Noticing Klein's glance, Ebner very innocently shifted his gaze away, while thinking to himself:
Bernadette actually went around in a circle to ask Klein. She clearly already paid the price and got the answer from me… Is she just trying to confirm it one more time?
At the head of the table, "The Fool" Klein had no idea what Ebner was thinking. He pondered briefly, then spoke with a trace of concealed melancholy in his tone:
"The 'Central Kingdom' refers to a nation that existed before the First Epoch, a civilization far more advanced than those of the Northern Continent, but which has already perished… It was located on the eastern coast of the Western Continent."
Before the First Epoch? The Western Continent? "Hermit" Cattleya was shocked to the extreme. She had originally thought that this unheard-of country lay in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," or in the "Lost Newins," but she hadn't expected it to be the even more mysterious, even more illusory Western Continent, whose very existence was uncertain!
No—since Mr. "Fool" had given this answer, that proved the Western Continent truly existed… It was just like the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," a place that no one had yet been able to find!
And perhaps my earlier belief—that Mr. "Fool" was an ancient god revived from the "Forsaken Land of the Gods"—was not accurate… He might just as well have come from the mysterious Western Continent; otherwise, He wouldn't be so familiar with it.
But then, how did the Queen learn that there had once been a Central Kingdom on the Western Continent?
Heh, forget it… Whether I can figure it out isn't important. I'm just a tool for their communication… Cattleya sighed inwardly, then bowed sincerely and said:
"Thank you for your answer."
The other Tarot Club members were even more bewildered by this question and answer.
They were already unfamiliar with the name "Central Kingdom," and honestly weren't all that interested to begin with, but Mr. "Fool's" response was simply too shocking. It actually involved the Western Continent—and even the time before the First Epoch!
In "Magician" Fors's subconscious thoughts, the "Central Kingdom" must have been an extremely powerful nation of the Western Continent; otherwise, it wouldn't have been called "Central." And its main race was probably elves… After all, according to legend, the Western Continent was precisely the elves' homeland.
"Justice" Audrey, on the other hand, keenly noticed that when Mr. "Fool" referred to the "Central Kingdom," He used the pronoun "she"!
This likely meant that the nation held other meanings in Mr. "Fool's" heart… Very important meanings… No, Audrey, you can't keep thinking along these lines. That would be an offense to Mr. "Fool"! Halfway through the thought, Audrey forcibly cut herself off.
"Judgment" Xio's attention was instead caught by the description "far surpassing Northern Continent civilization." This made her recall the "urban legend world" she had experienced earlier in the "Ghost Empire," where the civilization also far surpassed that of the Northern Continent… Setting everything else aside, just that slide-cover mobile phone alone was something present-day Loen simply couldn't manufacture!
And that world had developed into that form under the influence of Emperor Roselle… Could it be that the Emperor had previously come into contact with information about the Western Continent, allowing him to recreate it in that "urban legend world"? And the "mysterious Queen" behind Miss "Hermit" asking this question—was she trying to understand the connection between her father and the Central Kingdom of the Western Continent?
Thinking of this, Xio glanced at Ebner across from her and saw that he still wore an utterly "relaxed" posture. Instantly, she understood—he absolutely knew again!
"Temperance" Sharon's expression did not change. After her relationship with Sherlock had changed, she already knew that so-called "Roselle Script" was in fact the language of the "Central Kingdom."
"Hanged Man" Alger's thoughts were similar to "Hermit" Cattleya's, and he too, began to suspect Mr. "Fool's" true origins. But having been warned many times already, he had long since learned his lesson and dared not rashly reveal any probing intent.
As for "Sun," "Moon," and "Star," they were all still in a state of "I don't understand it, but it sounds awesome," and none of them reacted for the moment.
Finally, the "Fool" shrouded in gray fog let out a light chuckle and said:
"You may begin."
As soon as His voice fell, "World" Klein turned to "Hermit" Cattleya and asked in a hoarse voice, "Did your advancement go smoothly?"
