Chapter 124 "Creeping Hunger"

"Actually, you really don't have to wait for me."

Finally, the Fool shifted his gaze from the diary in his hand, scanning the long bronze table and looking at the four people who were waiting for him in silence.

"It is our honor," the Hanged Man replied respectfully.

Afterwards, the weekly routine communication time officially began.

"Mr. Hanged Man, I've learned what you asked me to inquire about. The Prime Minister and his staff have convinced the King that the Kingdom of Loen will not continue to provoke war on the east coast of Balam and retaliate against the Feysac Empire within a year."

It was still Miss Justice who spoke first.

"Thank you for your answer. It puts me, and some of us, at ease." The Hanged Man nodded slightly and replied, "As we agreed last time, what kind of reward do you require?"

"The main ingredients for the 'Mind Reader', or reliable clues, can wait until Mr. Sun gives me the formula."

Zhengyi said without hesitation, it seems that improving her sequence is still her most important thing.

She then shifted her gaze to Angel.

"My Lady Queen, your previous proposal of selecting officials through public examinations to prevent political party changes from impacting administrative efficiency has also been approved by the King. I've heard that this proposal will soon be passed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and will be officially implemented early next year."

"This is you, the influence that our Tarot Club has achieved on the kingdom."

She added with some pride.

No, this is all your influence. I initially thought it was some kind of college summer project... And Miss Justice, what kind of family is yours? How do you even know what the King and the Prime Minister are doing?

Angel complained in her heart that when she was talking big and engaging in verbal politics, she never thought about the real impact it would have on reality.

However, the sense of accomplishment of influencing the institutional reforms of the Loen Kingdom through language and advanced knowledge still enveloped her. No wonder Miss Justice spoke with pride. As the person who personally promoted the passage of the proposal through family and social connections, she must have been even more excited.

"It seems the king and his staff still have some brains and haven't degenerated into a group of curly-haired baboons."

The Hanged Man taunted mercilessly.

Stunned by the Hanged Man's harsh assessment, Zhengyi quickly calmed down his inner excitement and continued to ask:

"By the way, Mr. Hanged Man, and everyone, I recently joined a circle of Beyonders. They trade intelligence, materials, and potion formulas with each other, and there are many participants. The organizer of the circle is a Beyonder named 'Mr. A'. This sounds like a code name. Does anyone know his true identity?"

Mr. A... This name is very similar to Mr. C's. Could he also be a member of the "Aurora Society"?

Angel recalled the information Dunn had given him about the Aurora Society's messenger. Seeing that the Hanged Man didn't respond, he carefully replied:

"The Mr. A you mentioned is most likely one of the twenty-two divine messengers of the Aurora Society. They all refer to themselves by letter code names like 'Mr. A' and 'Mr. Z'. They possess at least Sequence 7 strength, and can reach Sequence 5 at best."

"If Mr. A, the organizer of this Beyonder circle, is truly Mr. A, the Divine Envoy of the Aurora Society, then I suggest you avoid contact with him and avoid provoking him. Mr. Hanged Man and I have already explained the situation of the Aurora Society to you."

Angel once again emphasized the cruelty and lawlessness of the Aurora Society.

"Thank you for your reminder, Miss Queen. I will...will be careful to have less contact with him."

Zhengyi answered hesitantly, then paused as if remembering something before speaking again.

"What do I have to pay for this answer?"

I still have 900 pounds in my unregistered bank account. I don't need any money right now, and I'm embarrassed to charge for this little information... Oh, and now I need to prepare the main ingredients for the Sequence 7 "Witch" potion in advance...

"I need some extraordinary materials recently. If you can get the blood of a whole Black Abyss Demon Fish, I hope to be able to buy it from you."

The main ingredients of the "Witch" potion are "all the blood of the Black Abyss Demon Fish" and "the eggs of the Agate Peacock". She only asked to buy the former because she was afraid that others would guess its purpose or speculate the formula of the potion.

