Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 378 The Hanged Man’s Mind

"I also heard about the heavy smog in Backlund while at sea. I didn't expect that the death toll reached six figures. May their souls rest in peace."

Alger, the Hanged Man, first expressed his surprise and respect for the deceased, then changed the topic and his tone became sharp.

“However, in this disaster, the upper echelons of the kingdom, and even the Orthodox Church, may have benefited greatly.

"You said these reforms were initiated by the king? Oh, I'm afraid he was forced by the three major churches. Military power has always been the power firmly held by the Augustus. After hundreds of years of operation, the Church of Storms was in the navy Several wedges were embedded in it. This time the king actually allowed members of the three major churches to garrison the army. The compromise made was greater than the other things you mentioned combined.

"But this king seemed to be giving in, but in fact he used these concessions to sow the seeds of suspicion among the three major churches. He deliberately allowed the Church of the Night to enter the East District, which has a large population and undecided beliefs. He wanted to win over one family and trample two others. Let the Church of the Night become the target of the other two major churches and reduce the pressure on yourself."

Having said this, Alger paused for a moment, enjoying the shocked gazes of everyone. This made him feel a sense of relief that he had suppressed for a long time in the church and on the sea.

After a moment, he lowered his voice and continued:

"The factory owners and bankers took this opportunity to gain seats in the House of Lords. This was originally a privilege of the traditional aristocracy, which they could not buy with money. Now they can enter the House of Lords through donated titles and exert influence on the national situation. Influence. They are all supporters of the new party, and the conservative forces will be hit hard again after the death of Duke Negan.

"Finally, there are the people at the bottom of Backlund. The much-questioned Poor Law will be revised, and working hours will be subject to new restrictions. With all due respect, the population reduction caused by this smog will probably cause factories to increase work wages. , in order to retain the remaining workers, which is a, well, blessing in disguise for those who survive."

Audrey tried hard to use her "audience" ability to stabilize her facial expressions and body movements, but the shock in her heart couldn't be greater. She now felt that even if Mr. Hanged Man was not an extraordinary person, he still had a great chance to make a career in the government department. A top position.

Because what he said had been discussed privately by his father and brother at home, and the conclusion they drew based on various information was actually similar to the conclusion the Hanged Man came to after a little thought in the Tarot Club.

Of course, most of the credit goes to Susie. Who would care about a big golden retriever sleeping in the corner with dog food in his arms during a secret conversation?

"So, what about the royal family? They seem to have only made concessions and losses in this incident, right?"

Angel frowned and asked. She was a little fascinated, but she didn't hear the Hanged Man mention this until the end.

"The meteorite that fell near Red Rose Manor that day caused a fire in the manor. Prince Edsac Augustus was unfortunately killed in the fire," Miss Justice added, "But it is said that he was colluding with the Witch Sect and intended to rebel. , who committed suicide out of fear of guilt after the incident was exposed, this is the real reason why the royal family made concessions to the three major churches and the factory owners."

"No, Prince Edsac was silenced. There was a Sequence 5 Beyonder beside him as his steward and bodyguard. He also died in the sea of ​​fire."

Angel told everyone the information he got from Laura.

"So, the prince is just a scapegoat who was pushed out, and several parties who have benefited have chosen to stop their activities because of the benefits they have obtained. On the surface, they will no longer pursue those forces in the royal family that really cooperate with the Witch Sect and the Aurora Society."

The Hanged Man added, he seemed to have come up with some new conclusion in the analysis of everyone's words, and kept nodding.

"But what is the real purpose of the royal family? Will causing a large-scale disaster like this actually benefit them?"

The magician Forsi also joined the discussion. With the intuition of a novelist, she instantly thought of several wild possibilities, but she lacked evidence and quickly denied them.

dong dong——

Mr. Fool suddenly knocked on the table, causing everyone to stop communicating and look at the host of the Tarot Club.

"The root of the problem has not yet been discovered, but clues have been revealed. I hope that the three major churches will not give up pursuing the truth because of immediate interests."

He spoke slowly, with a calm tone, as if he was dismissive of these orthodox churches.

The first person to react was the Hanged Man. He bowed slightly and replied:

"Thank you, Mr. Fool, I understand."

You understand something, can you tell me by the way... Klein could hardly hold back the sense of mystery he created. He just casually mentioned that the royal family might have another purpose, implying that everyone present should continue to inquire about the information through their own channels, Mr. Hanged Man. But it seems that he has "understood everything".

Fortunately, he still has a vest... But "The World" also has to maintain his personality, sell the extraordinary characteristics of the "Faceless Man", and Angel cannot discover his relationship with "Kline"...

