Part 1 The Joker Chapter 38 The Amateur
Upon hearing Klein’s question, the pretty lady with long brown and yellow hair elegantly coiled up did not look impatient at all, and keeping a polite smile, said:
”Our members are free to help people with divination at the club and set their own prices, we only take a very low percentage of the fee, if you want to do divination, you can take a look at this atlas, which has descriptions and prices of members who are willing to do it for people.”
”However, today is a Monday afternoon, and the vast majority of our members are at work and busy, less than five of them have come over ……”
As she spoke, she invited Klein to take a seat on the sofa in the window seat of the reception hall, and then flipped through the atlas on the opposite side, pointing out the members who were currently at the club:
”Heinas Vansant, a famous soothsayer of Tingen and resident instructor at the club, specializes in all manner of divination and charges four Sools per visit.”
It’s expensive …… This could have cost me two hearty dinners with Benson and Melissa …… Klein staggered darkly and didn’t make a reply.
The lady with the brown hair saw this and continued to turn back the page, introducing each one:
”…… The last one, Grassis, a member who just joined the club this year, has mastered Tarot divination and charges 2p per visit.”
”Which one would you prefer, sir?”
Crane answered without the least bit of politeness:
”Mr. Grassis.”
”……” the pretty lady in charge of reception said after two seconds of silence, “Sir, I must warn you in advance that Mr. Grassis can only be considered a beginner.”
”Understood, I will be responsible for my decision.” Klein smiled and nodded.
”…… Then please follow me.” The pretty lady got up and guided Klein into the door next to the reception hall.
There was a not-too-long corridor there, at the end of which was the open conference room, which was full of sunlight and had tables and chairs with newspapers, magazines, cards and other things, from which the faint scent of coffee wafted out.
Two rooms away from the conference room, the pretty lady in charge of reception signaled for Klein to stop, and quickening her own pace, she stepped into the end and called out in a soft voice:
”Mr. Grassis, someone is looking for you for divination.”
”Me?” A voice full of surprise and confusion rang out instantly, accompanied by the movement of a chair being moved.
”Yes, which divination room would you like to use?” The pretty lady replied with little emotion.
”The citrine room, I like citrine.” Gracias appeared by the door of the chamber and looked curiously at Klein, who was waiting a short distance away.
He was a man in his thirties, with a darker complexion, dark green pupils, light yellow and soft hair, wearing a white shirt, black vest, and a pair of monocle glasses hanging on his chest.
The pretty lady in charge of reception did not say much, opened the “citrine” room next to the conference room.
Inside, the curtains were tightly closed and the light was dim, as if this was the only way to receive revelations from the gods and spirits, and obtain accurate divination results.
”Hello, I’m Gracias, I was not expecting you to pick me to do your divination at all.” Grassis saluted in a gentlemanly manner, quickly entering the room and sitting behind the long table, “Frankly speaking, I’m just trying to do divination for people, I don’t have a lot of experience yet, for the time being, I’m not a good diviner, you still have a chance to backtrack.”
Klein returned the salute and followed inside, closing the door to the room with his backhand.
He smiled regarding the light that penetrated the curtain and said:
”You are an honest gentleman, but I am a man who is very adamant about his choices.”
”Have a seat.” Gracieus pointed to the seat across from him and thought for a few seconds, “Divination is just a hobby of mine, heh, from time to time in one’s life, one receives guidance from the gods, whereas an ordinary person is unable to accurately decipher the Lord’s meanings, and that’s why divination exists, and that’s also the reason why I joined this club. I don’t have enough confidence in myself in this regard, so let’s consider the next divination as an exchange, free of charge, how about this proposal? The cost to the club, at my own expense, is only a quarter of a penny.”
Without saying yes or shaking his head, Klein turned and laughed:
”I can see that you have a good, decent job.”
As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly and made a fist of his right hand against his forehead, tapping it twice.
”But that doesn’t improve the accuracy of my divination.” Gracias replied humorously, musing, “You have a headache? Trying to divine about health?”
”A little, I wish to divine the whereabouts of an item.” Klein had already thought of what to say, and his body slowly leaned back.
To his eyes, Gracias’s body aura was clearly presented, the orange-red color of his lungs dull and thin, and affecting the rest of his brightness.
It was not a sign of exhaustion …… Klein nodded imperceptibly.
”Looking for lost items?” Gracias pondered for a few seconds, “Then let’s start with a simple determination.”
He pushed the neat stack of tarot cards on the black tabletop toward Klein:
”Calm yourself, mentally recall the item, and meditate on the question, ‘Is it still possible to find it’, while at the same time, shuffle and cut the cards.”
