At Fors' home.
Having successfully advanced to Sequence 8, "Trickmaster," Fors was currently lounging lazily on the sofa, dressed in a light blue long dress with delicate floral patterns. The book she had originally planned to finish today was casually placed under her head as a pillow.
If nothing ever came up, and she could just lie around like this every day, letting Xio feed her, how wonderful life would be.
But she could only indulge in such fantasies for a moment. A recent discovery had left her quite conflicted.
Following the guidance of the Stars, she had joined the mysterious organization known as the Tarot Club. She had even met the supposed "big villain," Mr. Fool, and had formed a fairly good relationship with Miss Justice.
Originally, her goal had been to infiltrate this evil organization, on one hand acting as an informant for the Stars, and on the other gathering evidence of their crimes, eventually cooperating with the Stars to destroy the group.
But the longer she stayed in the Tarot Club, the more she realized that its members were not as terrifying or evil as she had imagined. On the contrary, after interacting with Miss Justice and Mr. Sun, she found them to be genuinely good people.
Especially Mr. Sun, he was exceptionally pure, like a child who hadn't yet grown up, full of innocence, though he was gradually becoming more mature.
And then there was the newly joined Mr. Moon, who claimed to be a noble vampire. Yet from head to toe, he exuded an immaturity he simply couldn't hide.
Perhaps she should remind the Stars that the members of this organization were not truly heinous villains.
The real source of trouble was likely the organizer, Mr. Fool. He liked collecting Roselle's diaries and often put on an unfathomable, mysterious air, clearly the type with deep schemes, smiling on the surface while hiding something terrifying beneath.
"Why are you lying on the sofa again? Didn't you say you were going to work hard lately and start a new book?"
Xio, having just returned from outside, immediately began scolding Fors the moment she entered.
"Working hard is necessary, and I do need to start a new book. But when it's time to rest, that time absolutely must not be used for work. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to rest itself," Fors replied calmly, her gaze drifting toward what Xio had brought back.
Various cooking ingredients. No ready-made food, and no extra desserts. Negative review.
Fors pouted, then turned over, facing away from Xio.
"Watch your expression. Do you think I don't want to buy something tasty?" Xio placed the ingredients on the kitchen counter and walked back out, her face full of helplessness.
"Since the New Year until now, you've been lying around at home under the excuse of 'post-holiday syndrome,' not worrying about writing at all. We're not lucky like Miss Audrey, who can just sit back and collect money. Fors, if this keeps up, we won't even be able to support ourselves."
"It's not that serious, right?"
"When was the last time you went to the market? Vegetable prices are nearly double what they were before the New Year. They say the temperatures were too low during the holiday, causing a large portion of farmland to fail."
Fors thought for a moment and realized she had no advantage in this argument, so she changed the topic. "Xio, I earn more than you each month, don't I?"
"..." Xio, who had been about to say more, opened her mouth, then flushed slightly. Leaving behind a quick "I'll go cook," she turned and headed into the kitchen.
That night, after Xio had gone to sleep, Fors secretly prayed to the Sovereign of the Stars.
There was no helping it, Backlund was still full of people searching for followers of the Stars. Just last week, someone mistakenly believed to be one had been dumped in a trash bin in an alley.
The familiar starlight illuminated the small room, restrained and contained, not leaking out in the slightest, ensuring it wouldn't attract attention from outside.
After listening to Fors' respectful yet nervous report, Hastur really wanted to say: "Why is your acting addiction so strong?"
He remembered that he had only guided Fors to join the Tarot Club. He had never said that it was an evil organization, nor that Mr. Fool was some villainous leader.
Fors, with her talent for storytelling, had filled in far too many chaotic assumptions on her own.
In response, Hastur could only chuckle lightly and say, "Mr. Fool is actually quite a decent person. There's no need for you to be so nervous."
"Ah, the Stars know Mr. Fool?" Fors suddenly felt like a clown, her cheeks heating up.
"Yes, you could say we're old friends." To dispel her wild thoughts, Hastur didn't mind revealing a bit more information.
Old friends… Fors lowered her head and took a deep breath. She really felt like a complete fool now.
...
Another Monday afternoon arrived.
After finishing his work, Klein leaned back in his chair, took out his ornate gold-chained pocket watch, and checked the time.
There were still twenty minutes before the Tarot Club gathering. He closed his eyes slightly to rest.
When it was nearly three o'clock, he got up, went to the washroom, and walked four steps counterclockwise, arriving above the gray fog.
