The simple answer soon emanated through the grand hall and dissipated into the fog. However, the voice kept resonating in Audrey's and Alger's hearts, stirring up one ripple after another. They never expected such a designation, but they felt that he was deserving of it. The designation perfectly embodied his image as someone mysterious, powerful, and bizarre! After a few seconds of silence, Audrey stood up, held up her skirt slightly, and bent her knees, curtseying to Zhou Mingrui.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, would you please permit me to take the liberty of requesting you to be the witness of our trade?"
"It's nothing." Zhou Mingrui's mind whirred as he answered in a way that matched his status.
"It's our honor, Mr. Fool." Alger stood up as well. He bent his back slightly with his right palm over his chest.
Zhou Mingrui lowered his right palm and smiled. "Continue, the both of you."
Audrey and Alger finalized their transaction. Since Mr. Fool had agreed to bear witness to the trade, it also represented that there would be a similar 'gathering' the next time.
With this in mind, she suddenly turned her head as she looked at Zhou Mingrui with sparkling eyes. With a tone of interest, she suggested, "Mr. Fool, would you mind making a few more 'attempts' like this?"
Alger listened to her suggestion calmly; he was tempted by the suggestion as well. He hurriedly echoed, "Mr. Fool, don't you find such 'gatherings' interesting? Although your powers exceed our imaginations, there may or may not be certain domains that you find bothersome or dislike that we can deal with. The person across from me is obviously a young lady of lofty stature. I also have my unique set of experiences, insights, mediums, and resources. Perhaps there will come a day when both of us can help you complete something trivial that might be inconvenient for you."
Zhou Mingrui immediately began weighing the pros and cons while Audrey and Alger were backing up their claims. More gatherings definitely allowed him to gain more knowledge of the secrets of the Beyonders or other mysteries, a boon for his transmigration back. For example, it was likely that the potion formula would appear at the next gathering because of the 'spectators.' Similarly, the information he gained was bound to be helpful for his present life. Though there was a slight issue, he might expose himself as a fraud!
Wait, I have powers, don't I? Seemingly great powers?
Zhou Mingrui instinctively divined whether he was far stronger than them. He received an immediate response that said he was most definitely far stronger than them; he in fact seemed stronger than most beings in this world!
Hmmm, I'll need to investigate this more later.
Overall, Zhou Mingrui decided to agree. He was clearly far more powerful than them, plus, he was the owner of this place.
Wait a minute, should I be blindly trusting in my intuition? I'll need to check that.
Additionally, Zhou Mingrui felt Seer digest.
Wait, why did Seer digest, and seriously, why am I saying something is digesting?
He decided to quickly shelve that for later investigation.
He stopped his rapping as he smiled at the anticipative and perturbed gazes of the duo.
"I'm a person who likes a fair and equal exchange. Your help will not go unrewarded. Every Monday at three in the afternoon, try your best to be alone. After I make a few more attempts and figure out certain things, perhaps you can apply for a leave of absence ahead of time. You will no longer need to worry about being in inappropriate situations."
Audrey, who has been a sheltered noble who was very curious about mysticism, felt her heart race in anticipation.
Without waiting for Alger to say a word, Audrey said in excitement, her eyes glowing, "Then, shall we give ourselves code names? After all, we can't use our real names for conversation."
Although I might not be able to deceive Mr. Fool regarding my true identity, the person opposite me poses some danger. I must not let him know who I am!
Audrey Hall was without a doubt a sheltered noble, yet just because she was sheltered and naive doesn't mean she was entirely clueless about possible dangers.
"Good idea," answered Zhou Mingrui in a simple and relaxed manner.
Audrey's mind immediately began whirring as she aired her thoughts as they came to her.
"You are Mr. Fool, which is derived from tarot cards. Then, as a fixed, long-term, and secretive 'gathering,' we should be uniform in our designations. Yes, I'll also choose one from the tarot cards."
Her tone slowly turned joyous. "I've decided. My designation shall be 'Justice!"
It was one of the twenty-two Major Arcana tarot cards.
"What about you, Mister?" Audrey cheekily smiled at her 'partner' sitting across from her.
Alger frowned slightly before relaxing immediately. "The Hanged Man." It was another Major Arcana card.
"Alright, then we can be considered the founding members of the Tarot Club!" Audrey was the first to blurt it out happily, only to look fearfully at the fog-concealed Zhou Mingrui. "Will that be alright, Mr. Fool?"
