"Madam Dela's sister is actually a member of the Psychology Alchemists?"
Audrey felt a slight ripple in her heart as she looked at the name on the slip of paper. Snow gave a timely reminder:
"According to Loen noble traditions, ladies of status often enjoy a period of freedom. You can use this opportunity. In balls or salons where she is also present, show your interest in psychology. Let the Psychology Alchemists take the initiative to contact you. As for the extent... as a [Spectator], you should be able to handle it."
"Alright, thank you for the guidance. Shall I deliver the reward in the same way as last time?" Audrey nodded slightly, a specific strategy already forming in her mind.
Snow and Audrey agreed on a payment time. Meanwhile, [The Hanged Man] and [Little Sun] each had their own thoughts.
[Little Sun]'s didn't matter much as he could barely understand a word of what was being said. Mr. [The Hanged Man], however, was wondering about Mr. Devil's intelligence network.
To be able to name a member of a hidden organization so easily--especially one from the [Spectator] pathway, which was best at observation--either this Mr. Devil was a member of the Psychology Alchemists himself, or...
Mr. [The Hanged Man] didn't think any further. No matter how he looked at it, [The Devil] was likely no simple character.
However, it happened that he could make use of this.
Alger narrowed his eyes, deliberating on his tone before speaking, "I wish to make a commission."
"What kind of commission?" Although Snow knew what he wanted to say, since the other party was clearly addressing him, he followed along and asked.
"I have received intelligence that the great pirate Qilangos, known as 'Vice Admiral Hurricane,' has secretly infiltrated Backlund. It's unknown what he intends to do. I hope to obtain his whereabouts. You can name the reward."
"'Vice Admiral Hurricane' Qilangos? One of the seven pirate admirals?" Miss Justice's curiosity was piqued once again. What was the thing she wanted to do most after becoming a Beyonder? Naturally, it was to come into contact with those figures who only existed in legends!
"Yes. He is a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the [Sailor] pathway, a [Wind-Blessed]. He also possesses a mystical item. He is quite cunning and cruel; you had best not try to deal with him." Seeing Audrey's eager tone, Alger knew exactly what this noble lady was thinking and immediately gave a solemn warning.
Subsequently, he turned his head, glancing at [The Devil] first before speaking to Klein, "Mr. Fool, may I request that your blessed one provide assistance at a critical moment? I will pay a price that interests you."
'My blessed one? Does [The Devil] count?' Klein first thought of Mr. Devil who woke him up every morning, then spoke with a smile:
"Provided that my blessed one is in Backlund."
"Very well." Alger withdrew his gaze with a mix of disappointment and anticipation. Snow lightly tapped his brow, then spoke in a very solemn tone, "I accept this commission. As for the reward... I also hope you can help me investigate something."
"Speak." Alger furrowed his brow, feeling that anything necessitating such a solemn tone from [The Devil] wouldn't be simple. Still, he decided to hear the specifics first.
"You mentioned before that you are at sea, correct? I hope you can help me inquire whether there have been any reports of missing persons at sea in recent years--regardless of whether they were slaves or free citizens."
Snow seemed to recall something and paused for a moment before continuing, "This commission is an independent one. Even if I don't find Qilangos, I will pay you with other rewards."
'Why is he asking this?' Alger's brow rose slightly, but he nodded. This kind of information wasn't difficult to investigate. At this time, Audrey, whose "adventure factor" had been triggered by Qilangos, finally couldn't help but ask:
"I can also help you search for Qilangos, but could you tell me more about him? For instance, about that mystical item?"
Hearing Miss Justice's question, [The Hanged Man]'s mood improved slightly. Compared to [The Devil]'s Beyonder information circle, this Miss Justice had a broader network in the secular world. If she was willing to help, it was naturally for the best.
Thus, he began to recount various details about Qilangos. It wasn't until he spoke of the almost omnipotent power of [Creeping Hunger] that [Little Sun] finally joined the conversation once more...
...
Returning to reality, Snow sat up from his bed. He first fed a dried fish to Lily, then began to review today's Tarot meeting.
'The formulas meant for Mr. Fool have been given. The information "The Devil knows something about missing persons" has been passed to Alger. It's confirmed that Mr. Fool did indeed go to the town of Lamud. My contact information has been delivered into the hands of Klein--the "Blessed of the Fool"--through a "logical" method. I even managed to fleece a Solar Siphon charm from Mr. Fool. However, I acted a bit too eagerly regarding the Psychology Alchemists. Fortunately, the current Audrey is still very green and didn't notice anything. I must pay attention to emotional management next time. Also, the diary... right, the name Ain should be remembered. I can continue using it in the future, even as a cover for Trissy if necessary...'
Snow wrote lines of text on paper, then crossed them out one by one. After confirming there were no omissions, he burned the paper and performed an anti-divination with [A White Horse is Not a Horse] before turning to look at Lily, who had finished her fish.
"Still the same place as last time. Also, remember not to bully that dog!"
"Meow~!" Lily looked up, gave a very tsundere cry, and then vanished in a flash.
"This little one's speed is getting faster and faster." Snow shook his head slightly and picked up the calendar from his desk.
Although he appeared collected, he was actually quite anxious. Because Ince Zangwill still hadn't made a move.
Logically, Tingen was already chaotic enough--it was the perfect time to trigger the descent of the evil god's offspring. If he delayed any longer and the Aurora Order members in Backlund were depleted, the elite squads from Backlund would hunt their way to Tingen. At that point, the evil god's offspring wouldn't be able to cause any waves.
'Forget it, I'll let Mr. Witch add some fuel to the fire. Seriously, how should I fool Mr. Witch this time?' With a slight smirk, Snow took out a new piece of paper and began writing out script samples for communicating with Trissy. Even though he held the lead whenever they spoke, that lead was backed by script samples as complex as a high-difficulty galgame's branching path diagram.
Of course, he originally wrote these to avoid his choice difficulty, but now, it was to digest the final mental residue.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: Regarding Snow's plan: he is intentionally orphaning Klein from the Church's internal resources for the [Clown] formula to force him to rely on the Tarot Club. This also allows Snow to "unload" formulas he knows without appearing too suspicious by providing a variety of pathways.
T/N: Vice Admiral Hurricane (飓风中将) Qilangos.
One of the seven pirate admirals.
T/N: Creeping Hunger (蠕动的饥饿).
A famous [Shepherd] pathway mystical item. The localization keeps the literal sense of the Chinese name.
T/N: Revaluation (复盘 - Fupan).
A term from Go (Weiqi) referring to the analysis of a game after it's finished to learn from mistakes and successes. Here it refers to Snow's post-Tarot Club review.