Ince Zangwill, huh… but after the Tarot Club ends, I still have to go hunting the "Spirit World Plunderer" in Calderón City together with Sharon…
What's more, I'm not even confident right now that I can keep Ince behind.
While sighing faintly inwardly, Klein manipulated "The World" to nod and say, "I know." After that, there was no follow-up.
"Star" Leonard wanted to ask what he planned to do so that he could cooperate on his side, but then he thought of how the other party's actions weren't completely free and still had to obey "Mr. Fool's" orders. His lips moved a few times, yet he ultimately didn't ask.
At this moment, Ebner interjected with a smile, "I'm also in Indo Harbor right now. If it's inconvenient for you to receive the item I helped you craft, I can deliver it to you directly."
That old monster Rhine also came to Indo? Leonard's expression stiffened, and he hurriedly said, "No need to trouble you… once I have some free time, I'll set up the ritual to receive it."
Speaking of which, after the battle at Tingen Cemetery, Leonard had become very wary of Ebner. After all, the other party seemed to be on good terms with Alvin Abraham, and that individual was very likely coveting the old man's extraordinary characteristics.
Perhaps it was precisely because the old man had foreseen this that he had Leonard chant "Mr. Fool's" honorific name and become "one of our own" with Ebner.
Ebner didn't mind Leonard's attitude. He turned back, first congratulating "Magician," "Moon," and "Star" on their advancements. This made Emlyn, who had been trying to show off since the start of the meeting, lift his chin, and also made Fors glance at him resentfully.
—Her final acting for digesting "Astrologer" had ultimately still required Ebner's help, but the process was… indescribable.
After that, Ebner proactively shared what he had seen and heard in those "worlds" such as the "urban legend" one.
Of course, he didn't mention the "Ghost Empire," only saying that he had mistakenly entered a strange space.
Everyone was quickly drawn in by the civilizations Ebner described—civilizations different from reality—and from time to time they asked a few related questions.
Only Klein felt puzzled, because some of the "worlds" described by "Tower" sounded rather familiar…
"Could it be that he entered some ruin left behind by Roselle again?"
With such doubts, the Tarot Club gradually came to its end, and finally concluded amid everyone standing up to exchange farewells.
Within the ancient palace above the gray fog, only Klein and Ebner remained once more.
Following past habits, Klein transmitted the diaries into Ebner's hands. However, the latter only glanced at them before setting them aside, then said after some consideration:
"Later, help me contact 'Pale Admiral' Maria and tell her that she can fulfill the previous promise."
—He had already obtained all of Roselle's late-life diaries from Bernadette, so there was no longer any need to read them here.
Hearing this, Klein asked in surprise, "You've already found the other four survivors of that experiment eleven years ago?"
Klein was also very concerned about that experiment.
"Yes… the Intis embassy military attaché Bianca is currently working as a maid in my Trier villa;
"The former 'Rose School of Thought' divine envoy Abby, after you captured him, was locked by me inside Groselle's Travels for reformation;
"Ms. D. of the 'Aurora Order,' Lofia, after being abducted by me, was sent to a hidden location to prevent the 'True Creator' from finding her;
"Mrs. Philinna of the 'Life School of Thought' encountered me not long ago in the 'Ghost Empire' and is currently staying as a guest in my 'traveling palace'…
"So now, once we have 'Pale Admiral' Maria, we can completely 'discern' the secret from eleven years ago and recreate a certain hidden ritual."
At this point, he paused and then added, "As for providing help during her demigod ritual, I will also fulfill my promise so she won't have to worry."
"All right… once I free up some time, I'll help you ask," Klein thought for a moment and nodded.
Because the conditions had already been negotiated in advance, Maria had required that when Ebner researched the special circumstances of her body, Klein had to be present. So this was something he couldn't stay out of.
…
Indo Harbor, inside a hotel room.
After Leonard Mitchell opened his eyes, he pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and said:
"Old man, Zaratul of the Secret Order seems to have also arrived in Backlund."
Inside his mind, that slightly aged voice quickly sounded:
"As expected…"
Hearing such a response, Leonard immediately followed up:
"Old man, are you familiar with that Zaratul? Didn't you say that the Zoroast family and the Zaratul family were both great noble families of the Solomon Empire?"
In his view, the old man and Zaratul, as former colleagues who had fought side by side, couldn't possibly be unfamiliar with each other.
Pallez Zoroast let out a "heh":
"The Zaratul I was familiar with already fell during the War of the Four Emperors. The current one should be his descendant. I may have seen him back then, or I may not have.
"Sigh… back then, Zaratul had already obtained clues to a second Sequence 1 characteristic from the 'True Creator' and was just waiting for the War of the Four Emperors to end to go search for it. If successful, he could have been considered a King of Angels. Unfortunately, during the War of the Four Emperors, he directly encountered that one from the Antigonus family—an existence known as half a 'Fool.' And Bethel Abraham also participated. He could appear anywhere at any time. If he hadn't been quickly driven away and sealed by Night and Storm, I probably wouldn't have lasted until the end of the War of the Four Emperors."
Half a "Fool"… Leonard's eyelids twitched at that title, and he inexplicably thought of the one above the gray fog.
He then forcibly restrained himself and turned his thoughts elsewhere:
Heh, the old man is reminiscing about the past and his emotions are a bit unsettled—he actually said so much in one go…
Amid the tangle of thoughts, Leonard continued:
"Is Zaratul's enemy also Amon?"
The sense of reminiscence instantly vanished from Pallez Zoroast's tone. He smacked his lips and said:
"Who told you that?
"However, strictly speaking, Zaratul probably still doesn't count as Amon's enemy… or rather, Amon certainly wouldn't look at him directly."
"How so?" Leonard's heart stirred, and he added, "This was told to me by that old monster Rhine."
Pallez Zoroast fell silent for a long time. Only after quite a while did he continue:
"If Rhine thinks Zaratul is Amon's enemy, then he probably really is!
"It seems Zaratul has obtained a huge benefit somewhere…
"Heh, both Zaratul and that newly advanced one of the Abraham family are in Backlund, so Amon will definitely come as well. This is a triangular balance… it's just that Amon still holds the absolute advantage."
What does that mean… Leonard was somewhat confused, but that didn't stop him from sharing the intelligence he had obtained at the Tarot Club:
"It's said that Zaratul has had contact with some members of the Loen royal family."
Pallez Zoroast fell silent again, then suddenly laughed and said:
"So that's how it is. No wonder I felt Zaratul was somewhat unqualified… if you add the Loen royal family, then even Amon would indeed be somewhat wary.
"Heh, it seems the Loen side still doesn't know about my situation… are they afraid that Amon will make a move at the very end?"
"What do you mean?" Leonard keenly grasped the key point in the old man's words.
Pallez Zoroast's tone suddenly became rather leisurely, but what he said had little to do with before:
"Put this way, leaving Backlund now is a good thing for us… I just don't know who tacitly approved my departure…
"Although this declares my direct elimination, at least I've temporarily escaped the vortex."
"Old man, what the hell are you talking about?" Leonard looked utterly confused and began to deeply resent this kind of "riddle-speaking" behavior.
That slightly aged voice replied:
"I mean that Rhine, or 'The Fool,' or perhaps those few gods, arranged things for me quite well…"
At this point, he suddenly changed the subject and sighed:
"I think I've guessed who has been secretly guiding your team to Indo."
"Who? Wait… didn't you say last time that you already had a guess?"
"Last time I might have guessed wrong… as for my current guess, I still can't tell you… but the answer will be revealed soon enough."
…
(End of the chapter)