"No problem." Klein tried to maintain his unchanging deep tone.
He rested his left elbow on the armrest of his chair and supported his forehead slightly with his fingers, posing as though he was listening calmly.
Alger deliberated over his words and said, "The Antigonus is an ancient family. Their history can be traced back to the Cataclysm Epoch before the Fourth Epoch and is related to the second Blasphemy Slate."
The second Blasphemy Slate? There's a second Blasphemy Slate? How many are there? Klein's pupils shrank, and he nearly changed his posture.
According to what The Hanged Man and Justice have said previously, the Blasphemy Slate contained the profound mysteries of the twenty-two paths of the divine!
There are two of such important items, or even more?
Twenty-two paths of the divine... Sequences and pathways... Could these two nouns mean the same thing? Every complete Sequence pathway leads straight to the throne of the divine?
At that instant, the description of the second Blasphemy Slate gave Klein numerous thoughts. He believed that if not for the thick grayish-white fog concealing him, his emotional reaction would probably have been discovered by Miss Spectator.
As for the words Cataclysm Epoch, he was no stranger to that term as a historian. It was the name of the third epoch.
After his recent revision, Klein even knew that the third epoch was separated into two eras: the Glorious Era and the Cataclysm Era.
"A second Blasphemy Slate?" Audrey plainly revealed her ignorance on the matter.
Before she calmed her emotions, she returned to her Spectator state.
Nice question! Klein secretly cheered for Miss Justice.
It was a question inconvenient for him to ask as The Fool.
Alger stole a glance at The Fool and noticed that his posture remained the same, nor did he make a sound. Hence, he thought and answered, "The first Blasphemy Slate appeared in the Dark Epoch, which is the second epoch where we humans struggled to survive under the protection of gods. The second Blasphemy Slate appeared at the end of the third epoch. It could even be said that its appearance symbolized the end of the Cataclysm Epoch.
"The content of the two Blasphemy Slates is kept secret by the seven major churches. I only know bits and pieces of it. I only know that they involve the pathways to godhood, but I am not sure of the differences between them."
"Was the Blasphemy Slate that Emperor Roselle saw the first or the second?" Audrey asked curiously.
Upon hearing that, Klein recalled what Alger said about the potion names during the first Gathering. He said that the names of the Sequence potions were derived from the Blasphemy Slate!
Similarly, Captain had also mentioned that the formation and completion of the potion system was thanks to the birth of the Blasphemy Slate... That indirectly confirms that the pathways to godhood are the Sequence pathway! Klein answered his earlier question silently.
Then Alger simply replied, "The second one."
The glint in Audrey's eyes diminished and she returned to her Spectator state. She did not continue asking questions; instead, all she did was focus her gaze on The Hanged Man.
It was obvious that her scrutiny made Alger uncomfortable, but he suppressed the emotions within him. He lowered his voice and continued, "During the Solomon Dynasty in the Fourth Epoch, although the Antigonus family was considered an illustrious part of the aristocracy, they didn't do anything very memorable until they supported the establishment of the Tudor Empire. They then stood right in the middle of the stage of Northern Continent.
"In that period, Antigonus, Amon, Abraham, Jacob, and others were illustrious names of the human kingdom. However, after the War of the Four Sovereigns, the Blood Emperor from the Tudor Empire perished. They fell from the top of their pedestal and are now hunted by the seven gods.
"I am not sure about the actual process, but I do know that the Antigonus family was destroyed at the hands of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. Mr. Fool, if you'd like to know more, I am afraid that you can only obtain the information from the Church of the Evernight Goddess or from the few ancient secret organizations. You know which few I am referring to."
I don't... Klein nodded while feeling bitter inside.
"Okay."
The Secret Order is one. Captain and Old Neil mentioned the Moses Ascetic Order. I wonder if the Psychology Alchemists count...
While he mentally checked off the candidates, Alger provided him with the last bits of information.
"I similarly have no idea which Sequence pathways the Antigonus family held. There are only two adjectives that appear repetitively in the descriptions of the Antigonus family, and those are "strange" and "terrifying."
Strange and terrifying... Thinking back to the notebook, the original Klein and his classmates, and what happened to Ray Bieber's mother, it really is aptly worded...Klein continuously rapped the edge of the long table with the tip of his finger a couple of times.
Then, he slowly began to speak.
"Very well, I am satisfied with the payment."
The reason he continuously rapped the long table lightly with his fingers was to emphasize the action, to make Justice and The Hanged Man believe that he had a habit of rapping in order to conceal the fact that the same motion was used to activate and deactivate his Spirit Vision.
"It's my pleasure." Alger did not say anything else.
Audrey took a look at The Hanged Man and then The Fool. She smiled faintly and said, "Then, I shall ask the second question: what is the name of the subsequent potion for Spectator? Where can I find the clues?"
