Chapter 827 Failed New Customer Recruitment
The long period of silence in his mind made Leonard a little anxious. He had a feeling of being recruited by the "Minor Arcana" within the Goddess Church, but was also worried about being reported to the Archbishop.
He stood up from the sofa, poured out the greasy coffee that was no longer drinkable, and boiled a new pot of water. Only then did he hear Pales' voice:
"Could you please explain the situation in detail? Was it The Fool's request, or was it your idea?"
Didn't He refuse outright?
It sounds like if Mr. Fool asked for it personally, the old man would agree?
Leonard was both surprised and delighted. He returned to the sofa and told Pales in detail about the suggestions made by "Queen" Angel and the opinions expressed by everyone, including how "World" Klein clearly stood on Angel's side, and how "The Hanged Man" seemed to have realized something and quickly changed his attitude.
"You mean, even though The Fool hasn't directly stated his stance, he might have his own inclinations?"
Pales asked back.
"I think so. His final summary clearly expressed agreement with our resolution. Although there were some restrictions, He also granted corresponding authority, especially allowing the Minor Arcana to recite His name when necessary. This is equivalent to a promise of providing certain assistance. For example, the Angel's Embrace we experienced last time came from one of His angels."
Leonard recalled the "Punishment" operation he participated in last week and was quite impressed by the figure of an angel with twelve pairs of wings that resisted the temptation of a certain vampire demigod.
"Remember, trust in the power of the gods, not their mercy," the old voice in his head sighed. "The Fool must have had his reasons for making this decision. Perhaps soon, we'll truly see the Church of Fool appear before the world... But until then, don't get too involved."
"What?" Leonard asked in confusion.
"I'm saying, don't think about recklessly developing your own Minor Arcana! This includes not only me, but also the other candidates you have in mind, such as your beloved captain and that extremely talented female psychic who might become a demigod..." Pales scolded angrily. "Your ability to join the Tarot Club and become a follower of the Fool is already the limit of what the Church and that being can tolerate. If you have other thoughts, I can't guarantee that the Red Gloves won't come knocking on your door in the middle of the night."
"That"...who is the old man referring to?
Leonard's mind flashed through the long string of honorific names, his heart tightened, and he subconsciously reached out and tapped four times, drawing the outline of the Crimson Moon.
"But what about Klein and Angel?"
He suddenly thought of his two former colleagues, who were believers of both the Goddess and the Fool, and seemed to have a close relationship with this mysterious god.
This discussion on "small cards" happened to be initiated and supported by the two of them.
"Can you compare with them? I guess they've become followers of the Night, and joining the Tarot Club and becoming followers of The Fool perhaps signifies some kind of tacit understanding, some kind of deal... Then, I can understand why your colleague 'resurrected'..."
Pales murmured, his voice becoming increasingly quiet.
"Resurrection, isn't that the ability of the 'Immortal' Witch?"
Leonard couldn't help but ask.
"Alas, I was talking about another one. And your female colleague was definitely not the 'Immortal' witch when she was in Tingen City."
The old voice in his head sighed, then ignored his calls and did not respond.
Seeing that the old man refused the offer of a Minor Arcana, Leonard curled his lips, made a new cup of coffee, went to the study, and looked at a blackboard with a map of the East District and several case reports pinned to it with thumbtacks, his eyes moving between the various words and symbols.
That was the time, place, and characteristics of the five previous murders.
Next to the map, there was a portrait showing only the lower half of the face. It was drawn by Leonard based on the appearance of the murderer he saw in his dream. As a wanted poster, it was naturally useless, but for an extraordinary person with spiritual alertness, he would be able to recognize the murderer if he saw him again.
"There haven't been any new cases in almost two weeks. Did the murderer achieve his goal, or did he realize that the authorities are paying attention to this matter..."
He muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on key words on the blackboard, such as "witch" and "feedback on the performance", as if he was lost in thought.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked to the bookshelf, pulled out another file that was already covered in dust, opened it, turned out a page, and returned to the blackboard where the clues were posted.
That page of documents recorded the Capin case that occurred in Backlund last October. In the case of the wealthy man suspected of human trafficking, the "Black Emperor" left behind a series of tarot cards and made a magnificent farewell in front of the onlookers, making headlines in almost every newspaper.
"This incident has been confirmed to be related to Angel and 'Erin Watson.' If she's not the 'ageless' witch as the old man said, then she must have been acting as a 'witch' at the time... Murder, misleading, and some kind of religious performance are all symbols of 'witch'?"
Leonard muttered, an idea coming to mind.
After the authorities deliberately reduced related reports to avoid panic, will this "witch" in the East District plan a large-scale case like Angel, complete her performance in front of the public, and digest the final potion?
————
On the route between Bayam and the Middle Range Island in the Rorsted Archipelago, the "Mirai" was slowly sailing.
Admiral of the Stars, Cattleya, still wearing the classical robe emblazoned with various symbols and magical signs, and a pair of heavy glasses perched on her nose, walked through the hidden passage to the damp, dark lower cabin.
