Part 1 The Joker Chapter 35 Exchange of News
Rossel Gustav’s secret diary?
Rossel the Great?
As expected, only this kind of thing deserves the attention of a powerful person of Mr. Fool’s level……. Audrey was stunned at first, but then she realized that she was not surprised at all.
It was said that Emperor Rosier had once read the “Blasphemous Tablet”, and it was rumored that the secret cardboard he created contained twenty-two pathways of the gods, which was something that every high-ranking powerhouse would surely care about!
”A diary? That’s a diary?” Alger frowned slightly, keenly aware of a detail.
Mr. “Fool” called Rossel Gustav’s legacy a diary in a positive tone!
How did he know?
How did he confirm it?
Had he mastered the interpretation of “Rossel’s Secret Text”?
Facing the question of the “Hanged Man”, Klein, who had achieved the desired effect, leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands together, and answered in a relaxed tone:
”We’ll consider it a diary for now.”
He neither denied nor affirmed.
”It is said that Rossel the Great’s, uh, diary, was written in a secret script or symbol of his own invention?” Audrey, who had heard other noble children mention this, but had never actually seen it, was momentarily quite curious and vocalized her inquiry.
”Right.” Alger replied simply, “Some believe it to be a unique set of occult symbols, others believe it to be a form of hieroglyphics, but to this day, there is still no one who has found the correct way to decipher it, at least as far as I know.”
As he spoke, he looked sideways at Klein, as if seeking some sort of affirmation, and as if suspecting something.
That is a script that has been diffused for several generations, long gone from its original hieroglyphic form, how can it be deciphered according to your way of thinking …… Klein, in a calm mood, snorted darkly.
As for the argument of treating it as an occult symbol, it made him instantly think of some absurd and funny scenes:
An evil mage in black robes with a hood, pulling up his sleeves to reveal the symbols with occult power tattooed on his arm, supposedly from the legacy of Rossel the Great, which were two cyan-colored, large, simplified characters:
”Tease!”
The corners of Klein’s mouth slowly turned upward, his mood getting better and better.
After listening to the description of the “inverted hangman”, Audrey said with difficulty:
”Symbols or words we can’t read …… So how do we relay them to you here, Mr. Fool? Or rather, send it somewhere?”
That’s an important question …… I don’t have channels that can receive things covertly right now …… Crane didn’t rush to answer, and on his crossed hands, his thumbs parted and touched, touched and parted.
Soon he found a thought:
Since I can create a shrine and tables and chairs here based on my own thoughts, is it possible for someone else to directly topographize what is presented within their mind?
Give it a try ……
At that moment, Audrey and Alger saw Mr. “Fool”, who was covered in a thick gray fog, slowly sit up straight:
”Ms. ‘Justice’, let’s make an attempt, you imagine a text and give the urgency to write it out, well, you pick up the pen next to you and write on the paper.”
Before Klein could say anything, Audrey saw an additional piece of tawny parchment and a dark red fountain pen in front of her.
Puzzled and curious, she picked up the pen and, as instructed, visualized within her mind a line of poetry once written by Rossel the Great:
”If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” (Note 1)
She finished scrutinizing the words, picked up the pen, and gave the idea of rendering them all.
Klein senses this “emotion” and uses the pen as a medium to guide her.
Audrey had just dropped the pen when she saw an additional line of words on the parchment:
”If winter is here, can spring be far behind?”
”Goddess, this is amazing!” Audrey uttered in surprise, filled with emotion.
Then, she looked at Klein with some fear:
”Mr. Fool, you can read the thoughts in my heart?”
”No, I’m just a guide that simplifies the process of writing out your words, turning it into a topography that will not present any traces if you personally don’t want to not want to ‘express’ it.” Klein offered reassurance in a low voice.
”So …… then we just need to memorize what those symbols or secret texts look like, and we can just render them according to our wishes?” Audrey asked in a daze of relief.
”Yes.” Klein replied briefly.
”That’s a really good way to do it, Miss ‘Justice’, don’t doubt your memory, you’ll gain a great deal in that area when you become a ‘spectator’.” Having watched the attempt just now from the sidelines, Alger only realized that the “Fool” was even more mysterious and powerful than he had imagined.
As for his own memories, he believed that he would be able to gain enough growth with the next promotions.
In response, Audrey nodded in delight and said:
”That’s a delightful reminder, Mr. Inverted Hangman, what else have you taught me about the ‘audience’?”
With that, she turns her head to look upward:
”Mr. Fool, I will endeavor to complete your mission and gather as much of Rossel the Great’s secret diary as I can.”
”As I said, I’m a person who likes to exchange for equal value, the payment I just paid in advance is only equivalent to two pages of the diary per person, if there is any extra, I will give it again additionally.” Klein said calmly in a tone that did not take advantage of children.
