Emlyn clasped his hands together unconsciously, lifted his chin, and looked steadily at the "Magician" lady across the table. "I have confirmed that the matter of the abandoned ancestral castle in Delair Forest is an internal test conducted by the vampire house—specifically, one that has deliberately concealed several crucial details." As he spoke, the weight that had been pressing on his mind seemed to lift, and he no longer appeared as hesitant, uncertain, or embarrassed as he had in the past few days. He glanced around, observing the reactions of the "Keeper" lady and the "Hanged Man" gentleman, and noticed that they seemed well-prepared, entirely unsurprised. It appeared that when the "Magician" lady had first raised concerns about the information's accuracy, they had already begun to suspect something. Emlyn nodded to himself silently, and before the "Magician" Folshe could respond, added two more points: "I sincerely apologize. I will refund you 300 pounds for the information fee, and additionally, I will compensate you with another 300 pounds. Furthermore, I will take disciplinary action against the specific vampire house that intentionally provided incomplete information." Although the "Moon" gentleman always maintained an air of arrogance, he was remarkably sincere when it came to admitting mistakes and never sought excuses to shift responsibility... Nevertheless, I've already secured the curse items and residual spirits of the ancient spirit, the matter has now been resolved, and he hasn't intentionally harmed either me or Thorne—there's no need for him to demand excessive compensation... "Magician" Folshe remembered Thorne's instructions, didn't look at her directly, and spoke calmly: "This is merely a oversight. No compensation is needed—returning the information fee will be sufficient." As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly recalled something: since the information about the abandoned castle originated from the vampires' probing, had it not been the case that she and Thorne might now already be under surveillance by vampire members? Folshe finally couldn't hold back any longer and glanced at Thorne. To her relief, the "Judgment" lady gently shook her head, indicating that she hadn't noticed either of them being monitored. This... Folshe found herself puzzled, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She then scattered her thoughts, recalling the state at that time: "We didn't set out immediately—we waited for some time before beginning our exploration. Had the vampire clan lost patience waiting for us? Did the innkeeper in the town know about the abandoned castle? He was posing as a vampire? No, actually, many locals were aware of this. But the castle was so remote, and there wasn't much of value left behind, so unless someone happened to pass by while hunting or foraging, few people visited it regularly... "Wait—the castle was so dangerous. Why did people who had simply sheltered there during the rain report no issues, only that it felt eerie and unsettling? Ah, perhaps the vampires usually sealed off the underground passages, and they only opened them temporarily to test our progress. That suggests there was indeed monitoring in place. "Um, was the monitoring located outside the forest, rather than inside the castle? Since we got lost and took a detour, we bypassed the monitors and went unnoticed? "The 'Tradesman' didn't seem to raise any concerns—so everything should be fine. I'll just keep an eye out upon our return!" In the span of a thought, "Luna" Emlyn murmured, "…Very well." He did not insist on doubling the intelligence fee, for he believed the best form of compensation was to impose a sanction upon Oines Bolyar rather than offer monetary recompense. Then, he waited for the "Magician" lady to inquire how he intended to proceed, hoping to use this moment to consult with the other members of the Tarot gathering and gather favorable suggestions. As for "Magician" Fols, he considered it an internal matter of the House of Blood, and though he himself was the victim, since "Luna" had not proactively proposed a course of action, he felt it prudent not to press too hard, but instead to simply await the outcome and see whether it satisfied the other party. The palace, resembling a great hall, grew quiet, and the atmosphere became somewhat unusual. "Justice" Audrey glanced across the table, then toward the side, her lips slightly pressed together, and asked curiously, "Mr. Luna, what specific sanction do you intend to impose upon that noble of the Blood?" "Hmph..." Emlyn exhaled silently, unconsciously glancing at "The World" Germain Sparo and saying, "He's also acting under orders from above. In my opinion, his mistake doesn't necessarily require him to pay with his life." Emlyn's unspoken implication was, "World," you needn't intervene—this matter doesn't need to be handled so dramatically. Seeing that "The World" Germain Sparo didn't respond at the lowest end of the bronze table, Emlyn turned his gaze toward the other side. "I intend to bring that bloodline to one of the churches of the Earth Mother Church in Bekland." Having attended so many Tarot gatherings, even though Emlyn might otherwise be indifferent to minor details, he knew that to conceal his presence in the real world, so he didn't specifically mention the Harvest Church. There is only one church of the Earth Mother Church in the city of Bekland—the Harvest Church! The rest are located in the suburbs and surrounding rural areas... "Stellar" Leonard held back a smile, looking up at the lofty dome. "You want the extraordinary members of the Earth Mother Church to purify that vampire?" "Magician" Vorths exclaimed in surprise. In her eyes, this was no different from simply killing them! "Um..." "Lunar" Emlin found himself at a loss for words. At that moment, "The Hidden One" Gardeleia stepped in: "The Earth Mother Church has a tradition of drawing vampires into the fold, converting them to new faiths