Chapter 24: The Ritual

What kind of question is that... Klein rested his forehead on his hand, his fingers tapping his brow twice in an unobtrusive motion.

Very quickly, he discerned from the shift in color that Audrey’s emotions were a mixture of panic, nervousness, and shame.

Could she have done something equally foolish? Klein thought, feeling somewhat astonished yet not entirely surprised. After the previous two gatherings, he was certain that Miss Justice possessed a natural talent for such things.

Poverty limited Klein’s imagination; he truly could not fathom what kind of person would feed Beyonder potions to a dog.

Wouldn't that put the dog on the same level as him? The great Mr. Fool eating with a dog?

"The Hanged Man," Alger, was clearly stunned as well. It took a long moment before he spoke: "Ordinary animals lack human intellect and cannot learn meditation at once. Therefore, in all likelihood, they would die on the spot or collapse into monsters. But if they survived, they should become Beyonder creatures. If the potion enhances their cognitive abilities, they might even become clever."

Hearing Alger inadvertently expose her secret of feeding a potion to her dog, Audrey was about to offer an excuse when Caelris interrupted.

"Keeping a Beyonder pet is quite nice. If it’s a cat or dog from the Spectator pathway, it’s actually quite fitting," Caelris said, stroking his chin. "After all, they have essentially been 'acting' as Spectators for years already. As long as your Beyonder pet hasn't consumed five or six potions, it has likely finished digesting it by now."

"Ah! This... it has already finished digesting it?" Audrey’s mouth hung slightly agape, finding it hard to accept that she had been so thoroughly surpassed by Susie.

Audrey murmured to herself, "Susie, it has left me behind."

*Hoo.* Audrey let out a long breath, cheering herself on in her heart.

"Come on, Audrey, don't be discouraged. You are the best."

She put on a smile again, her voice light and airy as she turned to Caelris: "Mr. Demon, the matter you entrusted to me has been completed." She paused, then added, "The cosmetics line you called 'COLORS' is of truly excellent quality. Better than anything invented by Emperor Roselle. Even without my guidance, I believe they would have invested in it regardless."

Caelris smiled without a word. Of course the quality was good. This was cosmetics developed by the Penacony "Family" and endorsed by Robin. Even if the knock-offs printed by an Aether Editor didn't possess even a ten-thousandth of the effectiveness of the original, they were still far beyond what the people of Earth—products the Family would describe as "primitive"—could hope to compete with.

"Very good," Caelris clapped his hands. "Then, according to our trade, I shall provide you with the potion formula."

He gestured to Mr. Fool, and with Klein’s assistance, a piece of paper containing the formula materialized. He pushed the paper gently toward Audrey.

Audrey took the formula and began to read it eagerly.

Beyonder materials: The complete pituitary gland of an adult Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon, 10ml of spinal fluid from a Farseer Rabbit; Supplementary materials: 5g of chestnut buds, 8g of agrimony powder, 3 petals of pure white elf flower, 100ml of pure water.

She quickly memorized the formula. Since becoming a Beyonder, her memory had improved significantly, and a single glance was enough to commit it to heart. Still, she double-checked it several times, just to be sure.

"Alright," Audrey put down the formula. "I have no more questions."

Alger and Caelris both indicated they were ready as well.

"I have something to add," Klein spoke up. "A new experiment."

"In your spare time, you may attempt a ritual magic. It doesn't need to be overly formal; just ensure the environment is undisturbed... Place four new candles on an altar, one at each corner, preferably scented with sandalwood. Place a piece of white bread by the top-left candle, a portion of Feysac noodles by the top-right, seafood paella at the bottom-left, and Dizi pie at the bottom-right... Use a small silver knife to create a sealed spiritual environment."

Klein described the ritual magic he had adapted from his "fortune-turning ritual" and taught Miss Justice how to create a spiritual environment for free.

To be honest, since the target of the ritual was himself, Klein believed the first part—the sacrificial aspect intended to pique the interest of corresponding entities and please them—could be omitted entirely. However, he still tried to make the process look legitimate—though, of course, it did not follow Old Neil's rule of "two for the gods, one for oneself."

Compared to complex rituals, Klein would actually prefer it if people used heavy gold pounds to please him.

"Distill a mixture of moonflower, golden mint, sleepflower, gold bergamot, and rock rose into an essential oil, and drip one drop onto each candle."

Though, in all likelihood, Mr. Fool would prefer iced black tea.

Audrey listened with great interest and took notes. Finally, she asked:

"And the incantation? Mr. Fool, what is the corresponding incantation?"

Alger and Caelris also paused their pens, turning their heads to look at the Fool.

Wrapped in gray fog, Klein tapped his fingers against the edge of the long table and replied in a flat, tranquil tone using Hermes:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era; You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."

As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss, but Alger, who knew a great deal, and Audrey, a devotee of mysticism, were clearly not ignorant.

Repeating the three-line honorific of the Fool, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. A three-line honorific was the symbol of a true god.

Audrey remained in shock, while Alger Wilson, who knew and understood far more than her, trembled from the depths of his heart:

"If the ritual magic designed by the Fool can truly reach him and allow him to receive our requests, then... then we must use the honorific 'He,' the third-person pronoun used to address gods and similar existences."

"How fortunate, how wise I have been. I have always acted in a cooperative manner and haven't done anything foolish. Even my probes were within reasonable limits..."

"Could he be some ancient, hidden, and terrifying existence, merely appearing before us without his original visage or true name... The Primordial Witch, the Hidden Sage, or perhaps the True Creator worshipped by several secret cults?"

He glanced at the composed Caelris:

"He knew all along. So, what exactly is this organization, this masked Fool?"

Alger understood that the Fool he saw now was not necessarily his true form; the entity might not even have a gender, nor be a humanoid creature.

Just like that, Klein was "expelled from humanity" in a lively fashion, without him even realizing what had transpired.

Ignoring the gazes of Audrey and Alger, he acted as if nothing had happened, maintaining an air of having everything under control as he continued:

"I pray for your help."

"I pray for your guidance."

"I pray that you grant me a good dream."

"Oh, sleepflower, herb belonging to the Red Moon, please transmit your power to my incantation."

"Oh, gold bergamot, herb belonging to the sun, please transmit your power to my incantation."

Praying for a good dream? Understood. I'll be praying hard to Mr. Fool at one in the morning.

After giving the instructions and allowing them a moment to digest the information, the Tarot Gathering was declared adjourned.

PS: I’ve decided—the next arc will be the City of Silver. Remember the ball that Aha threw down? Guess who’s inside? No prizes for guessing.