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

Chapter 98 That's not what I meant.

July 17, 2:30 PM.

On the vast blue sea, the Azure Avenger suddenly tightened its sails, gradually reducing the speed of the ship that was sailing at full speed.

While resting indoors, Ember sensed something was wrong and went out of his room to the deck, where he saw Alger standing on the side of the ship.

"Something's up?"

"no."

Alger shook his head. "We still have about six hours to go to our destination, but those six hours will be outside the safe shipping lanes, and we could be attacked by sea monsters at any time."

"So for safety reasons, we need to stay here for an hour."

Yu Jin understood instantly.

Every Monday at 3 PM is the time when Mr. Fool holds a Tarot meeting.

For safety's sake, it's best for them to remain within the safe shipping lanes until then.

"This place isn't actually that safe."

Alger said, then shook his head helplessly, "The best-case scenario is that someone is guarding outside, but I don't trust those sailors to come here."

"That's easy."

"Embers said calmly."

"what?"

Alger was startled and before he could react, he saw Ember standing in front of him, holding an urn in one hand and a bell in the other.

"Ring ring~!"

Accompanied by the melodious sound of bells, several figures quietly appeared on the deck of the Azure Avenger.

They were much taller than ordinary people, wearing full silver armor with intricate patterns, and carrying a strange bow with elaborate carvings.

But what's most eye-catching are their helmets.

The helmet with its two horn-like design was something Alger had almost never seen before.

Silver Knight's Ashes

[The ashes of a soul reside here.]

It can summon the souls of 3 Silver Knights.

In the past, when Anor Lund still existed,

The soul of the Silver Knight who served and protected the gods until the very last moment.

The bows they wielded were passed down from even more ancient times.

It is said that it once hunted down an immortal ancient dragon.

"They'll keep watch for us, so you don't need to worry about safety."

Meeting Alger's gaze, which clearly seemed to want to say something but hesitated, Ember slowly explained.

"Actually, I'm more curious about what you're holding."

Alger was silent for a moment, then said half-jokingly, "That thing looks like an urn."

"You guessed right."

Ember readily admitted, "This contains their ashes. Their souls can be summoned by performing a specific ritual."

"..."

Alger's lips twitched slightly.

Does this mean you'll turn all the enemies you kill into this kind of ashes?

He really wanted to ask, but he didn't dare.

of course.

If he asked, Ember would be happy to answer his question.

Not all slain enemies are entitled to become ashes; only those who killed them are.

"I'm going back to my room now."

Alger sighed inwardly and waved to Ember, saying, "You should go back soon too, don't miss Mr. Fool's summons."

With that, Alger returned to the captain's cabin without looking back.

Ember shrugged and didn't linger on the deck.

After giving the Silver Knight the order to guard the ship, he returned to his room.

Quietly waiting for time to pass, second by second.

Until they almost simultaneously felt the Fool's call.

……

Above the gray fog, inside a palace that resembled the dwelling of a giant.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool! Good afternoon, Mr. Lovers! Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man! Good afternoon, Mr. Sun!"

To Miss Audrey's sweet, cheerful voice, the tarot reading, a week late, officially began.

"Mr. Fool, I have written a few more pages in Russell's diary this time, and I will submit them to you."

Upon seeing Miss Audrey mention the diary as part of her routine, Alger immediately stood up respectfully.

"Mr. Fool, I have obtained a total of 19 pages of Russell's diary this time."

"Here, I must thank you for sending your followers to help me get rid of Zilingus; these diaries are the reward I should give you."

"This is the principle of equivalent exchange."

Klein smiled, subtly concealing his status as a "favored one".

Soon, the eleven pages of diaries submitted by the two were handed to Klein.

Another long silence followed, lasting until Mr. Fool finished reading.

"You are free to communicate now."

Klein glanced at everyone and nodded slightly.

"Miss Justice, Mr. Sun."

Alger spoke up again, "I'm planning to investigate a primitive island with Mr. 'Lover,' which is inhabited by a large number of extraordinary creatures. If you have any needs for certain extraordinary materials, I think we might be able to help you obtain them."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Audrey's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand slightly, truthfully saying, "I need three materials: a pair of Mirror Dragon eyes, 50 milliliters of its blood, and, um, the fruit of the Elder Tree."

Long before she was promoted to Mind Reader, the wealthy Miss Audrey had already obtained the psychiatrist's formula from the embers, but unfortunately she had no clue how to obtain the main ingredient.

Although she has only recently been promoted, it will be a long time before she can fully digest the potion.

There's no need to rush to obtain the main material, but she's not short of money!

Now that such a great opportunity was before her, she naturally seized the chance to make her request.

"Explore the islands?"

