Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 195 Praising the Fool

"Binxi".

As the White Agate sounded its starting horn, the passenger ship slowly sailed away from Bansi Island, where the previous night had been a nightmare.

Klein sat on the sofa by the window, gazing at Bansi Island, which was getting smaller and smaller in his field of vision, and muttered to himself.

He had already shared the relevant information with Ember last night, and believed that the other party should have already explored the underground ruins. However, he did not respond to the "prayer" he had conveyed through Mr. Fool last night, probably because he did not want to trouble Mr. Fool too much, and would discuss it at today's Tarot meeting.

Whether that's true or not, that's at least what Klein thinks.

However, while Yu Jin could handle the matter of the underground ruins, Bansi Island couldn't be ignored either.

This tiny island has somehow managed to gather so many elements, including the God of Skin Messenger, the God of Weather, the Rose of Salvation, and the King of Angels—it's practically a hodgepodge... And judging from last night's experience, these 'cults,' at least among the followers of the God of Skin Messenger and the God of Weather, are maintaining a strange balance!

It was supposed to have been cleared out hundreds of years ago, so how come there's still danger now?

Are the people in the Storm Church all just sitting around doing nothing?

The substitutes who came during the day were clearly not very 'professional' either; they didn't even ask about the whereabouts of the human skin robe that Bishop Miller was wearing, assuming that it had been destroyed in the battle.

It is clearly impossible to expect these scapegoats to resolve the crisis; they probably know less than Danitz.

Based on this, only one thought remained in Klein's mind:

Report it immediately!

If we don't report them, are we just going to let them live out the New Year of 1351?

At sea, the Church of the Night and the Embers are definitely not reliable options.

Firstly, the distance is too far, and Yu Jin might not be willing to make the trip.

Secondly, the Church of the Night's power at sea is indeed inferior to that of the Church of the Storm; the mainland is the Church of the Night's primary focus for missionary work. Moreover, to completely resolve the crisis on Bansi Island, at least one angel would need to personally intervene.

However, the overseas islands are practically the Storm Church's stronghold. What will the Storm Church think of the arrival of an angel from the Church of Night? Will they think the Storm Church is incapable of handling the trouble, or will they ignore that this is the Storm Church's territory and try to forcibly intervene?

Ultimately, the only one truly capable of handling this matter is the Church of Storms.

As for how to report it, Klein had a good idea.

He wasn't foolish enough to tell Ellan directly or write an anonymous letter to the Storm Church; that would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. The safest approach was to wait until the Tarot Conference, have 'The World' mention the anomaly in Bansi Harbor, and then have 'The Fool' casually introduce Redemption Rose and the King of Angels.

This serves two purposes: to enrich the Tarot Club members with some general knowledge and to secretly leak information to the "Hanged Man."

Without a doubt, the Hanged Man, as a member of the Church of Storms, is ambitious and will not give up this opportunity to make a difference!

Yes, perfect.

However, there is still a small problem...

Klein looked down at the black glove on his left hand, which seemed to writhe with hunger.

Undoubtedly, this magical item is incredibly useful, even more so than the demigod-level magical items Ember gave him. The only problem is that the writhing hunger's side effect is its craving for flesh and soul!

The creeping hunger must be satisfied every day with the soul and flesh of a living person, or it will take its own master in its place!

Even if Mr. Azik has sealed the creeping hunger to some extent, it only needs to be fed with the soul and flesh of a living person within 24 hours after use—if that doesn't work, Klein can throw it onto the gray fog, which will naturally calm its 'appetite'.

Even so, the 'creeping hunger' for flesh and soul remains in its essence and attempts to manifest itself.

Just like last night, Klein did intend to feed Bishop Miller's flesh and blood to "Wriggling Hunger" as "reward" for using it. But instead of falling silent as he had hoped after eating one person, Wriggling Hunger unexpectedly devoured the human skin robe!

