Part 1. The Joker Chapter 60: The Second Blasphemy Tablet.
”No problem.” Klein tried to keep his tone as low as possible.
He propped his left elbow on the arm of his high-backed chair, his fingers not quite so hard on his slightly tilted forehead, and assumed the appearance of a calm listener.
Alger weighed his words:
”Antigonus is an ancient family whose history can even be traced back to the Calamity Era before the Fourth Age, in connection with the second ‘Blasphemous Tablet’.”
The second “Blasphemous Tablet”? “There can be a second Blasphemy Tablet? How many pieces does it actually have? Klein’s eyes narrowed and he nearly changed his posture.
According to what the “Inverted Man” and “Justice” had said before, the “Blasphemy Tablet” had recorded twenty-two paths of the gods on it!
How could there be two or even more of such an important item?
Twenty-two Divine Pathways …… Sequential Pathways …… Uh, is it possible to equate these two terms? Is each complete Sequence Pathway the path to the Throne of God?
In an instant, Klein had one thought after another arising from the description of the “second ‘Blasphemous Tablet'”, and he believed that if it wasn’t for the thick grayish mist covering him, his own emotional reaction would probably have already been discovered by Ms. “Audience”. Ms. “Audience” had already noticed.
As for the term “Cataclysmic Era”, as a professional he was not unfamiliar with it, it was the pronoun of the Third Era.
After this period of review, Klein even knew that the Third Era was divided into two eras: the Age of Radiance and the Age of Catastrophe.
”The second ‘desecration tablet’?” Audrey did not hide her doubt.
She hadn’t calmed down enough to completely return to her “audience” state.
It was a good question! Klein secretly cheered for Ms. Justice.
It was a question that was not convenient to ask as a “Fool”.
Alger glanced at the Fool and saw that the other party’s posture hadn’t changed and he didn’t make a sound to stop him, so he thought for a moment and said:
”The first Blasphemy Tablet appeared in the Dark Era, that is, the Second Era when we humans struggled to survive under the protection of the gods, and the second Blasphemy Tablet appeared at the end of the Third Era, and it can even be said that its appearance marked the end of the Catastrophe Era. appearance marked the end of the Catastrophe Era.”
”The information of these two ‘Blasphemous Tablets’ is a strictly confidential content of the Seven Churches, and I only know a little bit about them, only that they both involve the Pathway of the Gods, and how they differ from each other, I’m not sure.”
”Was the blasphemous tablet that Roselle the Great looked at the first, or the second?” Audrey asked curiously.
Hearing this, Klein recalled Alger’s description of the names of the magical potions at the first gathering, where he said that the names of the sequence magical potions all came from the “Profane Tablet”!
”Similarly, the captain also mentioned that the formation and perfection of the magic potion system depended on the emergence of the ‘Blasphemous Tablet’ …… This indirectly proves that the Divine Pathway is the Sequential Pathway!” Klein gave a silent answer to his earlier query.
At this point, “Inverted Man” Alger said simply and directly:
”The second piece.”
Audrey’s eyes turned quiet, and she entered the “audience” state again, not asking any more questions, but only looking intently at the “Hanged Man”.
This look at Alger quite uncomfortable, he held back the emotions in his heart, voice low and slow to continue to say:
”During the period of the Solomon Dynasty in the Fourth Age, although the Antigonus family was also a prominent noble family, they did not leave impressive deeds, and it was not until they supported the establishment of the Tudor Empire that they truly stood in the center of the stage of the Northern Continent.”
”At that time, ancient names such as Antigonus, Amon, Abraham, and Jacob shone in the realm of mankind, but after the Battle of the Four Emperors, the Blood Emperor of the Tudor Empire fell, and they fell off the top, hunted down and slain by the present-day Seven Gods.”
”The exact process, I’m not sure, I only know that the Antigonus family was eventually destroyed at the hands of the Church of Darkness, Mr. Fool, I’m afraid that if you want to know more, you’ll have to get it from the Church of Darkness, or get in touch with those several ancient hidden organizations, you know which ones I’m referring to.”
I don’t know …… Klein nodded with bitterness in his heart:
”Uh-huh.”
The Secret Order counts as one, the Moss Ascetic Order that the Captain and Old Neil mentioned counts as one, and I don’t know if the Society of Psychological Alchemy counts ……
As he silently took stock, Alger gave the final piece of information:
”Which sequence pathway the Antigonus family has mastered, again, I don’t know, except that two adjectives recur in the relevant descriptions: bizarre and terrifying.”
Weird and scary …… Thinking about that notebook, thinking about what happened to the original owner and his classmates, and Riel Bieber’s mother, it is indeed more apt …… Klein tapped the edge of the long table with the fingertips of his other hand, several times in succession.
Then he spoke low and slow:
”Very well, I’m satisfied with this payment.”
The reason why he was now repeatedly tapping his fingers on the long table was to reinforce this action, so that “Justice” and “Inverted Man” would believe that he was in the habit of tapping on something as a means of concealing the opening and closing of his psychic vision.
