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Once for a work trip, Zhou Mingrui had to travel to England to provide assistance and company to his boss, who was meant to discuss the opportunity of a collaboration with a production company based in Ukraine.
It hadn’t been a very important experience at the time; it wasn’t the first time he traveled for his work (albeit such experiences were rare), nor was it the last, and not knowing that much English (or Ukrainian), he couldn’t interact with the opposing side of the agreement even during his free time.
Since foreign countries weren’t as accessible to the Chinese as China was to them—anyone who visited would know how much English was present in the big cities—he had trouble doing much of anything and probably ended up losing money with the amount of mobile data he had to use to properly communicate. Once he got back, he only felt relief after confirming twice that he could write it off as a company expense.
Old Neil’s shameless actions towards the church always reminded himself at that time, and perhaps his predisposition for being a penny-pincher led into his later seeking compensation every time he possibly could. Of course, once he went off on his own, he lost that opportunity and had to bear the brunt of his own costs.
Sigh, I’m jealous of official Beyonders and followers of evil gods…
Maybe his complaints counted as a prayer.
Maybe his depression came off as faith.
Regardless, something happened that definitely shouldn’t have, and he met a ghost of the past.
That’s right, the fourth transmigrator—rather, someone who didn’t transmigrate at all, and instead managed to crawl His way into the new world through an unfortunate (perhaps it was opportune?) incident.
“Mysteries.”
Hearing that nickname made him drop his fork in freight. A very average blond man sat down across from him, then suddenly started looking more and more handsome, as if a delusion had started plaguing Klein.
No, that name was something only one person called him. Furthermore, that one person absolutely made him start losing his mind with his Beyonder powers.
“What are you doing here?” The Fool calmly replied, forcibly suppressing his expression from becoming too dark with his powers as a Clown.
Unfortunately, it didn’t trick the European fellow, whose congenial smile grew wider as He chuckled slightly. “Did I surprise you? I’m sorry. I had a matter to discuss.”
A matter to personally seek him out with, while he was eating a meal…? Understanding this god’s style, Klein’s face grew graver and he pushed his food to the side. Seeing it, He chuckled.
“What are you doing that for, Mysteries? I’ve come to you with something more like gossip than a world-ending pice of news to share.”
Just when Klein was about to breathe a sign of relief, He opened His mouth again.
“Depending on how this conversation goes, it may end the world.”
The poor Seer felt like crying, letting his heart be dragged to and fro by the Ancient Sun God’s remnant godhood.
“What is it,” he flatly asked, being reminded of their cordial and informative conversation while he was stabbed in the chest by a stake.
“I’ve stumbled upon a matter which significantly increases humanity, which originates from and hinges on you,” Adam explained with a gentle tone of voice. “It’s in my nature as someone of this status to not experience the range of regular ‘human’ emotions. But there is one I realize I can feel, for a friend on the same level as me.”
The Chinese man’s face almost twitched being called a friend by someone who had tried to unilaterally erase his ability to become the Lord of the Mysteries.
“I’d like to confess something to you,” the blond continued. “We met before the beginning of the epochs… Zhou Mingrui.”
For a second, all Klein heard was static. Then his expression turned suspicious, then cold, like a bucket of ice water was dumped on his head, and finally, curious. “Where?” he asked, genuinely very curious as to where they met.
“A business trip the two of us went on. As a senior researcher, I was part of the team they deployed. You were assisting your superior at the time. Do you remember, Mingrui?”
His first name was spoken with a sweet and casual tone, but he didn’t spare that a second thought (Adam smiled, like this, too was part of His manipulation) as his mind raced to place the slight stubble, blue eyes, and straw-colored hair of the Ancient Sun God in the past.
Ah! It was that guy, the one who looked at him a few times, but never interacted with him during the meeting! What the hell?!
Klein wanted to scream at this mundane pre-epoch connection between the two. So He recognized my face, the only face in this world He saw as a human, and it ignited some of his underlaying humanity?! Is that it!! Dogsh*t!
A Chinese curse word almost slipped through Klein’s lips, but he shoved it back from whence it came. Amon speaking in Chinese still haunted him, and furthermore, the two were still in public (not that that was a genuine concern for The Fool or the Visionary).