Klein hesitated and looked at the other Tarot Club members, only to find that they were all thoughtful and silent. He could only pretend to be cold and said:

"Go ahead."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after ending this depressing yet confusing topic. The Hanged Man also put aside his seriousness as a political critic and tried to find clues to the formula of the magic potion "Wind Blesser" in the Sailor Path Sequence 6. This also meant that he had finished digesting the existing potion and was ready to seek promotion.

Miss Justice also began to purchase extraordinary materials. She successfully infiltrated the "Psychological Alchemy Society" last week and used her money offensive to quickly solve several commissions issued by internal members, although she pretended that she had not yet taken the "Mind Reader" potion. , but has already obtained the Sequence 7 "Psychiatrist" formula in advance.

The mysterious Mr. "World" used a mysterious tone to sell a mysterious extraordinary property. He tried to let the well-connected Hanged Man sell it on his behalf or make it into a magical item. Miss Justice expressed strong interest and joined the transaction. , the three of them "communicated alone" for a moment, and reached a high-value deal of more than 3000 pounds, which made Angel envious.

She purchased some of the auxiliary materials in the "Pain" Witch's Formula - Blue Zhen Eucalyptus Essential Oil, and spent money to obtain the blood of several seriously ill patients in the hospital. She had less than 2000 pounds of money, although including justice Many people, including her, still owed her money, but Angel still felt that her wallet was in jeopardy.

Fortunately, the angel lady of the church left me the extraordinary characteristics of the "Painful" Witch. Otherwise, I would have to spend more than 8000 pounds to buy the main materials or the complete extraordinary characteristics... Well, my promotion has to be put on the agenda. , Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man are both working hard, and I can’t relax...

She secretly planned.

Seeing that others stopped speaking, Mr. Sun slowly raised his hand, and after everyone looked at him curiously, he said:

"Everyone, do you still remember what I said last time about preparing to participate in the exploration of the ruins of the 'Fallen Creator'?"

"Are you on your way?"

The Hanged Man immediately asked, Mr. Sun had been guided by him in many of his previous decisions in Silver City, and an almost fixed "teacher-student" relationship had been formed, so everyone looked at the two without interrupting.

"We will set off tomorrow. The 'Shepherd' Elder Lovia who went to explore last time is still locked in the dungeon. Our team is led by the 'Chief', who is a Sequence 4 'Demon Hunter'."

In order to seek help, Derrick "The Sun" did not hide anything, and even informed the Hanged Man of the "Chief's" strength.

"It sounds like the level of danger will be reduced a lot, but you still have to pay attention, especially to your own behavior. This exploration requires you to participate, probably to eliminate the possibility of you being controlled by 'Amon'."

"Then what do I need to pay attention to?"

"Of course, follow your usual training. Don't reveal knowledge you shouldn't know. Follow orders and don't be curious about anything. That will kill you and your teammates."

The Hanged Man seemed to understand this deeply, and his tone was somewhat serious.

"What's more specific? It's impossible for me to do nothing. Everyone in the team has their own tasks."

Derrick asked.

"Flesh and blood, and gibbering."

Mr. Fool at the head of the long table suddenly spoke.

"Flesh and blood, these are the most dangerous things in the ruins of the fallen Creator." Seeing that Derrick was a little confused, the Hanged Man took the initiative to explain to Mr. Fool, "You don't have to worry too much, 'Chief' will definitely He has rich experience in this. If you follow his instructions and don't 'play freely', you can get through the difficulties."

"Thank you, Mr. Fool, and Mr. Hanged Man, I understand."

Having just passed through the heavy smog caused by the followers of the "True Creator", they heard that this young extraordinary person was about to embark on a journey to explore the ruins of this evil god. Others were also a little worried about him. Unfortunately, everyone did not know that Silver City Wherever I can, I can only offer all kinds of verbal blessings to Mr. Sun and wish him a safe return, lest the Tarot Society lose a precious member.

----

After this Tarot session, Angel will have no special arrangements in the short term. She and Klein only need to wait for the false identity certificates to be obtained, and after dealing with their remaining interpersonal relationships in Backlund, they can leave this still city. A city steeped in grief.

The first thing she has to do is to find an opportunity to be promoted to Sequence 5, the "Painful" Witch.

After carefully storing the Eucalyptus essential oil that had been well preserved through ritual magic, as well as the blood of seriously ill patients that can be found everywhere now, in the basement, Angel recalled the magic potion formula he saw in the "Witch" card, and the corresponding promotion. ceremony:

Main materials: the head of the flower-faced bat, the gallbladder of the two-tailed black snake;

Auxiliary materials: 30 ml of flower-faced bat blood, the tail tip of a two-tailed black snake, 50 ml of seriously ill human blood, and 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil.

Promotion ritual: without using a double, being burned on the stake for a quarter of an hour and surviving without going crazy.

(End of this chapter)