Chapter 231: Exploration Mission

Your words make me feel ashamed.

Hanged Man A'erjie froze for two seconds, pressed his hand to his chest, leaned forward slightly, and said.

Hmm. Miss Justice's words make everyone feel ashamed, but Ke Lai En hasn't even thought about this, right? Better to stay silent; now, silence is golden!

Lei Kedun, lounging lazily in the high‑backed chair, thought with a tangled heart.

Ao Dai Li lightly pursed her lips, considered her tone, and said:

The Apostle of Desire used a special setting to trigger Duke Ni Gen's intense emotions and desires, completing the assassination, and at the cost of severe injury, succeeded and slipped into the sewers.

When the night watch caught up, he was already dead; on the scene remained the rogue Black Emperor and an indistinct man whose identity could not be confirmed.

At this point, Ao Dai Li cast a suspicious gaze at Lei Kedun, who had just mentioned possessing the Apostle of Desire's trait, paused slightly, and continued:

Their goal was not to silence witnesses, but to serve the organization that commissioned the Apostle of Desire.

That organization? Hanged Man A'erjie muttered in confusion, then turned his head toward Mr. Fool at the head of the bronze long table.

Shrouded in gray mist, Ke Lai En silently praised Miss Justice, then, with a casual posture, offered a reminder:

In the outside world, do not mention that organization's name in any form, and try to think about it as little as possible.

"Why?" Ao Dai Li blurted out, slightly puzzled.

Ke Lai En, leaning on a cup, said in a calm tone:

"All words will be known!"

That made him... Lei Kedun muttered silently in his mind.

All words will be known; Justice Ao Dai Li subconsciously glanced at Mr. Fool, feeling his vague eyes seemed to emphasize something.

What an extremely secretive and prestigious organization! In some ways, it's even scarier than the Church of the Seven Gods. Even such a hidden group, Mr. Fool, our Tarot Society, is also tracking their traces.

Ao Dai Li's thoughts began to spread in her mind; she felt she suddenly understood many things, straightened her back, and said with a more upright posture:

"I will strictly follow your orders."

All words will be known—a hidden organization whose name cannot even be mentioned? Hanged Man A'erjie, also full of speculation, gave a barely perceptible nod, feeling both shocked and excited.

He wanted to ask Mr. Fool the relevant questions right now, but recalling that he hadn't collected the Russell diary lately, he suppressed his excitement for the moment.

Magician Folsi appeared slightly bewildered; this matter seemed completely different from what she had read in the newspaper.

She instinctively glanced at White Tower Lei Kedun, the only person she knew, thinking he might know something; perhaps the indistinct man mentioned by Miss Justice was him. Hmm. After the Tarot Society session, she'll find a chance to ask.

Little Sun Daileke, seated next to Lei Kedun, knew nothing about these matters and cared little.

He sat silently, reserved and quiet, forming a stark contrast with the relaxed, lazy‑posed Lei Kedun beside him.

After the others finished their exchange, waiting a few more seconds, seeing no one speak, Little Sun Daileke adjusted his posture and said:

"I've been assigned an exploration mission."

"Explore where? Or that half‑ruined temple?" Hanged Man A'erjie asked with speculation.

"Yes, the half‑destroyed True Creator Temple. This exploration squad is led personally by the Chief."

Daileke replied, his voice not particularly solemn.

"This should be your Chief's assessment of you, and also an attempt to enlist our Tarot Society and Mr. Fool's power to accomplish this exploration."

"For this exploration mission, you only need to perform normally; when you encounter difficulty or danger, remember to ask for help. That's also why your Chief assigned you."

Hanged Man A'erjie deliberately inserted 'our Tarot Society' into his words.

Mr. Hanged Man truly has experience. Little Sun Daileke praised silently in his mind, then said:

"What else do I need to say?"

Seated at the head of the bronze long table, the quietly observing Mr. Fool spoke:

"Flesh, delirium."

Ke Lai En displayed a great‑person demeanor; the rest would be interpreted by the Tarot Society's elder, Mr. Hanged Man.

After pondering seriously for a few seconds, the Hanged Man said to Little Sun:

"Specifically: don't look at what you shouldn't, don't listen to what you shouldn't, don't eat what you shouldn't, and don't touch what you shouldn't."

"Which things fall into that category?" Little Sun Daileke asked, not fully understanding.

