“I planted a seed~ It soon bore fruit~”
In the courtyard behind the Harvest Church, there was a well in the lower right corner. Next to the well stood a small, low wooden house, through whose windows various farming tools could be seen.
Most of the courtyard was enclosed by a white-painted wooden fence, filled with all sorts of plants with no gaps left. Vines and branches twisted and intertwined in clumps, making it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to discern how many kinds of crops were growing there.
Quinn, still wearing his bishop’s robe but without his hat, had his jade-green hair tied back. He deftly grasped the main stem of a vine-like plant from among the tangled greenery and plucked a thumb-sized, purple-black fruit from it.
He examined the fruit with a satisfied nod before tossing it into his mouth.
Quinn’s face twisted like a wrung cloth after chewing for a moment.
“Bleh!”
He spat the remnants onto the ground, where they quickly blended into the soil.
“Why is it that plants with extraordinary properties can never be both aesthetically pleasing and delicious…”
During non-worship hours, Quinn usually left the task of attending to the townspeople to Snow. Snow was perfectly capable of handling most of the residents’ needs, such as poor harvests, injuries, or marital discord. Meanwhile, Quinn hid in the church’s backyard garden, tending to his extraordinary plants.
This served to enhance his extraordinary abilities and also… he was a foodie.
“How can I, from the land of great food, not manage to make these unappealing plants taste good? Maybe adjusting the ratio of the Sunya Golden Spring water next time will reduce the bitterness—”
Suddenly, Quinn felt a sense of impending darkness enveloping him. A gray fog materialized from the void, surrounding him, and his spirit seemed to be transported to an infinitely high and unknown place.
“Where… where am I?”
As he regained his senses, Quinn found himself surrounded by an endless expanse of gray mist. Looking up, he saw a colossal palace that seemed to belong to giants, with an ancient, weathered bronze long table in its center.
At the head of the table sat a mysterious figure shrouded in gray fog, gazing at Quinn with what seemed like a smile.
I must have attracted the attention of some mysterious entity! What did I do to make Him notice me? Sorry, little grape, I shouldn’t have spat you out…
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Quinn quickly realized the situation, though his thoughts were somewhat misguided.
Or is this because of that adventurer from yesterday? Feeling a bit lost, he saw the unknown figure still watching him with that smile, as if waiting for him to speak. This made Quinn as nervous as when he dozed off during an extraordinary class and was caught by the lecturer.
Have you eaten? No, no… this entity might not have food-related needs; that would be impolite. Carefully, Quinn stood up and asked:
“May I ask who you are…?”
The mysterious entity at the other end of the table nodded slowly and said unhurriedly, “You may call me…”
“The Fool.”
The Fool? Pfft… What an interesting name. No, I must hold it in—if He can hear my thoughts, I’m doomed!
Quinn froze momentarily, then lowered his head slightly, tightly pressing his lips together. After a second or two, he heard the enigmatic figure say:
“Your fate has undergone an intriguing change, affecting the things and people around you, which has piqued my interest.”
“Sorry, Quinn, but I need to trick you to figure out why I was inexplicably drawn here! This ‘old friend’ meeting method is quite unique.”
“The Fool” Klein wasn’t ready to reveal his identity to this “fellow countryman” just yet. He needed to ascertain if Quinn’s position aligned with his and whether there were any higher powers like Amon, the True Creator, or even more terrifying beings involved behind the scenes.
Quinn cautiously asked, “Mr. Fool, what do you want from me?”
“The Fool” Klein leaned forward slightly, hands interlaced under his chin, and replied with a serious tone:
“There might be someone manipulating your fate, and I… wish for things to follow their original course.”
“For this, I hope you can establish a connection with me. This way, you can learn about the possible purpose and identity of the being behind your fate.”
“Of course, you can choose to accept or decline.”
Tsk, you drag me here without a word, scare me half to death, then put on a humanitarian face to trick me into signing some contract. I’ve seen this kind of thing too many times!
But… I have no other choice.
“Ah, I accept.” Quinn forced a smile that was closer to crying.
“Ah… it seems this fellow countryman isn’t very willing. But I’m not some evil god or demon. As long as he agrees, things will be easier!” Klein thought.
“If you encounter difficulties, you can call upon my honorific: ‘The Fool who does not belong to this era, the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck, the Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog.’”
For this fellow countryman, Klein felt it necessary to offer special care.
The Fool who does not belong to this era… Quinn pondered the words, memorizing them.
“Now,” Klein waved his hand, and the gray fog in front of Quinn coalesced into a deck of Tarot cards. “Choose one as your codename among us.”
“Us?” Quinn asked in confusion.
“Yes, ‘us.’ Besides you, there are others who have chosen to connect with me for various reasons. Among them, a regular gathering has formed where they exchange knowledge, formulas, extraordinary materials, and commission tasks.”
Hearing that there were others like him and that they had formed a group, Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. He boldly asked:
“Can I join them?”
“The Fool” Klein smiled and said, “Yes, every Monday afternoon at three.”
“Hm,” Quinn nodded at the answer, lowered his head, and started to shuffle the Tarot cards, silently lamenting, “In the face of fate’s tide, I can only go with the flow… life is hard.”
“My turn, draw a card!!”
Quinn closed his eyes, steeled himself, and swiftly drew a card from the deck, then turned it over to face himself.
“The… Empress?!”