Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 165 Trading
Through the layers of gray fog, Claire saw the blurry figure of the Hanged Man sitting up slightly. She asked Tessa, "According to my information, there's a mysterious figure hiding behind Beth Lyonness. My question is, who is that person?"

Tessa shrugged and said, "I thought you were more interested in asking for a list of the dignitaries who had dealings with Beth Lyonness... Unfortunately, I don't know who they are."

The Hanged Man frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "You read Beth Lyonness's memories, how could you not know?"

Tessa chuckled and said lazily:
"In this strange and crazy world, there are ways to make the dead speak, and naturally there are also ways to keep secrets after death. Although I have learned many things from Beth's memories and can confirm that there is such a person hiding behind Beth Lyonness, I have not obtained any memories related to this person. The only information I have is..."

Tessa paused, her tone becoming more subtle. "In Beth's memory, a female voice always echoed in her ears saying 'more, more'. It was like spiritual pollution."

"'More, more'..." The Hanged Man murmured doubtfully, "So it can be confirmed that it's a female?"

Tessa shrugged. "I can't guarantee that. The voice might have been processed. And it's not impossible for a man to be dressed as a woman."

The Hanged Man sighed with a headache. "Although your answer is far from what I expected, I will abide by the agreement and find a way to find the medullary crystal of the Elven Spring."

Claire listened to the two people's incoherent conversation and felt confused. She had thought that they were talking about people in the kingdom's upper echelons, such as the leader of the Conservative Party and other political figures, but from their subsequent conversations, it seemed that was not the case.

The person they were talking about was more like an extraordinary person hidden deeper.

At this moment, Tessa added with a smile, "You won't be disappointed. Although I don't know the identity of that person, Beth Lyonness is helping the royal family with human trafficking."

"Royal family? Human trafficking?" The Hanged Man said in astonishment.

"Yes, I don't have many memories of this part, but if you want to confirm this matter in depth, you can start with a human trafficker named 'Kapin'."

"Kapin..." The Hanged Man repeated in a low voice, as if thinking deeply.

Kapin!

Claire thought of Daly's report that Beth and Capin knew each other, and that Hugh had mentioned that Capin was a human trafficker protected by a mysterious and powerful person. The multiple disappearances of young girls in Backlund were suspected to be related to Capin.

Beth, Capin, the powerful, the royal family...

Due to her memories and upbringing on Earth, Claire didn't have a very good impression of the royal family, but she also found it hard to understand why the royal family was involved in such shady human trafficking.

Over the years, the royal family of the Kingdom of Loen has gained enormous profits from the Industrial Revolution and the colonization of the southern continent, surpassing the Republic of Intis, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

The Loen royal family should not be involved in such a thing that tarnishes their honor for the sake of the slave trade. If such a thing were to be exposed in this era, it would even shake the Augustus royal family's regime!
This is not a world where kingship is supreme!

Although the gods are not omniscient and omnipotent, the wrath of the gods is not something that the royal families in the secular world can bear.

The orthodox doctrines generally contain provisions for protecting ordinary people. The three major churches of Storm, Night, and Machinery will not allow Loen's orthodox regime to be involved in such matters.

Even if the Loen royal family was jealous of the profits of the slave trade, why didn't they conduct it in the southern continent or overseas?
Why did they have to raise slave traders in Backlund, right under the church's nose?
Is this the behavior of individuals in the royal family, or the will of the entire royal family?
Did King George III know about this?

"If I get the materials, I'll tell you where to pick them up at the next party." The Hanged Man ended his private conversation with Tessa.

But at this moment, The World also asked the Fool to communicate alone with The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man was a little impatient, and a hint of imperceptible contempt flashed across his eyes when he glanced at The World. He really had no interest in the formula of The One Without Darkness, so why did The World want to trade with him again and again?
But this time, The World said calmly, "I can trade with you the secrets of the top level of the sequence."

Top of the sequence!

The Hanged Man shifted his posture slightly and answered carefully, "I know some of the secrets of the top levels of the Sequence. How can you ensure there's no overlap? How can you be sure the secret you're talking about is worth as much as the Evil-Striped Black Panther's cerebrospinal fluid and the Spirit Spring's medullary crystals?"

