Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Hearing her mother's words, Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy turned her gaze toward a patch of dim, blurred mist—representing, in the real world, a mirror.

Though she did not yet possess the ability to traverse the "Mirror World," being accompanied by Demoness of Unaging Katarina allowed her to barely sense what was happening in reality through the "mirror's surface."

But at that moment, she felt an overwhelming pull—an irresistible suction force—dragging her toward a manifested mirror.

Fortunately, Katarina swiftly used "spider silk" to bind her, preventing Tracy from being dragged out of the Mirror World and into reality.

"This Loen military outpost has set up surveillance against the 'Mirror World.' It seems they were prepared to guard against us... No, perhaps they're actually guarding against the Rose School of Thought. After all, 'Wraiths' are also adept at traveling through mirrors."

Pulling her daughter back to her side, Katarina remarked thoughtfully, "I think I've figured out what they transported to the Southern Continent."

Tracy, realizing her earlier attempt to peek had been reckless, glanced at her mother's beautiful profile. Feeling uneasy, she asked, "Could what I just did have alerted them to something unusual?"

"They did notice… but it seems Test really isn't here. Otherwise, by now, he would've 'sealed' the entire base." Katarina smiled as she spoke. "The people in the base will likely assume it's the Rose School probing again. They won't think of us."

"You seem very familiar with that military demigod named 'Test'?" Tracy asked instinctively.

"Of course I'm familiar… I think you can guess why." Katarina shot her daughter a sidelong glance, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

I shouldn't have asked… That was a mistake… Tracy regretted her question immediately, awkwardly shifting the subject. "So, are we still investigating today? You said this place might be bait."

"Logically speaking, with Test absent, no one in this base should be able to stop me... But my intuition tells me that stepping out of the 'Mirror World' would lead to significant danger… Hmm, this place might indeed be a carefully prepared trap. Yet Test's departure has exposed a flaw in the trap… After all, how can an important outpost not have a demigod stationed?"

Katarina's lips curved slightly as she turned to wink at her daughter:

"They've likely transported that item to the Southern Continent in a way no one would expect. Whether it's you, that warship still en route to Gulain, or Test's 'teleportation,' it's all probably just bait to divert attention.

"That item has likely already reached the Southern Continent…

"Now, the situation seems similar. The military and royal demigods appear to be guarding separate teams, making it hard for their enemies to determine where the real item is… or where it's being transported. But in truth, that item might already be traveling with a smaller, unnoticed group."

Listening to her mother's analysis, Tracy nodded thoughtfully before her expression turned somewhat strange.

"Mother, your logic is all over the place… Your grammar is worse than mine, and I'm a pirate… How did you ever manage to charm all those men with such a sloppy way of speaking?"

The 1,000-year-old Demoness of Unaging, Katarina Pelle, whose "grammar is still a mess," showed no anger at her daughter's jab. She looked at Tracy, her eyes sparkling as she chuckled softly:

"Men don't care what I say; they only care if my tone is gentle.

"It seems you've been spending too much time around that 'Hunter' lady—you've even started talking like her."

As she finished speaking, Katarina paused and glanced at her daughter, who had begun displaying an expression of "bliss" the moment she heard herself being compared to Helene. Katarina then demonstrated in her melodious, song-like voice:

"To my knowledge, Helene is currently personally taking care of that gentleman I mentioned earlier."

Tracy's expression immediately twisted in irritation, and she blurted out, "Since you've already figured out so much, this investigation should be over now, right? Can you finally tell me where Helene is?"

Katarina's ocean-blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she shook her head and replied, "No way… Considering your little 'provocation,' I've decided to wait until I uncover what exactly the military intends to do with that item before I consider whether to tell you. Until then, you'll remain by my side."

To endure "pain" at all times!

Tracy angrily stomped her foot but ultimately had no choice but to accept her mother's arrangement. She was fully aware that while there was only a one-sequence gap between Sequence 5 and Sequence 4, the difference was fundamental. Relying on tactics or clever maneuvers was no longer enough to bridge the gap. A Sequence 5 individual was essentially an extraordinary human, while a Sequence 4 had stepped into the domain of demigods, becoming a divine entity or mythical being.

Moreover, her mother was a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging—to her, Tracy was little more than a low-sequence practitioner. What could she do but obey?

"Very good. I'm giving you a task: try to get close to the colonel from Military Intelligence 9 who took your ship to the Southern Continent and extract some information from him… He appears to have a strong sense of confidentiality, but you've already sparked his interest during the journey. Yet, amusingly, he hasn't been able to gain any advantage over you… Leverage that, and it won't be too hard to make him talk."

Katarina conveyed her "wisdom" in the most saintly and graceful manner to her daughter.

"You… You want me to seduce him?" Tracy protested, her face full of resistance.

Katarina glanced at her child once more, her gaze meaningful as she said:

"Do you still remember the words I told you before?

'We all must approach the Original.'

'We are all His children.'"

As her words fell, a dim and illusory path materialized in front of the Demoness of Unaging. It connected to similar objects in the surrounding area, forming a complex and mysterious "web" that intertwined into a world different from reality—an uncanny and strange realm.

Katarina grabbed Tracy's hand and swiftly traversed this "Mirror World," heading toward a full-length mirror aboard the Black Death.

....

In the basement wine cellar of the Wall family in Gulain City, Ebner had just finished setting up the "altar" when he received the "payment" sent by the Hero Bandit Black Emperor.

It was a Sequence 7 Interrogator pathway characteristic.

"An Interrogator characteristic? That must have been what Klein obtained during the battle against Capim, right? Thanks to my butterfly effect, has Mr. Fool become this generous now?"

Of course, it could also be that no one in the Tarot Club needed it, and selling it in Backlund would be too conspicuous, making it hard to liquidate… Or maybe Mr. Fool gained something significant at the Aurora Order's stronghold?

As Ebner fiddled with the characteristic while letting his thoughts wander, his spirituality suddenly underwent a noticeable shift. The digestion progress of his potion advanced significantly.

"This… Is this feedback from Klein or the Aurora Order stronghold? The effect is this substantial? Is it because I helped resolve a high-level issue or a long-standing problem that had stumped countless others?

"Perhaps… it's both… Hmm, I should add another principle to the Polymath's guidelines: the more difficult the problem, the higher the level, and the more people it has confounded, the better the feedback I'll receive upon solving it…"

The involvement of the "True Creator" and the "Fool" must have made this feedback so abundant.

"Looks like I'll need to be even more selective in choosing the problems I address going forward.

"At the current pace, I estimate that with the revised guidelines and proper role-playing for just another month, I'll fully digest the Polymath potion. That's faster than I anticipated…

"If all goes well, Helene will likely be 'out of a job' before the New Year."

Having summarized his thoughts, Ebner decided to get a good night's sleep. When morning came, he would head to the harbor outside the city to wait for Xio's warship to arrive and see if he could meet with her.

—Earlier, after passing Mr. Fool's advance payment—the Arbiter characteristic—to Xio, he had briefly communicated with her through the Gray Fog Comm and learned that she would arrive in Gulain City on Tuesday.

(End of Chapter)