fantasy novels Chapter 188 The Tarot Meeting: Susie Speaks
Chapter 188 The Tarot Meeting: Susie Speaks
Chapter 188 The Tarot Meeting: Susie Speaks
Hugh Deercha put down his notebook, marveling at the difference in professionalism. With just a little bit of information commonly used within MI9, he was able to analyze the approximate range of activities of Zillingus after arriving in Backlund.
If he could participate in the search operation, wouldn't he be able to find Zilingus much faster?
What if he makes another great contribution?
Thinking of this, Hugh Dill's gaze toward Isengard Stanton became somewhat fiery, but she also knew that with Isengard Stanton's status in the detective world, he was not someone a mere lieutenant intelligence officer like herself could recruit.
So she planned to investigate the identities and origins of Eisinger Stanton's MI9 peripheral members after leaving, to get a clear picture before suggesting that Evan recruit them.
"Thank you for your help. I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together again in the future!"
"Put on your hat properly and put away the internal documents you brought," Hugh Deercha solemnly instructed Essinger Stanton.
Eisinger Stanton smiled and nodded, then gestured to his assistant to see Hugh Deercha out, but his thoughts had already drifted to what he had just "seen" and "felt," and he began to simulate it continuously.
After returning to his apartment, Hugh Deercha excitedly told Fors about the information he had received that day, and then said:
"Indeed, as you said, the great detective Isengard Stanton is indeed an extraordinary individual, but one registered with the official authorities. He is indeed very good at thinking and reasoning, and he obtained very valuable intelligence with only such a small amount of information."
Today is Sunday, and MI9 is also on holiday. Fors is currently wearing a nightgown and lounging on the sofa in her apartment's living room, enjoying her vacation.
For Fors, who was always a lazy bum, the past week working inside MI9 was a real ordeal. She had to go to get off work on time every day, complete all sorts of chores assigned by Evan, and even do small things like serving tea and water. After all, she and Hugh Deercha were now Evan's secretaries.
Because of her work with MI9, she hasn't had a block of time to write a book in a long time, and the newspaper editor has been urging her several times.
Fortunately, Evan has agreed to adjust her and Hugh Deercha's work to field assignments next Monday; otherwise, she would have had to consider resigning and giving up the permanent position she had worked so hard to obtain.
"It's actually quite easy to guess. It's not easy for someone without a deep background to make such a name for themselves in Backlund. The most likely explanation is that they are an extraordinary individual. However, it's still a bit surprising that they have a background with our MI9."
Hugh Deercha nodded, then told his friend about his idea to recruit Isengard Stanton and sought his friend's advice.
Foll thought for a moment, then sat up straight on the sofa and said:
"That's a good idea. Eisinger Stanton has a prestigious reputation and a strong network in the mystery genre. If we can get him on board, many things will be much easier. However, this isn't a decision you can make alone. Ask Evan for his opinion tomorrow!"
Hugh Deercha nodded in agreement, then glanced at the pile of cigarette butts on the coffee table and couldn't help but comfort his friend, "Although there's very little information about the Abraham family within MI9, Evan also said that you'll eventually encounter them because of the Law of Convergence of Extraordinary Characteristics, so don't worry too much."
Hugh Deercha's words did little to comfort Fors, who said weakly:
"I also believe what Evan said, but now the speech I heard during my full moon is getting more and more serious."
I doubt I'll even make it to see a member of Abraham's family.
After Fors finished speaking, the apartment fell silent. Only after joining the official organization and learning more about the situation did they realize how terrible and unsolvable the curse of the full moon was.
No wonder Fors has been so listless lately. If it were anyone else, but Fors,
If it were anyone else, they would have given up on themselves and lost faith in life long ago.
As Emperor Roselle once said, "There's always a way out," and "There will always be a solution in the future!"
That was all Hugh Deercha could say to comfort his roommate. Fors, however, rallied, took a map of Backlund from his bookshelf, and said:
"You're right, always have faith in life. Zillingus's bounty is very high, and MI9 values him highly. Now is our chance to make a difference."
Let's now follow Detective Isengard Stanton's deductions and draw up a map of the areas where Zillingus might be active!
"good!"
Hugh Deercha knew her friend was putting on a brave face because she didn't want to bother her, but she couldn't bring herself to call her out on it.
All I could do was throw myself into work with her.
Backlund, in an abandoned warehouse in the port of Pritz.
