Above the gray mist, the majestic palace stood still and unwavering. Cain tapped rhythmically along the edge of the bronze long table, concentrating on the strategy he would adopt in response to the threats posed by the Aurora Society and Mr. A. Without being able to fully grasp the other party's true intentions, an instinctive thought arose: report Mr. A! Report the unauthorized gathering! Cain could easily obtain the location of Mr. A's gathering from the "Magician" lady and then discreetly inform the night watchmen, the substitute penitents, or the Mechanical Heart. A divine envoy from the Aurora Society would surely command sufficient attention! At that point, Mr. A would likely be unable to protect himself, let alone pursue the followers of "The Fool." The issue, however, was that this course of action would inevitably involve a group of innocent extraordinary beings, and Cain suspected this might precisely be the reason Mr. A had issued a direct reward for the followers of "The Fool." He might have already laid out a clear escape plan—should someone come forward with a complaint, he could unambiguously confirm that there were "Fool" attendees at the previous gathering. As for exactly who it was, that detail didn't matter at all. Mr. A and the madmen of the Aurora Society would absolutely be capable of catching the wrong people and leaving no stone unturned! Once a非凡者 fell into their hands, most of them simply couldn't keep their secrets any longer. The Aurora Society—especially the "Shepherd" path represented by the "True Maker"—was particularly skilled at tainting others. When a非凡者's worldview completely unraveled and they genuinely came to believe in the "True Maker," what secrets could remain hidden? There were certainly other ways, but it was best not to report it. Caine leaned back in his chair, calming his scattered thoughts and reorganizing the entire matter in his mind. As he thought deeper, he suddenly realized a problem: There were no believers or followers of the "Fool" in the world at all! Even the members of the Tarot Circle were only a few, and no one had ever disclosed the details. That meant the Aurora Circle had absolutely no leads—nothing to worry about at all. The only negative outcome would be that "The Fool" had been registered with "The True Maker" and was now under constant watch by a malevolent deity, which wasn't exactly pleasant, but otherwise, it wouldn't significantly impact anything else. Kline nodded thoughtfully. He had carefully considered the matter: the only flaw was his past use of the password for "The Fool," derived from the ancient Hermes document, for an anonymous account. However, since the rituals of sacrifice and bestowal had been proven effective, that account had long since been deactivated and forgotten. The fact that no one had been noticed or approached by Kline for the past month and a half to retrieve or copy the password clearly indicated the situation. Thus, bank clerks who had encountered the cipher but clearly lacked familiarity with esoteric traditions could no longer reveal the matter to anyone else, and the extraordinary ones could only inquire in Runes—despite finding the right person, the recipient would fail to connect the Rune-based descriptions with the ancient Hermes cipher. If someone had transcribed it, I would have known immediately and been able to respond effectively. Moreover, even if the cipher's issues were discovered, it would be difficult to trace back to Sherlock Moriarty; each time, I employed certain measures—“Justice” had also been exceedingly careful with her savings. With the soft, rhythmic tapping, Crane relaxed and smiled lightly: "You assume that the 'Cardinal' has many followers and devotees, and therefore must necessarily leave behind numerous indelible traces? Wrong. Completely wrong. The followers and devotees of the 'Cardinal' are only one—myself!" "With that, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, self-conscious: 'This doesn't seem like something worth being proud of...' Recently, he had to be more cautious—avoiding the title of 'The Fool'...克莱恩 reminded himself, then turned to respond to the 'Magician' lady's plea. He adjusted his posture and spoke softly and calmly: 'Don't worry about it.' "The True Maker... Folshe's eyes widened suddenly, and she instantly grasped why Mr. A had suddenly sought out followers of the 'Cardinal.' The young 'Sun' from Silver City, with the help of the Tarot Circle, had successfully exposed the exploration team's anomalies and thwarted the 'True Maker's' plans! Behind this development lay the ongoing struggle and confrontation between the 'Cardinal' and the 'True Maker.' Folshe didn't dare ask any further questions; instead, she briefly recounted her encounter with members of the Abraham family, mentioning Laurence's will, the unusual notebook, and the extraordinary qualities left behind by the other. 