The origin of the Surry family in Intis… Sitting at the head of the table, the "Fool" Klein glanced back and forth between the "Moon" and the "Tower," and a sudden realization began to form in his mind:
Whether that final diary page Emlyn received came from the Ancestor of the Vampires or from the Church of the Earth Mother, both sources would very likely be aware that Mr. Tower recently needed information about the Surry family…
So, is this the ancient god Lilith or the Earth Mother investing in me? Providing the Tarot Club members with what they need ahead of time, in order to grant me 'benefits'?
If I'm right, the one who gave Emlyn the diary page about the Surry family is more likely to be Lilith. After all, this ancient god is more closely connected to Liu Bo, and compared to the Earth Mother, she's far more likely to recognize Chinese.
Of course, it's also possible that the Earth Mother wanted to pass the relevant information to Her blessed one, Mr. Tower, but couldn't read Chinese—at least not fluently—so She delivered the diary to Emlyn, who then passed it to me, so I could relay it to Mr. Tower…
Hmm… overall, the possibility that it came from the Vampire Ancestor still seems stronger.
While his thoughts spun rapidly, Klein, through the "World," asked in a hoarse voice:
"What kind of mystical item are you offering in exchange?"
Ebner's heart stirred at this, and he looked toward the "World" in mild surprise. He had originally expected the Hanged Man to be the one holding relevant information, not Klein stepping in like this.
Mr. Fool's main sources of intelligence are the Tarot Club members and Roselle's diary… so did someone submit a diary that recorded something about this?
Could the Surry family be connected to Roselle?
While speculating inwardly, Ebner put on a slight smile and replied, "I accept commissions for custom mystical items, so the kind of item depends on your needs."
"I need a powerful offensive weapon with minimal negative side effects," the "World" stated in a deep voice.
"A weapon with a limited lifespan—say, one that only lasts eight months—would that be acceptable?" Ebner asked after a moment of thought, once he had a general idea in mind.
"That's acceptable." The "World" nodded.
"Even a time-limited weapon like that will still cost between 1,000 and 3,000 pounds… I hope your information is worth that price." As he spoke, Ebner gestured that there was no need for a private conversation—the "World" could speak openly.
The "World," Klein, organized his thoughts before repeating the contents he had just read in the diary. At the end, he hesitated slightly, but still conveyed Roselle's final note in a subtle manner:
"Roselle may have left behind certain arrangements within that family… for some unknown purpose."
So the Surry family was actually founded by Charles's illegitimate child—descendants of Old Huang…Fanny's hair is chestnut, and before she deliberately straightened and grew it out, it had a natural wave to it… That must be from Old Huang's side.
—Ebner, who had a preference for long, straight hair, had unknowingly influenced Fanny. Once she realized it, she'd grown out her shoulder-length hair over the course of a few months.
Heh, if the Surry family are Old Huang's descendants, then that "coincidence" earlier suddenly makes more sense… But this method of using his own descendants for some kind of setup… He must've already been corrupted at that time—driven mad by something, perhaps?
Still, what was he ultimately trying to achieve?
Though more questions had arisen in his heart, Ebner was fairly satisfied with the information Klein had provided. He decided that once he got back, he'd go ahead and craft a "magic wand" for Klein—after all, with the Demoness card in hand, Mr. Fool could summon a spiritual body to debut as a "Heroine" at any time.
On the other side, seeing the information exchange conclude, the "Magician" Fors also turned to the "Tower" and said:
"Mr. Tower, I'd like to commission you to craft a mystical item as well—if it's convenient for you?"
—She and Fanny had only met a few times, barely enough to call acquaintances. She couldn't even recall Fanny's last name, let alone what was happening recently with the Surry family. And so, she once again missed the opportunity to connect the "Tower" with Ebner.
Ebner quickly guessed Fors's intentions and smiled as he asked, "Is it for that 'Rose Bishop' characteristic?"