As she approached a door covered in mycelium, which seemed to be slowly changing shape and color in the candlelight, a calm yet slightly excited voice reached the ears of the pirate general:
"With your help, this experiment has made new progress. You see, this mushroom has a strong tendency to reproduce, which will give rise to a certain autonomous foraging instinct, making it exhibit certain carnivorous behavior habits, such as hunting, and obtaining nutrition by chewing rather than secreting mucus to digest protein!
"Don't worry. Whether it's grilled or cooked, the high temperature will completely inactivate it, preventing it from reproducing in the stomach... Of course, if someone swallows it raw, the risk becomes uncontrollable... Well, how do you think it tastes? Don't you eat them every day? Some are as crispy and salty as Dixie Grilled Fish, while others are as juicy as steak. Yesterday, I even found a variety that actually stores milk inside, with a milk content of over 70%!
"During our last breeding, we solved the problem of it accumulating toxins after devouring other creatures. With just some exposure to the moon, its vitality will become incredibly strong, allowing it to self-purify toxins... Next, I need to address the problem of its decreased activity in pure darkness. Sharf, I'm going to have to work on you again."
Hearing this, Cattleya pushed open the wooden door and walked into a slightly stuffy cabin with no portholes or vents.
In front of her, a mushroom almost as tall as her stood firmly in the center of the room. The surface of its huge cap was as white as snow, dotted with a few bright red spots, like human facial features. Spores of various sizes grew on the fungus body, and from it extended mycelium of varying thickness, like tentacles, floating in the air.
In addition to this big mushroom, there are various small mushrooms distributed on the walls, floor and ceiling in the entire room. Their shapes are similar to their "mother", white with red and with mycelium, but they are of different sizes and are carefully hung with labels such as "beef", "grilled fish" and "wheat".
The cup of hot milk I drank this morning, couldn't it be from here... Cattleya's deep purple eyes behind her glasses were momentarily distracted, and then she looked at a figure kneeling next to the mushrooms.
That was the "craftsman" Sharf, whom she had brought from Bayam last month on a commission from the "Mysterious Queen." Because this descendant of Emperor Roselle, who had accidentally become a follower of the "Original Moon," could not be exposed to moonlight for long periods of time, Cattleya entrusted him to her first mate, with Frank Lee as her assistant, and asked him to stay in the cabin as much as possible, out of the moonlight's reach.
But at this time, Sharf's cheeks were thin, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes were dull, as if he had been tired for a long time and lacked basic sleep and nutrition, which made Cattleya a little worried about his health.
"Frank, what's going on?"
She asked, looking at the other man wearing overalls and his shirt sleeves pulled up to his elbows.
"Captain, my recent experiments have been a bit tight, and Sharf is very enthusiastic, which has resulted in him being sleep deprived. But I've got a solution," Frank said, pulling down a mushroom with a 'Nutritious' sign from the wall. "With this nutritious mushroom, I can quickly restore his energy and strength. This will not only improve his health but also increase the success rate of the upcoming experiments."
"I don't want to eat... the mushrooms produced by this guy... Ugh..."
Hearing his words, the kneeling Sharf suddenly trembled, muttered under his breath, and vomited before he finished speaking.
"It's okay. There are many creatures in nature that eat their own offspring. It's not a taboo."
Frank smiled and comforted him, handing the mushroom in his hand to Sharf.
"Alright, Frank, let's talk about this later," Cattleya said, somewhat reluctantly interrupting her first mate. "I came to you to ask you something: if given the opportunity, would you be willing to accept the gift of a mysterious being and become His disciple? I can't guarantee His absolute safety or harmlessness, but I will shoulder any risks."
"Will this gift be helpful to my experiment? If so, I promise."
Frank answered without hesitation, leaving Cattleya, who had prepared many arguments to deal with various questions from the other party, a little stunned.
"Wait, what gift? Is it the same as the 'Primal Moon'? He's already in this state, and you still want him to believe in some mysterious existence? You're crazy...you're all crazy!"
Sharf, who had vomited a handful of sour water, jumped up from the ground, staring at Cattleya with wide eyes, muttering to himself, as if he was looking at a follower of an evil god who was preaching, completely forgetting that he had also believed in the "Original Moon" and was one of them.
Suddenly, he pushed Frank and Cattleya aside and rushed towards the still open door, but the giant mushroom, which had been as quiet as a normal mushroom, stretched out its thick mycelium, wrapped around him, and pulled him back.
"Let me go! I'm going to get my magical item. I'm going to blow up this ship and die with them... wuwu... uh..."
Sharf screamed madly as he was pulled under the mushroom body in front of the two men. With the help of the mycelium, he was tightly attached to it and couldn't even speak.
This... I really need to consider the necessity of giving Frank the "Minor Arcana" cards and making him believe in "The Fool"... If Mr. Fool is interested in his research and gives him more power, my "Future" may become uninhabitable.
Watching all this, Cattleya pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, regretting her decision a little.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com