Chapter 647: One Week Leave
Eternal Sun, Lord of Storms, God of Knowledge and Wisdom...
Upon hearing the names of these three, the oldest of the Seven Gods, said to have been born directly from the spirit of the Creator, several Tarot Club members who had seen the statues in the Backlund underground ruins that Klein had displayed as "the world" immediately recalled their specific images. Some could not believe the content of the painting. The more devout "Justice" Audrey even felt that it was the work of some cultists to slander and distort the image of the righteous gods.
"The Moon" and "The Hermit", who joined the Tarot Club later, judged from the performance of others that what "The Sun" said was true, and also cast shocked eyes on the three "gods" who were sharing the remains of the Sun God.
No wonder, unlike the Goddess of Night, the God of War, and the Mother Earth, who only appeared on the historical stage at the end of the Second Era, the churches of these three gods clearly record in their scriptures that they were "born from the spirit of the Creator"...
"Perhaps this is just a distortion of the history of the birth of the three gods..."
"Magician," Fors retorted uncertainly. Although she was not a devout follower of the Church of Steam, she instinctively respected and feared the Seven Gods and could not believe that such a blasphemous scene was real.
"But it could also be the opposite. These ancient legends lost in time are the real thing, while church texts are merely embellishments."
Cattleya, the "Hermit," pushed the heavy glasses on her nose and pointed out another possibility.
"Why did the three gods preserve the history of their birth from the Creator?"
Audrey was puzzled. She asked herself if she had a similar experience, in order to hide everything, she should have destroyed all evidence and fabricated a completely false and perfect history, rather than writing it into the history books after appropriately beautifying it, which gave some cultists an opportunity to take advantage of it.
"Unless they felt a need to preserve this history, their identity as the 'Angel King,' they would not hesitate to embellish their experiences and record them in the annals... I'm saying this assuming the scene depicted in this painting is true..."
The Hanged Man, Alger tried to analyze it. After entering this gray foggy space and getting rid of his fear of the gods, he could finally speak freely without worrying about a bolt of lightning striking him, a blasphemer, to death.
At this moment, Angel, who had been thinking, also remembered the contents of the translated Russell diary that Mr. Fool "rewarded" him at the Tarot Club half a month ago. He thought of divinity and "anchor", and the importance of maintaining one's self.
"Could it be that they, or every god, like the High-Sequence Beyonders, need an 'anchor' to stabilize their state?"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to her.
The "anchor" of the gods, a stable state?
The Hanged Man and the Hermit, who were already Sequence 5, had both experienced the promotion ceremony. They immediately thought of the pain they had felt when they first took the potion, and the moment when their mind and body were on the verge of collapse. They also thought of the role of the ceremony in stabilizing their own state.
Could it be that every god is always in a similar state, and therefore needs an "anchor" similar to a ritual to stabilize themselves and not go crazy?
Other Tarot Club members who had no such experience also looked towards The Fool at the head of the long table, hoping He could confirm or deny it.
"Why do you think the gods spread their faith and fight openly and secretly for believers?"
The Fool chuckled and asked back in a teasing tone.
This is equivalent to acknowledging the correctness of the "Queen's" statement and clearly pointing out that the purpose of the gods' preaching is not "God loves the world", but is entirely for the stability of their own status.
Therefore, even though he had a "dark history" of devouring the ancient sun god and being promoted from "Angel King" to Sequence 0, the three true gods could only beautify this history with vague narratives, and could not completely separate themselves before and after becoming a god.
This was tantamount to denying one's own origins and existence. Even those in the Tarot Club who weren't High-Sequence Beyonders knew that this was tantamount to losing control and committing suicide!
Of course, this was just everyone’s guess, tacitly accepted by Mr. Fool. No one knew whether it was the truth or not… The Hermit secretly glanced at the Fool and the Queen sitting on His left, still feeling a little doubtful.
After all, Mr. Fool has gained some of the power of the Sea God and has even begun to erode the authority of the Storm Lord. He may have an irreconcilable conflict with the Seven Gods... Cattleya decided to consult the Queen after the meeting. Of course, she had to speak in secret to avoid revealing this information and suffering the punishment of the Seven Gods.
Others had similar concerns. A timid one like the Magician even wanted Mr. Fool to find a way to seal this part of her memory, lest she accidentally reveal it in her sleep and be captured and silenced by the Mandated Punishers.
Everyone looked at each other and tacitly decided to end the topic and change to something lighter.
Fortunately, Audrey, who has not left her own territory, shared some interesting topics. An expedition team suspected to be members of the "Psychological Alchemy Society" went to a place where there is a custom of dragon worship in order to track down the trace of the spiritual dragon. They were successively infected by contagious mental illnesses and killed each other like crazy. No one survived.
Based on the previous discussion, they quickly analyzed that dragon worship might also be a "belief" spread by a dragon that has reached the level of an angel in order to consolidate itself, which in turn verified everyone's previous speculation.
Well, this topic isn't so lighthearted anymore... Audrey felt a little downcast. She felt her attempt to adjust everyone's mindset had failed. She was about to share some of her experiences treating the mental illnesses of other noble children after becoming a "hypnotist" when she heard the "magician" Fors beside her speak:
"Dear Mr. Fool, due to some personal matters, I am worried that the scheduled gathering might be discovered by outsiders, so I would like to take a leave of absence next Monday."