"Once inside the temple, everything there!"

"Then how should I explore?" Daileke was even more puzzled.

The Hanged Man let out a knowing chuckle:

"Aren't there other team members? Isn't your Chief also there?"

Very much in Mr. Hanged Man's style, an honest kid like Little Sun truly can't be left to his care!

Lei Kedun muttered to himself, then turned to the silent Little Sun Daileke and said:

"Just follow your Chief's orders; he has enough experience and will be responsible for every member of each exploration squad."

"I understand, thank you, Mr. White Tower, and thank you, Mr. Hanged Man."

Little Sun Daileke felt much more relaxed and earnestly thanked Lei Kedun and Hanged Man A'erjie separately.

Hanged Man A'erjie sighed helplessly. Given the personality Sun displayed, that's as far as he could go.

He exhaled, turned his head toward Justice Ao Dai Li opposite, and said:

"Miss Justice, I want to know how the political situation in Beckland changed after Duke Ni Gen's death."

Ao Dai Li recalled recent direct or indirect news she had heard, organized her words slightly, and said:

"Duke Ni Gen's death caused a split in the Upper House; although his eldest son inherited the title, his personal prestige is insufficient to quell the disputes."

"Nearly ten Upper House senators jointly proposed that newly ennobled nobles also have the opportunity to obtain a permanent seat."

After hearing Ao Dai Li's account, Hanged Man A'erjie chuckled lightly:

"Aren't those noble families with long histories the most contemptuous of those who obtain titles through irregular means? A fixed Upper House seat is their greatest pride."

Ignoring the inadvertent sarcasm in the Hanged Man's words, Justice Ao Dai Li explained calmly:

"When you have tens of thousands of pounds, a hundred‑plus thousand pounds, or even more debt, you will make the same choice."

"After all, not every noble is a great banker, nor does every heir to a noble title possess impressive ability."

"Many nobles' daily expenses are far out of proportion to their earning ability."

Leikèdùn leaned against the back of his chair and said in a leisurely tone.

Moreover, in the current situation, Yàdāng has been scheming for a thousand years.

Àodàilì gave a helpless smile; she knows all too well how far nobles will go to preserve their so‑called dignity.

After a brief pause, she continued:

"The disputes in the Upper House have put many bills on hold, including but not limited to raising workers' wages, improving working hours, and revising the Poor Relief Act; however, the civil service unified exam is still progressing steadily, and the investigation into Beikèlándé's atmospheric pollution continues to deepen."

"There will be no war in the short term," the Hanged Man whispered.

"War? Barring any surprises, the arrival of war won't be far off."

Leikèdùn sighed, but did not lower his voice.

"Why?" the Hanged Man looked at Leikèdùn with puzzlement, and the other members of the Tarot Society also stared curiously, including Xiao Taiyang, who pays little heed to outside affairs.

He had only seen descriptions of war in textbooks, knowing only that it is a grand scene with many participants and deaths—a very cruel affair.

"It is the tide of the age, something the Seven Gods tacitly approve and promote, and also preparation for what follows."

Leikèdùn spoke a passage in a contemplative tone, then fell silent, offering no further explanation.

The tide of the age? The Seven Gods' tacit approval and promotion? How could that be! The Hanged Man A'erjie subconsciously glanced toward the head of the bronze long table, toward the Mr. Fool shrouded in gray mist.

Under the gray mist he could not discern Mr. Fool's expression or demeanor, but that ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying attitude already explained many issues.

"Will there truly be war in the near future? What will trigger it? What stances do the Seven Gods each hold?"

A'erjie felt one question after another arise in his mind. He also needed to make some preparations; at least, if war truly comes, he would still have an escape route.

Is war the result that the organization behind the Apostle of Desire seeks? Is that also the true purpose of their assassination of Duke Nigen? Yet now it is far from the point where war would break out—will that organization still act later?

Àodàilì also looked toward the head of the bronze long table at Mr. Fool, and seeing that vague, seemingly eternal figure, she felt much more at ease.

Even if that organization acts later, our Tarot Society and Mr. Fool will surely be able to stop it.

War? You must be kidding!

Magician Folsi felt dazed; she thought that although many bad things exist in society now, it is still far from the point of erupting into war.

After a period of silence, Craine, who worried that staying too long in the washroom would arouse suspicion, announced the end of this Tarot Society meeting.

(End of Chapter)