Zhou Mingrui shook his head in amusement. "You can decide on such trivial matters by yourselves."
"Thank you!" Audrey was clearly thrilled.
Audrey and Alger finalized their deal, with Audrey asking for confirmation of the address where she was supposed to drop off Alger's requested item. Then Audrey asked Alger about whether tarot cards are imbued with divination powers.
Alger then responded, "No. Most of the time, divination stems from one's self. Everyone has something spiritual about themselves, allowing them to attune to the spiritual world and connect to information about themselves at an even higher level. However, ordinary folks are unable to notice this, much less be able to interpret the 'signs' they receive. This information will present itself with the help of divination tools. Let me raise a simple example: dreams and dream interpreters." Alger took a glance at Zhou Mingrui and, seeing no response from him, he refuted Audrey's claim. "Tarot cards are, in fact, such a tool. It uses more symbolism and more logical elements to help us conveniently and accurately interpret the signs."
Although Zhou Mingrui appeared indifferent, he was actually listening very carefully.
Following that information about tarot cards, Audrey explained she didn't mean the average tarot card deck, but a special one made by Roselle Gustav. She posed the question to Zhou Mingrui, but he stayed silent and looked at Alger.
To which Alger said, "Ah, I see. That's right. It is said that Emperor Roselle had seen the Blasphemy Slate and that set of paper cards contain the profound mysteries of the twenty-two paths of the divine."
"Twenty-two paths of the divine…" repeated Audrey with a longing tone.
Zhou Mingrui decided to end this meeting for now since he wanted to learn more about his powers.
"Alright, that will be all for today's gathering," he said in a deep voice after making the decision immediately.
"By your will." Alger bowed his head respectfully.
"By your will." Audrey mimicked The Hanged Man.
She still had many questions and thoughts; thus, she was unwilling to have it end so soon.
As Zhou Mingrui severed the connection, he said with a smile, "Let us look forward to the next gathering."
Now in the endless gray fog, Zhou Mingrui was pondering. It seems like I can stay up here for either a very long time or forever. He also realized, unlike in the real world, he had access to additional powers up here.
It looks like I began with Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries. But up here I seem to also have powers from . . . additional pathways! I seem to have some weaker abilities from . . . two pathways called Error and Door! Hmmmm, it also seems like if I become stronger I'll be able to access a lot more of these two pathways' powers! Now I should check the powers I get from being an Attendant of Mysteries.
Sequence 9 Seer: Memory, Spirituality: Spirit Vision, Divination Arts and Ritualistic Magic, and Danger Intuition.
Hmmm, it seems like I'm not supposed to have a natural understanding of Divination Arts or Ritualistic Magic. Yet I seem to have some inherent understanding of Divination? I guess it must stem from higher powers. Memory, Spirit Vision, and the other stuff seem useful.
Sequence 8 Clown: Physical Enhancements, Increase in Spirituality, and Paper Daggers.
The Physical Enhancements seem to be the most useful. Essentially, full body control; I'll likely need that if I'm going to pretend to be a God. I think I was actually already using that. Everything else is decent.
Sequence 7 Magician: More Physical Enhancements and Spirit Vision; Magic spells: Damage Transfer, Flaming Jump, Air Bullet, Paper Figurine Substitution, Flame Controlling, Underwater Breathing, Bone Softening, Paper Daggers being turned into Drawing Paper as Weapons, and Illusion Creation. Also seems to have ways to disrupt a target's Spiritual Intuition. Also minor tricks that common magicians use.
Spiritual Intuition must be something I've been using. My Intuition seems to be much stronger because of my Sequence? Yes, Audrey was asking for Spectator, which was a Sequence 9. So Sequence 1 should be the height of power; this matches my divination that said I was at the top brass of power in this world! Judging from the fact that I can get stronger, since I can't access those high-level powers from Error and Door, the orthodox gods are likely Beyonders with an even higher Sequence Level! My Intuition says to shelve this for now; alright, that's probably smart. Anyway, the spells seem to be useful with Damage Transfer, Flaming Jump, Air Bullet, and Paper Figurine Substitution being the best.
Sequence 6 Faceless: I can shapeshift, and additionally, my past powers are increased. It looks like with my increased powers, I can even shift into animals.
This isn't too insane, minus the shapeshifting.
Sequence 5 Marionettist: Spirit Body Threads Manipulation and an increase in past powers.
