Chapter 514: Discussion

Lei Kedun sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, and seeing that no one had opened the next topic, he continued:

"I have a relatively powerful magical item I can offer; it belongs to the strongest batch below demi‑god level, and if luck is on your side, it can even surpass many level‑1 sealed items."

"What magical item?" asked Ao Daili, the "Justice" of the Tarot Society and its biggest cash source, with great curiosity.

The other members of the Tarot Society also cast curious glances, and even the usually silent "Death" A Zike gave a curious look.

Lei Kedun gave a light laugh, rested his hands on the table edge, and explained the effects of the scissors he had named "Unwavering Until Death"; finally he added, "It is best used together with a magical item that has purification and healing abilities, as this can effectively counter its negative effects."

"If you wish to purchase it, I can place a certain seal on it, which will effectively reduce its negative effects and at least ensure it does not hinder usage," he said.

Ke Lai En, who had long known about this magical item, immediately manipulated the "World" and spoke:

"Can you reforge it? At least give it a different appearance."

He was somewhat covetous of the item, and he had also witnessed Lei Kedun's battle with that doll above the gray mist; both the "Twilight Storm" and the probabilistic lethal effect were extremely powerful.

If paired with some luck‑enhancing items, every strike could be a critical, and the "Diviner" path itself has no real defenses, so it wouldn't affect my combat style at all; it's just that the scissors' shape hurts the image, making me feel like a pervert.

The ever‑silent "Death" A Zike suddenly spoke:

"A certain chance to turn an attack into a lethal blow?"

Lei Kedun nodded lightly and said:

"Yes, it seems to stem from the special forging material; it is saturated with the lingering aura of that former Death, and it is precisely by harnessing that aura that a probabilistic lethal attack can erupt."

"Consequently it cannot be reforged—at least not by me—unless a true 'Master' intervenes."

A Zike nodded lightly, as if lost in some memory; after a long silence he said:

"May I borrow it for a while? I wish to experience the lingering aura of the 'Death'."

"Sure." Lei Kedun nodded without surprise.

"The Death's lingering aura makes this magical item quite strong, but unfortunately I'm still in debt, and the scissors' shape is far from elegant." Moon Ai Mulin evaluated it in her mind; though somewhat tempted, she ultimately gave up on the item.

It's too expensive; I just scraped together money to buy the "Ocean Singer"'s potion formula, otherwise I could have bought the equally cash‑strapped "Hanged Man" A'erjie, who remained silent.

I already possess purification ability, so I don't need extra magical items to use it, but at my current rank it would be very taxing, and the Hurricane Axe also suits me; I'll reconsider after I ascend to the next rank. Sun Dai Li Ke thought for a moment and finally abandoned the plan to purchase the magical item.

Everyone at the Tarot Society fell silent; the powerful magical item excited everyone, but the only problem was that either they were already in financial crisis, or buying it would plunge them into one.

The only member of the Tarot Society with enough cash to buy the magical item, "Justice" Ao Daili, also grew troubled. "I have already pre‑ordered the spinal fluid of the Black Hunt Giant Lizard from Mr. Lawrence; buying "White Tower"'s magical item now would be difficult unless I borrow money from Alfred, who has returned to Beckland. No, he would surely ask many questions."

Ao Daili leaned on the table edge, wrestled with the decision for a while, and ultimately gave up the idea of buying the magical item.

It seems it won't sell today, so it will remain my temporary collection. The Tarot Society still needs many more "Justice" ladies. He sighed inwardly, Lei Kedun turned his head to glance at the headmost Ke Lai En, then lazily sat back in his seat and fell silent.

Ke Lai En looked around, waited a moment, saw no one else making a request, leaned back in his chair and chuckled, "You may converse freely now."

In an instant, "Justice" Ao Daili, "Hanged Man" A'erjie, "Magician" Fo Si, "Moon" Ai Mulin and others turned their gazes toward the new member "Chariot" Anderson.

"Hermit" Jia De Li Ya and "World", "Sun", Lei Kedun and a few others turned their heads a beat later, also looking at "Chariot" Anderson.

