa, a member of the witch sect, could actually enter and exit the Steam Church with such familiarity. Not only was there something worth exploring, but what also made Claire feel slightly uncomfortable was...

Is Tessa doing something weird with her body?
Because her original body had become female and because of her understanding of Beyonders, Claire no longer had the obsession to regain her original body. Compared to adapting to her current situation, she was even more reluctant to become a witch.

But even so, Claire was unwilling to let Tessa mess around with it!

That woman… Claire narrowed her eyes, all sorts of thoughts swirling in her mind.

After the transaction, Audrey and Tessa canceled their private communication.

At this moment, "The Hanged Man" suddenly revealed a piece of news to everyone in a meaningful manner: "According to the latest intelligence, during the Church of Evernight's operation against the Aurora Society, Lanevus, who had attracted Mr. Fool's attention, was killed by a member of the Red Gloves."

After saying this, The Hanged Man bowed to the Fool at the top and said:

"Dear Mr. Fool, the Fallen Creator's advent ceremony has been interrupted once again! It's a pity that none of us in the party were able to participate. Even though you gave us enough hints before... we still couldn't complete this 'simple task'."

The Hanged Man's words made the others suddenly realize that the simple task Mr. Fool had proposed at the last gathering, "Find Lane's whereabouts," was actually a hint of the arrival of the True Creator!

As expected, the only things that could cause Mr. Fool to specifically remind him were those involving the gods!
The Tarot Club members were imagining things.

But Klein, who was sitting at the head of the table, was a little confused. "Laneverus is dead? Is Lanevus the vessel for the True Creator's descent? Was Lanevus stopped by the Beyonders of the Goddess Church?"

Klein, who lived in Backlund, learned about the Kingdom's fierce attack on the Aurora Society and its effective results through newspapers, but he had no idea that Lanevus was involved!

Although multiple questions popped up in his mind, Klein still sighed leisurely as a fool with considerable style, "In this era, in Backlund, it has become a hotbed for the advent of evil gods. This is only the beginning."

The world's hoarse voice said at the right moment, "The Church of Evernight is indeed one of Backlund's most powerful Beyonder organizations. They were able to resolve the Evil God's arrival silently and without affecting the residents of Backlund... However, I'm curious about who prevented the arrival of an Evil God."

"According to the shared battle report, Creste Cesimus, once known as the 'Sword of the Goddess,' personally led the team." "The Hanged Man," recalling the news, looked at the seemingly capable new member and replied with kindness, "But the one who personally shot Lanevus was a Red Glove member named Leonard Mitchell."

Leonard… Klein was startled when he heard the name. All of a sudden, memories of the Tingen period came flooding back. As those memories gradually faded away, he seemed to see the black-haired, green-eyed poet embarking on a difficult road of revenge.

Audrey, upon hearing this news, was relieved that the evil god's arrival was stopped by officials, but also felt sorry:
"Doesn't that mean Xio and Fors's expedition has failed?"

"But... since it's the Red Gloves who are taking action, will that Galadriel woman be involved in the operation?"

After making up her mind, Audrey found an opportunity to confirm with Galadilla and inquire about the details. "Perhaps, joining Galadilla's team would be a good choice? I just wonder if Mr. Fool would mind if members of our Tarot Club join other organizations..."

For a moment, the Tarot Club members had different thoughts.

After a moment of silence, the Tarot Club members, with the participation of "The Sun," commissioned each other to discuss their respective paths' potion formulas and the various extraordinary materials required. Meanwhile, the new member, "The World," issued a strange commission: to "organize the data of the impoverished nobles of the Kingdom of Loen."

When talking about this mission, "The World" deliberately stared at Tessa. "The World" remembered that Tessa said she had channeled the memory of a political broker.

But Tessa didn't think that this commission could bring any useful reward, so she ignored it.

This commission immediately caught Audrey's attention. Audrey wanted to use her "mind reader" ability to see something from this new member.

But the other person's appearance, emotions, and detailed behaviors were all hidden very deeply, making them like the natural enemies of "audience" and "mind reader", leaving Audrey with nothing.

Audrey could only try and ask, "What do you want to do?"

The World laughed hoarsely and said, "I'm just looking for something that won't cause them any harm. I can swear to this, and Mr. Fool can be a witness."

After some thought, Audrey took the initiative to accept the task. "I know some information about the impoverished nobles, but it's not detailed, specific, or comprehensive enough. I need some time to complete it, probably three or four days. Is that okay?"