Ahhh, I've been turning animals into Marionettes with this new power. It seems like my higher powers have dramatically increased this power. The increase in past powers is neat.
Sequence 4 Bizzaro Sorcerer: Spirituality has been increased; bestowing power using Worms of Spirit? Also, some concealment powers. Past powers have been massively boosted. Ohh, Worms of Spirit come from my Mythical Creature Form.
It looks like at Sequence 4 I have an incomplete, but at Sequence 2 I'm a complete Mythical Creature. So, apparently I'm a bunch of maggots. . . Well... at least it seems useful. I'll investigate more later. Ohh, wait, if I don't conceal my true form I'll kill most people! I'll need to be very careful with that. Anyway, the power increase is nice indeed!
Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore: History: Historical Void Borrowing, Historical Void Projection, and Historical Void Hiding. Additional increases in past powers and the Mythical Creature Form.
Wait, can I pull a smartphone out of the Historical Void?
After grasping air for a while... he pulled out his phone!
Wait, there's no internet? Goddammit! Whatever, anyway, those additional improvements are neat.
Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker: Spirituality, Authority of Miracles, increase to past abilities, and a complete Mythical Creature form. Resurrection up to four times!
Looks like a lot of my Divination powers level come from these boosts in Spirituality. Authority? It seems like a much stronger level. Can I grant wishes? Yes, but it looks like I need to first grant wishes to others before myself, and the wishes have to be similar. Hmmm, kinda annoying, but it seems fair. Stronger past abilities are good, and complete Mythical Creature form. Looks like yeah, I can kill most people with this alone, but I'll need to be careful, so I don't kill anyone I don't want. That resurrection ability is really amazing; I hope recovering from Klein's suicide doesn't count against my count.
Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries: No boundary of Spirit and Physical Body? I can Regenerate Spirit Body Threads, Authority of Reassembly, Realm of Mysteries, and Miracles. My Spirit Body Thread Manipulation is increased, and the Resurrection count is reset. My Worms of Spirit have evolved.
Hmmm, what does the no boundary mean? I'll look into that later. Looks like I can only Regenerate Spirit Body Threads that already existed but don't anymore; makes sense. Reassembly seems like connecting a physical object to an abstract concept. Seems kinda broken for an ability. Also, I think I like Grafting as a better name. Realm of Mysteries seems like a weak version of a Divine Kingdom, so definitely a higher level than Sequence 1; maybe gods are at Sequence 0? Miracles can directly interfere with others and produce fantastical, Bizarre, almost magical effects without relying on forms of lower or same-level abilities or authorities. Hmmm, nice. The additional power increase is nice.
I should probably return to the real world soon. But how do I go back? I felt like I was going up when arriving here, so maybe thinking down will work?
Zhou Mingrui immediately descended from the gray fog. He arrived where his physical body was. He picked up the pocket watch he placed outside to determine how much time had passed.
"Time flowed at the same pace." Zhou Mingrui made a rough judgment- no, a precise judgment; he felt his Spirituality? Yes, his Spirituality says time flows at the same pace.
Zhou Mingrui quickly decided on something only the clueless could be fearless about. After witnessing such a fascinating event and learning the situation regarding Beyonders and the mysterious world, Zhou Mingrui no longer dared to rashly try the luck enhancement ritual using ancient Feysac or Loen language. Who knew what other kinds of situations would happen. Perhaps, it would be more bizarre, horrifying, or even a living hell!
"At the very least, I should attempt only when I have a deep mastery of mysticism," thought Zhou Mingrui helplessly.
Thankfully, the so-called gathering could provide him with help.
After another bout of silence, he muttered to himself with a tone of dismay, disappointment, agony, and grief, "From this moment forth, I'm Klein."
Klein tried his best to refocus his solutions and plans so as to purge the negative emotions in him. Perhaps, he could learn the potion formula for 'Spectator' from the side… The 'gathering' that just happened is fascinating.
People who reside in different places across the world can reduce hundreds of kilometers to just mere inches and discuss face-to-face while supplying each other's needs. Uh, speaking of which, this does sound a little familiar...
Klein was stunned for a few seconds before he burst out in laughter. Pressing against his temple, he jested under his breath, "Wasn't that a social networking platform?
He also realized, perhaps due to his Sequence Level, he doesn't need the ritual to enter the grey fog anymore. He also realized he can store things up there and get them back easily.
