Monday afternoon at three o'clock, above the eternal gray fog.
The Tarot Club welcomed a new member today: Derrick Berg, code-named The Sun, referred to by the others as Mr. Sun.
Judging by his age, calling him "Mister" seemed a bit premature, but his tall stature made up for that issue nicely.
Through conversation during the trading period, Justice Audrey and The Hanged Man Alger quickly discovered this newcomer's origins were extremely mysterious.
His worldview and understanding seemed abnormal, as if he came from a completely different world.
Where exactly had Mr. Fool pulled him up to the gray fog from?
They couldn't help but feel a sense of awe toward Mr. Fool.
But shock aside, the gathering had to continue. After Mr. Fool finished reading Roselle's diary, the group proceeded with the usual exchange session.
Audrey first shared several matters of national importance, including how she'd secretly promoted the successful implementation of public examinations for selecting civil servants, and how Loen's upper echelons had no plans to retaliate against the Feysac Empire in East Balam in the near future.
After that, Alger made a new request of Audrey: to search for clues about a notorious pirate called "Hurricane Lieutenant General" Qilangos, who had secretly infiltrated Loen's capital, Backlund. His purpose remained unclear.
When Alger described in detail the magical item Qilangos possessed, "Creeping Hunger," its abilities and negative effects caused The Sun Derrick, who had been listening silently on the side, to blurt out in astonishment:
"Shepherd!"
Shepherd?
Everyone's attention turned to him simultaneously.
Klein quickly recalled relevant information he'd learned before. This seemed to be Sequence 5 of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, with very powerful abilities.
From The Sun's subsequent description, he learned more details.
A Shepherd could devour the souls of other Beyonders into their body and wield the abilities they possessed in life, as if shepherding lambs for a deity.
If that guy Silas found a way to advance to Sequence 5, he'd become this powerful, too, huh?
Listening to The Sun Derrick's introduction, Klein couldn't help but think this. Wait, come to think of it, this Port Enmat case itself involves the Aurora Order. We might actually encounter a Shepherd...
---
At that moment, Silas by the seaside had no idea his colleague was muttering about him above the gray fog. His attention was entirely focused on the bar before him.
The "Unfettered" bar, which opened for business in the afternoon, welcomed him in.
After tipping the bartender a few pence and passing through the door behind him into the back courtyard, an extremely lively scene came into view.
"Fresh mummy powder, 10 pounds for 5 grams!"
"Powder from wraith remnants, 150 pounds!"
"Live Lava octopus, just hauled up from the sea, price negotiable!"
The beach was filled with stalls, looking exactly like the fish markets Silas had seen in his previous life.
Vendors at each stall were shouting loudly to attract customers. Some even sailed up directly in boats and hawked their wares from the vessels, with small sampans spread out displaying strange and terrifying-looking fish.
This blatant?
Silas had heard from Daly that Enmat Harbor had such a large transient population and insufficient official Beyonders that managing these places was extremely difficult.
They simply turned a blind eye, allowing semi-public operations as long as nothing overtly involving Beyonders occurred.
Silas guarded his wallet as his gaze wandered between the various stalls.
Secrets Suppliant rituals only required flesh and blood, but other rituals still consumed various materials.
Silas bought some herbs and essential oils at several stalls, spending about 2 soli. Continuing forward, he reached the middle section of the market, where a very conspicuous stall caught his attention.
This stall displayed no materials or items, only two signs. One read: Crafting/Appraising Mystical Items, Starting Price 100 Pounds.
So expensive. No, wait, mystical items aren't something just anyone can make. I remember you need to be a Beyonder called an "Artisan."
Silas looked at the second sign and raised his eyebrows slightly.
The second sign read: Seeking Someone Skilled in Ritual Magic, Compensation Negotiable.
The stall owner was a young girl sitting calmly behind the stall, reading several manuscripts and occasionally fiddling with a mechanical pocket watch in her hand.
Her stall occupied a prime location with a large area, empty without anything on display, yet the surrounding vendors had no objections whatsoever.
She's probably official.
After observing briefly, Silas made his judgment.
The central market position allowed complete control of the situation. She was probably responsible for supervising the place.
Add to that her ability to craft mystical items, and she was practically openly declaring herself as someone from the Steam Church.
Someone from the Steam Church. Why is she looking for someone skilled in ritual magic?
Silas suddenly became interested.
He stepped forward and pointed at the second sign with a smile. "I'm curious, what do you need someone skilled in ritual magic for?"
The bored girl put down her manuscript and looked up at Silas. "Can you do it? If not, don't ask."
Silas's popular face didn't seem to have any effect. The girl appeared more willing to look at machinery than at people.
"I see."
Silas said noncommittally, about to continue when he suddenly noticed the manuscript paper in her hand.
It didn't contain mechanical diagrams or mathematical formulas, but was covered in densely packed square characters.
Roselle's diary.
The girl seemed to be studying Roselle's manuscripts.
This great emperor had been called the "Son of Steam" and was respected within the invention-focused Steam Church, so it made sense for her to possess such things.
However, she was holding the diary upside down, allowing Silas to see the text perfectly.
"I may need to start considering switching pathways. If the Savant path doesn't work out, I can still have other options..."
Sequence pathways can actually be switched!
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Does that mean I might have a chance to switch to other pathways, other, less dangerous pathways?
Just as Silas prepared to continue reading, the page was abruptly pulled back. Following the page upward, he met the girl's guarded gaze.
"What are you trying to do?"
She gripped the metal pocket watch and frowned. "If you have no business, leave quickly. Don't block my stall!"
"Ah, sorry. I saw it was Emperor Roselle's notes and got a bit carried away."
Silas collected himself and said with a smile, "Actually, it's like this. I happen to be quite skilled in ritual magic and might be able to help you.
I'm just wondering what compensation you can offer?"
"You really know how?"
The girl looked him up and down, seeming somewhat doubtful.
"I made this using a ritual."
Silas simply pulled out a Slumber Charm from his pocket. "You should be able to sense this is genuine, right?"
He'd made up his mind.
No matter what, he had to get his hands on that diary page and carefully read about how to switch pathways.
This might be his chance to escape the True Creator's influence.
---
[Author's Note: Well, we've finally reached chapter fifty-six, and the Shepherd has finally appeared. Finally got to the point.]