After a while of talking, "Sun" Derrick suddenly asked a question:
“Dear Mr. Fool, what gesture should we use to thank you?”
Hand gestures? Klein was stumped by the little "sun".
He never thought of designing a prayer gesture for himself, imitating the Goddess Church's action of tapping four times clockwise to draw a circle, or the Storm Church's action of hitting the left chest with the right fist.
This is probably the last bottom line of a false god... He complained in his heart.
Seeing that Mr. Fool was smiling but not saying anything, as if waiting for her and the others to perform, Audrey Justice suddenly had many inspirations and thought of new problems.
She looked around with sparkling eyes and said:
"Everyone, should we also design a covert action to reveal our identities? We don't have many members in the Tarot Club right now, so we don't need to worry about each other appearing in the same place and becoming enemies for various reasons. But in the future, it will be difficult to avoid. We need a special set of 'codes' to distinguish who is a friend and who is an enemy."
I have an idea about this... Klein suddenly remembered the secret gestures he knew in his previous life, such as the hand-in-the-pocket gesture.
He was about to manipulate the World to make a suggestion, but the Hanged Man spoke up:
"No, Ms. Justice, I don't think that's a good idea.
"Compared to other secret organizations, one of the most notable features of our Tarot Club is that members do not know each other. Even if, um, let me give you the most extreme example, even if one of our members is arrested and tortured, it will not affect the others, unless someone can fight against Mr. Fool and enter here directly, which is obviously impossible.
"Once we have a complete set of 'codes' and 'passwords', the betrayal of traitors will allow hostile forces to use these methods to lure us out one by one.
"Are you eager to show off your membership in the Tarot Club to others?"
"..." Audrey was unable to refute for a moment, and could only stammer, "But..."
"Your concerns are justified, but this can be avoided through regular weekly communication, pre-planned temporary gestures, and praying to Mr. Fool. The Hanged Man." Alger's tone gradually became warmer, considering that the other party was about to provide him with a large amount of gold pounds.
Audrey, Justice, asked back with enlightenment:
"The simplest example is that at the tarot gathering on Monday, you know in advance that you may run into a certain member or even have a conflict, so you design a temporary set of hand gestures to indicate each other's identities. Once the situation is over, you immediately abolish the hand gestures. Well, if you encounter an unexpected situation and there is no time to communicate, and you have some doubts, you can find an opportunity to pray to Mr. Fool to confirm whether there are other members involved?"
"That's roughly it." Alger exhaled silently.
At this time, "Sun" Derrick also suddenly said:
"I'm sorry, I asked a stupid question. Mr. Fool never mentioned what gesture to use when thanking Him. He was just worried that we would be exposed."
He immediately looked at the top of the long bronze table:
"Your will is our path."
I just thought of a special gesture... Klein chuckled and said:
"good."
He turned his gaze towards the other members and said calmly:
"That's all for today's party."
All members except "Your Will! Moon" stood up at the same time.
Emlyn was stunned for a second before he stood up hurriedly and saluted like the other members.
A deep red light immediately appeared in front of his eyes, and his body felt slightly falling.
Then, his vision returned to normal and he saw puppets of all sizes in the room.
Huh... It was only at this moment that Emlyn White calmed down and recalled the first Tarot gathering he attended:
"Except for Mr. Fool, the other members' abilities won't be that strong. Are they all chosen for various reasons, just like me? I have the original founder behind me, but who is behind them?
"How ridiculous! I originally thought that 'Sun' was a demigod-level warrior who had just escaped from an angel's pursuit. Who would have known that he was only Sequence 8 and was seeking to be promoted to Sequence 7!
"A child who doesn't know manners must not be an adult yet! However, the Silver City he mentioned and the experiences that kept repeating are very strange. I have to find a chance to ask Lord Nibais, no, ask Casimi and my father and mother first to see if they know about the Silver City. Humph, the historical documents of the Silver City actually dared to tamper with the deeds of our blood clan!
"Miss Justice is from Backlund, very rich. Is she the daughter of a great banker, or the offspring of a great noble? Maybe she is a banker or a noble herself...
"Miss Magician looked at me in a strange way. She must be someone who admires the noble vampires. She didn't say much and didn't reveal much about herself. Well, she's a quiet girl.
"Mr. 'The Hanged Man' is a mature gentleman who knows a lot and has a noble character. He is willing to answer questions for new members and provide corresponding help and information. It can be seen that he is very popular. Both 'The Sun' and 'The World' are willing to consult him or ask him for help.
