Chapter 31: Unofficial History: The Inside Story of the Deep Cooperation Between the Audrey and The Alger
At that moment, Klein cleared his throat, deciding to strike while the iron was hot and elevate the "prestige" of the Tarot Club by another level.
"From today onwards, you may pray to me in the real world by chanting my name."
"I will be able to hear your prayers and provide a response."
"Furthermore, you may also offer items to me by performing a sacrificial ritual, which I will then transfer to other members through a bestowment ritual."
These words were nothing short of a heavy bombshell dropped into a calm lake!
If the previous "transcription" ability merely made the Tarot Club more convenient, then the rituals of "Sacrifice" and "Bestowment" completely established the foundation of this organization, causing it to leap from a simple information exchange platform into a true Beyonder organization where resources could be exchanged!
Using the tone of "The Fool," he briefly and concisely repeated the ritual process that Nairn had taught him.
He had expected these words to elicit shock and awe from the two once again, just like the "mental transcription" had earlier.
However, to Klein's surprise, after he announced this heavyweight news that "established the formalization of this ragtag group, making it high-end and sophisticated from then on," the anticipated shock and ecstasy from "The Hanged Man" and "Justice" did not immediately appear.
After a brief moment of surprise, Audrey and Alger actually turned their gazes toward Mr. Lover across from them in unison.
Those looks were filled with the sense of "as expected" and "I knew it."
Klein: "..."
He fell silent.
He instantly understood what those two were thinking.
Indeed, at last week's gathering, he had said that bringing people in was just "an attempt," yet this week he could already respond to prayers in the physical world and conduct Sacrifices and bestowments.
This was damn near impossible; the speed of his ability upgrades was faster than a rocket! It could no longer be explained by "sudden enlightenment" or "recovering power."
Who would believe that Mr. Lover—who had appeared the most powerful and mysterious from the very beginning—had no part in this?
How large was this leap?
It was so large that Audrey and Alger even developed an absurd association:
Perhaps the reason Mr. The Fool convened the Tarot Club last week wasn't for them at all, but to find a way to pull Mr. Lover onto the gray fog; the two of them were purely incidental!
Even various versions of an unofficial historical drama played out—
Mr. The Fool and Mr. Lover had pulled the two of them up just to act as third-wheel decoys so they could complete some unspeakable "shady deal"!
Such bolder imaginings weren't out of the question.
Klein felt like his face was about to burn up beneath the gray fog.
After all, even Mr. The Fool had almost suspected he was going to have to sell his soul when he saw those massive amounts of gold pounds.
Pah!
Klein quickly cut off that dangerous thought.
How could he be so spineless! Besides, wasn't that also an insult to Senior Nairn!
Senior was so powerful and profound, how could he have such worldly or even vulgar... Wait, come to think of it, does Senior Nairn... have a partner?
He didn't seem to have mentioned one.
If not... internal consumption within the Tarot Club didn't seem impossible?
Klein's gaze inconspicuously glanced at a certain someone who had been targeted and carefully nurtured by Nairn.
Cough cough! What kind of nonsense am I thinking!
Klein quickly retracted his dangerous thoughts and refocused his attention on the meeting.
Of course, he couldn't show a hint of it on his face.
Seeing that Mr. The Fool chose to "acquiesce" to their gazes while Mr. Lover merely smiled without speaking, the suspicions in Audrey's and Alger's hearts were practically confirmed.
Mr. The Fool and Mr. Lover had truly reached some kind of deep cooperation!
At the thought that they were fortunate enough to participate in the cooperation between two existences of this level, even if only as insignificant witnesses, Audrey and Alger felt a wave of unspeakable excitement and trepidation.
Naturally, a feeling of being a mere nobody excluded from the inner circle rose in both of their hearts simultaneously.
Meanwhile, as the focus of everyone's gaze, Nairn only let out a light chuckle, neither admitting nor denying it.
He wanted exactly this effect.
Let Klein play the god, while he played the existence truly behind the scenes.
This feeling of enjoying the fun without having to do the work himself was simply too great.
Seeing Mr. Lover's silent acquiescence, the guesses in Audrey's and Alger's hearts were further confirmed.
The way they looked at The Fool, while still filled with awe, now had an added hint of "I understand."
However, they still had to be shocked.
Sacrifice!
Bestowment!
These were authorities exclusive to deities!
The emotions Alger had just calmed down were once again tossed by a monstrous wave. He suddenly looked up at the thick gray fog, his eyes filled with fanaticism.
Mr. The Fool... is actually a... True God who can respond to the prayers of believers?!
Audrey was also so shocked she was speechless.
She had previously thought the Tarot Club was just a secret Beyonder exchange organization, but now it seemed she had inadvertently joined an extraordinary place and come into contact with a true deity!
Not the fraudulent kind!
(Mm~ After all, he has Mr. Lover's certification!)
Klein very much enjoyed their shocked expressions.
It worked!
With this, the image of the ragtag group was completely overturned!
After a brief silence, Alger and Audrey immediately expressed their most sincere praise and gratitude to Mr. The Fool, praising how much convenience this god-like power would bring them.
The atmosphere became lively once again.
Immediately after, Audrey turned to Nairn and said with great sincerity, "Mr. Lover, I must also thank you again for your guidance. Those accounting methods you taught me are simply too useful!"
Audrey's voice carried a hint of joy: "I used the methods you taught to help my father analyze the accounts of several family businesses and pointed out some issues and potential risks. Father was very surprised, praised me highly, and even rewarded me with a large sum of pocket money!"
In cash alone, it was 3,000 gold pounds!
She paused, her emerald eyes sparkling as she looked at Nairn, and added once more.
"He said that he might have me assist him individually with some new business in the future."
When Audrey said these words, she actually hid a small bit of selfishness in her heart.
She wanted to show off in front of Nairn, to let him know that his teaching hadn't been in vain and that she was a smart and hardworking student.
This subtle desire to perform in front of "The Lovers" made her cheeks burn slightly as she spoke.
Listening to her, Nairn only gave a gentle smile and said, "Then congratulations are in order, Miss Justice. It seems you will soon become your father's most capable assistant."
His praise was just right, affirming Audrey's efforts without appearing overly intimate, giving Audrey a sweet, strange feeling in her heart.
Meanwhile, Klein listened from the side with mixed feelings.
Good grief, it's only been a few days and she's already penetrated the core business of the family?
Senior Nairn's efficiency in cultivating a "money bag" is way too high!
He could feel that when Audrey said those words, her emotions were very high, with a clear impulse to show off in front of a certain person.
Truly the heart of a young girl... Klein shook his head and sighed inwardly.
After Audrey and Nairn exchanged a few more brief words, she took the initiative to find a topic and asked:
"By the way, Mr. Lover, the advice you gave last time about acting as a 'Spectator' was very effective. How did you think of those things?"
Strangely, this time Nairn did not answer directly.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward "The Fool" at the head of the table.
"Regarding this question, I think it would be more appropriate for the honorable Mr. The Fool to answer."
Nairn kicked the ball to Klein.
This Tarot Club meeting had already changed a lot under his butterfly effect.
This was a change he was happy to see.
But too much change wasn't good either.
For instance, right now, he needed to boost Mr. The Fool's status and incidentally give him the chance to ask for Roselle's diaries.
He believed Klein wouldn't let him down; after all, he had specifically given him a supplementary lesson on the "Acting Method" earlier.
Klein understood immediately, knowing that Senior Nairn was giving him an opening and building his persona.
He cleared his throat and began his first formal lecture as "The Fool."