Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

Right now, he wasn't even a Sequence 9 Beyonder, so it was best not to provoke them lightly.

Perhaps when he became a Sequence 9, the Hall of the Stars would undergo new changes.

Hmm, best to log off and sleep for now.

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The Sonia Sea—its vast waters mirrored the blue of the sky as a large ship slowly sailed toward the distant horizon where sea and sky met.

If any pirate fleet passed by here, they would definitely choose to avoid it from afar.

Because this ship was The Dawn, under the command of the mysterious 'Queen Mystic'!

Inside a room on the top floor, a uniquely shaped lamp glowed with a dim yellow light, flickering continuously.

"You're acting strange today."

Bernadette's expression was grave as she spoke, while simultaneously reinforcing the seal to prevent any mishaps.

"Heh, I don't need to explain anything to you—unless you're willing to make a wish for it."

"You know that's impossible."

"Then there's nothing more to say."

As the lamp spirit's voice faded, the Magic Wishing Lamp returned to its usual calm.

Inside the Magic Wishing Lamp, the lamp spirit or more precisely the Son of Chaos was reflecting on what had just occurred.

It could sense that a mysterious entity had just peered through the seal at it—as if, should that being choose to help, it could free the lamp spirit from its confinement and restore its freedom.

Faced with such a temptation, the Son of Chaos naturally wouldn't sit idly by waiting for the other to decide. But as it traced the gaze back to its source, it found a vast starry sky blocking its path—preventing it from advancing even a step further.

In that brief contact, it vaguely sensed a kind of suppression—one of a higher order of rules and law!

This was impossible!

It was supposed to be the master of order and law. Even if the ranks of the Three Pillars were higher, they shouldn't be able to suppress it in matters of order and law!

Could it be someone was replacing it?

The Son of Chaos began to panic. If its guess was correct, this would be far more terrifying than simply being sealed inside the Magic Wishing Lamp.

Replacement. Devouring. It would be nearly impossible to reclaim its dual pathways and Sefirot!

Even the part of itself that lay beyond the stars would face a calamity!

"Damn that Mysteries! If not for Him, how would I have ended up in such a helpless state?!"

"No—I must find a way to break this seal and regain my freedom!"

"If necessary, I can use Bernadette and offer her a wish with no negative consequences."

The Son of Chaos descended into grumbling contemplation.

...

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

On the bedside table, a mechanical bird made from various clockwork parts chimed the time right on schedule.

"That was a truly satisfying nap."

Hastur was woken by the sound of the clockwork bird, turned over, and lay on his back atop the blanket. He stretched lazily, arms above his head.

Having fallen asleep around ten in the morning and sleeping straight through to three in the afternoon—five full hours—his fatigue was completely gone, and he felt especially clear-headed.

Thinking of the starry hall in his dream, the corners of Hastur's lips lifted slightly. At last, he had a trump card of his own—giving him more confidence to face this perilous world.

After lazing in bed for another ten minutes, Hastur finally got up, folded his blanket, left the room, and stood before the mirror to smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes and tidy up his appearance.

White shirt, black vest, black trousers—his tall frame and straight back gave him an energetic look.

As a nobleman, even in decline, the essential attire was still a must.

Hastur walked into the adjacent dressing room, put on a dark-colored coat, chose a top hat, tied a cravat, and then selected a silver-plated ebony cane from over a dozen options.

The cane's handle was made of pure silver, decorated with intricate and elegant carvings. The wood's tone was calm and stately, exuding refined elegance.

Compared to the flashy gold-inlaid canes and the noble gem-studded ones, this cane better matched his taste.

Low-key yet luxurious—that was the type favored by most Loen Kingdom nobles.

A pocket watch, capable of keeping track of the passage of time at all moments, was also an essential item when going out. Hastur opened a drawer filled with all kinds of pocket watches—around twelve or thirteen in total.

Some were gold-plated, some inlaid with gems, some entirely made of pure gold luxury editions.

Most were round or oval in shape, adorned with finely embroidered patterns that gave them a grand and elegant look.

Every pocket watch here could be considered a small work of art.

Hastur paused for a moment, then opened another drawer beside it—also filled with dazzling varieties of pocket watches.

There were a total of five drawers full of pocket watches.

At this, he fell into deep silence.

Alright, he admitted he had severely misunderstood the term "fallen noble."

No matter how fallen one might be, these various collectibles could still fetch a large sum of money.

It seemed the original owner was a pocket watch enthusiast. Even with no money left, he had never considered selling off his collection.

Risking not being dazzled, Hastur finally chose a relatively ordinary pocket watch—mainly silver, with a rim of golden threads, and a matching silver chain.