Perhaps it was because his mind had been too cluttered lately, but even the drifting gray fog seemed more eerie than usual.
The pleasant Tarot Club meeting began, as always, with Roselle's diaries. Klein received three new pages from Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.
Aside from some romantic escapades, this batch of diaries contained two pieces of valuable information.
One of the Blasphemy Cards created by Roselle had been disguised as a bookmark and left inside a book, still undiscovered.
The Sequence 0 of the Spectator pathway was the "Visionary." The artifact "008" that had fallen into the hands of Ince Zangwill belonged to this pathway and was a powerful Sealed Artifact.
Klein was very interested in that undiscovered Blasphemy Card. If it happened to belong to his Seer pathway, it would save him a great deal of time and money.
Of course, such a coincidence would also make him more cautious, what if he got schemed against by 008 again?
The Roselle Memorial Exhibition in Backlund was still ongoing. He could try his luck there tomorrow.
Seated below, Audrey glanced up slightly at the contemplative Mr. Fool, feeling a bit troubled.
This week's page of Roselle's diary was her last reserve. It was only because Mr. Hastur had left her eight pages before leaving Backlund that she had been able to consistently provide one each week.
In exchange, she had received various trades and answers from Mr. Fool, allowing her to grow rapidly.
She was now on par with Mr. Hanged Man in terms of sequence, among the top tier of the Tarot Club.
Thinking of this, she unconsciously straightened her back slightly, her gaze sweeping over the others with a hint of pride.
"You may begin," Klein said, setting down the diary and signaling them to start trading and conversing.
This week, Mr. Sun's story had reached the exploration of a ruined temple.
"The Chief told us that when the omniscient and omnipotent God gazed upon the land, eight Kings of Angels surrounded Him, including His offspring," Derrick said, recalling the details. "The Chief suspects that Amon is the Angel of Time among them, and the one in the mural is the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros."
Eight Kings of Angels, this was a major secret!
Audrey was thrilled. The feeling of gradually uncovering the mist of history and approaching the mythological era was simply exhilarating.
Suppressing her excitement, she asked as calmly as possible, "Mr. Sun, what are the titles and names of the other six Kings of Angels?"
"The Chief didn't say… I don't know…" Derrick lowered his head, somewhat ashamed.
I really want to know!
Unable to hide her curiosity, Audrey instinctively looked toward the head of the long bronze table, Mr. Fool. His eyes seemed to contain the wisdom to see through everything. He must know the answer.
Her gaze turned into one of yearning, making Klein's heart skip a beat. Still, he managed to suppress the urge to twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Miss Justice, what kind of look is that?
Why are you looking at me? This question is too hard, I don't know either…
Of course, he had some guesses about the other Kings of Angels, but they were only guesses. If he got it wrong, wouldn't that ruin Mr. Fool's image?
How could he maintain his mysterious and great persona in front of the Tarot Club afterward?
Klein suddenly recalled a saying: when people hear others talk about unfamiliar topics, they often feel admiration and think, "So that's how it is."
But when the topic shifts to something they understand, they realize the speaker is just putting on airs and doesn't actually know much.
Who knew what valuable discoveries Mr. Sun might make in that region in the future? What if he exposed Mr. Fool's true nature…
But this time, Miss Justice fully embraced her diligent, inquisitive spirit.
Seeing that Mr. Fool had no intention of voluntarily revealing information about the Kings of Angels, she decided to use the Roselle diary pages she had accumulated to exchange for the answer.
Moreover, she didn't ask privately, she generously chose to share this knowledge with every member of the Tarot Club for free.
Klein felt a headache coming on. He really wanted to hold his forehead, but his expression remained calm, his eyes deep as if brewing something.
In reality, he was internally grumbling nonstop:
"Miss Justice, you really don't have to be this diligent. You're already so rich, and still studying this hard, how are ordinary people supposed to live?"
"And sharing it publicly? Are you trying to make Mr. Fool embarrass himself in front of everyone?"
"Sigh… looks like I'll have to come up with a decent explanation."
In situations like this, he had to provide some real substance. He couldn't just bluff with vague, mysterious words.
Otherwise, after hearing it too often, it would only make him seem ignorant.
Miss Justice, you've really given me a tough problem.
But soon, Klein smiled.
He might not know how to answer this question, but Mr. Fool surely would.
With His wisdom, He could certainly give a convincing explanation.
Or rather… a perfectly reasonable "fabrication."