Requesting help from "Mr. Fool"? That was even possible? "The Hermit" Kaderiya was stunned by what she heard.
She didn't doubt "Mr. Fool's" status and power. After receiving her punishment and discovering that His Blessed, Gehrman Sparrow, was growing increasingly formidable, she no longer harbored the slightest question about such matters. In fact, back when "Mr. Fool" had used an ancient artifact to pull her into this place—allowing her to evade the pursuing knowledge—she had already understood that the other party was at least an existence on the level of the "Concealed Sage" or the "Primordial Moon," merely unable to directly interfere with the real world for various reasons, and was likely an Ancient God in the process of recovery.
What truly surprised her about "The Moon's" words was that "Mr. Fool" could actually provide effective, substantive help to Tarot Club members, rather than just teachings or a casual pull into this space.
On one hand, this meant she too could directly request "Mr. Fool's" help in a moment of crisis... that was far more extravagant than any ritual... On the other hand, it vaguely hinted that "Mr. Fool's" recovery was progressing faster than she had imagined... "The Hermit" Kaderiya's mind raced through numerous thoughts in an instant.
"Justice" Audrey, "The Sun" Derrick, and the others weren't particularly surprised by this. They had all, to varying degrees, prayed for "Mr. Fool's" help and witnessed the Angels serving this great existence.
As everyone's gaze fell on him, "The Moon" Emlyn tucked his head in slightly, then lifted his chin and said:
"I paid compensation.
"It's an equal exchange!"
Equal exchange... The immediate response of a great existence, with effective feedback—that was fundamentally priceless! "The Hermit" Kaderiya couldn't help but retort internally.
The reason she didn't say this aloud was that she too hoped to have such an "equal exchange" opportunity in the future—and that usually meant she would have one more life than others!
"The Magician" Fors didn't understand why "Mr. Moon" was so deliberately emphasizing the equal exchange—everyone here who had prayed for "Mr. Fool's" help had provided the corresponding compensation!
"Mr. Moon" really was a face-conscious person—no, a vampire... "Justice" Audrey carefully analyzed "The Moon" Emlyn's rapid emotional shifts.
The exchange continued, and this Tarot Club gathering gradually drew to a close.
Back in the City of Silver, "The Sun" Derrick first carefully memorized the pros and cons of the "Notary" that "The Hanged Man" had described, before heading to the Twin Towers in the northern part of the city once again, preparing to select a magical item.
He hadn't done this before because his state had been somewhat unstable after his recent advancement, and he was worried that contacting magical items might cause him to lose control.
Inside the Round Tower, after completing the procedures, Derrick Berg made his request and was shown the filtered selection of items along with their corresponding documentation files.
After carefully reading and examining them, he quickly narrowed it down to two choices:
One was "Kaldi's Ring," ancient in appearance, entirely iron-black, engraved with dark and intricate patterns. It was a remnant from a former resident of the City of Silver. It could help the wearer intimidate a target, causing a degree of stagnation, or make a normal human briefly lose their sanity, or awaken the hidden tenderness and memories within mad monsters, plunging them into a brief state of self-confusion so they would cease their attacks.
The other was "Thunder God's Roar," obtained from some city-state that had been reduced to ruins. It was quite heavy, shaped like a giant hammer, its surface a deep, abyssal blue wrapped in silver-white arcs of lightning. The grip appeared to be made from a living creature's leg bone. In battle, it could emit sounds that struck enemies with terror and confusion—as if the Thunder God had descended to the earth and was roaring without cease. Every strike carried devastating destructive force, and terrifying lightning was never absent.
The negative side of "Kaldi's Ring" was that the wearer would unconsciously develop a second "self," requiring regular treatment from a "Psychiatrist." If one or two sessions were missed in between, the problem would become extremely severe and nearly impossible to cure—and the struggle between the two selves would ultimately lead to losing control.
Relatively speaking, "Thunder God's Roar" didn't carry as great a hidden danger—it merely caused the user to gradually accumulate irritable emotions, which wasn't a problem as long as they vented regularly. However, it had another negative effect: whoever wielded it, in a lightless environment, had a one hundred percent probability of being attacked by horrifying monsters lurking in the depths of the darkness!
A hundred percent probability of being attacked... Seeing this figure, Derrick's expression darkened at once, because it meant multiple residents of the City of Silver had already disappeared for this very reason.
They had all been previous owners of "Thunder God's Roar"!
Which one should he choose? Developing another "self" was a terrifying thing—"Justice" had once mentioned it was called split personality disorder... "Thunder God's Roar" not only had the ability to affect enemy states, but also possessed considerable offensive power... His "Hurricane Axe" had been used so frequently that it would probably break down sooner than expected... He could produce his own light, so he didn't need to worry too much about absolute darkness... After thinking for a while, Derrick pointed at the abyssal-blue giant hammer:
"I want 'Thunder God's Roar.'"
…………
At 160 Bocklund Street, Klein had just stepped out of the master bedroom when he saw the butler Walter waiting outside, holding several invitation cards.
"Sir, there are three invitations this week altogether. Wednesday afternoon tea, Friday literary salon, and Saturday evening banquet. They come respectively from..."
Klein listened with a gentle expression and said with a smile:
"Tell these kind invitees that I will attend."
"Yes, sir." Walter bowed and left the third floor.
Watching his silhouette disappear at the top of the stairs, Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly: