Chapter 267 Private Communication
As the crimson light in front of Alger Wilson, the "Hanged Man," faded, he saw a hazy, illusory figure reappear in the seat opposite him that had been vacant since the death of Miss Queen.
After Miss Magician joined, Alger confirmed one thing: even after the owner of a Tarot Club left forever, the seat would not be assigned to anyone else.
The new member, the magician, was assigned a seat to the left of Miss Justice, which was the third seat to the left of Mr. Fool, while the seat closest to him remained vacant.
I didn't expect today's new member to actually sit on the high-back chair that belonged to the "Queen"...
But why did the figure behind the gray fog bear such a resemblance to the Queen? Her barely visible light-blonde hair, and her stature half a head taller than Miss Justice, who was taller than the average height for a Loen woman, could this be...
"Ms. Queen! Welcome back to the Tarot Club!"
Miss Justice next to the figure had already noticed the "new" member next to her and greeted him with surprise.
Sure enough, it was indeed the Queen... But didn't Angel Granger die in Tingen? Could my intelligence be wrong? And Miss Justice didn't seem surprised; she'd always known she was alive... No, I learned of the Queen's death through my own sources. Justice probably didn't have those channels or abilities, so she assumed the Queen had simply taken a leave of absence...
The Hanged Man was full of doubts, but he still followed Justice and welcomed Miss Queen. Then came Sun, who had already met her, the new magician, the World, and even Mr. Fool, who all expressed their greetings to the returning member.
Amidst the greetings from the crowd, the Hanged Man was still recalling the intelligence he had obtained over a month ago. Based on the fake identity purchased by the other party and various summarized information, he believed that his judgment was correct. The "Queen" of the Tarot Club was none other than the Night Watchman "Angel Granger" of Tingen City.
But this conflicted with reality. Angel Granger, who should have been dead and even buried, unexpectedly reappeared at the Tarot Club, responding to everyone's greetings one by one. If it weren't for the Fool, I would have turned around and run...
He glanced at Mr. Fool at the head of the long table, and remembered what the mysterious being had said: that the "Queen" had merely temporarily left the Tarot Club. He suddenly had an epiphany.
Angel Granger's death was a fact, and so was the Queen's return to the Tarot Club. The biggest possibility was... that she faked her own death during the Evil God of Tingen's arrival, then changed her appearance and continued to work for Mr. Fool.
He even believed that the Queen had really died in the Evil God's advent for the Fool's secret mission, and was then resurrected with the Fool's help. Even the Church of Night could not find the flaw and could only bury her as a normal deceased person.
Coming back from the dead is the greatest miracle.
The Hanged Man looked at Mr. Fool, who was sitting at the head of the group, and guessed that Mr. Fool was allowing the Queen to return to the Tarot Club at this time, most likely to demonstrate his power to the other members. This made him both afraid and delighted.
If only I could have this privilege...
His lowered eyes became more and more fiery.
…
"Sure enough, Miss Queen has returned to the Tarot Club!"
"Justice" Audrey Hall tried her best to keep her movements and tone steady, showing just the right amount of joy as she greeted the Queen beside her. Controlling these micro-expressions was not difficult for her after she was promoted to a "Mind Reader".
However, even though she didn't dare to use her clairvoyance in this gray foggy space, Audrey could still see the confusion or shock in everyone's movements. This sense of superiority of "I know and they don't" made it almost impossible for her to maintain her composure.
"Mr. World once searched for Miss Queen at the Tarot Club, but he's very calm now. Is it habit, or have they already met in real life? If the latter, Mr. World is likely in Backlund as well."
"The Hanged Man clearly doesn't know the Queen's whereabouts, but his actions and tone sound a bit too surprised. Could it be that he's been secretly investigating the Queen? That's right, I remember that during the first Tarot Club, Miss Queen asked Mr. Hanged Man for the channels to create a fake identity. The Hanged Man is capable of tracking this information..."
"But his progress is definitely not as fast as mine. I've already met Miss Queen in Backlund and even dragged her into my little occult gathering. Adding 'Magician' Fors, the Tarot Club now has three members who represent justice... No, Audrey, you're overstepping your bounds. This is Mr. Fool's Tarot Club!"
