The next day, Tony spent the entire night working in his laboratory.
Before he knew it, the time had reached 12:30 p.m., and JARVIS’s voice sounded through the workshop.
“Sir, it is now twelve-thirty. You have a mysterious meeting scheduled shortly.”
Tony stopped what he was doing.
“Thirty minutes until the Tarot Club.”
He left the workshop, took a shower, then returned downstairs.
This time, he brought a video camera with him and positioned it so that the lens was aimed directly at his chair.
“JARVIS, beginning at exactly one o’clock, record every change in my body. Temperature, vital signs, physical condition—I want comprehensive monitoring. Don’t miss even the smallest abnormality.”
Tony walked over to the camera and adjusted its recording settings as well, programming it to begin at exactly 1:00 p.m.
…
At the Arcana Cabana, Kez Merlin checked the time.
12:50 p.m.
He returned to his bedroom, took four steps counterclockwise, and allowed his spirit to ascend directly into Sefirah Castle.
The magnificent palace of giants emerged above the endless gray fog.
Even though the system had transformed the Sefirah it carried into Sefirah Castle after Kez chose the Seer Pathway and had effectively granted him ownership of it, his current Sequence was far too low to wield its true power.
As a mere Sequence 9, he could do little more than take advantage of some of Sefirah Castle’s passive properties and authority.
Using it directly in combat was still completely beyond him.
‘I really need to advance.’
With a thought, Kez disappeared from where he stood and reappeared in the seat at the head of the long bronze table.
Now all that remained was to bring in the other two members.
Kez extended his right hand and reached through the invisible connections linking him to the two crimson stars representing Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff.
…
Sokovia.
Pietro had already left for work, while Wanda had locked herself inside her room.
The Mystery Pryer Beyonder Characteristic rested in her hand as she repeatedly glanced toward the alarm clock on her desk.
She was waiting.
The instant the clock reached one, crimson light erupted before her eyes and engulfed her completely.
Wanda’s delight was impossible to hide.
That mysterious existence had finally summoned her again.
…
New York.
Tony Stark’s seaside mansion.
In the underground workshop, Tony sat calmly in front of the camera, waiting for the Fool’s summons.
A moment later, crimson light burst into existence and swallowed him whole.
…
Above the gray fog, within the vast palace, two figures appeared beside the bronze table.
Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff.
Neither of them had actually become a Beyonder yet, so the high-backed chairs beneath them remained unchanged after they took their seats.
Wanda looked across the table at Tony.
Tony nodded.
“It was, Ms. Hermit.”
He then turned toward the figure seated at the head of the table and inclined his upper body respectfully.
“Thank you, Mr. Fool.”
“Your Blessed rescued me from captivity. I’m extremely grateful.”
Kez gave a slight nod.
Then, in the Fool’s calm, distant voice, he said, “This is the first formal gathering of the Tarot Club.”
“You are both members. You may begin your exchange.”
Tony and Wanda looked at each other.
Neither spoke immediately.
After a couple of seconds, Tony broke the silence.
“I want to know about Beyonders.”
“Specifically, how someone becomes one, what Beyonder Characteristics are, and what they’re used for.”
Wanda’s eyes brightened.
The strange knowledge she’d been receiving during the past week was fragmented and incomplete, but she had learned at least a little about those subjects.
“I know some of that.”
She looked at Tony.
“What are you offering in exchange?”
Tony snapped his fingers, his tone becoming noticeably lighter.
“I’m perfectly happy to pay for useful information.”
“How does one hundred thousand dollars sound?”
Kez nearly laughed.
‘Of course Tony Stark opens with a hundred grand.’
That was practically the same price Kez charged for one of his divinations.
If he wanted to keep extracting money from Tony without damaging the Fool’s image, he really needed to figure out a way to introduce the Kez Merlin identity into these gatherings.
There had to be some kind of illusion, projection, or duplicate spell somewhere in the Encantus.
Wanda’s eyes lit up just as quickly.
One hundred thousand dollars was an enormous sum in Sokovia, more than enough to substantially improve both her and Pietro’s lives.
“Deal.”
She then glanced respectfully toward the head of the table.
“I’ll explain what I know. If anything is incorrect or incomplete, I would appreciate Mr. Fool correcting me.”
Kez was somewhat surprised that Wanda already possessed this much information.
He was curious about where she had learned it and exactly how much she knew.
Wanda began.
“First, Beyonders.”
“A person can become a Beyonder by consuming a potion.”
“A potion contains a Beyonder Characteristic, but a Beyonder Characteristic by itself is not a potion.”
“Beyonder Characteristics can be combined with other materials to prepare potions or used as the foundation for supernatural artifacts.”
She paused.
“That’s everything I know.”
Tony immediately looked toward the Fool.
Kez answered in an unhurried voice.
Tony nodded.
“Then how do I pay her?”
He looked toward Wanda.
“Do you give me a bank account, or is there another way to handle it?”
Wanda didn’t answer with any banking information.
She had absolutely no intention of exposing her real identity that easily.
“Mr. Fool, is there some way to receive payment without revealing who I am?”
Kez wasn’t surprised by the request.
Fortunately, the mysticism knowledge package had given him exactly what he needed.
“That is easily arranged.”
“I will bestow upon you a prayer ritual.”
“Any item you wish to transfer to another member may be placed within the ritual. I can receive it here and bestow it upon the intended recipient.”
“As for money, convert it into a hard asset such as gold or another precious metal.”
Wanda’s expression brightened.
So even that was possible.
“Thank you, Mr. Fool.”
Kez continued.
“I will teach both of you the prayer ritual later.”
“For now, I will supplement Miss Hermit’s explanation.”
“A person becomes a Beyonder by consuming a potion.”
“Depending on the Pathway they follow, Beyonders are divided among twenty-two different Pathways. Each Pathway is divided into Sequences, beginning at Sequence 9 and progressing upward toward Sequence 1.”
“Sequence 9 is the lowest of those levels, while Sequence 1 is the highest I will discuss for now.”
“A Beyonder Characteristic can serve as the core ingredient of a potion or as the foundation for creating a supernatural item.”
“When a Beyonder dies, their Beyonder Characteristic will precipitate from their body.”
“And Beyonder Characteristics cannot be destroyed.”
Tony listened carefully before asking another question.
“If someone used a Beyonder Characteristic directly, could they become a Beyonder without turning it into a potion first?”
Wanda’s attention immediately sharpened.
There was a Beyonder Characteristic sitting beside her in the real world.
The Fool answered evenly.
“I do not recommend attempting it.”
“At very low levels, such as Sequence 9, there is a possibility of advancing by directly consuming a Sequence 9 Beyonder Characteristic.”
“However, the survival rate is extraordinarily low. Out of a hundred people, even one surviving would be fortunate.”
“And survival does not necessarily mean success.”
“Even someone who lives through the process may lose control completely, lose their sanity, and turn into a monster that attacks anything nearby.”
“Cases of people successfully becoming Beyonders through directly consuming raw Beyonder Characteristics are exceedingly rare.”
“As for attempting the same thing with higher-Sequence Characteristics…”
Kez paused briefly.
“The chances of survival are effectively zero.”