Chapter 164: The Fool Is Not Allowed

The future of this world?

The original members of the Tarot Club were startled by these words; the few short phrases struck like thunder, piercing deep into their hearts.

Internally, some felt an unbearable itch, others unease, yet all exerted utmost restraint, straightening their spines—or straightening them further—in anticipation of the Fool's words.

"The tide of the age is coming," said the distant, lofty figure within the gray mist, half-smiling, half-sighing.

The tide of the age?!

"The last time the Fool mentioned the tide of the age was on June 13, 130!" The Hanged Man, Alger, almost instinctively recalled how, on that day's Tarot meeting, the Fool had informed them that Adam had drawn closer to godhood.

The Hermit, Cardilia, was lost in turbulent thoughts, sensing unease—had Adam's godhood ritual already begun?

While Justice, Audrey, and others were astonished, all became alert; Sun, Daleek's emotions were indescribable. As a citizen of the Silver City in the God-Forsaken Lands, they had always worshipped the Ancient Sun God; and now, as the son of the Ancient Sun God, Adam was about to become a new deity—making Daleek harbor a faint hope, longing for this divine son, the King of Angels, to save them.

Only a Sequence 0 can save the Silver City.

"This is a continuation of the Great Smog of London," the Fool slowly explained to them, "and also the deepest cause of the Great Smog."

All members present were familiar with the Great Smog of London incident.

It occurred on the Tuesday of the final week of 1349.

The capital of the Kingdom of Ruen: London.

A witch of Sequence 4, the Lady of Despair, sought to ascend to Sequence 3 as the Ageless Witch. In London's factory district, east district, and dock district, she spread white-yellow smog, triggering a massive plague to lay the groundwork for her ascension ritual.

During the investigation, Tarot Club members discovered the involvement of the cult "Aurora Society," which worshipped the True Creator. The Witch Cult and the Aurora Society each had their own true objectives.

The Witch Cult sought to use the renamed Trisic as a vessel for the descent of the Primordial Witch, further reviving the Sequence 0 Primordial Witch.

The Aurora Society aimed to create a pathway for the True Creator to break through the Seven Gods' seal and descend upon the Northern Continent.

The Lady of Despair was merely a decoy thrown out by both cults.

With coordinated efforts from the Night Church, Storm Church, and Steam Church, their schemes were ultimately shattered. Of course, the Tarot Club had also secretly facilitated events, contributing significantly to preventing the descent of the false gods.

But during an investigation into human trafficking, they discovered royal family involvement; eventually, Prince Edsack, heir to the Kingdom of Ruen, was exposed as one of the masterminds.

Later, King George III of Ruen reached an agreement with the churches, and the matter was quietly dropped.

For the members of the Tarot Club, this was the truth behind the Great Smog of London.

"Is there a hidden truth behind the Great Smog of London?" "Isn't the descent of a true god enough? Is there an even deeper event concealed beneath the surface?!"

Various thoughts surfaced; they looked toward the Fool, hoping he would reveal the full answer.

In the meantime, they also took care to observe the three new members.

The Emperor, shrouded in gray mist, glanced around, occasionally directing his gaze toward the Priest and the Pope. Even as the Fool spoke, he appeared nervous, aimless, unsure what to do—strange, as if he were an outsider, showing no reaction whatsoever to these revelations.

And the Priest and the Pope were even stranger.

The Priest's eyes were lowered; his white-gold irises were slightly vacant. He sat calmly, hands crossed, coldly gazing at the bronze table, a faint smile always on his lips.

On the Pope's table lay a peculiar small porcelain object—unfamiliar to all—wider at the top, narrower at the bottom, with a lid. He lifted the lid, scraped it twice along the rim, then raised the porcelain and brought it close to his mouth.

"He's drinking tea?!!"

Compared to the Emperor's ignorance, the Priest's distraction and the Pope's casualness left the Tarot Club members baffled. How could the Fool tolerate these two transcendent beings? There must be deeper intent behind it! These two must be different in some crucial way.

But now was not the time to dwell on this—the most important thing was the truth behind the Great Smog of London!

"King George III is about to ascend to Sequence 0, the Black Emperor."

How is that possible?!

