Chapter 473: The Con Artist

After the private conversation between "World" and the "Hermit" ended, at the suggestion of the "Fool" Kelei En, everyone entered the free‑talk segment.

"Ahem~" the "Moon" Aemulin cleared his throat twice, and after drawing everyone's attention he smiled lightly and began:

"Everyone, I recently heard an interesting rumor at a gathering within the blood clan."

"What rumor?"

The "Magician" Foersi asked, and as she spoke she was already mentally filling in a tale of a pure human girl tangled with a proud young vampire, or perhaps a vampire girl and a human boy; the female‑strong, male‑weak setup seemed more appealing.

Aemulin glanced at Foersi; he always felt that the "Magician" lady was pondering something odd, and after a brief pause he finally spoke:

"I don't know when or where it started, but rumors of a shameless fraudster have spread across the North and South continents and the vast seas."

"It could be a mirror, a book, a raven flying in the sky, a seabird, or even a doll on a shelf. They display enough intelligence to converse with humans, love to lie, and excel at deceiving nearby creatures."

"Besides swindling trivial items, each fraud nets some gold pounds—at least one pound, the maximum unknown, perhaps the victim's entire fortune? So far no one has been duped that badly, at least none publicly known."

"The strangest part is that once it deceives someone, the corresponding scam manifests in reality as a coincidence."

"Moreover, after the fraud it sometimes maliciously reveals its own scheme, as if savoring the victim's twisted, collapsed, angry yet helpless expression. Yet those who experience this are almost always ordinary people or relatively weak extraordinary beings; it seems to target the weak."

As Aemulin described, Foersi's expression grew increasingly odd; she inexplicably recalled the mirror she and Xiu had encountered before.

"Now that I think about it, my willingness to trust that mirror's words so easily was already abnormal; did its words possess a convincing quality?"

"Wait! I—I was swindled? A whole gold pound, plus my feelings at the time; I truly felt sorrow for that lady. That's outrageous!"

The "Justice" Ao Daili turned her body, her face curious, and asked Aemulin:

"'It' is an uncontrolled seal? Or a prankster extraordinary being?"

"I don't know. If it weren't for the blood clan's recent operation on the South continent that reclaimed enough traits, allowing us to strengthen our connections, we wouldn't have been able to consolidate information this quickly and discover its existence."

Aemulin shook her head slightly and gave a brief explanation of how she learned the rumor.

The "Hanged Man" Thus character: A'erjie frowned slightly, recalling the recent reports he had gathered, and quickly concluded that the fraudster who enjoys deception and pranks does indeed exist.

"Where did this creature come from? Its range is too broad to be an uncontrolled seal, yet if it's an extraordinary being, what's its purpose?" After a pause, he croaked:

"There are indeed some related rumors on the sea, but illogical sea rumors are countless; I hadn't paid much attention before, since every pirate lies."

The "Hermit" Jia De Li Ya sat with her hands clasped, thought briefly, and said thoughtfully:

"That sounds like something an extraordinary thief would do; deceiving others is always their pleasure."

Sitting silently beside them, Lei Ke Dun felt an urge to cover his face; ever since Aemulin began describing the fraudster, he had a vague premonition.

"Has the behavior in that scam manual already been noticed by some? It's inevitable; as more people are swindled, it will eventually draw attention."

"Speaking of it, after I tossed it to the Knowledge Rabbit it has been wandering ever since; I don't know its current state. I hope it hasn't attracted the attention of those roaming A Meng clones, or I'll lose a magical item."

Kelei En reclined leisurely in the high‑back chair, squinting slightly, his gaze deep; thoughts of thieves and A Meng floated in his mind. Could it be A Meng? He shouldn't be that bored; perhaps someone is deliberately using this method to draw A Meng's attention? Isn't that a bit bold?

Regardless of whether the idea is correct, it's better to warn them. At that moment, Kelei En quickly gathered his thoughts and again operated his small account "World", his hoarse voice saying:

"Heh, whether or not 'it' is truly a thief, this behavior is likely to catch the eye of A Meng, the top‑level fraudster, or perhaps it was intended to attract him. If any of you are curious and want to investigate, I suggest drafting a will first."

Foersi, who had been wondering whether she could claim compensation, instantly calmed, her mouth twitching slightly as she silently muttered to herself, "Suggesting a will first—does that sound a bit…?" Are the "World" gentleman's jokes always this chilling?

"To attract A Meng? That A Meng once parasitized the 'Sun' but was dealt with by the 'Fool', which shows the 'Fool' and A Meng are adversaries; 'World' is a follower of the 'Fool'. Was that remark a warning from him on behalf of the 'Fool' to us members of the Tarot Society?"

"If it truly was a warning, then the trap aimed at A Meng was probably set by the 'Fool' or one of his followers."

The "Hanged Man" Thus character: A'erjie's expression shifted from hesitation to shock, then settled into calm; he sat silently in the high‑back chair, his peripheral glance unintentionally scanning the figure at the far end of the weathered long table.

