Chapter 151 "Given"
"First, Miss Justice, prepare an altar. It can be simple, but it needs to be painted or engraved with this symbol."
As he spoke, a curtain of light appeared before the Fool, flickering with symbols composed of the "Pupilless Eye" and the "Twisted Thread". The former represented secrecy, and the latter symbolized change, but both were missing a part.
Does this represent His power, His authority being in both, yet incomplete?
Angel tried to remember the symbol while guessing.
"Then, follow the normal ritual, but arrange it in a dualistic manner. No burning herbs, no dripping of essential oils, and no specific time. Just chant my name."
"Recite in the ancient Hermetic language, along with the following prayer:
“Your faithful servant begs for your gaze;
“Pray that you will accept his contribution;
“Pray that you open the gates of your kingdom.”
"After reciting the prayer, select spiritual materials, combine them with the natural vibrations created by the spell, and wait for my response."
"If the ritual is successful, you can then proceed to the 'sacrifice'."
As the Fool finished his narration in a low voice, the symbolic symbols that appeared before him also disappeared.
"Okay, I've got it memorized. So when should I try it?"
Justice asked with a hint of excitement.
Her curiosity about this new occult knowledge was beyond words...
Angel secretly criticized his companions, but he couldn't help but feel excited inside.
If the "sacrifice" is successful, will I be able to obtain the materials for the "witch" potion soon?
"We can do it right after the meeting. That way, neither of you will have to take any extra time off."
"Ms. Queen, the process for receiving the 'Bestowal' is slightly different. The preparations before reciting the prayer are the same as for Miss Justice, but the prayer needs to be changed to the following three sentences."
The Fool turned his gaze to Angel again and warned him.
“Your faithful servant begs for your gaze;
“Pray that you open the gates of your kingdom;
"Please give me strength."
Angel noted the differences and nodded in response, "I see."
Seeing that the Fool's teaching had concluded, the Hanged Man lost no time in asking:
“Mr. Fool, can others, I mean others in the Tarot Club, also use this method to trade?”
"That is, provided this attempt is successful."
The Fool replied with a smile, answering the Hanged Man's question.
"Praise the fool."
The Hanged Man, who received the answer, said this piously, and the others followed suit with a compliment to end the topic.
The new topic naturally became "Lieutenant General Hurricane", which was hotly discussed at the last meeting.
"Mr. Hanged Man, the two detectives I commissioned have tracked down 'Vice Admiral Hurricane' Qilingos through his profile and the information on the missing homeless man."
"but?"
Noticing that Miss Justice's tone lacked the excitement of a major breakthrough, the Hanged Man calmly continued the conversation.
Sure enough, there was a twist in Zhengyi's next answer.
"However, the cunning Zillingus discovered that someone was following him and brutally killed the detective's informant, ambushing him and almost catching the detective as he was heading to the informant's home."
"The two detectives narrowly escaped death, but they believed that this encounter had alerted the other party. Continuing the pursuit using the previous methods was no longer feasible. Furthermore, the informant's horrific death would inevitably alert the police and Backlund's official Beyonders. Therefore, they abandoned the subsequent pursuit and called the police."
Called the police...
Angel was listening in on the conversation between the two, and upon hearing this word, he couldn't help but praise the detectives for their decisive action.
And judging from the words Miss Justice used, these two detectives are both women?
"I can understand their choice. I've said before that Vice Admiral Hurricane is a cunning and vicious pirate. It's already a great honor to escape from his clutches."
The Hanged Man replied with a hint of regret.
His tone then turned serious, and he looked up at the Fool:
"Mr. Fool, I've obtained new intelligence. Vice Admiral Hurricane infiltrated Backlund to complete a difficult mission. This involves a very important item that is said to be able to help Qilingos quickly become a High-Sequence expert."
"High Sequence, do you mean Sequence 4? But I remember you said that this 'Vice Admiral Hurricane' is currently only a Sequence 6 Beyonder?"
Angel couldn't help but interject.
"Yes, he is indeed only a Sequence 6 Wind-Favored One."
The Hanged Man turned his gaze towards Angel and nodded in confirmation.
"The intelligence I received mentioned that Qilingos believes that once he completes his mission and obtains the item, he will be as famous as the 'Five Sea Kings' Nast and others, making the 'Four Kings' of the pirates the 'Five Kings.'"