"No problem." The World chuckled deeply. "What do you wish for? What I can offer immediately is: some of the Fourth Epoch's secret history, knowledge of certain extraordinary paths, and a few formulas... However, the transaction must be based on an equal exchange."

Listening to the rewards listed by the "world", which were basically the secret knowledge that the Fool had recently obtained, Claire became more certain that the Fool's knowledge was not rich. This also matched her judgment that the Fool was currently a mid-to-low sequence Beyonder.

It really is Klein...

Could it be that Klein is a time traveler who inherited the legacy of the evil god?
Klein, Megose, Lanevus... Is Tingen some kind of evil god settlement?
And there's Leonard, who has a secret hidden in him. Could that guy also be related to some evil god?

Claire's thoughts wandered freely.

During this process, "The World" communicated with Audrey alone and shared some knowledge as an advance payment to Audrey, all of which were knowledge that Claire already knew.

After the private conversation ended, "World" posted another question: "I want to know if there are any High-Sequence experts in the Sauron family of Intis."

Although the World didn't show any abnormality during the questioning, Claire noticed that the Fool was secretly observing the Sun.

It seems like he is hoping that the "Sun" in the City of Silver can answer this question?

Unfortunately, no one present, including the "Sun", reacted.

Finally, the Fool said calmly, "I can answer your questions. What can you pay me?"

The World spoke: "A formula, a Sequence 7 formula."

The fool agreed, “Yes.”

Then, the Fool arranged an environment for the two “people” to converse alone. However, during this private conversation, Claire observed that the Fool and the “world” simply stared at each other in silence…

The fool is having fun...

Claire couldn't help but hold her forehead and wanted to laugh.

Although he knew that the Fool's dual-account operation was intended to help the Tarot Club members deepen their impression of "The World", it was also to make it easier for the "World" account to ask questions that the Fool could not ask in the future.

But seeing the Fool's crazy scene, Claire couldn't help but laugh. The level of joy was comparable to the self-questioning and self-answering in the fun group on Earth.

Especially after the private conversation ended, The World even deliberately saluted the Fool in front of the other Tarot Club members and said, "Dear Mr. Fool, thank you for your answer. It is very helpful to me."

"The Fool's skillful operation of creating a small account is worth learning." Claire thought half-complaining and half-seriously.

Perhaps the multiple operations caused the Fool's spiritual energy to be consumed faster, so this gathering was shorter than usual.

At the end of the party, Audrey mustered up the courage to ask the Fool, "Dear Mr. Fool, if, I mean if, I have the opportunity to join another organization, is that possible?"

The Fool said calmly, "No problem. My only request is that you don't reveal the existence of the Tarot Club."

Audrey heaved a sigh of relief at the Fool's response, and she began to truly consider the pros and cons of joining the Nighthawks.

The Fool, whose spirituality had reached its limit, declared, "This gathering is over."

After the Fool severed the others' connection with the Gray Mist World, he looked at the remaining "world" and sighed softly:
"Having a trumpet does make things a lot more convenient, but it's a pity that the Eye of Darkness can't be used outside of the Gray Mist."

It seems that the Fool was able to use the "Eye of All Black" to unleash the Sequence 5 "Puppet Master" ability to create clones with the assistance of the power of the Gray Mist.

Claire pondered after hearing the Fool muttering:
"So, in the real world, The Fool can't create clones? Then, The Fool's own Sequence Level should currently be lower than Sequence 5." Claire was a little confused. "But if that's the case, how did The Fool kill Sequence 5 Rosago?"

Claire thought of the demigod who had killed Qilingos. Could it be that demigod again? And what was the relationship between that demigod and the Fool?

Could it really be the Fool's followers?

Watching the figures of the Fool and the "world" dissipate from the gray mist, Claire withdrew her gaze from the gray mist and warned herself:

"Although the Fool's own sequence is unlikely to be high, it should not be underestimated..."

"A mysterious world of gray fog, a powerful demigod who seems to be his subordinate. Even if the Fool is truly Klein Moretti, we must remain vigilant. The investigation into 'Sherlock Moriarty' also requires greater caution..."

After briefly recalling and organizing the information from the Tarot meeting, Claire stole a rare moment of leisure and gave herself an afternoon off.

As night fell and after dinner, Claire used the nightmare doll "Nightmare"'s ability to quickly find Jessica's dream.

"Jessica goes to bed early."

Claire knew that Jessica didn't have the habit of going to bed early before, and she went to bed so early tonight—

"He must be eager to confirm my situation..."

I want to confirm that I am still "alive", living in the goddess' kingdom.

Claire sighed and walked forward slowly.

Deep in the dream, I saw the woman looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)