Mystery: Death Singer

One afternoon, after having lunch, Edric, having no graves to dig, lay on a recliner in the staff break room, leisurely passing the time.

Just as Edric was feeling drowsy and about to drift off to sleep, his inspiration suddenly struck him. Before he could even get up from his recliner, he saw crimson light surging in from all directions like a tide.

When his vision returned, Edric found himself in a magnificent palace shrouded in a gray mist.

It is surrounded by towering stone pillars, and is covered by a wide dome.

The entire building is magnificent, grand, and imposing, just like the legendary palace of giants.

Directly beneath the dome, amidst the swirling gray mist, stood a long bronze table, flanked by ten high-backed chairs on each side, with similar seats placed in front and behind. Edric sat in the third high-backed chair on the left.

Scattered among the surrounding mist were illusory, deep red dots of light, which looked like countless stars hidden in the clouds, incredibly mysterious.

At the head of the bronze table sat a blurry figure that seemed to have never changed since time immemorial. Even with the gray mist obscuring his view, he could still clearly feel a gaze directed at him.

Edric swayed for a moment. Although he didn't know why Klein had suddenly pulled him onto the gray fog, nor when he had established a connection with Klein, he still cooperated quite well, showing a bit of fear, and half-rose to give a bow, saying:

"Great being, could you please enlighten me? What is this place? And why have I come here?"

Klein leaned back, clasped his hands together, and replied in Rune with a relaxed and casual air:

"This is a gathering place where people like you hold regular meetings to trade recipes, buy and sell materials, exchange information, and perhaps even receive mission assignments in the future."

"And I am the organizer of this gathering, a fool who likes equivalent exchange."

"Your presence here is thanks to the wonders of fate."

Edric composed himself, stopping his dreadful memories and trying to calm himself. He asked in a low voice, quite cooperatively:

"So, Mr. 'Fool,' may I join this gathering?"

"Sure, every Monday at 3 PM, to eliminate distractions."

"If something comes up unexpectedly, you can inform me in advance through a ceremony. The specific procedure is..."

The required incantation is:

"Fool who does not belong to this era, you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog, you are the king of yellow and black who holds the reins of good fortune..."

After giving his phone number, to Edric's utter astonishment, Klein smiled and pointed to the surface of the bronze table, where a stack of playing cards had suddenly materialized:

"They decided to use the names of the Tarot cards as their code names. You can choose one yourself, but 'Justice,' 'The Hanged Man,' and 'The Sun' already have owners."

Edric lowered his head, as if deep in thought. He didn't touch the tarot cards on the bronze table. After a brief silence, he spoke with unwavering conviction:

"'Death God,' I choose 'Death God.'"

Klein nodded slightly, severing the connection with Edric, watching the crimson light recede, and watching his former neighbor turn into a phantom and gradually dissipate.

Only then did Klein turn his gaze to the back of the high-backed chair where Edric had just been sitting, and saw a pale skull wearing a crown emerging from the back of the chair.

"Is this the symbol of the 'corpse collector' path? Death, royalty, it looks impressive."

Klein rested his chin on his right hand, his thoughts beginning to wander.

Today he managed to recruit two new members...

The "Sun" is suspected to be located in a land abandoned by the gods, a mysterious and isolated area where you can even "fight monsters and get loot." The extraordinary resources are visibly abundant, and the return on investment is so high that you can't help but want to pop open champagne to celebrate.

"Death" Edric is incredibly powerful, and his sneak attack on Triss is unforgettable. Even "The Hanged Man," who is Sequence Seven, probably couldn't defeat him on land.

Klein was in a good mood, even humming a little tune and muttering to himself:

"Our Tarot Club is thriving."

…………

The crimson light faded, and Edric returned to his familiar staff lounge. Before he could even ponder why Klein had suddenly sent him a membership invitation, he heard a barely audible cracking sound from his body.

Click~

Edric snapped back to reality, put his right hand into his pocket, and found that the ancient gold coin he often held in his hand to conceal the existence of the Solomon's coin was now full of cracks.

"Damn! This thing is a genuine antique, worth a full one hundred gold pounds!"

Before Edric could make a move, the gold coin shattered from the inside out, turning into tiny fragments that slipped from his hand.

At the same time, a deep red light appeared on the back of Edric's right palm, quickly forming a skull pattern with a crown.

The symbol disappeared into the back of his hand in the blink of an eye, vanishing completely.

"One hundred gold pounds... a full one hundred gold pounds..."

"Is this the price one has to pay for contacting the god of poverty?"

Edric lay on the recliner, his eyes glazed over. If one didn't consider his extraordinary abilities and potion recipes, his wealth had just shrunk to a two-digit number starting with "2" in an instant—a true tragedy.

"No, I can't let this accident defeat me." Edric got up from the recliner and gently patted his cheeks.

"On the bright side, at least I can use Alger's 'Hanged Man' channels to buy the leftover materials needed for the 'Gravedigger' potion, instead of continuing to wait and try my luck in the underground market."

"...The main ingredients for a Sequence 7 potion cost approximately 500 to 700 pounds..."

Edric suddenly fell silent, instinctively reaching into his pocket to look for the gold coin he usually used to pass the time, only to find nothing.

"..."

"Phew~"

"There are only two days left until Monday, I must earn back this hundred gold pounds with my own hands..."

"What was the magician's potion recipe again? I don't remember very well. Oh well, anyway, that evil god can't afford it right now. I'll just say I have a clue and can help buy it if anyone needs it, but there's a time limit. I'll throw out a bait to whet his appetite! Hehe~"

As he pondered this, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Edric's face. He couldn't wait for Monday to come so he could once again head above the gray fog to attend his first Tarot gathering.