After returning from Will yesterday, he had already handed over the umbilical cord blood of the "Snake of Fate" to her.
Advancement? Mr. "World" helped Miss "Hermit" obtain an angel's blood?! After Miss "Temperance" and Mr. "Tower," the Tarot Club was about to have yet another demigod born?
"Justice" and the other long-standing members felt both happy and envious.
Alger in particular—his ultimate goal was to become a demigod. Seeing someone else about to push open that door inevitably left him feeling somewhat bitter.
Only the most recent arrival, "Star" Leonard, suddenly sensed that something about the atmosphere was off, and couldn't help but look toward "World."
At this moment, "Hermit" Cattleya came back to herself, shook her head, and said, "I haven't started yet. I still need some preparations… but I'll definitely be able to complete the advancement before next Monday.
"Do you have something you want me to do?"
She still owed "World" a brokerage fee, so she naturally paid close attention to his affairs.
Klein first swept a glance at "Star" Leonard, then said calmly, "Miss 'Hermit' has already obtained the final piece needed to push open the door between demigod and mortal."
After saying that, without caring about Leonard's reaction, he turned back to "Hermit" Cattleya and said:
"Yes. I want you, after you advance to 'Mysticologist,' to assist me in jointly hunting down a demigod."
Jointly hunt a demigod… You really are insane, aren't you? "Moon" and several others looked at him in disbelief, deeply feeling that this strongest adventurer of the seas had truly gone mad.
"Justice" Audrey, however, read a certain certainty and confidence from Mr. "World's" tone, and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Mr. 'World,' have you already become a demigod?"
"World" Gehrman Sparrow did not answer directly. He merely laughed softly and said:
"In the future, if there are matters involving demigods, you may commission me."
What he implied was something every member present could clearly understand:
He was already a genuine Sequence 4 demigod—and one with the strength to kill others of the same level!
At Klein's "self-reveal," everyone else was filled with shock. Cattleya in particular—she had personally witnessed him advance to Sequence 5, and in less than three months, he had advanced again to Sequence 4, becoming a half-mortal, half-divine existence? This completely overturned her understanding!
She had thought that being in her twenties, with just a few years of preparation, already qualified her as exceptionally fast in charging toward the demigod threshold… Who could have imagined that someone else only needed a little over two months…
Among those present, only Ebner and Leonard were relatively calm. At the same time, they both complained inwardly:
What a show-off!
At this moment, Cattleya suppressed the shock in her heart and asked in a deep voice, "Which demigod do you want to jointly hunt?"
"Royal consultant of Loen, Hvin Rambis. He has another identity as well—a member of the Psychological Alchemists' Council, a Saint of the 'Spectator' pathway," Klein said, controlling "World" and speaking in a hoarse voice.
Although both Arrodes and the divinations he performed above the gray fog indicated that this Mr. "Pride" hadn't extracted much information from his subconscious… to be safe, it was still better to kill him as soon as possible.
Moreover, Klein had summoned Arrodes again this morning and learned quite a bit about Hvin's past, discovering that he was a man who disregarded life, and had once used suggestion to manufacture many tragedies!
When "World" spoke the first half of that sentence, "Justice" Audrey's mind had already naturally formed the image of a kind elderly man—this gentleman came from a noble family, graduated from Porth University, possessed vast knowledge and outstanding insight, had served as a royal consultant for over ten years, and was widely recognized as a scholar, a good man, and a gentleman.
But when "World" Gehrman Sparrow revealed this gentleman's other identity, she could no longer restrain her shock and astonishment:
Hvin Rambis was a Beyonder? A council member of the Psychological Alchemists? A demigod?
And judging from Mr. "World's" attitude toward wanting to kill him, he was very likely not the image she believed him to be.
While "Justice" Audrey's thoughts churned, Ebner slanted a glance at "World" sitting at the very end of the table, and thought amusedly to himself:
So you're plotting to kill "me" right in front of my face?
(End of the chapter)