”Okay.” Klein didn’t actually remember what the ancient note looked like, and had to expand on the question that needed to be meditated on his own: could that Antigonus family note still be found?
Amidst the repetition, he skillfully finished shuffling and cutting the cards.
Gracias twisted one from the top and pushed it across to Klein:
”Turn it clockwise to vertical and flip it over, if it’s reversed, meaning the card is facing you upside down, it means that the item can’t be retrieved, if it’s positive, then we’ll continue with the divination later on to find out exactly where it is.”
Klein followed the cue and turned the horizontally placed card to vertical in good time.
He twisted the edge of this tarot card and turned it over.
It was a card with the pattern placed upside down and reversed.
”A pity.” Gracias sighed.
Klein didn’t respond, as his attention was focused on the tarot card in front of him.
The reversed card depicted the Fool in his ornate clothing and brilliant headdress!
The Fool again? It can’t be that coincidental. …… According to “The Inverted Man” and old Neil, divination is the result of communication between spirituality and the spirit world, with the higher “I”, and the tarot cards are just a convenient way to interpret the “symbolic revelation”. “Symbolic revelation” tool, theoretically, the use of any divination items do not matter, do not affect the results …… Klein slightly frowned, considered for a while:
”Can I divine if that item has been obtained by someone else?”
”It’s perfectly fine, in the same manner as just now, all over again.” Gracias nodded with interest.
Klein reshuffled and cut the cards, and meditated on the question.
Drawing the cards, placing them horizontally, and turning them clockwise to vertical, he finished his preparations with a serious expression.
Taking a breath, Klein reached out and turned over the tarot card.
Don’t let it be “The Fool” again. ……
In a prayerful mood, he suddenly relaxed as the card read “Star”, reversed!
”Looks like that item hasn’t been picked up by anyone else yet.” Gracias read with a smile.
Klein nodded and raised his right hand, tapping his brow twice thoughtfully before pulling out two pennies with a dark brass luster from his pants pocket and thrusting them at Gracias.
”I thought I said it was free?” Gracias said with a frown.
Klein smiled and got up:
”It’s a sign of respect for divination.”
”Well, thank you for your generosity.” Gracies stood up and reached out.
Shaking hands, Klein took two steps back, turned his body, walked toward the door, and twisted the knob.
About to go out, he suddenly turned back and said with a “hmmm”:
”Mr. Grassis, I suggest you see a doctor as soon as possible, mainly for lung problems.”
”Why?” Grassis asked back, stunned.
Is this being dissatisfied with the results of the divination and cursing me?
Klein thought for a moment:
”It’s a symptom from the face, you, well, you have a darkened brow.”
”Darkening of the brow ……,” it was the first time Grassis heard a similar description.
Without further explanation, Klein smiled and walked out of the room, closing the wooden door behind him.
”Is he an unlicensed doctor, or a country medicine man?” Gracias shook his head in amusement, picking up the silver mirror for divination in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that his brow was indeed darkened.
It was a matter of circumstance, though; in the dull light that penetrated the curtains, he was not only blackened on his brow, but his entire face!
”A not-so-endearing joke.” Gracchus murmured.
Not too reassuringly, he divined his health and confirmed that nothing was wrong.
……
By the time he left the Divination Club, Klein already had one more plan for the future.
That was to save up money as soon as possible, pay the annual fee, become a member of the club, and thus begin to play the so-called “soothsayer”.
The reason why he didn’t start his own business was because he didn’t have the resources or the channels to do so, and he couldn’t possibly go to the street to become a vendor, after all, he was at least a decent person, and he wanted to look good.
After a few minutes, he waited for the public carriage, cost 2 pence, arrived at the not too far Zotland Street.
Pushing open the door of Blackthorn Security, he didn’t see the familiar brunette, only Leonard Mitchell, a poet with dark hair and green pupils, sitting behind the reception desk.
”Good afternoon, where’s Roxanne?” Klein asked after taking off his hat and saluting.
Leonard smiled and pointed to the partition door:
”She’s rotating through the armory tonight.”
Without waiting for Klein to ask again, Leonard said as if he was thinking about something:
”Klein, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
”What is it.” Klein looked puzzled.
Leonard stood up and smiled in a soothing tone:
”Why did Welch and Naya kill themselves on the spot, while you returned home?”
”It should be that the unknown being wanted me to take the notes of the Antigonus family and hide them.” Klein said the accepted speculation.
Leonard paced a few steps and suddenly turned to look Klein straight in the eyes:
”If you were told to kill yourselves in order to silence and erase the clues, then why didn’t they just tell you to destroy the notes on the spot?”