Chapter 825 The Church of Fools?
The Tarot Club members' gazes kept darting from one to another, as if hoping someone would raise an objection and reject this possibility. However, the Magician and Judgement looked at Miss Justice with an extra sense of inquiry, their gazes constantly lingering on her long golden hair, misty green eyes, and well-fitting dress.
Mr. Hanged Man mentioned my attempts to spy on the kingdom's upper echelons a year ago, which inevitably made Fors and Xio suspicious of my identity. Based on key details like my hair and eye color, they've likely already confirmed that I'm the "Miss Audrey" who frequently holds occult salons and has issued them numerous commissions...
Audrey muttered, deciding to ignore the secret that would inevitably be exposed in the constant contact, and instead said:
"I also learned some information during this period..."
After everyone truly locked their gazes on her, she carefully continued:
"After the unified government employee examination, the Kingdom has filled the urgently needed mid- and low-level officials. Other laws and policies enacted after the East Balam War are gradually being put on track. In various informal settings, parliamentarians, officials, and even the cabinet that determines policy direction are quietly discussing the feasibility of a new war...
"I believe Mr. The Hanged Man's suspicions are highly plausible. The Kingdom of Loen has the motivation and determination to proactively provoke a local war in the next six months to recapture the lost interests in East Balam!"
This was what she learned while pretending to complete the task assigned by the "Psychological Alchemy Society" and secretly collecting conversations between her father and brothers, who were members of the New Party, and the nobles and parliamentarians who often came to their home. After a little sorting, she made it public at the Tarot Club.
As a noble of the Kingdom of Loen, Audrey was well aware of the attitudes of the king, the prime minister, and the vested nobles towards war. However, from the perspective of ordinary people, Audrey had recently been busy reviewing applications for financial aid from poor students. Having witnessed the lives of the lower classes in Backlund, she also understood the ordinary people's aversion to war. This conflicting mentality constantly tormented her, leaving her often unable to sleep late at night. She stared at the expensive furniture in her bedroom and the vast estate outside the window, unsure of where to put herself.
The other Tarot Club members looked at each other in confusion. The news confirmed from the perspectives of "The Hanged Man" and "Justice" made them worried.
This was especially true for long-time residents of Backlund, including Emlyn "The Moon," Fors, the "Magician," and Xio, who had just experienced a war-like haze six months prior that left the entire city weeping and filled with death. When they heard that war was imminent, their first reaction was absurdity, followed by waves of deep-seated disgust and panic.
Will this war continue in East Balam, or in the Sonia Sea, which has a long-standing feud with Feysac? Or will the war expand in scale, erupting directly between the two nations on the Northern Continent?
Will Backlund be attacked?
Will they see again the scene of countless dead and wounded people, with no time to bury their bodies and having to be burned or buried hastily in the wild to prevent the spread of the plague?
Compared with them, the "Hanged Man" has some different ideas.
If war really breaks out this year, then I, who possess a ghost ship and have officially been promoted to "Wind-loving One," will definitely not be able to escape. I will inevitably be sent to the battlefield and participate in the Loen Navy's operations... This is dangerous, but it also means opportunity... Alger's mind became active, assessing the benefits of war for him. However, when he saw that the "Queen" and "Hermit" were silent, and that an atmosphere of "worry" was also spreading around the other members of the Loen Kingdom, he wisely did not show his excitement.
Only Derrick, the "Sun" beside him, was detached from the emotions of others. After all, he was in the God-forsaken City of Silver, struggling on the brink of life and death, existence and extinction. He had no idea what war between nations meant.
For them, every day is a war.
After the collective mood subsided slightly, Angel secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the others, and finally fixed his gaze on Mr. Fool. He then offered a proposal he had already prepared:
"Dear Mr. Fool, during our discussion of the situation in the Kingdom of Loen just now, I had an idea... That is to develop some 'secondary' members. They will be led by the existing Tarot Club members, but will not have direct contact with the Tarot Club. Instead, they will act as extended tentacles, completing some operations for us that do not involve high-level forces.
"This can increase our influence without adding any additional members to the Tarot Club, and even, to a certain extent, exert a driving force on world affairs that is independent of us... I think we can call them the 'Minor Arcana', using the minor cards in the Tarot deck as code names."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at "World" Klein at the other end of the long table, signaling him with her eyes to be the first to stand up and support her proposal.
At the end of her sight, Klein had already smiled behind the gray fog, but he was muttering something in his heart.
"No wonder she mentioned to me earlier that she wanted to give her Sherman and Elaine a Minor Arcana card as their code name. It turns out she was planning to make these subordinates 'regulars' at the Tarot Club, and she wanted me to stand by her side and support her..."
Klein, who had used the Fool as the main force to stop the "world" from moving, used the cover of the gray fog to look at the other members. He found that they were still in a state of shock at the proposal and had no time to react. He also entered a brief period of contemplation.