"We will each give the top secrets of the sequences we know to Mr. Fool. He will compare them for duplication and confirm their value..."

The members of the Tarot Club all witnessed the World sincerely expressing its request to the Fool and receiving the Fool's response.

The other Tarot Club members witnessed "The Hanged Man" and "The World" each materialize a piece of parchment.

The Sun was curious and restrained, but he didn't think this was something he should explore at the moment.

Audrey's eyes were filled with envy, but her recent cash flow was limited. She wanted to pay the "Queen" as soon as possible, and she also planned to confess Qilingos's ten thousand pound bounty to the Fool. She really couldn't afford to spend money lavishly to buy information.

Tessa took the initiative to ask The World to participate in the transaction: "Mr. World, can I participate in this transaction? I can pay the corresponding value in information or gold pounds."

The World respectfully handed the manifested parchment to the Fool, then turned to Tessa and said calmly, "I'm not interested in your news, and even less so in your money."

The parchments representing The World and The Hanged Man flashed into the Fool's hands.

Claire observed the parchment on the Hanged Man. It said, "The path to godhood lies hidden at the top of the sequence."

The parchment of "the world" is, of course, blank.

The Fool chuckled softly at The Hanged Man and said, "I'm not being repetitive. To most Beyonders, the secrets Mr. World provides are of little value. But in the eyes of some, they are of vital importance, beyond measure."

Fools are somewhat sinister.

Claire guessed what information the Fool was planning to trade with The Hanged Man.

In fact, the Fool's deal was fair, because this news was indeed as the Fool said, and in the eyes of some people, it was extremely important.

These people included Claire herself, The Hanged Man, and all the ambitious people...

Because these words originated from the Sequence 0 knowledge in Emperor Roselle's diary—

The Fool materialized a passage on the parchment presented by the World:

"Above Sequence 1 is Sequence 0!"

"Sequence 0 is the sequence of true gods!" "This can also be promoted through corresponding potions and rituals!"

When the Hanged Man saw these sentences, his pupils dilated noticeably, and his suppressed emotions leaked out as trembling in his body.

Claire watched the Hanged Man's reaction and sighed inwardly. She understood the Hanged Man's excitement at the moment.

This is "ambition".

The Tarot Club members around him also saw the Hanged Man's misconduct. While they were more curious about the secret provided by the "world", they also had more respect for the "world".

But the "world" has no intention of continuing to trade on this news.

The "Hanged Man" also leaned back in his chair, trying to calm down and digest this knowledge that had broken his upper limit.

Unfortunately, Mr. World isn't short of money... Audrey looked away lingeringly, no longer imagining the secrets of the top level of the Sequence. She said to Tessa, "Ms. Queen, I've received the information you revealed using Beth Lyonness's head. I will send you the balance as soon as possible."

Audrey paused, still feeling a bit excited at the moment. She had imagined the Justice Card being stuck in Beth's head many times. She suppressed her emotions and said modestly, "Your imaginative artistic act has set the social scene in Backlund on fire, but it also has the potential to expose our Tarot Club to the public."

Audrey turned to the Fool at the head of the group and said, "Dear Mr. Fool, do you think the Queen's actions are appropriate? Can we still be active in the real world as the Tarot Club?"

The Fool responded gently, "Yes."

Klein naturally had his reasons for agreeing to this. He disguised his real-world identity as a Follower of the Fool so that he could gain more support from Tarot Club members of various identities.

The Fool's response excited Audrey: "This means that in the future, after some sensational event, we can appropriately reveal the existence of the Tarot Club! Just like the Queen did this time!"
Audrey briefly imagined a future where the Tarot Club would be praised by the public, and then said to the Fool, "Dear Mr. Fool, I have something else to report to you regarding the recruitment of new members."

In a private conversation, Audrey told the Fool about Xio and Fors, and explained that Fors was very likely to not survive the full moon on Wednesday.

Claire, who was listening in, seemed surprised—it turned out that Quinn had also asked Audrey for help...

