Wanda felt a chill run through her when she heard the Fool’s warning.
Only moments ago, she had been planning to swallow the Beyonder Characteristic as soon as the Tarot Club gathering ended.
Thank God she hadn’t.
If she had gone through with it, she might have thrown her life away on the spot.
A survival rate of less than one in a hundred was bad enough, but even surviving didn’t guarantee success.
She could still lose her sanity and turn into a mindless monster.
Apparently, there was nothing simple about becoming a Beyonder.
Then again, if gaining supernatural powers were easy, there wouldn’t be almost no public information about Beyonders in the first place.
Tony, meanwhile, found himself wondering about something else.
The Savant Characteristic he’d found had been nearly the size of a human brain.
Swallowing something like that whole sounded physically absurd even before considering the danger involved.
More importantly, how had the military learned about Beyonder Characteristics?
Did they already possess potion formulas, or had the Beyonders working for them survived by directly consuming raw Characteristics?
Tony pushed those questions aside for the moment and focused on what mattered most to him.
“Mr. Fool, is Savant part of one of the twenty-two Pathways? And what Sequence is it?”
He added, “Naturally, I’m willing to follow the principle of equivalent exchange.”
Kez’s tone remained calm and unreadable.
“Savant belongs to the Paragon Pathway.”
“It is the name of that Pathway’s Sequence 9 potion.”
Tony’s interest immediately sharpened.
The High Priestess card he had drawn had somehow been associated with the Paragon Pathway, and now the strange Characteristic he’d discovered in Afghanistan belonged to that exact same Pathway.
For a moment, Tony couldn’t shake the feeling that he was practically being pushed toward it by fate.
He still knew very little about the Paragon Pathway, but what he had already experienced with the Savant Characteristic told him it could be enormously useful.
“Mr. Fool, may I know the names of the later Sequences?”
Kez glanced toward Tony.
“You may.”
He recited them one by one.
“Sequence 9: Savant.”
“Sequence 8: Archaeologist.”
“Sequence 7: Appraiser.”
“Sequence 6: Artisan.”
“Sequence 5: Astronomer.”
“Sequence 4: Alchemist.”
“Sequence 3: Arcane Scholar.”
“Sequence 2: Knowledge Magister.”
“Sequence 1: Illuminator.”
The more Tony heard, the more convinced he became that the Pathway suited him almost perfectly.
At the same time, the list made it clear that becoming a Beyonder wasn’t some simple process of acquiring a single superpower.
The Pathway contained nine distinct stages before whatever existed beyond Sequence 1, and Tony could only imagine how dramatically the abilities changed with each advancement.
Another question occurred to him.
The Fool’s Blessed had displayed magic, divination, mirror travel, summoned creatures from photographs, and wiped out an entire terrorist stronghold alone.
Tony had no idea where someone like that fit within this system.
Wanda spoke next.
“Mr. Fool, how can we obtain potions?”
Tony’s attention immediately returned to the figure at the head of the table.
He had already begun work on the Mark II, but the possibility of becoming a Beyonder himself was far too enticing to ignore.
The Paragon Pathway especially interested him.
Simply carrying a Savant Characteristic had sharpened his thoughts and helped him recall technical knowledge with remarkable clarity.
Tony wanted to know what he could accomplish after actually becoming a Savant—and what the higher Sequences might eventually offer.
Kez lightly tapped one finger against the bronze table.
Tony and Wanda instinctively fell silent.
After several seconds, he answered.
“I can provide both of you with Sequence 9 potions.”
“But everything must follow the principle of equivalent exchange.”
Delight immediately appeared on both their faces.
They spoke almost simultaneously.
“Mr. Fool, what do you need from us?”
Wanda’s interest was no less intense than Tony’s.
Over the past week, she had become increasingly fascinated by the fragments of mysticism knowledge contained within the strange eyeball.
Now that she had an opportunity to truly step into that hidden world rather than merely glimpse pieces of it, she had no intention of letting the chance slip away.
Kez answered slowly.
“One of my Blessed has recently been collecting Beyonder Characteristics and supernatural objects containing mystical energy.”
“If you acquire items of that nature, you may use them in exchange.”
Wanda reacted immediately.
“Mr. Fool, I already have a Beyonder Characteristic. Could I exchange it for a potion?”
She hesitated.
“How can I show it to you?”
Tony glanced toward her in surprise.
Apparently, the Hermit had been just as lucky as he had.
His own Savant Characteristic had been hidden inside a terrorist stronghold in Afghanistan.
He could only hope the acquisition offer Pepper had circulated would produce more results soon.
Kez considered Wanda’s question.
“Recall the object clearly in your mind. Within this place, its appearance can be reproduced.”
Both Tony and Wanda were startled.
Did that mean the Fool could see whatever they were thinking about?
The implication only made the mysterious existence before them seem even more unfathomable.
Wanda concentrated on the strange object she had discovered inside the broken ornament.
A moment later, an illusory image appeared above the bronze table: a black-and-white eyeball streaked with blood-red veins.
Kez examined it briefly.
“That is a Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer Beyonder Characteristic.”
“It can serve as the main ingredient for the corresponding potion, and the Pathway is particularly suitable for you.”
He continued in the same even tone.
“To receive a potion from me, you will need to provide three objects of comparable value.”
“This counts as one. You still owe two.”
“The potion can be given to you in advance. You may settle the remainder afterward.”
Tony and Wanda immediately expressed their gratitude.
“Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Fool.”
A faint smile appeared on Kez’s face as his fingers shifted lightly against the table.
“Next, I will teach you how to perform a prayer ritual directed toward me.”
“It will also give you a way to request leave in advance. If Monday afternoon arrives while either of you is somewhere that makes attending the gathering inconvenient, you will have a way to inform me beforehand.”
Tony visibly relaxed.
A fixed meeting every Monday at one in the afternoon was manageable in theory, but there was no guarantee he would always be free at exactly that time.
“That’s exactly what we need.”
Wanda nodded.
“What do we have to do?”
Kez began explaining the ritual.
“Choose a place where you won’t be disturbed.”
“Place four new silver-white candles at the four corners of the altar.”
“Beside the upper-left candle, place a black rose. Beside the upper-right candle, place a yellow peony.”
“Beside the lower-left candle, place a bunch of grapes, and beside the lower-right candle, place an offering of salmon.”
“Use a silver ritual knife to create a sealed spiritual environment…”
Kez continued detailing the arrangement and procedure.
In truth, most of those materials weren’t strictly necessary.
The ritual pointed directly to him.
Since there was only one existence in this universe corresponding to the honorific name he had created, merely reciting it would already be enough for Kez to sense the prayer.
Still, proper ritual structure mattered, especially if he intended to establish a consistent system for future Tarot Club members.
“Next, prepare red wine, whiskey, vodka, and baijiu.”
“Place one drop of each on one of the four candles.”
Tony and Wanda carefully committed every detail to memory.
The candles, flowers, offerings, and silver ritual knife all sounded appropriately mystical.
The four different kinds of alcohol were somewhat less expected.
Kez continued.
“Then recite the honorific name.”
His voice echoed calmly through the palace above the gray fog.
“The Fool that doesn’t belong to this era;”
“The Prime Merlinean who commands magic;”
“The mysterious sovereign of Beyonder Characteristics.”