If "The Fool" had only casually mentioned that there were some simple common knowledge items recorded in Roselle's diary, "The Hanged Man" Alger would not have been so determined to pay a "reward" for the answer. On the one hand, because the description "simple" destroyed his curiosity. On the other hand, he was always wary of transactions with "The Fool", as it reminded him of examples of deals made with evil gods and demons.
But now, knowing the content of those so-called simple common knowledge items, he was intensely interested yet unable to understand some of the descriptions, let alone connect them to reality and grasp them deeply. Thus, unable to contain himself but absolutely respectful, he asked:
"Mr. Fool, what kind of reward do you wish for?"
Mmhmm! "Justice" Audrey nodded frequently but slightly, indicating this was what she wanted to ask as well.
"The Sun" Derrick remained silent, without any extra body language, but the look in his eyes fixed on "The Fool" said it all.
Klein, who was waiting for this exact reaction, smiled and said:
"Information related to the Secret Order."
"The Secret Order..." "The Hanged Man" Alger muttered to himself.
He was no stranger to this name. He had once received a reward for explaining various secret organizations to Miss "Justice", including the Secret Order.
Audrey and Derrick instinctively frowned, one because her knowledge of the Secret Order was limited to what "The Hanged Man" had said, and the other because he had never even heard of this organization.
Klein had already anticipated "The Sun's" reaction and was not surprised. In his speculation, the region where Silver City was located became the "God's Forsaken Land" between the appearance of the first Blasphemy Slate and the second. It belonged to a certain stage of the Third Epoch, and might even be the direct cause or manifestation of the Great Calamity. The Zaratul family only stepped onto the stage of history in the Fourth Epoch, and the creation of the Secret Order was in the latter half of the Fourth Epoch. There was no possibility of overlap.
If "The Sun" knew of the Secret Order, Klein would instead be shocked and have to overturn some of his conjectures and reconstruct his understanding of Silver City, the God's Forsaken Land, and the Zaratul family.
After a silence of over ten seconds, "The Hanged Man" Alger looked at "The Fool" in the gray fog and spoke cautiously:
"I will accept this commission and gather information on the Secret Order for you."
"Can you pay the 'reward' in advance?"
It wasn't strange for a being suspected to be a god to be interested in an ancient and secretive organization. Alger had no doubts about this.
Moreover, after many gatherings, he had gradually formed a guess in his heart: that Mr. Fool's state was not perfect. He might be in some predicament. The various attempts He made and the actions of His Blessed on the Northern and Southern Continents were all to break free from His restraints and limitations.
This might even involve the great secret of why the Seven Gods stopped descending upon the real world after the Fourth Epoch... The thought flashed through Alger's mind, sending a tremor through him, as if he was touching upon the realm of gods.
Hearing "The Hanged Man's" request, Klein leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly.
"No problem."
"If the intelligence you gather exceeds the value of the answer, I will compensate you extra."
As for what constituted exceeding the value of the answer, of course, the esteemed Mr. Fool would decide. If he had the ability to pay extra compensation, it counted; if not, it didn't... Klein silently added in his heart.
"Justice" Audrey's eyes lit up. She raised her hand and said:
"I wish to join this transaction."
Klein smiled and said:
"Alright."
To be honest, his main target was actually Miss "Justice." She was a local bigshot in Backlund and had infiltrated several Beyonder circles. Her level of information in the "Land of Hope" surpassed that of Klein, who had just arrived in the capital, and "The Hanged Man," who had been active at sea for a long time.
——Based on the inspiration from a previous divination, Klein believed that clues regarding the Secret Order would appear in Backlund, rather than anywhere else.
"The Sun" Derrick listened silently, thought for a moment, and said:
"I am willing to exchange the compensation I have accumulated for the answer."
In the previous three-way transaction, he had only exchanged the Sequence 8 "Mind Reader" recipe for the Sequence 9 "Praiser" recipe. Klein had promised him compensation, and his choice at the time was to accumulate it, preparing for subsequent potion recipes and main ingredients.
Klein nodded and gave the explanation he had long prepared:
"The so-called 'adjacent sequences' refer to several pathways that can replace each other at high sequences."
"Let me give you an example: Sequence 5 of the 'Death' pathway, the 'Gatekeeper,' can not only advance normally but can also choose Sequence 4 of the 'Giant' pathway, which is the 'God of War' pathway, the 'Demon Hunter.'"
"This will not bring the risk of losing control, nor will it accumulate madness. It is not the same as consuming the wrong potion."
"Of course, if the sequences are not adjacent, half-madness would be the best outcome."
"They can be interchanged?" "Justice" Audrey blurted out, surprised and delighted.