In the captain's quarters, Cattleya slowly got up from the floor and silently walked to the full-length mirror beside the bookshelf.
In the mirror, her face was pale and smooth, with no visible cracks. Her ears were normal and small, without any signs of spreading. Her slightly purplish-black eyes were calm and serene, as if nothing had happened.
However, Cattleya's eyes, tinged with mystery, could see more:
The eyeball-like flesh hidden under her skin that hadn't fully dissolved; the rapidly fading pain and madness in her spiritual body; the countless illusory things of indescribable shape swimming around; the sailors cleaning the deck several rooms away…
Everything within several tens of meters, unobstructed but chaotically, presented itself in her vision.
Since becoming a Sequence 5 'Astrologer', her abilities as a 'Mystery Pryer' had greatly improved, and she could faintly see around her layers of thick curtains like shadows. Behind those curtains, something seemed to be watching her, watching all living beings.
The lack of influence from Mr. 'The Fool' indirectly explained many things… His, no, His ability to directly pull my spiritual body into that mysterious space was bizarre, powerful, and secretive, incomparable to that demigod-level scepter… Although He was dressed in fashionable clothes, that didn't prove anything. For an existence of that level, it's very easy to appear in different forms to different people, and His true appearance would probably drive anyone who looked directly at him insane and to their death… Cattleya stared at her reflection in the mirror, silently recalling everything that had just happened.
She inevitably had some guesses about Mr. 'The Fool's identity, but they could only be guesses, guesses without evidence.
'The fact that He wears a tailcoat doesn't mean He's young and newly born. Perhaps His essence is ancient, older than the Seven Gods. The knowledge I've pursued tells me that before the Great Catastrophe, there were indeed older deities, and He might be one of them,' Cattleya muttered silently to herself. She turned away from the full-length mirror, walked back to where she had been struggling in pain, and picked up the framed glasses that had fallen to the side.
She put the thick glasses on her nose, obscuring her violet-tinged eyes. All things not within normal vision quickly disappeared from her 'sight'.
Cattleya stood there, again pondering what impact Mr. 'The Fool' and the so-called Tarot Club would have on her.
Unconsciously, a tall figure appeared in her mind, and the words she could never forget echoed in her ears again:
'Leave, your fate is not with me.'
'Is this my fate, Your Majesty?' Cattleya closed her eyes.
Above the gray fog, in the ancient and majestic palace.
Klein lightly tapped the edge of the mottled long table, and all the Tarot cards on it disappeared.
He was thinking about the aftermath of the 'Star Admiral' joining the Tarot Club:
'If there's no other way, I might really have to leave the safe channel and enter the sea derived from the ruins of the Divine War to find the mermaid's song. By then, the "Hermit", who fears "The Fool" and is under my control to some extent, will be much more reliable than collaborators like the "Iceberg Vice Admiral" Edwina, and borrowing her ship will be safer… Hmm, Mr. "Hanged Man" is a backup plan.'
'The "Star Admiral" is a member of the Moses Ascetic Order and possesses a lot of knowledge. That's very helpful to the Tarot Club, but for me, it carries certain risks. The image of Mr. "The Fool" is built on inscrutability… From now on, I must be more cautious and absolutely avoid pretending to know something I don't. When I'm not sure, I'd rather be ambiguous, or even use a prophet-like approach. Of course, to completely solve such problems, I must improve myself as soon as possible, become a high-sequence powerhouse as soon as possible, so that my strength matches my level and my standard matches my status.'
'With such a Sequence 5 powerhouse with many subordinates joining, the overall strength of the Tarot Club is now quite considerable.'
'After obtaining the "Sea God's Scepter", I won't have to worry about such a strong club member causing problems.'
'I hope that one day, the "Star Admiral", this member of the Moses Ascetic Order, can become an important helper in my revenge against the "Concealed Sage".'
Klein exhaled and his figure disappeared into the gray fog.
Backlund, at the bottom of Saint Samuel Church.
A Nighthawk wearing red gloves entered the temporary office assigned to them with a telegram.
'Captain, something happened at Enmat Port,' he said excitedly to the 'Soother' Sost.
Sost touched the hair at his right temple and said:
'What happened?'
'New developments regarding "The Fool", the one the Aurora Order is looking for,' the team member holding the telegram said, handing over the paper.
His answer immediately attracted the attention of several Red Gloves present, including a man with black hair and green eyes in the corner, who had his chair tilted back, feet on the desk, hat covering his face, as if taking a nap.
Sost took the telegram, glanced at it, and laughed:
'Someone falsely claimed to be his follower, trying to scam, and ended up being struck dead by lightning on the spot while reciting his holy name.'
'So there really is a hidden existence named "The Fool"…'