"That's right." Fors exhaled in relief and marveled at Mr. Tower's deductive abilities. Then, without hiding her inherently "greedy" nature, she said bluntly, "I want its value raised to the level of a Sequence 5 formula."
"No problem… Hmm, since we're all members of the Tarot Club, I'll only charge you 800 pounds for the crafting fee," Ebner nodded with a smile.
That price was actually quite reasonable. When the "Hanged Man" Alger sought out the "Artisan" Sharf to make an item of this level, it always started at a base of 1,000 pounds.
Fors was well aware of that too, so after quietly muttering a few complaints—"Last time Miss 'Judgment' asked you to make something, you didn't even bring up a crafting fee"—she still accepted the price.
Her new book, War-Torn Beauty, which had been inspired by legends of the Elven King, the Elven Queen, and the God of Luck, had just been published and was selling well. Combined with the profits she had made earlier from selling off materials, she could just about scrape together the 800 pounds.
Once the deal was settled, she turned toward the lower end of the long bronze table, manifested a parchment, and said, "Mr. 'World,' I've obtained the formula you wanted…"
I know. You just got it from me… At this rate, I'm practically boosting the entire Tarot Club's GDP single-handedly, Klein thought sourly, though he remained outwardly polite as he replied, "Have you decided what formula you want in exchange?"
The "Magician" Fors first turned and respectfully glanced at Mr. Fool before saying, "Since it wasn't obtained from the Abraham family, I'll just take the 'Lawyer' potion formula."
She'd heard that Xio's younger brother, Rio Derecha, dreamed of becoming a great lawyer, so she planned to prepare this in advance as a potential gift for the next time they met…
If I can win over Xio's brother, maybe she'll finally stop chasing me about that whole incident, Fors mused as she requested Mr. Fool to transmit the materialized parchment to the "World."
Klein ignored the strange look Miss "Temperance" gave him, pretended to glance at the parchment, then passed the "Lawyer" formula to Fors, thus completing this rather awkward transaction.
Sherlock just got fleeced again… Miss "Temperance" watched for a moment and arrived at what she believed was an "accurate" assessment.
Ebner also watched the scene with a smiling face, doing his best to suppress the joy in his heart.
After that, the "Sun" made a request to purchase the fruit of the Glorious Contract Spirit Tree. "Temperance" and the "Hanged Man" also respectively inquired again about a demigod-level mummy and the eyeball from the forehead of a three-eyed thunderbird...
Unfortunately, none of them received a response.
They weren't too disappointed, of course. Items of this level were never easy to acquire—getting no news in the short term was perfectly normal.
After this week, Miss "Justice" would also advance to Sequence 7… That would make the Tarot Club's lineup two Sequence 5s, three Sequence 6s, two Sequence 7s, and two Sequence 8s who had already obtained their follow-up formulas.
The "Fool" Klein glanced around the table and suddenly felt that the Tarot Club had grown to rival the elite squads of the orthodox Churches.
Except for me, this 'Fool' doesn't quite measure up to a true god… he mocked himself inwardly before smiling and saying aloud:
"Let's begin free exchange."
"Justice" Audrey was about to speak out of habit but, after thinking it over, realized she didn't have much to share this week.
Other than attending one banquet after another and taking two psychology classes, the only thing of note was her return to East Chester County—and that didn't really seem worth mentioning. She pressed her lips together lightly and chose to remain silent.
The "Magician" Fors was still in a lethargic state after two days of working as a carry-everything secretary. Her mind was a bit blank, and all she said was:
"The Church of Steam in Backlund seems to have experienced something major—even the bishops at each parish looked unusually solemn when addressing their congregations…"
This was what she had observed while accompanying Ebner on visits to various bishops.
At that moment, Miss "Judgment" exchanged a silent glance with Ebner before finally speaking:
"One of the archbishops of the Church of Steam has fallen."
"Killed by a demigod demoness."
(End of Chapter)