Chapter 471: The Tarot Society Begins

Dong~ Dong~ Dong~

A short, rapid series of knocks sounded, and before Lei Kedun could push the door, the wooden door was creaked open from the other side.

Tu Ba Ge, with a fierce look, stuck his little head out from behind the door to peek this way; Lei Kedun raised his hand, tapped his forehead lightly, then grabbed his ear and pulled him out.

"Ugh— boss, let go quickly, my ear's going to snap!"

Tu Ba Ge kicked his legs to break free from Lei Kedun's grip, his blood‑red eyes instantly clouded with a mist, and he pitiedly stared at Lei Kedun.

Lei Kedun's mouth twitched slightly, and he casually tossed the black top hat he had just pulled off back onto Tu Ba Ge's head, saying:

"Li Ci acts cute because he really is cute; you, a chubby rabbit, shouldn't copy him."

Tu Ba Ge froze for a moment, a human‑like embarrassed expression appearing on his furry face; he glared at Lei Kedun, gritting his teeth, and said:

"That's over the line, that's a rabbit‑body attack!"

Ge Lan rested both hands on his chin, his brows slightly curved, a faint smile on his face as he looked at Tu Ba Ge and said:

"Haha, the little rabbit you keep is really amusing. Interested in trading it for a cat?"

"Not interested, not interested! I definitely don't want to sleep in a little nest made of a pile of mechanical parts."

Tu Ba Ge frantically shook his head, answering before Lei Kedun could speak.

Lei Kedun stepped forward two paces, patted his head, and said:

"Then go help me teach a class this morning, casually impart some occult knowledge to them; if you really can't manage, ask your little rabbit scholar brother for help."

"No problem." Having just discussed swapping the rabbit for a craftsman cat, Tu Ba Ge answered with extra confidence.

Lei Kedun chuckled, patted his head again, and his body instantly became transparent, like a statue formed of countless starlights, then shattered, turning into sparkling specks of light that surged and pierced into the spirit realm.

Tu Ba Ge scratched his head in bewilderment, watching Lei Kedun's departing spot, unsure what to do next.

Ge Lan leaned back slightly, lazily leaning against the chair back, his gaze still fixed on Tu Ba Ge, and with a light laugh said:

"Little rabbit, are you sure you don't want to come to my place? I can build you a private nest. No, a rabbit as clever as you deserves your own bedroom."

"No!" Tu Ba Ge stepped back and kept shaking his head.

Beikeland Time, 3 p. m.

Above the gray mist, within the magnificent ancient palace, deep crimson beams rose like rippling water, then quickly receded, revealing vague silhouettes of people.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

Ao Daili gave a slight bow toward the figure at the head of the weathered long table, greeting cheerfully.

After a brief pause, she greeted the other members in turn:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man." "Good afternoon, Mr. Sun." "Good afternoon, Mr. White Tower."

The rest of the Tarot Society members in turn bowed and greeted the head‑seat Fool, then after nodding to each other, took their seats.

Hearing that Miss Justice was in a good mood today, it seemed her brother in the military was fine, likely already back in Beikeland, indicating the Pas Valley affair had concluded. As thoughts shifted, Ke Lai En's gaze drifted subconsciously toward Lei Kedun seated on the high‑back chair.

"Esteemed Mr. Fool, I have collected two pages of Roselle's diary this week."

"Hanged Man" A'erjie's voice interrupted Ke Lai En's thoughts; maintaining his relaxed posture, he gave a gentle nod and said in a leisurely tone:

"Very good."

"Moon" Ai Mu Lin glanced at the expressionless Hanged Man A'erjie, then turned to the figure shrouded in gray mist at the head of the weathered table and said:

"Esteemed Mr. Fool, I have also collected two pages of Roselle's diary this week."

"I have also collected one page of Roselle's diary."

"Magician" Fo Er Si then spoke, adding that the Roselle diary was something she had bought at an extraordinary beings gathering last week.

"Very good." Ke Lai En curled the corner of his mouth, feeling quite pleased, and gave a light nod in response.

He leaned back slightly, resting against the chair back, his gaze leisurely scanning the crowd, then heard Recluse Jia De Li Ya say she had also collected three pages of Roselle's diary.

He lightly tapped the tabletop edge with his right index finger, manifesting the Roselle diary pages he had gathered for the Tarot Society, then raised his hand slightly, and the yellow‑brown parchments materialized and floated into his hands.

Everyone sat quietly in their seats, awaiting the Fool's reading of today's Roselle diary, while their gazes, curious or expectant, surveyed the expressions of the other Tarot Society members.

Lei Kedun reclined in his own high‑back chair, closed his eyes to rest for a while; after some time, a thudding sound suddenly reached his ears.

The figure at the head of the weathered table, shrouded in gray mist, withdrew the right hand that had been tapping the table edge, and laughed lightly, saying:

"You may begin your discussion now."

"Magician" Fo Er Si glanced around for a moment; seeing no one speak, she sat up a little and raised her right hand, saying:

"Everyone, I need a complete Asman Brain and an ancient vengeful spirit's cursed item."

"I don't know who among you has these two materials, or any related leads would do."

After stating her request, she inhaled deeply, leaned back against the chair, and waited for the others' replies.

"Miss Magician is about to be promoted to Recorder? She's progressed much faster than in the original work," Lei Kedun lifted his left hand, pondered, and said:

"I know where the ancient vengeful spirit's cursed item is; if you need it, 1800 pounds."

"As for the Asman Brain, that material is rarer; you can consult the Abraham family—they surely have stock in their family vault."

