Without waiting for The Hermit to answer, Audrey added, “If you believe this is an important piece of information and isn’t something to be given for free, then I can provide you with some payment.”
“No, there’s no need to. Anyone familiar with the Feynapotter’s Church of Earth Mother will have some understanding of this.” Cattleya didn’t doubt Miss Justice’s sincerity when it came to the principle of equal exchange. She believed that Miss Justice was fully capable of satisfying her price in terms of wealth and resources, but she decided to provide the information for free.
Firstly, it raised Miss Justice’s impression on her and would build a foundation for any future transactions. Secondly, by providing the information, she could observe the reactions of the members and estimate their standing in their own organizations and factions.
Cattleya didn’t pause as she continued, “Vampire is from the Moon pathway. The corresponding Sequence 9 is Apothecary; Sequence 8 is Beast Tamer; Sequence 6 is Potions Professor; Sequence 5 is Scarlet Scholar; Sequence 4 is Shaman King. I’m not sure about the higher Sequences.”
“Ahem.” Emlyn White coughed. “Ma’am Hermit, I have to emphasize that it’s Sanguine, not Vampire. Heh heh, I won’t object it if you call those humans who consume the characteristics of my kinsmen vampires. I would even be very agreeable to it.”
Klein joined the bits of bread crumbs together, feeling somewhat enlightened and puzzled.
Alger, Fors, and company were either in thought, listening in relish, or pretending to be disinterested. Everyone had different reactions, but Cattleya was able to figure out that they didn’t understand much about Vampires prior to this.
Audrey listened with great interest as she thought over it carefully. As though she was attending a family education class, she raised her hand slightly.
“Ma’am Hermit, why are the Sequences in the Moon pathway seemingly unrelated?”
The Hermit Cattleya looked at Miss Justice and discovered that the dress and accessories she wore were completely different from the last gathering. There was no repeat, but it exuded her luxurious and noble bearing.
As her mind went adrift, she seemed to see the portrait of the Queen back when she was young. Every piece of clothing she wore was completely different. The same set of clothing was never worn a second time at a formal event.
After a moment of silence, Cattleya said, “A pathway’s Sequence doesn’t necessarily need to be related or superficially connected. The common trait is that this pathway corresponds to the god’s domain. For example, the Moon represents spirituality, plants, beauty, parts of life, parts of darkness, and parts of mystery. Therefore, this pathway has Apothecary of the plant domain, Vampire of the life domain, and Beast Tamer of the intersection of life and spirituality.”
“Sanguine!” Emlyn White emphasized and lifted his chin slightly. “This should be why us Sanguine are very handsome and beautiful.”
Audrey easily understood Ma’am Hermit’s explanation and couldn’t help but guess the name of her pathway’s Sequence 0.
At this moment, Emlyn asked as a form of validation, “That is to say that to successfully become a Sanguine Viscount, I similarly have to act as a Potions Professor, even if I’m a favorite of the Moon?”
This was also one of the reasons why he had entrusted Miss Magician to check for abnormalities in Williams Street. He ultimately felt that Emlyn White, a vampire who didn’t enjoy going out or socializing, was rather unreliable at present. Another reason was that he knew that he was being controlled by the Sanguine’s upper echelons in secret. Getting him to head to Williams Street made it easy to expose the matter regarding the underground ruins.
“Yes.” Cattleya nodded.
The exchange continued, and as it came to a close, Audrey seemed to recall something. She turned her body and looked towards the end of the long bronze table.
“Mr. Fool, the second round of the Civil Servant Unified Examination officially ends today. What’s left is the final interview.”
Her tone was brisk and with clear delightful emotions. It was like an excellent student reporting her results to her parents.
From her point of view, the Civil Servant Unified Examination was a suggestion raised by Mr. Fool in passing. She had pushed forward the idea via inconspicuous methods, the first time she had attempted to use her Beyonder powers to change reality. Therefore, she had always paid great attention to it, often reporting the situation to the suggester.
He nodded slightly and said with a smiling tone, “Not bad.”
Audrey, who had been praised by Mr. Fool, became happier. She felt that she was indirectly changing the fates of many people, allowing people who were stuck in the lower and middle classes to have a chance at entering the middle and upper classes.
When Cattleya heard this exchange, she couldn’t help but frown. She felt that this was very different from the style the Tarot Club had previously shown.
After a few minutes of exchanges, The Fool Klein announced the end of the Gathering.
While Miss Justice and company got up to express their farewells, he severed the connection and leaned back into his seat. He silently watched the endless grayish-white fog around him for a very long while.
…
Backlund. In a coffee shop next to King’s Avenue.
Melissa was holding a porcelain teaspoon as she gently stirred the black tea which had a lemon in it. From time to time, she would turn her head to look out into the faint fog.
Her black veiled hat was sitting beside her. Placed in front of her was a plate of the cheapest toast, but she hadn’t taken a single bite.
She originally imagined that she would anger the coffee shop’s owner for sitting there all this while, preventing him from earning more. But she later discovered that there were many people waiting for the end of the test opposite the road like her.
As seconds turned into minutes, the water condensing on the glass windows grew thicker. Melissa couldn’t help but extend her hand to clean up a relatively clear spot.
Finally, she saw a bunch of people surge out of the test venue. The glass-inlaid wooden door of the coffee shop was pushed open as about eight men and women entered.
Just as Benson took off his rather old top and before he could smooth his rather high hairline with his fingers, he discovered his sister standing as she asked nervously, “How did you do, uh—Were the questions tough today?”
“It might’ve been considered difficult for others, but it was a piece of cake for me. Mathematics is my forte.” Benson looked around and saw everyone discussing it without noticing him. Hence, he chuckled. “After the test ended, I saw quite a number of people with blank sheets. Do they think a low-ranking civil servant will have a mathematics secretary? If that’s the case, what’s the difference between hiring a curly-haired baboon and them?”
Melissa heaved a secret sigh of relief and looked to her side before turning her head back.
“Benson, if you’re really confident, you should consider the matter regarding the interview.
“You need to buy a new decent set of clothes.”
“Let’s leave that to tomorrow. We should celebrate today. I’ve already decided on the restaurant.” Benson smiled as he pointed outside.
Melissa pursed her lips and looked at her elder brother in an extremely serious manner.
“I’ve already bought the meat and vegetables.”
Benson locked his gaze with his sister for a few seconds before moving it away in submission.
“Alright, let’s go home.”
…
Above the gray fog, Klein gradually found his train of thought and calmed his emotions. He began considering how to separate the True Creator’s mental corruption of the All-Black Eye.
