The Fool Klein's words immediately reminded Leonard of the organization that always left a tarot card at the scene. This is different from the hidden organization I imagined; it's quite loose. Why did Mr. Fool agree to such a request? What is his purpose?
After a moment of hesitation, Leonard looked at the top of the mottled long table and asked cautiously, "Respected Mr. Fool, is Klein Moretti also a member of that regular gathering? Does he have a seat here?"
"Can I join that regular gathering?"
The Fool Klein answered casually, "Yes."
As he spoke, he gently tapped the chair with his right hand, materializing a deck of tarot cards, which he arranged face down in front of Leonard.
"They use tarot cards as their codenames. You can also draw one for yourself. The ones already chosen have been removed by me."
As expected, they use tarot cards as codenames. Leonard inexplicably felt relieved. Based on the information he currently possessed, this Hidden organization, which uses tarot cards as codenames, had not shown too much malice or hostility towards the orthodox churches.
While sighing in relief, he looked at the face-down tarot cards in front of him and fell into a dilemma. If they were face up, he could easily make a choice, but gambling on luck like this made him hesitant.
After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "Which card did Klein Moretti draw?"
"The World."
"That doesn't completely equate to him."
The Fool said lightly.
What does that mean? Leonard was puzzled for a moment, but didn't dare to ask more. He extended his right hand and casually picked up the card closest to him.
The other surrounding cards disappeared. After Leonard flipped over the tarot card in his hand, he saw Stars all over the sky and a goddess pouring holy water.
The Star card among the twenty-two tarot cards!
Although it didn't quite meet his expectations, since he had already chosen, Leonard had no choice but to accept it.
"The gathering is at 3 PM every Monday, Backlund time."
"Remember to mention this to Pallez Zoroast when you go back. Do not try to conceal it from him."
The Fool Klein, whose figure was shrouded in Gray Fog, chuckled and raised his hand, causing Leonard, who had just opened his mouth to ask why, to disappear directly from the ancient palace.
Dispelling the Gray Fog that enveloped him, Klein took a deep breath, leaned back against the chair, and raised a hand to rub his temples, easing his mental fatigue.
After advancing to demigod, his control over this Gray Fog deepened, allowing him to grasp all the details here more clearly and truly leverage the power belonging to Sefirah Castle. A Bizzaro Sorcerer with certain Concealment abilities could also conceal the Gray Fog aura on himself.
"It's time to explore this so-called Sefirah Castle."
Klein muttered to himself, then rose from the high-backed chair and walked towards the back of the hall. In the depths of this ancient and magnificent palace, there was a "light door" that he had never been able to reach before. He had a premonition that was the true Sefirah Castle, and this Gray Fog was just an accompanying product.
Northern State, Berens Port, which had been completely destroyed by the aftermath of the battles between numerous angels and evil gods, Leyton's figure quietly emerged from the spirit world.
The original port city had completely vanished, leaving only scattered grey-white stones, extremely distorted and evil flesh trees extending from the ground, and faint black mist permeating everywhere.
Deep, dark, illusory tides ebbed and flowed, stirring the minds of surrounding creatures, inciting various emotions and desires. Those who generated overly strong emotions and desires would then be corrupted by the surrounding black mist, mutating unknowingly and becoming part of the flesh trees standing around.
Leyton stood still, gazing ahead somewhat lost, muttering, "For my own schemes, I directly caused two towns in the Northern State to disappear. Unknowingly, I seem to be no different from those evil gods…"
A somewhat hoarse, slightly mocking voice suddenly sounded from the side, "Everything is done. Don't you think it's particularly hypocritical to come here now and lament?"
Leyton turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw Medici, wearing black armor as if splattered with fresh blood, his bright, fiery red hair swaying slightly in the wind, slowly walking out of the suddenly rising flames.
Leyton withdrew his gaze, sighed deeply and said, "People always need to find an excuse for their actions to comfortably accept the benefits they gain."
Medici was stunned for a moment, his expression somewhat speechless, then he couldn't help but complain, "You're so honest that it makes one lose the desire to even mock you."
Ignoring Medici's words, Leyton stepped forward, chanting as he walked, "The sage who perceives the world, the eye that peeks into truth, the embodiment of endless knowledge and numerology."
As the honorific name of Hidden Sage was fully recited, Stars emerged, dense and dazzling.
