Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

After the discussions about Bayam and Symeem Island concluded among "The Hanged Man," "The World," "The Tower," and "Miss Judgment," "The Moon" Emlyn hesitated before briefly recounting his recent experiences over the past month. He then inquired:

"Does anyone know how a puppet could lift its own seal and leave on its own?"

Upon hearing this, the imaginative "Magician" Fors immediately conjured up a series of eerie, fantastical scenarios and asked with interest, "Did you treat your puppets poorly, making them want to escape?"

"Absolutely not!" Emlyn's voice rose noticeably as he reflexively retorted, "I treat every single one of them with the utmost care!"

Every single one... Fors seemed to connect this with something but chose not to voice her thoughts further, not wanting to agitate the already emotional "Moon."

"Possession by an evil spirit," "Temperance" Sharon stated flatly, without any change in tone. "I could do it."

"Possession by an evil spirit?" Emlyn repeated the phrase, bewildered. "Then how should I handle it?"

An evil spirit capable of silently taking his puppets must be highly ranked... Does that mean I need a Sun pathway Beyonder to perform an 'exorcism'? But what if I get exorcised along with them?

Ebner, however, had a clear idea of who was behind this. After all, during the last "rescue" of Talim, one of Emlyn's lost dolls had given him a "finger"...

After some thought, he suggested, "I think you should try praying to the Ancestor of the Sanguines."

"Bother the Ancestor over such a trivial matter?" Emlyn shook his head, finding "The Tower's" advice highly unreliable. Even if he confidently believed himself to be the "Savior of the Sanguines" chosen by the Ancestor, he wouldn't dare do such a thing.

Seated at the head of the table, Klein listened to this exchange and mused internally: For anyone else, this suggestion would indeed be inappropriate... but for "The Tower"... If he really is that person, his words might just work!

After a few seconds of consideration, Klein tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table with his fingers, then looked at "The Moon" and said lightly, "You could give it a try."

Give it a try? Could it really work? Emlyn's expression instantly became a mix of emotions—though, unfortunately, obscured by the gray fog so no one could see it.

"The Fool" personally endorsed "The Tower's" suggestion... Could those puppets be connected to something or someone terrifying? Is this some kind of understanding between "The Fool" and the Sanguine Ancestor? Alger's mind raced with speculations once more.

Ebner, meanwhile, grew even more convinced that "The Fool" was acting unusually today. How could he make such an outrageous suggestion? Isn't he worried about damaging his image? Or has the Angel of Spirits also made contact with Klein?

Amidst the atmosphere of collective "overinterpretation," the Tarot Gathering drew to a close.

As "The Fool" declared the meeting adjourned, Audrey, Ebner, Alger, and the others rose simultaneously and bowed.

Streaks of crimson light dissipated, and the ancient palace above the gray fog returned to silence, leaving only Klein seated alone in the high-backed chair belonging to "The Fool."

After a period of quiet contemplation, he materialized pen and paper to conduct a divination regarding "The Tower's" earlier "invitation."

A short while later, Klein dismissed the conjured items and murmured to himself:

"According to the divination, exploring Groselle's Travels carries some danger, but within acceptable limits...

"Yet not going might conceal even greater risks... Does this mean my fate is already intertwined with this matter?

"Roselle... or Liu Bo?"

Tapping the edge of the table absently, Klein set aside his questions for the moment and extended his spirituality to the crimson star representing his Blessed, Shoko.

"Since I promised to grant 'holy food,' I should prepare in advance...

"The Sun can still make do with Dishi pies, but the others will really test that little witch's culinary skills."

...

In a detached house in Backlund's North District.

Shoko—or rather, the "Witch" Shoko—hummed a tune as she busied herself in the kitchen.

She was experimenting with various "dark cuisine" recipes.

"Witches," according to legend, were women who used "witchcraft" to inflict illness and misfortune upon others. To properly "act" in this role, Shoko had put considerable thought into her methods.

Ultimately, she decided to create visually appealing, delicious-tasting "dark cuisine" that would cause minor but noticeable effects—such as diarrhea, acne, or hemorrhoids—to fulfill her role.

Of course, she carefully selected her "tasters" to avoid serious consequences.

Just as she was preparing a "potion soup" designed to cover a fraudulent womanizer's face in pimples—her target for the day—she suddenly froze, then knelt piously on the floor.

A minute later, she sprang to her feet excitedly, deciding to temporarily spare the scam artist and instead devote her full efforts to showcasing her skills for "The Fool."

It had been some time since she last poured her heart into cooking, ever since Ms. Lina and the Masked Man left Backlund!

After some deliberation, Shoko took tomatoes and beetroots, using the available ingredients to prepare a bowl of noodle soup, which she then "offered" to "The Fool," requesting him to bestow a name upon this labor of love.

