Monday, August 27th.
Klein, who had worked a night shift at Chanis Gate the previous night, returned home and slept comfortably for the entire morning after Mr. Devil's "good morning" greeting. He was then cruelly awakened just as Mr. Devil was having lunch.
Fortunately, the part-time maid hired yesterday was quite diligent. After he woke up, she immediately prepared a piping hot lunch, which comforted Mr. Fool's wounded soul.
After his growling stomach was appeased, Klein picked up a copy of the Tingen Honest Boy and used the act of reading to mask his thoughts.
After his shift at Chanis Gate, he had two days of holiday. He planned to use this opportunity to advance to 'Clown'.
After all, while the Beyonder conflicts in Tingen City were slowly stabilizing, neither the Oracle of the Aurora Order, the unborn spawn of an evil god, nor that 'Spectator' hidden in the shadows had shown any intention of revealing themselves.
Combined with the fact that Mr. Azik had already left for Backlund, his thirst for power had reached a critical point.
'I'll go buy the Beyonder materials after the Tarot Club meeting...'
Thinking this, Klein finished his lunch in a hurry and returned to his bedroom, considering how to disguise himself for his outing later.
...
"It's ready." Snow reread his draft one last time, and after confirming there were no omissions, he consigned it to the flames. He intended to achieve several goals in today's Tarot Club meeting, so his plan was particularly detailed.
As time ticked by, Snow gradually shook off his laziness and focused his mind. With the eruption of a deep-red light before his eyes, he reappeared at the ancient, mottled bronze table. Across from him, the only lady of the Tarot Club, Miss Justice, rose as usual. However, she was clearly a bit anxious this time, forgoing her usual sequence of greetings.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. Apologies, I didn't obtain any diaries of Emperor Roselle this week. However, the situation in Backlund has improved; I should be able to attend some Beyonder gatherings this week!"
"That is fine." Klein, though slightly disappointed, maintained the dignity of 'The Fool'. After Mr. Fool responded, Audrey immediately spoke with some urgency, "Mr. Sun, have you obtained the 'Telepathist' formula?"
Little Sun's credibility was, naturally, excellent. Though he had only barely managed to assemble the 'Telepathist' formula and the Beyonder materials needed for 'Bard' by selling off his belongings, he didn't let it show. Instead, he simply wrote out the potion formula with Mr. Fool's assistance.
And Mr. Fool, very thoughtfully, helped Miss Justice change the material names to their modern equivalents.
Likely due to not obtaining any diaries, Miss Justice felt a bit guilty after receiving the formula. She immediately spoke up:
"Mr. Fool, as a way to show my apologies and to compensate for the price difference in this trade, I am willing to provide 350 pounds in funding to your blessed one."
'350 pounds?!' Mr. Fool, who had expected to part with those lovely gold pounds today, felt his eyes light up. Still, he feigned complete indifference toward money, saying calmly, "A reasonable trade."
Saying this, Klein remembered that Miss Justice didn't have a messenger. He presented the anonymous Backlund account on a piece of goatskin parchment and handed it to her. Simultaneously, he thought to himself:
'Messengers truly are convenient. Maybe I should ask Mr. Azik how I can get one?'
After settling the financial state, Klein pressed his hand upon the goatskin parchment--which Mr. Devil had manifested silently and should be called the "Pandrax Diary"--covered in neat handwriting. He didn't rush to read it. Instead, he looked toward Little Sun.
"What compensation do you wish for?"
Little Sun heard this, thought seriously for a moment, and then replied:
"I don't have any urgent needs for items lately. However, I should be able to digest the 'Bard' potion soon. So, I'll let the compensation accumulate for now. Mmm, consider it preparation for the Sequence 8 formula or necessary materials."
'Even if I know the materials, I can't send them to you... If you really are in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, even a messenger wouldn't be able to reach you, right?' Klein might not know if one could summon a messenger in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but it was a place where Sequence 4 powerhouses existed. If a mere messenger could move in and out freely, they wouldn't have been trapped for so many years.
Just as Klein nodded and intended to read the Pandrax Diary, Miss Justice noticed the word "digest" in Little Sun's words. She asked thoughtfully:
"Mr. Sun, you have mastered the 'Acting Method'?"
Little Sun heard this and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, but he answered honestly: "This isn't something to be surprised about. The general studies classes in the City of Silver teach the 'Acting Method'..."
Clack!
Just as The Hanged Man and Justice were stunned that general studies classes taught such knowledge, a light sound suddenly broke the silence. Everyone turned globally, only to find that Mr. Devil, who had always seemed indifferent to everything, had actually revealed a look of shock that even the gray fog could hardly hide.
'Mr. Devil is actually this shaken? That shouldn't be!' If anyone was most surprised, it was surely Mr. Fool, who sat at the head of the bronze table and was likely the most knowledgeable about Mr. Devil's background.
How could a Beyonder with family heritage, who likely possessed high-sequence mystical items and knew secrets related to gods, be shocked by the prevalence of the 'Acting Method'?
Unless, there was a deeper secret to this 'Acting Method'!
Thinking of this, Mr. Fool slowed his pace in picking up the diary. And Mr. Devil indeed spoke with an unprecedentedly solemn tone, as he "hoped", "Can you tell me about the beliefs and population of your City of Silver?"
'Why would Mr. Devil ask this? What does teaching the Acting Method in general classes have to do with beliefs and population?'
Perhaps because he noticed everyone was looking at him with curious eyes, or simply because he felt there was nothing to hide, Little Sun nodded slightly:
"We in the City of Silver believe in the Lord who created everything, the All-Powerful and All-Knowing God. The entire city has a population of over two thousand people."
Under the gaze of the Tarot Club members, Snow took a deep breath and said in a grave, deep voice, "Though I'm not entirely sure if the All-Powerful and All-Knowing God you speak of is the one I know, nor if your City of Silver is in the place I think of... but if my guess is correct, He hasn't responded to you in a long time, has He?"
"How did you know? What else do you know? Can you tell me? I can trade anything I can provide!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
---
A/N: In the original, Alger and Audrey are the ones shocked, but here Snow's reaction adds a layer of mystery regarding his "Paradox" perspective on the world's history.
T/N: "Pandrax Diary" - Snow's version of the diaries, written in a format that Klein can read (Hermes or similar) but presented as his family's records.
T/N: "Telepathist" (读心者) - Sequence 8 of the Spectator pathway.
T/N: "Bard" (歌颂者) - Sequence 9 of the Sun pathway. In the original, Derrick starts as Sequence 9.
T/N: Little Sun's city is indeed the Forsaken Land of the Gods, a place cut off from the rest of the world and its deities.