Chapter 378 The Hanged Man's Mind
"I also heard about the great smog in Backlund while at sea. I didn't expect the death toll to reach six figures. May their souls rest in peace."
The Hanged Man, Alger, first expressed his surprise and respect for the deceased, but then changed the subject and his tone became sharp.
“However, in this disaster, the upper echelons of the kingdom, and even the Orthodox Church, probably benefited greatly.
"You said these reforms were initiated by the king? Ha, I'm afraid he was forced by the three major churches. Military power has always been tightly clung to by the Augustus. After hundreds of years of operation, the Storm Church has finally inserted a few wedges into the navy. This time, the king actually allowed members of the three major churches to be stationed in the army. The compromise he made is greater than everything else you mentioned combined.
"While this king appears to be backing down, he's actually using these concessions to sow suspicion among the three major churches. He's deliberately allowing the Church of Darkness to enter the East District, which has a large population and a volatile faith. He wants to exploit one and oppress the other two, making the Church of Darkness a target for the other two churches and thus relieving the pressure on himself."
Having said this, Alger paused for a moment, enjoying the shocked gazes of the crowd. This allowed him to release the long-suppressed desire to talk, both in the church and on the sea, and he felt a long-lost sense of relief.
After a moment, he lowered his voice and continued:
"Factory owners and bankers seized this opportunity to seize seats in the House of Lords. This was once a privilege reserved for the traditional nobility, something they couldn't even afford. Now, through donated titles, they could enter the House of Lords and exert influence on national affairs. They were all supporters of the New Party, and the conservative forces would suffer another severe blow after Duke Negan's death.
"Finally, for Backlund's lower-class citizens, the much-criticized Poor Law will be revised, and working hours will be subject to new restrictions. With all due respect, the population decline caused by this heavy smog will probably force factories to increase wages in an effort to retain the remaining workers. For those who survive, it's a blessing in disguise, I guess."
Audrey tried to use her "audience" abilities to control her facial expressions and body movements, but she was deeply shocked. She now felt that even if Mr. Hanged Man wasn't a Beyonder, he still had a great chance of securing a high-ranking position in the government.
Because what he said was what he had heard his father and brother discuss privately at home. The conclusions they came to based on various information were surprisingly similar to the conclusions the Hanged Man came to after a little thought in the Tarot Club.
Of course, most of the credit should go to Susie. Who would care about a big golden retriever sleeping in the corner with dog food in their arms during a private conversation?
"So, what about the royal family? They seem to have only made concessions and suffered losses in this incident, right?"
Angel asked with a frown. She was listening with fascination, but she didn't hear the Hanged Man mention this until the end.
"That day, a meteorite that fell near Red Rose Manor caused a fire at the manor, tragically killing Prince Edessac Augustus," Miss Justice added. "But it's said that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment after colluding with the Witch Cult and plotting rebellion. This is the real reason the royal family gave in to the three major churches and the factory owners."
"No, Prince Edessak was silenced. He had a Sequence 5 Beyonder by his side as a steward and bodyguard, and he also died in the sea of fire."
Angel told everyone the information he got from Laura.
"So, the prince was just a scapegoat, and the beneficiaries, having gained benefits, chose to lay low and publicly stop pursuing those forces within the royal family who were actually collaborating with the Witch Cult and the Aurora Society."
The Hanged Man added, and he seemed to have come up with some new conclusions from everyone's analysis, and nodded continuously.
"But what is the royal family's real purpose? Would causing such a large-scale disaster actually benefit them?"
Magician Fors also joined the discussion. With her novelist's intuition, she instantly thought of several fantastic possibilities, but lacking evidence, she quickly denied them.
Dongdong——
Mr. Fool suddenly knocked on the table, causing everyone to stop talking and look at the host of the Tarot Club.
"The root cause of the problem has not yet been discovered, but clues have emerged. I hope the three major churches will not give up the pursuit of the truth for the sake of immediate interests."
He spoke slowly, his tone flat, as if he looked down upon these Orthodox Churches.
The first to react was the Hanged Man. He bowed slightly and replied:
"Thank you, Mr. Fool, I understand."
Can you tell me what you understand?... Klein almost couldn't contain the mysterious aura he created. He just mentioned casually that the royal family might have other intentions, suggesting that everyone present continue to inquire about the news through their own channels, but Mr. Hanged Man seemed to have "understood everything."
Fortunately, he still had a pseudonym... But the "world" also had to maintain its image, and it also had to sell the Beyonder characteristics of the "Faceless Man." Furthermore, he couldn't let Angel discover his relationship with "Klein"...