”It’s an honor.” Alger didn’t mention anything else in passing.
Audrey looked at the Inverted Man, then at the Fool, and smiled lightly:
”Then I’ll ask the second question, what are the names of the follow-up magic potions of ‘Audience’? Where can I find the clues?”
I also want to ask so directly, but different choices will have to endure different difficulties …… Klein did not say anything, and turned his gaze to the “inverted hangman”.
Alger was silent for a few seconds and said:
”That’s a question I’ll answer for free, since I’m the one who led you down this path.”
”Sequence 8, which follows on from ‘The Viewer’, is called ‘The Mind Reader’, and Sequence 7’s ancient name was ‘Psychoanalyst’, now described as ‘psychiatrist’, which is what I know from a member of the Society of Psychological Alchemy, who I assume possesses quite a few magical potion recipes for this pathway.”
The Society of Psychological Alchemists …… “Psychic” Daley was quite agreeable to some of their theories, which the captain considered evil and insane …… Klein listened thoughtfully on the sidelines.
”Do you know the current whereabouts of that member of the Psychic Alchemy Society?” Audrey asked with glowing eyes.
Whether it was a “mind reader” or a “psychiatrist”, it fit her aesthetic quite well.
Alger gave a rare laugh:
”I know, he sank near Sunia Island, I sank him myself.”
”If you’re looking for the Psycho-Alchemy Society, then all I can say is sorry, the trail is broken.”
He wasn’t worried about Justice identifying himself by the description he had just given, since he had done that one alone.
”Sink ……” Audrey didn’t know what expression or what words to use in response.
She took a breath and suddenly couldn’t keep from being an “audience member” and said a little coyly:
”The third question, if, I mean if, an ordinary animal drank the magic potion of sequence 9, what would happen?”
What the hell kind of question is this …… Klein’s finger propped against his forehead tapped his brow twice without showing.
Quickly, he could tell by the change in color that Audrey was a little flustered, a little nervous, a little ashamed.
Had she done something similarly stupid? Klein thought with slight consternation and feeling not really surprised.
After the previous two parties, he was sure that Ms. Justice had the gene for it.
”The Inverted Man,” Alger apparently froze as well for a moment before speaking:
”Ordinary animals don’t have a human mind and can’t learn to meditate in the first place, so odds are they’ll die on the spot or collapse into monsters, but if they make it through, they should be able to become transcendent beings, and if the magic potion improves their thinking ability, they’ll even become intelligent.”
”Okay.” Audrey exhaled wordlessly and nodded in a relaxed tone, “I have no further questions.”
Alger thought for a moment, not mentioning the Aurora Club or the Listeners, and similarly shook his head:
”Neither do I.”
”I have something.” Klein’s posture remained unchanged and said with a smile, “It requires your cooperation.”
He hadn’t yet turned off his psychic vision, but he immediately noticed that the “Hanged Man” was clearly nervous, and the previously heartless “Justice” was a little more scared and cautious.
Not waiting for them to say anything, Klein said soothingly:
”Don’t worry, it’s a small thing, and if it works, it will be very helpful to you, so I won’t pay extra.”
”You speak.” Audrey instinctively went into a spectator’s “state”, but she couldn’t see through the thick gray fog surrounding the “Fool”.
”Follow your will.” Alger said in a quiet voice as he stabilized.
Klein flicked his fingers and spoke with a smile:
”As I said before, there are going to be some attempts to allow you to take your leave early without worrying about what to do if you’re in an unseasonable situation on a Monday afternoon.”
”That’s exactly what we were hoping for.” Audrey’s brow stretched.
Alger thought for a moment and said:
”What do we need to do?”
”You can try a ritual magic in your free time, it doesn’t have to be too formal, a setting where you won’t be disturbed will do …… Place four new candles on the altar, at each corner, preferably the kind that smells like sandalwood… …Place a loaf of white bread at the top left candle, a portion of Fenerbolt pasta at the top right candle, paella at the bottom left, and a dixie pie at the bottom right …… Using a silver knife, create a sealed spiritual environment… …”
Klein described his ritual magic adapted from the “Transit Ritual” and taught Ms. Justice how to create a spiritual environment for free.
Honestly, since the target was himself, Klein believed that the first part, the ritual part to interest the corresponding being and please the k’s, could have been omitted, but he still tried to make the process look like it was going to be like that – certainly not in line with what old Neil had said about the deities being two, plus themselves being three.
”…… Distill a mixture of moonflower, golden peppermint, deep sleep flower, golden handkerchief and rock rose, extract it into essential oils and add a drop to each candle ……”
Audrey listened with great interest, took notes, and asked at the end:
”What about the incantation? Mr. Fool, what about the corresponding spell?”
Alger stopped the pen in his hand as well and followed, turning his head and looking at Yugi.
Shrouded in a grayish mist, Klein tapped his fingers on the edge of the long table and replied in Hermetic flatly and without ripples:
”O Fool who does not belong to this age, you are the mysterious lord above the gray mist, you are the yellow and black king who reigns over good fortune ……”