Chapter 363: Teasing

Chapter 363: Teasing

Luke glanced at Aurelia, whose tone had grown heavy with disapproval, and casually waved his hand, his voice light and cheerful.

"Good afternoon, Miss Justice."

No, I’m not doing well at all!

Aurelia bit her lip lightly, suppressing the words she wanted to say.

Ever since Mr. Emperor proposed the drastic reform of war, expressing disdain for the ruling Loen royal family and questioning the current legal system, her emotions had been stirred.

Initially, she had sought to find counterarguments to Mr. Emperor’s words from the realms of law and politics.

After consuming the Spectator potion, she gained an excellent memory and keen observational skills, and began to delve into various complex and intricate legal codes. She also used her charm and the accidental consumption of her own potion by Susie to gather political information.

The results were chilling.

The implementation of various laws was not about improving the legal system but rather about the struggles between conservative, new, and intermediary parties.

Profitable regulations were passed quickly, even if they were useless or caused significant resource waste. In contrast, beneficial and meaningful laws for the residents were discarded or repealed if they offered no financial gain.

This was intertwined with power struggles, political rivalries, and connections, as well as monetary exchanges and class conflicts, all of which she still didn’t fully understand.

Aurelia had always known that the world wasn’t as beautiful as the fairy tale her parents had painted for her.

The maids competed for her favor in her daily care because the salaries of personal maids and ordinary servants were different; her two brothers would trip each other up for the sake of property and titles; her father allowed her a certain choice in selecting a partner, but only if the suitor’s title was above a baron and had corresponding land and assets, while her mother subtly taught her how to manage a marriage and remain silent about her husband’s infidelity.

When she thought these were the only dark aspects of the world, reality gave her another harsh lesson. These matters paled in comparison to the dirtiness of politics and class.

Even at a ball just a few days ago, she witnessed a brutal assassination!

The assassination targeted Bakeland, the ambassador of the Intis Republic to the Loen Kingdom. It was undoubtedly a political maneuver.

The assassin was a parapsychic, and so was the ambassador. The combat also involved three church deacons and Admiral Emilius, whom she had met a few times.

The dazzling abilities of parapsychics, which Aurelia had once found mysterious and enchanting, suddenly lost their allure when they were used to harm others.

The surrounding gentlemen and ladies screamed, ran, and cried with their eyes closed, while Aurelia stood silently, calmly observing everything.

When Bakeland’s body exploded into a spray of blood, and the assassin easily defeated Admiral Emilius and recited the true name of the evil god "True Creator" to escape, Aurelia’s Spectator potion had fully digested.

But the digestion of the potion did not improve her mood.

A silent confusion began to envelop her heart, making her unable to forget even with Susie’s company, unable to find solace in prayers at St. Samuel’s Church, and unable to be distracted even by a new and interesting friend.

Perhaps this is what they mean by the more awake one is, the more painful it is...

Mr. Emperor is truly a philosopher who understands the human heart.

Aurelia sighed inwardly and couldn’t help but glare at Luke again.

Mr. Emperor is so mean!

She shouldn’t be thinking about these things. She should be a carefree girl, choose a suitable gentleman, and live a happy life with her family’s blessing... But now, even if she could forget the recent turmoil and return to her past, she wouldn’t want to.

"Congratulations, Miss Justice, you are now a parapsychic."

Seeing the colors in Justice’s aura blend into a pure, predominantly melancholic blue with a hint of angry red, Kline interrupted her thoughts, musing to himself.

What happened between Miss Justice and Mr. Emperor? They were fine at the last meeting. They shouldn’t have any other interactions outside the Tarot Club, right?

Aurelia then realized she was still in front of the Fool and quickly composed herself, speaking up.

"I must thank Mr. Hanged Man and... and Mr. Emperor. I have fully digested the Spectator potion and am ready to advance to Sequence 8."

What?

Fully digested?

Kline, who was at the top, remained silent, his mind screaming.

I’ve only digested half of my Fortune Teller potion, and Miss Justice, who was also a civilian before, has already fully digested it.

What’s this, I went from second-to-last to last?

Luke smiled lightly, "It’s no big deal, you don’t need to thank me."