As the gray mist before her eyes flickered and faded, Shoko's eyes brightened, and she repeated the name given by "The Fool":

"Witch's Brew Pasta."

...

In a hotel room in the eastern city of Rite, Intis.

When a steaming bowl of noodles appeared on the sacrificial altar, Fors, who had been feeling rather hungry, praised "The Fool" before digging in.

Two minutes later, she licked the bowl clean with lingering satisfaction and sighed contentedly, "As expected of 'The Fool's' holy meal—it truly brings happiness!"

Setting the bowl aside, now thoroughly warmed, Fors no longer feared the chilly weather outside. She put on her coat and stepped out, arriving shortly at a garden villa two streets away.

This was the residence of a Mr. Terren—her teacher had assigned her the task of visiting him to retrieve his belongings.

Soon, guided by a maid, Fors met the bedridden Mr. Terren in his bedroom.

"I'm Fors Wall, a student of Teacher Dorian," Fors introduced herself while handing over her teacher's handwritten letter.

"Dorian has taken on another apprentice?" Mr. Terren murmured absentmindedly at first, but as he reached for the envelope, his hand suddenly froze. His clouded eyes sharpened as he stared at Fors and demanded, "What did you say your name was?"

Startled, Fors nearly reached for the mystical item borrowed from Ebner, but she quickly realized the man meant no harm. Steadying herself, she repeated, "Fors Wall."

"So that's how it is... That's how it is..." Mr. Terren studied her intently for a moment before ignoring the letter altogether. Instead, he pointed to a small bag by the bedside and said, "I'd thought Dorian would be the one to see me off... The family items are already packed in that bag... But since it's you who came, I have something personal to give you instead..."

He chuckled weakly. "Perhaps Dorian foresaw this too when he sent you."

With his life flickering like a dying candle, Mr. Terren spoke haltingly, his words often unclear.

Still, Fors grasped the gist, though it only deepened her confusion. "Why am I different?"

"I could die any moment... no energy to explain... Remember this code... The item is in a safety deposit box at the First Bank of Trier... Do as you please with it... No need to return it to the family..."

"Grandfather Benjamin... To think I'd fulfill your request on my deathbed after all..."

Before he could finish, the long-exhausted old man fell silent forever.

As a medical student, Fors quickly confirmed Mr. Terren's death—though it wasn't entirely natural. Before her arrival, he had ingested a toxin inducing organ failure.

Just like Mr. Lawrence back then... As death approached, he must have sensed his body failing, feared losing control, becoming a monster...

To die as a human—this is a Beyonder's final dignity.

Sighing, Fors stowed both the manifested Beyonder characteristic and the small bag, though the purpose of the code still puzzled her. After assisting the maid and butler with funeral arrangements, she departed.

...

In a temporary cavern beneath Fanny's ancestral home in Tosk, where a "Teleportation Altar" had been set up, Ebner blew the copper whistle to summon Jane's messenger.

He handed a charm and a letter to the nearly four-meter-tall skeletal monster.

"Today is January 17th—Jane's birthday. She might appreciate a gift while living alone." Watching the messenger vanish, he pocketed the whistle with this thought.

Without delay, Ebner—with "Chesi" cradling the "Magic Mirror"—activated the altar. After a transfer in Backlund, they arrived in the basement of the Fragrant Estate in Bayam.

Previously, long-distance ritual teleportation required grinding for special charms in the "Dream Labyrinth Tower." But after obtaining the "Door Card," it's no longer necessary.

Using "Psychological Invisibility," Ebner slipped out unnoticed, heading toward the "Amyris Leaf Bar" for intel.

Just then, a sudden instinct made him glance skyward. The clouds had parted abruptly, revealing the suspended crimson moon.

Did the clash between the "Sea God" and "Sea King" conclude? Is "The Fool" about to loot the place?

Pity... The "Pure White Eye" has poor affinity with the spirit world, and my self-developed "spirit-body simulation" spell remains incomplete. Otherwise, I could've spectated...

Sighing, Ebner continued toward the bar with "Chesi."

...

In the underwater ruins half-merged with the spirit world, after an intense battle, Klein—wielding the "Demoness Card"—pulled out a white scepter embedded with sapphires, triggering violent currents and structural collapses.

Following spiritual intuition, he approached a throne, reached beneath collapsed pillars, and retrieved a crushed golden chalice before vanishing.

Within ten minutes, "Sea King" Jahn Kottman arrived. Using a "water screen" to replay the scene, he inhaled sharply and ordered without turning:

"Find that demoness."

...

Meanwhile, back above the gray fog, Klein fell into deep thought:

I seem to be growing less resistant to using the "Demoness Card"...

And this might actually aid my "Faceless" acting...

(End of Chapter)