Alger, the "Hanged Man," sat in his chair, coldly watching the writhing and struggling man opposite him.
The man was dressed as a sailor, his head completely covered by a light blue film of water, his face flushed a deep purple-red.
His hands kept grabbing and pulling at his face, but he could only shake out a few drops of liquid.
Finally, he could no longer bear it and repeatedly bowed to Alger with both hands, giving a clear signal of surrender.
Alger's lips curled up, and after waiting for another ten seconds or so, he casually clapped his hands.
The pale blue film on the man's face immediately disintegrated, turning into droplets that spilled onto the ground.
The man dressed as a sailor gasped for breath, then coughed violently, coughing until his lungs ached and he coughed up blood.
Once the other person had calmed down, Alger leaned back slightly and, mimicking the Fool's calm and detached tone, said:
"Tell me, what is the purpose of Zilingus's trip to Backlund?"
"I can tell you what I know, but you have to agree to one condition!"
Alger raised an eyebrow, realizing he had been too lenient earlier, and lightly snapped his fingers.
Another water mask appeared in mid-air and then, under Alger's command, flew toward the sailor's face!
Seeing the water mask that had caused him so much torment being applied to him again, the sailor sitting opposite Alger couldn't hide his fear and shouted:
"I have no other unreasonable requests; I just want to live. But if I reveal any information about Zilingus, he will definitely not let me off the hook. So I hope to board your ship and receive your protection!"
The water film suspended in mid-air paused, then disintegrated in mid-air, and Alger solemnly addressed the sailors:
"If you tell me everything you know, I will surely protect you. I swear this in the name of my god!"
The sailor breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Alger say that. People in this world still value faith, especially those extraordinary people who understand the mystical world!
"He... he was doing this to fulfill a request, but I don't know exactly what it was."
Having received Alger's assurance, the pirate completely lost the will to resist and answered honestly and frankly.
"All I know is the potential benefit he might gain. Zilingus once boasted to us that if things went smoothly this time, he would obtain an item he had long dreamed of, and the 'Four Kings' of the pirate world would become the 'Five Kings.'"
"Something I've been dreaming about for so long?" Alger frowned, lost in thought.
After thinking for a long time without coming up with a solution, Alger said to the sailor in front of him:
"Alright, from now on you're mine. Go outside and change your clothes."
"Yes, Captain!"
The sailor finally breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave the warehouse when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw the tip of a knife protruding from his chest. Then, he struggled to turn his neck to look at Alger behind him.
By this time, Alger had loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, moved away from the sailor who had been stabbed, and, meeting the sailor's angry and confused gaze, said:
"I'm sorry, I can't trust someone who betrayed their boss, and I didn't swear to any god, so it doesn't count as blasphemy."
Do people really worship multiple gods? Is faith really so casual?
The sailor, filled with resentment and confusion, fell heavily to the ground.
After a while, Alger withdrew the extraordinary properties extracted from the sailor and left the abandoned warehouse, heading to a bar.
After entering the bar, Alger ordered a strong drink and sat down at the bar counter. Because there were very few people in the bar in the morning, he stood out conspicuously.
Not long after, a shifty-eyed, unusually sleazy-looking man appeared and sat down next to Alger.
Then he placed the small box on the bar and pushed it towards Alger, saying:
"Here's what you wanted. You can inspect it yourself. It costs 1000 gold pounds."
Alger didn't stand on ceremony and didn't let his guard down just because the other party was an old friend. He pulled the small box over to verify it.
Inside was a heart-shaped, brown object, about the size of a palm, with a wrinkled front resembling an old man's skin and a smooth, delicate back like a gemstone.
The thing expanded and contracted slightly, as if it were still alive; it was the true root of the Mist Treeman.
Next to this ingredient was a small glass bottle containing a light green, crystal-clear liquid that looked delicious.
Since deciding to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deal with Zilingus, Alger has mobilized all his connections to search for the items that Mr. "Power" sought to purchase at the Tarot meeting. He has concluded that Mr. "Power" has a powerful background and can mobilize many forces, which would be beneficial for him in dealing with Zilingus.
After a week of searching, he finally found something, but the price was that the material would be 50% more expensive than in a normal transaction, costing him an extra 300 gold pounds. However, Alger considered this price worthwhile.
After verifying the authenticity of the materials, Alger took out a wallet from his pocket, counted out a wad of banknotes, and handed it to the person next to him.
