Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 895 Late Night Party
Leonard was somewhat excited but also somewhat worried about meeting this witch codenamed "Queen of Pentacles".

His excitement was naturally not due to the ridiculous reason of "the Tarot Club sent a witch", but because after the "old man" had discouraged him from training his own subordinates several times and he could not have his own "Minor Arcana Cards", he was able to meet the small cards of other Tarot Club members, and he had a peculiar feeling that "if others have it, I have it too".

As for the worry, it was of course because it was not the first time he met the other party, and the result of that meeting was not very good. In the process of tracking the other party, Leonard encountered a trap set by a higher-level witch and almost died in the sewer. He was also beaten by his own cane with the property of being alive. The other party also escaped with a narrow escape, and might have some resentment in his heart.

Anyway, I have been promoted to a "Spirit Wizard", and with the help of the old man, I have captured several useful spirits. Even if I meet the other witch hiding behind the scenes that day, I will still be able to fight her... He pressed the "Word of the Sea" cane hidden under his windbreaker, and his worries slowly faded away.

Just then, the spirit patrolling overhead issued a warning that an object was quietly approaching from the other end of the alley.

Leonard immediately turned around and looked, but apart from the occasional passers-by walking on the street outside the alley, he didn't see anything unusual.

It should be "invisible". Humph, I have seen it many times in Tingen... He muttered, straightened his windbreaker, exposed his hands, took two steps forward and said:

"Is it Miss 'Queen of Pentacles'?"

He didn't say any nonsense like "I mean no harm", and maintained the "coldness" of an official Beyonder, which helped him maintain his advantage in the subsequent conversation.

This was what the old man taught him. Although he didn't know what it was for, he still decided to follow the old man's experience.

A moment later, a figure appeared in the middle of the alley. Leonard immediately recognized the petite figure wrapped in a familiar hooded cloak. She was the witch who escaped from him last time.

"It's me. You must be the extraordinary person from the church that Miss Queen mentioned."

The witch said in a gentle and soft voice.

Leonard knew that the other party had seen his face in the last battle and was familiar with his appearance, so there was more confirmation than doubt in his words, so he nodded and said:

"Just call me 'Xingxing'."

Since Angel has already told the Queen of Pentacles his tarot card code name, there is no need for him to hide it. This will also make the other party think that these organizations using tarot cards as a code name are affiliated with the Goddess Church, avoiding exposing the existence of Mr. Fool.

Sure enough, the witch's head under the hood moved slightly, and she said as if she had solved some doubts:

"Yes, Mr. Star."

As she spoke, she took off the hood that covered most of her face, revealing her long brown hair, high nose bridge, and thin, wide lips. These somewhat androgynous features combined into a breathtaking beauty on her face, and compared to the last time Leonard saw her, she looked more harmonious and made people unable to take their eyes off her.

As expected of a Beyonder of the Witch Path, no... she should have been promoted to Joy. The last public execution that caused a big stir should have allowed her to fulfill her role... Leonard suddenly realized that it was a bit rude to stare at a young woman. He slowly looked away and said, trying to hide his embarrassment:

"The last time we fought on Iron Carbon Street, I..."

"It doesn't matter. We didn't know each other's identities at that time, and my actions were indeed inappropriate in the eyes of the official Beyonders."

Before he could finish, the Queen of Pentacles frankly revealed the matter, which made Leonard even more embarrassed. He always felt that his usual casual attitude was not suitable for this kind of occasion, and his expression changed again and again.

After a moment, he regained his composure and continued:

"Let me confirm first. Are you currently Sequence 7 or Sequence 6?"

"Sequence 6, 'Joy'."

The Minor Arcana answered immediately, his words brief and sharp, quite in the style of an official Beyonder.

I guess it was Angel who taught him that… Leonard complained in his heart and nodded:
"This way, the next action will be much safer... Since you have become an informant of the Goddess Church, while obtaining the church's protection, you also need to complete the corresponding work. I think the 'Queen' should have told you in advance, right?"

He turned his head and looked at both sides of the alley. The spirit above his head that was monitoring the surroundings also gave feedback. After confirming that no one was paying attention to their conversation, Leonard continued:
"It is said that the Aurora Society, which believes in the 'True Creator', has returned to Backlund. They are used to organizing Beyonder gatherings and organizing wild Beyonders to serve them... You should pay attention to the recent movements of those underground gatherings in the East District. You don't have to go by yourself. You can use the Beyonders you are familiar with and ask them to find out if there is an organizer named Mr. or Ms., for example..."

"Mr. K?" The witch in front of him tilted her head and took over the topic, saying, "He showed up in the East District about a month ago and held a few gatherings. I have attended them... This gathering is held on time every week. The buying and selling of items and the handling of members who violate the rules are all fair. For the time being, I can't see the characteristics of the evil god's followers."

Leonard didn't expect to gain something from his first contact with the "Queen of Pentacles". He was overjoyed and asked:
"Did he issue any special commissions?"

