Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 573 Tarot Club after Return

881
When an inconspicuous chapel with a weird inverted cross as its symbol and inhabited by a silver-haired teenager who looked neither a priest nor a clergyman was built in a corner of Utopia, in faraway Beckland, Dr. Alan Kress was attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a friend's new store with his wife and young son.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there was a lucky draw to liven up the atmosphere.

"I heard there's cash, shopping vouchers, and boat tickets inside. We can go to other cities or travel on the sea."

Mrs. Wilma Gladys said to her husband, teasing her little son in the stroller with a small toy in her hand:

"My dear, what do you think about traveling to Eastchester County or Jianhai County for a while? Backlund is too chaotic this year. Last year, when we were on vacation in Jianhai, we had very delicious grilled fish and lobster. I still remember it now."

In the stroller, Will Kress bit his fingers and ignored the small stuffed toy his mother handed him. His eyes were fixed on the sky above, as if there was something very important there.

"Will, what are you looking at?"

After teasing the child for a while and finding that the child was unmoved, Wilma also looked at the sky curiously. There was nothing there except the blue sky and a few white clouds. She stared at the sky for a few more seconds. For some reason, she felt that a cloud in the distance was a little strange. It was thin and long and inconspicuous. It was blown by the wind and slowly drifted towards the north. It looked like a crooked worm... or a snake?

Is Will looking at that strange cloud?

Velma looked down at the child, only to find that the child had begun to doze off while hugging the small stuffed toy she had given him.

Looking at the sleeping face of the child, Wilma couldn't help but smile, and reached out her hand to gently pinch her son's round and chubby face. At this time, Dr. Allen, who was talking to the person next to him, also turned around and finally had time to answer his wife's words.

"You're right. Backlund is a bit chaotic this year. I heard that similar situations have occurred in other counties."

"Our neighbor in Jianhai wrote to us, telling us about the difficulties he encountered this winter, but not in detail... It seems that there are varying degrees of chaos across the country, but fortunately, our lives have not been greatly affected."

At this point, Dr. Allen sighed.

The last few months of Backlund's year were too chaotic and exciting. The successive major events made everyone feel like they were in a whirlpool. Fortunately, as a surgeon, Mr. Allen made a living by his skills and had accumulated good connections and wealth. He was fully confident that no matter how chaotic the situation was, he could provide a certain degree of protection for his family.

Even in the worst case scenario, if the war spread to Backlund, Dr. Allen would have a way to settle his wife and children.

Moreover, from a practical point of view, the Chris family was really lucky. When the Feysac airship bombed a long time ago, Dr. Allen happened to be resting at home. In the occasional parades and chaos afterwards, Dr. Allen was often a long distance away from the scene of the incident. By the time he realized what was happening, the dangerous things were basically over.

"Don't say that, honey." Wilma gently comforted her husband, "We are already very lucky."

"Yeah." Alan sighed.

At the same time, Dr. Allen's salary was enough to buy food for his family, so he did not have to go out to the streets to line up for relief food.

Although the economic downturn did have some impact on the family and they had to lay off several servants, their overall life was not much different from before and was still very comfortable.

Without so many banquets to attend, Dr. Allen has more free time to spend with his wife and children.

His friend waved at him and asked him to go over and draw the lottery. Alan smiled back and took the handle of the child's stroller from his wife. The two of them walked slowly towards the lottery box in front of them.

"If it's a domestic trip, it's not out of the question." Dr. Allen put his hand into the top of the lottery box and said to his wife half-jokingly, "The situation in the country is relatively stable now, so you can consider taking a short trip for a few days..."

As he spoke, Alan's fingers brushed over the slips of paper inside. Before the draw, he had no real intention of drawing the slip with the reward. Even if it was "Thank you for participating", it was worth a smile with his friends. But when the draw actually started, Alan was expecting to really draw something - he touched this and that with his hands, and finally picked one at random.

He took out the note from the brown kraft box, unfolded it, and was surprised to find that it actually said "domestic family travel"!
"Oh my God." Alan couldn't believe it. He read the note over and over again and smiled proudly at his wife. "Velma, we can start thinking about where to travel now! How about going back to Jianhai?"