1800 pounds! With my current finances I can only muster 800 pounds; even adding Xiu's savings, at most 1000 pounds—still 800 pounds short, Fo Er Si calculated silently in her mind, and the spark of excitement that had just ignited was instantly snuffed out.

Her gaze flickered awkwardly, and she cleared her throat twice, saying:

"Uhm, let me think it over; I'll give you an answer in the next couple of days."

"No problem." Lei Kedun gave a gentle nod in reply; he had originally assumed Fo Er Si would at least mention a price, which is why he added an extra 300 pounds.

It seems that in the Tarot Society, no one bargains; perhaps because the Fool is present and everyone is mindful of their image? I always feel that Miss Justice single‑handedly established the tradition of buying without haggling.

The figure at the foot of the weathered table, the World, suddenly spoke in a low, hoarse voice:

"I have the ancient vengeful spirit's cursed item, 1600 pounds."

"Hm? You have it too?" Fo Er Si hesitated, instinctively glanced at Lei Kedun leaning on the high‑back chair; seeing his expression unchanged, she then turned to the dark, restrained World and said:

"Fine, I need some time to raise the funds."

"No problem." Ke Lai En, using his little avatar "World", rasped back.

While waiting for Foersi and Kelei to complete the transaction, Leikdun's gaze swept around; seeing no one speak, he lifted his left hand and said:

"Do any of you need the Crimson Scholar's trait?"

Although it was a question, his gaze fixed directly on Yueliang Aimu Lin, who sat one seat away.

Crimson Scholar? That's the extraordinary trait of a Vampire Viscount! Aimu Lin's spirit jolted, his eyes shining as he looked at Leikdun and said:

"How much?"

"8000 pounds," Leikdun replied with a light laugh.

"Yueliang," Aimu Lin's complexion suddenly collapsed, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. 8000 pounds— even if I sold all the figurines I collect, I couldn't raise it. No, no, I would never sell them. The gold pounds Lord Nibais sponsored me last time have already been spent on that baron's inheritance, and the Vampire upper echelons cannot provide such a large sum in the short term.

Aimu Lin opened his mouth, his expression a little embarrassed, and said: "Could it be cheaper? Or, do you need some assistance?"

8000 pounds— even if this vampire sold itself, it still couldn't make up the sum. Kelei, reclining leisurely in the high‑backed chair, suddenly felt a sense of reassurance, as if seeing that everyone was equally poor.

What is this? Trusting the foolish, becoming poor? Kelei muttered two self‑deprecating remarks in his mind, his gaze shifting to Leikdun; he was curious how the other would act, since Aimu Lin's poverty was evident to all.

Leikdun placed his right hand on the armrest of the high‑backed chair, tapped it lightly twice, then mused:

"I accept a work‑for‑debt arrangement. The Pas River Valley is short of manpower right now; given that you're far away, you can also choose to work from home."

"Work from home?" Aimu Lin repeated the words with some confusion.

Sure enough, this guy had been targeting Aimu Lin himself from the start; the work‑for‑debt proposal was already on the table. Kelei leaned lightly against the chair back, his mouth corner twitching slightly.

"The job basically involves compiling the herbs you know and basic potion‑mixing knowledge, describing them in plain language, and publishing them in the newspaper."

"Hmm, you'll need to use Dutan language. If you haven't mastered that language and its script, I can find you a learning channel; you can study it yourself."

Leikdun sat up a little straighter and briefly reiterated the work he had prepared for Aimu Lin.

"That's it?" Aimu Lin was slightly surprised; this was far simpler than the wild ideas he had just been mulling over in his mind.

"I thought I would have to help explore some dangerous ruins, or hunt dangerous beasts or something like that."

Leikdun nodded and let out a light laugh, saying:

"That's it. This is an official job, but there will be no salary until you clear your debt. If you're on the Southern Continent, I might also assign you some bounty missions, but Beikeland is out of the question; that's a bit too far."

"Hiring noble vampires costs more than hiring ordinary adventurers."

Aimu Lin lifted his chin, emphasizing the phrase about noble vampires.

Is that something to be proud of? Under the grey mist, Kelei's expression froze for a moment.

"What could possibly be so worthy of pride? It seems none of us are adventurers," the Magician Foersi gave a vague glance at the opposite "Moon" gentleman; she always felt that vampires think differently from humans.

Leikdun saw that Aimu Lin did not object to his proposal, gave a gentle nod, and spoke again:

"Ha, I have some surplus extraordinary traits here; if you're interested, you can buy them from me, or order magical items directly, of course for an extra fee."

"Farmers of the Farmer Path, physicians and Harvest Priests; alchemists and Beast Tamers of the Moon Path; prisoners and madmen of the Other Species Path."

"These are the ones I can obtain directly. I also have some higher‑sequence traits, but they require negotiations with various factions and aren't guaranteed, especially with the Vampire Clan, who guard their traits closely."

"Each Sequence‑Seven trait of the Moon Path represents a newborn, which is, of course, very important to the Vampire Clan!"

Aimu Lin raised his hand, tapped the bronze long table before him, and said in a solemn tone.

"I wonder how the Vampire Clan propagates—do they directly separate flesh and the corresponding traits from their own bodies? Or, like humans, but requiring the extraction of a Sequence‑Seven vampire trait to form an embryo?"

Kelei gave his head a slight shake, shaking off the increasingly absurd images in his mind, then, controlling his little trumpet 'World' with a hoarse voice, said:

"If we forge magical items using the physician's trait, to what extent can the healing ability be retained?"

(End of chapter)