"Except that they are looking for followers of The Fool, there is nothing special... By the way, there are a lot of low-sequence potion formulas being traded at the party, and the proportion of members who have become Beyonders is also higher than the parties I attended before. Perhaps this is worth paying attention to?"

Mr. Fool's followers, aren't they us? Well, the little cards don't know their identities yet... Leonard's expression stiffened for a moment, and then he replied:
"The church has also noticed this. It may be related to the crackdown and suppression of underground gatherings after the previous 'big smog'... You continue to pay attention to the movements of 'Mr. K' and report to me or the 'Queen' regularly... My contact information is..." He gave the address of the church in the East District for receiving anonymous letters of complaint. After the other party wrote it down, he took out several talismans such as "Sleep" and "Dream" made of silver sheets from under his windbreaker and handed them to the "Queen of Pentacles" as support for her actions.

As for money, ever since he joined the Tarot Club and bought the handy "Word of the Sea" walking stick, his savings have run out and he can't help with anything for the time being.

Fortunately, the witch didn't care too much. After putting away the talisman, she said goodbye respectfully and left in stealth. This time she seemed to have used some new tricks, making it impossible for Leonard's spirit floating in the air to detect her movements.

After knowing that I discovered her invisibility, she immediately improved her method. She's a quick learner... Leonard looked at the direction where the other person's back disappeared with satisfaction. After a moment, he recalled his spirit, tightened his hood, and hurried away in another direction.

"Old man, I shouldn't have revealed anything this time, right?"

He tilted his head habitually and whispered.

"You've exposed the fact that you haven't been in contact with young women for a long time," the old voice in his head ruthlessly mocked, "You weren't even this nervous when you subdued the evil spirit and completed the ritual to be promoted to 'Spirit Wizard'."

Why am I nervous... Leonard muttered silently, left the alley, looked up, and walked towards the north area.

He also had to rush to another "party" in the evening.

----

Queens, Earl Hall's Mansion, Audrey's bedroom.

After washing up in advance and preparing to rest in advance, Audrey dismissed her personal maid, squatted beside the bed, stroked Susie's head, and said softly:

"It's the same as always. Help me guard outside the door and don't let anyone disturb me."

"Okay, Audrey," the golden retriever, who had already digested the Psychologist potion and was about to advance to Sequence 6 as soon as all the ingredients for the potion were gathered, replied in human language, "There won't be any danger this time, right?"

It had already noticed something strange in its master's serious expression and attitude.

"It doesn't matter. After all, I am already a 'Dream Walker'."

Audrey said with a smile, and couldn't help but recall the night three days ago when she received the Beyonder characteristic of "Dream Walker" provided by Miss Queen and was promoted with the help of Mr. Fool.

Even though several days had passed, she would still recall from time to time in the dead of night the perfect world she had constructed in the depths of her dreams under the influence of the potion:
My parents lived in harmony, my two brothers were no longer at odds with each other, a peace agreement was signed between the great powers, and Loen was constantly improving its benign reforms. The poor were helped and got out of the quagmire, the rich donated money and devoted themselves to charity, and even the wild Beyonders no longer had to hide from the church's pursuit and could walk under the sun...

It's a pity that it was just a beautiful dream. If I had fallen into it and failed to break free from it, I'm afraid my spirit would have been lost and my body would have turned into a cruel monster...

She thought with some fear, and after Susie left the bedroom obediently, she locked the door, lay down on the soft big bed with her clothes on, and closed her eyes in the dim light.

A moment later, a crimson light enveloped Audrey, and she felt a familiar sense of weightlessness. She opened her eyes again and found herself in a palace filled with gray fog, sitting on a high-back chair belonging to "Justice".

Unlike before, on the table in front of Audrey was the "Lie" mask that she had sacrificed in advance, and there were only three figures in the venue besides her: the "Queen" beside her, the "Star" diagonally opposite her, and the "World" at the end of the long table, opposite Mr. "Fool".

"Very good, everyone is here on time."

"World" heard a low and hoarse voice. Audrey naturally turned her gaze to the other party, and then fell on the dark brown cover and ancient book in front of him.

This "temporary gathering" for only a few Tarot Club members was jointly convened by "The World" and "The Queen". After Audrey was promoted to "Dream Walker" and stabilized her status, she had some premonitions:

This action may be related to "dreams".

But why must it be carried out in Mr. Fool's kingdom? Is it necessary to enter the dream of a member, such as Mr. Star, who had seen the existence of the "Second Blasphemous Slate" behind him?
Just as Audrey was guessing, the words of "Xingxing" dispelled her doubts:

"Is our exploration today related to this book?"

The new member spoke in a casual manner, pointing to the ancient book.

Whether Mr. Fool is here or not, his change is the most obvious among all the members... Audrey couldn't help but think about it, and looked at the World, expecting its answer.

(End of this chapter)