strictlysupreme Chapter 321 The Gathering and New Members
Chapter 321 The Gathering and New Members
Chapter 321 The Gathering and New Members
In Raoul's luxurious villa in the Upper Town.
The secretary, dressed in a black tuxedo and with her hair meticulously styled, leaned wearily against a wooden chair, repeatedly answering the interrogations from the Fussack military.
"According to the servants and patrols in the villa, you were the last person Colonel Raoul came into contact with before his death. You were also the first person to discover the body after you sensed something was wrong and broke down the door."
"...Yes."
"Less than ten minutes passed between your departure and Colonel Raoul's death. As a Sequence 6 conspirator," didn't you notice any signs of a trap, or anything amiss?"
"I don't."
On the second floor, in Raoul's study, a woman dressed in an orange priest's robe stood before Raoul's corpse, her slightly eerie green eyes seemingly burning with pale flames.
A moment later, she turned to the two men standing in the doorway, dressed in red military uniforms or silver robes: "There is no trace of spirit in the room. This may not be where Colonel Raoul originally died."
"Furthermore, due to military secrecy requirements, there are no natural spirits or ghosts lingering near this villa, so we cannot know more details at the moment."
"I tried divination, but it was interfered with by some force, and I didn't get any useful information."
"However, the body itself can also preserve information, it just takes some time to decipher it."
"His cause of death was that his trachea and heart meridian were severed by a sharp blade. In addition, there were charred marks on his body from being struck by lightning, as well as marks left by a force similar to the law."
The tall man in the red military uniform sternly snorted, "Lightning, the law..."
"I will have the Foreign Ministry pressure Ruen; they must give us an explanation..."
The man beside him, dressed in a silver robe and exuding a gentle, kind-looking air, continued, "It's not necessarily Ruen; there are other ways to achieve similar results."
"For example, the shepherds at the Aurora Festival," or the "recorders."
"A recorder who's recently been wanted by the Storm Church and the Rune military has arrived on Sonia Island, and I think it's necessary to investigate him."
After a moment's reaction, the man in the red military uniform said, "That painter who has only recently become active at sea, Randolph Carter?"
"Unfortunately, your guess is wrong. The military has already investigated the suspects immediately, and Randolph Carter was among them. Raoul was drinking at the Bay Bar when he died."
In a high-end hotel near the coast, Cyril made himself a cup of coffee, then sat in an armchair on the balcony and began to paint the scenery before him.
He only put down his easel and paintbrush and got up to go back inside when the wall clock in the room chimed.
After closing the windows and drawing the curtains, he leaned back on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes to rest.
About half a minute later, with his eyes closed, he saw thick gray fog and a deep red, illusory light rising in his field of vision.
Slightly disoriented, he opened his eyes and saw an endless gray fog, a magnificent and ancient palace that resembled the dwelling place of giants, and figures sitting on the ground and on either side of a mottled long table.
Guided by his spiritual intuition, he immediately noticed that there was an extra person to his left.
Cyril immediately glanced at the other person... dressed very formally, and although very restrained, judging from the slightly raised chin and the figure, it was definitely Emlyn.
As he sized up Emlyn, Audrey, the "Justice," and Fors, the "Magician," across the mottled long table, also noticed the new member.
However, at this moment they didn't care about the new member; their minds were filled with the Great Smog and Plague of Backlund from last week.
Audrey's gaze swept over the new members, then looked at "World" and "Destiny," paused briefly, and then turned to look at Mr. "Fool" at the head of the table.
...Although Mr. World and Mr. Destiny reminded me, and I also inquired about Prince Edsac from the sidelines, everything broke out before I could even have someone investigate.
This disaster came so quickly, so suddenly!
Mr. Fate clearly said it would be within a week, but not even a single day has passed yet...
Fortunately, Mr. Fool's followers discovered the problem in time, and after being reminded by Mr. Fool, I promptly reported the matter to the Goddess's Church.
Praise be to the goddess... no, praise be to Mr. "Fool"!
Audrey was excited about being involved in saving a city, but the news reports about casualties she had read in the newspapers over the past few days turned that excitement into sighs and sadness.
Composing herself, she looked up at Mr. Fool, shrouded in gray fog, and, lifting her skirt slightly, greeted him with a curtsy: "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. You have once again saved Backlund."
"Moon" Emlyn blinked, looking at the lady to his side and the "Fool" at the head of the table with surprise and confusion.
Huh? When was I saved again?
Alger, the "Hanged Man" who had been keeping an eye on Cyrene, also came to his senses. He looked around at Miss Justice, Mr. Fool, Mr. Fate, and Mr. World, pondering how to ask about this information during their later conversation.
He has been adrift at sea for the past few days and has only just arrived on the island of Sonia. He has not yet heard much about the severe smog in Backlund.
But with the reminders from "Fate" and "The World" at the last Tarot meeting, and with what Miss "Justice" said just now, he was convinced that the great smog event in Backlund definitely involved a struggle between gods.
Only struggles and events of this level can attract Mr. Fool's attention.
As he pondered, he heard Miss "Justice's" very solemn and sincere words of gratitude: "Mr. 'Fate,' and Mr. 'World,' thank you so much for your advance warning; otherwise, the number of people who would have died in this smog disaster might have been many times greater."
Klein, controlling his alternate account "The World," replied in a hoarse voice, "In fact, this is also for self-preservation."
After a brief pause, he turned to look at Sirion: "Mr. Fate, I also need to thank you for your timely assistance twice, otherwise I wouldn't have escaped that attack."
"In addition, there was the hurricane you stirred up in the city, which saved at least tens of thousands of innocent lives."