. . .
Meanwhile, Alger returned to his ship and noticed the quirky-shaped glass bottle in his palm that he was holding before being dragged into the deity's residence had shattered and the frost within melted into the rain. In seconds, there were no longer any traces left that suggested the existence of the wondrous antique.
A hexagonal crystal-like snowflake emerged on Alger's palm. It then faded rapidly until it was seemingly absorbed by the flesh, vanishing completely in the process. Alger nodded his head in a hardly noticeable manner, as if he was thinking about something. He remained still and silent for a full five minutes.
Following that, Alger walked through his ship before meeting a blond man.
He held his right fist to his chest and said, "May the Storm be with you."
Alger replied with the same words and gestures. There were no emotions on his rough face, which had a well-defined structure.
Then he walked into the captain's cabin of the ship. Within was a prisoner that Alger killed by choking him and then throwing him into the tumultuous, stormy sea. Alger took out a white handkerchief and wiped his right hand carefully before throwing it into the sea as well. He stepped back and waited patiently for company.
In less than ten seconds, the blond man from before rushed in and asked, "What happened?"
"The 'captain' has escaped," Alger answered in an annoyed manner as he panted. "I didn't know he still had some of his Beyonder powers."
"Damn it!" the blond man cursed softly.
He went up to the opening and stared into the distance. However, nothing was visible except for the waves and the rain.
"Forget it, he was just extra loot," the blond man said, waving his arm, "We will still be rewarded for finding this ghost ship from the Tudor Era."
Even if he was a Sailor/Keeper of the Seas, he would not have hastily dived into the sea under these weather conditions.
"The 'captain' will not be able to survive much longer if the storm continues," Alger said, as he nodded in approval. The wooden wall was repairing itself at a discernible rate. This was because it was a ghost ship! It can sail itself with little to no one and can even repair itself. Alger again pictured "The Fool," who was covered in grayish-white fog and sighed.
He turned back and looked outside at the mighty waves and spoke as though in a reverie, filled with anticipation and awe, "A new era has begun..."
. . .
Empress Borough, Backlund, capital of the Loen Kingdom. Audrey Hall pinched her cheeks in disbelief at her encounter a while ago. On the dressing table in front of her, the old bronze mirror had shattered into pieces. Audrey cast her gaze downwards and saw the swirling "crimson" on the back of her hand; it was like a tattoo depicting a star. The "crimson" gradually faded and disappeared into her skin. Only at this point was Audrey certain that it was not a dream. In her excitement and joy, she curtsied and began a lively dance to celebrate.
Knock! Knock! Someone suddenly knocked at her bedroom door.
"Who is it?" Audrey immediately stopped her dance and asked as she tidied her dress to look more elegant.
"My Lady, may I come in? You should start to prepare for the ceremony," Audrey's maidservant asked from outside the door.
Audrey looked into a mirror on the dressing table and quickly wiped the smile from her face, leaving only a tiny hint of a smile.
She responded gently after she had ensured everything was presentable, "Come in."
The doorknob turned and Annie, her maidservant, pushed in.
"Oh, it cracked..." Annie said as she instantly saw the outcome of the old bronze mirror.
Audrey blinked and said slowly, "Erm, yes! Susie was here just now. I am sure you know she likes to wreak havoc!" Audrey apologized to Susie for throwing her under.
Susie was a golden retriever that was not so much a purebred. It was a gift given to her father, Earl Hall, when he bought a foxhound. Nevertheless, Audrey adored it. So because of her adoration, Audrey apologized to Susie for throwing her under.
"You should train it well," Annie said, as she picked up the pieces of the bronze mirror adeptly and with care, lest it hurt her mistress.
As she finished tidying up, she asked Audrey with a smile, "Which dress do you want to put on?"Audrey wanted to use the dress designed by Mrs. Guinea for her 17th birthday, but Anne refuted her by saying it would cause people to gossip about and question the Hall family's financial ability. This was because nobles can't wear the same dress twice to a formal ceremony. So Audrey, after a little bit of resistance, decided to switch to the dress from Mr. Sades. Following that, the maids arrived to get the dress and begin prepping her. When it was almost ready, Earl Hall appeared at the door wearing a dark brown waistcoat. He had a hat sharing the same color as his clothes and a nice mustache. His blue eyes were filled with joy, but his loosening muscles, widening waist, and wrinkles were obviously destroying his handsome youth.
