If the " Fool" had merely mentioned that the journal of Roscelle contained some simple common sense, the " Hanged Man" Aljer might never have resolved to pay a "fee" and seek the answer. On one hand, the very word "simple" would dull curiosity; on the other, he remained ever vigilant about the exchange with the "Fool," recalling instances where he had bargained with demonic deities. Now, however, having learned what these simple common sense points entailed, he was deeply intrigued—yet could not fully grasp certain descriptions, let alone connect them to reality and deeply internalize them. Thus, he asked with restrained yet absolute respect: "Mr. Fool, what would you like as your fee?" Ah! "Justice" Audrey nodded slightly and frequently, indicating that this too was something she had wanted to ask. "Sun" Deryck remained silent, with no excess body language, yet the quiet shift of his gaze toward the "Fool" conveyed everything. Klein smiled, anticipating a similar response: "Information regarding the Conclave." "The Conclave..." Alger murmured, barely audible. He was familiar with the term—he had once been paid to explain various secret organizations to the Lady Justice, among them the Conclave. Audrey and Deryck both unconsciously furrowed their brows. Audrey's knowledge of the Conclave was limited to what Alger had described, while Deryck had never heard of it at all. Klein had long anticipated the sensation of "the Sun," finding it entirely unsurprising. In his expectations, the region where the City of Silver stood—becoming "the forsaken land of the gods"—should have occurred between the emergence of the first and second Tablets of Desecration, during a certain phase of the Third Age, and possibly even directly triggering or manifesting as the Great Cataclysm itself. The Charatou family only entered the historical stage in the Fourth Age, and the founding of the Convent of the Silent was a development from the latter half of that age—therefore, no overlap between the two was possible. Should "the Sun" be aware of the Convent, Klein would have been genuinely startled, compelled to revise certain assumptions and reconstruct his understanding of the City of Silver, the forsaken land, and the Charatou family. After a pause of several seconds, "The Hangman" Aljer turned toward "The Fool" in the gray mist, carefully speaking: "I will accept this commission and gather information about the Convent for you." "May I receive advance payment for the fee?" It is no surprise at all that a being seemingly divine should be interested in an ancient and secretive organization—Algier had no doubts about this. More importantly, after several gatherings, he gradually formed a hunch: the State of the "Fool" was far from perfect. He might be facing certain difficulties, and all his efforts, as well as the actions of his followers across the northern and southern continents, were aimed at freeing him from constraints, allowing him greater freedom. This could even involve the great secret—the fact that, after the Fourth Age, the Seven Deities no longer descended into the mortal world. As Algier's thought flashed through him, he felt a tremor, as though stepping firmly into the realm of the divine. Upon hearing the "Hangman's" request, Caine leaned back against the chair and gently nodded, saying, "No problem." "Should the intelligence you gather exceed the value of the answer, I will compensate you additionally." As for what constitutes exceeding the value of the answer, of course, it shall be decided by the esteemed "Fool"先生—he shall be considered to have exceeded it if he is able to pay an additional fee, and if not, then he shall not. Clary silently added this to her thoughts. "Justice" Audrey instantly brightened and raised her hand, saying, "I would like to join this arrangement." Clary smiled and replied, "Certainly." To be frank, his primary objective was actually "Justice" Miss Audrey, as she was the local power in Beckland and had established strong connections within several circles of extraordinary individuals, keeping her well-informed about developments in "The Place of Hope"—a level of awareness that surpassed even his own initial arrival in the capital and outpaced the long-standing maritime figure known as "The Hanged Man."—According to the earlier divinatory insights, Clary believed the clues of the Convent would emerge in Beckland, rather than elsewhere. "Sun" Deryck listened quietly, then thought for a moment before saying, "I would like to exchange my accumulated compensation for the answer." "In the previous three-way trade, he had only exchanged his Sequence 8 'Mind Reader' formula for a Sequence 9 'Hymn Singer' formula. Klein had promised to compensate him, and at the time, his choice was to accumulate these for future potion formulas and primary materials. Klein nodded and delivered the explanation he had prepared in advance: "The concept of 'adjacent sequences' refers to several pathways that can be interchanged within higher sequences." "For instance, the Sequence 5 'Gatekeeper' in the 'Death' path not only advances normally but can also choose to transition