524 Meeting (1/2)

5 p.m., Olive Tree Avenue, Pam's Divination Lodge.

Alger Wilson pushed open a brown wooden door with panes of glass situated above it, and he entered the cafe that had a mysticism theme.

He ordered a cup of Fermo coffee from the Paz Valley on the Star Highlands of the Southern Continent. He took out the tarot cards he had bought earlier and placed it beside him. The top card was The Hanged Man, depicting an angel hanging upside down with his hands tied behind his back.

Unlike this morning, he had changed into a dark, classical robe and wore a clergyman's biretta, like a warlock or magician from folklore.

After taking in a silent breath, Alger slowly sipped his coffee. He didn't show any anxiety from waiting.

After about five or six minutes, the thick brown wooden door opened again, and a young man in a black tweed coat and a half top hat came in.

The gentleman's appearance wasn't even thirty years of age. His face was thin and angular. He had both a mature and gloomy temperament. It was none other than Klein who had slightly modified his appearance and changed his persona.

He wasn't wearing gold-rimmed glasses, but his eyesight was unaffected. With a casual sweep with his eyes, his gaze landed on Alger's dark blue sideburns.

Klein looked down and saw The Hanged Man card placed face up on the deck.

Without a word, he walked over, took off his hat, and sat down opposite Alger. He said with a grim smile, ”I'd like to have a divination.”

As he spoke, he had already taken in the appearance of the most senior member of the Tarot Club.

Deep facial features, rough outline, with a clear weathered look. It's obvious he was a person adept at fighting and is often outdoors.

His skin is bronze in color, but it differs from that of the natives. He's like the result of a pure Loenese being battered by the elements for years, but the dark blue hair is more peculiar, something that doesn't belong to Loen. It's closer to the colonists of Desi Bay who live in Berserk Sea region.

Mixed blood… Klein made his judgment.

Alger looked at the gentleman across him, slowly superimposing his image with that of The World. Then, he pushed out the tarot card and said in a low voice, ”This requires you to shuffle and cut your own cards.”

Klein reached out and picked them up, spreading them fully to take them in. Following that, he gathered them together and did a reshuffle.

He cut the cards continuously, took out three cards, and placed them in an arrangement of past, present, and future.

Klein slowly leaned back, but he turned over the middle tarot card with his right hand. It showed a naked woman wearing only a purple silk scarf, surrounded by a green wreath like a door.

This was The World, numbered 21. Number 22 returned to 0, symbolizing The Fool.

”How should I interpret this?” Klein asked deliberately.

Although The Hanged Man hadn't explicitly mentioned that The World was the adorer of The Fool, Klein didn't think it was necessary to hope otherwise. He felt that being honest about it aided in establishing his image—if Alger hadn't guessed it, then it was an act of being open and confident. If Alger already knew about the matter, it would make The World appear at ease, as if everything was within his grasp.

H-he knows I know? He already believes that I've guessed it before raising the topic above the gray fog? Impressive… Alger's heart skipped a beat as he replied at a moderate pace, ”It's inverted. It means that things will fail due to a lack of preparation.”

”What kind of preparations are needed?” Klein thoughtfully nodded and asked.

Alger took back all the tarot cards apart from The World and skillfully reshuffled and cut the cards.

Then, he flipped open the top card.

It was The Hierophant!

Alger's voice remained deep and low.

”You need advice. You need the help of faith and religion to avoid going down the wrong path.”

Without waiting for Klein to speak, he followed the sequence and turned over the second card. On it was The Moon which overlooked the land.

”You will be confused, you will be exhausted, and you will be wandering in your dreams, but this is only temporary.”

Next, Alger handed over a third tarot card; it was The Sun.

”Everything shall pass, and the light will shine upon the land,” he spoke like a charlatan.

Klein remained silent for a few seconds, then seemingly asked for confirmation, ”Church, dream, sun?”

A hint of a smile spread across Alger's face. He nodded slightly and said, ”That's right.”

He had hidden hints for the follow-up plan during the tarot divination.

In fact, in a situation where he had no skin in the matter and wasn't even noticed, there was no need to be so tactful. He could've described things in detail directly, but Alger felt that he still needed to test out an adorer like The World. He wanted to know if he was smart enough, rather than relying on his strength.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click visiting.

If their intelligence were on the same level, Alger felt that they could cooperate more in the future. There was no need to talk too much between smart people; on the contrary, he would try to not involve The World in his own affairs. He would only ask for help when he needed a helper, unless Mr. Fool had other orders.

Now, The World's response and previous performances had confirmed that he was sly, vicious, and experienced.

Heh, I'm a tarot card expert… On such matters, Mr. Hanged Man, you're just a rookie… Klein secretly laughed, belittling him inwardly.

The message hidden in The Hanged Man's interpretation was very simple. The Hierophant meant that he wanted to inform the Church of Storms about Blazing Danitz and Steel Maveti, and then use the power of the Mandated Punishers to divide the enemy and reap the benefits.

This was something Klein often used, so there was no difficulty in understanding.

The Moon and The Sun cards which followed were a reminder and warning from The Hanged Man.

Since the Mandated Punishers were involved, a certain amount of caution had to be taken. According to Alger's experience, his colleagues in Bayam would definitely use a Sealed Artifact that could force many people within its range to fall into a dream, when dealing with similar issues. Maveti's characteristic meant that there had to be a specific item in the Sun domain which targeted him.