Chapter 377 The Dull Tarot Club
Angel was not surprised that Laura could guess this information so quickly.
She had been promoted to "Joy" less than two months earlier, making it nearly impossible for her to gather the formula and ingredients for the next sequence in advance. Her only way to advance was to directly utilize the Beyonder's characteristics as a replacement for the main potion ingredient. Since Backlund's only "Pain" witch had vanished after the Orthodox Church's angels were dispatched, Laura naturally wondered where this Beyonder's characteristics had ended up.
Similarly, Angel's true identity is about to be revealed - the "pain" witch characteristic that falls into the hands of official extraordinary people will not be easily given to wild extraordinary people. Only by making contributions in this smog can it be obtained.
This also verified Angel's guess. Laura really knew the formula of the "pain" potion and understood the law of conservation of extraordinary characteristics.
As for the exposure of her identity as an "official Beyonder," it did not pose any threat to "Eileen," who was about to leave Backlund. Instead, it could make Laura hesitate.
Therefore, Angel just nodded in a pretentious manner and did not answer.
"Heh, I've been guessing your true identity, like a witch who betrayed the sect, or an Avenger who has been lurking for years. I didn't expect..." Laura smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned about Angel's identity, but her eyes had turned cold. "You're lucky. I have both of these materials. Contact me in three days, and Vincent and I will meet with you."
"The only thing I didn't expect was that you managed to complete the role of 'Joy' so quickly. I remember it was only two months since you got the formula from me. This makes me curious about the person who cooperated with you in the role-playing. Could he be a demigod?"
Too bad his sequence isn't even as high as mine... Angel looked away guiltily.
But she specifically mentioned that hunter, Vincent, because she didn't want to meet alone? Perhaps she was wary of my official Beyonder status, or perhaps she felt that my strength was now comparable to hers...
And judging from Laura's attitude, she doesn't seem to like official Beyonders... Well, this is not a strange thing, most wild Beyonders are like this.
Angel guessed and continued to ask:
"What about you? You clearly know the potion formula and have gathered the ingredients. Why don't you try to advance? You should have already completed the digestion, right?"
"It's not that easy for me to continue to advance..."
Laura looked away and answered slowly.
For some reason, Angel felt that her expression was a little sad.
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"Mr. Fool, and everyone else, good afternoon."
Inside the palace above the gray fog, Miss Justice took the lead in greeting everyone as usual. Her voice was still gentle, but it had lost its usual lightness.
"Thank you for saving Backlund once again."
She stood up from the high-backed chair, faced the head of the long table, and bowed solemnly.
Angel sat between her and Mr. Fool, looking around the long table, and found that several Tarot Club members had taken varying degrees of action after hearing Justice's words.
Miss Justice thanked Mr. Fool. Perhaps it was Mr. Fool who had given her the necessary tips before the Great Smog, allowing her to leverage Earl Hall's connections to inform all parties, especially the Church of the Evernight Goddess, to respond appropriately... Her tone was a little agitated. Was it because she had learned the casualties of the Great Smog? Although the newspapers hadn't reported it yet, with her status, obtaining firsthand information wouldn't be difficult.
The Hanged Man across from him, though overseas, seemed to have already learned about the smog. He leaned forward, expressing more interest than surprise. Mr. Sun made almost no movement; he probably had no idea what "Backlund" meant.
Miss Magician also lived in Backlund, and she expressed considerable shock. After all, Backlund officials claimed that the severe smog was merely caused by the gradually deteriorating urban environment, with plague and death as its byproducts. Miss Justice's words undoubtedly indicated that this large-scale death involved a deeper struggle, and even required the assistance of the mysterious and powerful existence of Mr. Fool.
As for Mr. World in the distance...
Angel looked at this member who rarely expressed his opinions. His face was hidden behind the hood and gray mist, his hands hung under the table, and his body did not move at all, making it impossible to tell any change in his emotions.
"My followers and I have only provided insignificant assistance," Mr. Fool's low, disembodied voice emanated from the gray fog. "But perhaps you could thank Miss Queen. She has made considerable contributions to Backlund."
Angel, who was still secretly observing other people's reactions, suddenly felt that everyone's eyes were focused on her. She bent down involuntarily, making herself look smaller. She felt a little confused and ashamed.
Mr. Fool, you said your help was insignificant and my contribution was "quite substantial." This is a bit hard to bear...
Audrey also looked at the Queen beside her with some curiosity. She had provided key information during the heavy smog, allowing Earl Hall to promptly notify the church, the military, and the royal family to take appropriate countermeasures. As a result, she won the unanimous praise of her elders and also learned a lot of follow-up investigation information from them.
