Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability



Franca, sitting cross-legged in the recliner, had long pondered over this question. After careful consideration, a smile curved on her lips as she spoke,

"Mr. Fool's Church is akin to an independent subsidiary of our Tarot Club."

Observing Lumian's bewilderment, she went on to explain, "Each of our Tarot Club's Major Arcana Cards represents an influential figure in the world, be it in reality or mysticism. I suspect that the Pope of The Fool's Church is one such figure. As for the other Major Arcana Cards, they may lead different organizations. While these organizations might not believe in Mr. Fool, they can provide assistance to certain operations of the Tarot Club."

"To put it simply, the Tarot Club is the highest governing body directly overseen by Mr. Fool. Each holder of a Major Arcana card possesses a distinguished status and their own sphere of influence. And one such holder is The Fool's Church," Franca elaborated.

Lumian grasped Franca's meaning roughly and inquired, "How many Major Arcana cards do we have?"

Franca shook her head and replied, "I cannot provide an exact number as the identities of the Major Arcana card holders are kept confidential. The only card we interact with the most is the Major Arcana card to which we are subordinate. Well… mine is Madam Judgment."

"Mine is Madam Magician," Lumian added.

Franca chuckled, "It seems that these two cards often appear together. Yes, our Tarot Club has a habit of scattering the entire deck of tarot cards at the scene after completing a task. We also place the card that represents us in the most prominent position…"

"Isn't that wasteful?" Lumian interrupted Franca.

"What harm is there in using a deck of tarot cards? Don't you find such actions cool?" Franca muttered. "You can leave the card that represents you, but what use is a deck without one? You'll have to buy a new one next time. If you visit the factory and customize a large number of tarot cards with just one card, you'll become an easy target."

"I can draw it myself," Lumian proposed, already formulating a solution.

While he couldn't replicate the printed quality, he could capture the main characteristics of the Seven of Wands.

Franca fell silent for a moment, then said, "Wouldn't something you draw have a mystical connection? Wouldn't you have to expend energy to counter divination?"

"Sigh, we don't have to scatter them every time. We don't have to scatter them when working with non-Tarot Club members. We don't have to scatter them during stealth missions, such as the one we're on now. And we don't have to scatter them when we're under suspicion.

"Dammit! How did we get off track? What I wanted to convey is that due to the Tarot Club's customs and traditions, I've learned from various newspapers and mystical gatherings about the more active Major Arcana cards.

"Madam Justice has appeared multiple times on the Midseashire coast, in Trier, and Backlund. Mr. Hanged Man has made appearances at sea. We have Madam Hermit and Mr. Sun, as well as Mr. Moon and Mr. Star from the Southern Continent. As for any other Major Arcana card holders, I'm unaware."

Madam Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, Madam Hermit, Mr. Star, Mr. Moon… Lumian realized that the names possessed an air of mystery and sophistication, unlike the mundane-sounding Seven of Wands and Two of Cups.

After pondering for a while, he recognized a crucial point mentioned by Franca: Madam Justice had been seen in Midseashire, Trier, and Backlund.

Apart from Madam Judgment and Madam Magician, this was the only Major Arcana card with confirmed sightings in Trier.

Lumian distinctly recalled that Madam Susie had mentioned the possibility of people from the West Midseashire Coast being Beyonders of the Spectator pathway.

This implied that she had a good understanding of the West Midseashire Coast.

Considering that she and the other Psychiatrist were in Trier, their areas of activity overlapped by at least two-thirds with Madam Justice's.

Furthermore, when Madam Magician mentioned that the two Psychiatrists were equals and that his psychological problem involved matters at a higher level, Lumian suspected that one of them was Madam Justice.

Based on the fact that both Madam Magician and Madam Judgment preferred to address themselves with tarot cards and conceal their true names, it was more likely that the enigmatic lady sitting across from him was the holder of the Major Arcana card, Justice. Susie, on the other hand, seemed to be her subordinate Minor Arcana card.

With these thoughts in mind, Lumian glanced at Franca, who had adjusted her sitting position, and spoke, "Were you planning to find a genuine Psychiatrist for Jenna's brother from within our Tarot Club?"

Franca, confused by Lumian's sudden change of topic, was taken aback.

"No, I intended to approach members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society.

"I try my best not to contact my Major Arcana, Madam Judgment unless it's a particularly critical or serious matter. Although she always appears composed and willing to help, do you know? She's a true demigod and a prominent figure with godlike status. I can't burden her with trivial matters frequently. She says she doesn't mind, but who knows if she's truly honest. Each insignificant problem might decrease her favor towards me.