Suddenly bombarded by so many gazes, Anderson shifted uncomfortably and said:

"What are you all looking at me for?"

"How did you come across the mural left by the 'Fate Angel' Wu Luoliu Si, and were you cursed with misfortune?"

"Hanged Man" A'erjie directly asked the question everyone was curious about.

Anderson twitched the corner of his mouth, straightened his back a bit and said, "I am a treasure hunter; naturally I encountered these while searching for treasure."

He paused, observed the speechless expressions on everyone's faces, cleared his throat twice and said, "Ha ha, just kidding, just kidding."

He then stopped holding back, briefly recounted his experience in the Divine War Ruins; he has a talent for storytelling, and even the not‑yet‑newcomers to the Mystic World, "Hanged Man" A'erjie and "Moon" Ai Mulin, listened with great interest.

"Justice" Ao Daili sat upright, appearing to listen attentively, as thoughts flashed through her mind one after another:

The ocean where noon and night alternate, dangers that could arise at any moment, myriad monsters—this is more spectacular than any story or picture book I've seen. In my former self I would only have marveled at "Chariot"'s adventures, but now I can glimpse the danger and chaos of the Mystic World.

To adventure in such perilous seas and hunt for treasure, "Chariot" must himself be a very powerful adventurer, most likely at Sequence Five, though his exact path is unknown.

"Magician" Fo Si's eyes lit up slightly. "What a splendid adventure; with just a few detail tweaks it could become a bestseller. I must change a few points and keep the Tarot Society members from discovering my pen name."

In the Divine War Ruins, "Hell General" Lu Deweier often roams that sea, and recent rumors speak of the "Star General" and the "Undying King" also appearing near those waters; could this "Chariot" be one of their crew? "Hanged Man" A'erjie cast a vague glance toward the opposite "Hermit" Jia De Li Ya, trying to discern something.

After a moment of silence, the ever‑quiet "Sun" Dai Li Ke raised his hand, eager to speak:

"During this time I followed the expedition led by the 'Chief' to Afternoon Town, the necessary route to the 'Giant King's Court' and the gateway separating myth from reality." "We met 'White Tower' there, and also A Meng!"

The Tarot Society members, who had been quietly listening, suddenly became excited; investigative and wary gazes shifted between "Sun" Dai Li Ke and "White Tower" Lei Kedun, then collectively turned toward the headmost "Fool" Ke Lai En at the weathered long table.

Having already learned the events from "Sun" Dai Li Ke's prayers, Ke Lai En's gaze calmly swept the crowd, and he smiled lightly as he spoke:

"It's fine."

"Hanged Man" A'erjie and "Hermit" Jia De Li Ya were the first to react, giving Lei Kedun, who lounged in the high‑back chair, a meaning‑laden glance. 'It's fine'—the problem was solved; did they request the "Fool"'s assistance, or did "White Tower" resolve an Angel King's avatar on his own?"

"And then?" "Justice" Ao Daili asked.

She didn't think too deeply; since the "Fool" had said it's fine, it must indeed be fine. She was more curious about what "Sun" and "White Tower" encountered in the Divine Abandoned Land, and how "White Tower" got there. "Sun" Dai Li Ke organized his words, omitted unimportant episodes, and began from the illusion he saw upon arriving at Afternoon Town, then the appearance of "White Tower" Lei Kedun, their exchange, and later how A Meng's avatar was captured by Lei Kedun, and the incidents that occurred in Afternoon Town. Finally, "Sun" Dai Li Ke turned to look at the headmost "Fool" Ke Lai En at the weathered long table, reverently…

"Mr. Fool, may I ask which deity represents 'Mystery'? And why can't the Angel King's name be spoken?"

Sure enough, those were the questions; luckily I consulted beforehand. Ke Lai En sighed inwardly, leaned back slightly, and said calmly:

"The one who can represent 'Mystery' must be the 'Mother of Secrets'."

"Of course, there are also some beings whose very names hold power."

After those two answers, Ke Lai En fell silent, sitting quietly as if dozing.

