Lord of the Mysteries: The Omnipresent Force

If there is one thing you have to give Klein props for it has to be his acting. That was impressive.

The voice of the short answer quickly dissipated in the magnificent hall and the ambiguous grey fogs. However, it reverberated in the hearts of Audrey, Alger, and Elliot, stirring a ripple after another.

After a few seconds of silence, Audrey stood up. She held her shirt, bent her knees, and performed a salutation for Klein.

"Dear Mister 'Fool', please allow me to formally request, would you be willing to witness our exchange?"

"Not a problem." Klein replied, his voice calm and assured.

"This is our honor, Mister 'Fool'." Alger followed Audrey's lead and stood up. With his right hand to his chest, he bent down and saluted.

Elliot, observing the exchange quietly from the corner, rose to his feet as well. He mirrored the gesture, bowing slightly with his head lowered. His voice was calm, yet with a trace of intrigue. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Mister 'Fool.'"

Klein stretched his right hand and smiled.

"Please continue the discussion."

Alger nodded and sat down again, glancing at Audrey before speaking.

"If you can obtain the blood of a ghost shark, get someone to send it to the 'Warriors and the Sea' bar which is located at Pelican Street, White Rose District of the Port of Pritz. Tell the owner, William Moss, that this is something that the 'Captain' wants."

I should remember this, it could be useful if I need to contact Alger since I don't have a messenger and Klein's delivery service doesn't exist yet.

Elliot's gaze shifted to the others as he remained silent for the moment, absorbing the information.

"After I confirm the receipt of the item, would you prefer me to send the potion formula to an address or share it with you right here?" Alger asked.

Audrey thought for a few seconds and revealed her smile.

"I would prefer the more confidential option, which is to disclose it right here, although it will be a test of my memory."

With these thoughts in mind, she suddenly turned and looked at Klein expectantly. With a tone of interest, she inquired.

"Mister Fool, would you mind having a few more 'attempts' like this?"

Alger had been listening calmly until he was also tempted by the suggestion and quickly followed up.

"Mister 'Fool', don't you find such 'meetings' very interesting? Although your strength exceeds our imagination, there will always be fields in the world that you don't understand or don't excel in.

While the lady sitting opposite me is obviously someone of noble origin, I do have my own experiences, insights, channels, and resources. In the future, it might be possible for us to help you accomplish insignificant things that may be inconvenient for you."

Audrey's mouth was half open and she froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and nodded without hesitation.

"Mister 'Fool', I believe that this is a great proposal. If the 'meetings' become regular, even if there are inconvenient things for you, you can simply pass them to us. Of course, they will need to be within our capabilities."

Elliot added, "Indeed, each of us brings a unique background, distinct resources, and specialized knowledge from different corners of the supernatural realm. If we can establish effective communication and a level of cooperation, the results could be extraordinary, with gains beyond measure."

Klein stretched out his right hand again and tapped the edge of the long table with his fingers.

His tapping motion ceased and he smiled at the three pairs of expectant and envious eyes.

"I'm a person who appreciates fair exchanges."

"I will not ask you to help unconditionally."

"Every Monday, try to be alone at 3 pm. Let me attempt a few more times to figure things out. After that, maybe it will be possible for you to take leaves in advance so that you don't have to worry about being stranded in a wrong place at a wrong time."

Audrey was obviously delighted.

"So should we get titles for ourselves too? After all, we do not want to communicate with our real names." Not waiting for Alger to speak, her eyes sparkled and she asked with great enthusiasm.

"Good idea." Klein answered briefly.

Audrey immediately started thinking and continued.

"You are 'The Fool', from Tarot. As a regular, long-term, and mysterious group, we should keep our titles as consistent as possible. Um, I'll take it from the Tarot too."

Then, her tone became cheerful.

"I've decided, my title shall be 'Justice'!"

It was also one of the 22 main cards of Tarot.

"What about you, Mister?" Audrey smiled and looked at her "companion" standing at the opposite side.

Alger frowned as he became absorbed in thoughts but he quickly made his decision.

"The Hanged Man."

It was another main card.

I suppose Magician makes the most sense, given the Sequence 9 name Arcanist.

Elliot spoke up, his tone thoughtful. "I'll take the title 'Magician.' It feels appropriate given the context."

"Okay, so we are now the founding members of the Tarot Club!" Audrey happily blurted and glanced at Klein with a little embarrassment. "Is it fine, Mr. 'Fool'?"

Klein laughed and shook his head.

"For this kind of trivial matter, you can make your own decisions."

"Thank you!" Audrey was obviously delighted.

Then, she looked to Alger again.

"Mr. Hanged Man, can you repeat the address that you have mentioned just now? I am afraid that it has not been impressed deeply in my memory yet."

"No problem." Alger was quite satisfied with Audrey's sincerity and repeated the address.

After repeating it in her mind three times, Audrey continued with her questions.

"I heard that the Tarot was only a game invented by Emperor Roselle. Therefore, it does not have the capabilities of divination?"

