'Hey, hey, this unknown Mr. Pandrax, your integrity isn't that much better than Emperor Roselle's, is it?' Mr. Fool criticized inwardly, but he still patiently continued reading. After all, if the diary mentioned sleeping with a high-level Secret Order member, perhaps it would contain a potion formula for the [Seer] pathway?
And then--
"I managed to get quite a bit of intelligence out of Ain. Comparing it with Roselle's diary, it seems mostly believable. However, I still need to divine the potion formulas; one can't be too careful.
"I didn't expect that 'God's Pathway' truly is just that--a path to godhood. And [Seer], as it happens, doesn't have a Sequence 0 yet--though that 'half-Sequence 0' of the Antigonus family isn't exactly easy to deal with. Then again, a mere [Faceless] like me thinking about 'The Fool' is far too ambitious. Better to consider where to find a live mermaid first..."
...
The diary ended there. Although it seemed to have no beginning or end, Klein managed to decode a significant amount of information from it.
'I didn't expect to see the word "Fool" here. According to the statement that "God's Pathway truly is just that," does Sequence 0 represent a True God? And "The Fool" is the so-called Sequence 0 of the [Seer] pathway?
No wonder Mr. Devil became even more respectful after hearing me call myself The Fool--does he think I am a True God?'
Actually, Klein was truly startled when he first saw the word "The Fool." After all, he had suffered enough risk from "coincidences" lately. However, after seeing the description of "Antigonus's half-Sequence 0," he relaxed slightly. Considering he had dreamed of the Antigonus family's notebook and then the "Fool" card appeared, perhaps this was simply being influenced by that notebook.
Rather than the fact that a new coincidence had been added to his already coincidence-riddled life, what concerned him more were other details.
For instance, the mermaid.
'It seems [Faceless] should be a high-sequence potion of the [Seer] pathway, though I don't know if it's Sequence 7 or 6. As for finding a mermaid... is it because of the potion ingredients? But if it's an ingredient, is there a need to emphasize "live"?'
Klein furrowed his brow slightly, beginning to consider whether he should also start looking for clues about live mermaids. But then he gave a self-deprecating laugh; he was clearly making the same mistake as the diary's owner--thinking about the mid-sequences when he hadn't even secured Sequence 8 yet.
Thinking of this, he forcibly controlled his emotions, letting himself stop thinking about extraneous matters. He waved his hand to let the parchment scroll in his hand disperse, then looked toward the people on both sides of the long table, "Actually, you don't have to wait for me."
"It is our honor," Mr. [The Hanged Man] responded humbly, having completely reined in his sharp edges after realizing his status might be threatened once again.
Audrey thought for a moment before maintaining her [Spectator] state and speaking with a shallow smile, "Mr. Fool, the method you previously described for selecting civil servants through public examinations has gained the approval of the King and the Prime Minister. It is about to pass through the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and is expected to enter the official implementation phase early next year."
Hearing Miss Justice's words, Alger habitually roasted the bureaucrats of Loen, while Mr. Fool thought about his brother's future.
Seeing Mr. Fool nod in approval, Audrey's slender waist straightened slightly. She turned and looked toward Snow's side with a smile, asking, "Mr. Devil, did you receive the materials you wanted?"
"Of course. I am very satisfied with this transaction." Hearing Audrey's sweet voice, Snow felt his mood improve significantly. He immediately pushed forward the formulas he had already transcribed, "Here are the low-sequence potion formulas I possess, including [Seer] Sequence 9 to 7, [Assassin] Sequence 9 to 7, [Apothecary] Sequence 9, and [Lawyer] Sequence 8 and 7. Additionally, I have some incomplete formulas, mostly consisting of the main ingredients for those sequences. As for mid-sequence potions, things are a bit more sensitive, but if you have sales channels, you can bring them up. Regardless of how much you sell them for, giving me seventy percent of the market price will suffice..."
'No [Sailor], [Spectator], or [Bard] pathways? Is it because he truly doesn't have them, or did he skip them on purpose?' [The Hanged Man] always speculated on others' hearts with the greatest malice. The amount of resources in this [Devil]'s hands already far exceeded the limit of what an ordinary "family" could possess.
At least as far as he knew, even the Churches of the True Gods, aside from a complete formula for one primary pathway, often only possessed formulas for two or three low-sequence pathways. Yet [The Devil], in one go, produced four pathways, and he likely hadn't even mentioned his own pathway. It was hard not to suspect his true identity.
Compared to the habitually "DI-fying" Mr. [The Hanged Man], Miss Justice was much more simple. She was merely shocked by Mr. [The Devil]'s... well, she was just shocked.
After deliberating for a long time in her heart without finding an appropriate word to describe her mood, Audrey stopped overthinking and asked directly, "Mr. Devil, I wonder if you can find potion formulas for the [Spectator] pathway above Sequence 7? Well, clues for the main ingredients would also be fine."
"Hmm..." Snow was a bit surprised that this question, which should have been answered by Mr. [The Hanged Man], had fallen on him. But on second thought, he understood--due to his quick answer, Mr. [The Hanged Man] had missed an opportunity to ask, and thus a transaction to bridge the gap.
After thinking for a bit, Snow nodded slightly, "Regrettably, regarding the Sequence 7 of [Spectator], I only know some of its main ingredients. Compared to obtaining it from me, your previous idea of joining the Psychology Alchemists is actually a better one."
"But I don't have a channel for that." Audrey's brow furrowed slightly, but she noticed that Mr. Devil seemed to have a look of confidence. She immediately realized and asked with some cheer, "Does Mr. Devil have a channel to join the Psychology Alchemists?"
"It's not exactly a channel." Snow shook his head, then gave a hint, "There are many members of the Psychology Alchemists among the Loen nobility. You can attract their attention by releasing news of your desire to purchase [Spectator] potion formulas. After all, they seem very keen on pulling the scions of Great Nobles into their organization, attempting to influence the kingdom's decisions through that. Of course, if you need the specific identity of a certain Psychology Alchemists member, I can tell you that too, but that... will cost extra."
"No problem! I am willing to offer five hundred... no, one thousand pounds!" Audrey decided on the spot, giving a price equivalent to the main ingredients of a Sequence 7 potion.
Snow nodded slightly at the words, took out a piece of paper, and wrote down the name of a certain "regular customer" of his predecessor...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: Regarding Klein's spirituality: at the start, without potions, his spirituality could barely support two people. As a Seer, it should support at least one more. Now that the potion is fully digested, supporting yet another shouldn't be a problem.
A/N: Regarding whether Snow is over-interfering with Klein: I don't think so yet, as the protagonist hasn't truly helped Klein avoid any major risks. For example, he didn't go to Ray Bieber early, but instead let the "Witch" (Trissy) take the benefit after the fight. Klein being forced to collect Sequence 8 materials himself because he missed the Church-provided ones is actually a neutral-to-negative interference.
T/N: Faceless (无面人).
The Sequence 6 of the Seer pathway. Note the distinction between "acting" and "merely using" the powers mentioned in the previous chapter.
T/N: DI-fying (迪化 - Dihua).
A Chinese internet slang term referring to "Overthinking/Over-interpreting" a situation to make another person look more powerful than they are, named after the character Demiurge from the anime Overlord (whose name is transliterated with "Di"). Here it refers to Alger's tendency to over-analyze the "Devil's" motives.