"Holy— He — He actually gave me the code phrase?!"
Klein's pupils contracted to pinpoints. His heart hammered. "!!!"
And then what?
He frantically flipped to the next page. The diary stopped there. Damn it! Of all the moments to end—!
But even just this single line seemed to say quite enough on its own.
Odd changes, even stays the same.
It was a phrase Klein had seen on the internet in his past life — a trigonometry mnemonic from Chinese high school mathematics. Transmigrators supposedly used it as a code to identify each other, alongside lines like "Court Jade Liquid Wine" and "Little Hammer, 40 Millimetres."
So the "Lord of Chaos" was also a transmigrator?
He had deduced from Roselle's behaviour patterns that the emperor might be from the same place — and then used this phrase to establish contact?
But how had He dared? If it were Klein in that situation, even knowing someone else was a transmigrator, he would never have revealed himself. After all, just because you meet a fellow countryman doesn't mean they won't stab you in the back. He would have been terrified of...
Oh. Right. The Lord of Chaos was a god. Of course He didn't need to be afraid.
In the space of a few dozen seconds, a torrent of thoughts churned through Klein's mind, and finally they condensed into one overriding question: if one transmigrator was chance and two was coincidence, what did three make?
Perhaps "transmigration" was far less random than he had assumed.
So then — what did the Lord of Chaos know about the nature of transmigration? He had become a god and yet still remained in this world. Was it because even a god had no way home? Or because He had long since stopped wanting to return?
He let out a slow breath and steadied himself. "You didn't have to wait for me."
Alger bowed at once. "It is our honour, Mr. Fool."
"Mr. Lovers — about this week's diary entries. Do you have any questions?"
Vincent nodded. "If I may ask, Mr. Fool — does this relate to the 'homeland' mentioned in the diary from our last gathering?"
Klein was quiet for a moment, then said mildly, "It does."
He left it there. To say more would edge toward revealing the transmigrators' secret. But the question itself gave him pause. What exactly is Mr. Lovers' identity? Why such a persistent, pointed focus on Roselle's diary? And why does it feel like she already knows something of its contents?
Could she have cracked the diary — understood the Chinese?
Next week's session is Mr. Lovers' turn to attend. Perhaps by then I'll have a chance to learn more about her identity.
Though as the mysterious Mr. Fool, asking directly would hardly be appropriate. Next week, it'll all be up to you—
Klein's gaze drifted to Justice.
Audrey suddenly, inexplicably, felt a shiver run through her. She looked up — and found Mr. Fool watching her. With a rather strange expression.
I must be imagining things.
She gathered herself and spoke up with barely-contained excitement: "I encountered Mr. A of the Aurora Order two days ago!"
Alger, The Hanged Man, immediately frowned. Running into Mr. A of the Aurora Order is not something to be pleased about.
"At the time..."
Audrey recounted the whole evening. "...And then the bodyguard gentleman used Spirit World transit to take us away."
Then she came to what was really on her mind. "Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Lovers, and... Mr. Sun — do any of you know of someone selling a Beyonder item with teleportation capabilities? I'd like to acquire one."
Vincent's reaction was entirely internal. Well. There goes my earlier advice, straight over her head. She is absolutely fearless.
The Tarot Club's resident charge-ahead representative lives up to her reputation.
Audrey, for her part, had her own quiet reasoning: she trusted that Lady Natasha's words came from genuine care. But that didn't mean she couldn't start looking now. Teleportation-type items were extremely rare — better to start hunting early. Maybe by the time she actually found one, she'd have already reached the mid-Sequences.
Alger inwardly admired Justice's wealth while saying, "I'll keep an eye out for you — though teleportation-type Beyonder items are truly scarce."
Audrey curtsied. "Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man."
Klein, quietly spectating, couldn't help but feel amazed. Teleportation — that's instant movement, isn't it? With something like that, the daily commute alone... a man could save a fortune every year.
"And afterwards?" Alger pressed. "Mr. A went into hiding again?"
"No — the bodyguard's associate arrived after we escaped and dealt with Mr. A. He's dead. I won't need to worry about him anymore."
Dead?
By Audrey's account, Mr. A had been capable enough to make a Sequence 5 bodyguard choose to flee rather than fight. Someone who could eliminate him — what Sequence were they at?
The gathering continued. Everyone raised their needs, trades were made, and near the end, Alger brought up a commission: locating the pirate known as Vice Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos.
Vincent, who had been watching from the sidelines, immediately perked up. If we could haul someone like that to court and successfully prosecute him, wouldn't that do wonders for digesting the potion?
"That's all for today."
Klein announced the session's close, severed the connections to Mr. Lovers, The Hanged Man, and The Sun — and kept Justice in the fog.
"Miss Justice — last week I asked you to look into the Lord of Chaos and the Broker. Any progress?"
"So far I only know that the 'Broker' lady does have faith in some mysterious existence — but beyond that, nothing."
Klein mused on this. "I see."
Once he cut the connection to Justice as well, he sank back into his chair. He manifested the relevant page from today's diary again and read it over and over.
Odd changes, even stays the same.
Is the Lord of Chaos truly a transmigrator? After He and Roselle confirmed each other with this phrase — what happened next? Were all the things that befell Roselle in his later years somehow connected to this 'fellow countryman'?
Question after question rose in his mind.
He knew perfectly well that if he returned to the real world and recited that three-part Honorific Name, he could likely establish a connection to the Lord of Chaos and learn whatever he wanted to know. But while a true god could reveal Himself to Roselle without a second thought, Klein — a counterfeit — had no such courage.
Who knew what might be waiting?
Better to wait. Maybe the next diary pages Mr. Lovers brings will reveal something more about the Lord of Chaos.
On the other side, Vincent's spirit body returned to its vessel. "I'm back."
"Mm. What did Mr. Fool say?"
"He only confirmed there's a connection. Nothing more. But I could feel — from several fairly pointed questions — that Mr. Fool has probably started to wonder about your identity."
He paused, then asked: "Next week is your turn at the gathering. If He actually asks who you are — do you plan to tell the truth?"
To be continued...
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