Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

Odis glanced at the Little Sun beside him...

Seeing that the young man seemed visibly relieved, he realized that Derrick had misunderstood (just as Klein had hoped) believing that The Fool had given a positive response.

Once Derrick finally relaxed, he continued, "Have any of you heard of a man named Amon?"

Audrey looked toward 'The Hanged Man' (Alger). She recalled that Mr. Hanged Man had mentioned this name before.

Klein also remembered relevant knowledge, but to maintain The Fool's inscrutable image, he refrained from answering immediately.

'The Magician' (Fors) listened with a blank expression... this name was entirely outside her scope of knowledge.

Alger countered, "Did your City of Silver encounter someone calling themselves Amon during their exploration of the surrounding regions? Or have you found records mentioning him?"

Derrick nodded earnestly and replied, "Yes, forty-two years ago, an exploration team met a man who introduced himself as Amon. After returning to City of Silver, they all gradually went mad and lost control, except for the team's leader. He was imprisoned at the bottom of the Spire, right next to my cell."

"Perhaps he was already mad, and it was just a delusion," Fors suggested, drawing from her rich experience in fiction writing.

Alger, however, said, "Delusion is one possibility, but people don't just imagine the name 'Amon' without reason."

He turned to the Little Sun and continued, "About 1500 years ago, possibly even earlier, in the lands we inhabit, there was a family that wielded bizarre powers. They belonged to the Tudor Empire and bore the surname Amon."

"...A rumor once spread from the 'King of the Five Seas', Nast, that the Amon family was a blasphemer clan, one that mastered the secret of stealing divine power!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned after hearing this. The phrase 'the secret of stealing divine power' sounded incredibly formidable, but they couldn't quite grasp its exact implications.

Odis spoke up, "Regarding Amon, I happen to know some related information..."

With this being his second meeting, there was no need to hold back as he had before. Moreover, he planned to conduct several minor transactions during this gathering, making good use of the Tarot Club's channels.

Sensing everyone's attention, he continued, "You must have heard of the 'Marauder' Pathway. I've obtained some information about it. At low Sequences, they steal physical objects, but at Mid-Sequences, they're said to steal thoughts and Beyonder abilities, though only temporarily."

Alger was also aware of similar intel. Connecting it with his earlier words, a bold conjecture formed in his mind, "Are you saying… at high Sequences, they can steal the power of gods?"

The moment he said this, everyone except Odis felt their hairs stand on end...

Even Alger was startled, 'I– how could I have such a thought? This is blasphemy! How could divine power be stolen?'

Yet, he had to admit, 'Well… this idea does seem to make sense.'

Behind the gray fog, Klein had a similar thought, 'Such a terrifying power.'

Audrey, being comparatively calmer, recalled intelligence she had gathered in previous Tarot Club meetings, 'Since every Pathway has a Sequence 0, it shouldn't be too hard to accept that the Marauder Pathway's Sequence 0 could steal the power of other gods...'

She gave Mr. Hermit a deep look, 'Given the right information, this isn't a difficult connection to make... but most wouldn't dare think this way because it's utterly blasphemous. Yet, Mr. Hermit seems to have already considered it.'

Derrick also grasped The Hermit's implication, "Mr. Hermit, are you saying the Amon family controls the 'Marauder' pathway?"

"Yes," Odis confirmed, "Additionally, another piece of verified intelligence I have is that Amon is a descendant of the 'Ancient Sun God'."

Saying this, he gave Derrick a meaningful glance.

However, seeing the Little Sun frown in deep thought, Odis realized that the young man did not yet know the 'Ancient Sun God' was their 'Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator'...

Thus, he continued, "I have another, even more valuable piece of information... but it requires a trade."

Derrick immediately responded, "I'm willing to trade." But then he added somewhat sheepishly, "However, I don't have any gold pounds."

"That's fine," Odis said, "I happen to have another request."

He asked knowingly, "Which Pathway's Beyonder are you?"

"The 'Bard' Pathway!" Derrick answered at once.

Odis stated, "I need you to trade me the potion formula for the 'Bard' Sequence, along with some knowledge about the 'Forsaken Land of the Gods'."

Derrick nodded, "Agreed."

Behind the gray fog, Klein mused, 'As expected, new members would still be interested in the Forsaken Land of the Gods...'

Audrey recalled her suspicions about The Hermit after the last Tarot Club meeting. Now, a new thought struck her: 'It seems Mr. Hermit did have prior knowledge about the Forsaken Land of the Gods. His earlier surprise might have been due to not expecting The Sun to be from there.'

Thinking this, Audrey smiled slightly, 'When I first learned the Little Sun was from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, I probably reacted the same way as The Hermit did.'

Odis then asked, "Can transactions in the Tarot Club be conducted privately? Would you prefer to hear this alone, or would you like for everyone listen?"

Audrey helpfully answered, "Yes, as long as you make a request to Mr. Fool."

"Let everyone hear it," Derrick said, "Consider it my thanks for all the advice and help you've given me."

Audrey felt a twinge of guilt, as most of that assistance had come from Mr. Hanged Man... she herself had contributed little.

"Very well," Odis continued, "I believe everyone here understands the concept of a demigod, so I won't elaborate. I've obtained confirmed intelligence that upon reaching the demigod level, the 'Marauder' Pathway grants an ability called Parasitism."

"...This ability allows a demigod of this Pathway to hide within another person's body."

Behind the gray fog, Klein thought, 'Hmm… this reminds me of a certain poet colleague. I wonder how he's doing now?'

Then another thought struck him, 'What a bizarre Pathway. I'd better stay far away from Marauders in the future!'

Alger couldn't help but frown, 'This is the power of a demigod! Just as the legends say, it undergoes a qualitative transformation!'

Derrick thought of the exploration team leader imprisoned next to him, "Mr. Hermit, are you saying the Amon encountered by the exploration team over forty years ago is now hiding inside the person next to me?"

"Let me finish," Odis said. "There are two types of Parasitism... The first is when a 'Marauder' demigod parasitizes a host's body. Such cases are rare because the host's thoughts and consciousness become interference for the 'Marauder' demigod. They only resort to this when they've lost their own body."

"...The second type is when a 'Marauder' demigod creates a special entity that is akin to an avatar, that parasitizes another person. This kind of Parasitism usually goes undetected. Over time, the avatar gradually takes over the host's body and mind, eventually turning them into a puppet."

Audrey gasped, "What a terrifying ability!"