At this moment, Klein fell silent, lost in thought.
He had no way to deal with this mysterious visitor who had now intruded upon the gathering for a second time, but what truly mattered was the crucial information the man had revealed.
The name of the Sequence 0 True God of the Seer Pathway was the Fool.
And the words, âYou are not in a good condition,â werenât directed at the Fool, but at himâKlein.
It was clear that the man was indirectly pointing this out in front of Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.
Combined with the term âJokerâ that this person had previously mentioned, Klein was now nearly certainâthis intruder was the same type of being as himself.
But this person knew more. Much more. And he could even manipulate the Gray Fog.
All of this made Klein fall further into silence.
What unsettled him most were the words just spoken. He could tell this man was trying to warn him, but the warning wasnât entirely direct.
Even so, one thing became clear.
Someone had already set their sights on him.
The Seer⊠the Fool⊠It seems there are things I still donât understand. Theyâve always been around me. Kleinâs eyes remained calm as he buried that realization deep within his heart.
However, the subtle, stream-of-consciousness-like conversation between Ren and Klein was starting to wear heavily on Audrey and Alger.
Both of them had already realized that if Mr. Fool was a Sequence 0 True God, then this man calling himself Joker was likely a god as well.
Ren smiled and deliberately broke the tense atmosphere.
âMiss Justice. You showed the amulet I gave you last time to the gods, didnât you?â
âHuh?â
Audrey was clearly caught off guard.
âHow⊠how did you know, sir?â
âIâm quite familiar with the scent of the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway. You were carrying my amulet. Thereâs no way I wouldnât notice when something I created was examined by a Sequence 0 being.â
âBut Miss Justice, youâre really brave. You dared to make an offering to a true god just to verify the authenticity of my amulet. Youâre lucky. If the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway hadnât been lenient, you mightâve been arrested and executed on the spot for heresy.â
There was obvious amusement in Renâs voice as it resonated inside Audreyâs mind, but the underlying chill made her shudder.
She had come dangerously close to death⊠and hadnât even known it.
âWell~ I didnât mean to hurt anyone. I just assumed youâd be cautious and test it. But I didnât expect the impulsive one would be you, our Spectator."
âMiss Justice, next time you face something like this, ask the Fool first. At least be aware of your situation. You joined an organization outside the Orthodox Churches, and then you went and did something that openly drew divine attention.â
âBut itâs fine now. The Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway let you go. Thatâs a very clear signal. She's aware of the organization youâve joined and still chose not to interfere. Thatâs tacit approval. Next time, you can visit the church her directly for help.â
His words were laced with sarcasm, and Audrey wanted to dig a hole and disappear inside.
How reckless could I be?
Kleinâs mouth twitched. He hadnât expected anyone would actually offer the amulet to a god for verification.
He had considered it himself... and decided against it. Clearly, he wasnât as daring as Miss Justice.
So the Evernight Goddess already knew?
Well, itâs not like that couldâve been kept from her. Especially since Miss Justice handed it over herself.
Perhaps some things could be hidden, but now that he wanted to establish a secret organization above the Gray Fog, complete concealment was no longer realistic.
Still, Renâs words lingered in his mind.
It was true. The Evernight Goddess had not taken any action, nor had she labeled Miss Justice a heretic. That alone was her answer⊠Klein immediately understood. The amulet had passed the test. Otherwise, the Evernight Goddess wouldnât have ignored the situation.
That realization eased some of the tension in Kleinâs heart.
After becoming a Beyonder, he understood more than anyone that the gods were not just myths, and their influence was terrifyingly real.
If a god had chosen to spare him, then for the time being, Klein was confident he wouldnât be exposed.
But this also confirmed something elseâthe Foolâs persona must never collapse. At the very least, it had to remain separate from his true identity.
Audreyâs face stiffened. She asked anxiously,
âSir, do you mean⊠Mr. Fool was exposed because of me?â
âItâs not that serious. This guyâs exposure wasnât caused by you. In his current state, he canât conceal the aura of the Sefirah Castle. Any angel can sense its presence and know that heâs most likely the Fool.â
Ren simply chuckled and waved his hand, though his tone was still laced with amusement.
âI imagine the Sequence 0 of the Darkness Pathway was pretty confused. Sheâs probably never encountered a fool who walks right into a divine trap.â
âBut she and the Fool arenât enemies. And that amulet I casually crafted suppresses corruption and stabilizes the mind. Sheâs probably quite interested in it.â
âSo donât worry about the Fool. Heâll be around longer than you think.â
âBut you still need to be more cautious moving forward.â
After saying this, Ren sighed faintly.
âBy the way, the Foolâs condition is worse than expected. He canât even mask the breath of the Sefirah Castle.â
âOh well. Even though Iâm just a Spectator, I donât want this show ending too early.â
He lightly tapped the surface of the bronze table with his fingers.
The surrounding starlight shifted and rearranged itself, forming the interior of a luxurious villa. The starry void transformed into a ceiling woven from gray fog.
Beside the long conference table, a fireplace lit up, casting a warm glow and heat. The space, once filled only with illusion and divinity, suddenly felt much more alive.
âIâll help conceal the breath of the Sefirah Castle a little.â
âThen... go ahead with your gathering.â
âIâm just a spectator here to listen in.â
(To be continued.)