As for where the extra payment would come from, of course it would be the new Rossel the Great secret diary, which would form a good cycle.
”You are truly a generous gentleman.” Alger was silent for a few seconds, rubbing his hand against his chest and bowing slightly.
After the salute, he turned to “Justice”:
”Let me emphasize again, an audience is always just an audience.”
”I know that many audience members like to pretend that they are the main character or some other character, and thus become very emotionally invested to the point of crying with the drama, laughing with the drama, angry with the drama, and sad with the drama, but this is not what you, the ‘audience member,’ should be doing. ”
”In the face of a ‘drama’ in a secular society, in the face of that one character who consciously or unconsciously plays a certain role, you must maintain an attitude of absolute spectatorship; only then can you examine them calmly and objectively, discover their habitual gestures, perceive their lying mouth-fetishes , smell their nervousness, and grasp what they are really thinking from all sorts of subtle clues.”
”Believe me, everyone naturally secretes different ‘things’ and gives off different smells depending on their emotions, but only the true ‘viewer’, can sniff it out.”
”Once you are emotionally invested, your observations are affected, and your sense of other people’s emotions is skewed.”
Audrey listened intently, her eyes growing brighter:
”That sounds very, very, very interesting!”
Klein, on the other hand, at the top, listened with a twitch in his heart:
The requirements of the “Audience” magic potion seemed to be summarized as “being an absolutely neutral audience”.
That’s the equivalent of playing a role of sorts. ……
Play?
Is this what Rossel the Great meant by “play”?
Then I need to play the role of a “soothsayer”, so that I can digest the magic potion little by little?
Just as Klein was lost in thought, Alger finished explaining what he knew about the requirements of the “audience” and pondered for a moment:
”There doesn’t seem to be anything else?”
”Maybe we can just chat about what’s going on around us. Maybe news that’s commonplace to you will be a very important clue to someone else.”
”Could be.” Klein nodded slightly as he looked back.
He was already going to try and play the part of a ‘soothsayer’, and it didn’t seem like it would be a bad influence anyway.
”Starting with you, Mr. Inverted Hangman, then?” Audrey agreed with considerable interest.
Alger thought for a moment:
”The great pirate who calls himself ‘Admiral Ludwell’ has begun another voyage to explore the eastern end of the Sunia Sea.”
”Um, the owner of the ‘Black Tulip’?” Audrey asked rhetorically with deliberation.
”Yes.” Alger replied with a nod.
I don’t even know who it is …… Klein listened in on the sidelines without making a sound, mentally contemplating what news he should say, news that wouldn’t expose himself but would also gain intelligence feedback.
Soon he came to a decision, maintaining the image of the “Fool” as he rubbed his fingers over the edge of the bronze table and said:
”It is my understanding that the Order of the Secret Doctrine has lost one of the notes of House Antigonus.”
This information was not held only by the Nightwatchmen of Tingen City, but by the Order of the Secret Doctors, and their closely-connected Extraordinary Ones as well.
”Notes from House Antigonus?” Alger repeated, shaking his head with a low smile, “I’m really curious about the reaction of the Church of the Goddess of the Night when it learns of this news.”
Why only the Church of the Goddess of the Night? Klein was keenly aware of the problem, but it was hard to speak up.
It would destroy the mysterious and profound image of the Fool.
At this time, Audrey spoke up in doubt:
”Why are you curious about this? Will the goddess’ church have any special reaction?”
Alger smiled and said:
”The Antigonus family was precisely overthrown by the Church of the Goddess of Darkness.”
”Whether it was specifically at the end of the Fourth Era or the beginning of the current Era, I’m not too sure.”
This …… Klein’s eyes shrunk, and a coldness suddenly surged within his body:
”So it seems that the Night Watchers value that Antigonus Family Notebook far more than I thought!”
”The reason why they proposed that I become an Extraordinary, ‘having some merit’ and ‘preventing danger’ should only be a small part of the reason, what they want is for me to improve my inspiration, which will help find the notes. ”
”That’s something that the captain didn’t make a secret of, there was a mention of it, but I didn’t care about it at the time ……”
After listening to the “inverted hangman’s” explanation, Audrey spoke with great interest:
”really did not think there is such a thing ……”
”Well, it’s my turn to think about what to say.”
She inclined her head slightly, holding her forehead with her hand, and spoke with a light smile:
”Yesterday, my etiquette teacher was teaching me how to swoon, how to swoon gracefully and unobtrusively, it’s a practical technique to escape from some embarrassing situations and hateful guys in social occasions …… Oh, I was organizing my language just now, and what I really want to say is that, ever since the loss of the war on the east coast of Byron, the The King, the Prime Minister, and all the gentlemen, have felt great pressure and have an urgent desire for change.”
Footnote 1: Shelley, Ode to the West Wind