"Mother of Secrets"! Even the extreme darkness of the Divine Abandoned Land proves this; the great disaster spoken of by that cleric refers to the end of the Third Era, the "Great Cataclysm", in which the "Goddess of the Night" also participated! The Angel King who was tempted, the city‑states gradually corroded; that "Great Cataclysm" not only buried an era but also created the Divine Abandoned Land. Some deities therefore…

"Hermit" Jia De Li Ya suddenly understood many questions, yet also had more doubts; it was her first time feeling the weight of history so tangibly.

"I understand. Thank you for your answer." "Sun" Dai Li Ke nodded with comprehension, then sincerely thanked "Mr. Fool."

A Zike, who had been silently seated, reached out to rub his forehead, paused briefly, then spoke:

"The Great Cataclysm at the end of the Third Era saw the lingering aura and power of the gods affect a continent; it became unsuitable for human habitation, and after the gods departed, it turned into the Divine Abandoned Land."

"The 'Death' also took part, invited by the Night, and many entities formed an organization."

Founded an organization? Redeem the Rose! This actually relates to the goddess. Those who can be invited by the goddess must be divine beings like the "Death God" or angel kings close to divinity—what are they plotting? Assassinating the Ancient Sun God worshipped in Silver City?

I always feel as if I have come into contact with a grand conspiracy that ended the Third Epoch and influenced the Fourth and Fifth Epochs. Under the heavy gray mist, Klein's inquisitive gaze turned toward Azhek, but to maintain his "Fool" image, he ultimately did not voice his curiosity.

"Justice" Audrey, "Magician" Fors, and "Moon" Emlyn listened very seriously, while secretly marveling at how high-end the Tarot Club's discussions of similar matters were.

"Chariot" Anderson sat bolt upright on his seat, though he didn't really understand these high-end messages, he put on an act of listening attentively, and also thought it was actually quite simple, something he often did when studying at the Church of Knowledge's school.

Although he was just putting on an act, he still carefully noted down every word everyone said, planning to look up the information after leaving this place.

I can't go to the Church of Knowledge's clergy, or they'd surely slip me a practice exam and want to check the test; I'll inquire about the location of the "Golden Dream", for Edwina surely has collected many books.

Everyone was still savoring the information contained in the earlier discussion when "Sun" Derek seemed to suddenly think of something, turned sideways to face the "Fool" Klein, and spoke somewhat hesitantly:

"Honorable 'Fool' sir, how long will it take for your envoy to arrive in the Forsaken Land?"

My envoy? However, the "Fool" sir's envoy and followers are all just him alone, and now I am merely a newly promoted Sequence Five "Puppeteer Master".

To resist the pollution lurking in the Giant King's Court and to defeat the dark angel's evil spirits, at least Sequence Three or even Sequence Two is required. To block the pollution of Azhek and the True Creator, unless I can fully master the Source Fortress, it would be just sending people to their deaths in the past.

I really want to bestow the title of "envoy" upon this guy and then throw him into the Giant King's Court. At the head of the mottled long table, Klein glared at Rexon lounging lazily in the high-backed chair.

After gathering his scattered thoughts, Klein shifted to a more relaxed posture, leaning back in the high-backed chair, and let out a soft, leisurely laugh: "We still need to wait, for some fate, an opportunity."

Some fate, an opportunity. "Sun" Derek whispered silently, then performed a deeply reverent salute and gave thanks:

"I understand, honorable 'Fool' sir."

Afterwards, everyone exchanged their observations, with Lei Ke Dun focusing on describing the abandoned city he currently resides in, recounting the various attempts made by its inhabitants to survive in the darkness.

After sharing their observations, everyone taught "Sun" some Ancient Hermes Language, and exchanged knowledge in the field of mysticism.

Time flew by, and after the group mutually fell silent, the "Fool" Klein calmly spoke:

"That's enough for now."

"As you wish." "Justice" Audrey immediately rose, performing a ceremonial lift of her skirt.

The other members likewise rose and saluted without delay, whereupon strands of crimson light surged like a tide, carrying the blurry figures on either side of the mottled long table out of this space.

(End of chapter)