"No, in most cases, the results of divination actually derive from oneself. Everyone has spirituality. They can connect to the spiritual realm and link to related information at a higher level. However, ordinary people cannot notice this, let alone interpret the 'prompts'. When they use divination tools, this information will be presented with the help of the tools. One of the simplest examples is dreams and their interpretations." Alger took a glance at Klein. Noticing that he did not want to say anything, he continued to explain to Audrey, "Tarot belongs to such types of tools. It just uses more symbols and more reasonable elements to help us understand the 'prompts' easily and accurately."

"I see." Audrey nodded, and then she emphasized, "That's not what I meant. I'm not questioning the Tarot. In fact, I have heard that Emperor Roselle had actually created another set of cards in secret. There were the twenty-two cards that symbolized some unknown powers. He referred to those cards before inventing the twenty-two main cards of the Tarot as a game. Is that accurate?"

She looked at Klein as if she would like to get the answer from the mysterious "Fool." Klein could only smile and he did not respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to the "Hanged-Man" and "Magician" as if signaling a test for them.

Alger subconsciously straightened his back and replied in a deep voice.

"Yes, it was said that Emperor Roselle had read the Blasphemy Slate and the mysterious deck of cards contained twenty-two paths to divinity."

"Twenty-two paths to divinity…" Audrey repeated in a tone full of anticipation.

Elliot, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up, his voice steady but carrying weight.

"Actually, the cards contained the complete sequences for Beyonders, from Sequence 9 all the way to Sequence 0. They were the master key to the progression of one's Beyonder abilities. But before Emperor Roselle vanished, he scattered them across the world. There's no telling where the cards might be now."

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of his words settling in. Alger's eyes widened, a look of shock crossing his face as he turned toward Elliot.

Elliot met his gaze, his expression unreadable.

At this time, Klein's headaches had intensified as he felt that his invisible connection with the crimson stars and grey fogs had become unstable.

"Well, today's meeting shall end here." He immediately decided.

"As you wish." Alger bowed his head.

"As you wish." Audrey imitated the "Hanged Man."

Elliot, bowed his head slightly, and spoke with equal calmness. "As you wish."

Klein smiled and nodded.

"Let us look forward to the next meeting."

The "stars" lit up again as the crimson light receded like water. Audrey, Alger, and Elliot had just heard the last sentence from "The Fool" and their figures immediately became blurred and illusionary.

In less than a second, the "projections" shattered and silence was restored above the fogs.

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When Elliot returned to his room, he was greeted by a strange but familiar notification. 

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QUEST COMPLETE: Gathering of Legends

Reward: +5 Energy

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Energy points... still have no clue what they are. Are they supposed to be useful? Or just some arbitrary system to track progress?

The concept still eluded him, like an enigma he couldn't quite grasp. He had no clear answers, but for now, they didn't matter. He shook off his confusion, deciding to focus on the immediate task at hand: the Sequence 9 potion.

Focus, Elliot. Potion first. Whatever this energy thing is can wait for later.

With no time to waste, he left his room and set off towards the nearby shops. The potion's ingredients required precision, and he wasn't about to take any chances with the brewing process. He bought a cauldron, ensuring it was brand new. Anything less would be reckless, considering the complexity of what he needed to create. After a few more stops to gather the other ingredients, he made his way back to his room.

I can't afford to mess this up. Sequence 9... it's a huge step. One wrong move, and everything could go to waste.

He carefully unpacked the items, each more vital than the last. The Etherlight Crystal Essence, Phantom Lilac Extract, Manaweave Ore Dust, Starshade Pollen, Whisperbloom Leaves, and Emberthorn Ash Powder — each one was key to the potion's success. He laid them out in front of him, his fingers brushing against the delicate ingredients as he prepared to begin.

All right. Time to get this right. No distractions.

Following the instructions to the letter, he combined the Etherlight Crystal Essence and Phantom Lilac Extract in the cauldron. As he swirled them together gently, the liquid shimmered, signaling the first step had been completed correctly.

That shimmer… feels like I'm on the right track.

Next, he added the Manaweave Ore Dust and Starshade Pollen, stirring carefully with a silver rod. He made sure there were no clumps, as instructed. The swirling mixture turned a faint iridescent color as the dust and pollen melded together.

This is going smoother than I expected. Let's keep it that way.

He crushed the Whisperbloom Leaves into a fine paste, as delicate as he could manage, and mixed them into the potion. The liquid shifted in color, deepening into a rich violet hue. The mixture was now halfway through the process.

The color... it's exactly what it should be. I'm doing this.

Finally, he sprinkled the Emberthorn Ash Powder evenly across the surface. He allowed the potion to settle for two minutes, observing the liquid as it absorbed the ash's energy, glowing faintly. It was now ready.

Two minutes. Just two minutes. Stay calm.

With extreme care, Elliot poured the completed potion into a glass. His heart raced. He'd followed every step with precision, and now there was no turning back. He took a deep breath, the familiar sense of anticipation and anxiety swirling within him.

This is it. I've come too far to back out now. Here goes nothing.

"Bottom's up," he muttered to himself, and in one swift motion, he drank the potion. Instantly, a wave of discomfort rushed through his body. Pain and disorientation flooded his senses, and he clenched his jaw, trying not to let the agony show. He braced himself for what was to come, hoping against hope that he could survive the process without it pushing him past his limits.

This... this feels worse than I imagined. I have to hold on. I can't let it break me now.

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