stonecrandall Page 604
Page 604
Diana then began to observe the tarot cards on the table.
Except for the six "Cups" cards, all the other tarot cards are face down, making it impossible to tell which card it is.
It's not easy to pick out the "lovers" that symbolize "union" from among them.
While she was pondering with her chin in her hand, Eevee had already extended its paw and quickly selected one of the cards, placing it on the six-pointed star.
Diana clicked her tongue and then randomly picked one to put on the table.
The old man then overlapped the two cards and pressed them down.
The six-pointed star instantly shattered, transforming into a mist of light that enveloped the two cards.
The old man whispered, "Emotions are the most greedy, fickle, and tortuous things. My divination can only present a harbinger; the future remains uncertain."
Diana stared intently at the cloud of light and blinked.
The old man had already reached in and turned over both cards at the same time.
The image on the card immediately appeared.
One of them is "Lovers".
The other one is "Death".
A man and a woman become lovers under the witness of angels, but a poisonous snake lurks on the forbidden tree.
Death, riding a white horse and clad in armor, proclaims an irresistible force. Some have already fallen, while others have accepted this cruel reality. Some try to escape, while others make futile resistance.
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How should this be interpreted?
Diana asked blankly.
The old man frowned slightly, and after a long pause, he said, "'Lover' is the best interpretation of affection. But becoming lovers is only one link in the path of love. Hidden behind 'lovers' are forbidden trees and venomous snakes. Even if you stand out from many choices, you may still be unable to resist..."
Confusion, arguments, and ultimately, breakups. "Death" symbolizes an end, but after the end comes a beginning. Death also represents rebirth. As the saying goes, "Only by facing death can one find life," and relationships only become stronger after experiencing separation and reunion.
"Then..." Diana asked, "is this good or bad?"
The old man said, "That depends on you."
"Bu-i?" Eevee looked confused.
"Huh?" Diana couldn't help but question it.
So, how did we end up back here again?
If everything depends on oneself, then why bother with divination?
However, what is called divination is actually just this kind of thing.
The old man simply smiled at Diana, rearranged the tarot cards, and then looked at the others, asking, "Does anyone else want a reading?"
But perhaps because Diana drew "Death," everyone else's interest waned considerably, and for a moment no one wanted to continue the divination.
The old man wasn't in a hurry. After putting away the tarot cards, he looked at Dark and casually said, "So, young friend, would you be interested in chatting with this old man for a bit?"
……
Although the old man's demeanor was very natural, Trina was still wary of his sudden appearance at Dark.
However, Trina's momentum was quickly thwarted by Dark.
Dak looked at the white-haired, youthful-looking old man with great interest, and then asked Diana to get up and move aside.
Diana picked up Ibu and obediently left her seat.
Dark sat down, placed the Magic Book flat on the table, and asked, "May I ask your surname, sir?"
The old man smiled slightly and said, "Aaron Reeds."
Dak raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had ever heard of the name before.
Aaron Reeds smiled and said, "You should know me; I am Ignaz Cooper's teacher."
“Ignaz Cooper?” Dark frowned, trying to remember where he had heard the name before.
Aaron Reeds observed his expression, and a sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart: "You don't know Cooper?"
“Cooper, oh, Cooper—” Dark thought for a moment, then clapped his hands suddenly, “It’s Cooper!”
Aaron Reeds breathed a slight sigh of relief: "You remembered."
Dark shook his head solemnly.
A barely perceptible stiffness flashed across Aaron Reeds's face: "You really don't know Cooper? Ignaz Cooper of the Cult of Knowledge?"
"Knowledge-the Cult—" Dark then feigned sudden realization, "So it was him! You're his teacher, could you be the elder of that Knowledge-the Cult?"
Aaron Reeds nodded and said, "One of the thirteen elders."
Dark couldn't help but chuckle: "Now that the person involved has arrived, how does your cult plan to compensate me for Ignaz Cooper's attack on me?"
Aaron Reeds gave a wry smile: "That wasn't our instruction."
Dark said, "I know, it was his personal behavior. Every big corporation picks out someone with questionable personal conduct after something goes wrong."
Aaron Reeds quickly replied, "Absolutely not. Our church has no intention of interfering in the conflict. We maintain an absolutely friendly attitude towards the Duke's mansion and towards you."
Dark laughed, "So friendly that you want to worship them?"
Aaron Reeds immediately gave an awkward smile, and then said, "That was a matter of mutual consent; we were merely expressing our intentions."
