Chapter 895 Late Night Party
Leonard was a little excited but also a little worried about meeting this witch codenamed "Queen of Pentacles".
His excitement was naturally not due to the ridiculous reason of "the Tarot Club gave out witches", but because after the "old man" had dissuaded him from training his own men several times and he could not have his own "Minor Arcana", he was able to meet the minor cards of other Tarot Club members, and he had a peculiar feeling that "if others have it, I have it too".
As for his worries, it was of course because this was not the first time he had met the other party, and the result of that meeting was not very good. While tracking the other party, Leonard encountered a trap set by a higher-level witch and almost died by hitting his head in the sewer. He was also beaten by his own cane that had the property of being alive. The other party also escaped with a narrow escape, and perhaps still had some resentment in her heart.
Anyway, I have been promoted to a "Spirit Wizard", and with the help of the old man, I have captured several useful spirits. Even if I meet the other witch hiding behind the scenes that day, I will be able to fight again... He pressed the "Word of the Sea" cane hidden under his windbreaker, and his worries slowly faded away.
At this moment, the spirit patrolling overhead issued a warning that an object was quietly approaching from the other end of the alley.
Leonard immediately turned around and looked. Apart from the occasional passers-by walking on the street outside the alley, he didn't see anything unusual.
It should be "invisible". Humph, I've seen it many times in Tingen... He muttered, straightened his windbreaker, exposed his hands, took two steps forward and said:
"Is it Miss 'Queen of Pentacles'?"
He didn't say any nonsense like "I mean no harm," and maintained the "aloofness" of an official Beyonder, which helped him maintain his advantage in the subsequent conversation.
This was what the old man taught him. Although he didn't know what it would be useful for, he decided to follow the old man's experience.
A moment later, a figure appeared in the middle of the alley. Leonard immediately recognized the petite figure wrapped in a familiar hooded cloak. She was the witch who had escaped from his hands last time.
"It's me. You are the Extraordinary Person of the Church that Miss Queen mentioned, right?"
The witch said in a gentle and soft voice.
Leonard knew that the other party had seen his face in the last battle and was already familiar with his appearance, so his words were more of confirmation than doubt, and he nodded and said:
"Just call me 'Xingxing'."
Since Angel had already told the Queen of Pentacles his tarot card codename, there was no need for him to hide it. This would also make the other party think that these organizations using tarot cards as a codename were affiliated with the Goddess Church, thus avoiding exposing the existence of Mr. Fool.
Sure enough, the witch's head under her hood moved slightly, and she said as if she had solved some doubts:
"Yes, Mr. Star."
As she spoke, she removed the hood that covered most of her face, revealing her long brown hair, high nose bridge, and thin, wide lips. These somewhat androgynous features combined into a breathtaking beauty on her face. Compared to the last time Leonard saw her, she looked more harmonious and made it impossible to look away.
As expected of a Beyonder of the Witch Path, no... she should have already advanced to the level of Joy. The public execution that caused such a stir last time should have allowed her to fulfill her role... Leonard suddenly realized that staring at a young woman was somewhat impolite. He slowly averted his gaze, and spoke as if to hide his embarrassment:
"Last time in the battle on Iron Carbon Street, I..."
"It doesn't matter. We didn't know each other's identities at the time, and my actions were indeed inappropriate in the eyes of the official Beyonders."
Before he could finish, the Queen of Pentacles frankly revealed the matter, which made Leonard even more embarrassed. He always felt that his usual casual attitude was not suitable for this kind of occasion, and his expression changed again and again.
After a moment, he regained his composure and continued:
"Let me confirm first, are you currently Sequence 7 or Sequence 6?"
"Sequence 6, 'Joy'."
The Minor Arcana replied immediately, his words brief and crisp, quite in the style of an official Beyonder.
Probably Angel taught him that… Leonard muttered to himself and nodded.
"This will make the next operation much safer... Since you have become an informant for the Goddess Church, while obtaining the church's protection, you also need to complete the corresponding work. I believe the 'Queen' should have told you in advance, right?"
He turned his head and glanced at both sides of the alley. The spirit above his head, which was used to monitor the surroundings, also gave feedback. After confirming that no one was paying attention to their conversation, Leonard continued:
"It's said that the Aurora Society, which believes in the 'True Creator,' has returned to Backlund. They're used to organizing Beyonder gatherings and organizing wild Beyonders to serve them... Pay attention to the recent movements of those underground gatherings in the East District. You don't have to go yourself, but you can use the Beyonders you know and ask them to find out if there are any organizers named Mr. or Ms., for example..."
"Mr. K?" The witch in front of him tilted her head and took over the conversation. "He showed up in the East District about a month ago and held a few gatherings. I've attended... The gatherings are held on time every week. The buying and selling of items and the handling of offending members are relatively fair. I haven't seen any signs of the characteristics of an evil god follower yet."
