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While Lin Ruo was contemplating how to use his Beyonder abilities to stir up trouble, Klein had arrived above the gray fog.
As in the original story, Klein met Audrey and Alger above the gray fog and decided within seconds to disguise himself as a big shot in the mystical realm to maximize his advantage.
He successfully fooled Audrey and Alger, established his title as "The Fool," witnessed their transaction regarding the Spectator potion formula, and, at their suggestion, founded the Tarot Club.
Audrey and Alger also chose Justice and Hanged Man as their respective code names.
Afterward, they discussed topics related to Tarot cards and Blasphemy cards, but because Klein's spirituality was depleted and his head ached, the discussion ended shortly after Klein announced the meeting's conclusion.
After they left, in almost less than a second, Klein, feeling himself sinking, saw the brilliant golden sunlight again.
He was still standing in that apartment, right in the center.
And in the reflection of the full-length mirror not far away, a young man with black hair and black eyes was standing not far from him, quietly watching him.
"You seem to have failed," Klein heard the young man say, which made him smile wryly.
Thinking about the dreamlike events above the gray fog, Klein was both full of doubts and instinctively had a desire to confide, but he opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
He simply dragged his leaden legs to the chair by the table and sat down, seemingly organizing his words, and after a few seconds, he said, "After performing the ritual, I entered a mysterious place, where I met a mysterious being who called himself The Fool."
As he said this, Klein's eyes almost subconsciously avoided Lin Ruo's reflection in the mirror.
He didn't plan to tell the other party about his impersonation of The Fool after entering the gray fog.
That was too mysterious, and he and Lin Ruo had only just met.
Although Lin Ruo hadn't shown any malice so far, the naturally cautious Klein, after thinking for a few seconds, decided to hide this matter and keep it as his own secret.
After all, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one must have the heart to guard against others. No adult with a normal mind would reveal all their secrets the first time they meet someone.
"If he finds out about it later, I'll just apologize to him," Klein muttered in his heart.
Hearing this, Lin Ruo wasn't surprised. After all, he knew Klein well. The other party wasn't the kind of naive person who would sell themselves completely the first time they met.
Understanding the other party's caution at this moment, Lin Ruo only showed a stunned expression, acting the part, and said, "The Fool?"
"Yes, that's what he called himself," Klein nodded. Perhaps because the first lie had already been told, this time his answer was much smoother, "And he also convened a regular gathering called the Tarot Club, involving the extraordinary realm. I joined it."
Regarding the regular gathering, Klein didn't plan to hide it.
After all, he and Lin Ruo didn't know how long they would be together, and during this time, the Tarot Club would definitely be held, so rather than hiding it, he might as well simply disguise himself as an ordinary participant, like Justice Audrey and Hanged Man Alger.
Then he saw a slight look of worry on Lin Ruo's face.
"You joined?" Lin Ruo said, his worried expression making it impossible to tell it was feigned, "That's very dangerous. The extraordinary realm of this world isn't that safe. And the one you met even called himself The Fool…"
Klein suddenly felt a little guilty, but couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is there something wrong with the title The Fool?"
He just randomly chose it according to the Tarot card he drew.
"I don't know how to explain it to you. Do you know about potions, about pathways?" Lin Ruo's expression was slightly tangled, but his mind was already thinking about which information to reveal to Klein in advance.
It can't involve the Great Old Ones… but simply involving the knowledge of Sequence 0 shouldn't be a problem.
"I've heard some, but I don't know much. If humans want to become Beyonders, it seems they can only rely on taking potions?" Klein recalled what Alger had said and answered.
"That's all you know?" Lin Ruo deliberately showed a helpless expression, then said, "That's right, you've only just transmigrated after all."
"Listen carefully, Klein," Lin Ruo explained, having already prepared his speech in his mind, "Currently, the potion system that exists in this world has a total of 22 pathways, each pathway from Sequence 9 to Sequence 0, from low to high, from weak to strong, Sequence 9 being the beginning of each pathway, and Sequence 0 being the end of each pathway."
He paused here before saying with a slightly complicated expression, "However, very few people know about the existence of Sequence 0. In the perception of most Beyonders, the beginning of the potion sequence is Sequence 9, and the end is Sequence 1."
"Huh? Why is that?" Although he felt a headache, Klein still forced himself to perk up, listening to the potion knowledge that Lin Ruo was introducing.
"Because becoming Sequence 0 means… becoming a god!" Lin Ruo deliberately slowed down his tone when he said this, his expression solemn and serious.
Klein's heart jolted, and he instantly understood why.
If the end of the potion was to become a god, then the existing seven major churches would naturally not allow this news to spread widely.
Just as Klein had once heard a saying, if a god bleeds, they are no longer a god.
If all Beyonders knew that Sequence 0 was also grown from humans taking potions, then naturally there would be a lack of piety towards the gods, and even a small number of people would have the idea of replacing them.
Of course, considering the absolute strength of the gods and major churches, this might not cause any major turmoil, but it would ultimately cause some not-so-good effects.
— Here, Klein's thoughts actually had some assumptions based on his modern thinking. After all, as someone who grew up under the red flag, Klein could be called a non-believer. The first thought that came to mind regarding the potion pathway being able to help people become gods was something similar to replacing them.
In reality, even if this news really spread, with people's long-standing awe and faith in the gods in this world, it wouldn't cause too serious consequences.
After all, mortals and low-sequence Beyonders are too far from the gods, and in fact, many high-sequence Beyonders know the secret of Sequence 0.
While understanding why the existence of Sequence 0 was known by so few people, Klein wasn't that surprised by the existence of Sequence 0 itself.
After all, as someone who grew up reading web novels, Klein wasn't unfamiliar with the setting of becoming a god from a mortal through certain things.
What he cared more about was the meaning represented by Lin Ruo knowing this matter itself—being able to know secrets that most Beyonders didn't know meant that Lin Ruo wasn't unfamiliar with the extraordinary realm, and might even possess many secrets.
After thinking for a while, Klein couldn't help but ask, "So what's the problem with the title The Fool after all?"
Then he saw Lin Ruo look at him, and the other party's voice sounded in the next moment:
"Among the 22 pathways, the name of the Sequence 0 of one pathway is—"
"The Fool!"
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