The shifty-eyed man didn't count carefully; he simply touched the beer to find the exact number. He then nodded to Alger, downed his beer in one gulp, and left the bar.
Alger didn't linger after the man left. He showed the small box containing the materials and left the bar. There wasn't much time left before the afternoon meeting, and he needed to get to Backlund before then to find a private, undisturbed space to attend the Tarot meeting.
Klein, who was off work again today, prepared at home. When the minute hand on the clock stopped at 11 o'clock, he sealed the entire bedroom with a spiritual wall, lay down on the bed, and entered the gray fog.
Above the gray fog, in a magnificent palace, an ancient and weathered bronze table sat silently.
Everything around was the same as before, as if time had frozen in this area.
The Fool "Klein," shrouded in thick gray mist, sat at the head of the bronze table. His first task was to summon "The Sun" to confirm whether the latter had leaked information about the Tarot Meeting to the higher-ups in Silver City. Only if the latter had not leaked the information could he give the other party a more accurate meeting time.
After confirming, Klein informed him of the "Fool's" name and the exact time of the meeting, which was at 3 p.m. Backlund time.
Without further hesitation, Klein, for the sake of "The Sun" Derrick, pulled the other three up to the gray fog as well. However, he was surprised to find that Miss Justice's mood was a bit off, and she didn't even react much to the appearance of a new member in the Tarot Club.
Audrey Hall's feelings were indescribable, because this morning in her small garden, she discovered that Susie had suddenly started talking, an event that brought her an extremely strong shock.
In her mind, the future development should be that of a great detective or a famous psychologist, Miss Audrey, accompanied by her big dog, Susie. But if it becomes Detective Susie the Dog accompanied by Miss Audrey, then... well, that's a bit... a bit...
While Audrey was still lost in thought, "The Fool" Klein spoke up:
"This is the new member, whose title is 'The Sun'."
"This is Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and Mr. Strength."
Klein felt a little awkward as he introduced them to the group.
Perhaps due to the different mystical symbols between men and women, the "Sun" appearing above the gray fog this time also automatically sided with "Power" Evan, resulting in three men on one side and one woman on the other side of the Tarot gathering, which looked very asymmetrical. This always made Klein, who had a bit of OCD, feel uneasy.
After I get promoted again, should I recruit two more women?
At this moment, Miss Justice Audrey came to her senses, looked at the "Sun," and began to examine him using her abilities. She sensed that the "Sun" had a somewhat lone wolf-like quality, and said to Mr. Fool:
"I've collected two more pages from Emperor Russell's diary this week."
"What do you want?"
Although the Fool asks a question, he already has the answer in his heart.
"Two potion ingredients from the Mind Reader's recipe!"
As Klein had expected, "The Sun" Derrick immediately chimed in:
"Is it a 'mind reader' who later becomes a 'psychoanalyst'?"
"Psychoanalyst?" Audrey hadn't heard of the name before and didn't immediately recognize it. It was Evan who kindly reminded her:
"This is the ancient term for 'psychologist'."
Upon hearing this, Audrey's eyes lit up, and she said to the 'Sun':
Do you have the relevant materials?
The inexperienced Little Sun then made a huge self-destruction, not only revealing that he came from Silver City, but also mentioning the Giant Royal Court and the Dragon Clan.
In the end, it was Klein who mediated, allowing Miss Justice to exchange two pieces of the extraordinary material of "The Singer" for one piece of the extraordinary material of "The Mind Reader".
Then it was Klein's turn to read the diary. This time, Klein gained a lot of information from Roselle's diary, including the information he already knew about the exchange of extraordinary pathways, and that a mysterious organization possessed the legendary Profane Tablet and was influencing the entire world.
After Klein finished reading the diary, he looked away from the materialized diary, turned to the crowd waiting for him, and said with a smile:
"Actually, you don't need to wait for me!"
"This is our glory!" Alger the Hanged Man now appeared unusually humble, because he wanted to draw Mr. Fool's attention to Backlund and Zilingus.
Ignoring Alger's unusual humility, Klein signaled to the members that they could begin exchanging information and making deals.
Audrey, who had been impatient for a long time, said directly:
"Dear Mr. Fool, Mr. Hanged Man who always helps me, I have a question I'd like to ask: What can a pet with extraordinary powers do for its master? Simply put, what role can it play?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire palace fell silent. Only the newly arrived "Little Sun" looked at Miss Justice with some strangeness, not understanding why she wanted to keep extraordinary animals. Was she going to keep them as food reserves? Besides, those disgusting and ugly animals had no reason. Could they really be kept as pets?