F*ck… I’m f*cked… Why did I have to draw the attention of Him out of everyone… The only person who can face me… Praise the Lady, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Mi…
The genial man smiled wider, and Klein dumbly wondered what he had been thinking about.
After a short lapse in conversation, Adam gave a genial smile and started to explain, as if He was talking to a child. “I’m using ‘confession’ as a zeugma, Mingrui. I’m confessing we’ve met before, and I’m confessing to you. To maintain my humanity, I am asking you to consider me as a romantic candidate. I’m willing to put in the effort to win over your heart. I have fallen for you.”
His first and second instinctive responses: Zeugma? And, Could it be the suspension bridge effect?
“I assure you, I have thoroughly thought this through,” He pressed, then, “…I will pursue you in the form of my original body rather than this one. Please.”
Adam lowered His head like a shy schoolgirl.
“Don’t do that,” Klein blurted out, finding the dissonance between His appearance and His actions too much to bear.
A consistent and forceful pressure suddenly manifested in his mind, urging him to accept the offer. Clearly, Adam was cuing him to accept.
I refuse to be compelled to answer, Klein thought stubbornly. It wasn’t so easy to resist His influence; but Klein, who had been resourceful his entire life, came up with a plan. He used his domain over ‘fooling’ to temporarily erase his own ration, overwriting Adam’s mental cue (you couldn’t influence the behavior of something that was so dumb it lacked behavior!) and answered on total and complete instinct.
“Okay,” Klein said.
The world was silent. Every intelligent being felt aimless, confused, and frightened for five seconds. Then, for three seconds, they were full of elation. Finally, one idea permeated all their minds at once: God Almighty was exerting His influence once more.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool,” a young, beautiful woman greeted, a genuine smile gracing her face.
Klein, at the head of the table, sighed internally. How come the difference between Audrey and Adam was like the sun and the moon? They were both Spectators, weren’t they? But Audrey seemed much more like a kind and caring Psychologist, while Adam… well, he exemplified an Author.
Before anyone spoke to enter the trading section, he tapped his hand against the long table. Though the noise was barely audible, his sovereignty over the space was absolute; every member of Tarot Club instantly snapped their mouths shut and turned in his direction with utmost respect.
“An important event has occurred in the world,” The Fool thundered. “I’m sure you all have felt it—His awakening.”
After pausing for a few moments to let them comprehend their shock, Klein continued. “An old friend of mine has completely opened his eyes for the first time in thousands of years. The Sun…”
Derrick, hearing his voice, straightened with part anxiety and part excitement.
“…your first god has returned.”
The Sun’s first god could only be The Creator of All Things, the Ancient Sun God. Had He returned? Had He not perished at the hands of the Rose Redemption? How, why now, and not years before when they were praying for His protection…?
Undetectable to the Tarot Club but clear as day to Klein, the space in Sefirah Castle stirred.
Oh, great. I summoned Him.
“Did you call me an old ‘friend’, Mysteries?”
All heads turned at the new voice, eventually finding a tall figure with black hair (gold at the roots) and donning a toga-like thing, covering the most of His pale skin, behind Mr. Fool, whose finger twitched.
An intruder?! they all thought with alarm, failing to process His witty line in place of their shock and confusion. What being had the power to break into Mr. Fool’s divine kingdom…?!
“Is there a problem?” Klein coldly asked, a bit irritated He decided to interrupt his Tarot Club meeting.
The intruder chuckled lightheartedly as if Klein had made a hilarious joke. The sound of His voice made waves of paranoia and an odd sense of artificial reverence wash over them.
They watched with bated breath as the fellow walked closer to the Mr. Fool who didn’t even attempt to resist, leaning down towards his chair, closer, closer…
…Uh, closer? Even closer?…
…and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Huh.
Xio might’ve let out a shocked sound.
He finally raised His gemstone-like irises to address the rest of the crowd. “Your Mr. Fool has told a grave lie just now. He and the Ancient Sun God were not friends.”
“What were they?” Alger asked, then widening his eyes in fear. Clearly, it was He who had manipulated him into speaking.
Adam smiled and hugged The Fool.