The speed was so fast that even Klein couldn't react. Even though Klein tried to stop it, he couldn't interrupt the process, because the writhing hunger seemed to be getting out of control, which made Klein dare not make any rash moves. It wasn't until the creature ate the human skin robe that it returned to silence.

This forced Klein to change his story, claiming to Erlan and Danitz that Bishop Miller had been reduced to ashes in the Holy Light. Fortunately, no one else doubted him, not even the Punisher who came to investigate, who pressed for details about the human skin robe.

After devouring the human skin robe, the writhing hunger exhibited some 'abnormalities,' seemingly undergoing a change...

The writhing hunger was originally a glove made of human skin, only it could change color depending on the user's ability. But no matter how it changed, it was ultimately only the size of a glove, covering only one palm. However, after consuming that human skin, Klein could feel that it could now 'extend' to cover more, enough to cover the entire body!

But Klein did not act rashly, nor did he attempt to 'experiment' with this ability—

The "wriggling hunger" was already trying to devour its master at all times, so if it were to be allowed to cover its entire body, wouldn't that be simply fulfilling its wish?

It's worth mentioning that this ability to "cover the whole body" is not one of the "herding" abilities. None of the five souls "herded" by the writhing hunger were replaced; this ability seems to have become an extension of the magical item itself...

Whether this change is good or bad, Klein has no way of predicting.

He could only write to Mr. Azik for help, trying to get some answers from him.

Of course, he did go above the gray fog to perform divination.

The results showed that there was danger, but not much.

"The danger lies in the fact that it can eat me up even faster, right?"

Klein rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Theoretically, as long as the 'wriggling hunger's' craving for soul and flesh is satisfied, it won't backfire on the user. However, if it breaks through the seal set by Mr. Azik and reverts to needing to eat someone every day, Klein will have no choice but to seal it away in the gray mist and deactivate it...

-

In the afternoon, in Akhova County, a special train bound for the Republic of Intis sped along the tracks.

This special train was generously sponsored by the Steam Church of Backlund; Ember and Audrey didn't spend a penny.

However, Audrey couldn't swarm the Hall family servants with her patents as she had in previous years when returning to her fiefdom in East Chestershire. This time, she only brought her personal maid, Anne... and Susie.

However, Audrey wasn't unhappy about not being able to bring too many servants; in fact, she felt quite relaxed. Normally, she needed five or six maids to help her even just change clothes, and Audrey didn't really like that kind of life.

It wasn't of her own volition, but it was a symbol of aristocratic dignity that she couldn't disobey.

"That's great."

Audrey gazed at the scenery rushing past the window and said softly, "This is the first time I've had an experience like this. In fact, I've always longed for a similar experience since I was a child, and even fantasized about traveling the world..."

The train had already left Backlund and entered the neighboring county of Arhova. But even the nearby countryside of Arhova was a novelty to Audrey.

Ember, sitting on the other side, smiled and asked upon hearing this:

"Don't you go back to East Chestershire every year? How can you call it your first time?"

"They're different."

Audrey shook her head slightly and said very seriously, "Although I return to East Chestershire every year, it's only within the family's territory. These are completely different experiences."

After Audrey finished speaking, she suddenly felt a little guilty, because she really shouldn't have said those words—

According to the customs of the Kingdom of Rune, nobles with fiefs would leave Backlund a week after the New Year's Ball and return to their own territories to enjoy a pleasant life in the countryside or castle. They would then return to the capital in June to resume their daily social life.

The Earl of Hall was no exception; their original plan was to return to their fiefdom in East Chestershire.

However, due to the King's death and Alfred's demigod status, Earl Hall was forced to remain in Backlund to attend to state affairs. While Earl Hall was preoccupied with national matters, the Countess also needed to ensure the smooth operation of the family business.

Similarly, Alfred, possessing the status of a demigod, naturally could not leave Backlund. Meanwhile, Hilbert was at a crucial stage of his rise; he had to seize the opportunity presented by Earl Hall's deep trust in King George IV to do his utmost to demonstrate his abilities and make a name for himself.

