Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 158 Strange People

In the quiet library, the only sound was the rustling of pages turning. After enthusiastically flipping through the book in front of her, Audrey kneaded her brows and did not look for new information.

Audrey, who longed for all extraordinary knowledge, stopped studying not because of fatigue, but because she felt confused in the ocean of knowledge.

Audrey was like a sponge immersed in the ocean. She longed to absorb all knowledge, but found that she didn't know where to start, and her absorption speed was limited.

Accidentally involved in the mysterious Tarot Club, and with the help of a potion obtained through money, Audrey embarked on an extraordinary road to freedom, but it also left her with a lack of basic knowledge.

After all, there is no opportunity to discuss boring and time-consuming extraordinary courses in the weekly Tarot Club. Unlike the Orthodox Church and secret organizations, there is no systematic learning process.

Audrey certainly consciously wanted to make up for her lack of basic skills.

However, it was difficult to distinguish the authenticity of the occult notes she collected. Those notes, filled with different versions of obscure language, made it difficult to determine whether they were written by a truly extraordinary person or just the hobby work of an occult enthusiast.

Audrey also tried to ask questions to Xio and Fors, but their situations were actually worse than Audrey's. At least Audrey had the knowledge of the Tarot Club, knew about "acting method", knew the basic laws of extraordinary people, and so on.

Claire casually picked up the latest report log of the Night Watchman. With her photographic memory, she had already swept through all the knowledge books in the information room. Only the real-time updated reports could arouse her interest.

Claire glanced at Audrey's expression and understood her current predicament.

Claire put down the journal and said, "It's normal to not know where to start. According to the Nighthawks' proper training process, newcomers like you have a period of learning under the guidance of seniors, and these seniors are all very knowledgeable."

As she spoke of this, Claire thought of Old Neil, who had introduced her to the field. That unassuming old man had a solid foundation and a humorous teaching style.

Of course, Claire's situation is actually more special.

The combination of the extraordinary memory of the "Generalist" and the extraordinary energy of the "Sleepless Man" gave Claire the ability to memorize all knowledge in her mind regardless of category.

Claire then reflected on the knowledge she had learned from Old Neil, Daly, and others, building a solid foundation for herself through learning and thinking.

Coupled with the infusion of knowledge contaminated by the sages and the awakening of knowledge from the Earth world... all these factors combined made Claire worthy of the title of "universalist". This was also one of the reasons why Claire was able to drink the promotion potion in a very short time.

In contrast, although Audrey's memory was enhanced after she became a "mind reader", it was almost impossible for her to replicate Claire's experience.

Each path has its own strengths. At low sequences, the only one who can compete with the "Generalist" and "Mystery Peeper" in knowledge learning speed is the "Reader", the main path of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Seeing Audrey's expectant gaze, Claire gave some advice:
"You must have come into contact with language, secret covenants, and rituals, but what you've learned from the secular world is mixed with a lot of fanciful imagination. You need to sort out this knowledge first."

"On shelf three are four books that explain the fundamentals of intimacy and ritual, while on shelf seven is a book called 'Languages ​​that Unlock Extraordinary Powers,' which gives beginners a general understanding of the connection between various languages ​​and natural forces."

Following Claire's instructions, Audrey took the corresponding books from each shelf. Although she found it hard to imagine Claire replicating all the books here into her memory, she also admired Claire's familiarity with this reference room.

Claire looked at Audrey, who was eager to flip through the book and study immediately, and chuckled as she added, "Books are the best teachers, but for beginners, a guide is just as important. In our team, Daly and I are the only ones who have the time to teach you right now. But even we're very busy, so we can only find time to study when we have time."

Claire had considered using the identity of "Viper" Flora to contact and teach Audrey, which would help her realize the identity of Flora.

But Audrey is an extraordinary person in the audience's way, a "mind reader".

Given Claire's current level of disguise, how could she dare to spend any extended time with Audrey...

I'm afraid that before she could finish explaining even the simplest piece of knowledge, Audrey would have seen through her identity as "Viper".

Claire had no intention of becoming a "living teaching material" to show Audrey what a poor pretender was.

"Of course, if you're willing to reveal your secular identity, I can request a senior Nighthawk to systematically teach you for a period of time. This is the treatment and benefits that new Nighthawks should have."

After a while of thought, Audrey finally decided to follow the captain in front of her. She was not yet ready to confess everything to her family.

Besides, she also wanted to get in touch with Galadilla more. Deep down, she had not given up the idea of ​​getting Galadilla to join the Tarot Club.