To control the royal family—or rather, royal authority—all royal members were strictly forbidden from becoming Sequence 4 semi-gods or higher, let alone the king of a nation jointly controlled by three major churches secretly ascending to Sequence 0, a true god?!

Thoughts and ideas intertwined; this revelation was even more shocking than Adam's impending godhood.

Adam himself was a Sequence 1 Writer of the Observer Path, possessing sufficient foundation and accumulation, and had planned extensively—but George III? A king, a public figure, long exposed under the churches' watch—could he truly become the Black Emperor?! Didn't this mean George III was already a Sequence 1 King of Angels?!

Aside from Sun, Daleek, who was unaware of the situation on the Northern Continent, all others found it inconceivable.

"The Twilight Hermit Society provided indispensable aid to George III."

"The Ruen royal family exchanged a Sequence 1 Red Priest relic with the Witch Cult in return for large quantities of people obtained through kidnapping and trafficking."

"The vast number of people who vanished in the smog, and most civilians abducted and trafficked, were turned into slaves to secretly construct George III's mausoleum," the Fool said, like an elder recounting this absurd tale grounded in reality.

The Twilight Hermit Society? That secret organization founded by Adam—Rusell the Great had once been a member.

Adam was George III's supporter! Yes, only this organization could constrain the three major churches.

"The Black Emperor's ascension ritual has these elements."

"Possessing one's own realm."

"Linking one's name with the title of Emperor, making it common knowledge among the populace."

"Establishing a complex, rigid system of rules that defy normalcy—including architectural style. Then, compel the populace to secretly construct nine pyramid-like mausoleums, and enter one of them."

"Finally, consume the Sequence 0 elixir during a ritual held simultaneously in various cities, in an event in which the vast majority of the populace participates."

Justice, Audrey, felt complex emotions—she never imagined her own nation's king was the mastermind behind this disaster; he had ruthlessly sacrificed countless citizens for godhood.

The royal family abolished the Grain Act, leaving many unemployed and destitute, then covertly lured and kidnapped them into becoming maritime slave laborers. Exploiting disputes between conservatives and new nobles over Upper House qualifications, they delayed the Poor Relief Law's implementation, thereby securing sufficient slaves.

Simultaneously, the royal family manipulated the churches, using their pursuit of accountability as an excuse to actively invite church intervention to weaken noble power—a rule utterly contrary to logic. Normally, drastic stripping of noble power would provoke rebellion, but the churches were different.

Everything now made perfect sense.

Now, only the final step remains? This king is about to ascend to eternal godhood, stepping over the corpses of his people.

Miss Kelaien maintained a relaxed posture at the head seat and sighed gently:

"War is coming."

"This is both George III's ascension ritual and Adam's ascension ritual."

"Adam will become Sequence 0, the Imaginative, amid a war sweeping the world."

"War cannot be stopped."

Having finished, Miss Kelaien fell silent, allowing them to slowly absorb these explosive, dangerous revelations.

Instantly, they connected the final point—the event in which the vast majority of the populace participates: war.

Audrey felt her mind go completely blank; she suddenly recalled what Mr. World had said during the consultation earlier.

Audrey pressed her lips together and asked Mr. Fool:

"Will the Seven Gods stop George III from ascending to godhood?"

Right, would the Seven Gods allow a king to become a deity? If this matter were secretly reported to the Church of the Seven Gods—

"At this point, the Seven Gods tacitly approve."

Before the apocalypse arrives, the Seven Gods will unite every force they can muster; they need a deity on their side. But since George III does not belong to the Seven Gods' faction and is himself a king, his ascension to godhood will inevitably consolidate power and harm the interests of the Churches of the Seven Gods. So in the current situation, the Churches of the Seven Gods will not give their full support, but neither will they oppose it.

'Truly hard to accept.' Audrey gave a bitter smile. Just as Mr. World had said, under the tacit approval of the Seven Gods, this cruel, ruthless, and ambitious Emperor was about to become a new deity.

Her mood wasn't exactly low, she just couldn't maintain her earlier spirits.

The Hanged Man, Alger, began to think in his mind how to avoid the impact of the war to the greatest extent. He currently belonged to the Church of Storms; if war came, how should he seek advantage and avoid harm, preserving himself in this unavoidable war while maximizing his gains?