Klein glanced thoughtfully at the Hanged Man and the Lovers, his expression strange.

Mr. Hanged Man is taking precautions.

"I'll keep an eye out for you."

Yu Jin nodded slightly and replied, "However, I also have a request."

"What?"

Audrey asked curiously.

"I will not be able to return to Backlund in the short term."

Ember slowly began to speak, "But it's already the 17th, and in six days it will be the night of the full moon. At that time, one of our friends will suffer greatly from the blood moon."

"Although I have told her the Fool's name, I cannot be sure if she will remember to recite it."

"Therefore, I hope you can keep an eye on things for a while."

After a pause, Ember added, "As long as it doesn't endanger you."

"Miss Fors?"

Audrey immediately understood who Ember was referring to. With some surprise, she nodded seriously, "I understand. I will give my ring to her when necessary."

"...No, that's not what I meant."

Ember was silent for a moment, then shook his head helplessly, and pulled out a ring from somewhere, pushing it in front of Audrey.

He hadn't originally thought about the ring.

After all, Fors's condition could be resolved by reciting the Fool's true name.

But since Audrey offered, we can simply give her another one.

Anyway, this thing isn't worth much.

Of all his rings, this was the worst, without a doubt.

It's even more useless than the Transformation Ring.

"..."

Audrey blinked, said nothing, and silently put the ring on her finger as well.

"Promise me you'll use sacrifice next time, okay?"

The fool was somewhat numb to what was happening, but could only watch it all unfold with a blank expression.

"Mr. Lover."

The Hanged Man hesitated, then asked, "How many of these rings do you have left?"

"There are still quite a few."

Yu Jin glanced at him and casually asked, "Do you want it?"

"..."

The Hanged Man's lips twitched slightly. He wanted it, but he couldn't afford it!

Given a choice, who wouldn't want such a life-saving magical item?

But the prerequisite is that he has to be able to afford it!

If he could afford it, he would have just slammed the money on the table. Why would he ask this question?

"Gentlemen."

Audrey suddenly asked curiously, "I'd like to get myself a magical item. Do you have any good recommendations?"

Almost simultaneously, everyone's gaze turned to Ember.

If we're talking about who's the richest in the entire Tarot community, then it has to be Audrey and Ember.

The former holds the most cash in the entire Tarot Club, while the latter possesses a large number of magical items.

What type do you want?

Facing Audrey's gaze, Ember pondered for a moment and asked.

What types are available?

Audrey countered with a question, then thought for a moment and explained, "Well, I mean, I might buy several, so I'd like to know what types are available. Ideally, they'd be for self-defense."

"Buy a few more..."

Klein lowered his head silently, and for some reason, he thought of the huge debt he was still carrying, and suddenly felt heartbroken.

"I do have a few spoils of war."

Ember thought for a moment and said, "However, these magical items are highly recognizable, so it's not advisable to use them in the short term, otherwise you'll easily be targeted. Especially since you're in Backlund, Miss Justice, these magical items will only put you in danger."

Everyone in the Tarot Club understood that the danger Ember was referring to was definitely the royal family.

As for where he got these spoils of war, it's obvious even to a fool that they came from MI9.

"About this."

Alger suddenly spoke up, "On the way back, I can introduce you to a craftsman who can make some modifications to the appearance of these magical items. Modifying the appearance won't affect the magical items' performance, but it can effectively avoid some trouble."

After a pause, Alger continued, "Of course, that craftsman's fees are not low."

"no problem."

Without hesitation, Yu Jin replied, "Money is not a problem."

"Isn't there a type that won't get targeted?"

Audrey asked, puzzled.

"have."

Yu Jin nodded slightly and said slowly, "However, most of them are weapons. For self-defense, I only have full-body armor, which I don't think you would like."

"..."

Audrey puffed out her cheeks; she really didn't like it.

Because she can't possibly walk around outside all day wearing a suit of armor.

What she wanted was a small, magical item that she could carry around without anyone noticing.

The only thing Yu Jin possessed that could fulfill this need was a ring.

The problem is that there are quite a few ring embers, and they are fully functional and compatible with various professions.

But there weren't many suitors for Audrey.

Who told her to be bad at close combat and unskilled in magic?

Many rings enhance melee combat abilities and magical power.

The only thing suitable for her to use for self-defense is probably the Sacrifice Ring, and she already has one.

"'Mr. Lover'."

Derrick, who had always been like a nobody, raised his hand and hesitated, "I want a weapon."

"What type?"

"Ember asked."

"Any weapon that can enhance my combat power is fine."

Derrick said without hesitation.

"Greatsword".

