But soon, "Hermit" Cattleya set aside that unusual feeling and guessed that Mr. "Tower" was likely carrying out some kind of "arrangement," and that Mr. Fool might be tacitly approving it.
However, this matter is still beyond my full grasp. I'll need to go back and ask the Queen and hear her opinion before making a decision.
As her thoughts turned, Cattleya simply replied, "I'll consider it."
Ebner didn't press the matter and instead looked toward "Star" Leonard further down the table:
"Help me get a few more 'Worms of Time' from that one."
During the past two months, the "Eye of Insight," disguised as "Pallez" and parasitizing Trissy, had already clearly sensed Amon's approach, so he planned to let the other party fall further into the trap.
Leonard, after remaining silent for a few seconds, finally let out a breath and said:
"Alright."
He actually didn't quite understand what kind of deal the old man had secretly made with that old monster. He wanted to ask, but was worried that doing so might ruin their plan.
After all, his strength was low, and he was concerned he might not be able to keep the secret completely.
After some more exchanges, this week's Tarot Gathering came to an end.
When only "World" and "Tower" remained in the ancient hall, Klein finally asked:
"Are you still excavating clues about the 'Goddess of Life' on Blue Mountain Island?"
"I've already found them…" Ebner sighed. "If nothing unexpected happens, Frank might really be the reincarnation of that 'Goddess of Life'… He'll probably have to become a 'Pallbearer' before recovering his memories."
"'Pallbearer'… could it mean carrying his own coffin? Symbolizing burying his past life, and only then fully receiving the legacy of that life?" Klein speculated as he made associations.
"Perhaps…" Ebner wasn't entirely convinced. As far as he knew, all forms of "resurrection" in this world were related to the "River of Eternal Darkness" to some extent. From Sequence 9 to Sequence 4 of the "Planter" pathway, abilities related to "life" dominated, and only at "Pallbearer" did it involve death… perhaps only then could one connect to the "River of Eternal Darkness" and retrieve memories.
"How did you confirm that the 'Goddess of Life' has already reincarnated?" Klein asked again.
"I dug up her corpse… but there was no trace of spirit remaining within, completely inconsistent with what a 'Naturewalker' should be like.
"After that, I performed a 'retrospection' on it and personally witnessed the entire process of Frank's birth…"
At this point, Ebner seemed unwilling to continue the topic and instead asked, "Has there been any news from the 'Pale Admiral'?"
She had delayed for two months already—she should be ready by the next full moon, right?
Klein nodded. "I've received her message. Before the full moon on the 10th of next month, she will contact you proactively."
"Alright. Hopefully, after next week's Tarot Gathering, that ritual can proceed smoothly."
October 10th happened to be a Monday.
After chatting for a while longer, Ebner returned to the real world.
Sitting on the sofa, he took a sip of coffee from the table, then stood up and stepped into the spirit world. Moments later, he suddenly appeared in Trier, inside the home of "Ancient Scholar" Daphne.
Even if this Vice President of the Secret Order wasn't at home, she would leave behind a marionette to receive important guests, so Ebner wasn't worried about coming for nothing.
This time, his luck was good—Daphne herself happened to be home enjoying afternoon tea.
After warmly inviting the "Divine Envoy" to sit, Daphne asked, "May I know what brings you here this time?"
"I remember that the Secret Order's treasury still has a 'Powdered Heart of the Fog Demon Wolf.' Go fetch it for me," Ebner said directly without ceremony.
Daphne didn't hesitate at all, immediately agreeing and pulling out a projection of herself to head toward the treasury.
In the past, although she was Vice President, she didn't actually have such authority. To mobilize an item at the level of a Sequence 3 main ingredient required the agreement of all three Vice Presidents.
But ever since President Zaratul returned, not only had she gained his great trust, but the other two Vice Presidents had changed drastically—one had gone missing, and the other had gone from hostility to currying favor with her…
Daphne had some vague guesses about the reason, after all, she herself had been forcibly converted into a "believer of the Unknown," but she didn't dare think too deeply about it and simply carried out her duties obediently.
Before long, the "Powdered Heart of the Fog Demon Wolf" was delivered, along with a vial of its blood—one of the auxiliary materials for the "Scholar of Yore" potion.
Seeing this, Ebner praised Daphne's efficiency, then took the materials and "teleported" away.
…
Rose Song Manor was located northwest of Backlund, built along the Tussock River. The surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the interior was lush with flowers and trees.
After teleporting there, Ebner didn't enter immediately but first admired the surrounding scenery.
Since it wasn't far from the abandoned manor where he had once trained in shooting and combat with Xio, he couldn't help but fall into reminiscence.
Come to think of it, although I own the "Ancient Vine Manor" outside Trier, the "Fragrant Manor" outside Bayam, and the hot spring villa north of Indo Port, I really haven't bought a vacation estate around Backlund…
I remember when we were practicing shooting, seeing how nostalgic Xio was about that abandoned manor, I even thought about buying it for her in the future… but I ended up forgetting…
Mm, I'll check who owns that manor now when I get the chance.
With that thought, Ebner stopped lingering in the garden, walked past the fountain, and entered the main building. The workers and servants currently renovating the place all turned a blind eye to him.
He made his way to the third-floor living room before revealing his figure. Klein was already waiting there.
After instructing the marionette Butler—disguised as the "Secret-keeping Saint" Boutis—to stand guard at the door, Klein pushed a check toward Ebner and said with a bitter smile:
"To gather these 500,000, I really went through quite a lot… this is practically all my assets now… where's the item?"
It's the pirates who suffered, not you, Ebner complained inwardly, then tossed him a "spatial pouch" made from "Worms of Stars" and said with a smile, "Stop complaining. This bag is a gift."
As he spoke, he picked up the check, examined it, confirmed it was correct, and put it away. Then he glanced toward the wine cabinet in the living room, blinked, and said:
"I've always heard that Rose Song's homemade wine is exceptional, but I've never had the chance to try it. Today, I can finally satisfy my curiosity."
Having obtained the crucial material and even freeloaded a spatial pouch, Klein was in an excellent mood and was more than willing to accommodate such a small request. He smiled modestly and said, "I hope it won't disappoint you."
As a renowned grape-growing region in the Northern Continent, the northwest outskirts of Backlund produced high-quality champagne, red wine, and white wine. However, most estates here belonged to nobles, and their homemade wines were rarely sold externally. Thus, they were almost unheard of in the market—only the upper class or those close to that circle knew of them.
Rose Song was one of the most representative estates in the area. Its homemade wine was widely praised within its circle, and in special years, a bottle of its red wine could fetch over a hundred pounds among collectors.
However, for Klein to purchase such an estate for 20,000 pounds, he naturally had to agree to certain conditions—that all special vintage wines would be taken by people sent by Duke Negan. But this didn't prevent him from entertaining Ebner with other fine vintages.
After a few drinks, Ebner, having satisfied his appetite, proposed to take his leave.
"You're not staying for dinner? Half of the chefs here were trained by Shoko—they're quite good," Klein asked in surprise.
Although the suggestion was tempting, Ebner shook his head regretfully:
"Next time… I still have many appointments tonight…"
Writer's block is really painful
(End of Chapter)