Mystery: The Ultimate Tarot

Chapter 394 Questions and Answers at the Tarot Meeting

At the Tarot meeting.

Raphael considered that there were also members of the church among the Tarot Society members, so he did not go into detail about the most disgusting aspects of the church. He only explained to "Justice" Audrey why the church was more restrained in its economic activities.

Raphael concluded, "If the Church wants to get involved in the economic sphere, they will quickly monopolize many industries. And when the economic lifeline of a country is in the hands of the Church, there will be no need for secular governments to exist."

The church now realizes that it is easier for secular governments to manage believers, and it certainly won't do something that "turns back the clock of history."

Things.

"Justice" Audrey nodded, indicating that she understood, since any activity cannot function without economic support.

"Star" Leonard said, "Therefore, official extraordinary individuals can only investigate a particular extraordinary case after they have evidence or have received a report. This is a tacit understanding between the church and secular authorities."

"The problem now is that this scam hasn't shown any flaws yet, and because it involves the interests of many people, almost everyone who has invested is spreading positive news about it."

At this point, Leonard glanced at "The Devil" Raphael.

They had no reason to intervene.

Raphael shrugged: Is it my fault?

Seeing that Raphael didn't respond, Leonard took a deep breath and asked, "When will this scam end?"

Raphael smiled and said, "I've already extricated myself from this scam."

, 7

"What?" Leonard asked, somewhat surprised. "That—that—"

So why is this scam still going on?

Sitting at the head of the table, "The Fool" Klein thought to himself: The truly terrifying aspect of a Ponzi scheme has been revealed. Even if the mastermind has already left with enough money, the accomplices will still continue the scam in order to recoup their losses.

To recoup their losses, these wealthy individuals would then target relatively ordinary wealthy individuals, who in turn would target the middle class, until finally, when no one else was fooled anymore, the scam would end.

Klein decided that if things really escalated to this point, he had to intervene.

Raphael said to Leonard, "Don't worry, it won't be long before I expose this scam myself."

"At that time, we may need your cooperation to amplify the impact of this matter and make people immediately aware of the harm of this new scam."

Leonard's expression was grim: "You'd better hurry up."

"Star" sounded somewhat annoyed at this, while the other members listened quietly to their conversation, offering no attempt to intervene.

Or rather, the other members had no obligation to dissuade them. In previous tarot meetings, only Mr. "The Moon" and Mr. "The Sun" had any obvious conflicts, but their conflicts were more like arguments between two children, because after some things were disputed, they each went back to find evidence in hopes of refuting the other.

The other members were happy to see such a debate, because they could glean a lot of information from it.

However, the argument between "Star" and "Demon" is slightly different. One is an official Extraordinary, and the other is a member of a secret organization, inherently carrying irreconcilable contradictions. But ultimately, the Tarot Club is a mysterious gathering, so the others will not take the initiative to resolve the conflicts between other members.

In the past, "righteous" Audrey would definitely have tried to dissuade them, but now she wouldn't speak up easily, because once she did, she would inevitably take sides. So unless an argument broke out, she wouldn't speak up now.

Raphael leaned back in his chair and said, "To be honest, I don't think there's anything wrong with what I did. When a war ends, many people die and many others lose all their possessions."

"But the privileged class in this country is even richer than before. Don't you find that strange?"

Leonard replied, "This is normal economic activity—or rather, nobody cares how you make money off them, but you can't use illegal means."

Raphael said unhurriedly, "But much of their wealth was acquired through illegal means, as you should be well aware."

At this point, he suddenly raised his hand, signaling to Leonard, who was about to argue, that he had something else to say: "The real conflict between us doesn't lie with these nobles and the wealthy. As the maintainer and advocate of order, you don't want my actions to disrupt the current social order. That's where our real conflict lies."

Leonard thought for a moment and then nodded: "You're right."