"I understand. I'll keep an eye on it. If everything goes well, I'll be able to help you solve the material problem at the next Tarot Club."

Zhengyi answered without hesitation, seemingly not even considering the possibility that he wouldn't be able to find the materials.

Another deal was successfully concluded, and the long bronze table in the gray fog fell into a brief silence.

"I've received a piece of intelligence," the Hanged Man looked around and, seeing that he had successfully attracted everyone's attention, he continued in a calm tone, "The great pirate Qilingos, known as 'Vice Admiral Hurricane', has secretly infiltrated Backlund."

"That 'Vice Admiral Hurricane', one of the Seven Pirate Admirals?" Miss Justice exclaimed. "I heard he's cruel and murderous. What is this pirate doing in Backlund?"

Miss Justice, you're too easy for the Hanged Man to trick you like this... It seems the "Audience" potion can only give you observation skills, but no other experience.

Angel chuckled as he watched the Hanged Man successfully arouse Justice's curiosity, and in exchange for Justice's promise to help him find "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilingos in exchange for the method of obtaining the main ingredients of the potion.

"But remember, although he's only a Sequence 6 Wind-Favored One, he's incredibly cruel and cunning, and possesses a powerful magical item. You simply need to track him down, and never attempt to deal with him."

The Hanged Man added patiently, perhaps out of concern for Justice's own safety, or perhaps because he was worried that Justice would die tragically at the hands of this pirate before he could deliver the message.

"A magical item? It sounds like this item is even more powerful than him. What's so special about it?"

This was crucial information in the search for Vice Admiral Hurricane, so the Hanged Man did not hide it and told Justice directly.

"The original name of this magical object is unknown, but Qilingos's men and enemies all call it 'Creeping Hunger' because it must devour the flesh and soul of a living person every other day, otherwise it will consume its own master in its place."

It sounds much harder to deal with than my "Thirst for Blood"... But maybe this is a weakness...

"We should be able to use this negative effect to find him."

Angel suggested.

"It might be possible in a small city, but Backlund has a population of over five million, and hundreds of homeless people disappear or die in dark corners every day. Let alone eating one every other day, even if we eat ten every day, we probably won't be able to find Qilingos in the short term."

The Hanged Man had anticipated this question and rejected Angel's suggestion outright.

"Furthermore, the more difficult it is to handle the negative effects of a magical item, the stronger they become. This 'Creeping Hunger' has made the Wind-Blessed Qilingos, who was originally only able to control water, wind, and weather, almost omnipotent. He can change into different appearances, strengthen himself through singing, and enter the dreams of others..."

It sounds like a combination of abilities from many different sources. Could it be that "Creeping Hunger" and "Magic Pocket Watch" can provide abilities from other sources for Qilingos to use?

As Angel listened to the Hanged Man's introduction, he thought of his own magical item formed by his Beyonder characteristic, "Magician."

"shepherd?"

Before the Hanged Man could finish, Mr. "The Sun", who had been silently watching the conversation between the three people, exclaimed.

Along with the Hanged Man who had shut his mouth, the three of them turned their gaze towards the sun.

This made Taiyang, who already regretted blurting out his words, even more flustered. He lowered his head, which was taller than the Hanged Man, and after a long while, he continued:

"The abilities Mr. Hanged Man listed are very similar to the 'Shepherd' sequence. He can devour the souls of others and drive them. The extraordinary abilities of the souls in their lifetime can also be used by the 'Shepherd', just like herding lambs."

"Most importantly, the 'shepherd' can shepherd more than one soul and can be easily replaced."

This is much more terrifying than the "Magic Pocket Watch." As long as Qilingos uses "Creeping Hunger" to graze a "Magician," he can possess his extraordinary abilities. If other sequences are added, such as "Nightmare" and "Witch"...

Angel couldn't help but shudder as he imagined Qilingos holding a frost spear, surrounded by black flames, and suddenly appearing behind the enemy to launch a surprise attack with a "flame flash".