Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

On the ocean's surface, a bronze-hued, illusory door etched with mysterious patterns swung open, emitting an indescribable scent. Dense black mist surged forth, resembling countless outreaching hands, dragging anything within reach towards the portal.

On the flagship of the King of Immortality's Fourth Fleet, Blade of the King, the fleet commander, Gravina, who bore the title Gray Giant, frowned deeply as he witnessed this.

Gravina, over 2.1 meters tall with a sickly gray complexion, looked almost cadaverous at first glance.

Though only in his thirties, Gravina was already bald, so he wore a blue and white naval officer's hat to disguise it.

"Admiral, Giant Claw and Sharp Fang report they've activated steam power but still can't break free from the mysterious pull," a pirate relayed.

Gravina, once part of Feysac's formal navy, kept the naval title Admiral out of habit.

"This force is likely achieved through ritualistic magic…" Gravina observed the door intently and ordered the messenger,

"Have Chester and Angelo prepare for battle. All cannons are to be calibrated for when we're within range of the 'black mist.' Once dragged close enough, commence bombardment of nearby reefs and islands to neutralize the spell's effect.

"I'll go assess that caped interloper's abilities."

With this, Gray Giant Gravina steered Blade of the King forward, momentarily abandoning its resistance against the pulling force to quickly close the distance. Halting a short distance later, he stood at the bow, looking up at the floating figure as he shouted, "This is the fleet of the King of Immortality! Who are you, and why do you block our path? Are you aware this opposes the will of the deathless sovereign?"

Ebner was pleased to see the opponent draw near and lowered his altitude slightly, crossing his arms over his chest to conceal the puppet's visible eyes, and responded with a smile, "Admiral Gravina, I am here to negotiate."

As he spoke, he recalled the information given to him by the Admiral of Iceberg, Edwina:

"Gray Giant Gravina is a Sequence 6 Dawn Paladin.

"Longtime master of Blade of the King, a ghost ship, he has suffered severe backlash, gradually turning into an undead.

"Once a sailor in Feysac's middle-sea fleet, he killed a comrade in pursuit of a major potion ingredient and was forced to flee, joining the King of Immortality's ranks."

In addition to this Dawn Paladin, two other steam-powered warship captains held Sequence 7 ranks: Pyromancer Angelo and Beyonder Seafarer (Storm Priest) Chester.

Then, there were nearly ten Sequence 8 and 9 elite officers and a variety of mysterious, functionally ambiguous items.

This array of power was formidable; in a direct confrontation, even with advantages, Ebner knew it would be challenging to secure a lasting delay against them.

In this world, low-Sequence Beyonders with coordinated tactics and proper weaponry can genuinely threaten mid-Sequence Beyonders. The case in Tingen, where the Inquisition squad had inferior resources but still forced a potent foe like Ince Zangwill to resort to schemes instead of force, serves as a prime example.

Back on topic, Gray Giant Gravina, perplexed by the response, missing the reference to the Roselle-era "heroic series," asked bluntly,

"What do you propose?"

With a slight smile, Ebner replied, "I request that you halt here peacefully for thirty minutes. Once the time is up, you will be free to pass… how about it?"

Half an hour—that was the predetermined delay time he and the Admiral of Iceberg, Edwina, had agreed upon.

A halt? So, does he mean to delay me from reaching the King's designated zone on time? This "caped man" must be allied with Admiral of Ailment Mariya, perhaps of the Church of Earth Mother?

The idea triggered numerous thoughts in Gravina's mind, and his expression darkened as he asked coldly, "Do you mock me?"

"Not at all," Ebner replied with a grin, shaking his head as he took out a slip of hard paper from his pocket, tossing it down to Gravina and adding, "If you'd be willing to accommodate, I have equivalent payment prepared… consider this a gesture of my sincerity."

Gravina, cautious, did not catch the card but let it fall to the deck, examining it by unknown means before picking it up to read the Hermetic script on its surface.

Glancing surreptitiously at his other two ships nearing completion of their cannon adjustments, Gravina deliberately stalled, asking again, "What is this?"

"This is a withdrawal code for an anonymous account at Backlund Bank. The account holds 1,000 gold pounds… As I said, I am sincere." With narrowed eyes, Ebner asked, "Now then, Admiral Gravina, what's your answer?"

"I must decline!" Noticing the ships nearing position, Gravina tore the card in half after mentally recording the code.

Then, preparing to issue orders for the ships to fire on the surrounding islets and reefs, breaking the ritual's influence while using Blade of the King to confront the "caped man," he began to speak.

But before Gravina could utter a word, he heard a voice echo from afar:

"I…"

It felt as though he were bound tightly, every joint locked in place. His thoughts dulled, and his actions turned sluggish.

At that moment, the caped man's voice reached his ears as if from a great distance: "Wro…ng… ans…wer…"

He struggled to turn his eyes and saw the man take a wooden puppet head with solid black eyes from his left breast pocket, appearing next to him almost instantaneously.

Indeed, Ebner had expected Gravina to stall, so rather than stopping him, he chose to play along… allowing him the time to gradually seize control over Gravina's spirit string using the Marionette given to him by Intis Ambassador Bakerand.

While flawed and unable to convert the target into a full puppet, the item could induce cognitive sluggishness, body rigidity, and movement delays once a basic grasp of their spirit string was achieved.

And that was enough!

Yet, as Ebner neared Gravina, Blade of the King suddenly lurched, seemingly of its own volition, breaking his concentration on the spirit strings, and allowing Gravina to regain bodily control.

But Ebner anticipated this ghost ship intervention. Considering how Gravina was nearly fused with the vessel, they undoubtedly shared a mutual understanding!

Without giving his opponent a chance to react, Ebner summoned power from the Omnipotent Heart, emulating the strength and speed of a Zombie. Wielding the Sword of Dawn, he brought it down in a decisive strike.

Blade of the King retaliated by calling forth skeletons and specters to intercept Ebner, trying to slow his attack.

However, Ebner, foreseeing this, released Brilliant Flame from his Ring of Light to block them, his Sword of Dawn cleansing the few that passed through.

Amid the chaos, Gravina seized an opportunity to counter Ebner's strike, his fear and anger granting him a ruthless resolve. He conjured a sword of "dawn" brilliance, aiming to bisect Ebner at the waist.

But the "caped man" did not pause; he allowed the blow to land, his brilliant sword descending to decapitate Gravina.

Unsurprisingly, Gravina's head and body fell to the deck in two clean halves.

Staring at the damage to his blue jacket, Ebner evaded further attacks from Blade of the King, muttering,

"Why? Because after accepting my 'bribe,' your attack lost its force… my skin withstood yours, enhanced with Zombie, 'Dragon Scales,' and 'Illusory Scales'…

"Thus, Gravina… rest in peace."