Will, who was wrapped in a small silver satin quilt in the stroller, opened his eyes again at some point. He held his fingers in his mouth and stared at the note in his father's hand. His little face showed contemplation and distress that was not appropriate for his age.

The direction of future destiny has changed, and even Will cannot be sure where this destiny will go.

The intersection between me and Klein has become less due to too many things happening recently. Have I accidentally missed the crucial time to "build a good relationship"? But how can I participate in these recent wars between gods at will... Will pondered hard. Human relationships must be exchanged in order to continue, otherwise they will be used less and less. He also knows this truth.

"I didn't expect you to pick me."

The friend shrugged, but was also very happy to see his acquaintance win the grand prize. He winked at Dr. Allen and smiled friendly:

"But Alan, you really should find a place to take a few days off. The work at the hospital is never done. Where are you going on vacation? How many people are there? Remember to tell me, so that I can arrange a few more days for you."

Alan and his wife looked at each other, smiled and thanked their friend, and pushed the stroller to the front desk of the store to register.

travel……

I didn’t let my dad be lucky enough to win the grand prize. My goal is just the “Candy Store VIP Card”... Will muttered, and under the cover of the stuffed toy, he rubbed his fingers, and a six-sided dice the size of an adult’s fingernail appeared in his fleshy palm.

A journey can have many meanings. Symbolically speaking, it is an opportunity to go to another level, another "region", but traveling is not moving. He will come back eventually, and may be in a better or worse condition.

Will flipped the six-sided dice flexibly in his hands for several times. He touched it with his fingers and found that the number on the top was "three".

so so.

It can be understood that there are certain changes, but not enough to shake the balance between "Him" and Ouroboros.

Since Klein reached Sequence 3, the events he participated in were basically at the level of gods, even involving the "Original God" and the "Lord of Mysteries". Will could only wait quietly for the results.

The emergence of this level was like throwing a boulder into the river of fate, and He, Will and Ouroboros could only stir up some ripples at best to determine whether there were reefs and safe routes ahead. The waves stirred up by the boulder almost completely obscured all of His premonitions.

I helped Klein in the past, with the purpose of giving me a certain advantage in the fight with Ouroboros. Ouroboros could hardly find me, so why did he begin to regain some competitiveness now?

If this was an ordinary trip, it would only have positive effects on me...

However, Backlund's fate was also very confusing. It was obvious that more than one god was stirring up the muddy water. Although the fragile stability was maintained, it looked precarious. Will slept restlessly every night and did not try to contact the School of Life again, fearing that something would happen and force him to die before he could grow up.

Neither of his parents noticed the baby's distress. Velma took the note from Alan and said excitedly:
"My dear, I really want to go to Winter County. I want to see this city that belongs to the most devout believers, and the pure snow-capped mountains that are closest to the goddess's heaven in the mythology of the holy scriptures—"

Before she finished speaking, she saw her friends around her winking at her, so she quickly covered her mouth. She looked around nervously, and finally recited the name of the Thunder God twice in a row, her expression obviously becoming much darker.

Dr. Allen opened his mouth, and finally smiled bitterly to comfort his wife:

"I heard that the temple in Wintershire was severely damaged in the war and is no longer open to the public. We can't even view it from a distance on the mountain. The Amanda Mountains are snowy, so it must be very cold now... Well, let's choose a warmer and safer place. By the way, how about we take the children with us? They haven't had time to go out for some fresh air this year. Why don't we take them with us to vacation in the relatively warm Dis Bay?"

"I think Dixie Bay is a good idea." A friend also expressed his approval.

Velma nodded gently: "Then let's go to Dixie Bay. I am beginning to miss the scenery of the seaside."

After deciding on the destination, the rest of the affairs became simple. Will pricked up his ears to listen to the communication between his parents and strangers. Soon, the adults decided to go to Dixie Bay for a four-day vacation without affecting work. Dr. Allen and Ms. Wilma decided to take their youngest son to breathe the fresh air by the sea, and leave the two older children to the maid and tutor at home.

As my friend sent out the letter to reserve a luxury hotel, the matter was finally settled.

In Will's hand, the "Dice of Probability" began to spin again.

In the end, it still stopped at "three".

It may not be Disi Bay... Will's little face wrinkled and was pinched twice by his mother.

