After accomplishing everything that she set out to do, Audrey wanted to become a silent observer, but she suddenly remembered something. She spoke in a hurry, "I recently came into contact with a Beyonder circle and found out about a powerful person named Mr. A. Mr. Fool, Ms. Lovers, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, do you know of this person's background and identity?"
I don't even know what you're talking about... Derrick maintained his silence.
Mr. A? I only know a Mr. Z... With such a similar code name, could he also be from the Aurora Order? Klein made a guess, but didn't give an answer.
He had to maintain his image and try not to give answers he wasn't confident in. If he had to, he would give a vague description just like a charlatan.
Like how he spoke of the Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord and White Maiden. He pieced it together through his divination of the latter and Derrick's prayers. Where after the Giant King and Queen's reign did the former emerged as the City of Silver's deity.
Alger looked at The Fool and found him calm and unchanging. It was hard to read his true thoughts. Thus, he said in a deliberative tone, "The Aurora Order is at odds with the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, so members of these Churches understand the Aurora Order more than any other organization. And I happen to know something about them."
You need not explain, I know that you come under the Lord of Storms. Of course, you could be a whistleblower... But why would there be hatred between the Aurora Order and the three ancient Churches? Klein smiled but didn't speak. He looked calmly at The Hanged Man.
Alger knew that he couldn't hide his Sequence pathway from The Fool, but didn't pay too much attention to it and continued.
"The Aurora Order has five Saints and twenty-two Oracles. These Oracles use the alphabet as their code names, from Mr. A to Mr. X. They are Beyonders, with the weakest being Sequence 7 and the strongest Sequence 5. They are all adept at hiding themselves. Should a Oracle die, a new Oracle will take their place."
"I cannot guarantee that the Mr. A you spoke of is the Mr. A from the Aurora Order, but there is a good possibility. As for the details of the Aurora Order, I have mentioned that to you before."
Audrey nodded, becoming even more cautious of Mr. A.
She said, feeling a little pinch in her heart, "Thank you for your answer, Mr. Hanged Man. You need not make a payment anymore."
"No, I wish to ask for your help with the answer just now, as well as provide extra compensation," Alger said with a deep voice.
"What help?" Audrey asked curiously.
Alger thought for a few seconds before saying, "I received intelligence that the pirate Qilangos, codenamed Rear Admiral Hurricane, has secretly gone onshore and infiltrated Backlund. I don't know what he's up to, but I hope that you can help me locate his whereabouts. As for whatever happens afterwards, you need not put yourself in danger."
"Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos? One of the seven great admiral pirates?" Audrey widened her eyes, almost unable to maintain her Spectator state.
What was the thing she wanted to do the most after she became a Beyonder? It was, of course, to interact with the people that only existed in the fables of the nobles!
"Yes, he's a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the path of the Sailor, a Wind-blessed. He also has a miraculous item that could be classified as a Sealed Artifact. He's quite crafty and cruel. Don't attempt to deal with him," Alger introduced seriously.
He suddenly turned to Klein.
"Mr. Fool, can I get your adorer to assist me at the critical moment? I would pay a price that interests you."
The only adorer I have is myself... Klein lampooned to ease his emotions as he smiled.
"That is built on the premise that my adorer happens to be in Backlund."
"Alright." Alger retracted his gaze, a little disappointed, but also a little expectant.
Upon saying that, another person of interest sparked in his mind. He turned and his eyes reflected the woman dressed formally behind a thick gray fog.
"Admiral Senor changed course. He's no longer in any island in the vicinity of Bayam and neither is he within Rorsted Archipelago."
What? Selina creased her brows and her heart stirred.
If Blood Senor wasn't in Bayam nor is he in Rorsted Archipelago. It meant two things for the admiral, either their objectives had been accomplished or something occurred. The Tree of Flesh and Blood has sailed and there's was no status of Orola and Jean!
Met with silence that speak louder. Alger momentarily paused before continuing, "On another note. A ship heading for Tiana port had recently been plundered by a pirate ship called The Future, steered by the Admiral of Stars."
He mentioned this because he suspected that Admiral of Blood wasn't merely there for restocks but also to expect an arrival. The vessel that was recently attacked and got washed ashore in Dilynius Island had prisons below the deck, which he thought carries captives to be transported.
The Lovers is concerned, hence it's why she commission him to ascertain Senor's whereabouts.
Noticing Ms. Lover's eerie silence. Alger objectively confirmed this.
A ship plundered... is it the ship Orola and Jean was on? Selina softened her expression, replied in a gentle and elegant tone,
"Thank you. May I know if the ship had any bodies?"
Alger nodded but also denied. "The crewmates are dead, left with but only one of their organs. The captives however... The cells they're in were destroyed hollow."
Hearing that, Selina closed her eyes and secretly exhaled in relief. She said freely, "I will add that to your compensation."
She was relieved because hollowed meant no physical evidences of their death. She hoped they're still alive until Jean's husband finds them!
"I have no objections." said Alger.
"What's so special about Qilangos's magical item?" Audrey asked slightly confidently.
She considered it carefully and suddenly realized that she had a decent ability to locate people in Backlund.
Firstly, her father was one of the most wealthy, connected, and reputable nobles, while she was quite popular amongst the younger generation too. Hence, in the upper-middle class of the society, she had quite a few resources to take advantage of.
Secondly, the two Beyonders that she knew had their own circles as well. Apprentice Fors was originally a clinical doctor, and was now an author. She knew quite a number of people in the literary world and publishing industry, as well as among the middle-class doctors.