“We are lovers. Please change his bible accordingly.”
That The Fool was (romantically!) involved with the Ancient Sun God came as more than a slight shock to the entire Tarot Club.
“But…-“ Derrick mumbled aimlessly. “Uh, so, the liberator is actually the creator’s, um…”
Same-sex relationship? Emlyn thought. No, they’re both gods! There’s no such thing as a concept of gender at that point…! But, but who’s the wife?
“I’m-“
Before Adam could finish his sentence “I’m the wife,” one of Klein’s tentacles quickly wrapped Him up and held Him aloft in the air of Sefirah Castle, an awkward distance away from the other members and closer to The Fool himself.
Everyone let out breaths of disbelief. It was one thing to hear it from Him, but it was another to see Mr. Fool being so loving (???)!
The worst part is, Klein lampooned, crying internally, that I can’t even say he’s wrong… After all, didn’t I stupidly agree to this? What’s wrong with me…
Though his expression was as aloof as ever from his elevated seat, The World across the table’s expression crumpled.
Leonard and Alger were the first to notice, both very attuned to his thoughts and emotions, then Cattleya, who sensed something off intuitively, then Fors, who was unable to stop her imagination from running wild at this announcement. They were, after all, curious to see how his Blessed would react to this information.
Adam, too, turned His head towards Gehrman Sparrow.
Klein was about to sigh and manipulate the spirit threads into giving a diplomatic response, but he realized with a start that he couldn’t access them anymore.
Ah. Wait. The last time his Marionettes came alive was when…
“Praise God!” Gehrman said, standing up and bowing down.
“Gehrman Sparrow,” Adam replied with a genial smile, “how have you been doing? I haven’t seen you or your lord for thousands of years, have I? They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but one short conversation—two, counting that one—isn’t enough to tide one over.”
Gehrman nodded stiffly, head pointed towards the floor, refusing to meet their eyes. “Yes. You are correct.”
He’s acting a bit weird, Leonard thought. Uh, is it possibly it’s another Blessed of Mr. Fool’s? Is this not Klein?
Adam’s eyes, for a moment, lingered on the fellow from the Evernight Church, the corners of His lips raising in an approving smile.
Contemplating asking about it, Leonard, who was also acting oddly due to His ministrations, inconceivably decided it was a good idea. “Um, Mr. World…”
Mr. World? Has he always been so formal to address Mr. World? Did he notice something? Audrey instantly picked up the abnormality as well, also casting her eyes towards the man she gave therapy. …Indeed, something seems off about him. Maybe it’s another Blessed of Mr. Fool’s… Unknowingly, she reached the same conclusion as Leonard.
“…Which identity are you currently?”
Gehrman Sparrow looked sharply at The Star, who winced at how fierce it was. “I am the hunter, Sparrow; however, I am not the casualty of Tingen, nor the detective of Backlund.”
So he’s not Klein… Does that answer imply ‘Sherlock Moriarty’ was a real person before Klein needed to take the identity to hide? Indeed, this way of switching personas fits the disciples of the Fool pathway… Hmm, so all of Klein’s identities were real people… How do they stay grounded…? Through worship to Mr. Fool?
Klein, who very much invented all of the personalities, felt a pang of guilty conscience at how contemplative his Tarot Club members all looked at the new information. He also felt a bit appreciative towards Adam for being so in sync with his desire to keep his secrets and supportive of his designed fake identities.
Adam was so pleased by this that He chuckled out loud. All eyes in the room turned to Him once more. “Ah, I apologize. I was overtaken by my affection for your lord and forgot I had company,” He lied (the lie was that He had forgotten there were others here; a Spectator was always aware of the presence of humanity).
The sound of His voice, despite how peaceful and happy it was, made everyone feel like they were on the verge of losing control again. They all felt in that moment that they had witnessed the epitome of the horrors of the Spectator pathway—that which could make others tear their eyes out with a puff of air.
Yes, those vibrations of His vocal cords were so powerful that everyone at the table felt dumbfounded for a second, like their eardrums had been punctured and torn to shreds. The Star fell into the backing of his chair.
Klein tapped the table again. “Control yourself,” he demanded, his voice so authoritative that all members in the castle sat up straighter again, heads still ringing. They had only heard him annoyed once or twice.