Just as Audrey was expressing her thoughts, Claire was suddenly startled.

The "Heart of the Goddess" in Claire's chest palpitated for a moment. At the same time, Claire felt a familiar breath emerging from a corner of St. Samuel's Church.

Is this... the holy coffin?
The mysterious connection confirmed to Claire that this was not an illusion. The holy coffin that had made her feel so silent was truly brought to Backlund, right here in Saint Samuel's Church!
But, wasn't the Holy Coffin brought back to the temple in the Amanda Mountains by Her Highness Arianna? How did it appear here again?
Did Her Highness Arianna come to Backlund again? Claire found it unlikely. If it was Her Highness Arianna, she probably wouldn't have been able to sense this familiar aura, unless she had deliberately exposed it to her.

Claire thought of the Nighthawks' chief leader, Lady Alicia, who had recently passed the Holy Temple's review and was awarded the Holy Relic.

Could it be that the holy object Alicia was bestowed with was the Holy Coffin? Although Claire knew rationally that the Holy Coffin was originally the property of the church and not her personal belongings, she still felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.

"Captain Galadilla, what's wrong?" Audrey asked, puzzled by Claire's sudden distraction.

Claire smiled and said, "I suddenly thought of something else... Well, let's continue arranging your studies. But, Audrey, you should also be clear about why I specially recruited you into my team, right?"

"Of course." Audrey smiled lightly, unburdened by any psychological burden. She took out the card that seemed to have "The Fool's Name" written on it from her pocket. "As long as you, Captain Galadria, accept it, everything behind me will be revealed to you."

Claire pretended to decline the offer, ignoring the card in Audrey's hand and said:
"Your intelligence is very important to me. After reading the reports on the two operations against the Aurora Society, you can probably guess how much merit I gained from relying on that intelligence. This is the main reason why I recruited you into the team."

In reality, Audrey only had a blank piece of paper in her hand. She simply wanted to suppress Claire's aura this way. Believing she had achieved her goal, Audrey retracted the card and said with a smile, "I'm someone who prefers equal exchange. And I've also seen Captain Galadilla's sincerity... You will get something in return from me."

Afterwards, Claire decided to give Audrey a make-up class based on the current books, so that she could systematically re-understand the foundation of extraordinary knowledge.

"...With these foundations, you can try your hand at ritual magic and spell-making."

Just as the two were communicating closely, an uninvited guest broke into the data room with an almost rude attitude.

"Captain Galadilla, so you are here. It took me so long to find you." The voice was sweet, but it sounded so artificial that it gave the listener goose bumps.

Claire looked back in confusion and saw a brown-haired woman in formal attire calling her name: "Who... are you?"

Claire, with her photographic memory, naturally recognized the woman in front of her as a Nightwatchman, but Claire, always busy, had never actually asked for her name. The beautiful and capable woman stared at Claire, seemingly incredulous that she didn't even recognize her. She took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "Captain Galadria, I'm Sequence 6, Necromancer, Messeri Doherty. I'm Her Excellency Alicia's assistant."

Messerli placed a strong emphasis on "Sequence 6".

Claire sensed the malice in the woman's words and asked in confusion, "Does the Night Watcher system even have an assistant officer position? Team members, captains, archdiocesan leaders... When did the Night Watchers, who face danger head-on, have this bloated middle management hierarchy?"

Meseri was speechless for a moment. Her assistant position was formed as a result of Alicia's delegation of power and was not included in the Nighthawks system.

But having been an "assistant officer" for so long, Meseri has encountered some troublemakers who disobeyed orders.

Whenever this happened, she only needed to put on enough airs and rely on the difference in status to subdue the other party.

Even if there were still those who were dissatisfied, after the incident became public, they would be reprimanded by her according to the Backlund Diocese's Nighthawks management regulations.

Accustomed to Alicia's delegation of power, Messeri believed that she was in control of the rules of the Night Watchmen in Backlund Parish.

Messeri sneered as usual, "No matter what you say, you can't change the fact that I'm handling some 'miscellaneous tasks' for Lady Alicia. Galadria, you recently expanded your team without completing the corresponding procedures. I order you to complete the files of your Nighthawks within today! Otherwise..."

Messeri didn't finish his words, but the threat was strong.

Hearing this, Claire looked at Meseri in confusion. Although she sensed that this woman had ill intentions, she hadn't expected her to say such vulgar words...

Seeing Claire's confused look, Meseri thought this "country bumpkin" who had appeared out of nowhere didn't understand her careful words. She "mercifully" repeated them.