I'd also like to ask so straightforwardly, but different choices lead to different difficulties... Klein did not speak but cast his gaze towards The Hanged Man.
Alger remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I'll answer the question for free because I led you on this pathway.
"The subsequent Sequence for Spectator is Sequence 8 Telepathic. The ancient name of Sequence 7 is Psyche Analyst but is called Psychiatrist now. This is what I found out from a member of the Psychology Alchemists. I think they should have quite a number of potion formulas for this pathway."
Psychology Alchemists... Spirit Medium Daly was rather approving of their theory, but Captain thought of them as evil and crazy... Klein listened while in deep thought.
"Do you know the whereabouts of that particular Psychology Alchemists member?" asked Audrey as her eyes beamed with joy.
Be it Telepathic or Psychiatrist, both names appealed to her aesthetics.
Alger gave a rare laugh.
"I do. He's immersed in the seas around Sonia Island. I sank him with my own hands.
"If you would like to look for the Psychology Alchemists, I have to apologize since I severed the clues."
He was not worried that Justice would find his identity through his description because he did that on his own, out of the public eye.
"Sank..." Audrey was at a loss how to reply or what expression to wear.
She drew a deep breath and suddenly failed to maintain her Spectator state. She asked bashfully, "The third question. If—and I'm saying if—a normal animal were to drink a Sequence 9 potion, what would happen?"
What kind of a question is that? Klein tapped his glabella unnoticeably with his finger that was supporting his forehead.
Very quickly, he saw the changes in color and noticed that Audrey's emotions had turned frantic, nervous, and a little ashamed.
Could she have done something that stupid? Klein was astounded, but didn't find it strange.
After the past two Gatherings, he was certain that Miss Justice was quite an airhead.
The Hanged Man, Alger, was obviously dumbfounded as well. He took a while to reply.
"Normal animals do not have the brains of humans. They wouldn't be able to learn Cogitation in a timely manner. Therefore, it would most likely lead to immediate death or a breakdown into a monster. However, if they survived the initial ingestion of the potion, they should become an extraordinary creature. If the potion has the ability to enhance their intelligence, they can even become smarter."
"Alright." Audrey breathed out a silent sigh and nodded while saying with a relaxed tone. "I have no other questions."
Alger considered for a moment and did not mention matters regarding the Aurora Order or the Listener. Similarly, he shook his head and said, "Nor do I."
"I have something." Klein didn't change his posture but said with a smile, "It will require your cooperation."
He had yet to turn off his Spirit Vision, and he immediately saw that The Hanged Man was showing signs of nervousness, while Miss Justice was too simple-minded to show fear or carefulness.
Before they could reply, Klein comforted them, "Don't worry. It's trivial. If it succeeds, it will be beneficial to you, so I wouldn't be paying extra remuneration."
"Go ahead." Audrey instinctively entered the Spectator state, but she couldn't see through the thick gray fog engulfing The Fool.
"As you will," Alger replied, steadying himself.
Klein moved his fingers and smiled when he said, "Previously, I said that we would do some experiments to enable you to ask for a leave of absence. That way, you do not have to worry if you have to be somewhere inappropriate on a Monday afternoon."
"That's our wish." Audrey loosened her tightly knitted eyebrows.
Alger thought and said, "What do you need us to do?"
"You could try a piece of ritualistic magic during your free time. It need not be too formal. As long as you are in an environment that won't be disturbed... Put four brand new candles on an altar, placed on four corners respectively. It's best if they are candles with a sandalwood scent. Put a loaf of white bread near the candle on the top left corner, a bowl of Feynapotter noodles near the candle on the top right corner, paella by the candle on the bottom left corner, and a Desi pie by the candle on the bottom right corner... Use a silver knife to make a sealed spiritual environment..."
Klein described his modified version of the luck enhancement ritual and taught Miss Justice how to create a spiritual environment for free.
To be frank, as the ritual was targeted at himself, Klein believed that the former part, which was intended to attract the interest of an entity, could be omitted completely. However, he still worked hard to make the procedure seem important. Of course, it didn't comply with what Old Neil taught about gods being second and oneself being third.
"...Mix moon flowers, gold mint, slumber flowers, fingered citron, and rock-rose together then distill it. Extract it for its essential oil, then pour a drop onto each candle..."
Audrey listened with piqued interest as she recorded all that he said. When he was done, she asked, "What about the incantation? Mr. Fool, what's the corresponding incantation?"
Alger stopped writing with the fountain pen in his hand as well. He turned his head to look at The Fool.
Klein, who was immersed in the gray fog, tapped the edge of the long table with his finger lightly and said calmly and monotonously in Hermes, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; you are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."