He didn't show any special consideration to the nobles and the wealthy, but he felt that letting Raphael continue like this would cause social unrest, and the ordinary people would suffer the most.

"Then you can rest assured." Raphael smiled and said, "This scam will only cause turmoil among the upper echelons of Rune, because the minimum investment amount I set makes it impossible for ordinary people to participate, so it will not cause panic throughout society."

Leonard paused for a moment before saying, "That would be best."

Raphael did not continue the topic, because he felt that this was enough of an explanation and there was no need to report the progress of his deception to anyone.

Then Leonard casually asked Raphael, "Do you know where the Western Continent is?"

What? The Western Continent?

Alger, the "Hanged Man" who had been silent until now, immediately sat up straight and listened attentively to the conversation between the two.

Klein and "The Hermit" Cattleya both knew about Raphael's connection to the Western Continent and showed no surprise, but the others all looked at "The Devil".

Previously, Mr. "World" briefly mentioned news about the Western Continent at the Tarot meeting, and everyone then realized that the legendary Western Continent really existed.

It is said that when Emperor Roselle was young, he once sailed to search for this mysterious continent.

But no one knows exactly where this continent is. It is clearly more mysterious than the "Forsaken Land".

Raphael smiled and said, "That's right."

"Star" Leonard then asked, "Did you make a special deal with the Church of War, selling them some very special information?"

Leonard had considered speaking with "Demon" alone, but then he realized that if he had misjudged the situation and the new member "Demon" was unaware of the situation on the Western Continent, then their private conversation would have to end.

In that case, it would be better to have an open discussion and treat it as a topic. That way, even if we can't get information from the "demon," we might still be able to get the information we need from other members.

After all, the church's claim was very vague, only saying that he could find relevant clues, but Leonard didn't know who would get these clues from.

Raphael said again, "That's right."

Leonard breathed a sigh of relief; then there was no way out.

He immediately turned to the head of the long bronze table and said in a humble tone, "Honorable Mr. Fool, I wish to speak with Mr. Demon alone."

Alger the Hanged Man and Fors the Magician were somewhat disappointed. They had originally planned to listen in properly, but why did they suddenly have to have a private conversation?

"The Fool" Klein said, "Okay."

With a wave of his hand, he created a private space for "Demon" and "Star" to communicate.

Whether they spoke privately or privately, it didn't stop Mr. Fool from eavesdropping.

After establishing a separate space, "Star" Leonard said to "Demon," "The information about your deal with the Church of War isn't complete, is it?"

Raphael replied calmly, "That's right."

Leonard finally revealed his purpose: "I hope to trade you for the complete information."

Klein, who was eavesdropping, thought to himself: Is this guy seriously ill? He was already planning to make a deal with someone else, so why did he have to stick his neck out and argue with the other party before?

Raphael hadn't expected this: they almost got into a fight just now, and now he wants to make a deal with me?

Leonard, the "star," didn't think anything was wrong. He believed it was his duty to maintain order in Backlund, and it was also his duty to inquire about the situation in the Western Continent and the information.

Raphael pondered for a moment before saying, "Okay."

At the time, he was making a deal with the Church of War and had the idea of ​​making a deal with the Church of Night as well.

The argument just now will not affect his plans.

Leonard, nicknamed "Star," asked, "What kind of reward do you hope to receive?"

Raphael said earnestly, "I need the help of the Goddess of Night."

Klein, who was behind the gray fog, was taken aback: Are you taking this opportunity to raise the price?

Leonard thought for a moment before saying, "I need to consult with my superiors about this matter."

Klein was somewhat surprised: He actually dared to agree!

In his memory, Leonard may occasionally seem a bit dull, but his intelligence is definitely not a problem; in fact, he is even smarter than the average person.

Leonard's lack of negotiation at this point immediately led Klein to suspect something: "The Goddess of the Night" was also paying attention to this matter! What kind of information could it be that even the goddess was following it?