These Stars filled the sky like a brilliant galaxy, casting down beams of light that converged into a magnificent pillar of light, enveloping the entire Berens Port.
Under the clear and pure starlight, the pervasive black mist and the towering flesh trees dissolved, collapsing and dissipating little by little.
After about half a minute, all the remaining auras and powers in Berens Port were Purified, and even the remaining traces of buildings disappeared completely, leaving only a patch of grey-brown earth and the waves crashing against the coastline in the distance.
Having done all this, Leyton turned to look at Medici, whose expression was indifferent, and asked, "Why are you still lingering here? Knowing the truth of the conspiracy back then, shouldn't you be seeking revenge for yourself, or choosing new allies to fight for yourself?"
Medici glanced sideways at Leyton, and said in a very unkind tone, "Are you Provoking me?"
As soon as his voice fell, the scar on his right cheek, which stretched from the corner of his mouth to his ear, suddenly split open, revealing a scarlet mouth that laughed hoarsely, "This coward, he neither wants to forgive his Lord nor seek revenge on the other party."
The next second, the scar on his left cheek also split open, revealing a mouth that also mocked Medici, "Girly, not even as good as Cheek."
"Perhaps you should go find Cheek, offer her this Conqueror Characteristic, and become one of her Disaster Witches. That way you can enjoy the most extreme pleasure every day."
Leyton looked at the two mouths on Medici's face with a strange expression, and sneered, "You three are one now. Do you want to enjoy three times the fun simultaneously?"
"Bullshit!"
"Shut up, Zoroast, you fool."
The mouth on Medici's right cheek roared exasperatedly.
Leyton raised his eyebrows knowingly. He could finally tell which of these two mouths was Zoroast and which was Einhorn.
"Shut up, you two fools."
Medici growled, forcefully taking back control of his body, and looked at Leyton, saying, "You came to me to get feedback from these two Fools to digest the Provoker potion? Then you need to switch pathways first."
"I don't like the title Red Priest." Leyton calmly replied, then paused and continued, "I'm curious what choice you'll make, and incidentally, I'm trying to see if I can secure a reliable ally for myself. Of course, I also need some compensation, after all, I helped you fight Amon and Adam before."
"Heh..." Medici snorted indifferently, then said, "What do you want?"
"An Iron-Blooded Knight Beyonder characteristic. After accommodating that Conqueror Characteristic, you should have extra Characteristics."
Leyton frankly stated his purpose.
"Alright."
Medici nodded faintly. As he spoke, specks of crimson fire rose from his body and quickly converged on his raised right hand.
After about ten seconds, the crimson light gradually faded and solidified, forming a blood-stained, ancient-style miniature helmet in Medici's hand.
The top of this helmet was inlaid with a piece of crimson fine thread, like hair, shimmering with a metallic luster, quite peculiar.
Specks of starlight flowed from Leyton's fingertips, drawing this Iron-Blooded Knight Beyonder characteristic into his hand and condensing it into a transparent amber, temporarily sealing it.
"By the way, take this too. As for an ally, forget it. I don't want to have any more connection with him. His Red Angel followers have already fallen in that ruin. Now there is only a returned evil spirit."
As Medici's voice sounded, a poker-sized card flew into Leyton's hand. The front of the card showed a mighty army with all branches of service, and at the very front was a figure in full armor stained with iron and blood, wearing a crimson cloak.
In the upper left corner of the card, a line of words was written in Ancient Feysac: Sequence 0: Red Priest!
By the time Leyton withdrew his gaze from the Card of Blasphemy and looked up at Medici again, he had already transformed into a scorching white, purple-tinged fiery spear, shooting towards the sky.
I haven't finished speaking yet. Leyton opened his mouth, swallowing the words he hadn't yet spoken.
Suddenly, a thick Gray Fog surged before his eyes, and an invisible force from an extremely high distance attempted to pull his Spirit Body to a certain place.
Feeling the summons from Gray Fog, Leyton resisted this pull with his own Beyonder status. As deep blue, almost purple, radiance flowed in his eyes, cleaning vines cascaded around him like a waterfall, quickly covering the surroundings and completely engulfing his figure.
After placing himself in a space isolated from reality, Leyton finally released his resistance, allowing his Spirit Body to follow the invisible pulling force to Gray Fog.