Soon, he found that Angel's suggestion was actually quite good!
As for The Fool, he no longer had much energy left to continue "recruiting new members." After all, as the members' ranks continued to rise, the number of things that needed to be handled through him and the Gray Mist Space also continued to increase. Various transactions and impromptu discussions would squeeze his energy. Unless there were special circumstances, Klein planned to keep the current group of members as the entire Tarot Club and no longer issue new "Major Arcana" cards.
But if other members, like Miss Justice Audrey, find suitable candidates around them and ask The Fool to bring them into the Tarot Club, and he has no reasonable reason to refuse, after all, in the eyes of everyone, The Fool is an ancient god who is recovering, and the expansion of his power has become very natural due to Klein's early operations and hints. Refusing to "recruit new members" at this time would be contrary to the previous purpose and behavior.
The "small card" system can solve these two problems.
Do you have a new member you'd like? Just develop them into the Minor Arcana. No need to look for the Fool or have them join the Tarot Club, because it's already full!
Do you want to integrate your forces under Mr. Fool? Just have them report to you, and then you report to Mr. Fool!
And this way, my "Favoured One", "Flame" Danitz can also get a tarot card, even though it's a Minor Arcana... Well, I think the Knight of Wands is good, representing a young man with a fiery heart, which fits his personality... Or maybe the Knight of Swords?
Klein was choosing a codename for his followers when Alger, the "Hanged Man" to his right, frowned and said:
"Dear Mr. Fool and Ms. Queen, I don't think this is a good idea."
He bowed in Klein's direction to show respect, then looked at Angel and continued:
"Miss Justice previously suggested designing a hand gesture for us to identify other members in the real world, and I expressed the same objection. This isn't to discourage you, but because compared to other secret organizations, our greatest advantage is that we don't know each other in the real world. Even if someone is accidentally captured, tortured, and reveals the Tarot Club, the others won't be exposed... Your plan to develop the Minor Arcana will undoubtedly increase the likelihood of the Tarot Club being exposed, putting all members in danger."
"In fact, just last week, nearly half of the Tarot Club members engaged in real-world 'collaboration.' I think we no longer need to worry about exposing our identities in the real world or getting into danger from interacting with other members, as we did six months ago."
Angel immediately retorted.
"Also, regarding your objection, the Minor Arcana is the best way to prevent the Tarot Club from being exposed. Each of us is like a small Tarot Club, developing our own Minor Arcana around us, but not letting them know that they are... also members of the Church of Fools. This actually isolates the risk. Even if we are exposed, it will only be on one member, not affecting all of us."
The Church of Fools? I like this name. It sounds like an organization owned by a true god, though it's a little too ostentatious... Klein sighed. Seeing the two sides reach a stalemate, he immediately manipulated the "world" and said in a low voice:
"I agree with Miss Queen's proposal," he said, looking at the other silent members who seemed to be weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he fixed his gaze on The Hanged Man and continued, "In the past, everyone in the Tarot Club posted and accepted commissions from each other, then handled them personally or delegated them to a third party. There were no additional 'isolation' measures in between. Once you were exposed, the Tarot Club was also exposed. But with the protection of the Minor Arcana, you're no longer a member of a secret organization, but its leader, completely blocking everyone else's prying eyes at your own level."
Then he added meaningfully:
"Furthermore, as everyone's rank and status within their respective factions rise, their uniqueness will be exposed sooner or later. It's better to make corresponding plans as soon as possible."
Feeling the gaze of the "world" carrying inexplicable signals, Alger, the "Hanged Man," shifted his body uneasily and sat up a little straighter.
The moment the other party opened his mouth, he instinctively sneered in his heart, thinking that it was ridiculous that "The World" and "The Queen", a pair of members whose interests were almost bound together in the eyes of others, sang the same tune and raised the banner of mutual support.
But after listening to the last statement of "The World", he felt that there was something else in the other party's words, as if he was hinting at something.
Make plans early... He means that I should find an opportunity to rebel against the Church of Storms and completely join Mr. Fool's camp and join the Church of Fool?
The "world" is a follower of the "fool" who clearly states his identity. Is his opinion...
Alger secretly glanced at Mr. Fool, who was sitting beside him in the depths of the gray fog. He swallowed secretly and lowered his head.
"I, I take it back," he muttered. The resentment in his heart quickly disappeared, and he began to think about whether he had any reliable subordinates who could be considered "Minor Arcana" cards. "If the other members have no objection, then I also agree with the Queen's proposal."
Ah, I have prepared several excuses... no, suitable reasons, why did you suddenly agree?
Looking at the "Hanged Man" whose gaze was no longer defiant and whose tone had obviously softened, Angel tilted his head with doubt in his heart, and then looked at the other members.
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