"Eat up," the bearded young man said with a smile as he placed the strip of meat on the ground.
To his surprise, the orange cat merely curled its lips in disdain before turning and running back to Jane's side.
The bearded young man's hand, which had been reaching out to pet the cat, froze mid-air. He awkwardly retracted it, picked up the meat from the ground, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
After doing this, he glanced at the lady the cat had scampered back to and silently muttered, "So it has an owner... No wonder it wouldn't eat food from strangers.
"But that lady seems familiar..."
Although she was wearing a veil, the bearded young man felt he had seen her somewhere before and decided to perform a divination when he had the time.
Meanwhile, after walking past the street, Jane turned her head and asked, "Why did you suddenly run over to that stranger?"
The lion, Leon, shook his head and replied, "He was wearing gloves that used to belong to Roselle. I just wanted to sniff and see if he had any connection to Roselle..."
"And?" Jane asked curiously, committing the bearded man's appearance to memory.
Someone wearing Roselle's gloves definitely wasn't an ordinary person.
"I don't know... I couldn't sniff out his fate... He might already be involved in something extraordinary, connected to some big figure," the lion said with a human-like expression of seriousness.
"So that's why you didn't eat the meat he offered? Afraid of getting involved?" Jane asked thoughtfully.
"Not really... He didn't wash his hands, and he threw the meat on the ground... How unsanitary!" Leon said with disdain.
"I didn't expect you to be such a cleanly lion..." Jane was speechless for a moment before finally squeezing out those words.
"Of course! Haven't you seen my 'den'? Back in Lenburg and Trier, I had over a dozen maids cleaning and tidying up for me..."
The lion started off proudly, but his voice gradually softened, and his mood turned somber.
"But I still don't want to see Isabella... When Roselle left me there, she just stood by and allowed it..."
...
Feysac Empire, Port Endor.
In the evening, after having dinner with Lady Closfia, Ebner bid farewell and walked back to the hot spring inn in the mountains outside the city.
Since his recent actions as "Doctor Strange" had drawn too much attention, even catching the notice of demigods, he didn't dare to fly directly through the city using his "cloak" as he had done the previous week.
However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the inn, he saw two beautiful ladies walking out. One was in her twenties, with a slightly cold demeanor, giving Ebner a vibe similar to Jane's. The other was a young girl with strikingly fiery red hair.
Both of their faces were flushed from the hot springs, and they were chatting and laughing as they stepped out of the inn.
Fortunately, Ebner had been simulating three layers of invisibility effects, so he wasn't detected. He quickly moved aside to avoid colliding with them on the narrow mountain path.
However, as the red-haired girl passed by him, she suddenly stopped talking and glanced strangely in Ebner's direction. She then frowned, as if something odd had occurred.
Her companion immediately grew alert and asked in a low voice, "Nasali, what's wrong?"
Nasali seemed not to hear her. She stood still for a minute before finally shaking her head and saying softly, "It's nothing... I must have been mistaken."
With that, she resumed her gentle smile and continued chatting with her companion about some interesting anecdotes from Port Endor.
Watching their retreating figures, Ebner, who was under the triple effects of "Psychological Invisibility," "Witch's Invisibility," and "Shadow Concealment," frowned.
To be honest, he had been ready to take action, as his intuition told him that the red-haired girl had definitely noticed him, or at least vaguely sensed something.
"She didn't expose me directly, probably because she sensed danger... Even if she and the other lady are Beyonders, their sequences can't be too high...
"But my triple invisibility effects can't even be easily detected by the demigod from the Church of the God of Combat who was chasing 'Doctor Strange'... How did a mid-to-low sequence Beyonder like her sense me?
"Hmm... Red hair... A direct descendant of the Einhorn family? So she has a mystical item good at detection?
"But her aura seems familiar... Where have I seen it before?"
Thinking this, Ebner "extracted" the auras of the two ladies and opened his "Pure White Eye" to analyze them. Soon, a familiar scene from a Beyonder gathering reappeared before his eyes:
A red-haired lady wearing a mask bought the "Fruit of the Elder Tree" for 750 gold pounds.
