Chapter 417 Meeting with the Hanged Man
After leaving the "Wave Church," Alger returned to his temporary residence in the rain, holding the wanted poster in his hand. After changing his clothes, which were soaked by sweat or rain, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
"A bishop of the Church of Storms died at the hands of the Tarot Society's 'Queen.' Is Mr. Fool finally going to take action against the Church of the True Gods?"
He sat at the table, looking at the wanted poster with the pseudonym "Angelica Sage" printed on it, muttering to himself.
"But isn't she a 'Nightwatcher' of the Church of Evernight? Could it be that Mr. Fool brought us, members of different faiths, into the 'Tarot Club' so that we could 'help' each other, conduct intelligence work within our respective churches, and cooperate with other members..."
At this moment, he thought a lot, even considering whether to report the matter or continue to pretend that he knew nothing, so as not to lose his life under the gaze of fools.
"No, this could just be Miss Queen's own actions, not a mission. But if that's the case, she wouldn't have easily killed the bishop of the Orthodox Church. She must have known the consequences of such a thing."
Alger, feeling somewhat restless, stood up from his chair and walked to the windowsill, looking out at the pouring rain and the sea waves.
Suddenly, the gray-black sky was covered with fog, and a familiar gray fog and a blurry figure appeared before his eyes.
"Mr. Fool, please tell Mr. The Hanged Man that I do need his help. If he's willing, please meet me at the bar where we last met at 3:00 PM on Saturday."
It’s the “Queen”!
His eyes widened as he looked at the figure in the void, trying to discern some more useful information from it. However, this image was merely relayed by Mr. Fool, not what actually happened before him. Even after the gray fog dissipated, he still couldn't clearly see the female figure behind the fog.
If it was an hour ago, he would have gladly agreed to this meeting. Getting to know the people in the Tarot Club and revealing his real identity would indeed bring certain risks, but more convenient cooperation would undoubtedly bring greater benefits to both parties.
But now…
A Beyonder who could easily kill a bishop who was at least a "Wind-Blessed One" invited me, a fellow Storm Follower, to meet him...
It had only been a few months since he was promoted to "Navigator". Alger, who was still searching for the formula for "Wind's Blessing", felt a little dry in his mouth. For a moment, he didn't dare to recite the Fool's honorable name to respond to this invitation.
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Saturday afternoon at the Sea and Fire bar on Pelican Street.
Angel, who had adjusted his facial shape using the Faceless Man Beyonder characteristic, had completely changed his facial features except for his light blond hair. He was sitting at the innermost wooden table, drinking fruit wine while looking towards the bar entrance.
In fact, she was not completely sure that the middle-aged man with dark blue hair she met yesterday was the "Hanged Man". She mentioned "the bar where we met last time" in the invitation just to test him. Unexpectedly, the "Hanged Man" replied to her quickly, agreed to meet there, and agreed on a code with a strong "Tarot Club" style.
When the wall clock pointed to three o'clock, the door was pushed open and a male figure wearing a hood but with a hint of dark blue visible at the brim of the hat entered the bar. He looked around and stood there as if he was a little confused.
Only after he had confirmed the appearance of everyone on the first floor did he walk towards Angel. At her nod, he quickened his pace and sat down across from her at the table.
"Want to try divination? Tarot card divination."
He pulled a deck of tarot cards from beneath his cloak and placed them on the table.
This is the code we agreed upon. It seems that he is indeed the "Hanged Man". But are you sure you want to play Tarot divination in front of me, a master of divination?
Angel remained calm as he reached out and took the deck of tarot cards which only had 22 large cards. He first turned over the front to take a look at it, then quickly cut the cards, put them back on the table, drew the top three cards, and turned them over one by one and placed them on the table.
Those are the Hanged Man, The Fool, and the Queen.
"Can you interpret it?"
She whispered to avoid attracting the attention of the other drinkers around her, although there weren't many customers at the moment and most of them had been attracted by the drunken quarrel between a few people on the other side.
"Upright Hanged Man, you have experienced great sacrifice in the past."
The hooded man chuckled and pointed to the "Hanged Man" painting of an angel hanging upside down with his hands tied behind his back. Without waiting for Angel to respond, he continued:
"Reversed Fool, you have been acting too impulsively lately."
He placed his finger on the "Fool", a young man dressed in gorgeous clothes, carrying a cane and holding a puppy, and interpreted the card representing "now".
"Queen, you will reap success in the future, but it depends on how you handle it."
Pushing the tarot card with a beautiful woman wearing a crown in front of Angel, the man pulled the Hanged Man to his side, leaving only the "Fool" card in the middle of the table.
"This is our first official meeting. I'm 'The Hanged Man'."
The man took off his hood, revealing his rugged, weather-beaten face and his signature short dark blue hair, and whispered.
"'Queen.'"
Angel answered briefly, knowing that the other party had already seen her information, so she did not introduce herself further.
Moreover, according to the interpretation of the Tarot divination just now, the Hanged Man also showed a certain understanding of her past, such as knowing about her "sacrifice" in the Tingen Massacre.
"I'm glad you didn't use that face from yesterday. Wanted posters describing it should be all over the streets."
After successfully connecting, the Hanged Man put away the newly bought Tarot cards and said in a joking tone.
