Audrey furrowed her brows in thought for a moment before saying, "I don't quite agree. Based on what you just told me, the reason the True Creator was able to spot you was because He saw you through Lanevus's eyes. Now that Lanevus is dead, and Mr. A has become His new host, as long as you avoid being seen by Mr. A, He shouldn't be able to find you either."
At that, her tone became slightly uncertain. "Hmm, but…do deities really need to rely on their believers' eyes to see the world? Shouldn't "They" be all-powerful and omniscient?"
Because the Goddess has concealed my existence…
Resting her chin on her palm, Audrey continued helping him analyze.
"…The Aurora Order's power in Backlund is mainly overseen by Mr. A. Since the rational personality of the True Creator is actually friendly to you, could it be possible to actively make contact with Mr. A?"
Edward shook his head, replying solemnly, "You may not have heard this saying before: Believe in the might of the gods, but never in their benevolence. So it's best not to so easily assume that a god is benevolent—especially when that god is an evil one."
"But Mr. Fool is benevolent."
"Well…even if "He" is, the rationality and madness of the True Creator are still one and the same. No one can predict when "He" might switch personalities. Maybe the next time we see Mr. A, he'll already have received an order to kill me."
Audrey pressed her lips together, a little dispirited. "Then what should we do?"
She looked up again, eyes full of expectation. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Of course. I'll pray to Mr. Fool in a bit and ask to trade with The Hanged Man for those ingredients…"
"I'll pay for them!"
"No need. I'm doing fine financially at the moment. What I need is for you to stay by my side when I take the potion, just in case something goes wrong."
"Got it!"
Without delay, Edward began setting up the ritual again and prayed to Mr. Fool for a trade with Alger.
———
Somewhere on the boundless sea, aboard an ancient-style sailing ship—The Blue Avenger.
Alger Wilson was seated inside the captain's cabin, recording notes into his logbook.
After personally eliminating Qilangos in Backlund, he soon returned to the sea. With nothing left to hold him back, his mood had been quite pleasant lately, and even his attitude toward the sailors had grown significantly more amicable.
Yet every time he thought of that mysterious island and its dangers, a sense of regret stirred in him—his strength was still far too lacking. Who knew when he'd be able to set foot there again?
Just then, he sensed the call of The Fool. Gray mist rose around him, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived in that grand, towering palace.
Edward's figure appeared at the perfect moment. He placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly. "Mr. Hanged Man, I heard that you've found the materials I need. Is now a good time to trade?"
That's…Mr. Tower?
He's back?
"Ah, no problem."
Alger quickly gathered himself and returned to his usual composure. "All three ingredients will be 450 pounds in total. Once I return, I'll offer them up to Mr. Fool."
"Sounds good."
Edward turned to Klein and said respectfully, "Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Fool."
Alger hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't ask why Mr. Tower hadn't attended the last Tarot Gathering. They weren't close enough yet for him to pry into someone's private affairs—that kind of intrusion might easily be unwelcome.
To his surprise, Klein spoke up on his own. "The reason Mr. Tower missed the last gathering was because he was fightling against a saint of the Aurora Order at the time."
Fighting against a...saint of the Aurora Order?
Alger was stunned. A so-called "saint" meant someone at least at Sequence 4—a demigod. When he had faced the Church of Storms' "Spellsinger of God", Ace Snake, he had felt utterly powerless, and that was just from watching the demigod act against someone else.
But Mr. Tower is only Sequence 8. How could he possibly go up against a demigod?
I get it now—Mr. Fool must have intervened!
That means "His" power has recovered further, and He's starting to be able to influence the physical world again!
With that thought, Alger bowed his head deeply, his voice filled with reverence. "Praise be to Mr. Fool."
"???"
Klein pinched the bridge of his nose. No, all I did was give a simple summary of what Edward went through… Mr. Hanged Man, are you overthinking things again?
———
Back in the real world, Edward quickly completed the ritual. He first used a binary sacrificial method to offer the gold pounds to Mr. Fool, then received the three ingredients Alger had offered up through the illusory door.
Even though it wasn't her first time witnessing such a dazzling display, Audrey couldn't help but sigh in awe again. Mr. Fool is truly incredible—the Tarot Club is becoming more and more high-level by the day!
Once the ritual was done, Edward laid out the remaining ingredients needed for the Sequence 7 Astrologer potion and began brewing it as he spoke. "Audrey, I'm about to take the potion now."
She nodded seriously. "No problem. I'm ready."
Edward swiftly added each ingredient into the cauldron in order. The mixture shifted from solid to liquid, then to gas, before finally condensing into a dark fluid that resembled a starry night sky.
He picked up the vial, took a deep breath, and downed it in one go.
In the next instant, Edward found himself immersed in a vast and boundless starry sky.
Suddenly, a tiny glow lit up at the center of that endless space. The scene rapidly zoomed in, the glimmer growing brighter and larger—
It was a door, glowing softly.
This wasn't the first time he had seen that door. He knew full well that an enormous secret lay hidden behind it, yet he was utterly unable to push it open.
Once more, he raised his arm and pressed his palm against the door.
In that instant, the pitch-black night sky burst into a radiant tapestry of stars.
Each and every starlight beam was like a stream of information, flooding into Edward's mind from all directions and instantly stirring his consciousness into a chaotic whirlpool.
He had no idea whether seconds, minutes, or even hours had passed—at that moment, time itself seemed to lose all meaning.
Only when the starlight faded and his awareness returned did Edward realize he had successfully advanced to Sequence 7.
Along with this promotion came several new fragments of information about himself:
———
[Sequence 9: Fool]
You were once tainted by a high-level Beyonder's corruption, rendering you a fool. However, this also means you are no longer susceptible to further corruption.
