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"Sun" Derrick's expression changed as he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Fool, who was equivalent to the "default" option. Although he had matured considerably, he was still just a teenager.
Knowing that the City of Silver was in such a perilous situation, he immediately felt restless and looked at the composed Mr. Emperor, somewhat at a loss:
"What… what should I do?"
Hearing this foolish question, Klein, behind the gray fog, and the shrewd "Hanged Man" Alger both sighed inwardly:
"This foolish child has sold himself out. If it's truly as dangerous as he says, how has the City of Silver managed to hold out in the Darkness for thousands of years?"
However, neither of them spoke up to remind him. After all, it wasn't their home that was in danger, let alone putting themselves in his shoes. Moreover, Klein was curious about what kind of transaction Mr. Emperor wanted to make and wanted to pry for more secrets.
Alger was simpler; besides being equally curious, he was more concerned about displeasing Mr. Emperor.
In this somewhat strange atmosphere, Aaron smiled at Derrick and replied:
"As you said before, the City of Silver doesn't have the Bard Pathway. You should have realized the practicality of this Pathway in that land of Darkness by now."
"Hmm, I can prepare an item for you that carries the True Creator's aura. It can make the corrupted members of the exploration teams reveal their true forms."
"And before that, you can use the excuse of contributing these potion formulas to the City of Silver to attract the attention of the Elder Council you mentioned. They will protect you at critical moments."
Hearing this, Klein felt somewhat restless. The Little Sun was his best contact point for the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but Aaron's actions were directly telling the City of Silver that Derrick had a force behind him.
Although informing them of the formulas and the anomalies of the exploration team was a gesture of goodwill, it was hard to say what actions the City of Silver would take next.
Simply put, what if the Little Sun sought Mr. Fool's help at a critical moment? How would he, a fake "The Fool," handle himself in front of the City of Silver, which clearly had High-Sequence powerhouses?
Moreover, what if the Little Sun died during the probing? Wouldn't the vast amount of Beyonder materials and knowledge from the City of Silver, and even the Forsaken Land of the Gods, be completely closed off to him?
At this thought, Klein felt somewhat fortunate. Thankfully, he had obtained the "All-Black Eye" and created "World," otherwise he would truly be in a difficult situation this time.
Silently praising "Wealth-Spreading Boy" Rosago in his heart, Klein manipulated "World" and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"This method is too risky, and," he paused, his voice becoming even deeper, "the matters of the Tarot Club should not be leaked without at least Mr. Fool's permission."
Although "World's" wording was gentle, even Melissa could hear the implicit opposition in his words. "Hanged Man" Alger simply lowered his head to hide his surprise, secretly wondering about "World's" true identity, daring to directly offend Mr. Emperor.
Looking at the people with varying expressions, the gray fog obscured Klein's flickering gaze. He was consciously shaping "World" into Mr. Fool's Blessed, so he naturally didn't care about offending anyone.
Aaron looked back at "World" at the bottom of the bronze long table with some surprise, his heart stirring. He instantly understood what Klein was worried about. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at the still hesitant Derrick:
"Mr. World's words also make sense. Hmm, Sequence 8 Light Supplicant can cast some spells and rituals within the Sun domain, which are very effective against evil and corrupting forces."
"As an initial reward, I can grant you a Sequence 8 potion. After you advance and gain the ability to protect yourself, you can then proceed with the task."
"Additionally, I must remind you that a lone wolf cannot survive long in a dark forest. I know you want to become the only Sun of the City of Silver, leading it to true light."
"But when some things cannot be openly stated, isolation and that little bit of selfishness will only bring more suspicion and exclusion."
"Contributing the formulas is both for me to successfully complete the transaction and for you to escape your predicament, gain trust, and a little bit of precious prestige."
After speaking, Aaron did not look at the complicated expression on Derrick's face. He straightened his expression and looked at the somewhat gloomy "World":
"Moreover, my consideration is naturally also to preserve Mr. Fool's interests. You may not know, but there is an enemy of Mr. Fool hidden within the City of Silver."
Enemy? Where did the enemy come from? Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for defamation!
Fortunately, "World" was a dummy and had no emotional fluctuations, otherwise Audrey would definitely be able to read Klein's thoughts at this moment.