"This is... Mr. Gaston's trading meeting at the 'Sword and Flame Tavern'... It was also the gathering where I first met Miss Gwen. I remember Gwen and Xio had a fight afterward, and the later-famous 'Lady Dragon's Might' was completely defeated that time...
"So the red-haired girl from earlier was the lady who bought the 'Fruit of the Elder Tree' at that gathering... I remember she was from the 'Twilight Admiral's' ship... But judging by her attire and demeanor just now, she didn't seem like a pirate...
"Moreover, based on her purchase of the 'Fruit of the Elder Tree,' she must be a Beyonder on the 'Spectator' pathway? A member of the Psychology Alchemy Association?
"Hmm... I can't jump to conclusions just yet.
"But regardless, I can't stay at this hot spring inn any longer. I need to leave immediately!"
Once he made up his mind, Ebner quickly entered the inn's underground wine cellar, dismantled the "Teleportation Altar" he had set up there, and erased all traces of his presence. Then, with the help of his "cloak," he flew away from the hot spring mountain and arrived at a hidden cave on a nearby peak.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Over the past few days, Ebner had set up several temporary hideouts, each equipped with an incomplete altar that could be quickly completed and put to use.
After working until nearly midnight, a "door" formed by sparks appeared out of thin air, and Ebner finally returned to the "Fragrant Estate" in Bayam.
...
Backlund, Bridge Area, Iron Gate Street.
In a dark game room at the Brave Bar, Jane and Sharon, the two "ghostly ladies," met once again.
"You still need Roselle's manuscripts?" Jane was somewhat surprised by Sharon's request, and the reward offered was quite tempting...
But unfortunately, the "Mystic Queen" was not currently in Backlund, and Jane had no way to obtain Roselle's manuscripts. Just as she was about to refuse, she felt a tug on her pants and heard a voice that only she could hear: "I have them!"
Having traveled together for so long, Jane was very familiar with this voice—it was none other than the lion, Leon.
So she pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding and saying, "I need some time to prepare. I'll have them for you tomorrow morning."
"Fine," Sharon, wearing a small black hat and a matching court dress, replied succinctly. Then, in her usual calm tone, she asked, "How many pages?"
How would I know? Just as Jane was feeling troubled, she felt the lion tap her leg twice. With newfound confidence, she answered, "Two pages."
Sharon's blue eyes remained unmoving as she stated simply, "Two pages aren't enough to exchange for that item."
"I can add a 'Wraith' Beyonder characteristic."
This characteristic came from the "Rose School of Thought" chieftain who had been "euthanized" by Brunna. Later, the hospitable former princess of the Balam Empire gifted it to Jane as a welcome present.
"Deal," Sharon replied without changing her expression.
After the transaction was completed and Sharon left the game room through a mirror, Jane turned to the lion lying under the table and asked, "Do you really have two pages of Roselle's manuscripts?"
"When I tapped you twice, I meant... I remember 20 pages!" Leon the lion glanced at her and said.
"What?!"
...
Monday afternoon, 3:00 sharp.
Streaks of crimson light rose on either side of the bronze long table, appearing in Ebner's vision as soon as his sight returned.
"Justice" Audrey was still in a very "cheerful" mood. She stood up and led the members of the Tarot Club in bowing to the figure shrouded in gray fog:
"Good afternoon, 'The Fool'~"
Klein smiled and nodded, acknowledging the greetings from the always delightful young lady and the other members of the Tarot Club.
Before "Justice" could begin her usual observation of the other members, "Temperance" was the first to rise, curtsy, and then address the "The Fool" at the head of the table in an ethereal voice: "Two pages of Roselle's diary... to be counted as 'The World's' contribution."
Miss Temperance, you could have given these to me privately before the meeting... Just as Klein was about to say something, he heard "The Tower" speak up with a hint of amusement in his voice:
"'The Fool,' I've also collected two pages of the diary... Well, count them toward 'The Judgment's' debt."
(End of Chapter)