Ember thought for a moment, then took out an ordinary greatsword and placed it on the table. "This is just an ordinary greatsword. Its power won't be much stronger than a regular weapon, but the infusion can give it different scaling, so it can be considered a magical item. As for the infusion type, I can give you two recommendations."

"First, the lightning transformation allows its attacks to be imbued with lightning effects."

"Secondly, the blessing transforms the weapon, giving it the property of 'glowing.' Holding this weapon also allows the user to slowly recover stamina and injuries, and attacks will kill enemies that can revive."

"Of course, both of these qualitative changes provide a certain damage bonus to dark-type creatures. Which one do you choose?"

He was also aware of the environment Derrick was in.

He faces the threat of countless dark creatures, so these two qualitative changes are most suitable for him.

Derrick pondered for a long time, his expression extremely conflicted.

Actually, he wanted both.

But he knew he had to make a choice: lightning or a blessing?

"I choose to bless this qualitative change!"

Derrick hesitated for a long time before finally taking a deep breath and giving his answer.

He valued the ability to glow more than the powerful lightning attack.

"but."

After saying that, Derrick hesitated for a moment, "'Mr. Lover,' I don't know how to make it up to you."

He had no gold pounds; the only thing he could trade was exceptional materials.

But "Mr. Lover" is clearly not the kind of person who lacks these things.

Regarding this issue.

Miss Audrey's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand to propose, "I have a suggestion. If members of both sides of the Tarot Club wish to reach a deal, but one side cannot meet the other's needs, I can do so on their behalf. Of course, this is limited to needs in gold pounds."

"After the transaction is completed, the party that fails to meet the requirements can compensate me afterwards. The value of the compensation only needs to be equivalent to the gold pounds I paid, without any additional interest."

"Yes, this suggestion applies not only to Mr. Sun, but also to Mr. Hanged Man and any subsequent members if needed."

"..."

Alger's expression was somewhat strange. "Miss Justice, may I ask, who told you about this proposal?"

"No, that's not it."

Audrey smiled slightly. "This is something I figured out myself, because... well, I have a relative who is an excellent banker."

"No wonder."

Alger immediately understood: "The banker, oh, then it's alright."

Audrey's proposal was essentially an attempt to take over their debts.

This has both advantages and disadvantages for them.

The advantage is obvious: you can get what you want immediately.

Whether it's magical items or extraordinary materials, they can instantly enhance their strength.

As for the downsides, there aren't really any downsides.

However, they will inevitably owe Miss Justice a favor as a result.

"Mr. Fool, what do you think?"

Audrey turned her gaze to the 'Fool', as if asking if this was acceptable.

"It is your freedom to choose how you want to go."

Klein smiled, his tone still calm and composed, but his feelings at that moment could only be described in four words—

It hurts, it hurts too much!

Klein's heart was bleeding.

Because this proposal benefits everyone except him.

Who told him to be the high and mighty "fool"?

Others can owe Miss Justice a favor, but he can't.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Fool."

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief; she had been worried that Mr. Fool would object.

But what she didn't know was that Mr. Fool wouldn't object at all.

He will only regret not being able to participate.

"Mr. Lover."

Derrick was clearly tempted by Audrey's proposal and looked expectantly at Ember.

"I'm fine."

Ember nodded and said, "Then, how about we value this weapon at 500 pounds?"

"A very reasonable price."

Alger said, "Judging from the description, this weapon should be a magical item of Sequence 8, which would normally be worth around five hundred pounds."

"no problem!"

Derrick nodded without hesitation.

With no objections from either party, the deal was successfully completed.

In exchange for Audrey paying 500 pounds, Ember handed over the Blessed Greatsword to Derrick.

Derrick was very happy.

I'm happy to have a weapon that glows and is especially effective against dark creatures.

As for Yu Jin, he was also very satisfied.

Just like the sacrifice ring, these things are really too useless; he wouldn't even glance at them normally.

It is a typical example of something that is tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away.

Selling it now can be considered a way to make use of waste.

Audrey was also very happy.

On the one hand, she finally had somewhere to spend her money; on the other hand, it gave her a strange sense of excitement.

With the help of justice, the members of the Tarot Club were able to rapidly improve their strength.

Doesn't it sound pleasing to the ear?

This seemingly ordinary transaction created a win-win-win situation.

Even Alger, an outsider, felt it was worth the price.

Because Audrey's suggestion also applies to him.

In the future, he could also use this suggestion to obtain the items he wanted and quickly improve his strength.

But to say that the ending was perfect, something was missing.

For example, the Fool.

The fool only felt heartbroken and indignant.

Miss Audrey's suggestion cannot be called a freebie; it can at least be described as an interest-free loan.

Moreover, this interest-free loan is not for stock speculation, but rather for genuinely increasing one's "principal".

With enough principal, repaying the loan will undoubtedly be much easier!

