Chapter Thirty-Two: Light Years Away

Zhou Mingrui, or rather, the recently ascended newcomer who had only just held his first Tarot Gathering, was encountering such a peculiar situation for the first time.

While Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man had both entered the Tarot Gathering by coming into contact with mystical items, Chen Lai—this extraordinarily distant star—seemed to have responded to the call and joined the gathering of his own volition.

Without time to overthink, Zhou Mingrui pulled the "star" belonging to Chen Lai upward. Before Chen Lai’s misty figure could fully coalesce, Zhou Mingrui extended the long table, added an extra chair, and made the black, carved pillars behind his throne appear even more majestic and mysterious.

Having made these preparations, "The Fool" Zhou Mingrui sat composedly on the black-fog chair at the head of the table, his hands crossed and resting against his chin.

The figure solidified, and Chen Lai took in everything before him: the temple, the long table, the Trajan columns carved with unrecognizable patterns, and the towering deity seated beneath the dome, watching him with calm leisure.

"You have come," He said.

For anyone else, arriving here for the first time would have been enough to be awestruck by this scene and the grand display, but...

As it happened, Chen Lai was a player, and an incredibly dense one at that. In Zhou Mingrui’s eyes, he was completely unfazed by the powerful and mysterious appearance of "The Fool." Instead, he walked with ease toward the ninth seat, flipped open the Tarot card that Zhou Mingrui had prepared in advance on the long table.

【"The Hermit" Tarot Card (Gold) (Unique): A small gift prepared for you by the mysterious master above the gray fog. Possessing it signifies your successful entry into the Tarot Gathering. Value: 500,000】

Chen Lai’s eyes lit up. Good stuff!

The next second, he tucked "The Hermit" card into his pocket and sat down nonchalantly.

Zhou Mingrui frowned and gave a casual wave, causing all the Tarot cards on the table to vanish. In his view, this "uninvited" guest was truly lacking in manners.

"Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron?"

Chen Lai spoke the secret code as if casually making conversation.

"Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon!" Zhou Mingrui’s guard instantly dropped. This was the secret handshake of science students—the tongue-twister of the periodic table that one had to memorize from the moment they chose their academic track.

"Zhou Mingrui, are you doing alright?"

Chen Lai grinned, and the figure fashioned from mist somehow conveyed a sense of "cheerfulness."

"The Fool" was dumbfounded. "You? You know who I am?"

"Of course. The Fool, Klein, Zhou Mingrui, living in Tingen City, Loen Kingdom..." Chen Lai rattled off the information at high speed, but immediately followed it with another code.

Chen Lai poked through his disguise without mercy. As a player, with no other Tarot Gathering members present, stripping away Zhou Mingrui’s disguise would facilitate their upcoming conversation.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Zhou Mingrui made a halting gesture. In the next second, the magnificent palace vanished, and the mist surrounding them both solidified, making their original features at least recognizable.

"My god, I thought I was the only transmigrator! Brother, your arrival is critical! This world is damn sinister—what Beyonders, what 'we are all going to die'..."

After shedding his disguise, Zhou Mingrui’s emotions became quite agitated. Chen Lai could understand. Transmigrating to another world, one that was still in the Victorian steam age, with the mystery of his original body's suicide unsolved and the sudden contact with extraordinary powers—the mental and physical impact was immense for anyone.

"Lord of the Mysteries" told the story of Zhou Mingrui, who transmigrated into a world of steam and mysticism, relying on the mutual aid of the Tarot Gathering and his own efforts to become the "Lord of the Mysteries" step by step. But judging by the current situation, Zhou Mingrui was still at the very beginning, having not long since transmigrated.

Looking at the anxious Zhou Mingrui, Chen Lai could only say there was nothing he could do. The full book of "Lord of the Mysteries" spanned over four million words; he only knew the general plot. Furthermore, in a world where "knowledge is power" and "the more you know, the faster you die," letting Zhou Mingrui know too much would only affect his future.

Therefore, while fiddling with "The Hermit" card in his hand, Chen Lai shook his head at Zhou Mingrui:

"Brother, I know you’re happy to meet a fellow countryman, but you’re happy too soon."

"If I’m not mistaken, we aren’t even on the same planet. I’m currently in the French Republic after the overthrow of the monarchy. It’s very peaceful here; even if there are Beyonders, they are extremely few in number. But I’m afraid it’s not the same where you are."

Hearing this, Zhou Mingrui calmed down. From the moment he heard "French Republic," he realized that the two were not in the same world. His side was still Earth, but where he was now was likely very far from Earth.

"You’re right. I’m afraid we aren’t on the same planet. No wonder it was such a struggle to pull you up; the distance was so great it was out of service range," Zhou Mingrui quipped.

"Since the distance is so vast, this Tarot Gathering on my end can really only help you gather information... but that’s not right, is it? If there are no Beyonders where you are, how did you use the Luck Enhancement Ritual to get up here?"

Zhou Mingrui had been feeling listless, but he quickly reacted. There was likely extraordinary power on Chen Lai’s side too, just hidden very deep.

"The gods on my side are only God and the Virgin Mary; I’ve never heard any other prayer incantations. This is likely why my world is so peaceful—there is no conflict between gods, and the Beyonder pathways are relatively safe and uncorrupted," Chen Lai calmly thought for a moment before giving his insight.

"I want to go to your world... it’s too dangerous here!"

Zhou Mingrui slumped over the table, burying his head in his hands. It was truly exhausting to play the role of a powerful being every day. It was such a relief to have someone who could see through his disguise and his vulnerability!

Chen Lai said nothing. He knew that Zhou Mingrui’s heart was actually very strong and kind, and his future achievements would be limitless.

The two were silent for a moment before Chen Lai spoke first: "I can stay in this world for another twenty days or so, at which point I will have to leave. During this time, you can ask me any questions or doubts you have... I am a Diviner!"

Zhou Mingrui was startled. There were "jump-claim" Diviners here too?

But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Chen Lai’s behavior was nothing like a native of this world. He seemed to know a lot, but he couldn’t say it, as if he could only reveal it bit by bit.

Chen Lai had his own reasons. As a player, he could actually say anything and dared to say anything, but he was afraid that Zhou Mingrui would drop dead the moment he left the Sefirah Castle!

It didn't matter what players did, but Chen Lai remembered that all worlds were real. Everything their high-dimensional projections did would affect other worlds. Zhou Mingrui was a good person, and he had just given him a 500,000-value "Hermit" gift—one feels soft-hearted after taking someone's hand.

"Alright, brother. Take care in Tingen City. Save your money, use the restroom more often... remember to spend time with your brother and sister, and remember to be cautious, cautious, and cautious again."

"I’m heading out. If I find signs of extraordinary power on my end, I’ll contact you immediately. Same password—'Blessed be the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.'"

After saying this, Chen Lai dissipated into smoke, and the Tarot card belonging to the ninth seat, "The Hermit," vanished along with him.

The Hermit: When upright, it represents solitude; when reversed, it represents loneliness and isolation, a need to communicate with the outside world.