Meaning... maybe something will happen that will lead this trip to some unknown place? And this is something I can choose... but why would the destination change? Could it be that the new "gate" will change the destination of the railway at will? As soon as Will thought of this, some chaotic and abstract revelations suddenly emerged in front of him, and these chaotic lines connected from beginning to end to form a white snake. Wilma watched her little son suddenly burst into tears.

……

Edward passed by the grain store.

Almost every food store and shop selling grains had two distinct sections, "Loen" and "Feynepott", and the prices and quality of the two sections were completely different. Along the way, Edward saw that what was left were all high-priced and low-quality local Loen grains.

"The price of imported grain has been pushed down to a very low level, but the quantity is limited... Domestic grain prices are kept high on the grounds of being protected, but there is a huge backlog... It's all protection in vain." Edward shook his head.

As long as the food from Feneport continues to be transported into Loen, the local food in Loen will continue to be backlogged like this, which will eventually arouse the resentment of local farmers. But don’t the people of Feneport resent Loen?Although you have lost your family and property, you have received praise and thanks... Conflicts on many fronts have begun to take shape, but the situation in Loen still looks good, and the economy is even showing a slight recovery trend.

"Theocracy is expanding its influence, and the status of the police can no longer be compared with that of the church's priests."

Edward watched the street.

For more than a thousand years, whenever a problem occurred in the community, the first choice of the people was to notify the police. If it involved supernatural forces and could not be solved, the police would decide which church to hand it over to based on the beliefs of the reporter and the victim... But now, the gods have demonstrated their power in a very short time and reversed the situation in Loen. People's first choice for help has gradually changed to the church.

The number of stations where the church distributes food relief has been reduced by half, and there are no longer long queues like before. It is obvious that there are no relatively decently dressed people in the queue, but only civilians and the poor.

The Thunder Church has initially stabilized social order and made people grateful to the God of Thunder and praise His divine power.

"I feel that even if a riot breaks out, the God of Thunder will immediately respond by raising the price of food and the welfare of farmers in Feynaporte. Moreover, there is now the Church of Mother Earth to restrain the demons... But as long as there is no riot, they will never do this."

However, if the treatment of the Fenapotes improves, the locals will become resentful again, but what does their internal conflict have to do with God?

"It's really smart. After annexing Lenburg, it not only absorbed the 'Reader', but also absorbed the policy of appeasement."

……

In the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago, on an island close to the edge.

After finishing his morning work and helping his neighbor pack up his props, "Sun" Derrick returned to his cabin.

Alger was already waiting for him at the door of his house. When Derrick came back, the two of them simply greeted each other and went inside.

The climate at sea is relatively warm, but very humid. Derrick was not used to it at first, but gradually he came to like the sea breeze, the life where he could go for a barefoot walk on the beach at any time, and pick up shells and small fish from the beach.

Derrick brought the only chair in the room to Alger and sat on the bed. The two looked at each other in silence, and saw some tension and anticipation in each other's eyes.

Today is Monday, and it is almost three o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Fool has returned. So will today's Tarot Club be held on time?
But none of them spoke. After a short silence, Alger licked his lips and said in a steady voice:
“Let’s talk about our situation first. After all, it was Mr. Fool who assigned you to me. When Mr. Fool asks about it, I’ll be in trouble if you believers are not satisfied with my arrangement.”

After saying this, Derrick and Alger couldn't help but laugh together, and the atmosphere in the room became relaxed and lively.

"Mr. Alger, is there anything we need to do next?" Derrick asked curiously.

The Hermit, Ms. Cattleya, had just returned to Intis this morning, taking away those strange metal creations and interesting magic. Everyone was a little reluctant to leave, but it did not have much impact on the lives of the 5,000 people from the God-Forsaken Land.

"Nothing." Alger said thoughtfully, "I'm thinking about finding a time for you to go to the Rorsted Archipelago with me and buy some supplies with us. Maybe Mr. Fool will have other tasks, but your current life is the most important."

Enter the city!