Once everything was ready, Hastur hesitated to leave the house.

If the house didn't contain these collections, he wouldn't care—but now, with all the servants dismissed and no one at home…

If a petty thief sneaked in, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Ah, the pain of bearing treasures—what a torment it is.

It's not a good time to hire a housekeeper or servants, so he could only hope that the door lock was sturdy enough and the security in the area was good.

Locking the door and taking a bunch of keys, Hastur stepped out and walked onto the street.

The gloomy weather was very characteristic of Backlund.

He currently had no money on him and could only choose to walk to Backlund University, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the surrounding roads.

There was still quite a distance from the West District to Backlund University; taking a carriage or a steam train would be a better option.

But with a tight budget, he could only choose to walk.

On the way, some nobles living nearby frequently cast curious glances at him.

After all, the story of the original owner dismissing all the household servants had already spread throughout the neighborhood.

But no one came forward to mock or ridicule him—only a bit of pity could be seen in their eyes.

Voltaire Campbell's outrageous deeds were no secret among the nobles of Loen. Many used them as cautionary tales for their children and held themselves to high standards, fearing they might become the next prodigal.

From this perspective, Voltaire Campbell had made a certain contribution to the Loen aristocracy.

Hastur felt helpless inside but remained calm and composed on the surface. When encountering familiar nobles, he even took the initiative to greet them.

After walking for over two hours, he finally arrived at Backlund University.

As a baron, Hastur was warmly received by the university. Once they understood his intent, they quickly arranged the appropriate study courses for him.

The legal studies class allowed attendance every day, and the latest classes ran until 9 p.m. Hastur requested a flexible schedule so he could manage his own study time, and this was granted.

It was essentially like hiring a private tutor, with slightly higher tuition.

As for when to pay the fees, the university was in no rush. They had full confidence that a baron could afford such a modest tuition fee, even if his household had fallen into hard times.

This made Hastur quite satisfied.

After resolving this matter, the sky had already begun to darken.

Hastur didn't go straight home but instead headed to the residence of a noble he was on decent terms with.

Viscount Glaint.

The original owner had met Viscount Glaint during his pursuit of occult knowledge. They had interacted no fewer than seven or eight times and had a fairly good relationship.

Of course, it was only fairly good. If it weren't for the fact that Glaint could provide access to people like Audrey, Xio, and Fors, Hastur would've preferred to visit another noble friend with whom he had a closer bond.

When he saw Hastur visiting, Glaint's eyes lit up slightly, and he greeted him warmly with a hug.

He was one of the few people who knew that Hastur was planning to perform a resurrection ritual.

If Hastur hadn't come to see him, Glaint would've found an excuse to visit his home in a few days anyway.

"My friend, you look more spirited than ever."

"Mm, it's all thanks to the ritual and the goddess's blessing."

Hastur wasn't lying. If not for that resurrection ritual, he likely wouldn't have come to this world.

Glaint's eyes burned even more with excitement. He pulled Hastur into a private room, and after they sat down, he eagerly asked about the details of the resurrection ritual.

Hastur didn't hide anything, directly telling him the ritual had failed and describing the process in detail—he just left out the part about replacing the original owner.

After listening, Glaint said regretfully, "If only we could truly witness the miracle of returning from the dead—how amazing that would be."

"No, that absolutely wouldn't be a good thing," Hastur thought silently.

Beings that could truly return from the dead were all extremely powerful. If someone like Glaint, a normal person, were to witness it directly, he would probably go insane and die.

With a smile, Hastur said, "Pursuing such miracles is exactly why we seek the occult."

"That's true."

After some small talk, Hastur finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

To borrow money.

He currently needed a sum of liquid cash to buy the Lawyer potion formula and the necessary mystical materials.

Until he found a new way to make money, he also needed funds to cover his daily living expenses.

Glaint was quite generous about this. Hastur originally planned to borrow 1,000 pounds for emergencies, but Glaint waved his hand and lent him 2,000 pounds.

The only condition was that if Hastur made any new discoveries in the field of the occult, he must try to share them.

Naturally, Hastur had no reason to refuse this request.

The two then discussed some occult knowledge. This time, Hastur selectively shared some basic mystical knowledge with him.

This made Glaint listen with great interest and feel that his generous loan was a worthy investment.

As the conversation went on, the sky outside had grown completely dark. Glaint, engrossed in the talk, naturally insisted on having Hastur stay for dinner.

It was far better than Hastur going home alone to chew on oat bread.

After dinner, Glaint chatted with Hastur a bit more.

Hastur thought for a moment and steered the conversation toward the manuscripts left behind by Emperor Roselle.