Mystery: The Witch of Desire

At this moment, Little White also poked its head out and asked curiously:

"Livia, are you going to hold some kind of ceremony?"

Livr nodded slightly:

"That's it."

Suddenly, it occurred to her that time at the tarot reading session flows at a one-to-one ratio with outside time. What if Xiaobai caused trouble during the session…?

She looked at Xiaobai's smooth, slender body and revealed a sly smile.

Little White shivered, and its scales stood up in a flash:

"Livia, what are you doing? I don't want to faint again!"

"Don't worry, I'm just telling you to stay put."

Liviel laughed, picked up Little White, and tied a knot in its body.

"Hey, Livre, what are you doing! Let go of me!"

Little White struggled in shock to break free, but no matter what it did, it couldn't untie the knot. It never imagined that humans could do such a vicious thing!

"Stay put. I'll release you once I've finished the ceremony."

Liviel smiled, and at that moment, a deep red and ethereal light burst forth, enveloping her body.

Above the gray fog, inside the magnificent temple that resembled the residence of a giant king.

The bronze table glowed crimson on both sides, revealing three blurry figures whose positions remained unchanged from the last time.

Miss Justice instinctively looked up and saw Mr. Fool, shrouded in thick gray fog, leaning back with one hand resting on the edge of the table and the other hand loosely clenched, gently stroking his chin.

Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!

Miss Justice greeted Mr. Fool and the others in a lighthearted tone, and Livre and Mr. Hanged Man returned the greeting.

Surprisingly, Mr. Fool responded to Miss Justice's greeting and seemed to be in a good mood.

It must be said that Mr. Fool looks more like a normal person than Cheek; at least he's not crazy, but rather like a polite gentleman.

Liviel silently compared the two beings in her mind, then blinked somewhat guiltily, feeling that what she was thinking was blasphemous.

Miss Justice looked at the Hanged Man and asked expectantly:

"Mr. Hanged Man, have you received that box of Ghost Shark's blood?"

The Hanged Man displayed a frankness that seemed inconsistent with his usual caution:

"Thank you so much, it perfectly meets all my expectations. I really didn't expect you to send it over so quickly. Ghost Shark blood is no ordinary extraordinary substance."

Miss Justice's smile was as bright as the sun:

"I am very happy to see this result."

As an ordinary person, she can easily obtain extraordinary materials, and not just the lowest grade of materials. Miss Justice must be from a powerful noble family, and not just any noble family. At least Mr. Teyvat's daughter Elizabeth certainly couldn't get her hands on Ghost Shark Blood. She even has trouble accessing legitimate extraordinary knowledge.

Elizabeth's family already had members at the lowest level of barony. Judging from this, Miss Justice's family background was probably three to four levels higher than Elizabeth's, meaning they were nobles of earl or higher, and very likely among the most powerful people in the kingdom.

Combining Miss Justice's physique, personality traits, and language habits, Liviel felt that as long as she could browse through all the girls from the kingdom's top families, she could find out Miss Justice's true identity. Of course, those families all had very strong security measures, so this was unrealistic.

The Hanged Man laughed:

"According to the agreement, I will tell you the recipe for the 'Audience' potion."

"Let me get ready. Okay, let's begin."

Miss Justice took a breath and focused all her attention.

However, Mr. Hanged Man did not rush to speak, but instead turned his gaze to Livre, who was sitting next to Justice.

He said nothing, but the meaning was clear:

You want to get something for free? No way!

Liviel was speechless. She didn't need the audience's potion recipe. It would be great if it were given to her for free, but she definitely wouldn't be willing to pay a price to obtain it.

Besides, Miss Justice, the buyer, hasn't said anything, so why are you, the seller, arguing with me? You petty man!

Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat awkward, Mr. Fool, sitting at the head of the table, slowly spoke:

"Mr. Hanged Man, could you cooperate with me on an experiment?"

The Hanged Man, with one hand on his chest and a slight bow:

"It's my pleasure."

Mr. Fool continued:

"You imagine a passage and feel an urge to write it down. Then, you pick up the pen next to you and start writing on the paper."

Before Mr. Fool finished speaking, a piece of yellowish-brown parchment and a pen appeared in front of the Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man carefully picked up the pen, held it in his hand for a moment to adjust, and then, as instructed, imagined a line of lyrics related to the sea in his mind.

After reviewing the text, he picked up his pen again and began to conceive of presenting it all.

Mr. Fool, sitting at the head of the table, seemed to sense something and slightly raised his finger, giving guidance.

The Hanged Man had just put down his pen when he noticed a new line of words on the parchment:

"Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!"

In that instant, the Hanged Man looked at the Fool with a hint of fear:

"Mr. Fool, can you read my mind?"

"No, I am just a guide who simplifies the process of writing words out and turns it into a rubbing. If you don't want to or are unwilling to 'express', then there will be no trace left."

The fool offered solace in a low voice.

"Now, you can write the potion recipe on a piece of paper and give it to Miss Justice."

The Hanged Man was relieved and praised him sincerely:

"Your greatness far exceeds my imagination."

He then looked at Miss Justice:

"Miss Justice, please wait a moment. I will write down the potion recipe for you on a piece of paper right away. This will also make it easier for you to remember it."

The last sentence is redundant; you could simply say, "This way, people who haven't paid won't get something for nothing."

Liviel inwardly grumbled, but didn't care too much. She didn't need the audience's potion anyway. However, she gained a little more respect for the Fool's mysterious power.

