Free? The things that are free are actually the most expensive! Zhou Mingrui murmured silently, deciding to firmly say no to any additional services that might come up later. If you've got the nerve, then go ahead and predict that I've time-traveled! With that thought, Zhou Mingrui followed the woman whose face was painted with yellow and red, bending down to enter the low tent. Inside, it was very dark, with only a faint light filtering through, casting a dim glow that revealed a table piled high with playing cards. The woman in the pointed hat was completely unbothered, her long black dress flowing like water past the table as she sat across from him and lit the candles. The soft, flickering light created a dim, ethereal atmosphere, instantly adding a touch of mystery. Zhou Mingrui remained composed, calmly settling into his seat and glancing at the tarot cards on the table, noting familiar major arcs—The Magician, The Emperor, The Hanged Man, and The Temperance—among them. "So, Roserel truly is a 'senior'... I wonder if she's from the same culinary-loving empire as mine..." Zhou Mingrui's lips moved slightly, his mind momentarily Before he had time to glance at the spread cards on the table, the woman, who claimed to have "very accurate readings," reached out and gathered all the Tarot cards into a single pile, placing them squarely before him. "You'll take charge of shuffling and cutting," she said in a low, husky voice. "You'll shuffle?" Zhou Mingrui asked instinctively. The woman's makeup of red and yellow tones shifted slightly, and with a gentle smile, replied, "Of course—only the person themselves can truly read their own destiny. I am merely a reader and interpreter." Zhou Mingrui immediately expressed his caution: "Is there no additional charge for the reading?" As a folklorist specializing in keyboard traditions, I've seen this kind of tactic many times! The woman seemed momentarily taken aback, and after a while, murmured, "It's free." Zhou Mingrui relaxed, pushed his revolver a little deeper into his pocket, then calmly extended both hands, skillfully shuffling and cutting the cards. "Done," he said, placing the freshly shuffled Tarot deck at the center of the table. The astrologer held out both hands, carefully studied the cards for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Sorry, I forgot to ask—what would you like to predict?" Back in his youth, when Zhou Mingrui had been pursuing an unfulfilled first love, he had also studied tarot cards, and responded without hesitation: "The past, the present, and the future." This is a specific tarot spread in which three cards are arranged sequentially, each representing the past, the present, and the future. The astrologer nodded first, then smiled gently, saying: "Then please shuffle the cards once more—only by clearly knowing what you wish to inquire will you draw cards that truly carry meaningful symbolism." You've been playing games with me all along... isn't that a bit petty, considering I've always emphasized that it's free? Zhou Mingrui's facial muscles twitched slightly, took a deep breath, retrieved the tarot deck, and reshuffled and cut the cards again. "Is that better now?" He placed the neatly cut cards on the table. "Done." The seer extended her finger, picked up a card from the top, and placed it to the left of Zhou Mingrui, her voice growing increasingly low and husky. "This one symbolizes the past." "This one symbolizes the present." The seer placed the second card directly in front of Zhou Mingrui. Then she picked up a third card and positioned it to the right of Zhou Mingrui: "This one symbolizes the future." "Alright, which card would you like to see first?" After completing these gestures, the seer lifted her head, her gray-blue eyes deeply gazing into Zhou Mingrui's. "Let's start with the 'Present,' please," Zhou Mingrui said after a brief thought. The seer nodded slowly, turning the card in front of Zhou Mingrui over. The card depicted a young man dressed in elegant attire, adorned with a magnificent headdress, carrying a staff topped with luggage, a small dog pulling behind him. The card was labeled "0." "The Fool," the seer softly murmured, her gray-blue eyes fixed steadily on Zhou Mingrui. The Fool? The zero card of Tarot? The beginning? A fresh start Zhou Mingrui couldn't even be called a beginner in tarot—his interpretation was purely based on his impression. Just as the astrologer was about to speak, the canvas flap of the tent suddenly flew open, and intense sunlight poured in, forcing Zhou Mingrui, who was facing away, to instinctively squint. "How can you keep pretending to be me again! This is my job—offering readings to others!" a woman's voice boomed in anger. "Go back! Remember, you're just a zookeeper!" Zookeeper? Zhou Mingrui adjusted to the light and saw a woman at the entrance, wearing a pointed hat, a black dress, and red and yellow makeup—taller and more slender than the one seated before him. The woman seated before him quickly rose and sighed. "Please don't mind. I simply enjoy this. To be honest, sometimes my readings and interpretations are quite accurate, truly…" She lifted her dress, moved around the table from the side, and hurried out of the tent. "Mr. Zhou, would you like me to interpret anything for you?" The true tarot reader looked at Zhou Mingrui and smiled, asking, "Free?" Zhou Mingrui moved his lips thoughtfully, sincerely querying, "Free?" "...No." "Then, let's call it off." Zhou Mingrui tucked his hand back into his pocket, steadying the revolver and the coins, then bent to exit the tent. Indeed, he'd ended up hiring a circus performer as a tarot reader! Wasn't a circus performer who didn't want to be a tarot reader just a poor clown? Zhou Mingrui soon set this matter aside. At the "Lettuce and Meat" market, he spent seven pence for a pound of decent but not exceptional lamb, along with fresh peas, cabbage, onions, and potatoes, and the bread he'd already purchased—totaling twenty-five pence, or two shillings and one penny. "Money truly doesn't last, does it? Poor Bensun..." Not only had Zhou Mingrui lost the two banknotes he'd brought out, but he also spent the one penny tucked in his trouser pocket. He made this casual remark and moved on, hurrying back home without further thought. With the staple food in place, the transfer ritual could proceed! ........ After the second-floor tenants had all moved out, Zhou Mingrui didn't immediately begin the ritual. Instead, he first translated the terms "Fusheng Xuanhuang Xianzun" into ancient Fusaek and Runen scripts, planning to try the original incantation again the next day if it failed—taking into account the differences between the two realms and the need to adapt to local customs. As for translating into the ancient, ceremonial Hermes script used in prayers and sacrifices, Zhou Mingrui found his vocabulary insufficient to complete the task. Only after finishing all this did he draw out four barley loaves from the paper bag—one placed in the corner where the coal stove had once stood, one at the bottom inner side of the dressing mirror, one at the top of the cabinet near where the two walls met, and one at the cluttered spot on the right side of the desk. Taking a deep breath, Zhou Mingrui moved to the center of the room, remained still for a few minutes to compose himself, then stepped steadily, walking counterclockwise in a square path. On his first step, he softly recited: "Fusheng Xuanhu Step two, he sincerely recited: "Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Jūn." Step three, Zhou Mingrui held his breath and whispered softly: "Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Shàng Dì." Step four, he exhaled his turbid breath and silently recited with intention: "Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn." After completing the steps and returning to his place, Zhou Mingrui closed his eyes and waited in silence, filled with anticipation, unease, hope, and apprehension. Could he return? Would it be effective? Might something unexpected happen? The darkness before him was tinged with the deep red brought by the light, and his thoughts surged continuously in his mind, hard to still. At that moment, he suddenly felt as though the air around him had stopped flowing, becoming thick and strange. Then, soft murmurs began to rise in his ears—sometimes delicate, sometimes sharp, sometimes ethereal, sometimes alluring, sometimes agitated, sometimes wildly mad. Though he couldn't understand what the murmurs were saying, Zhou Mingrui found himself drawn to listen, to distinguish them. His head ached again, sharply, as if a steel spike had been driven deep into it. Zhou Mingrui felt his mind about to burst, his thoughts tinged with a dreamlike haze. He knew something was wrong, desperately trying to open his eyes, yet could not manage this simple act. His body grew increasingly tense, as though it might snap at any moment. Suddenly, a self-deprecating thought came to him: "If you don't make a fool of yourself, you won't die at all." As the tension in his mind reached its breaking point, the overlapping murmurs of countless voices faded away, leaving the surroundings remarkably quiet and ethereal. Not only the atmosphere, but his own body felt equally weightless and elusive. He tried to open his eyes again, and this time it was effortless. A diffused gray mist filled his vision—hazy, blurred, and boundless. "What on earth is going on?" Zhou Mingrui stared around in astonishment, then looked down to find himself floating at the edge of an endless gray mist. A gray mist flowed like water, dotted with deep red "stars" of varying sizes—some large, some small, some hidden deep within, others floating at the surface. Gazing at this scene, which resembled a holographic display, Zhou Mingrui extended his right hand, half puzzled, half exploring, reaching out to touch one of the deep red "stars" floating on the surface, in search of a way to leave. As his fingers just made contact with the surface of that star, ripples surged from his body, causing the deep red to burst into a dazzling, dreamlike flame. Zhou Mingrui jumped in surprise, hastily withdrawing his hand, only to accidentally brush against another deep red star. In response, that star also brightened dramatically. As a result, Zhou Mingrui felt his mind grow hazy and his spirit scattered. "Mirror, mirror, wake up..." "I command you to awaken, by the name of the House of Hall!" ...She tried countless variations of words, yet the mirror remained unresponsive. After more than fifteen minutes, she finally gave up, pressed her lips together with a pout, and murmured softly: "Father is indeed deceiving me. Every time, he tells me this mirror is a precious relic from the ancient Black Emperor of the Kingdom of Solomon—something truly extraordinary..." Before she had finished speaking, the bronze mirror on the table suddenly burst into deep crimson light, instantly enveloping her. At that moment, a deep red surged between the glass bottle and his palm, instantly engulfing the surrounding area. ... Above a haze of gray and white, Audrey Hall regained her sight, gazing around with a mix of fear and confusion, and noticed across from her a man whose head was blurred and whose figure was hazy, performing the same actions. Soon after, they both simultaneously spotted a mysterious figure standing a little distance away, enveloped in a gray-white mist. The "mysterious figure," Zhou Mingrui, was equally stunned. "Excuse me, where are we?" "What would you like to do?" Audrey and Aljer exchanged a moment of silence, then spoke at the same time.