and making them priests and bishops." "Ah, so that's the case..." "Justice" Odile glanced thoughtfully at her counterpart, "The Lunar," without letting her notice. Making that vampire a clergy member, requiring him to attend church regularly, volunteer, and engage in spiritual practices—making it difficult for him to escape for a long time... The way "The Lunar" has planned his punishment is indeed severe... But I like it! That fellow nearly corrupted me and Thew, turning us into ancient spirits of malice... "The Magician" Folshe grew interested and asked, "Mr. Moon, how do you intend to bring that vampire to the Church of the Earth Mother? Do you have a well-developed plan? Perhaps I can assist—though you must be careful, for if you're determined to punish him, don't let yourself end up inside the Church of the Earth Mother yourself. Otherwise, you'll only be able to turn to 'The Fool' for help." Of course, that might precisely be what 'The Fool' intends—having several of his own within the Church of the Earth Mother... Folshe silently added this to her thoughts. Upon hearing her words, "The Star" Leonard nearly burst into laughter. He was certain beyond doubt that "Mr. Moon" was Emlyn White of the Harvest Church—clearly, this vampire had already become a priest of the Earth Mother! This is rather like a person drowning, pulling others under with them... Leonard suppressed a smile and glanced at "The World" Germain Spauld, only to find his former colleague utterly still, deeply composed. It made him wonder: Was this the strength of the Clown, or had Klein grown accustomed to this state? At the head of the weathered long table, "The Fool" Klein nearly reached for his mouth, surprised by Emlyn's creativity! It was reminiscent of a pyramid scheme, yet different—after all, Emlyn knew this wasn't good news. Klein leaned back against the chair, eager to see what came next. ——During the last session, "Justice" had advised him not to wear his thick mask all the time, and he had remembered that advice, making a conscious effort to do so whenever possible, to maintain his mental well-being. And upon hearing the concerned words from the "Sorceress" lady, Emlyn—the one known as "the Moon"—felt more embarrassed than ever, as he now had to visit the Mother Earth's church several times every day, finding even the thought of taking a weekend break rather uncomfortable. Clearing his throat again, he added: "I haven't yet finalized a well-thought-out plan. I'd like to hear your thoughts—well, I hope we can avoid particularly intense battles, as that would be difficult to manage, and I'd also like to remain anonymous. To the 'Sorceress' lady, you're welcome to participate, but we absolutely must avoid any face-to-face meetings." By "remaining anonymous," he meant that the other vampires, particularly Ones. Bojal, should not be able to deduce that it was his actions involved—this would serve as a form of intimidation, though ideally without concrete evidence. The "Sorceress" Folshe nodded, echoing the seasoned presence one often sees at social gatherings: "First of all, could you tell us what sequence level the vampire is roughly at, and what strengths or specialties he possesses?" "Moon" Emlin spoke with preparedness: "Equivalent to Sequence 5, with solid combat experience, particularly skilled at creating a full moon effect..." Full moon effect? "Magician" Forlith blinked, opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word. Only after Emlin had finished her introduction did she manage a dry smile and say: "I recall now—I have other matters that might make it difficult for me to participate." When she's in a state akin to a full moon, she hears Mr. Door's murmurs! That means she'll be instantly overwhelmed and incapacitated by the target vampire's attack! Emlin furrowed her brows, puzzled by the "Magician"’s shifting attitude. At that moment, "Judgment" Xue stepped forward, speaking up quietly: "I'd like to join, provided I receive a share of the spoils." "The Lady of Judgment spoke with such determination, as if she were determined to exact revenge..." Emlyn of the Moon murmured to herself, glancing at the Lady of the Hermit and the Sir of the Tower, both of whom remained silent, seemingly eager to observe what kind of plan the members of the Tarot Circle in Beckett could come up with. Since this involved a friend and might well be the first joint task undertaken by the Tarot Circle members, Lady Justice Odile found the matter particularly interesting. After observing carefully, she now said thoughtfully: "I might be able to hypnotize that vampire and have him go on his own to the Mother Earth's church. However, to remain undetected and achieve a high success rate, I'll need the vampire to be in a state of drowsiness or semi-comatose when I begin the hypnosis—could you manage that, Sir of the Moon?" "Moon" Emlin was just about to combine his own abilities with his possessions to consider possible solutions when "Star" Leonard suddenly chuckled: "This is simple—though I only take responsibility for putting that vampire into a state of unconsciousness. Of course, that depends on having accurate information, especially regarding the vampire's movement patterns." As soon as he finished speaking, "Judgment" Hoo nodded and said: "I'm skilled in tracking and investigation—I can handle the information gathering." "Yes, first of all, 'Moon' Emlin, could you please tell me the vampire's name, address, and appearance?" "Very well." Emlin exhaled in relief, then seemed slightly puzzled, asking, "So, within this entire matter, what exactly do I need to do? And what do you expect in return?" PS: Everyone mentioned in this chapter not to get impatient, since the new version of the platform has a very high delay. Sometimes, it may take up to two hours to see your own posts and others' posts. Sometimes, even though it shows dozens of entries, when you click in, there are only a few. Well, around two hours should be normal—two hours.