Just as Miss Justice Audrey blushed and was about to look up, Evan spoke:
"If that extraordinary animal has the ability to be an 'audience,' you can have it enter situations where you are not suited to and help you achieve your goals."
Sometimes humans are wary of their own kind, but less so of their pets.
That makes sense! Many times, when Dad discusses important matters with other nobles, members of parliament, and ministers…
She'll avoid me, she'll lock the study door, but as long as Susie survives the initial purge, she won't be driven away...
And those ladies and young women also like to gossip in their own little circles. Now that Susie can talk, I can have her eavesdrop and relay the conversations to me, to see if anyone is talking badly about me behind my back! I'm going to teach Susie the most standard pronunciation.
Evan's answer made Audrey's eyes light up, and she felt that she had grasped the true role of Susie.
She also realized that Evan actually knew about Susie's existence, but she had forgotten about it. If she had known, she should have asked Evan in real life first. Now she had lost face at the Tarot Club, which was really inappropriate for the "audience".
Just after Miss Justice Audrey finished asking her question, Alger eagerly turned to Evan and said:
"I have found the true roots and sap of the Mist Treant you mentioned last time, but I have not found the spinal fluid of the Evil-Striped Black Panther."
You said last time that you needed to find two materials to give me the "Windbringer" potion recipe, and I don't want to accept a monetary transaction. What should we do now?
Upon hearing Alger the Hanged Man's words, Klein, the Fool, sitting at the head of the table, was the first to brighten up, because he was only missing these two items in his Magician's materials. He even wanted to directly ask to buy them as the Fool, but in the end, he restrained himself and could only look expectantly at his friend, Mr. Power, Evan.
At the same time, the idea of creating a separate account for the Tarot Club came to mind, otherwise everything would be too troublesome.
Klein himself has to rely on "The Fool" to contact Evan, rely on "Power" to collect materials, and be careful when asking questions to maintain his composure. It's really too troublesome.
Evan knew Klein was nervous without even looking, and after a moment's hesitation, he said:
"I've collected the spinal fluid from the Evil-Striped Black Panther. How about this: you offer another 1000 gold pounds, and I'll give you the recipe for the Wind-Clad Potion. What do you say?"
Normally, a Sequence 6 potion recipe has a market price of 2000 gold pounds, but the closer to a higher sequence, the higher the price.
The less available a product is on the market, the higher its premium tends to be; a 50% premium is common. Alger also paid a premium when he bought the Evil-Striped Black Panther Spinal Fluid.
Evan's proposal was actually to trade at the normal market price, which meant Alger got a great deal, saving at least 1000 pounds. Naturally, he was overjoyed and agreed, and even started to find Evan more agreeable.
Evan, however, didn't care at all. On one hand, he learned the recipe "Wind's Chosen" from Lord of Mysteries. On the other hand, it was for Mr. Fool to see, so that Mr. Fool would know the great price he had paid for his materials.
After the Tarot meeting ends, Evan will write a letter to Klein, making sure not to mention the related transaction, and only asking Klein to give him 1000 gold coins.
I wonder if Klein will be moved to tears.
Um, am I acting a bit like a rich kid spending a fortune to win a girl's favor?
As he pondered, Evan's thoughts wandered, and he quickly shook his head to clear away the jumbled thoughts, turning instead to Mr. Fool to request paper and pen.
The patient naturally agreed to his request, and at the same time looked at Evan with a subtle, touched expression.
After all, he knew everything he needed to know, especially after accompanying Butler Buck to help the Horn family acquire businesses some time ago.
He naturally understood that market price and actual transaction price were two different things, and Evan had gone to great lengths for his materials this time.
If someone is willing to spend money on you without asking beforehand, isn't that a good friend? Then what is a good friend?
Alger eagerly took the recipe from Evan, which read:
Sequence 6, "Wind's Chosen," Main Materials: Six Crystal Feathers of the Blue Shadow Falcon, One Pair of Eyes of the Dragon-Eyed Sea Eagle.
"Blue Shadow Falcon—it's on that island!" Alger felt a surge of excitement upon seeing the recipe.
He then looked at Evan and asked, "Where should I send the materials and money? I'm in Backlund right now!"