Leonard didn't expect to gain something from his first encounter with the "Queen of Pentacles." He was overjoyed and asked:
"Did he issue any special commissions?"
"Aside from looking for followers of The Fool, there's nothing special... By the way, there are a lot of low-sequence potion formulas being traded at the party, and the proportion of participants who have become Beyonders is also higher than in previous parties I've attended. Perhaps this is worth paying attention to?"
Mr. Fool's followers, aren't they us? Well, the little players don't know their identities yet... Leonard's expression stiffened for a moment, and then he replied:
"The church has also noticed this. It may be related to the crackdown and suppression of underground gatherings after the 'Great Smog'... You should continue to monitor the movements of this 'Mr. K' and report regularly to me or the 'Queen'... My contact information is..."
He gave the address of the church in the East District for receiving anonymous letters of complaint. After the other party wrote it down, he took out several talismans such as "Sleep" and "Dream" made of silver sheets from under his windbreaker and gave them to the "Queen of Pentacles" as support for her actions.
As for money, ever since he joined the Tarot Club and bought the handy "Sea Words" walking stick, his savings have run out and he can't help with anything for the time being.
Fortunately, the witch didn't care much. After putting away the talisman, she said goodbye respectfully and left in stealth. This time, she seemed to have used some new techniques, making it impossible for Leonard's spirit floating in the air to detect her movements.
After knowing that I discovered her invisibility, she immediately improved her method. She's a quick learner... Leonard looked at the direction where the other person's back disappeared with satisfaction. After a moment, he recalled his spirit, tightened his hood, and hurried away in another direction.
"Old man, I shouldn't have revealed anything this time, right?"
He habitually tilted his head and whispered.
"You've exposed the fact that you haven't been around young women for a long time," the old voice in his head sarcastically said, "You weren't even this nervous when you subdued the evil spirit and completed the ritual to become a 'Spirit Wizard'."
Why am I nervous... Leonard muttered silently, left the alley, looked up, and walked towards the north area.
He also had to rush to another "party" in the evening.
————
Queens Borough, Earl Hall's Mansion, Audrey's bedroom.
After washing up early and preparing to rest, Audrey dismissed her personal maid and squatted beside the bed, stroking Susie's head and whispering:
"It's the same as always. Help me guard the door and don't let anyone disturb me."
"Okay, Audrey," the golden retriever, who had already digested the Psychologist potion and only needed to gather the necessary ingredients to advance to Sequence 6, replied in human language, "There won't be any danger this time, right?"
It had already noticed something strange in its master's serious expression and attitude.
"It doesn't matter. After all, I am already a 'Dream Walker'."
Audrey said with a smile, and couldn't help but recall the night three days ago when she received the Beyonder characteristic of "Dream Walker" provided by Miss Queen and was promoted with the help of Mr. Fool.
Even though several days had passed, she would still recall from time to time in the dead of night the perfect world she had constructed in the depths of her dreams under the influence of the potion:
My parents lived in harmony, my two brothers were no longer at odds with each other, a peace agreement had been signed between the great powers, and Loen was undergoing continuous and sound reforms. The poor were being helped out of their plight, the wealthy were donating money and engaging in charity, and even the wild Beyonders no longer had to hide from the Church's pursuit and could walk in the sunshine...
Unfortunately, it was just a beautiful dream. If I had fallen into it and failed to break free, I'm afraid my spirit would have been lost and my body would have become a cruel monster...
She thought with some fear, and after Susie left the bedroom obediently, she locked the door, lay down on the soft big bed with her clothes on, and closed her eyes in the dim light.
A moment later, a crimson light enveloped Audrey, and she felt a familiar sense of weightlessness. She opened her eyes again and found herself in a palace shrouded in gray mist, sitting on the high-backed chair belonging to "Justice."
Unlike before, the table in front of Audrey was filled with the "Lie" mask she had sacrificed in advance. Besides her, there were only three other figures in the venue: the "Queen" beside her, the "Star" diagonally opposite her, and the "World" at the end of the long table, opposite Mr. Fool.
"Good, everyone is here on time."
"World" was heard in a low and hoarse voice. Audrey naturally turned her gaze towards him, and then her gaze fell on the dark brown cover and ancient book in front of him.
This "temporary gathering" for only a few Tarot Club members was jointly convened by "The World" and "The Queen." After Audrey ascended to "Dream Walker" and stabilized her status, she had a premonition:
This action may be related to "dreams".
But why does it have to take place in Mr. Fool's realm? Does it require entering the dreams of a member, such as Mr. "Star," who had seen the "Second Blasphemous Slate" behind him?
Just as Audrey was beginning to speculate, the words of "Xingxing" dispelled her doubts:
"Is our exploration today related to this book?"
The new member spoke in a casual manner, pointing to the ancient book.
Whether Mr. Fool is present or not, his changes are the most obvious among all the members... Audrey couldn't help but think about it and looked at The World, waiting for its answer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
