In the captain's cabin, Galadrya slowly crawled up from the floor, silent, and walked to the full-length mirror beside the bookshelf. In the mirror, her face appeared pale and smooth, with no visible fissures; her ears were normal and delicate, neither enlarged nor distorted, and her deep-purple black eyes remained calm and steady, as though nothing had happened at all. Yet Galadryya's eyes—carrying a certain mysterious quality—saw more: beneath the skin, still not fully dissolved, the flesh resembling eyes; the spirit, once wracked with pain and madness, now rapidly fading away; countless ethereal forms, indescribable in shape, drifting through the room; and the sailors cleaning the deck in several rooms away—all of these appeared vividly and disordered within her field of vision, clearly visible within a radius of several tens of meters. Since the day she became a Sequence 5 "Astrologer," her "Observer" ability has been greatly enhanced, and now she can faintly perceive multiple thick veils of shadowy substance surrounding her—beyond which, something seems to be watching her, watching all living beings. There's no trace of influence from the "Fool" gentleman; in fact, this speaks volumes. His ability to directly draw her spirit body into that mysterious realm is both strange and powerful, and profoundly concealed—something that cannot be matched even by his semi-divine staff. Though he wears contemporary attire, this says little; for beings of his caliber, appearing differently to different observers is a matter of course. Indeed, his true form may well overwhelm and drive every one who gazes upon him to utter a silent, final collapse. Gauthier gazes into the mirror, silently reflecting on what has just transpired. As for the identity of the "Knight of Fools," she inevitably had some speculations—yet these were only speculations, entirely without evidence. "The fact that He wears a formal tailcoat does not imply that He is young, newly born. Perhaps His essence is ancient, even older than the Seven Deities. The knowledge that has come to me over time suggests that before the Great Cataclysm, there existed even older deities. He might very well be one of them." Gauthier murmured this silently to herself, then turned away from the full-length mirror and walked back to where she had previously struggled, picking up the frames of her glasses that had fallen beside her. She settled the heavy glasses firmly on her nose, shielding her deep violet eyes, and as a result, all that lay outside the realm of ordinary vision swiftly vanished from her field of view. Gauthier stood there, once again reflecting on the identity of the "Knight of Fools" and the implications the Tarot would have for her. Unconsciously, a tall figure floated in her mind, and once again, the words that had remained etched in her memory echoed in her ears: "Leave, for your fate does not lie with me." Is this my fate, Your Majesty? Gauthier closed her eyes. ........ In the ancient, majestic palace rising above the gray mist. Caine lightly tapped the edge of the weathered long table, causing all the Tarot cards to vanish. He was pondering the next steps regarding the addition of the "Star General" to the Tarot Circle: "If no other option arises, perhaps I truly must depart the safe route and enter the ocean shaped from the ruins of the divine wars, in search of the mermaid's song. At that point, the 'Hermit,' who fears the ' Fool' and thus can be more reliably controlled, would clearly prove more dependable than the ice-crowned generals like Edwena, my collaborators. In that case, using her vessels would be safer... Ah, the 'Hanged Man' would serve as a backup option." "The 'Star Above' is a member of the Mo Shu Ascetic Order, possessing extensive knowledge that is highly beneficial to the Tarot Order. Yet, for me, this presents a certain vulnerability—the image of the 'Fool' is built upon an air of profound mystery. Moving forward, I must be more cautious, refusing to answer with answers I don't fully understand. When uncertain, I will opt for ambiguity, even adopting a more mystical, vague approach. Of course, to fully resolve such issues, I must rapidly enhance my own capabilities and soon emerge as a high-tier powerhouse—my strength must match my rank, and my standard must align with my stature. Klein exhaled, his figure vanishing into the gray mist. ........... Beckland, beneath the Saint Samuel Church. A night watchman wearing red gloves entered the temporary office assigned to their team, holding a telegram. "Captain, something's happened at the port of Enmater," he said excitedly to the "Requiem" Sorcerer, Ostor. Ostor ran a hand through his hair on the right side of his scalp. "What kind of situation?" "The latest development concerning the 'Fool'—the 'Fool' that the Aurora is seeking." The watchman handed him the telegram. Ostor's reply immediately drew the attention of several other red-gloved watchmen, including the one in the corner, who had his chair tilted back, his feet resting on the table, his hat shading his face as if he were dozing off, a dark-haired man with green eyes. Ostor took the telegram, glanced at it, and smiled immediately. "Someone claimed to be one of his followers, attempting to swindle them—only to be struck dead by a lightning bolt the moment his name was spoken." "There truly is a hidden figure