It seems that Xio is really anxious. He dares to ask for help without knowing the true identity of the organization behind Audrey.

But... the Fool did solve the problem of mumbling.

Claire still remembered the first time she landed in the Gray Mist World. The whispers in her ears completely disappeared, leaving her with a rare moment of peace. It was because of this rare peace that she initially formed a mysterious and powerful impression of the Fool.

The gray fog world could even block out the whispers of evil gods and hidden sages. The mysterious existence Fors encountered was likely no higher than that of a god.

In the gray fog world, the Fool and Miss Justice were conversing alone.

"Whispers are just a common way of conveying information," the Fool said with a gentle smile. "Actually, whispers themselves aren't dangerous. Perhaps the whisperer simply wants to talk to this young lady."

Is the mumbling itself not dangerous?

Audrey was surprised and said, "But according to the description, Miss Fors is almost driven crazy and out of control by her mumbling..."

The Fool patiently explained:

"This is because the lady's life level is too far from that of the person who whispered. She cannot bear this kind of communication, so she is driven to the brink of madness by the whispering."

"Miss Justice, as you said, these mumblings typically last three to five minutes each time, and during a blood moon, they only lasted a little over seven minutes."

"You can have her recite my name and let her come above this gray fog. Here, she will be free from the influence of the whispers."

Mr. Fool is willing to help! Audrey thought happily and said quickly, "Mr. Fool, thank you for your kindness!"

"Recite the Honorable Name of the Fool... But Lord Cecima also said that he would invite Alicia, the holder of the 'Holy Coffin', to Fors on Wednesday." Claire thought awkwardly, if she didn't bother two people with the same thing, she might end up in trouble.

"Let's give Xio a subtle reminder..." Claire sighed at first, but suddenly thought, maybe this is an opportunity for Xio to join the Tarot Club!
But it takes a little work.

"If Xio successfully joins the Tarot Club, I can guide some things from the side without being exposed. It's like the Fool with a secondary account." Claire thought to herself.

In the free exchange that followed, the "Sun" boy consulted the Fool about the "True Creator" and learned that the "True Creator" possessed the means of secret prayer. This news had a great impact on the "Sun" boy, causing him to sit up straight.

At this gathering, the "Hanged Man", who was in great debt but in a very good mood, told the Tarot Club members some stories about the ocean for free, and introduced the four "Pirate Kings" and six "Pirate Generals" on the ocean.

Nast, the "King of the Five Seas" who claims to be a descendant of the Solomon Empire, owns the terrifying ghost ship "Black Emperor" left over from the Solomon Empire.

Half human, half god, the hostess of the "Dawn", the "Queen of Mystery".

The "Immortal King" has a bounty of 10 pounds for a single country. It is rumored that the "Immortal King" has drunk water from the Fountain of Youth and owns a mysterious ship called the "Death Report".

……

The six pirate generals are: Admiral Ludwell of Hell, Admiral Cattleya of Stars, Admiral Senior of Blood, Vice Admiral Hal Constantine of the Deep Sea, Vice Admiral Edwina Edwards of the Iceberg, and Vice Admiral Ivan Bulatov of Dusk.

"Tracy, the 'Disease Girl' who was once a lone pirate, conquered Qilingos's fleet last month, replacing him and becoming the seventh pirate general on the sea, with the title 'Vice Admiral of Disease'!"

The Hanged Man introduced her enviously, "'Disease Girl' is a Sequence 5 warrior, skilled in using curses, black fire, and frost. Those who oppose her often suffer from sudden illnesses of all kinds."

Black fire, frost?
Claire felt that this was somewhat like the "Assassin" approach.

Could it be that Lieutenant General of Disease was a Sequence 5 of the Assassin pathway? Claire turned her gaze to Tessa. The woman was calm, showing no signs of abnormality.

When the party ended, Claire opened her eyes, her lifeless eyes returning to a deep state. "The most important thing these past two days was the party at the Oak Leaf Bar. I hope this party will help me digest the Appraiser potion even more. I need to speed up my advancement..."

"Also, how do we arrange for Xio to join the Tarot Club..."

(End of this chapter)