The altar for summoning the "True Creator" in the ruins on the eastern outskirts of the city, the long-prepared large-scale ceremony deep in the east district, the "unfortunate fire" of the Red Rose Manor and the deceased prince, are all traces of the struggle between various parties behind the heavy smog.
I didn't expect Miss Queen to be able to participate in events of this magnitude... But she should be the most powerful member of the Tarot Club, so this makes sense...
Audrey thought about it and bowed to Angel to express her gratitude.
"Ms. Queen, thank you for your efforts. Otherwise, hundreds of thousands of people in Backlund would have died in this severe smog."
Since she had learned from Lola about the mutual "constraints" between the three major churches in Backlund, Angel didn't tell them about how the angels from the Goddess Church had descended on the city and easily averted the disaster. However, she didn't want to take all the credit, so she just shook her head slightly and didn't answer.
But Miss Zhengyi seemed to take her silence as a tacit agreement. After sitting back in her high-back chair, she began to talk about the subsequent impact of the heavy smog.
"This unprecedented smog, created by a certain 'Witch of Despair,' has affected the East District, the Factory District, the Dock District, as well as parts of the South District and the Bridge District. The toxic fog spread for over an hour, and the subsequent plague has yet to be completely stopped. Although the exact number of casualties has not yet been fully counted, the bodies recovered alone are as high as 80,000, mostly the elderly, children, and civilians with pre-existing illnesses. Adding in the seriously ill who were unable to receive timely medical treatment, as well as some casualties that have yet to be discovered, the death toll is likely to exceed 100,000..."
"100,000 people...how does it compare to last time..."
Angel felt dizzy. She had deeply experienced the horror of smog and even nearly died from the disease spread by Panatia. She was mentally prepared for the possible heavy casualties in the East District, but the information revealed by Miss Justice still exceeded her worst imagination.
The next person to be shocked was Sun Derrick, who didn't even know where "Backlund" was.
This number far exceeded the entire population of his own City of Silver. Derrick had grieved the death of his friend and worried about the disappearance of the entire exploration team, but he had never imagined the scenario of civilians, several times the population of Silver City, dying in a single hour. The mere thought of the mountains of corpses suffocated him.
Magician Fors and Klein the Fool, who sat behind the gray fog and acted nonchalant, also felt a sense of heaviness in their hearts. In Backlund, they had seen countless patients awaiting treatment in the city over the past few days, bodies taken to the suburbs by freight wagons for cremation, and the deserted streets and shops. They could clearly feel the profound impact of the smog on the entire city.
Compared to the actions and damage caused by the "Witch of Despair", the bloody sacrifices performed by the various gentlemen and ladies of the Aurora Society seemed like just some clumsy jokes.
After waiting for everyone to digest this shocking news, Audrey continued:
"Fortunately, the kingdom's upper echelons are aware of the potential consequences of the unrest caused by this incident. The king has proactively made concessions to Parliament and the three major churches. The many environmental protection bills proposed by the Air Pollution Investigation Committee will be passed before the end of the year. Minimum protections for workers and working hours restrictions will also be written into the latest laws. The Poor Relief Law will be amended to be more beneficial to the lower classes as a way to appease them.
"Factory owners and bankers have voluntarily donated a large amount of property and supplies to ensure that there will be no new casualties from disease and cold this winter. As compensation, the seat limit of the House of Lords will be relaxed, and those who have obtained the title through donation rather than inheritance will also be able to enter the House of Lords. The property limit for elections will also be adjusted accordingly to better benefit the emerging wealthy class.
"Due to the contributions of the three major churches, especially the Church of the Evernight Goddess, in this incident, the king will allow them to send personnel into the military to enhance their ability to handle extraordinary events. It's said that because the new Archbishop of the Church of the Storm, Raydar Valentine, was busy with the handover at the military camp and failed to dispel the deadly smog in a timely manner, they have little complaint about the military positions originally belonging to the Church of the Storm being divided up by other churches. Furthermore, taking advantage of the opportunity to enter the East District to rescue the sick and hunt down members of the Witch Cult, several previously abandoned Churches of the Evernight have been reopened, and the corresponding clergy have been stationed in the East District. The royal family and the military have tacitly approved of these actions."
After telling everyone about her proactive inquiry and what Susie had overheard in the meeting room at home, Audrey looked at everyone expectantly, waiting for the Tarot Club members' comments.
The Hanged Man did not disappoint her. After pondering for a moment, he sneered in the depressing atmosphere and began to express his own views.
"This smile lasted for 12 hours"
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