Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 193 The Card of Blasphemy
Above the eternal gray fog.

Six blurry figures, tinged with a reddish hue, gathered before the ancient bronze table, and a new round of tarot readings began.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool; good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man."

[Justice] As usual, Audrey stood up and greeted everyone, her eyes sweeping over each member.

The Tarot Club has grown in number. At first, it was just her and the Hanged Man. Later, the Sun joined the club. He came from a strange place beyond her comprehension, the "Forsaken Land," a place without sunlight, illuminated only by constantly flashing lightning.

Next to join the Tarot Club was Fors, an extraordinary individual Audrey had met in real life. Fors was unaware that Audrey had introduced him, and naturally, he didn't know that Justice was Audrey herself.

The latest addition was the indifferent [World]. Unlike the others, he didn't sit on one side of the bronze table, but at the far end, facing Mr. Fool.

Before this, Mr. Fool arranged the members on both sides of the long table according to their gender, with the men on one side and the women on the other.

Why is Mr. World sitting across the long table? Is it because he happens to be the last card in the Tarot deck?
Audrey made a casual guess and ended the usual greeting.

Leaning back on the bronze bench, she felt a long-lost sense of ease. Her confinement period was over; once the Tarot meeting ended, she would find Fors and Hugh in the real world and hire them as her bodyguards, thus giving her mother an explanation.

The gathering officially began, and as is customary, it started with Mr. Fool's reading time. Everyone presented this mysterious and powerful organizer of the gathering with Roselle's diary for him to read, and in return, Mr. Fool would offer them help or answer their questions.

"Dear Mr. Fool, it's still six pages this time."

Alger Wilson, the Hanged Man, dressed in the robes of the Church of Storms, bowed humbly to the Fool and spoke respectfully.

"can."

Mr. Fool, also known as Klein, the master of the gray mist, nodded slightly as he watched the other party conjure six parchment sheets covered in Roselle script. With a thought, the six sheets vanished instantly and were transferred to his hand.

Klein looked down and flipped through the diary pages.

The six pages of Russell's diary contain a wealth of information. The first page mentions his two sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Charles, and second son, Bonova, both inherited his extraordinary traits and were extraordinary individuals on the same path as him from birth. His eldest daughter, Bernadette, was more fortunate; her parents were of lower order at birth and did not inherit the traits, allowing her to freely choose her path.

The high-ranking diviner Zarathustra prophesied that his daughter would become a great figure in the mystical world.

The following entries in the diary record important information that Roselle obtained in the mystical world, including his learning about some extraordinary families with a thousand-year history, attending a gathering where even names could not be mentioned, and his creation of the "Blasphemy Card".

"The Blasphemy Sign"?
Klein read Russell's diary and was filled with longing.

It turns out that the gathering this time traveler attended possessed the "Blasphemy Tablet," which contained knowledge of all pathways. As a member, Roselle naturally learned about the potion recipes and rituals of each pathway.

In order to fight against the unknown forces, Roselle created twenty-two "Desecration Cards," burying all the secrets of various paths within them.

The greatest secret of the blasphemous card is that above the sequence there is a sequence 0, which is the true god!

The idea that mortals can become gods is the greatest blasphemy!

"You can start."

Having read through the six diary entries and been deeply moved by the information they contained, Klein tried to remain calm and began the rest of the party's proceedings.

During the trading session, everyone sought to purchase potion recipes and materials corresponding to their respective sequences, including Klein, who manipulated the [World] puppet to buy materials for the "Magician" potion. Although he hadn't saved enough money yet, he prioritized the purchase and asked everyone to keep an eye out for him.

"In addition, I also intend to sell a Sequence 8, the 'Sheriff's' extraordinary trait."

After that, he spoke again.

Extraordinary trait? Yes, Miss Justice told me before that it's equivalent to the main ingredient of a potion in the corresponding sequence. Wait, "Sheriff"? Isn't that what Hugh has been looking for lately?
[The Magician] Fors first recalled the definition of extraordinary materials, and then was quickly drawn to the more crucial words within them.

"How much are you planning to sell it for?" she asked.

"600 pounds."

After a moment's thought, Klein decided not to raise the price and to sell it at the normal price.

"I bought it."

Upon hearing that the price was reasonable, Fowles immediately agreed, "Well, I don't have enough cash right now. I hope you can wait a while."

Actually, she needed to discuss it with Xiu before she could make the purchase.

“Sure, when you have the money, ask Mr. Fool for help.” Klein nodded, manipulating the World.

While they were trading, Audrey (Justice) and Alger (The Hanged Man) simultaneously noticed something amiss.

"Sheriff"? Isn't that the "arbitrator" route?
Audrey thought to herself, this pathway is firmly controlled by members of the royal family, ancient nobles, and the military. How did Mr. [The World] obtain it? Could it be that he killed the relevant extraordinary individuals?
Alger had a similar thought. He glanced at the mysterious Mr. World without making a sound, trying to glean some clues from him.

It's okay if they realize something's wrong; they won't go around telling everyone, and even if they do, they won't be able to pinpoint my location through the fog.

Klein noticed their gazes and thought to himself.

After the transaction process was completed, the free discussion session followed.

"Gentlemen, a major event has recently occurred in Backlund."

[Justice] Audrey looked around at everyone and spoke first, "A notorious kidnapper, Kapin, has been murdered. In many rumors, he is considered to be the biggest human trafficker in Backlund and often used kidnapped girls to entertain certain corrupt officials in order to gain their protection."

"At the Capin Villa, during a banquet attended by many guests, someone sneaked in and committed a sensational mass murder, rescuing all the victimized girls. More than one hundred people died as a result, and they died cleanly, leaving not a trace."

Audrey's clear voice echoed above the gray fog, and everyone fell silent, clearly shocked by the seriousness of the situation.

"I saw in the newspaper that it only said 'missing'."

Alger whispered.

"That's because no bodies were found."

Audrey replied, "According to my inside information, there was a lot of blood in the villa at the time, as much as a river."

"It sounds like the ability of the 'Rose Bishop'."

"The Sun," Derrick said somewhat uncertainly.

"The Aurora Society? No, the Aurora Society wouldn't do something like saving people. They would only kill everyone or convert them into believers of the true Creator."

Alger frowned slightly.

He suddenly remembered the cases of missing island natives in the southern seas that he had been paying attention to recently. They were also related to human trafficking. Could there be a connection between the two?

　In the original story, it was the world's most advanced Tarot society, followed by the Magician. This book, due to a different plot development, changes it to the Magician first, then the world.

　　In addition, this chapter includes some plot points from the original work; it's not filler. These are background elements, and it's necessary to include them. Moreover, including them makes the plot flow smoothly and better connects the preceding and following text.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)