Abilities:
- [Door Opening]—By leveraging the uniqueness of the Spirit World, no wall or door can obstruct your passage.
- [Dullness]—Your dulled senses render you immune to the awakening of divinity. You are not susceptible to corruption or derangement caused by it.
——
[Sequence 8: Eccentric]
You hail from another world. Whether in thought or in action, you are utterly out of place. Your mind is unbound by the constraints of this world.
Abilities:
- [Trickmaster]—You can create fog, conjure gusts of wind, flashes of light, electricity, flames, frost, and more.
- [Unfettered]—You can expend spirituality to break free from control. The closer the Sequence gap, the higher the success rate.
——
[Sequence 7: Madman]
Your thoughts differ from the norm, and so does your psyche. To some, you are a genius. To most, you are a lunatic.
Abilities:
- [Astrology]—You've gained the ability to perform divination.
- [Genius on the Left]—You possess an exceptionally sharp intuition. When divining, if a result is produced, it will be entirely free from interference or misdirection.
- [Madman to the Right]—You occasionally experience mysterious premonitions—most of which are inaccurate. Thus, when divining, you may choose to intentionally falsify the result.(Note: If the target's level vastly exceeds your own, this ability will fail. Usable once per day.)
- [Delusion]—You have the mystical ability to borrow powers from a higher Sequence in advance. You can temporarily access a future Sequence ability, though it will be weakened.
——
[Sequence 6: Bookworm]
Ingredients:Scribe's potion + the Beyonder characteristic of a Polymath.
This concludes the information.
As the door before him slowly faded away, Edward found himself back in his room. Everything he had seen and felt just now seemed like an illusion—but he knew in his heart that it had all been real. His heart pounded wildly—
This Sequence 7 advancement…had caused him to step off the standard Twenty-Two Paths entirely and onto an unknown path that had never existed in this world.
Although he still retained the abilities of his previous Sequences, his actual Beyonder path had changed—to Fool, Eccentric, and Madman.
There wasn't much to say about the abilities of Fool and Eccentric.
But Sequence 7: Madman—gave him three abilities all at once: [Genius on the Left], [Madman to the Right] and [Delusion].
The first two appeared to complement and enhance his divination skills.
[Genius on the Left] made sure any divination result he obtained was free from interference or manipulation. Of course, that didn't mean his divinations were infallible—failure could still occur for many reasons. But if there was a result, it would be accurate.
The second—[Madman to the Right]—could actually tamper with the result of a divination?! What kind of metaphysical, mind-bending power was this?!
As for the third—[Delusion]—it let him borrow a Sequence 6 power in advance.
At that thought, Edward activated [Delusion] with a thought and immediately felt a new ability emerge:
[Silverfish]
When you consume text imbued with mystical power, you may temporarily gain the corresponding ability.
Edward blinked.
The terms "Card of Blasphemy" and "Slate of Blasphemy" instantly surfaced in his mind.
These were the most well-known examples of "mystical text" in the world of Mysteries.
If I eat one of the Cards of Blasphemy…
I become the god of that Pathway!
Now that was what it meant to cheat.
That was what it meant to be ridiculously overpowered!
Muhahahaha~
Unfortunately, before he could fantasize for more than a few seconds, a restless ripple from his spirituality gave him a rude awakening: Even if you gain high-level abilities, do you have the spirituality to sustain their use?
Tch.
Aside from the mystical abilities, advancing to Sequence 7 also brought a further increase in his spirituality, granting him a sharper instinct to detect danger earlier and more precisely.
"How did it go?" Audrey's voice broke the silence. Her emerald eyes were tinged with concern.
"Oh, I've successfully advanced to Sequence 7," Edward replied, blinking as he reoriented himself. "I was just reviewing the new abilities I received."
She sighed in relief, then smiled. "To think you've reached Sequence 7 barely a month after becoming Sequence 9. That's incredible."
"That's only because I benefited from acting ahead of time. Take this Sequence 7, for example…huh?"
He froze mid-sentence.
His digestion progress…had already moved halfway forward?
Had he once again unknowingly started acting in advance?
Wait a minute—
Edward suddenly noticed something odd.
The progress bar that had moved halfway belonged to his original Sequence 7—Astrologer.
But strangely, the Madman path had also advanced halfway.
So I need to act out two Paths simultaneously?
Being an Astrologer was manageable. But how the hell was he supposed to act like a Madman?
More importantly, why had the Madman's digestion progressed at all?
Perplexed, Edward scratched his head and told Audrey everything.
She froze.
"You're saying…your Beyonder Path has changed? To a completely new, never-before-seen Sequence called Madman? And you have to act out two Paths at once?"
It took her nearly half an hour to digest this information.
Then, pride and excitement lit up her face.
"Edward, you really are extraordinary! I think you and Mr. Fool are both destined to be protagonists of this era."
"I'll take that as a blessing."
Edward scratched his head again. "But how exactly am I supposed to act like a madman? Should I…check myself into an asylum?"
"Not necessarily!"
Audrey thought for a moment and said, "You could start by focusing on the two abilities you got—[Genius on the Left] and [Madman to the Right]. Try roleplaying someone who constantly swings between genius and insanity."
"???"
Edward's mouth fell open. "So now I need to act out another persona???"
Just kill me already.
This isn't playing a madman—this is multiple personality disorder!
Then again…isn't multiple personality disorder a type of madness?
Suddenly, he remembered something—the next Sequence 6, Bookworm, required the potion of a Scribe combined with the Beyonder trait of a Polymath.
If he remembered correctly, Polymath was Sequence 6 of the Reader Pathway.
Of course, that wasn't the point. The point was—
Am I really not going to lose control playing this game?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.