The Hanged Man, who had been about to exchange pleasantries, was instantly stunned. Had he heard wrong? Hadn’t it only been a week since the last meeting?

In just a week, he managed to fully digest the ‘Spectator’?

Even if Sequence 9 digests quickly, and even if Aurelia’s obvious noble lady attire suggests she’s well-suited for the ‘Spectator,’ it shouldn’t take just a week, right?

Algy, who had spent years digesting the magic potion, asked in a low voice, "What did you go through?"

Aurelia pressed her lips together, "I witnessed an assassination up close, one with far-reaching consequences involving multiple powerful psychics."

Algy: "..."

Impressive, truly impressive.

Calming down, Aurelia gave a slight curtsy to the Fool, "I’m sorry, Fool. I’ve only managed to record one page of the Emperor of Rossel’s diary due to constant affairs."

"I’ve recorded three pages."

Algy also chimed in, "It was inconvenient while I was at sea, but now that I’m back on land, I can collect more quickly."

Luke’s lips curved into a smile, remembering he hadn’t teased the cat for a while, and he raised his hand as well.

"Fool, I’ve also collected one page of the Emperor of Rossel’s diary."

Kline put on a calm and composed demeanor, nodded, and had the three present the text they had recorded. He then began to read through the collected pages of the Emperor of Rossel’s diary.

Ignoring the copious amounts of filler, the early chapters were mostly about various secrets and anecdotes of Rossel. The mysterious "Land of the Forsaken", the high-ranking Sequence 9 Fortune Teller named "Zarathustra" whom the Emperor of Rossel had encountered, and a man called "The Door", described as being exiled to the stars, wandering alone in darkness and storms, able to call for help only during full moons.

Kline then glanced over the page of the Emperor of Rossel’s diary that Luke had submitted, feeling a sudden sense of surprise. This seemed to be the earliest record of the Emperor of Rossel.

"My name is Huang Tao, 33 years old, living within the first ring of Intisterial’s capital, married with three children—two boys and a girl. My eldest is my daughter, Bernadette, my eldest son is Charles, and my youngest is Benoit."

"I work for the Republic of Intis, returning home by 8 PM at the latest each day. I don’t smoke, and I only drink alcohol in moderation. I sleep at 11 PM, ensuring I get a full 8 hours. I drink a glass of milk from any lady before bed and do 20 minutes of light exercise, allowing me to sleep soundly until dawn, like a baby, never carrying fatigue or stress into the next day."

"Even the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse under my command say I’m quite normal."

Kline: ...

There were too many points to nitpick. So, the Emperor of Rossel’s real name is Huang Tao. Indeed, he’s from our great food empire, and the name fits him—both yellow and wild.

And he’s a Jojo fan...

Despite the many points to nitpick, there was a lot of content. Kline continued reading:

"All I’m saying is, I have no other desires. Besides doting on my daughter and disciplining my sons, tasting the Witch, and occasionally dueling the Count of Champagne, I care least about winning or losing. Because, it only brings me trouble and enemies."

Tasting the Witch, dueling...

Kline’s lips twitched a couple of times as his gaze moved down, and the font suddenly turned blood-red and sharp, with a strong, intense color.

"...You’re watching me, aren’t you?"

"Fool!"

Below, countless icy eyes, each patterned with a chilling, soul-piercing gaze, stared straight at the Fool.

Swish—

Kline’s pupils dilated suddenly, fear overwhelming his heart, making it impossible to remain calm. He stood up, visibly flustered, and even as a spirit, he felt his heart pounding as if it might burst.

What the hell is this?!

Was the Emperor of Rossel just playing with a meme, or did he really predict that he would read the diary?

How did he know my alias is ‘Fool’?

"Fool, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"

A concerned voice sounded, and he looked down to see Mr. Emperor.

Aurelia and Algy were also surprised by the Fool’s reaction and stood up.

Kline composed himself, realizing he had appeared unsteady, and cleared his throat, raising his hand to gesture, his voice calm and slow.

"Disregard it. I just remembered an interesting experiment and hope you can help."

