"It smells good, doesn't it?"
For a moment, Eli Walker felt a subtle sense of guilt. But then he remembered—it was the Fool who actively pulled him up. He immediately felt justified.
Audrey, still just a 17-year-old girl, not yet the composed lady of twenty-seven, clenched her fists in excitement and waved them gently. The Fool's affirmation had clearly lifted her spirits.
"Since it's a secret gathering," she said brightly, "we should choose codenames. It'll make communication easier."
The blonde girl proposed the idea with initiative.
"Is that so? Then I'll go first." Eli raised a brow and announced with calm composure, "My codename is Angel."
He nodded in satisfaction. Since he carried the Calamity Beyonder characteristic and had completed the advancement ritual—yet couldn't advance to Angel due to Leodero still occupying the position—he simply chose the codename as a small act of rebellion.
Heh~
What kind of Beyonder needed to undergo a lightning tribulation to advance to Sequence 2?
If you didn't obediently face the tribulation and tried to run, your whole family would be struck by lightning?
"Angel..."
Alger's expression subtly shifted. "The codename you chose… is very good, but wouldn't it be better if our codenames followed a consistent theme? Mr. Fool comes from the Tarot cards—perhaps we could choose ours from them too?"
"My codename comes from the Tarot deck," Eli said with a knowing smirk. "The Devil, reversed, means Angel."
Alger frowned slightly. "Sir, if you understand the Beyonder world, then you should know what 'Angel' implies. That's not a title one can use lightly. Angels are figures written into holy scriptures."
"I know it's a distance I can only aspire to," Eli replied calmly. "Which is why I use it as a codename in this mysterious place—to soothe my heart."
"Everyone has the right to dream freely. Even the Evernight Goddess, who rules dreams, would tacitly approve of such daydreams… don't you think?"
He was basically saying: I'm just daydreaming, so what?
Angel was inappropriate, but Hanged Man was fine?
Alger glanced at the Fool—who remained unreactive—and chose not to argue further.
In truth, Klein's brain was nearly fried. What happened to the era of steam and cannons? Sure, he expected some mystery, but "Angel"? Was that even the same concept he understood?
Probably… not.
"Since Angel has decided on his codename," Audrey chimed in with a soft laugh, "then I mustn't fall behind. I'll choose 'Justice.'"
"My 'Justice' isn't reversed, Angel," she added teasingly.
"Are you sure you don't want to try it?" Eli quipped, his tone light and mischievous. "Justice is a bit old-fashioned. Evil's charm is nothing to scoff at."
"I prefer a positive image," Audrey answered with a straight face. "As do you, apparently—Angel who reversed the Devil card?"
For a second, she felt tempted to respond playfully, but held back. Rationality won out.
"I choose Hanged Man," Alger said flatly.
Seeing Angel and Justice treat the codename selection like a game had relaxed him slightly. There was no point being overly formal.
So, everyone just happily picked one?
Klein rubbed his forehead internally. He glanced at Eli and suddenly felt like a schoolteacher dealing with a problem student.
Sure, Tarot cards have reversals… but do you have to be this literal?
Fortunately, Justice and Hanged Man were normal. If all three reversed, the Fool himself would've been the only upright one…
"Angel," Audrey asked curiously, "you seem to know a lot about Tarot. I heard the Tarot deck was invented by Emperor Roselle and is just a toy. Is that true?"
"The key to divination doesn't lie in the tool, but in the diviner," Eli replied, leaning back. "I could throw a stone and divine more accurately than you could using a full spread of cards."
"But for detailed readings, tools like Tarot cards help a lot—unless you get your hands on a divination tool that inherently holds Beyonder power."
Like Arrodes.
His gaze flickered for a moment.
"Inherently holds Beyonder power?" Audrey tilted her head. "I heard Emperor Roselle created a deck that had real power. Is that true?"
As she spoke, she noticed Eli glancing toward the Fool. Thinking he didn't know the answer, she followed suit and looked at the mysterious figure at the head of the table.
Three, two, one—
Eli's lips curled into a slight smile.
He had already felt the fluctuations in the gray fog. As expected, Klein's spiritual exhaustion had reached its peak.
"Today's gathering ends here."
"As you wish." Alger stood and bowed.
Eli followed suit but slowed his movement intentionally, offering a light bow without any airs.
"Then, until next time."
By then, Klein's vision was already blurring. He barely managed to sever the crimson star connections and withdrew from Sefirah Castle.
Eli, however, wasn't done. He had used a plug-in installed on the crimson stars. Though Klein had severed the connection, Eli wasn't forcibly returned.
As Audrey's projection faded, he projected his own spirit into the crimson star tied to Justice—following her consciousness toward the real world.
Since he'd already reached the Fifth Epoch, how could he leave so easily?
What if the bug got fixed next time?
Relying on the nature of a virtual persona, high mental power, and residual divine authority, Eli slipped into Audrey's mindscape and returned with her to the material world.
He didn't eat that spicy Elder Mind Dragon brain for nothing.
Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Empress Borough.
A figure resembling Audrey stood before a broken bronze mirror on her dressing table.
"Xia Ai'er"—no, Eli Walker—raised his hand. The crimson "star" on his palm cast a light across the broken mirror.
The fractured pieces gradually reassembled. The ancient relic, dating back to the Solomon Empire, was restored—refusing to perish with the passing of eras.
"Dad didn't lie to me? This mirror's really a treasure?" Audrey asked in wonder. "Is it… a Beyonder item?"
The young girl's eyes sparkled with amazement.