"'World' is not a very likable guy. When he speaks, it's like there's phlegm in his throat that he can't spit out. I don't even bother to drink his blood. It tastes dirty... He is very withdrawn and very good at hiding his emotions. He can easily take out the characteristics of a Sequence 6 Beyonder, and promised to provide the Beyonder characteristics of a 'psychologist' within two months... Very impressive!"
As various details flashed by, Emlyn found that the Tarot Club was simple yet complicated, and Mr. Fool did not interfere too much in the progress of the party.
“He seems to be only interested in the so-called Roselle diary… but He is willing to provide miraculous conveniences to the members.” Thinking of this, Emlyn unconsciously felt a little proud of his identity as “Moon”.
Looking around the dolls in the room, he recalled his question:
"A 'relic' worth 4,000 to 5,000 pounds and the hope of becoming a baron in a short period of time really puts me in a difficult position..."
At this moment, although Emlyn had not made a final decision, he felt that the room had become even gloomier, and that he had taken on a heavy debt.
…………
Above the gray fog, inside the ancient palace.
Klein pressed his right thumb and middle finger on one of his temples and rubbed it gently twice.
In the silent environment, he quickly sat up straight, causing a small badge to fly out from the pile of debris and land on the long bronze table in front of him.
The badge was only the size of an eyeball, and on its surface were symbols of "fate" and "concealment." It was the relic that Klein had found from Lanevus.
On its back is an ancient Hermetic inscription that reads "Hold this and you can join", and provides the corresponding party information:
"January 4, 1350, 8:00 p.m., Babur Valley."
What Klein needs to consider now is whether to take this badge to Babur Valley to try his luck tomorrow night.
Frankly speaking, he was inclined not to go. Even though he had been promoted to a "Faceless Man" and could do a pretty perfect disguise, he didn't want to take the risk because he didn't know anything about the party.
A magician doesn't perform without preparation... Klein whispered, took out a gold coin, and held it between his fingers.
He picked up the badge with his other hand and whispered to himself:
“Attending gatherings in the Babur Valley is risky.”
After doing it several times, he popped out the gold coin with a clang.
The gold coin tumbled down and stood upright in his palm.
This indicates a failure of divination.
“Sure enough…” Klein was not surprised.
This is not a problem of insufficient prior information, but rather a problem of having none at all.
He sat there in silence, with only the gold coins rolling between his fingers.
Ultimately, Crane’s curiosity and sense of adventure overcame him and he decided not to go.
"But this doesn't mean I can't get involved in this matter. Tomorrow night at 8 o'clock, um..." He curled the corners of his mouth, smiled slightly, and returned to the real world.
…………
January 4, 10:35 am.
Crane stood in front of the mahogany table and picked up a stack of bills.
The stack of banknotes included five 10-pound notes and ten 5-pound notes, totaling 100 pounds, which was exactly the reward that the "Hanged Man" had just paid through sacrifice.
These 15 gold pounds made Klein's wallet much fatter, and he could finally buy the boat ticket with peace of mind.
After putting his wallet away, he picked up the thin human leather glove on the table and put it on his left hand.
A major feature of "Creeping Hunger" is that when it is not in use, it has a camouflage effect and cannot be detected by most extraordinary means. Therefore, Klein can switch it between its original appearance, gloves of various colors, and camouflaged skin. This time, he chose black gloves.
For this purpose, Klein also specially prepared a separate black glove for the right side.
Then, he placed the brown "biotoxin bottle" into the iron box, sealed it with the spiritual wall, and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his clothes.
As for the "Sun Brooch", as long as it was worn or carried with him, it would create a feeling like a hot summer. Klein had no choice but to put it in an iron cigarette box and hide it at the bottom of his suitcase.
"9 purification bullets, 15 demon hunting bullets, 3 exorcism bullets..." Klein took out a revolver and a box of bullets, counting silently as he loaded them.
Bang!
He closed the revolver, put the pistol into the gun pocket under his armpit, then put on his black woolen coat, half-high silk hat, picked up his cane and suitcase, and walked out of the hotel room.
Except for the unusable items such as the "All-Black Eye" that were still above the gray fog, he was fully armed.
Taking a carriage, Klein arrived at the "Prizport Ticket Company" in the White Rose District.
The company is located in a rather old three-story building, with a wooden sign with a notice hanging on the door.
Klein walked over, stopped there, and glanced casually:
"Note:
“1. Observe order and queue strictly;
“2. Do not urinate or defecate anywhere, and do not spit anywhere;
“3. If you have any disputes, please find the guard in the hall;
"4. You cannot open cans of wolffish in any room!"
Canned wolffish? What is this? Klein raised his eyebrows.