Her mind was full of thoughts, and after a round of greetings, she remembered the main business of the day and turned to Mr. Fool to request a private conversation.
As the Fool indicated that he had blocked the others' vision and hearing, Audrey saluted him again before continuing:
"Mr. Fool, after the incident I mentioned last week about being followed at the occult gathering, two people suspected to be members of the 'Psychological Alchemy Society' tried to contact me and mentioned their interest in psychology. I can sense they are trying to test me and win me over."
"I'm inclined to pretend to be an ordinary person and join them, acquiring the formula and related secret knowledge. Of course, the premise is to ensure the safety of myself and the Tarot Club. What are your opinions on this?"
If she had not been worried about being overheard by Miss "Queen" and having her identity guessed, she would not have wanted to communicate alone. Instead, she would have gathered ideas at the Tarot Club, especially to listen to the opinions of Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. World.
Mr. Fool smiled and said:
"You can do it without worry. If you encounter any difficulties, you can seek help from the Tarot Club." "He" spoke in a brisk tone, which made Audrey relax a little nervously. "But you must be careful. During the initial contact, it is best to bring a fellow Beyonder to protect you. Also, there may be informants planted by various major churches within the Psychological Alchemy Society, so be careful to conceal your identity."
"Thank you for your advice and concern, Mr. Fool. From now on, there will be informants from the Tarot Club within the Psychological Alchemy Society."
Audrey answered with pride, then, with the help of the Fool, materialized the two pages of Roselle's diary that she was going to submit today. These were the pages she had recorded during her visit to the Emperor Roselle exhibition. Unfortunately, the exhibition was about to close, and to prevent the "Mechanical Hearts" of the Steam Church from becoming alert, she did not request to continue browsing the diary or have them make a copy for her.
…
"Hello, Mr. World."
Angel greeted the new member, who sat at the bottom of the long table, some distance away from the others. He gave a slight nod in response, his voice hoarse, making it difficult to discern his age. Even in the palace, where the gray fog obscured his face, he wore a hood, clearly a man of great vigilance.
Unexpectedly, in just less than two months, the Tarot Club's membership, not counting the Fool, had expanded to six. Of the two new members, Miss "Magician" had already been seen by herself during the night of the blood moon, while Mr. "World" was even more mysterious.
The other three old members he knew, Mr. Hanged Man, remained calm as always, greeting him briefly before falling silent; Mr. Sun remained overly polite, yet a bit reserved; and Miss Justice was enthusiastic and optimistic, just like the real-life Audrey Hall...
When she fixed her eyes on Miss Justice beside her, she asked for "private communication". Angel felt her vision go dark, and the sweet voice of Miss Justice beside her ear disappeared without a trace.
The deprivation of her two most important senses made her panic for a moment, but she quickly realized that this was what "private communication" meant and calmed down.
It turned out that in the two months since I left the Tarot Club, they had discovered a new way of communicating that was different from pen and paper...
Angel quietly waited for the private conversation to end, and in his heart he felt a new expectation for the Tarot Club.
"You can communicate freely now."
After an unknown amount of time, she heard the Fool's low voice and her vision returned to normal. She saw two pieces of parchment placed before the Fool and knew that His reading time was over.
"Excuse me, are there any restrictions on individual conversations? Or can they be initiated freely between two members?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, and Angel asked the question that interested him first.
"There are no other restrictions for now. Just ask Mr. Fool."
The Hanged Man answered slowly, his gaze shifting to the Fool at the head of the long table, who nodded in confirmation.
"Well then, Mr. Fool, I request a private conversation with Miss Magician."
Seeing the Hanged Man's regretful look, Angel immediately applied for this new "feature".
Fors Wall, the "magician" sitting to the left of Justice, shook her shoulders and recovered from her lazy sitting posture. She didn't know why this Tarot Club elder, with whom she had almost no connection, wanted to communicate with her alone, but she nodded in agreement under the Fool's probing gaze.
From the brief conversation during the blood moon, she knew that the other party was not a difficult person to get along with, so she was surprised and a little curious.
"Ms. Magician, are you related to the 'Abraham Family'? Are you their descendant, or have you had close contact with them?"
At the Fool's signal, Angel couldn't wait to ask.
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