Aaron chuckled inwardly, knowing that Klein was probably also dumbfounded. He didn't beat around the bush and continued to explain:
"That is Amon, the King of Angels of the Marauder Pathway, the Blasphemer. If Mr. Fool regains his divine position, he naturally doesn't need to worry, but currently, he is indeed Mr. Fool's greatest enemy."
"Although he fears the True Creator, he still has a clone hidden in the City of Silver. It's only a matter of time before he discovers Mr. Sun carrying Mr. Fool's aura."
"Instead of being suddenly ambushed and needlessly damaging Mr. Fool's interests, it's better to gain the City of Silver's trust early. To survive in the land of Darkness, it must be protected by a Sealed Artifact of Sequence 0. Destroying a clone is still achievable."
King of Angels… Blasphemer…
Derrick mumbled twice and immediately felt that the City of Silver was not just on the edge of a cliff; it was clearly already one foot off the cliff.
Compared to Derrick's confusion and panic, Klein now felt besieged on all sides and had an urge to curse.
Although Aaron didn't explicitly state it, Klein, who knew about hidden knowledge such as Sequence 0 and the interchangeability of similar Pathways, already vaguely guessed why Aaron so assertively claimed that the Blasphemer was Mr. Fool's enemy.
"When you choose a Pathway, your enemies and friends are already determined…"
He inexplicably recalled this sentence from Roselle's diary. With complex emotions, he remained silent and did not continue to manipulate "World" to speak.
Seeing Mr. Fool's tacit approval, Derrick took a deep breath, stood up, bowed to Aaron, and asked somewhat nervously:
"Mr. Emperor, I am willing to take the risk. Can you now tell me what transaction you wish to complete?"
Seeing that he had finally persuaded this somewhat stubborn young man, and Mr. Fool hadn't caused him any more trouble, Aaron chuckled and didn't answer directly, instead saying:
"The City of Silver once belonged to the Giant King's Court, and most of the surrounding city-states were of the Giant Pathway. Over thousands of years of exploration, they must have accumulated some High-Sequence Beyonder characteristics, but they suffered from not having further potion formulas, so they could only be used as Sealed Artifacts."
"Therefore, the strongest in the City of Silver is currently only Sequence 4, and they lack sufficient strength to continue exploring more dangerous areas."
"I want to trade a Sequence 3 Silver Knight Beyonder characteristic with the City of Silver. Heh, that's the name of the next Sequence potion after Demon Hunter."
"I have the Silver Knight potion formula, and I also have other things the City of Silver desires. Help me complete the transaction, and the City of Silver might quickly gain several Sequence 3s."
Sequence 3 Silver Knight! Alger resisted the urge to raise his hand and dig at his ears, his heart contracting sharply.
The transaction that required this mysterious Mr. Emperor to personally get involved was indeed not simple. Was he a member of the God of Combat's Church?
Klein, who knew Aaron's true identity, felt more at ease:
"Most of the Silver Knight characteristics in the outside world are concentrated in the God of Combat's Church. This Duke is unwilling to fall out with the God of Combat's Church, which is why he's willing to put in the effort to find the Little Sun and plan this."
As Derrick agreed, the hall fell silent again. Just then, a voice, young and slightly nervous, spoke up:
"I… I want to purchase the subsequent potion formulas for Sequence 9 Savant."
As she spoke, Melissa looked a little embarrassed, and her voice grew softer and softer. After all, the topics they had just been discussing were about Sequence 3, Evil Gods, and Blasphemers, and now her request had dropped to a low Sequence.
Alger instantly remembered the "Artisan" in Bayam, his eyes lit up, and just as he was about to agree, he heard Mr. Emperor's slightly amused voice:
"The name of Sequence 8 is Archaeologist. There's no need for the potion formula. 600 pounds. When you need to advance, I'll sell you a potion directly."
Alger's words, which had been on the tip of his tongue, immediately froze. All the other Tarot Club members, except Klein, almost simultaneously had a thought:
"Mr. Emperor and Ms. Priestess know each other, and her joining was even recommended by Mr. Emperor…"
As early as the beginning of the Tarot Club, Melissa had been secretly observing everyone. At this moment, she finally confirmed that Mr. Emperor was Duke Aaron, who had given her the parchment in Tingen, after all, he could tell her that honorific name, so he must also be in the Tarot Club.