This was the time she had set aside to travel to Trier to negotiate and sign a contract for the publication of her novel. The round trip alone would take nearly a week, and any delay could mean she was on a steam train or even attending a tarot club in Trier, a place she was unfamiliar with.
Klein, hidden behind the gray fog, felt something in his heart and replied in a relaxed tone:
"Can."
Then he immediately manipulated the "world" to lean forward slightly and said:
"Dear Mr. Fool, I would also like to ask for your leave and miss next week's Tarot Club."
Ah, why did two members suddenly ask for leave?
Audrey looked around in surprise, her heart full of confusion.
Mr. World seemed extremely busy. Not only did he have to complete Mr. Fool's occasional commissions, but he also frequently encountered Beyonder characteristics of relatively high sequences. This meant that he was either killing people or on his way to kill. Asking for leave wasn't inconceivable, but Fors...
She just looked at the "magician" beside her, curious about why this friend who wanted to stay at home 24 hours a day wanted to ask for leave, when a clear voice came from the right.
The “Queen” has also taken a leave of absence for next week’s Tarot Club!
"So, given the large number of people taking leave, next week's Tarot Club will be cancelled."
Klein the Fool looked around at the members on both sides and spoke slowly, feeling secretly delighted. He was still worrying about how to bring up the matter of The World asking for leave so that he could cancel next week's Tarot Club and leave enough time for himself to steal the Antigonus Family Notes. He didn't expect that before he even opened his mouth, The Magician and Angel had already laid the groundwork.
She should be going to Trier for the "Man in the Mirror" matter. This is a good opportunity to avoid sneaking into Chanis Gate to steal the notes, so that she won't worry about me... Klein thought silently, glancing at the "Queen" beside him.
Ever since he learned from Angel about the hint of the "Sword of the Goddess" and her speculation about the "Trial," Klein completely gave up trying to obtain the notes and the formula for the "Weird Mage" potion through "peaceful" means. Although he didn't know why the Goddess Church reacted this way, all he had to do was to use all means to infiltrate the Chanis Gate and get what he wanted!
As his thoughts surged, all the members of the Tarot Club stood up to salute, and then disappeared into the gray mist with flashes of red light.
At the two ends of the long bronze table, only "The Fool" and "The World" remained.
"Then, let's get started," The Fool said in a low, dark voice. "German Sparrow, contact the 'Queen of Mystery', disguise yourself as the 'Wrathful Spirit' Senior, and then enter the Chanis Gate."
"The World" stood up silently, put his hand on his chest, bowed, and then faded away.
Klein the Fool closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and let himself sink into the gray fog, returning to reality.
If everything goes well, that would be great. Otherwise, I'll likely have to give up my identity as Dwayne Dantès, and with it, my month's worth of socializing, the mansion I've paid rent for, and the servants and housekeepers whose annual salaries I've advanced... He thought with some heartache, opened his eyes, moved his stiff body, removed the spiritual wall, and walked out of the bathroom.
The moment he pushed open the door, his eyes locked onto a figure in the bedroom, and his pupils contracted slightly.
It was Angel, wearing a silk nightgown with her long hair casually tied behind her head.
Fortunately, after the last time my spiritual wall was breached and I was frozen in place after taking four steps backward, I had already taken multiple protective measures and held a Tarot meeting in the bathroom... Klein felt extremely fortunate.
"I asked Mr. Fool for some help... Why are you here?"
Given his previous "experience" with Angel, Klein took the initiative and preemptively admitted everything before the other party even opened his mouth to ask.
Sure enough, doubt flashed across Angel's purple eyes, and then he spoke:
"When I heard you ask for leave from Him, I guessed you might be trying to sneak into Chanis Gate in the near future... Be careful. When I went to see the Archbishop yesterday, I used my witch's extraordinary ability slightly, and the Chanis Gate's seal core sensed it and launched a counterattack..."
She told Crane about her meeting with Archbishop Anthony yesterday.
"It's consistent with my observations. Without angel-level strength, forcing your way into the underground area of Saint Samuel Church is tantamount to committing suicide. However, I don't plan to do that. I'd rather use some tricks."
Klein replied with a chuckle, and that confident expression put Angel at ease.
Before coming here this time, she had wanted to postpone her trip to Intis and provide some help to Klein infiltrating the Chanis Gate. However, according to "Sword of the Goddess" Cesimar, obtaining the notebook was a test for Klein. If she intervened to provide assistance, it would likely have the opposite effect.
Fortunately, he is full of confidence, and with the help of Mr. Fool, it should be smooth sailing... Angel thought secretly. Seeing Klein hesitated to speak, he smiled and asked:
"Anything else you want to say?"
"I… wish you a safe journey?"
Klein hesitated for a long time before he managed to utter a few words.
In response, Angel pounced like a tiger.
…
It was not until late at night that Mr. Dwayne Dantes came out of his bedroom. Looking a little tired, he asked the chef to make another rich and nutritious midnight snack and send it to his room.
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