"You all should know that the so-called 'Four Kings' either possess extraordinary ships and magical items that allow them to compete with High-Sequence beings, or they themselves are High-Sequence powerhouses. Since Qilingos claims to be one of the 'Five Kings', he must be at a level close to that of the other four kings, which is why I made the above assumption."
No, I don't know... I only just learned who Nast was from church texts...
Angel listened quietly, carefully choosing his words and asked:
"So, it's an item that allows him to quickly increase his Sequence while avoiding losing control, or it's a magical item that can rival the powerhouses of high-sequence masters?"
"That's right, but I think the latter is more likely. After all, there's no shortcut to improving your sequence."
After laying out these points, the Hanged Man turned his gaze towards the Fool again and asked expectantly:
"Dear Mr. Fool, I will return to Backlund in the next few days. If I can find out Qilingos's true purpose and the mysterious item he desires, please allow me to recite your name and tell you through the ritual."
No wonder Mr. Hanged Man tried so hard to exaggerate the power of the magical item that Qilingos had set his sights on. It turned out that he was trying to arouse Mr. Fool's interest and try to persuade Him... No, to get His followers to take action?
If the Fool's High-Sequence Followers could take action, dealing with a Beyonder like Vice Admiral Hurricane who hasn't yet entered the High-Sequence should be easy, right?
Angel also looked at the Fool.
"Can."
The Fool answered briefly, with no emotion in his tone, as if he had no interest in such a "little thing".
The Hanged Man seemed a little discouraged, but he still stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Please allow me to thank you in advance for listening."
——————
The gray fog dissipated, the crimson reappeared and disappeared, and Angel returned to Tingen, to No. 6 Daffodil Street.
The first thing she did when she came to her senses was to write down the anonymous account that Miss Justice had given her before the meeting ended so that she would not forget it.
If the Fool's "attempt" is successful, she can deposit £350 into the bank account, completing the transaction.
It's like online shopping in the information age... No, it's even more convenient than that. The goods don't even need to go through logistics. They can be transferred through Mr. Fool and arrive in my hands...
Gazing at the setting sun outside the window, she wasted no time and went directly from the study to the basement. She set up the table previously used for sacrifices and, relying on her lingering memories, drew a symbolic combination of the "Pupilless Eye" and the "Twisted Thread" representing the Fool on the tabletop, using it as an altar.
She then laid out the sandalwood candles and ritual knife, ready to perform the ceremony of receiving the "blessing".
Finally, there are spiritual items...
She searched around in the basement, but most of the materials had already been used to make bullets, and she had been busy looking for the "Red Chimney" building and preparing for the exam recently, so she had not been able to replenish the materials.
In the end, she could only take out a small piece of precious "Star Crystal", which was an extraordinary material that could be used directly to prepare potions. Strictly speaking, it was more valuable than ordinary spiritual materials, and the price was much higher. However, compared to delaying Mr. Fool's attempt, this price difference was nothing.
Holding this fingernail-sized, extraordinary material shining with starlight, Angel's mind resurfaced with the memory of his first meeting with Old Neil.
As she was lost in thought gazing at the starlight emitted by the crystal, a thick gray fog suddenly appeared before her eyes. In the fog, a high-backed chair and a mysterious figure sitting on it were faintly visible.
"Ms. Queen, Miss Justice's attempt has been successful. Are you ready to accept the ceremony of 'bestowal'?"
A deep and familiar voice came from all directions, making it difficult to tell the direction.
"Yes, I can perform the ritual any time."
She suppressed her inner sadness and replied.
Building a spiritual wall, lighting candles, and in the dim light, Angel whispered the Fool Professor's prayer.
“…I pray that you will open the gates of your kingdom;
"Please give me strength."
The ancient power mixed with the ancient Hermetic language echoed within the spiritual wall, stirring up the constantly vibrating natural forces, like a strong wind blowing past Angel.
She endured the discomfort of the wind scraping across her skin, raised the star crystal in her hand, and poured her spirituality into it.
The crystal shattered into particles as if weathered, and disappeared between the fingers, making the hurricane more violent, but no longer as unbearable as a knife cut.
The candlelight representing the Fool gradually expanded, forming an illusory door in front of Angel. The door was engraved with the symbol of the Fool's power that had been drawn in advance on the altar.
"Boom—"
A thunderous sound was heard, and the door in the air opened and closed. Angel looked down, and a bottle of ink-black liquid suddenly appeared on the altar.
That is the "blood of the Black Abyss Demon Fish".
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