Audrey's gaze was filled with scrutiny as she looked at the young girl beside her, who was bowing her head. After a long time, she shifted her gaze away.
"Potions must be completely digested before advancing, otherwise it will leave significant hidden dangers."
After a reminder, the gloomy "World" withdrew his gaze from his sister and continued in a cold tone:
"One piece of the true root of a Fog Tree, all the spinal fluid of a Demonic-Patterned Black Panther, and the medullary crystal of the Elven Spring. Please search for these for me. I will pay in gold pounds."
The first two items were the main ingredients for Sequence 7 Magician. Although they could be exchanged from MI9, where the gold-masked man was located, Klein was unwilling to expose his Sequence.
The last item was to be sold to the fat Apothecary Darkwill, to ease the financial strain on Mr. Fool's purse with the price difference.
In the subsequent intelligence exchange, Audrey did not mention the Blasphemy Slate obtained from exploring Caesar Harbor, nor did she make any other requests as she was still digesting the Telepathist potion.
Seeing the silent crowd, each with their own thoughts but in tacit understanding, Klein lightly tapped the bronze long table and spoke indifferently:
"This gathering ends here!"
Watching the crimson lights rise and dissipate one by one, Klein, his face somewhat pale, dispersed "World's" figure and hurriedly put the "All-Black Eye" back into the iron cigarette case.
Before his spirituality was exhausted, Klein quickly wrote on the materialized parchment:
"Harvest Church is very dangerous!"
Closing his eyes and silently chanting the divination sentences, he opened his eyes after a few repetitions. Klein looked at the rapidly spinning divination crystal, his brows slightly furrowed:
"Very dangerous, meaning if I go with my Sequence 8 strength, I could easily end up like that Vampire…"
Silently abandoning his plan to go to Harvest Church tonight, Klein pinched his brow, feeling a headache:
"I need to advance to Sequence 7 quickly. I hope Darkwill can hold his ground and not sell the potion formula to that Viscount, otherwise, when will I ever pay off my 5,000 pound debt?"
Taking out Azik's copper whistle from his Spirit Body, Klein held the copper whistle, covered in bizarre patterns, and returned to the real world.
-----------------
Sonia Sea, the Moon Shadow slowly sailed away from Nas, the "City of White," the capital of the Gargas Archipelago.
Although the Gargas Archipelago were a colony of the Feysac Empire, and the only legal religious organization was the God of Combat's Church, due to the flourishing whaling trade in the nearby waters and its close proximity to Loen's Rorsted Archipelago, it had essentially become a "Pirate's Paradise."
In the captain's cabin, "Vice Admiral Moon" Louise Sears examined the telegram in her hand. After a long while, she spoke softly:
"Are we being too high-profile? Will it instead alert that Vampire? Even if he's in the Sonia Sea, he won't easily take the bait. What if it attracts the attention of the Loen or Feysac navy? That would be very troublesome."
Vampire was Louise's derogatory term for the Rose School of Thought's Pirate King, "King of the Blood Moon." The reason was simple: he had offended the honorific title of the former "Queen of the Blood Moon."
A figure suddenly appeared in the void of the captain's cabin. She had a pale face, delicate features, wore a small black soft hat, and a matching Gothic-style court gown. It was "Puppet" Sharron.
"Hunting requires patience. If the military's demigod makes a move, I will help the Moon Shadow escape. Our last cooperation in Bayam was very successful."
Sharron replied without much emotional fluctuation, her figure floating in front of Louise.
Louise nodded lightly, put away the telegram, and looked at Sharron, asking cautiously:
"You left Maric in Backlund. Do you want him to cultivate seeds for the Temperance faction? But the official forces there are deeply entrenched, and the risk might be…"
Sharron was silent for a moment, then raised her azure eyes, like a Puppet, and replied without emotion or concealment:
"With such deeply entrenched forces, the Rose School of Thought wouldn't dare send powerhouses there. The Temperance faction now needs 'anchors,' so cultivating fresh blood is equally important."
Louise's eyes lowered slightly, a glimmer flashing in her blood-like eyes. She remembered the secret talk she had with Count Mistral before leaving the "Moon Kingdom," that former leader of the Temperance faction…
Exhaling lightly, Louise watched as the "Puppet" demigod's figure once again became transparent and illusory, disappearing from where she stood, before she paced to the observation deck and silently gazed at the azure sea.
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