Audrey, who was standing by, heard these words again and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Messeri's eyes turned cold as he glared at Audrey, who had disguised herself. "Are you the new unknown person recruited by Galadilla? You're actually smiling like that. Do you know that I can, according to regulations, detain someone like you with unknown origins for investigation?"

This time, Claire also laughed out loud.

Claire laughed and apologized to Audrey, saying, "I really didn't expect the Nighthawks had dogs. This doesn't fit my understanding of the Nighthawks. I'm just too inexperienced."

"Galadia?!"

Messeri couldn't believe that Galadilla would say such contradictory words to her!
In Messeri's eyes, Galadriel was just a Sequence 7. She was below her in both status and sequence, not to mention that she controlled the rules!

How dare Galadilla say such a thing!

Audrey also responded with a smile, "Captain Galadilla, from the perspective of someone like me who owns a dog, your words seem to be insulting to dogs..."

Audrey continued with a sigh, "It's not surprising that a large organization will inevitably become bloated. But Captain Galadilla, you always talked about the advantages of joining the church, but never mentioned this disadvantage. Now it seems a bit unfair."

When Messeri broke in, she saw that the two men were not afraid but were teasing each other. This scene was completely beyond her expectations and even made her thinking stop.

Messeri reacted, his well-kept face livid with anger. He said coldly to Claire, "I suspect this unidentified person is a member of a secret organization! Galadilla! I order you to subdue her for investigation!"

Claire scratched her head and sighed, then said, "Ms. Doherty, let's not talk about whether the Nighthawks have the so-called rules you mentioned. You have to understand that you are a Nighthawk, and I am a Red Glove. If you have any questions, you should go to Crested Cecima and let him 'guide' my work."

"Do you think I don't dare to look for it?" Meseri suddenly screamed.

The scream made Claire's eardrums vibrate.

Just when Claire thought that Messeri would not be able to help but take action to solve the problem, she did not expect that he would just leave in anger.

Claire was even more surprised by Meseri's reaction.

"I think there's something wrong with this Meseri." Claire frowned slightly.

Audrey, who hadn't yet developed any feelings for the Nighthawks or the Red Gloves, shrugged and said, "What's the problem? Shouldn't there be people like this among the Nighthawks?"

Claire shook her head and said:

"Audrey, you don't understand the Nighthawks yet. There aren't many of them. Even in the Backlund Diocese, the total number of Beyonders in the Goddess Church is less than a hundred. Yet, this small number has to face all sorts of dangerous incidents in the vast Backlund Diocese, and even spread to the surrounding areas..."

"The Nighthawks are a group of pitiful creatures fighting against madness, but they are also guardians... With such responsibilities, it is impossible for such people to be born."

Audrey tidied up the books on the table and said, "Maybe he's crazy. Didn't Emperor Roselle say, 'It's not the profession that's noble, it's the person who's noble.' Speaking of which... do I need to leave here early? Are you really sending me on some kind of search?"

Although Audrey was confident that the Tarot Club was a high-level, mysterious gathering that wouldn't be easily discovered, she couldn't say for sure what methods the Church of the Evernight Goddess might have. After all, no matter how high the Fool's status was, her personal talent was only Sequence 8.

Claire shook her head and said, "I don't know much about Alicia from the Nighthawks, but Lord Cesimar wouldn't do such a thing. No matter how she talks, she can't get her hands inside the red gloves."

But after thinking about Messeri's seemingly abnormal state, Claire said cautiously, "But for safety's sake, I'd better take you home first. I'll tell you later, while I figure out the source of this inexplicable hostility."

……

On the other side, Tessa secretly suspected that the person at the party might be the new member of the Tarot Club, "The World", but she had no intention of showing up to meet him. If it was the familiar "Hanged Man" or "Justice", Tessa would be somewhat interested.

"However, including 'Justice', 'The Hanged Man', myself, and Claire, who somehow cut off contact... except for 'The Sun', all the members are actually active in Backlund. Now even the new member 'The World' is in Backlund. Does The Fool have some plans for Backlund?"

"Even if the Hanged Man has gone out to sea again, the whereabouts of the Tarot Club members are too closely aligned. This can't just be some kind of coincidence, right?"

Tessa pondered in her heart that at the weekly gathering, the Fool openly expressed his hostility towards the "True Creator," even calling him the "Fallen Creator."

"Is it possible that the Fool is targeting the true Creator?" Tessa couldn't help but think of this as she recalled some clues she had heard from the Witch Sect.

(End of this chapter)