Mystery: Lucky One

After Alice politely rejected the "magician" Fors, no one proposed a new deal and the Tarot Club fell silent for a while.

At Klein's signal, the free exchange session began. Alger, the Hanged Man, asked Alice:

"Ms. Destiny, are you still in the 'Forsaken Land of the Gods'?"

Alice nodded and added, "But I'm not in the afternoon town anymore. I...uh, maybe I'll be there again next week, or maybe I'll be back the week after next."

After a pause, she hesitantly put her hand on her chin and murmured:

"The main thing is, I still don't know how to get out... No, that's not right, there seems to be a way..."

Alice looked hesitantly at Klein in the gray fog.

For Alice, the most difficult part about leaving the "God-Forsaken Land" was actually getting her body out - because Sefirah Castle connected the "God-Forsaken Land" with the outside world, her spirit could ascend to Sefirah Castle.

...Let someone sacrifice their body to Klein?

Alice blinked and put this plan on the list of options.

After listening to Alice's words, Derrick's eyes lit up slightly and he said to Alice:
"Miss Destiny, we got what you wanted!"

"Huh?" Alice turned her head in surprise, "So fast?"

“Just like you said…” Derrick the Sun was a little nervous under Alice’s gaze. “The most difficult part about killing the Raven Shadow Snake is finding it.”

Alice made an "OK" gesture and leaned back in her chair happily.

Emperor Roselle did not bring the expression "OK" to this world, but Alice's posture had already made the meaning of this gesture clear, so no one was confused.

Alger, the Hanged Man, listened to their conversation and asked Derrick, the Sun, "Are you still in Afternoon Town?"

Derrick nodded honestly and said:

"Yes, it took us a long time to set up the camp, and then we worked in groups to clear out the remaining monsters street by street, looking for various possible ancient traces. Although it would be slow, it was safe enough."

He answered in great detail and showed an attitude that it was okay for Mr. Hanged Man to know more.

Audrey Justice listened with interest and raised her hand slightly.
"You have been in Afternoon Town for so long. What do you rely on for food? Is there any black-faced grass nearby?"

Alice didn't interrupt. She thought of the monster flesh and blood that the Silver City exploration team had eaten, and her expression became a little strange.

Facing Miss Justice's question, Sun Derrick answered seriously:
“We carry some black grass powder, but our main food source is the monsters we hunt.

“Most of them, as long as their extraordinary properties are extracted, their skins and fur are peeled off, and they are burned with flames, they can be eaten.

"However, they all have certain contamination and can cause mental problems. They cannot be consumed continuously and require sufficient intervals."

As expected... Alice frowned slightly.

Audrey Justice recalled the monsters in the dark depths that Little Sun had mentioned. She thought about the dark and gloomy horror style of the area where the City of Silver was located, and couldn't help but ask:
"Wouldn't that be gross?"

Actually, I wanted to ask this before, but they may not care about this because they will starve to death if they don’t eat...

Alice pursed her lips and suddenly remembered the strange appearance of the people from Moon City.

Is it because of eating monster flesh for a long time that it becomes like that...? That's right, black-faced grass doesn't seem to grow outside of Silver City...

Inspired by this question, Fors, the Magician, who was concentrating on listening to the conversation of other members, deliberately did not look at Emlyn, the Moon, and asked Derrick, the Sun, curiously:

"I remember you said that the monsters in the depths of darkness include vampires. They are covered in pus and are extremely ugly. So, after killing such vampires, will you use them as food?"

After hearing this question, Emlyn completely forgot to correct the other party that he was a vampire and not a vampire. His face turned green, and he inexplicably felt a sense of horror.

…So I am food?!
At this moment, he felt that being a god to the mouse was not such a big deal.

Derrick was silent for two seconds and said:
"Some monsters are indeed disgusting, very disgusting, like the vampires mentioned by Miss Magician, but we have no choice. We will eat anything that can be eaten."

His voice gradually deepened, as if he once again deeply felt the cursed tragedy that enveloped the entire City of Silver.

The palace that looked like a giant's residence fell silent again. Even Emlyn the Moon, who wanted to refute some of the words of Derrick the Sun, did not speak. He just curled his lips and retracted his arms.

I'll eat anything I can eat... Alice clenched her fists slightly, lowered her head, and stretched out one hand to hold the table.

She suddenly had the urge to do something.

…What can I do?

She looked around, and finally her sight fell on the "Hermit" Cattleya.

…By the way, Frank Lee!

Alice sat up straight and asked the Hermit Cattleya for confirmation:

"Ms. Hermit...it seems that you haven't paid for the blood of the mythical creature you requested?"

Cattleya's nerves tightened subconsciously, and she responded to this sentence nervously:

"Yes."

Alice's expression did not fluctuate much. She exhaled, raised the corners of her lips slightly, and said in a calm voice:
"I want to change my compensation."

"What?" Cattleya was slightly stunned and subconsciously became uneasy.

...Does Miss Destiny have any bad ideas again?

This was not just the thought of Cattleya, the Hermit. Audrey and the others could not help but look at Cattleya with a sympathetic look.

Pitiful……

In the strange atmosphere, Alice said in a calm voice with a little ups and downs:
“I want a… a crop.

“They may have different flavors and types, or they may have a single flavor… that’s not the most important thing.

"I need them to be able to grow in an environment without light... In addition, the land there is full of pollution, and crops cannot be grown normally. It is also full of various monsters..."

"Sun" Derrick turned his head sharply and looked at Alice.

After a moment of surprise, Audrey "Justice" and the others looked at Derrick "The Sun" with shocked eyes.