"Unleashed...a hurricane?" Audrey looked at Cyril with surprise.
She didn't believe that Mr. "World" would lie about something like this... So, the sudden gust of wind that swept away the smog that day was actually created by Mr. "Fate" using his extraordinary abilities?
Thinking of this, she quickly stood up and, with a mixture of surprise and sincerity, bowed to Sirion to her side, thanking him, "Mr. 'Fate,' you are truly a kind and great person."
"You saved Backlund; your contribution in this disaster deserves a cartload of medals."
She paused, then added jokingly, "I saw the hurricane; I even thought it was the Lord of Storms who had reacted in time, conjuring up a storm to disperse the smog in the city."
"The Magician" Fors chimed in, "I saw it too. Quite a few people were saved thanks to that sudden hurricane."
After a brief moment of shock, Alger, the "Hanged Man," turned his head thoughtfully to look at Cyril.
...To be able to stir up a storm of this magnitude, he recorded the extraordinary abilities of a certain "sailor" who had passed through the demigod realm.
A demigod, especially one who has attained the "sailor" path, should not be unknown.
Soon, the image of Randolph Carter, the "painter" he had met at the Bay Bar on Sonia Island, came to mind.
Could it be him?
On the other side, "The Moon" Emlyn was also sizing up Cyril.
As a new member, he didn't recognize everyone at the party yet, but he could tell from their conversation that the "fate" they were talking about was the man sitting next to him.
...Although I knew that the hurricane was most likely man-made, I never expected that person to be sitting right next to me at this party!
To be able to unleash a hurricane that covers the entire city, this is definitely an extraordinary being at the level of half-human, half-god, a true high-sequence being!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Sirion.
But then he thought that this might be a demigod, and worried that the other party would think his behavior was offensive, so he looked away. After a while, he couldn't help but glance at it curiously again, and then looked away again.
Cyril: o—0
He noticed Emlyn's subtle movements, but couldn't figure out if the other was doing performance art or just had an eye twitch.
To his right, Derrick the Sun's gaze was clearly directed at him, filled with shock and adoration.
He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, turning his head to look at the "world" at the bottom. Although he had indeed spoken about this matter to the other party in an exaggerated and boastful tone, he had never intended to publicize it to everyone.
It's like you just bragged about something to a friend, and then they immediately posted it on their social media, attracting a bunch of likes and comments. It's a little frustrating, but also a little satisfying...
Taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts, he explained, "I did start that hurricane at first, but my spirituality wasn't strong enough to sustain it afterward, so the newly arrived archbishop of the Church of Storms took over."
"He also pushed that smog downstream of the Tasok River, into the high skies where it wouldn't affect the cities below."
.
"Justice," Audrey continued, "but you still saved many people."
"If you hadn't stirred up the hurricane in time, the archbishop of the Church of Storms might have taken some more time to react."
After all, I only reported this to the Church of the Goddess at the time, and it would take some time for the Church of Storms to react.
Alger the Hanged Man thought the Church of Storms wouldn't react so slowly. With that level of smog and plague, the local bishops and deacons would definitely have noticed the problem and taken action immediately.
However, he did not refute Miss Justice's words, because it was indeed Fate that reacted and acted faster than the local Storm Church.
After listening to everyone's conversation, Emlyn "The Moon" finally couldn't help but ask, "So, what exactly happened in Backlund? Why was I saved again?"
Audrey turned her head to look over, but because she didn't know the new member's code name, she didn't speak for a moment.
Klein then noticed the new member he had overlooked, so he tapped the table lightly with his finger and introduced, "This is the new member, Mr. 'Moon'."
These people are...
'
After Mr. Fool introduced them, and everyone was now acquainted, Audrey answered the question from before: "The information I've gathered may not be entirely accurate, but roughly... last week's severe smog event originated from a 'witch of despair' spreading a plague in Backlund."
"Her goal is to help the Aurora Society complete the ritual for the descent of the true creator, and at the same time, to help the primordial witch awaken and descend."
Emlyn's pupils contracted, and he was so agitated that he almost jumped out of his chair.
...Mother Goddess, no, Moon above, when did Backlund become so dangerous?
Wasn't this something a "Desperate Witch" did in her quest for advancement? And it was quickly dealt with by the Storm Church—no, by "Fate."
This single incident involves two evil gods, a righteous god, and a great being like Mr. Fool hiding in the shadows.
Oh, moon, is this still the Backlund I know?
Alger the Hanged Man and Fors the Magician were equally shocked. This was not entirely different from the information they had heard and seen in the newspapers, but it was still more than 90 percent different.
While everyone was in shock, Audrey looked at the head of the table, "The Fool": "Mr. Fool, your chosen one has made a contribution in this event as great as Mr. Fate."
"If he hadn't discovered Triss Chick's secret in time, the Church of the Goddess of Night wouldn't have been able to react so quickly, eliminate the Witch of Despair, prevent the awakening of the Primal Witch, and keep the smog and plague under control."
"The Fool" Klein leaned back in his chair and replied with a smile, "You and Fate did a good job in delivering the information to the Church of Night and Steam in a timely manner."
Audrey was slightly surprised, then looked at Cyril: "Mr. Fate, your contribution in this incident is greater than I thought. I now feel that everyone still alive in Backlund owes you a sincere thank you."
Cyril leaned back and replied casually, "After all, I am also a Backlund."
After a brief pause, he looked at the head of the table, "The Fool" Klein, and asked with concern, "Mr. Fool, how is your chosen one who was attacked by Ince Zangwill with the meteorite?"
"And meteorites?"
"The Magician" Fors and "The Moon" Emlyn are increasingly feeling lucky to have been able to live peacefully in Backlund for so long.