Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 271 The Title Girl Was Kidnapped by Airi (Part 2)

In order to introduce the two newcomers, Audrey chose to greet the existing members according to the order of the tarot cards during today's greetings.

Following Audrey's introduction, the hermit Cattleya carefully and attentively examined the members of the Tarot Club according to the order of their greetings.

The mysterious purple in her eyes flowed slowly and imperceptibly. Although it was impossible to see through the blur and concealment, one could still discern the details of other people's clothing.

Miss Wheel of Fortune is the cat that was beside Mr. Fool earlier, and is most likely a follower. A mythical creature? No, we can't be so arrogant. No one has ever stipulated that a god's follower must be human. Rather, Mr. Fool himself might not even be a humanoid being. Perhaps his true form is a cat. Hmm… a black cat wearing a top hat.

After mentally disqualifying Klein from being human, Cattleya continued to observe him.

The pink-haired lady wasn't introduced; was she a newcomer like me? She seemed to be an elf, but her personality didn't seem particularly aggressive. She seemed to know Miss Wheel of Fortune, and they seemed to be on good terms… that's rather intriguing.

The Hanged Man… a middle-aged man in his thirties, with messy, seaweed-like hair in a rare deep blue color, a common mutation among the “Sailor” pathway… He wore a robe with storm and wave patterns… a member of the Church of Storms? Cattleya’s pupils contracted slightly, and she subtly shifted her gaze away, continuing to observe the other members.

The demon, with a mask covering his profile, black hair, and clothes unlike anything commonly seen in places like Intis and Rune, appeared quite amiable, which was rather unusual. Such people are often the most cunning and scheming. In the words of Emperor Roselle, he was a "smiling tiger."

Taiyo, a young man, perhaps even underage, wears clothing of an unusual style—a blend of rustic beauty and inexplicably modern sophistication, quite contradictory. However, it's rather tight-fitting, suitable for combat; is he an exceptional individual in that field?
The tower, that hair color, that outfit, and that signature, smug smile. This is Honkai General Otto Apocalypse.

There was absolutely no attempt to conceal it, and Otto, the most famous of them all, was immediately eliminated by Cattleya.

The world was neither an old man nor a boy; its aura was somber, and it wore a purple tailcoat and a top hat like Mr. Fool. Hmm, it had an almost inhuman quality. Was it similar to Señor, or Steel Maiviti? Or perhaps some other sequence I wasn't familiar with?

The magician, a young woman, wore a common Loen-style dress; aside from a slightly languid air, she didn't have any particularly striking features. However, this type of person is the easiest to overlook, so she deserves extra attention.

The Moon, a young male, sits casually, with black hair and red eyes, wearing the priest's robes of the Earth Mother Goddess… This combination seems to suggest only one possibility: a vampire. This is also indirectly supported by his codename. Vampires always take pride in the Moon.

The Empress doesn't seem very bright. She gives the impression of a grammar school student. But that's more likely a facade. Relatively speaking, she's probably the most cunning person at the Tarot meeting.

The clever Cattleya immediately identified the three most cunning individuals at the Tarot gathering: the Devil, the Emperor, and the Magician.

She's really amazing.

Justice, a girl of seventeen or eighteen. Very wealthy, her demeanor and bearing suggested she was a noble of considerable status, a member of the Loen nobility? Cattleya sighed inwardly, unsure why she was doing so.

While analyzing each member, Gadriya also made some guesses about Mr. Fool's abilities.

Mr. Fool's protection of his members seems to resemble a psychological form of concealment. Even though he can clearly see each person's appearance, hair color, and even subtle expressions, he simply cannot discern their facial features. Considering Mr. Fool's name, this ability could perhaps be described as "fooling."

The members of the Tarot Society are indeed not simple people; even preliminary assessments suggest they involve two major churches, a naval commander, nobles, vampires…

The hermit, Cattleya, withdrew her gaze and met the eyes of the righteous Audrey, who happened to be looking over.

Sensing the other party's question, she nodded slightly and said, "The Hermit."

Cattleya spoke Old Fussac, deliberately avoiding the more familiar Intis and Rune languages, just as she had when communicating with Mr. Fool.

Alicia happily raised her hand: "My code name is Priestess."

Cattleya's eyes twitched almost imperceptibly, but she didn't look at Alicia.

