Neither... "The Hermit" Cattleya chewed on Mr. Fool's answer, suddenly unsure of the real meaning of her question.
Originally, she thought the spiritual and mental destination of Emperor Roselle must involve philosophical or mystical elements: for example, "that island" representing the divine kingdom of the god he believed in, "the depths of the stars" hinting at "the astral world," symbolizing that Emperor Roselle only trusted his own superego, aiming directly for the divine throne. But Mr. Fool denied all that, negating almost every possibility and leaving no other answers.
Maybe the Queen didn't mean what I understood, and Mr. Fool's answer pointed to a different meaning... Whether I get it or not doesn't matter; I'm just a tool for their communication... Cattleya sighed inwardly and bowed sincerely:
"Thank you for your answer."
The other members of the Tarot Club were even more confused. Although they knew the context and understood the literal meaning of "spiritual and mental destination," they couldn't connect it to "the island" or "the depths of the stars." So each had their own interpretation and guesses, yet all felt far from the correct answer.
In "The Magician" Fors's subconscious, "that island" might be where Roselle buried his most beloved woman, and "the depths of the stars" meant that in his later years, the Emperor set his sights on what he called "the stars and the sea."
"The Justice" Audrey thought that "that island" was an island of self-awareness in the psychological sense—the sea part was the conscious mind, the seabed part the subconscious—and the stars represented the spiritual sky, the astral realm. Thus the question became: "Did Emperor Roselle believe in himself, in the gods, or in pure nature?"
From that perspective, Mr. Fool's answer was rather odd, as if saying Emperor Roselle didn't believe in anything, including himself.
I seem to have misunderstood... But if so, Emperor Roselle as described by Mr. Fool seems contradictory, hiding some deep secret... Or perhaps he saw through life in his old age, pondered the nature of the universe, the world, gods, and humanity, and became a pessimist, a nihilist? Audrey thought with great interest, as if training her abilities.
"The Hanged Man" Alger's thoughts were similar to "The Hermit" Cattleya's. "The Moon" Emlyn, after thinking for a while, found no clue and decisively gave up guessing. "The Sun" Derrick had no interest in Emperor Roselle, but didn't break the silence, repeatedly thinking about what he wanted to discuss later.
Finally, "The Fool" shrouded in the gray fog chuckled and said:
"Begin."
"The Hanged Man" Alger immediately looked at the bottom of the bronze long table at "The World" Gehrman Sparrow and carefully said:
"Sorry, that magical item of yours might take a while longer."
Before the other could speak, he quickly explained:
"That 'artisan' has strangely fallen ill, and suspicious prying eyes have appeared around him, so it's delayed. I'll go in person to see if I can resolve his trouble and get him back in shape, and try to have him make the magical item you need within two weeks."
His words were sincere, expressing apology and concern, but in reality, he subtly shifted all responsibility to the "artisan," as if saying to "The World": If you're really upset, I'll teach him a lesson; if that's not enough, I can even give you his address so you can visit him yourself.
That "artisan" has trouble... Mr. Hanged Man still values him, huh. Non-official, or rather, artisans willing to take orders from unknown sources are very rare; if we can keep this one, we should... Klein mused, making the puppet "The World" respond hoarsely:
"I agree to the delay this time, but there won't be a next time."
His tone was very calm, but "The Hanged Man" Alger felt a start, as if he sensed the murderous intent within "The World" Gehrman Sparrow.
"Thank you for your understanding," he said with composure.
"The Hermit" Cattleya, listening to their exchange, looked at The Hanged Man, slightly curled her lips, adjusted her glasses, and took the initiative to say:
"If you can't solve that problem, I can help."
In her view, if the problem wasn't big, she could even help for free, because it would mean she could bypass The Hanged Man and establish direct contact with that "artisan."
How could "The Hanged Man" Alger not understand the true intention of the pirate general "The Hermit"? He felt she was showing strong aggression, putting pressure on him. He paused for a moment and then responded calmly:
"Then on his behalf, I thank you in advance for your kindness."
On one hand, he showed his closeness to the artisan; on the other, he didn't directly refuse, leaving himself a way out—better to sacrifice some benefits than to face Gehrman Sparrow's trouble.
"The Hermit" Cattleya didn't dwell on that and turned to "The World" Gehrman Sparrow:
"Are you satisfied with the Western Balam intelligence?"
Last Thursday, she had gathered and organized the information Gehrman Sparrow needed and sent it to him through that strange messenger.
—She was full of fear of Mr. Fool and, if there were any alternative, she would not bother him.
"That cost me a full three hundred pounds. If it's not up to par, I'll return it on the spot!" Klein muttered to himself, making "The World" Gehrman Sparrow respond with "Mm."
Then, the puppet's gaze turned to "The Magician" miss.