Audrey nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with undisguised joy:

"Great, I'm really looking forward to it."

The Hanged Man wrote rapidly, and lines of words quickly appeared on the parchment.

He handed the parchment to Justice across the table, explaining the precautions:

“Preparing low-sequence potions is very simple. Just put them in the order given. But you must remember that it’s better to use less rather than more, or there will be big problems. You’ve probably heard about Beyonders going out of control, so I don’t need to repeat it, right?” Alger explained the precautions first.

“I understand completely.”

Miss Justice eagerly took the parchment. As she spoke, she glanced at Mr. Fool, seemingly wanting to know if this mysterious and powerful man had anything to add. Unfortunately, Mr. Fool simply sat there quietly, like a statue.

The Hanged Man nodded, and perhaps wanting to make a good impression on this wealthy customer, he then took the initiative to introduce some basic knowledge about potions:

"Do you understand meditation? After taking the potion, begin meditating as soon as possible to control your spirit and power... You must practice every day to truly master the potion's power, uncover its symbolic meaning and deeper mysteries. Only in this way can you minimize the risk of losing control. The key to the potion's symbolism lies in its 'name,' such as 'the audience'..."

Just then, Livre suddenly heard a light tapping sound on the table.

The three of them turned their heads simultaneously to look at Mr. Fool, who sat at the head of the table. The mysterious, powerful man tapped his fingers lightly and spoke in a low voice:

"It's not about mastering, it's about digesting."

"It's not about digging, it's about playing a role."

"The name of a potion is not just a symbol, but also an image, and even more so, a 'key' to digestion."

Sure enough, Mr. Fool also knew the art of role-playing, but he didn't explain it completely. Instead, he conveyed it rather subtly. Was there some deeper meaning behind this?

Livre remained impassive, observing the reactions of the other two. Miss Justice seemed stunned and bewildered, not quite understanding what Mr. Fool was trying to say. Mr. Hanged Man, however, shuddered and froze, as if struck by lightning.

"Digest, play... digest, play... digest, play, key..."

The Hanged Man whispered to himself over and over again, as if he had grasped some key point.

After a while, he raised his head and said in a hoarse voice:

"Thank you, Mr. Fool. Your insight is as precious as my life. It has helped me understand a lot of things, though I believe I do not yet fully comprehend or fully understand them."

Mr. Fool simply smiled calmly:

"This is an advance payment."

Upon hearing this, Livre immediately became alert. She didn't want to reveal that she knew the art of acting, but Mr. Fool had explained the art of acting as payment. If she pretended not to know, wouldn't that be equivalent to owing him a fee for explaining the knowledge?

She immediately added:

“Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, after listening to Mr. Fool’s teachings and combining them with my own experience in role-playing, I have gained some new insights that I would like to share with you all here.”

Then she looked at the Fool, who sat at the head of the table, and respectfully asked for his instructions:

"May I, Mr. Fool?"

Mr. Fool paused for a second, then smiled and nodded:

"can."

Liver cleared her throat and said calmly:

"The essence of role-playing is to use behaviors that conform to the concept of sequence to resonate with one's own spirit and characteristics, dismantle and digest residual imprints, and at the same time maintain one's personal boundaries. At low sequences, strict role-playing can complete the digestion of the potion in a relatively short time."

The key rule of role-playing is to anchor the core of the character: not to imitate superficial behavior, but to understand the essence of the character and summarize the corresponding role-playing rules.

Furthermore, it is crucial to distinguish between role-playing and self, and to avoid becoming completely immersed in a role and losing oneself—this is the core trigger for loss of control.

You must always remember: you are just playing a role.

After she finished speaking, she nodded slightly to Mr. Fool, who was sitting at the head of the table, to indicate that her sharing was over. She noticed that Mr. Fool seemed to be showing a satisfied smile as well.

The Hanged Man was taken aback upon hearing this, then overjoyed. Livre's words helped him understand many of the key points, but at the same time, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: Miss Lover actually knew how to act, and her understanding was quite profound.

He suppressed his surprise and bowed slightly to Livre:

"Thank you, Miss Lover, I owe you a favor."

"Don't worry about it. Maybe I'll need your help someday."

Livre smiled and nodded. She didn't care too much about the favor Mr. Hanged Man owed her, as long as she didn't owe Mr. Fool a favor. A favor from a great being was very valuable.

Although Miss Justice didn't understand what Mr. Fool and Miss Lover meant, she carefully memorized it. While reflecting on it, she asked Mr. Fool:

"Mr. Fool, what do you want us to do by paying us in advance?"

Mr. Fool leaned back slightly, glanced to both sides, and said in a low, soothing voice:

"Help me collect Russell Gustav's secret diary, even if it's just one page."

Upon hearing this, Livre was startled!

Mr. Fool affirmed that Russell Gustave's legacy was a diary!

Currently, there are differing opinions regarding Russell's remains. Some believe they are occult notes, others believe they are texts recording divine pathways, and still others believe they are his invention manuscripts...

However, Mr. Fool directly and accurately called it a diary!

Can he understand those diaries?

Is he a time traveler?

At the same time, Justice and the Hanged Man also showed expressions of shock, with the Hanged Man even frowning and asking in return:

"A diary? That's a diary?"

Faced with the question from the "Hanged Man," the Fool leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands together, and answered in a relaxed tone:

"Let's treat it as a diary for now."

He neither denied nor confirmed it.

"It is said that Emperor Roselle's, well, diary, was written in a secret script or symbols that he invented himself?"

Justice asked with some curiosity.