Adam, however, did not react like the lower-class Beyonders did. His smile only widened, and He laughed again. “Mr. Fool… Z#%^ €@ng/>i…”
The name He said was not of a discernible language to the others, and halfway through, the sound was distorted.
Cattleya, having come the closest to prying into Mr. Fool’s secrets, felt her blood run cold when she connected the dots.
That…! That was Mr. Fool’s true name…! There is no other possibility!
Her reaction was so strong that everyone else also turned to look at her, her pupils shaking.
We almost heard his true name… Then, the distortion… must’ve been because he realized it would hurt us to know… Praise the Fool!
They’re making weird assumptions again, Klein, who had just felt a bit bashful at the idea of his most genuine name being revealed to his Tarot Club, thought sheepishly.
Adam’s repeated mention of his personal matters could actually be considered a type of care. Though on the surface, it appeared sloppy and rude and as if He was trying to expose him, the casual mention of his true name (and expectation for him to censor it), the title of “Ancient Sun God’s lover,” being able to successfully command Him, and the autonomy of Gehrman Sparrow, who was created with the settings of being wildly loyal to Mr. Fool, were all things that would strengthen Klein’s reputation, and thereby, his humanity.
It was sort of like a return for Klein accepting His confession.
Adam felt an immense surge of satisfaction. I was right, Ruirui is special. Not anyone could make that connection.
Klein, none the wiser to his new chummy nickname, glanced again at Adam to make sure He was behaving before focusing once more on the fellows to his front.
“Z*$0 M$#•?ui, have you seen our son recently?” Adam suddenly asked. “Ever since you bullied him out of the that place which I was unable to return to after that incident, I haven’t seen him.”
Klein’s mind went blank. Huh? Our son? We have a son? Didn’t we just start going out? Aren’t we moving a bit too fast…? Son? What son?!
Similarly, Xio and Fors looked at each other with wide eyes and parted lips, the former in horror and the latter with a grin on her face (more story material…).
The World was the one who answered first. “He is everywhere. I saw Him while I donned the Dwayne Dantès disguise, a few times.”
So who’s their son…? everyone wondered.
Audrey finally connected the dots. “It… their son, isn’t it… Blasphemer Amon?”
There was a resounding lack of replies from all the others.
Alger frowned as he thought about it. That makes sense… Although isn’t Amon just His son, and not Mr. Fool’s son, since He was born of characteristics? Also, Mr. Fool hadn’t woken up yet as of then… No, there seems to be a genuine sense of love between them; therefore, it’s like a situation of having a step-father…? Based on His description, it seems like Mr. Fool was the one who last saw Amon… So he’s a good parent…! Better than Him!
Accepting her thinking, everyone taking different amounts of time to process, there started being conversation again.
“He’s been active in Trier as well,” Fors piped in.
Emlyn raised his hand as he spoke. “Uh, I’ve seen Him in Backlund too…”
“I see,” Adam sighed, like a genuine worried father. “So He’s been hiding from me. Dear Mr. Fool, if I may ask, what did you do to Him?”
Well, uh… I can’t say I committed some sort of spirit worm cannibalism then killed myself in front of my “son” before abandoning Him in that wasteland… “He lost the game we played together,” he said vaguely. “I took something from Him.”
It was the seat of Lord of the Mysteries…
“Ah, a childish tantrum,” Adam exclaimed.
No… not even close.
After the meeting ended, Derrick scrambled to revise the Bible, shocking everyone he knew with the revelation that their lord had not abandoned them but couldn’t contact them due to extraneous reasons, and, instead, His lover undertook the responsibility for Him. It was a heartwarming moment for those who came from the Forbidden Land of the Gods—knowing that God did not forsake them but simply couldn’t come back put many of the older generation at ease. Klein, still in Sefirah Castle with Adam by his side an hour later (they had been chatting about pre-epoch matters), felt a jolt as the faith towards him became more profound. As if having orchestrated everything, Adam’s eyes crinkled as His lips turned upwards, the yellow roots of His hair giving off a slight glow.
Many changes were occurring in the world, and yet here The World sat, feeling strangely excited for the upcoming days.