To maintain his dignity, he recited the grand title he had learned from Old Neil’s ritual magic, invoking the name of a deity.

"Fool, not of this era."

"Mysterious Being Above the Fog."

"The King of Black and Yellow, Master of Good Fortune."

The three-part honorific instantly sent waves of shock through Aurelia and Algy.

This was an honorific that only deities could use!

Angels could also use a three-part honorific, but one part had to include the deity's name, essentially making it a form of dependency. However, Aurelia, who had limited knowledge of mysticism, and Algy, who was still a minor player, were unaware of this.

Luke watched with satisfaction as Kline, terrified, tried to salvage his dignity, feeling a wave of comfort. He might not be a cat person, but occasionally teasing someone was a good way to relieve stress.

"Well, then, let’s move on to the casual chat. Feel free to start."

Kline put on a deep, mysterious tone and then quickly perked up his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Aurelia spoke first, her eyes fixed on Luke, her voice unusually firm.

"Emperor, I hope you can visit Barkeland, whether as a request or a commission. I am willing to cover all expenses for your journey, accommodation, and meals."

Barkeland?

Kline's spirit lifted. He had only heard about the "City of Cities" and was quite eager to see it. However, the Antigonous Notes case was unresolved, and Nocturne's departure from the city was difficult and expensive.

Come to think of it, his fellow countryman had been in Barkeland for a while now. Wonder when he'll be back...

Aurelia’s gentle, feminine voice continued:

"For this, I am willing to pay a fee of three thousand pounds."

As the words fell, Kline's body trembled slightly. With great effort, he resisted shouting, "I'll go!" His fingers almost crushed the bronze armrest of the bench.

Heaven help him, his weekly salary after becoming a full member was only six pounds, about 25 pounds a month, and 300 pounds a year. Miss Justice offered him ten years' worth of salary, the kind that could only be saved by not eating or drinking.

Ten years!

Such a generous offer even made Algy look on with surprise, his gaze on Aurelia like he was seeing a monster. But he felt a slight joy, as Aurelia’s request aligned with his own.

"If that's the case, I also have a favor to ask of Emperor, and it also involves Barkeland."

Noticing the eager looks on both their faces, Luke lifted his chin.

"There’s no need for payment. I happen to be traveling in Barkeland at the moment, and a few thousand pounds is nothing to me. However, I will be returning home in about one to two weeks. What do you need?"

Since he started siphoning funds from the nobility, his account already held over a hundred thousand pounds, though he hadn’t counted the exact amount. After he took over the Rune Kingdom, he would establish a new currency and redistribute the wealth. For now, money was just a number to him.

Algy and Aurelia exchanged a glance and nodded politely.

"Ladies first."

"Thank you very much, Hanged Man."

Aurelia took a deep breath. "I hope to meet with you to discuss and resolve some... issues, to clear my mind."

"Sure, we can set a specific time and place after the event."

Luke recalled the radiant Aurelia from the party, cleared his throat, and smiled, nodding in agreement.

He, being such a good-natured person, loved helping girls resolve their inner turmoil!

Then he turned to Algy, the double agent of the Storm Church:

"What about you?"

Algy suppressed his nervousness and tentatively asked, "I received reliable information that one of the seven admirals, the Admiral of the Hurricane, Zilinks, is about to arrive in Barkeland. Are you interested?"

"The Admiral of the Hurricane, Zilinks?"

Luke frowned slightly. A Sequence 6 "Wind's Beloved" paired with "Wriggling Hunger" was of little concern to him, but Zilinks' timing was off.

According to his original fate, Zilinks was supposed to arrive in Barkeland in two to three months to assassinate the Duke of Nigen, who was revising the Poor Relief Act for the Conservative Party.

Zilinks was hired by a secret organization, which offered him a "Blasphemous Card" made by the Emperor of Rossel as payment.

And the mastermind behind that secret organization was none other than Adam.

The King of Angels, the sole Sequence of the Spectator Path, and the possessor of two Sequence-level Extraordinary Traits, inheriting the divine aspect of the Ancient Sun God!

Luke sensed something was amiss but couldn’t pinpoint the issue. He felt a bit intrigued and slowly nodded.

"Sure."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end