Ao Daili, who had been observing the Tarot Society members' reactions, quickly noticed the "Hanged Man" Thus character: A'erjie's unusual response; her gaze swept lightly over him, and she analyzed his micro‑expressions and gestures in her mind:

"The 'Hanged Man' gentleman's emotions are volatile; what is he associating? Huh? Is he looking at the 'Fool'? Is this matter related to the 'Fool'?"

"The 'World' gentleman said the fraudster active across the North and South continents and the seas is likely to draw A Meng's attention, and since A Meng happens to be an enemy of the 'Fool', this is related to the 'Fool'! The goal is to lure out the hidden A Meng?"

The "Hermit" Jia De Li Ya's gaze was calm and inscrutable as she surveyed everyone, taking all their reactions in.

True danger often hides in everyday details. The "Hanged Man" and "Justice" both turned their eyes toward the "Fool", knowing something, thus believing the matter is connected to the "Fool"?

The "Moon" Aemulin and the "Sun" Dai Li Ke sat somewhat bewildered in their seats; one didn't quite understand how this matter linked to A Meng, while the other, far in the abandoned divine lands, wasn't particularly concerned with such external affairs.

Lei Ke Dun slightly turned his head to glance at the "World" at the far end, then looked at the "Fool" at the near end of the weathered table, his eyes full of wordless emotion. "Don't go planting a flag for me. Losing that scam manual is fine, but if it falls into A Meng's hands it becomes a tracker on me!"

Feeling gazes directed at him, Kelei En's mouth twitched slightly. Sometimes the members' imagination is too strong, which isn't good; never mind, let them think for themselves. As long as I don't respond, this matter isn't my concern.

The members of the Tarot Society seemed to share an unspoken tacit understanding, collectively choosing to skip the topic.

After a brief silence, the "Justice" Ao Daili looked toward Lei Ke Dun and began, her tone full of sighs:

"The Lu En royal family and the Yin Di Si authorities have chosen today to sign a treaty with the warlord Mei Sang Ye Si who governs the Pas River Valley, agreeing to recognize the valley's independence in exchange for the release of the troops detained there."

"However, Mei Sang Ye Si doesn't seem intent on founding a kingdom; at least he doesn't claim the title of founder, nor has he declared a new regime for the Pas River Valley."

"Everyone speculates that his true aim is to unify the entire Xibailang, perhaps even the whole South continent."

"So quickly? Don't Yin Di Si and Lu En plan to retake the colony by force?"

The "Hanged Man" Thus character: A'erjie asked with some doubt, and while speaking he glanced at "Justice" Ao Daili, reassessing in his mind her status among the Lu En aristocracy.

Lei Ke Dun leaned his back against the chair, both hands resting on the table edge, and said leisurely:

"Mei Sang Ye Si has already secured overt support from the Knowledge Church and the Earth Church; even if Lu En and Yin Di Si wish to reclaim the lost colony by force, they must consider the churches' stances."

"In terms of the number and strength of extraordinary beings, they are not dominant, especially high‑rank extraordinary beings who are the key to changing the battlefield; the raging sea blocks transport, making it hard for ordinary forces to reach the South continent, and on a battlefield involving extraordinary power, effective fire suppression is difficult."

"Moreover, the nations of the North continent are riddled with conflicts; if the colonial dispute turns into war, the likely winner would be Fusahk."

Everything was preplanned; this conduct bears the reader's style—decisive yet meticulous, all‑encompassing, arranged with absolute rationality and cold detachment. Under the pale gray mist, Kelei En whispered two words to himself, then operated his small account "World" to voice his view:

"The nations of the North continent, besides their homelands, hold many colonies on the seas and the South continent, stretching their lines too thin; their armies and extraordinary forces cannot concentrate, far less effective than the firmly held Pas River Valley."

"Recently the sea bounty has changed; the mysterious queen's bounty in Yin Di Si rose to 100 million Ferkin, and Lu En, the Storm Church and other factions have also raised her reward, exceeding a million pounds."

"100 million!"

The "Magician" Foersi and the "Moon" Aemulin both exclaimed, their throats moving up and down twice; it was a figure they never dared imagine.

After the exclamation, Foersi lowered her head awkwardly, mentally converting 100 million Ferkin into gold pounds. The exchange rate seemed about 24 to 1, so even then…

So much money; if I had that much, I could buy all the dolls in Beckland and give each a private wardrobe! Why would I have to work for someone just for a viscount's trait, or even work for Lei Ke Dun? Aemulin's expression wilted; he even felt an urge to become a pirate hunter at sea to earn bounties.

100 million Ferkin—this bounty already exceeds that of the 'Five Seas King', but what does it have to do with the South continent's colonial dispute? Also, the 'World' gentleman seemed more talkative today. 'Justice' Ao Daili subtly tilted her head, looking at the 'World' at the far end, trying to read something from him.

Huh, emotions fully internalized, expression also very gloomy, completely unable to observe any useful information from Mr. World; this ability really restrains the audience.

(End of chapter)