Mystery: The Ultimate Tarot

Chapter 12 The Godfather of Cat Petting

In front of the secret altar of the Jizhou branch of the "Dark Lodge" on the western continent.

Leader Chen Qingzhi reported in detail to the patriarch "Mysterious Sound Demon Lord" about the process of summoning "Otherworldly Demon Lord" Raphael.

However, Chen Qingzhi did not know the name of this "Demon Lord", nor did he know that the other party was actually just an extraordinary person at the Sequence 8 level.

When a wisp of divine consciousness attached itself to the "Mysterious Sound Demon Lord" on the jade tablet, after hearing the "Otherworldly Demon Lord's" method for maintaining his state, he murmured to himself, "My own behavior is leaning towards 'blood'..."

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, "I understand!"

He had been suppressing his craving for blood and bodily fluids, believing that such cravings were a mental demon in cultivation that he had to control.

But this "otherworldly demon lord" seems to mean that there is no need to suppress this desire indefinitely, and that one should have appropriate contact with blood.

Although he hadn't tried it yet, as a mid-stage cultivator in the "Refining Void Realm," which is equivalent to a Sequence 2 level being, his powerful spirituality had already made him realize that this method would definitely be effective.

After hearing the patriarch's seemingly enlightened words, the leader Chen Qingzhi sighed inwardly: I didn't understand the mystery. It was indeed because my cultivation level was not high enough. Only cultivators at the "Refining Void Realm" could immediately understand this seemingly simple but profound method.

The "Mysterious Sound Demon Lord" attached to the jade tablet asked again, "Where is the 'Otherworldly Demon Lord' now?"

Chen Qingzhi respectfully replied, "The body that was 'soul-snatched' could not withstand the demon lord's consciousness for too long, so the connection has been severed."

"I have had magic power re-infused into that body, and when the time is right, I will summon that 'Demon Lord' again."

"Mysterious Sound Demon Lord" hummed in agreement, then said, "When you summon again, ask if there is a better cultivation method for devouring 'inner cores' in another world."

About two or three hundred years ago, he vaguely sensed that there was room for improvement in the cultivation methods of the "Blood Sect".

"Mysterious Sound Demon Lord" therefore went into seclusion several times, but failed to find a direction for improvement.

Among the other sects, the Blood Sect members at the "Refining Void Realm" level are mostly irrational monsters, which the Qi Sect does not value and cannot rely on at all.

Perhaps there are better cultivation methods in another world.

Chen Qingzhi respectfully replied, "Yes, sir."

……

North Continent, Backlund Bridge District.

The Mafia's headquarters was in a spacious shop on Calvin Street, with no sign at the entrance, only two black gloves hanging there.

Audrey, with her large beard plastered all over her head, stepped off the carriage and looked around the shop with some curiosity.

The shop has three rooms in total. The outermost room is the largest, with sofas and many tables and chairs. Many members of the Mafia are already smoking and chatting here.

Upon seeing Raphael enter, they all stood up almost simultaneously, addressing him as "boss" or "leader."

Then their gazes fell on the big beard on the back of the boss's face, and they were surprised to find the beard somewhat stunning. Then, a few of them seemed to understand something: no wonder the boss didn't like streetwalkers, so he liked this kind.

Raphael waved casually and went into an inner room.

The room was probably set up as a study, with two rows of bookshelves, but they were filled with weapons and firearms, as well as cigarette cases, a few bottles of wine, a skull and other odds and ends, but not a single book.

In addition, there was a cat house in the room, where a yellow-orange cat lazily came out and meowed at Raphael.

Raphael was sitting behind his desk, about to discuss the ransom with Audrey, when a subordinate suddenly came in to report: "Boss, the grain merchant Duke wants your help."

Duke had actually come an hour earlier, and after learning that Mr. Raphael had not yet arrived at the shop, he had been lingering outside.

Duke saw Raphael enter the room from afar, so he quickly went to ask for help.

Raphael nodded slightly and said to his subordinate, "Let him in."

Since we need to pretend that everything is normal, we should receive these people who come to us for help as usual.

As he spoke, Raphael beckoned to the orange cat, who yawned, quickly walked over, and jumped onto Raphael's lap.

The time traveler, who called himself the Godfather, chuckled with a touch of wicked amusement as he petted the orange tabby cat and listened to its purring.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a mustache and dressed in a respectable suit appeared somewhat awkwardly at the door, holding a bowler hat in both hands.

He was somewhat nervous at this moment, after all, this was the headquarters of a gang.

Raphael pointed to the seat opposite the desk: "Sit down."

"Yes, yes, yes." The grain merchant named Duke took two quick steps and sat down on the stool.

Carter stood to the side, arms crossed, coldly watching the middle-aged man who had asked for help.

Audrey, however, was curious as to why a grain merchant would ask a gang leader for help.

She observed quietly, trying to see how the Backlund gang operated.

Raphael Collins, while petting the cat, asked, "I heard from my subordinates that you're hoping for my help?"

"Yes, Your Excellency Collins." Duke gripped his hat, took a deep breath to calm himself, and said, "I've always thought that Rune is a country with a good reputation, where people generally have a strong sense of contract and will compete fairly and justly if there are any disagreements in business."

"But all these wonderful expectations were shattered two months ago."

"In recent years, I have had a competitor named Holm. As I said before, I have always competed with him in a fair and just manner, but he has been using some despicable means."

"Not long ago, a business partner named Logan suddenly approached me with an exciting idea for cooperation, and I invested £1200 in one go!"

"But soon, my grain company came across a big deal that required a large sum of money, so I approached Logan hoping to terminate that investment."

"It was only then that I learned that the previous investment had been frozen for a stupid reason! This made me watch helplessly as Holm snatched that big deal away."

At this point, Duke had lost his initial restraint: "Even the dumbest person could tell that there was something wrong with that investment."

"I asked a friend to investigate, and sure enough, I found that Logan and Holm had premeditated the crime. So, like every law-abiding citizen of Loen, I took Logan and Holm to court, but I lost the case due to insufficient evidence..."

Audrey, who had been observing intently, frowned. This was the first time she had encountered a situation like this. There were lies in the grain merchant's words, but she was unsure exactly where he had lied.

Finally, Duke said, "I stood in court like a fool, and when I came to my senses, I said to my secretary: Only Mr. Collins can bring us justice."