Audrey, on the other hand, also needs to act as an intermediary, acquiring large quantities of potion formulas, extraordinary properties, and extraordinary materials for the Hall family.

Therefore, none of the Hall family members plan to leave Backlund this year. While this has certainly kept them very busy, it also signifies a significant leap forward in the Hall family's status!

In this situation, Audrey was the only one who could enjoy "vacation" and "travel".

Anne, the personal maid, earnestly instructed:

"My lady, this is not just a trip. The Countess hopes you can learn more from this journey, and you need to come up with a complete plan during this time. And when you return to Backlund, you will need to put your plan into practice."

Audrey blinked and asked curiously:

"Hmm~ How about charity?"

"Good idea."

Anne thought carefully about Audrey's casual suggestion, nodded in agreement, and offered her advice:

"If you are truly interested in charitable work, I suggest starting with church-affiliated charities. Most other charities are primarily motivated by tax avoidance and won't genuinely invest in philanthropy, which I doubt you'd like. Only those charities with ties to the Night Church will truly practice philanthropy, making them a perfect fit for you."

Audrey tapped her chest four times clockwise and whispered:

"Praise beauties, goddess."

"Praise beauties, goddess."

Anne also tapped her chest four times clockwise; she too was a devout follower of the Church of the Night.

Meanwhile, Yu Jin, who was favored by the goddess, remained seated on the sofa eating snacks, not moving an inch, clearly showing no intention of bowing.

Without a doubt, his faith in the goddess was neither firm nor devout.

"Annie".

Audrey suddenly said, "I think you must be very tired too, right? Would you like to go back and rest?"

Anne paused for a moment, but quickly nodded slightly and winked at Audrey:

"Yes, miss, I'm very tired now and need to go back and rest for a bit. Um, it won't be too long, just an hour will do."

Although she was not tired and did not need to rest.

But she would not refuse Audrey's orders.

Of course, while maids shouldn't interfere in their masters' affairs, there are some things they should try to control.

Therefore, she only needs to rest for one hour.

Annie left the room, and Susie followed suit, sensibly leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

But she didn't leave; instead, she squatted in the passageway, seemingly guarding the door for the two people inside.

In fact, the Steam Church arranged two rooms for Ember and his companions.

Ember was in one room, and Audrey, Anne, and Susie were in another.

The reason we need to send Anne and Susie away now is because today is Monday.

It is now 2:55 PM.

Audrey couldn't go back to her room to go above the gray fog, because Anne would be in the room if she did, unless she kicked Anne out.

Therefore, she could only stay in the private room at the embers.

Audrey lay on the bed, glancing at Ember before closing her eyes. He was already lying on the sofa, waiting for Mr. Fool's summons.

-

Above the boundless gray fog, the magnificent palace stood silently.

Emlyn White, who had just regained his sight upon arriving here once again, saw Miss Justice across from him looking towards the head of the weathered long table and greeting him in a lighthearted tone:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!"

"Justice" Audrey greets each person in turn, starting with "The Fool" and "The Lovers," and ending with "The World."

This order is not based on seating arrangement, nor on the order in which people joined the Tarot Club, but rather on the rules of the Tarot cards. The Fool is a beginning that contains all possibilities, and The World is an ending that is a perfect sublimation.

This is a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder on Miss Audrey's part, a result of the Tarot Club becoming increasingly larger and more organized.

Audrey's mood grew increasingly cheerful, her eyes and brows beaming with smiles.

She looked at the figure in the thick fog and said with a rising tone at the end:

"Dear Mr. Fool, I have obtained three more pages of Russell's diary~"

With Miss Justice setting an example, Magician Ers also spoke up:

"Mr. Fool, I also have three new pages of Russell's diary here."

Mr. Fool nodded slightly in approval, but also with a hint of helplessness.

Miss Justice and Miss Magician have become his most reliable sources of information about the diary, appearing at every Tarot reading. However, this has led to a decrease in the enthusiasm of other members, which is ultimately a good thing.

(End of this chapter)