Chapter Fourteen: The Fool Is Fun to Play With

Page 1 of 3

Above the gray fog, three figures materialized within the grand temple, magnificent as the dwelling of a giant king.

Their positions had not changed in the slightest since the previous gathering.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~” Audrey greeted Klein in a light, cheerful tone.

“Good afternoon, Miss Justice.” Charmed by Miss Justice’s adorable manner, Klein smiled and gave a simple reply while maintaining his mysterious image.

She then greeted the other two as well. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man~ Good afternoon, Mr. Demon~”

Sairis smiled and waved to Audrey.

At the head of the long table, Klein opened his Spirit Vision and looked toward the three people below. His gaze shifted slightly. He saw that Justice’s aura matched Old Neil’s description perfectly: red where it should be red, purple where it should be purple, blue where it should be blue, and white where it should be white. Its luster was bright and its thickness just right. At a glance, she was clearly a vibrant young girl.

“Her emotional colors include red and yellow: happiness, enthusiasm, excitement…” Klein made his judgment before turning his attention to the Hanged Man.

Like Justice, the Hanged Man’s aura contained nothing particularly unusual. His emotions were blue, mixed with traces of orange.

“Calmness, contemplation, caution, and a little satisfaction?” This was Klein’s first attempt, and he was not entirely confident in his conclusion. Just as he was about to look away, he suddenly noticed that the innermost colors and sensations of the Hanged Man’s aura seemed to have completely fused together.

Klein focused his mind and examined it carefully once more. He vaguely saw that deep within the Hanged Man’s astral body was a color as dark blue as seawater, giving off a feeling of fierce winds and surging waves.

Klein felt that this was a special characteristic possessed only by Beyonders.

He shifted his gaze to the Demon, but saw nothing at all.

“Nothing!” Klein was greatly startled. He felt that if the gray fog were not blocking the view, his own problem would certainly have been exposed. In his Spirit Vision, the Demon had not changed in the slightest from before. If he had not already examined Justice and the Hanged Man, he might even have suspected that he had never activated his Spirit Vision.

Nothing at all was precisely the greatest problem.

By then, Sairis and Alger had also finished their greetings. Audrey drew a light breath and asked with barely concealed anticipation, “Mr. Hanged Man, did you receive the box of ghost shark blood?”

Although Sairis had agreed to tell her the first three Sequences of each of the twenty-two divine pathways during this Tarot gathering, she still felt that the formula for the Audience potion was more important.

Alger glanced at Klein and saw him lightly tap his brow, as though he were thinking about something else.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

“Thank you very much. It perfectly met all my expectations. I truly didn’t expect you to deliver it so quickly. Ghost shark blood isn’t an ordinary supernatural item,” Alger replied frankly.

Audrey gave a modest smile. “I’m very pleased with this outcome.”

Because she had been interested in mysterious matters since childhood, she had made several friends within aristocratic circles who shared the same hobbies. They exchanged information, books, and rare objects with one another.

Several princes had even tried to use potion formulas to make Audrey their wife.

Trying to court Audrey with something worth only a few days of her allowance was truly an ingenious attempt to obtain something for nothing.

Having confirmed that the prerequisite for the transaction had been fulfilled, Alger prepared to tell Audrey the potion formula.

He had just opened his mouth when he abruptly stopped. He looked in Sairis’s direction, and his meaning was obvious.

Sairis waved his hand indifferently. “Don’t mind me. Isn’t it just eighty milliliters of pure water, five drops of autumn crocus essence, thirteen grams of ox-tooth peony powder, seven petals of elf flower, one pair of eyes from an adult Manhal fish, and thirty-five milliliters of sheep-horn blackfish blood?”

Alger’s gaze went blank for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “That’s right,” he said to Audrey. “This is the formula for the Audience potion.”

He had no intention of sharing any compensation with Sairis, since Sairis had volunteered the information and it had not been part of their previous agreement.

If he had not asked, it could hardly be called taking advantage of him for free.

After thinking for a moment, Alger added, “Low-Sequence potions are very simple to prepare. Just add the ingredients in the stated order. However, remember that it is better to use too little than too much. Using too much will cause serious problems. You should have heard of Beyonders losing control… Using slightly less does not mean the result will deviate too far. If you have no one to assist you, I suggest that you first spend some time familiarizing yourself with chemical experiments.”

“That’s all right. I have a private tutor for that,” Audrey replied without the slightest burden.

[Beautiful heiress, I’m hungry. Feed me.]

“Can’t you show a little more ambition?”

[Is the point that she’s rich? The point is that she’s beautiful.]

“Ugh, that’s revolting.”

After repeating the formula several times, Audrey finally committed it to memory with Alger’s help.

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Alger then explained the most basic techniques, including meditation and Spirit Vision, while reminding her to master the potion as soon as possible, explore its inner symbolism, and uncover more of its mysteries.

Sairis and Klein quietly listened to their exchange. Klein had not intended to interrupt; he had merely planned to memorize and learn in silence. But then a thought suddenly stirred within him.

Audrey listened attentively to the Hanged Man’s explanation. She was just about to ask about several details when she suddenly heard a light tapping on the table.

Audrey, Alger, and Sairis turned their heads at the same time, looking toward the Fool Klein seated at the head of the table. The mysterious powerhouse lightly tapped his finger and spoke in a low voice:

“It is not mastery, but digestion. It is not exploration, but acting. The potion’s name is not merely a symbol or an image. It is also the ‘key’ to digestion.”

Audrey was left both stunned and confused. She did not quite understand. Alger, however, felt as though enlightenment had been poured directly into his mind.

[The Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, the Southern Gate of Heaven, the White Jade Capital—this Daoist has understood! This Daoist has achieved greatness! Hahahaha!]

“Hahaha, he believed it! He actually believed it! With nothing but the truth, I’ve driven another one mad. Big Fool is so easy to play with!”

“Digest, act… Digest, act… Digest, act, the key…” Alger whispered over and over again, as though he had grasped some crucial point—or fallen under the influence of a strange curse.

Only after some time did he raise his head. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Thank you, Mr. Fool. Your hint is as precious as my life. It has clarified many things for me. Of course, I believe I still haven’t fully understood or completely comprehended it.”

Maintaining his lofty and mysterious bearing, Klein smiled and said, “Consider it an advance payment.”

In truth, Klein himself did not fully understand the exact meaning of those words. He only knew for certain that Emperor Roselle was stronger than ordinary Beyonders—and stronger than the Hanged Man.

Next, Klein asked everyone to help him collect Roselle’s journals. When Miss Justice asked about it, Klein invented a small technique for making rubbings of written text above the gray fog.

Page 3 of 3