Klein hesitated and looked at the other Tarot Club members, but found that they were all thoughtful and silent. He could only pretend to be indifferent and said:
"You guys go ahead."
After this depressing and confusing topic came to an end, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The Hanged Man also put away the seriousness of a political commentator and tried to find clues to the formula of the Sailor's Path Sequence 6 potion "Wind Blessed". This also meant that he had digested the existing potion and was ready to seek promotion.
Miss Justice also began to purchase extraordinary materials. She successfully infiltrated the "Psychological Alchemy Society" last week and used financial resources to quickly resolve several commissions issued by internal members. Although she pretended not to have taken the "Mind Reader" potion, she had already obtained the formula for Sequence 7 "Psychologist" in advance.
The mysterious Mr. "World" was selling a mysterious extraordinary property in a mysterious tone. He tried to let the Hanged Man with a wide network of connections sell it on his behalf, or make it into a magical item. Miss Justice expressed strong interest and joined the transaction. The three of them "communicated alone" for a moment and reached a high transaction of more than 3,000 pounds, which made Angel envious.
She bought some auxiliary materials for the "Pain" witch formula - Eucalyptus globulus essential oil, and spent money to draw blood from several seriously ill patients in the hospital. She had less than 2,000 pounds left. Although many people, including Justice, still owed her money, Angel still felt that her wallet was in danger.
Fortunately, the Angel Lady of the Church left me the Beyonder characteristic of the Witch of Pain. Otherwise, the main material or the complete Beyonder characteristic would have cost over 8,000 pounds to purchase... Well, I have to put my promotion on the agenda. Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man are working hard, so I can't slack off...
She planned secretly.
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Mr. Sun slowly raised his hand. After everyone looked at him curiously, he said:
"Everyone, remember what I said last time about planning to explore the ruins of the 'Fallen Creator'?"
"Are you on your way?"
The Hanged Man immediately asked back. Previously, he had been guiding Mr. Sun in many of his decisions in Silver City, and an almost fixed "teacher-student" relationship had been formed between them, so everyone looked at the two of them without interrupting.
"We'll set off tomorrow. Elder Lovia, the 'Shepherd' from our last expedition, is still imprisoned in the dungeon. Our team will be led by the 'Chief,' a Sequence 4 'Demon Hunter.'"
In order to seek help, "Sun" Derrick did not hide anything and even told the Hanged Man the strength of "Chief".
"It sounds like the danger level will be much lower, but you still need to be careful, especially about your own behavior. This exploration requires your participation, most likely to finally eliminate the possibility of you being controlled by 'Amon'."
"So what do I need to pay attention to?"
"Of course, follow your usual training. Don't reveal knowledge you shouldn't know. Follow all instructions. Don't be curious about everything. That will kill you and your teammates."
The Hanged Man seemed to understand this very well, and his tone was a little serious.
"How about something more specific? I can't just do nothing. Everyone in the team has their own mission."
Derrick demanded.
"Flesh, blood, and whispers."
Mr. Fool at the head of the long table suddenly spoke.
"Flesh and blood, whispers, these are all real... the most dangerous things in the ruins of the Fallen Creator." Seeing Derrick looking bewildered, the Hanged Man took the initiative to explain to Mr. Fool, "Don't worry too much. The Chief must have extensive experience with this. Just follow his instructions and avoid any free-wheeling actions, and you'll be able to overcome this."
"Thank you, Mr. Fool, and Mr. Hanged Man. I understand."
Having just weathered the heavy smog caused by the followers of the "True Creator," the others were a little worried about this young Beyonder, as they heard he was about to embark on a journey to explore the remains of this evil god. Unfortunately, no one knew where the City of Silver was, so they could only offer various verbal blessings to Mr. Sun, wishing him a safe return, lest the Tarot Club lose a valuable member.
————
After the Tarot meeting, Angel had no special plans in the short term. She and Klein only needed to wait for the fake identity documents to arrive, and after sorting out their respective interpersonal relationships left in Backlund, they could set off to leave this city still immersed in grief.
The first thing she had to do was to find an opportunity to advance to Sequence 5, the Witch of Pain.
After carefully storing the Eucalyptus essential oil, which had been preserved through ritual magic, and the blood of seriously ill patients that was now everywhere in the basement, Angel recalled the potion formula he had seen in the "Witch" card and the corresponding promotion ceremony:
Main materials: the head of a flower-faced bat and the gallbladder of a double-tailed black snake;
Auxiliary materials: 30 ml of blood from a spotted bat, the tail tip of a two-tailed black snake, 50 ml of blood from a seriously ill human, and 10 drops of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil.
Promotion Ceremony: Burn at the stake for a quarter of an hour without using a body double and survive without going insane.
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