"When her favorability drops to a certain extent, a demigod has numerous ways to make your life unbearable. Besides, you won't even know why it's happening.

"I usually handle things on my own. If that fails, I turn to Gardner Martin or the members of the Research Society. And if that doesn't work, I consider reaching out to Madame Judgment."

Lumian shared the same sentiment, but he had the excuse of reporting the mission's situation and suppressing Termiboros's influence. He could write to Madam Magician from time to time to gather information.

In any case, he was already in the process of writing a letter. There was no harm in asking!

Observing that Franca's Psychiatrist wasn't the same as his own, Lumian didn't mention Susie. He nodded gently and replied, "Same here."

Franca glanced around and lowered her voice.

"However, don't hesitate to seek help when you need it. The resources and influence wielded by Major Arcana card holders exceed your imagination. What you find difficult can be resolved with a mere command or thought.

"Wasn't my mystical item, the Ring of Punishment, incredibly powerful? Madame Judgment granted it to me directly upon my request. She even allowed me to owe an equivalent exchange for a period of time.

"Uh… I see how you obtained the Pyromaniac potion formula and its main ingredient so quickly!"

You're not wrong… Lumian smiled, conveying to Franca that she had hit the mark.

He believed that if he could acquire Beyonder characteristics that complemented the Shadow Branch, he could genuinely seek the help of Madam Magician in finding a saint-level Artisan to craft the corresponding mystical item.

Compared to him, who was only a Sequence 7, Madam Magician, already a demigod, was more likely to be acquainted with a high-level Artisan!

Franca exhaled and continued the conversation.

"Every bearer of a Major Arcana card is a demigod, with a high probability of being a saint. At the very least, the more active ones don't seem to be at the level of Grounded Angels. However, Madam Judgment told me that the Tarot Club has more than one angel!"

At least eight saints, and more than one angel? They're even stronger than the Aurora Order… Truly befitting the most extraordinary secret organization… Lumian sighed, wondering if the Tarot Club's core members were exaggerating to instill a stronger sense of belonging among their subordinates.

With a yearning expression, Franca added, "My current dream is to progress step by step to Sequence 5, then advance to Sequence 4 of the Hunter pathway and become a demigod. That would grant me the right to obtain a Major Arcana card.

"Not only would it mean greater strength and a sense of security, but it would also allow me to participate in the Divine Council and ask Mr. Fool about things once he awakens."

According to Madam Magician, obtaining a Major Arcana card isn't dependent on advancing to Sequence 4 and becoming a demigod… Lumian dealt Franca a blow to prevent her from having overly high expectations.

However, Franca didn't mind at all. She smiled and said, "In any case, my question will have to wait until Mr. Fool wakes up. When the time comes, demigods will undoubtedly be more qualified than other members to obtain a Major Arcana card."

At this point, she looked at Lumian and continued, "Apart from us, there are four more Minor Arcana cards active in Trier. In total, there are 23 cards in the world, but there might be fewer. Many Beyonders find it fashionable to scatter tarot cards at the scene of an incident and intentionally imitate us. They might do it to misdirect the official Beyonders' investigation.

"In Trier, the most renowned card is the Knight of Swords. At the beginning of the year, he detonated a warehouse belonging to the Southern Continent's terrorist organization, the Rose School of Thought. The warehouse concealed a significant amount of explosives, and non-human remains were found at the scene…"

Lumian listened attentively to Franca's account, gaining a better understanding of the Tarot Club and the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, "Do Minor Arcana cards have gatherings in the world of mysticism?"

"No," Franca shook her head again. "Unless we meet in person, like we have, we can only communicate through our respective Major Arcana cards. Yes, regular gatherings do take place between Major Arcana cards in Mr. Fool's divine kingdom!

"However, Madame Judgment mentioned once that in urgent situations, with the assistance of our Major Arcana, we can communicate in a way that transcends reality, but such occurrences are rare."

Lumian had no further questions. After chatting for a while, he heard Jenna's footsteps ascending the stairs.

He stood up, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Franca asked, puzzled.

At this hour, there was nothing for him to do in Salle de Bal Brise, so he might as well stay and play Fighting Evil, the game Emperor Roselle had "invented."

Lumian smiled, a mix of emotions in his expression.

"To the catacombs."

The ashes of the lunatic Flameng and the Ruhr couple were finally being laid to rest in the catacombs.