known as the ' Fool'..." All case files related to the two Tarot rituals and the 'Fool' have been handed over to Sost's Red Glove team for investigation. Yet, despite their efforts, they remain without clear leads and are not particularly prioritizing this matter, as they have other assignments on their plate. "Does the 'Fool' possess the ability of lightning?" Leonard Mitchell removed the black hat covering his face. "Who knows? If he is an embodiment of a long-time friend who has already prepared the appropriate magical items, he could certainly achieve similar feats—this has happened before, especially among the pseudo-gods of the southern continent and the colonial islands. Hah! That deceiver claimed the 'Fool' was an incarnation of the 'Lord of Storms'; perhaps that's precisely why he was struck by lightning, rather than dying in any other way." Sost casually tossed the telegram aside. Leonard glanced at it, lifted his feet, leaned slightly to one side, and murmured, "Don't intend to investigate further?" "How would one even begin to look?" "You're pretending to be ignorant and reciting his holy name?" Sostre chuckled. It was likely to catch the "Fool" off guard, but I'd probably be done with this world by now—my "nightmare" has been well digested, and I've just acquired another fine item. There are still many cases ahead of me. How could I possibly rest? Leonard combed his falling hair. "Could we try a few death-row inmates?" "He could simply remain unresponsive," Sostre shook his head. "Let's start with the two cases involving Tarot rituals. I'm growing more convinced that this is tied to the 'Fool.' First, the 'Fool' is the foundational card of the Tarot deck. Second, the organization that seeks out or pursues his followers is the Aurora Society, and the first case involving a Tarot ritual—the Lan'uris case—has disrupted their attempt to summon the 'True Creator.' " Leonard adjusted his black jacket and stood up. Sostre thought seriously and said, "The leads for the other cases have also just dried up. For now, we have nothing urgent to attend to. You might try revisiting two of the Tarot ritual cases." "Sounds good," Leonard replied with a smile. This was exactly what he had hoped for—using a case that had gone unresolved and remained unnoticed to gain a period of uninterrupted action. …… At 2:50 p.m., Foresse shivered as she returned home from the cold, damp street. She hadn’t wanted to go out in such wet and chilly weather, but her household supplies had been completely depleted, and Hugh had gone in pursuit of a fugitive to claim his reward, heading toward Prince’s Harbor. She didn’t know when he would return. "He always instinctively pursues and captures fugitives—perhaps in a way, he’s playing that role," Foresse thought. Holding a large brown paper bag, she habitually reached for her key to open the mailbox and pulled out the letters and bills inside. Once inside the room, she laid out the food, removed her thick coat that had been tightly wrapped around her, and began to go through the letters. Suddenly, her eyes lit up—there was a letter from her teacher, Dorian Gray. Since she had been promoted to "Master of Illusions," she had immediately written to Dorian Gray to express her excitement, hoping to receive his congratulations and further guidance. But after several days had passed without a reply, she had grown somewhat concerned and had even considered visiting Prestwick Port herself. She quickly opened the envelope and began to read: “…I’m sorry it’s only now that I’m writing back. I had been away from Prestwick Port for a while, attending the funeral of a relative.” “…Your talent fills me with satisfaction. Perhaps the stories you carry within have helped you embody your role more fully. Once you’ve fully absorbed the Master of Illusions’ elixir, in addition to the Sequence 7 ‘Astrologer’ recipe and certain materials, I’ll also present you with a gift… The essence of the Master of Illusions lies in ‘performance’ and ‘deception’—‘deception’ may also be rendered as ‘fraud,’ a truth verified across generations of exceptional beings. You may find the roles of ‘Fraudster’ and ‘Magician’ through alternative paths share similar connotations…” Forsyth exhaled, glanced at the wall clock, and quickly returned to her bedroom, locking the door behind her. The weekly Tarot gathering was approaching. Not long after, a deep crimson light surged forth, flowing like water, engulfing everything. Within the ancient and mysterious palace, Forsyth was about to turn her gaze toward the Sir of the Fool when she suddenly noticed a new figure standing beside her. That position had always been vacant! A new member? A woman? "The Magician" Firth's eyes flickered slightly, and she casually half-turned her body, pretending not to notice. Another new member? A woman... "Justice" was about to rise to greet "The Fool" when she suddenly spotted a stranger. She felt both puzzled and eager, noticing a subtle issue: women on one side, men on the other. This should have been a deliberate arrangement by "The Fool" himself—perhaps with symbolic significance. Ah, yes—the women on the left, the men on the right, and those neither left nor right, who can't be defined by gender—the "Fool" himself, and of course, "The World." Hm. Could it be that even "The World" is neither male nor female, not quite human at all?