The sacrifice also led to his acquaintance with the followers of Mr. Fool...

Alicia was also observing the members of the Tarot Club.

Miss Emperor is a lovely girl, Miss Magician is a lovely girl, Miss Justice is a lovely girl, Miss Hermit is also a lovely girl, and the Wheel of Fortune... is the lovely Phyllis.

“I am justice,” Audrey replied with a slight smile. “Good afternoon, Lady Hermit and Lady Priestess.”

"Just call me High Priestess, okay? I just turned eighteen this year," Alicia, who is forever eighteen, emphasized.

Fowles was still debating whether to show the novel to Mr. World right now.

Finally, she decided to wait until the free exchange session to bring it up, to see how Mr. World was feeling today.

Well, let's stall for as long as we can.

“Mr. Fool, I was out of town and only managed to collect one page of Russell’s diary.” Audrey began to pay off her debts; she only needed two more pages to clear them.

Roselle's Diary...a diary! Cattleya nearly lost control and quickly turned her head to look at Miss Justice on the same side. Did the members of the Tarot Club know that Roselle's Notes were a diary?

She had always thought this was a little secret between her and Her Majesty the Queen.

Cattleya maintained her composure, simply tilting her head to observe the first "transaction" as usual. She chose to speak less and imagine more.

Klein quickly finished reading the diary, leaned back, and, while making the papers in his hand disappear, began the free trade session with a smile.

“Mr. Demon, please sell me the Sequence Eight [Potion Seeker].” Emlyn spoke first. Then, he raised his chin with some pride, “A mere Sequence Nine? Noble vampires can digest the potion in just one week.”

"A request for medicine?" Cattleya couldn't help but frown.

Isn't Sequence Nine for vampires a pharmacist? Is that a term used somewhere? But taking an extra dose of Sequence Nine doesn't actually have a good effect and can increase the risk of losing control.

“No problem, I will give you the Sequence 8 [Herbalist] through Mr. Fool after the meeting.” After saying that, Serres gave a brief introduction, “The Herbalist’s abilities are not much different from those of the Herbalist, except that the Herbalist has the ability to manipulate plants. You can try it out when you get back.”

Cattleya frowned even more.

No, it should be a Sequence 8 Beast Tamer.

Is this someone taking a potion from an adjacent pathway? Aren't they afraid of losing control? But the apothecary's adjacent pathway should be the cultivator's.

Seeing Cattleya's furrowed brows, Audrey knew it was time to show off again.

She beat Serres to it and proudly introduced the Hermit Lady and the Priestess Lady to the "Potion of Fate," a remedy almost exclusively exclusive to the Tarot Society.

Unfortunately, although both Alicia and Gadriya clearly showed curiosity about the Fate Potion, neither of them offered to buy it.

Alicia felt it was unnecessary and didn't want to face the risk of things getting out of control. She didn't even drink any normal potions.

Cattleya, on the other hand, completely distrusted the so-called Potions of Fate. She knew more than anyone else and understood the concept of "conservation of extraordinary properties" far better. In her view, creating a completely new system of potions was virtually impossible.

The trading continued, and Cattleya tentatively joined Derrick's transaction regarding the main material for the "Sun Priest." This was a material that Silver City didn't have. Derrick had no choice but to buy it from the Tarot Club.

From the transaction, Cattleya deduced that Derrick was a member from the Forsaken Lands. This made her even more alarmed.

Alicia wanted to participate, but unfortunately, she didn't have any potions, materials, or recipes. The only things she could offer were Honkai energy crystals or tulips grown using Pure Destiny. The former was too dangerous, and there was no demand for the latter, so she had to give up.

With the final transaction completed, the giant's palace fell silent for a dozen seconds. Without Mr. Fool's prompting, "Justice," "The Sun," and the others knew they had entered the free exchange phase.

“I’ve recently been searching for the trail of the Mind Dragon and went to a place where there’s a custom of dragon worship,” Audrey began, recounting what had happened a couple of days ago when her family went on vacation.

She omitted the specific location and details that might involve her identity, only saying that she used psychological suggestion to keep herself awake in the dream, entered the ocean of the collective unconscious of everyone in the area, and saw a giant dragon of the mind there.

At the end of her narration, Audrey the Justice looked around and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, do you have any suggestions? Or do you think that the dragon's 'City of Miracles,' Levishire, is also hidden in this ocean of collective unconsciousness?"