Unfortunately, despite having this opportunity right in front of him, he could never seize it.

"Oh, right, my lover, there are two things I forgot to tell you."

Seeing that the two had reached a deal, Audrey then spoke with a somewhat serious tone, "Your friend paid 450 pounds to take the extraordinary trait from me and has now successfully been promoted to Sequence 8 'Sheriff'."

"Also, Mr. A doesn't seem to be dead, and has resumed his activities in Backlund, even hosting a gathering of extraordinary individuals just last week."

"However, I was unable to attend the party in person, so I cannot confirm whether this Mr. A is the same person."

"..."

The upside-down man opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak but then stopped, and he wanted to speak but then stopped.

He wanted to remind Miss Justice that the extraordinary properties of Sequence 8 were worth at least £600.

Are you selling it for only £450? Are you doing charity?

But after thinking about it, he chose to remain silent.

Never mind, it's none of my business.

"It should be the same one."

Yu Jin thought for a moment, then said with certainty.

The title of the Aurora Society's divine messenger is only inherited by others after death.

But Mr. A is obviously not dead yet, so naturally there will be no new 'Mr. A' to inherit this code name.

As for how Yu Jin was certain that Mr. A was not dead?

That's because they didn't receive his soul.

Although the other party pushed him into the world of painting by self-destructing at the last moment, they clearly had a backup plan.

Among the flesh and blood that exploded along with his self-destruction, there should be his 'true form'.

of course.

Even if he miraculously survived, Mr. A must have been on the verge of death at that time.

A normal person would consider leaving Backlund at this point, or at the very least, keep a low profile.

But Mr. A not only stayed in Backlund, but also continued to be as high-profile as ever.

This behavior can be described as courageous.

But considering that the Aurora Club members are all crazy people, his behavior is, in a sense, quite 'normal'.

Has he been acting strangely lately?

Yu Jin thought for a moment and then asked.

Audrey thought for a moment and hesitated, "Aside from holding a gathering of extraordinary individuals, he doesn't seem to have done anything particularly sensational. At least there hasn't been any big news in Backlund these past few days."

"And if there's anything unusual, Mr. A seems to be short of money lately."

"Not only did the meeting place change to a more dilapidated venue, but he also made no attempt to hide his desires in this regard during the meeting, even subtly implying to other attendees that they could come to him with gold pounds for favors."

"It's normal to be short of money."

The Hanged Man thought for a moment and analyzed, "He was previously hunted down by 'Mr. Lover,' and although he survived by sheer luck, his operations in Backlund suffered heavy losses as a result. If he wants to rebuild his intelligence network in Backlund, he will inevitably need money."

"Need money?"

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener, and Klein's expression immediately changed upon hearing it.

It's not because he also lacks money that he feels the same way.

Mainly, he felt this was a good opportunity!

"call!"

Klein silently prepared his words in his mind, then suddenly tapped the edge of the long table lightly with his finger.

"Mr. Fool has something to say!"

The people who were talking immediately realized this and instantly focused their attention on the Fool.

"I'm going to issue a task."

Klein turned his gaze to Audrey and smiled, "Miss Justice, you can choose to accept it or not."

"I?"

Audrey was taken aback at first, then felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

This is the first time Mr. Fool has officially issued a task!

Furthermore, it specifically asks whether one accepts it!

"Mr. Fool, what kind of task is it?"

Audrey forced herself to suppress her emotions, but her tone still betrayed her excitement.

"Assassination of Beckeran Jeanmadon, Ambassador of the Republic of Intis to the Kingdom of Ruen."

"I originally intended to entrust this task to one of my family members."

Using the Joker's abilities, Klein made his tone sound quite relaxed. "But now, I've changed my mind. I want 'Mr. A' to do it."

"Assassinate the ambassador?!"

Audrey couldn't control her emotions and was stunned into silence.

The assassination of a country's ambassador will inevitably cause serious diplomatic relations and may even lead to war between the two countries!

"Miss Justice, I think you don't need to hesitate."

The Hanged Man seemed to sense Justice's hesitation and said slowly, "Assassinating an ambassador will not lead to war; it only depends on whether the upper echelons of the two countries want to fight. Moreover, this ambassador is no good person; he has been secretly plotting to overthrow the order of the Kingdom of Rune."

"Furthermore, the assassination of the ambassador was carried out by the Aurora Society, so even if the Republic of Intis holds them accountable, they won't come after the Kingdom of Rune."

"Compared to these."

The Hanged Man chuckled. "I'm more curious, why is it necessary to have the Aurora Society make the move?"

Mr. Fool gave the Hanged Man a long look.

Well done, Mr. Hanged Man!

(End of this chapter)