Arbiter Xio Derecha had helped many middle-lower class people to coordinate and mediate disputes over a long period of time. She was also quite famous in East Backlund borough among the working class and mafia. She had a lot of hidden channels.
Plus, considering the Beyonders that they knew and their circles of influence, their ability to look for a person wasn't to be belittled.
Toward Justice's question, Alger answered almost straightaway without hesitation or thought.
"No one knows the real name of the magical item, but the people who have come into contact with it call it the 'Creeping Hunger.' Qilangos uses a living person's soul and flesh to satisfy it every other day. Otherwise, it would consume its owner as a replacement."
"This could be one of the most important clues to seek out Qilangos," Audrey said, creasing her eyebrows.
She felt utter discomfort and extreme hatred towards any evil item that desired a living human's fresh blood and soul.
"Yes, but in a big city with at least five million people, a few vagrants going missing wouldn't be noticed," Alger reminded her. "Ever since he got his hands on the Creeping Hunger, Qilangos has been very difficult to deal with."
"He was originally a Wind-blessed. He possesses great Beyonder power in domains related to water, wind, and the weather. But, later on, people realized that he could drive his targets crazy, enter the dreams of others, summon light to purify a dead soul, sing to strengthen himself, and change his appearance... There's almost nothing that he can't do," Alger described in detail. "We suspect that those are all effects that came from the magical item, Creeping Hunger..."
Before he finished sharing, Derrick Berg, who had been listening quietly, suddenly blurted, "Shepherd!"
Shepherd? Sequence 5 of the Secrets Suppliant and Listener pathway? Selina quickly noted from her conversation with Klein.
Of course one of his topics was the addition of the new member of the Tarot Club under The Fool. Through this, Klein shared the Sequence pathways of the Warrior up to Sequence 4, her first known high-sequence formula and Listener all the way to Sequence 5.
Secret Supplicant was a Sequence pathway of the Aurora Order. Hmm, Klein also said that among the six-member council in the City of Silver, there is a new elder who's a Shepherd... Selina calmly maintained her poise.
"Shepherd?"
"Shepherd?"
Justice and The Hanged Man asked in unison. Both were confused and shocked, but it's incomparable to the first topic.
In this, it was as though they had heard the title of Shepherd elsewhere before and knew something about it, but didn't understand the actual situation.
Seeing that everyone was staring at him, Derrick suddenly panicked a little. No matter how quiet, depressed, and vexed he was, he was a boy after all.
He hurriedly explained with a stammer, "What I meant was, the traits that The Hanged Man described were like the Beyonder power of the Sequence job, Shepherd. Every Shepherd can swallow another's soul into their body, including wraiths and evil spirits. They control these souls to do their bidding with a unique method, which allows them to make use of their abilities, just like a god letting his lambs out to graze.
"Hence, no one knows how many powers a Shepherd has. That depends on how many Beyonder souls they have swallowed, and that makes them very scary. They're almost like a High-Sequence Beyonder.
"However, there are people who suspect that there's a limit to the number of souls that a Shepherd can consume and let out to graze, and that the souls inside them could be replaced as well."
I see... What an enigmatic Sequence pathway... No wonder they worship the Fallen Creator... Selina was suddenly enlightened.
After listening to Sun's explanation, Alger seemed to have sorted out the puzzle in his mind as he nodded in silence.
Audrey got even more curious and pressed, "Which Sequence pathway is Shepherd from? Which number is it?"
"The Secrets Suppliant pathway, Sequence 5." The Fool Klein seized the opportunity to answer so as to demonstrate that he knew everything.
Selina remained composed hearing that. As if she expected it.
"Secrets Suppliant... Aurora Order..." Audrey suddenly recalled Mr. A, who was a suspected Oracle of the Aurora Order, and she immediately felt heavy-hearted.
She started thinking seriously, thinking of what price she could pay in exchange for Mr. Fool to take action and rid off that disgusting fellow effortlessly. However, she couldn't think of anything that would move Mr. Fool into doing so.
As expected, a figure akin to a god wouldn't be easily moved... There aren't many things and matters that would garner their interest after all... Audrey sighed.
Putting her impulse aside, she nodded to The Sun gratefully, thanking him for giving them a new perspective on Creeping Hunger, so that they could deal with it more reasonably and efficiently.
"Mr. Hanged Man, I'm willing to accept the mission. But I can't guarantee if I can find Rear Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos." Audrey looked opposite her when she spoke.
"There's no better answer than this. Regardless of your success, as long as you try, I will definitely compensate you with things like secret information or intelligence. And if you succeed, maybe I could provide you the Telepathist's main ingredients directly. Of course, the prerequisite is that we have to know what it is," Alger promised generously, which was a rare sight.
"Deal," Audrey pursed her lips and replied with a faint smile.
Then, Alger created Qilangos' portrait with Klein's permission and assistance.
He was one of the seven major pirate admirals. He had a distinctive broad chin, brown hair tied into a bun at the back of his head like an ancient warrior, and green eyes that seemed to hint at laughter, but were abnormally cold.
After dismissing the portrait, starts the free exchange phase.
Alger scanned the room, seeking if they had insights to share first. Noting that Miss Justice was quiet and likely still sorting her thoughts, he decided to go first.
"There was events happening in Serilya Pier of Sonia Island, the Polar Coast of East Balam Southern Continent and the groups of organizations around Rorsted Archipelago."
Then, he lowered his voice, "These are anomalous sightings, folktales, and strange behaviors."