'Respected Sir Cardinal, what should I do?' she asked, somewhat uncertain. What should I do? The 'Magician' has truly been fortunate. Why haven't I experienced something like this? Klein chuckled, responding, 'Simply do what feels most authentic to you.' He had no concern whatsoever that Dorian Gray of the Port Prizel Fishermen's Association would pose any threat to the "Magician" lady, for he knew her bracelet still held two stones, enabling two more spirit translocations. My truest thoughts? Firth thoughtfully lowered her head and said: "I understand. Thank you, Sir 'The Fool.'” She decided to purchase a steam train ticket tomorrow—by this means, the journey from Beckland to Port Prizel takes just under an hour, possibly even less. After reporting all matters, Firth requested a sacrifice and a bestowal ceremony, which was granted, and thus secured the exceptional trait of "Constable" with a cash payment of 600 pounds. Holding up the child-punch-shaped object composed of three colors—iron black, deep crimson, and silver white—and gazing at its beautiful spiritual luminescence, Folveth felt both delighted and awestruck. "Rest has already gathered all the auxiliary materials; she'll soon advance to Sequence 8. But I still don't know when I'll become a Master of Tricks. I hope the gentlemen from 'The Turned One' can help me find the corresponding extraordinary materials soon. Rest has been unconsciously playing the role of Arbiter—there's no concern about her adapting to Sequence 9 potions. But once she becomes a Constable, what then? Should I request instruction in the art of 'playing the part' from the gentleman from 'The Fool,' at a certain cost, or simply suggest she join the police force?... "Now I have 1,230 pounds, just short of 300 more to cover the cost of a Sequence 6 exceptional material—though, of course, 1,500 pounds is merely the minimum; actual transactions often come in well above that." "Where can I find additional funds recently?" "Once the bicycle patent is issued, could I sell a portion of my shares?" "Oh—right! I almost forgot about the Tarot's special provisions. The 'Lupine' exceptional trait can't be sold in Beckett yet, to avoid detection by the high-sequence members of the Rose School, but it can certainly be marketed elsewhere! At the next gathering, let 'World' take the lead and commission 'The Hanged Man' to sell this item on the Sunia Sea, with a commission as compensation." "After deducting all expenses, the 'Lupine' exceptional trait should yield me at least 1,000 pounds—enough to fully cover the cost of one Sequence 6 exceptional material." Klein quickly formed a clear plan, and felt a sense of calm settle in his mind. What he regretted most was that Miss Huxley seemed to have little means of her own—once she became a "Constable," even if she could quickly absorb the potion, it would take her a long time to afford the extraordinary trait corresponding to the "Inquisitor." And if Miss Magician were to be chosen by the Abraham family, then his subsequent "Astrologer" potion recipes would no longer sell. Truly, it was a pity. Klein sighed and returned to the real world. ........ Wednesday morning. Klein did not find it difficult to fall asleep despite the attention from the "True Maker" and the investigations by the Aurora Society; he woke up refreshed and went out to buy a Daisy Puff for breakfast. A Daisy Puff, without doubt, must be served with sweet iced tea. While enjoying his meal and sipping his tea, he glanced at the newspaper and came across an advertisement from Ernst & Co., learning that an gathering of extraordinary individuals would be convened by the esteemed "Eye of Wisdom" gentleman that evening. "This time, I can finally seek out the corresponding extraordinary materials... though I'm likely to find only auxiliary ones—things like 'the hair of the deep-sea Naiads'..." Klein carefully considered the various channels through which he could gather these materials. He spread his left hand and silently counted on his fingers: "The internal networks of the Tarot Circle, including the small 'Sun,' the 'Hanged Man' gentleman, and the 'Justice' lady; the gatherings hosted by the old gentleman of 'The Eye of Wisdom'; the bodyguard lady and Mariqi, though I should try to avoid contacting them lately; and, oh yes, there's also Mr. Emlyn White, the vampire—he mentioned he could write letters to some powerful bloodline members for advice. That's networking!" With this thought, Klein immediately decided to visit Emlyn White at the Harvest Church today. Although the Aurora Circle wouldn't likely be able to trace him, the matter still gave him a sense of urgency, motivating him to swiftly collect the extraordinary materials and, once the potions were fully absorbed, quickly advance to Sequence 6. At 10 a.m., in the southern section of the bridge, on the street of roses. Clain, dressed in a long double-breasted suit, removed his half-high silk hat and walked slowly into the modest church of harvest. At a glance, he spotted Father Utravsky, towering like a giant, in his brown clerical robe, and Emlyn White, who was wiping candlesticks with a look of numbness as though his heart had already ceased to beat. Indeed, it was quite a coincidence... Wait—wouldn't he be staying here all day, only returning home in the evening? Clain casually found a seat, and there were no more than five worshippers in the church. Emlyn White also noticed him, set down his cloth, and walked over to sit beside him. The vampire's expression instantly came alive; he raised his chin slightly and said, "You've suddenly come here—do you have something to ask me for help?"