"The most dazzling jewel of Backlund, it is time for our departure," Earl Hall said, knocking at the door twice.
"Father! Stop calling me that," Audrey protested as she got up with the help of the maidservants.
"Well then, it's time to set off, my beautiful little princess," Earl Hall said as he bent his left arm, signaling Audrey to hold his arm.
Audrey shook her head slightly and said, "That is for my mother, Mrs. Hall, the Countess."
"Then this side," Earl Hall bent his right arm with a smile and said, "This is for you, my greatest pride."
…
Audrey and Earl Hall went to the Imperial naval base, Pritz Harbor, Oak Island.
When Audrey took her father's arm and walked down the carriage, she was suddenly shocked by the juggernaut in front of her.
In the military port not far away, there was a huge ship shimmering with metallic reflections. It did not have a sail, leaving only an observatory deck, two towering chimneys, and two turrets at the ends of the ship.
It was so majestic and large that the fleet of sails nearby was like newborn dwarfs clustering around a giant.
"Holy Lord of Storms..."
"Oh, m'lord."
"An ironclad warship!"
Audrey was shocked at this unprecedented miracle of human ingenuity. It was a miracle that had never been seen before! It took a while for the crowd of aristocrats, ministers, and Members of Parliament to compose themselves. Then, a black spot on the sky started to grow in size until it occupied a third of the sky and entered everyone's view. The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. It was the airship of the King of Loen! The King's family arrived on their airship, exuding a lofty and indisputable authority.
Two swords, each with a ruby crown at the handle, were pointing vertically down and reflected the sunlight on both sides of the cabin. That was the image of the "Sword of Judgment" emblem, which symbolized the Augustus family and has been passed down from the previous epoch.
Audrey was not yet eighteen, so she had not attended the "introductory ceremony," which was an event led by the Queen that marked one's debut into the Backlund social scene, to announce her adult status. Therefore, she could not be nearer to the airship and had to remain silent at the back to watch the entire event. Nevertheless, it did not matter to her. In fact, she was relieved that she did not need to deal with the princes.
The 'miracle' that mankind used to conquer the sky touched down gently. The first ones to step down the stairs were the handsome young guards who wore red ceremonial uniforms with white trousers. Decorated with medals, they formed two lines with rifles in hand. They were awaiting the appearance of King George III, his queen, and the prince and princess.
Audrey, though having met important people all her life, didn't really care. Instead, she had her attention on the two statue-like black-armored cavalry flanking the king. In this era of iron, steam, and cannons, it was surprising that there was still someone who could bear wearing full armor. The cold metallic luster and the dull black helmet conveyed solemnity and authority.
"Could they be the higher-order Disciplinary Paladins..." Audrey recalled snippets of a casual conversation among adults. She was curious but did not dare go close.
The ceremony continued, and the current Prime Minister Aguesid Negan went up to the King, and they performed a likely rehearsed speech that praised the iron-clad warship. They went over its details.
Finally, Aguesid smiled and spoke a few more lines before saluting the king and requesting, "Your Majesty, please give it a name!"
"Since it will set sail from Pritz Harbor, it should be named "The Pritz," George III responded. His expression showed his delight.
"The Pritz! The Pritz!"
The words spread from the Navy Minister and the Admiral of the Imperial Navy to all the soldiers and officers on the deck. They all exclaimed in unison, "The Pritz!"
George III ordered the Pritz to set sail for a trial in the midst of the gun salutes and the celebratory atmosphere.
Honk!
The Pritz began to depart and shoot cannon volleys at an uninhabited island in its way.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground shook as dust shot up into the sky. Shock waves spread out, producing waves in the sea.
Satisfied, Aguesid turned back to the crowd and announced, "From this day on, doomsday will fall on the seven pirates who call themselves Admirals and the four who call themselves Kings. They can only shiver in fear! It is the end of their era. Only the ironclad warship will roam the seas, no matter whether the pirates have the powers of the Beyonders, ghost ships, or cursed ships."
Aguesid's chief secretary deliberately asked, "Can't they build their own ironclad warships?"
Some of the nobles and Members of Parliament nodded, feeling that such a possibility could not be eliminated.
Aguesid immediately smiled and shook his head slowly as he answered that the requirements could never be met by the pirates.
Having said that, he paused and raised his arms before shouting in agitation, "Ladies and gentlemen, the era of cannons and warships has dawned upon us!"
Notes: