Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

On Thursday morning, Ebner, feeling restless after a sleepless night, left home early.

He had just arrived at the subway station when he heard the voice of a newsboy shouting nearby:

"Extra! Extra! Another shocking case in Cherwood Borough! The Grant Clothing Store is awash with blood! The Sivellaus Yard is at a loss!"

"Grant Clothing Store? No way!" Ebner's heart sank with a terrible premonition. He quickly flagged down the newsboy and bought a copy of the Backlund Morning Post.

Flipping hurriedly through the pages, he found the headline: Brutal Assault on Grant Clothing Store—Mrs. Grant Killed, Mr. Grant and His Daughter Missing, Presumed Kidnapped by Perpetrators.

"Jane's in trouble after all!" Ebner took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he read further. The timing of the attack on the Grant family lined up precisely with the demigod power surge he sensed last night.

"It's in roughly the same location... Damn it, what on earth happened to drag her family into something involving a demigod?" The thought that the lively, straightforward girl might already have met a tragic fate weighed heavily on Ebner's heart.

"Could it be that Mr. Grant was discovered by the authorities? Or perhaps he attracted trouble while working as a corpse collector?" After a few moments of conjecture, Ebner realized he was getting nowhere—he was too agitated to think clearly.

After calming himself through meditation, Ebner decided to visit the Grant store. With the Pure White Eye, he essentially had half of a "Detective's" abilities, and a "Detective" was just another name for a "Knowledge Keeper."

"Moreover, finding clues and solving mysteries are essential steps in the 'Student of Ratiocination' Acting Method."

...

In the underground sanctum of St. Wind Cathedral, the clearly exhausted Mandated Punisher squad captain asked, "Is it confirmed that the Grant Clothing Store was a battleground between the Rose School's Temperance and Indulgence factions?"

"Yes, Captain. They fled in a rush and left behind too many 'traces' to clean up. However, certain areas are beyond the reach of our Seer's 'scene reconstruction' due to the interference of high-ranking powers," a squad member replied, proceeding to describe the scenes they had managed to review.

"What can't be reconstructed?" the captain asked after listening intently.

"After Mr. Grant summoned a high-ranking power, we couldn't reconstruct any of the scenes. We have no information about the power's source or how they ultimately escaped."

The captain pondered this for a moment before replying, "According to 'Divine Singer' Snake, that power should originate from 'Death'… but don't read too much into it. It most likely involves a high-ranking Death pathway Beyonder."

Seeing his men nod in understanding, he continued, "You now have three tasks. First, track down the Rose School's Indulgence faction. The scene reconstruction indicated that the werewolf's condition is likely unstable; he may have trouble controlling his murderous impulses. Focus on that lead. Second, find Mr. Grant and his daughter. Especially Mr. Grant; he wouldn't have become a Beyonder on his own and even owns several Beyonder items. Investigate his close contacts and follow each lead. Third, look up detailed information on the 'Scarlet Lunar Corona' in the cathedral's records. We need to be prepared in case we encounter it again."

"Yes, Captain."

...

Ebner arrived at the Grant Clothing Store just before eight. The police had cordoned off the entrance, and a crowd had gathered outside, including reporters, neighbors, rubberneckers, and concerned friends like Ebner who had come to check on Jane's well-being.

In the crowd, a medium-height girl with freckles spotted Ebner and waved him over. "Ebner, you're here too?!"

Her exclamation drew the attention of two other people near her, a young man and a young woman.

Seeing that Jane's other friends were here, Ebner relaxed a little, knowing he wouldn't stand out. He nodded in greeting and said, "Susan, Roman, Caster, it's been a while! I read about what happened to Jane in the paper this morning and came to see if she's alright."

The three youths were all his former classmates, and the freckled girl, Susan, had once even loaned him money for rent. When Ebner's financial situation improved after selling his formula, he repaid her during a visit to the academy to finalize his graduation.

"We heard the same. Apparently, Jane's been kidnapped. Let's hope she's okay," Susan replied, concern evident on all their faces.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ebner quietly activated the Pure White Eye, focusing on the damaged door and whatever details he could glimpse inside. The scene reconstruction wasn't a miraculous ability; it required traces and clues to accurately recreate what had happened.

At that moment, he noticed a policeman discreetly slip a melted copper shard into his pocket as he cleared away debris inside. The officer's actions were subtle, but they didn't escape Ebner's sharp gaze with the Pure White Eye.

"Is that… my brass charm?" Although the copper shard was deformed, Ebner's intuition told him it was one of his creations. The remaining spiritual imprints were enough to complete the conditions necessary for his scene reconstruction.

Without hesitation, Ebner activated the scene reconstruction in Pure White Eye mode. He saw Mr. Grant crash into a clothes rack as he was flung back.

He watched as Mr. Grant turned to race back to the corridor, activating the brass charm.

He saw the moment Mr. Grant and Jane were chased to the doorway by a black-furred monster.

He watched as Mr. Grant, his expression conflicted, blew into a whistle, summoning a dense black mist.

He saw Mr. Grant's death and a wraith-like woman in a black dress with a small hat emerging from a shattered mirror to rescue Jane.

Finally, he witnessed an elderly man with silver eyes and a black robe embroidered with Storm symbols descend from the sky and retrieve the whistle from where it had fallen.

As the vision faded, Ebner turned off the Pure White Eye and removed his glasses, massaging his aching temples until his head cleared.

"Ebner, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?" the freckled girl Susan asked, noticing his discomfort.

"No, I'm just worried about Jane… I feel useless, unable to help at all!" Ebner's words were only half true. He had deduced that Jane's family had fallen victim to a conflict between the Rose School's Temperance and Indulgence factions. Though Sharron had ultimately saved Jane, the sense of helplessness gnawed at him.

Despite his newfound abilities, despite his mastery of combat techniques, he was still powerless to intervene in battles involving mid-sequence Beyonders.

"If I had the kind of strength that made even someone like Sharron take notice, they might have contacted me for help before their operation, considering Kaspars and I are on good terms… With my involvement, maybe I could have prevented her family's tragedy…"

"Ebner, this isn't your fault! We know you like Jane, but right now, it's more important to hope she's safe and that the police find her soon. Don't be so hard on yourself!" Susan tried to console him kindly.

I do care for Jane, but it's not romantic. I like her bright smile, her cheerful and genuine nature. She's the kind of person whose presence makes others feel at ease… I just don't know if I'll ever see her smile again…

Ebner sighed, exchanging a few more words with his friends before preparing to leave. Just then, he caught sight of a familiar carriage turning the corner. After a moment's thought, he remembered it belonged to Mr. Bryan, whom Mr. Grant respected deeply.

The carriage didn't stop, merely circling the entrance to the Grant Clothing Store before heading north.

...

Upon returning to his teacher's residence, Detective Isengard looked at his visibly troubled student and offered him a few reassuring words. "Don't worry too much. Since she was taken, there's a good chance she'll be kept safe for a while."

"You knew?" Ebner asked, surprised. His teacher hadn't left the house today, as far as he knew.

"I have my sources," Detective Isengard replied, puffing on his pipe. In truth, he had remained home to avoid the Windstorm Church's extensive inquisition, knowing they'd be thorough after the demigod's power eruption the previous night.

Ebner nodded, then looked at his teacher, steeling himself. "Teacher, I would like to request permission to borrow '2-081' for a short time each day… I'd use it here and would never take it out."

"2-081" was Detective Isengard's prized Sealed Artifact: a dazzling ring with a gem resembling a human eye encircled by diamonds. This item originated from a Sequence 6 failure in the Reader pathway. It granted profound insight, the ability to recognize even an enemy's abilities, comprehend their strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes mimic them.

Ebner's intent was clear. He wanted to leverage the Pure White Eye to analyze the formula for Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 in the Reader pathway.

He hadn't initially planned on making this request so soon, intending to wait for the right opportunity. But Jane's predicament had driven home the brutal truth: the world wouldn't wait for him to be ready. Despite his best efforts, even someone as resourceful as Mr. Grant had only managed to save his daughter, and that, too, had depended on others' mercy.

Only by growing stronger could he protect himself and his friends.