Dark nodded: "On this point, I'm still willing to believe you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here in front of me, all right here."
“Ahem.” Aaron Reeds coughed lightly and said, “Since young master Dimon has no interest in this, we certainly won’t force him. I’m here today simply to ask how Ignaz Cooper is doing. If possible, I’m willing to pay some price to ransom him.”
Aaron Reeds was clearly one of the more pragmatic members of the Church of Knowledge.
His purpose for this trip was very simple: to bring his troublesome student back with him.
But while the goal is simple, achieving it is not easy.
The Church of Knowledge and the Dimon family have no real connection, so even if they wanted to use connections to pass on a message, it would be very difficult.
It was truly fortunate to meet Mr. Dimon in the Eugénie shopping district.
However, young master Dimon doesn't seem to be so easy to talk to?
……
“Ignaz Cooper…”
Dak tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertip, pretending to be deep in thought.
Because he knew absolutely nothing about Ignaz Cooper's current situation.
There was no way to answer Aaron Reeds' question.
After meeting Cooper once in the underground cold storage, Darke completely entrusted him with...
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They assigned "Scorpio" Chris to handle it.
To my complete surprise, Chris still hasn't let him go.
It's been a month already, hasn't it?
Perhaps Ignaz Cooper is already dead.
Thinking this, Dark glanced at Trina.
But Trina also shook her head slightly, clearly not paying attention either.
She rarely interferes with the areas that "Scorpio" is in charge of.
So Darke thought for a moment and said, “No need for ransom. Since you call yourselves the Cult of Knowledge, I have a few questions for you. If you can answer them, I will release Ignaz Cooper.”
"A test of problem-solving?" Aaron Reeds pondered.
Originally, "problem-solving" should have been his forte. But there are so many unsolvable problems in the world. If Dark specifically selected a few to challenge him, even with his vast knowledge, he wouldn't be able to solve them.
Seemingly sensing his concerns, Darke smirked and said, "Of course, if you can prove that the question I raised is unsolvable, I will also release Ignaz Cooper."
“Promise him, Aaron.”
In the corner of the tavern, an old woman with gray hair
milk
Suddenly stood up.
This old lady
Milky's face looks even younger than Alan Reeds'. Apart from the crow's feet around her eyes, there are almost no wrinkles.
After a brief examination, Dak noticed that her ears were slightly pointed, clearly indicating that she had some long-lived blood.
He asked gently, "Is this also a member of the Church of Knowledge?"
“One of the thirteen elders, Aviva Julius.”
老奶
milk
He walked over and sat down next to Reeds.
A hint of arrogance and prejudice was hidden in her brows.
He must be very confident in his knowledge.
She stared at Dak and said, "A child's question shouldn't stump the two of us."
The appearance of Aviva Julius clearly put Aaron Reeds at ease, which shows that she must have something special about her.
……
Dark made no attempt to hide his scrutiny of the old woman.
Suddenly, he said, "A half-demon?"
老奶
milk
His brow twitched, revealing a hint of surprise: "Very few people can tell at first glance that I am a mixed-race fairy."
In fact, most people would immediately assume she is a half-elf upon seeing her ears and face.
Compared to the ethereal and seemingly legendary goblins, the elves are clearly more numerous and widely known.
Dark smiled and said, "It's nothing, I'm just more familiar with the little fairies. How about this, since there are two of you, I'll ask you two questions, shall I?"
“It doesn’t matter how many there are,” Aviva Julius said confidently.
“Julius…” Aaron Reeds quickly gave him a meaningful look.
But even when a woman gets older, she is still a woman.
Julius completely ignored him.
Dark couldn't help but smile knowingly; the two were quite a good match.
He said, "Then I'll begin. Do you need paper and pen to take notes?"
“No need,” Julius replied immediately.
“Alright.” Dark nodded. “Listen carefully to the first question.”
Reeds and Julius immediately focused their attention to listen.
The surrounding noise subsided, and the people on the second floor of the tavern had already noticed the dispute and many were secretly eavesdropping.
Some busybodies even took out paper and pen, ready to write down the questions raised by the noble young master.
Darke's gaze shifted, and he said, "Suppose n is an integer, and x, y, and z are all positive integers. Let the product of n x's be denoted as x^n. Then, when n>2, can z^n be divided into the sum of x^n and y^n? If so, how do you prove it? If not, how do you prove it?"
"Wait, what is x to the nth power?" Julius asked quickly.
Dark slowly said, "This involves a definition of exponentiation..."
……
[This is a combined 4000+ word article; next update tonight.]