into the 'Giants' path—specifically, the Sequence 4 'Hunter' in the 'War God' path." "This does not pose a risk of instability or accumulate madness; it is not equivalent to consuming the wrong potion." "Of course, if the sequences are not adjacent, a partial madness would be the best outcome." "Can they be interchanged?" Audrey, representing 'Justice,' exclaimed, her voice filled with both surprise and delight. To her surprise, the sequence pathways were not entirely fixed—she did not have to follow the original route strictly, nor did she have to pay the price of going half-mad and being permanently barred from advancement. Among the twenty-two divine pathways, there were indeed special cases, even pathways that were closely similar. What brought her joy was that she now had the opportunity to choose again—just like selecting items she liked in a department store such as Philip's. That was a truly delightful experience! Yet soon, he recalled a past incident from the City of Silver: the former Chief, the strongest candidate to break through the limits of the "Hunter," had built a tomb deep beneath the city and moved into it, making it his home. Afterward, he appeared less and less, until eventually the gates of the tomb could no longer be opened. At that time, the people of the City of Silver believed the Chief had suffered a setback during his ascension, becoming mad—nearly uncontrollable—until he ultimately resolved his own condition. Now, in light of the description of "The Fool," "The Sun" suddenly considered another possibility: perhaps the Chief had been attempting to advance into a nearby sequence! During an expedition into the depths of darkness, he had acquired the corresponding formula for the "Death" path, and the tomb might have been a special requirement. Yet ultimately, he had failed—so why had he not become a monster? What exactly had transpired within that dark tomb? The Silver City has no sequence-level potion recipes after the "Hunter of Monsters"? As ideas flowed, Deryck was suddenly jolted awake by the poised, restrained voice of the "Justice" lady: "Mr. 'The Fool,' I'd like to ask—which pathways can the 'Audience' pathway exchange with at higher sequences?" Sequence 4, "Hunter of Monsters"—that sounds excellent. It's perfect for me, perfect for 'Justice'! Audrey was particularly pleased to have learned her first high-sequence name. I'd also like to know... what I'd like to say in response to 'Justice'’s question. Before he could speak, Audrey added, with a sense of unease: "I can pay for the answer to this question—I'd like to know, how much would you recommend in gold pounds?" I think, I think, the attendants under your care will need a certain amount of operational funds... As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that the attendant of the "Fool" had easily defeated Admiral Zilings, the pirate general suffering from "Crawling Hunger"—clearly a high-tier strength—so she almost said, "Excuse me, Sir Fool, never mind I asked." But once a question has been asked, one cannot retreat! Encourage yourself, Odile—perhaps the "Fool" still has some weaker attendants? Odile bit her lower lip gently and silently bolstered her own resolve. Pounds? After careful consideration, Caine said: "Once the Conclave has gathered sufficient intelligence, we'll proceed with this transaction." As he spoke, he recalled his informant within the Psychological Alchemy Circle, Dastur Goodrian. Both I and the captain—well, well, oh… the informant identity of Dastar can no longer be verified. I'm not sure whether this is a tragedy or a comedy. Unfortunately, we can no longer reach him; otherwise, the intelligence we'd gather through the "audience" route would have been the most convenient. Klein raised a corner of his mouth. "Good," Audrey replied cheerfully. The conversation between them caused the "Hanged Man," who had been trying to ask nearly the same questions, to close his mouth and wait until enough information from the Conclave had been gathered. After a brief silence, Audrey glanced slightly toward the "Fool" and gave a small, subtle nod. Upon receiving a confirming nod, she turned to the member across from her and asked with genuine anticipation: "Mr. Hanged Man, your intelligence has resolved the major general of the 'Hurricane'—are you now ready to receive the complete hypothalamus of the fully mature seven-colored iguana?" "That's one of the reasons why I returned to the sea..." Aljere nodded gently. "I've already secured the extraordinary material you desired." "But how do I give it to you?" How do I give it to you? How do I give it to you? Oudelir froze, lost in thought. It couldn't be delivered directly to my address... nor could it go through Hoo and Forse—that would reveal my identity as a remarkable one. Hmm, perhaps it wasn't impossible after all. The Emperor Rosel had once said: when two options each have drawbacks, choose the one with the lesser burden. At that moment, Cline's mind sparked with an idea. With a light tap on the edge of the long table, he smiled. "Madam, sir, would either of you be willing to cooperate with me on this attempt?"