'War... truly loathsome.' The Judgment, Hugh, thought inwardly. She was a member of MI9; no matter what, she could not escape this whirlpool.

The Magician, Fors, was both shocked and fearful. She didn't understand how she, a mere Sequence 6, had gotten mixed up in such matters—wasn't it too soon? If not for the fact that this war sweeping the world was inescapable no matter where one was, she would definitely have the Young Lady Justice wipe her memory of today, at least so she could still get a good night's sleep.

Miss Kelaien could understand what they were thinking. To be frank, he was not blindly opposed to all wars; what he opposed was 'unjust wars.'

Lives are as cheap as grass—who could have imagined that the king's ascension to godhood required nothing more than the betrayal of his own subjects? The lives of 60,000 civilians were merely a figure on the table.

The Seven Gods had all tacitly approved George III's advancement, and a world-sweeping war was unavoidable. The others were more or less somewhat dispirited and heavy-hearted; they understood that after this Tarot Gathering, there were far too many things to arrange in advance.

Even The Moon, Krim, was thinking about how to transfer his collection of dolls to a safe place, so as not to be implicated by the war.

As the Tarot Gathering fell into a silent stillness—

"But—" Miss Kelaien's voice exploded like a bomb in the depths of everyone's hearts.

The others looked in disbelief toward Mr. Fool, seated at the head of the long bronze table.

"I do not permit it."

His voice was flat, as though he were merely mentioning some matter of no great consequence, yet no one dared to question the resolve in his words.

"George III will fail, and pay the price for his actions." Miss Kelaien, controlling his avatar 'World,' spoke aloud, as though merely stating an objective fact.

Audrey looked toward World, Gehrman, and a bit of light returned to her eyes, as if in gloomy, damp, cold weather a warm ray of sunlight had pierced through the heavy clouds and fallen into the study, adding a touch of vivid color to the dull, drab life.

Does World know what he's saying?! Even the Seven Gods have tacitly approved George III's ascension to godhood, and Mr. Fool actually intends to stop him?!

Gulp—The Hanged Man, Alger, swallowed hard with difficulty, his heart surging with the same towering waves as everyone else's.

Miss Kelaien lightly tapped the long bronze table, drawing everyone's attention once more, as his long, ethereal voice came:

"I shall entrust you with a mission."

"Within the limits of your ability, do your utmost to protect civilians during the war, stockpile supplies in advance, and establish simple shelters to maintain basic order."

"Regardless of nationality, regardless of faith, regardless of status."

The image of The Fool was elevated once more in the hearts of the Tarot Gathering members. World was Mr. Fool's Blessed; World's words conveyed The Fool's attitude—The Fool would stop George III from becoming the new Black Emperor!

'The Seven Gods tacitly approve; The Fool opposes.'

For some unknown reason, such a thought spontaneously arose in everyone's minds.

And The Fool's mission once again let them feel that this great existence possessed a benevolence deeper than any deity, holding boundless compassion for mortals.

Miss Kelaien turned his gaze toward The Sun, Derrick, and chuckled lightly: "Sun, you have a separate mission."

"Accumulate strength and raise your power in the City of Silver, spread my faith, and quietly await the arrival of my Blessed, 'World.'"

"I shall promise you a world of light."

The Sun, Derrick, stared blankly at Miss Kelaien; his heart skipped a beat, unable to believe what he had heard, until his heart beat again and warm tears soaked his cheeks.

"Are you willing to accept this mission?" Miss Kelaien asked.

"Your will is our will!" Everyone rose together and solemnly bowed toward the highest seat where The Fool resided.

The Sun, Derrick felt his jaw trembling, his voice somewhat unclear. He bowed his head lower than anyone, his upper body almost parallel to his legs, "Wuu... thank you for your mercy."

He no longer fantasized that the once-imagined angel could, after ascending to godhood, grant salvation to the City of Silver, for the path to salvation was right before his eyes.

"Mm." Miss Kelaien nodded and continued: "I may enter a period of slumber in the future."

"If any trouble arises, you may try to summon and offer sacrifice to my honorific name."

"The Light God who does not belong to this era."

"The hope of salvation and grace."

"The foreign god of destruction and degeneracy."