"If I want to continue exploring, what should I be aware of? What preparations do I need to make in advance?"

Alger wanted to say, "I suggest you don't explore."

But after glancing at Mr. Fool and Mr. Devil, he swallowed his advice back down.

Alicia nodded, feigning seriousness. "Hmm, while exploring in dreams sounds romantic, it's definitely too dangerous. I suggest you secretly tell me your current address, and I'll take you on an adventure. It'll be safe and fun."

The truth is revealed in this part...

But Audrey simply smiled and shook her head, not intending to reveal her real-life identity.

Alicia also knew the saying that too much of a good thing can be bad, but anyway, there was still plenty of time, and she had enough patience to slowly boil the frog in water.

Hehehe, all the pretty girls in the Tarot Club will eventually become her pink fairy lady.

Dream walking? I'm very familiar with that. Klein, who frequently uses "recollection walking," said he was very familiar with it.

Klein, who sat at the head of the bronze table, tapped the table lightly and said with a smile, "If you encounter any danger, you can call my name."

But then he felt he might not be able to solve it, so he gestured to Serres: "Or you could say his name."

“That’s wonderful, thank you, Mr. Fool.” Audrey immediately expressed her gratitude, “and thank you, Mr. Devil.”

"Hmm." Serres smiled and nodded.

Is this a demigod? Gadriya made her judgment.

Since the term "He" is not used to refer to a complete mythical being, this should be a Sequence Four to Sequence Three being...

“Lady Hermit.” Alger seized the opportunity to pledge his loyalty. “Mr. Demon is at least an angel, he just prefers to be called ‘he’ rather than ‘them.’ Please don’t get it wrong.”

Opportunity favors the prepared mind. Alger was fond of this quote from Emperor Roselle.

The leader can say he wants to be friends with the underlings, but the underlings can't be naive enough to treat the leader as an equal; they need to be aware of this.

At least? A meeting, two great beings? Cattleya's body stiffened for a moment, then she immediately returned to normal.

"I understand, thank you." She nodded.

She turned her head and bowed slightly to Serres, but not overly obsequiously. Since he had asked her to be addressed as "he" (a pronoun referring to a person), being too respectful would be ungrateful.

Serres waved his hand: "Relax, relax."

After saying that, he laughed again: "I feel like I'm talking nonsense right now, like a boss telling you to 'just treat me as a friend'."

Cattleya echoed with a standard, gentle smile, offering neither a reply nor a nod.

“It’s alright.” Serres looked away. “You’ll soon find out that I’m really easy to talk to.”

“That’s right.” Derrick said seriously, “Everyone in Silver City loves Mr. Demon. There are even a few aunties who have formed a ‘Demon Baby Support Group’.”

Serres nodded proudly.

He knew about this; it was a support group established by several women in their sixties and seventies, who were considered quite "old" in Baiyin City.

Although it's incredibly extraordinary, at least he's not normal either.

People who enjoy themselves never mind becoming the source of amusement.

Klein was surprised, but outwardly remained calm as he looked at Serres.

What the heck? You actually have a fan club?

Serres returned a proud look.

Envious, aren't you?

After finishing Audrey's topic, Alger the Hanged Man deliberately avoided looking at the Hermit Lady and turned to the others, saying, "A major event has recently occurred in the Roseside Islands."

He had no intention of revealing the arrival of the world and the Wheel of Fortune, fearing that it would disrupt Mr. Fool's plans and put him in great danger.

“There’s something wrong with the sea god Kavituwa; all the sculptures have changed overnight.”

He paused for a few seconds, as if choosing his words carefully, "They all turned into garbage cans with strong limbs."

Cattleya and Otto nodded in agreement. They knew about this as well.

Audrey, Fowles, and others were clearly curious and found it very interesting.

Klein remained silent, confident that someone would eventually speak out.

as predicted.

Xing then stood up proudly.

"Rejoice! Standing before you now is the most benevolent, virtuous, supreme, and powerful Galaxy Baseball Man."

"It is a completely new sea god who has replaced the position of the sea god."

"The second generation of the King of Trash, Tartarov II."

P.S.: I forgot to separate the chapters while writing, so I combined them into one. There will only be one update today. Everyone, go to sleep early, no need to wait.

Good night, Makabaka.

(End of this chapter)