"Thank you for reminding me yesterday."
Angel nodded, admitting that he possessed a magical item that could change his appearance.
"It's just a small matter, but I have a question. Did you really kill a bishop of the Church of Storms?"
"That's right. Witnessed by several Mandated Punishers, Bishop Miller betrayed the Church and joined a local cult, even becoming its leader. He attempted to perform an ancient human sacrifice. To prevent a greater disaster, I killed him during the ritual. The main reason you're wanted on my behalf is likely due to the Beyonder properties of the Wind-Blessed Item."
After finishing his words in one breath, Angel took a sip of fruit wine and looked at the Hanged Man who was lost in thought, making no secret of the fact that he knew the other party's identity as a Storm Follower.
"Human sacrifice... Bishop Miller... Did something happen in Bansy Harbor?"
The other party reacted quickly and quickly located the location where the incident occurred.
"Four days ago, Bansy Harbor was shrouded in fog, strong winds, and countless headless zombies and monsters with only heads left. But now the situation should be resolved. Isn't it clear to you within the church?"
I can't get any information at this level... Alger felt a little embarrassed, but didn't show it. Instead, he pondered for a moment and nodded, as if his information channel had been verified from another perspective.
"I see. Thank you for your information. It answers some of my questions. I need to pay for this information..."
He carefully concealed his ignorance, and only when the question of what price would be paid did he remember that they were not in the Tarot Club above the gray fog, but in Bayam's bar.
"I do need some information, like the Beyonder gatherings held nearby, the location of the underground trading market, and... which pirates are of higher value in Bayam?"
Angel immediately took over the conversation and asked very quickly.
Hearing that the request was not difficult to fulfill, Alger breathed a sigh of relief, but was immediately shocked by the other party's audacity.
"At sea, never discuss other people's bounties so casually. Some people think bounties are an honor, but more people will think you are provoking them."
He first gave a quiet word of advice, worried that this follower of the Fool might hunt pirates for extra money while "performing official duties," potentially messing up Bayam. Then he went on to introduce the Beyonder gathering nearby.
Angel carefully memorized the times and locations of several gatherings. It wasn't until the Hanged Man mentioned several pirate strongholds that Bayam had traced back to that he started to really get serious and sat up straight.
"This place is under the control of the Church of Storms and the Mandated Punishers, and there are also demigods stationed here. Most pirates on the list wouldn't enter Bayam openly, but the Seven Great Pirate Generals all have their own contact points in this city, and I know a few of them."
I also know one, Vice Admiral Iceberg's contact point. It was her fourth boatswain who "led" me there... Angel thought and nodded.
"you say."
"Rumor has it that Old Quinn, who often hangs out at the Fragrant Leaf Bar, works for the Blood Admiral. Although he himself isn't worth much, he always entertains Senior's people, who are all very valuable..."
"42,000 pounds for the 'Blood Admiral'?"
Angel interrupted the Hanged Man and asked, as if commenting on a clearly priced commodity.
Crazy... But she does have the ability. I remember that Backlund's Aurora Society's divine messenger, a "shepherd," died at her hands... Alger pursed his lips, nodded, and replied:
“It’s him.
"Also, the owner of the Fragrant Leaf Bar, 'Hercules' Ozir, is a retired pirate, but he seems to still have connections with several pirate generals, doing some of their dirty work. He's also issuing missions to adventurers in Bayam. If you want to ambush pirates who've come ashore, you can try to target him.
"He also runs a gathering of extraordinary people every Sunday night."
…
After noting this information, Angel breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the Hanged Man:
"Thank you for the information. You are still as knowledgeable and helpful as you were there."
Even in an empty corner of the bar, she avoided mentioning words like "Tarot Club".
Helpful? Me?
Alger wanted to laugh, but when he recalled the changes that had taken place in him since joining the Tarot Club, and was surprised at how many people he had helped "for free" in the past few months, he suddenly stopped laughing.
After agreeing with him on helping to claim the bounty and the proportion of the share to be given to the Hanged Man, Angel left the "Sea and Fire" bar first, and Alger left through the back door ten minutes later, as if he had just had a casual drink in the bar, and walked home with a smell of alcohol.
As for the issue of communication between the two, after they have confirmed each other's identities, Mr. Fool can convey the message on their behalf. This is more covert and safer than using communication potions that can easily reveal their identities or meeting regularly.
"While the 'Queen' is staying in Bayam, I might be able to use her power to accomplish things that were previously inconvenient. And... if I help her collect the bounty, will I get 20%? Hey, I know a lot of people who sneaked ashore for the Red Theater and its fine wine and food. It's time to withdraw the money I've deposited with them..."
With a smile on his face, the Hanged Man thought silently.
"This way, I'll have quite a bit of savings left after I finish using the Wind-Favored One's formula. Alas, the Wind-Favored One is only a Sequence 6, and the Queen has probably killed more than one Sequence 5... Aside from the mysterious World, she's probably the strongest member of the Tarot Club... I wonder what Sequence 'World' is, where he is now, and what he's doing?"
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"Two servings of the local specialty, 'grilled combfish,' and two glasses of Sunya blood wine."
Smelling the aroma wafting from the next table, Klein sniffed and spoke to the waiter who was waiting for orders.
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