Leonard, nicknamed "Star," then asked, "How should I contact you after the results are in?"

His question clearly indicated that he did not want to proceed with the next transaction through Mr. "Fool".

It wasn't that Leonard didn't trust Mr. "Fool," but rather that the transaction of that information might be watched by the angels of the church—or even by the "goddess."

Although Leonard's problems were almost out in the open, the church's higher-ups never intended to expose him, so he still had to pretend.

Raphael said, "Write to me."

He then told Leonard how to summon his messenger.

After hearing the description of "Raphael Collins' messenger," Leonard was completely certain of the "devil's" true identity.

This didn't surprise him at all, since he had already guessed it was Raphael.

After exchanging contact information, the two parties concluded their one-on-one conversation.

The other members carefully observed "Star" and "Demon," but of course, they couldn't glean any clues from their expressions and body language.

After a second or two of silence, "The Magician" Fors asked, "Mr. Demon, where exactly is the Western Continent located?"

Then she smiled and said, "I'm just curious. If it's inconvenient to say, that's fine."

"Convenient," Raphael said. "West of the 'Sea of ​​Mist'."

The members exchanged glances. Indeed, some legends about the Western Continent say that it is located at the end of the "Misty Sea".

Even Alger, the "Hanged Man," couldn't help but ask, "How can we cross that sea?"

He had heard that the sea was shrouded in fog all year round, and that one would inevitably get lost if one ventured deep into it.

That's a place as dangerous as the raging sea. Some secret organizations have mastered some of the safe routes there and found some islands where they have secretly established their headquarters.

It is said that the island of Lasha, ruled by the "Mysterious Queen," and the headquarters of the "Morse Ascetic Order" are both shrouded in mist.

"No one has been able to get through there yet." Raphael resisted the urge to look at Mr. Fool: "For a long time to come, it may be impossible to get there from the real world."

Alger said "Oh," and then added, "I understand."

After finishing this topic, Raphael finally had a chance to look at "The Sun" Derrick: "Do you still have anyone stationed outside the Giants' Court?"

"Yes," Derrick said after a moment's hesitation. "We've established a permanent outpost there, and it's always been garrisoned there."

Raphael hummed in agreement and continued, "The residents of Sen'er City—the city that worships the Lord of Evil Desire—may arrive there within the next month. I hope you can communicate effectively with them to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."

Derrick sat up straight immediately: "That's no problem. Um—do you need Silver City to provide food and water?"

Although he had never been to Sen'er City, or even heard of it, he immediately felt a sense of kinship with the inhabitants of the land forsaken by the gods.

If necessary, Derrick would ask Silver City to make preparations in advance, and he believed that the other elders of Silver City would not object.

The other members then realized that the people of Sen'er City were about to emerge from the land forsaken by the gods.

Alger the Hanged Man thought to himself: Before long, there will be another mysterious organization that worships the Lord of Evil Desire.

Caldelia, who knew about Sen'er City, thought to herself: Sen'er City's extraordinary power is about the same as that of a medium-sized extraordinary organization. The "Lord of Evil Desire" has suddenly increased his power in the real world.

"No need," Raphael smiled. "I'll handle that. You just need to communicate well."

Derrick breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."

He thought to himself: The residents of Sen'er City are also fortunate; the god they believe in has guided them on the path away from the land abandoned by God.

Raphael continued, "I need to issue a mission. I need a fleet to go to the entrance of the Forsaken Land and bring all the people of Sen'er City to Gas Island at once."

"Clearly, this requires extraordinary individuals to act as guides, and also requires the participation of many extraordinary individuals."

Everyone paused for a moment, then Alger the Hanged Man asked, "I remember you said before that there were about ten thousand people in Sen'er City, right?"

"Yes."

Alger remained silent; such a large volume of transport required the use of the Storm Church's fleet.

The hermit, Cattleya, suddenly asked, "Could we transport them out in three separate trips?"

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