——They all heard that the place Alice mentioned was the "Land Forsaken by God"!
She was looking for a kind of food that could grow in the "God-forsaken Land" and be eaten for a long time. This was obviously not for herself, not to mention that she was coming back soon - angels had no need to eat at all, and Miss Destiny liked to eat, but it was purely a hobby.

Klein also realized this. He looked at Alice in the gray fog and for a moment he felt an unreal feeling that his child had grown up.

...Is this really something Alice could ask for?

He subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch his forehead to check if he had a fever, and then shook his head to listen for the sound of water. Fortunately, when his hand tried to leave the table, he finally remembered that he was still Mr. Fool.

…So is this really something Alice can ask for?

For a moment, Klein felt as if he was in a dream, and his whole body felt light and airy.

Miss Destiny... "Hermit" Cattleya also looked at Alice in a trance, and suddenly remembered the experience of introducing Frank Lee to Alice for the first time above the gray fog a long time ago.

——When she mentioned that Frank Lee’s biggest hobby was studying hybridization technology, Alice’s first reaction was that no one would go hungry.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought popped up in the mind of Cattleya, the Hermit—perhaps Miss Fate is not a bad person by nature?

...?
Is...is there such a possibility?
After her brain stopped working for nearly a minute, Cattleya, the Hermit, squeezed out a word from her throat:

"Ok."

The word was extremely stiff and the voice was dry, but it instantly awakened "Sun" Derrick. He stood up excitedly, saluted to Alice and said:

"Praise your mercy!"

Alice paused.

This was not the first time someone had praised her kindness - this trend seemed to have been started by the "Hermit" Cattleya.

However, that kind of praise seems to sound different from this one...

Alice tilted her head slightly, and before she could think of what to say, Audrey, the "Justice", stood up like a class representative and saluted Alice.

"Praise be to thy mercy."

She was the first one. After her, Emlyn the Moon, Alger the Hanged Man, and Fors the Magician stood up one after another. Even the World was not surprised. Alice heard their disordered and untidy voices:

"Praise be to thy mercy."

She still sat in her original position, blinking as she looked at the people who were saluting. A vague idea flashed through her mind.

This seems more fun than a prank...

She squeezed the hand under the table gently, and soon a new problem arose.

…Should I say anything?

Alice looked at the Tarot Club members who were still saluting with a confused look on her face. After two seconds of contemplation, she turned to look at the head of the bronze table and asked for help:
“…Should I say something?”

Pfft...In the gray fog, Klein managed to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out of his throat, but he failed to suppress the curled corners of his lips. He simply chuckled reservedly after adjusting himself and said:

"Sit down."

Everyone in the Tarot Club sat down one after another.

It seems to be her again. I almost thought she was replaced. It turns out she is still so unreliable...

The surroundings seemed to have become quiet again. Klein, who had woken up from a dream in which Alice seemed to have grown up, controlled the "world" and spoke to break the silence:

“Let’s get back to the sea, there is something worth noting recently.

"The 'One-Eyed Skull' of 'Mad Captain' Connors Victor drifted to the dock after a storm. The mast was broken and there were traces of burning everywhere. All the crew members, including Connors Victor himself, had died. No one was spared."

"Using 'Mad Captain' as a title sounds as unreliable as 'Fool'..." Alice muttered softly, but above the gray fog, the volume was loud enough for everyone to hear.

...It seems that Miss Destiny is still Miss Destiny.

Audrey and the others looked away from Alice with mixed feelings, pretending not to have heard what she said. Alger glanced at Mr. Fool, who seemed to have heard nothing, and continued with The World without changing his expression:
"In Bayam, the Church of the Storm is actively investigating people and events related to 'Mad Captain' Connors Victor."

Klein ignored Alice's words and controlled the "world" to ask, "What clues does the Church of Storms have?"

"I don't know. I'll try to find out." Alger, the Hanged Man, shook his head calmly.

Audrey, who was curious and listening in, realized that things might not be that simple, so she asked tentatively:
"Mr. World, isn't this a common pirate infighting?"

Alice also blinked curiously.

After a moment's silence, the World responded with a slightly sarcastic tone:

"'Mad Captain' is related to the disappearance case of the colony population that Mr. 'Hanged Man' investigated before.

"The Witch Cult handed over the lured or plundered people to external forces such as 'Vice Admiral of Disease' Tracy, who transported them to the east coast of the northern continent and completed the last leg with the help of 'Mad Captain' Connors Victor. This pirate has close ties with many human traffickers and slave traders in Loen.

"Also, Backlund's biggest human trafficker, Kapin, has a protector of the 'Arbitrator' path.

"After adding up all these things, do you still think that the death of the 'Mad Captain' was a simple internal conflict among pirates?
"Haha, I've always wondered, what does the person behind the scenes want so many slaves for?"

"...Ritual requirements?" Alice asked hesitantly, "After all, slaves are also in line with the definition of 'consumables' in a sense..."

"Justice" Audrey and "The Hanged Man" Alger, who were still reacting, glanced at Alice subconsciously.

"...What ritual?" Although he knew Alice was just guessing, Klein still manipulated the "world" with full trust and asked.

"I don't know," Alice shook her head without any hesitation, "I was just saying it casually... It's just that large-scale human trafficking is too easy to make people think of cults... evil rituals or followers of evil gods..."

She paused, then added again: "I'm not talking about us."

The World silently withdrew its gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Alger replied solemnly:
"I will do my best to look into this matter."

"Hermit" Cattleya listened quietly, nodded and said:
“I will also collect relevant information.

"If you can provide more clues, maybe I can help." (End of this chapter)