Derrick had long been interested in the towns outside, but now the almost self-sufficient life on the island was also good. Derrick and everyone else knew that they could not cause trouble for Mr. Fool. Now, after hearing Alger's words, he immediately showed an expectant smile on his face and asked tentatively:
"About when? We have reclaimed some fields around the residential area and planted crops such as wheat. We have also used some discarded planks and wood to cultivate mushrooms, but the harvest will not come immediately. In addition to going into the city with you, I want to know what else we can do to earn gold pounds and buy supplies?"

At this point, Derrick recalled how everyone was reluctant to leave when Mr. Frank Lee left with Ms. Hermit's fleet that morning.

Although everyone originally thought that the Saint of Plenty was a demigod under Mr. Fool's command, it was a bit strange to find that he was not even a demigod yet (the awe of the people in the Forsaken Land of the Gods had reached a new level) and seemed to be a follower of another god, but after all, the City of Silver itself no longer had a single belief, so they accepted it naturally.

After bringing these 5,000 people to this island to establish a temporary base, the newly established "Sea God" Church stopped providing free assistance, after all, their financial strength was quite limited. Although the leader of the rebels expressed a warm welcome to the people under the protection of "Sea God", Alger really couldn't invest money in Silver City and Moon City without restraint - after all, this was only a quarter of the total population.

Faced with this situation, Silver City and Moon City each sold a batch of Beyonder traits and monster leather in exchange for some funds, which also allowed Alger to make a small profit, which he could use to purchase various supplies.

However, as the connection between the God-Forsaken Land and the outside world is still completely severed, Beyonder traits and monster leather can no longer be effectively replenished, and the people of Silver City and Moon City cannot give up military force, sell off strategic resources in large quantities, and abandon the training of future generations.

Therefore, once the existing gold pounds, gold, jewelry and other items are consumed, they will undoubtedly be in trouble.

To this end, the "Six-Person Council" has recently been worrying about how to earn gold pounds from the outside world and how to establish a stable economic system, but this is somewhat beyond their capabilities.

——Considering the current complicated situation, although Alger didn't know that the relationship between the God of Thunder and the "Fool" had reached a freezing point, he still made the most appropriate judgment for the current situation. The batch of Beyonder characteristics previously given by Silver City and Moon City were mainly bought by the "Sea God" Church and the resistance army at a relatively fair price to establish their own Beyonder forces.

After all, the number of extraordinary people needed for destruction is completely not on the same level as the number of extraordinary people needed by a regular force.

In addition, there is currently no demigod in the entire Rhoside Archipelago, and the highest combat power, Alger Wilson, is only a Sequence 5, so Klein did not directly give the "Poseidon Scepter" to Alger.

This is far from enough for a force that wants to gradually become a legitimate force, especially since the Thunder Church and the "Sea God" Church are not allies.

Alger thought for a moment and said:
"What are you best at?"

“Fight.” Derrick answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Alger nodded slightly and said:

"You have much more combat experience than the Beyonders of the same sequence in the outside world. Although the outside world seems peaceful, the order in secret is still very chaotic, and small-scale conflicts break out from time to time. You can try to accept employment from some forces as an individual or a team of three or two people to earn commissions."

"That's a good idea." Derrick's eyes lit up. "But it seems that we can't do this for a long time?"

Alger then asked:

"Combat is the easiest survival technique for you to master right now. Apart from that, we should indeed try to explore other directions. After all, there should be a considerable number of you who are still looking forward to living a relatively peaceful life in the outside world..."

Derrick nodded vigorously. Just as he was about to speak, gray mist suddenly surged out from all directions in front of him.

In an instant, the two understood what was about to happen. They suppressed their excitement, sat down in their respective seats, and waited for the red light to surge like a tide and engulf their vision.

TBC
------

Hermes stood at the window, looking far away in the direction of Montemar's mansion.

He waited quietly, and just when the clock on the wall struck three, a gray mist appeared in front of his eyes. But before he could take a closer look at what was behind the gray mist, the dazzling red light that followed brought an indescribable stinging pain throughout his body.

He had to close his eyes and look away, waiting for half a minute before the pain in his mind gradually disappeared.

"Discovered."

Hermes regretfully gave up his plan to take a peek at the Sefirah Castle, but he was also curious about why he was only warned instead of killed.

Faced with the spying of his God's follower, this "fool" just gave a warning and actually looked like a nice guy.

(End of this chapter)