Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

This Gatekeeper's "Self-Underworld" showed signs of peculiar expansion, seeming to encompass every part of his physical body, making them part of his "Self-Underworld."

And he was already close to losing control and dying, currently allowing his "small underworld" to return to the true Underworld. That's why "Elk Manor" was in this special independent space.

Fortunately, I didn't attack from the outside just now, otherwise, I might have accelerated his death, causing Hazel and her parents to be dragged into the true Underworld along with this "Self-Underworld."

Some things couldn't be seen from the outside, but being inside the Gatekeeper's "Self-Underworld," even without the Eye of Pure White, Ebner's own knowledge alone was enough to "reconstruct" a certain truth.

However, this "Self-Underworld's" anomaly certainly wasn't formed "naturally"...

As Ebner was pondering, the spirits, who dared not approach due to fear of the Flame of Light, surprisingly gathered again and desperately rushed towards the living people in the living room through the "barrier's" gaps.

Seeing this, Hazel, who had been standing by, afraid to disturb Ebner's thoughts, immediately drew the string of her short bow again, allowing streams of astonishingly hot flames to form as arrows at her fingertips.

However, before she could shoot the arrows, Ebner spread his arms first, and then a holy pillar of light, wreathed in golden flames, descended from mid-air, sweeping away all the "spirits" that had rushed into the barrier.

Hazel was stunned by the sight. It took her several seconds to dissipate the flames held between her fingers and release the bowstring.

She had always known that Detective Ebner Bryan was very strong, even capable of directly confronting Vice Admiral Hurricane... But she had never imagined he could be this powerful!

The auras emanating from the several evil spirits that had just rushed into the barrier were no weaker than Bishop Utravsky's...

But he resolved it so easily? Hazel pursed her lips, suddenly feeling that the gap between herself and him was growing ever wider.

But she immediately discarded this negative thought and pointed at the spirits re-gathering outside the barrier, saying:

"Those spirits seem endless... Ebner, what should we do?"

She was a strong-willed girl and wouldn't give up easily.

The simplest way is to pray to the Evernight Goddess. I am somewhat of a "Blessed," so logically, the Goddess wouldn't ignore me...

But to disturb the Goddess with such a minor matter that doesn't involve demigods would make me seem too useless...

As thoughts swirled, Ebner made up his mind and said calmly: "Let's leave this manor first."

Saying this, he infused his spirituality into the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, "renting" the cheapest "single room" in "Erwin's Answer Maze."

Next, to Hazel's astonishment, he moved Mr. and Mrs. Macht and the manor's butler and servants one by one into the mirror world, piling them up in the "single room."

"This 'maze' is truly greedy! Not only does 'renting a room' cost money, but entering and exiting also incurs 'tolls'... If not for the Goddess previously reimbursing the 'miracle' expenses, the daily interest on the remaining debts wouldn't even be enough to pay for it..."

After grumbling inwardly for a few moments, Ebner turned his head back to Hazel and said with a smile: "Let's go out together."

Saying this, he walked closer and took Miss Hazel's arm.

Because of the Beauty Goddess's imprint Lilith left on Ebner's forehead, his smile directly caused Hazel to freeze for a while. Then, the young lady's cheeks flushed, and she hastily tucked a strand of dark green hair, matted to her cheek with sweat, behind her ear, as if to cover up.

She then allowed Ebner to pull her arm, and under the power of a strange "card," they left the main manor building through a "door" that suddenly appeared on the wall.

—Because the "barrier" set up by the metal arm made this living room "closer" to the real world compared to the rest of the main building, they didn't need to transform into Wraiths to "open a door" and come out.

In an instant, they appeared in the courtyard of "Elk Manor."

Is this an Apprentice's ability? Hazel's dark brown eyes became even brighter, and she was about to ask a question, but just then, a fierce, chilling wind blew towards them. Her spirituality was also touched by a sense of danger, and she instinctively turned her head to look at her own main house, which seemed to have transformed into a giant door.

There, countless spirits of varying appearances extended ceaselessly towards her direction. They shrieked, laughed wildly, cried, and clamored, scrambling to grasp everything outside.

Though the house remained the same house, only appearing more eerie, in Hazel's perception, it was no different from the gates of hell!

Ebner , at this moment, gave her a strange look, his eyes conveying the meaning of "What did you take this time?"...

After all, the scene clearly indicated that this out-of-control Gatekeeper had targeted Hazel in the final moments of his life.

Hazel naturally understood the implication, but her heart was filled with confusion. After all, since joining the Earth Mother Church, she hadn't taken anything indiscriminately for a long time...

Even if she stole for the sake of "acting," it was under the Bishop's supervision.

Suddenly, she remembered something and raised her metal arm, saying: "Could it be because of 'Green Lion'?"

"Green Lion?" Ebner glanced at the arm a few times. He had only known before that it was a special "golem" made by Judy's father, a true alchemical creation with a "spirit" and life, just like his flying cloak; it wasn't a magical item in the usual sense.

He hadn't, however, investigated their origin and composition...

But now was not a good time to figure out what was so special about them, because the abnormality of "Elk Manor's" main building was gradually spreading!

Just as Hazel braced herself as if facing a formidable enemy, planning to unleash "Green Lion's" true form regardless of the consequences, Ebner stopped her. He calmly took out a card, one that sealed a Bone Dragon.

As Ebner chanted its "true name," the giant dragon once again revealed its massive form in reality. Immediately after, the two instantly merged, flying directly into the sky, and spewed a somewhat "pale" breath towards the manor's main building below.

Since the people inside the manor had been rescued, Ebnernaturally had no further concerns. No matter how much that Gatekeeper mutated, he was still just a Sequence 5, and utterly vulnerable before the power of a demigod.

What's more, the "Mind Breath" targeted the spiritual body, making even spirits immune.

Hazel stared at the giant dragon in mid-air, her eyes suddenly wide, then bursting with excitement.

She had heard about this giant dragon from Daisy and had even seen the portrait Daisy drew with the help of official members.

So the dragon rider who blocked the Demoness of Despair during the "Great Smog" incident was Ebner!

I had thought that the "Hero Detective" hadn't made it to that disaster... I didn't expect him to have been silently guarding...

The "Hero Detective" is indeed as "heroic" as ever!

As Hazel's thoughts drifted, the mysterious power covering the main manor building rapidly "collapsed" under the "dragon's breath."

"Woo! Woo! Woo..."

After sounds like wailing and crying, the out-of-control Gatekeeper finally returned to the Underworld... along with the entire main manor building that he had incorporated into his body!

Only a metal plaque was left, falling onto the suddenly appearing empty ground.

"Is the Beyonder world always this terrifying, or just occasionally?" Hazel whispered, watching this scene. It seemed like a question, but also a murmur to herself.

"Always!"

Ebner , having ended the fusion state, gave his answer.

Then, he re-sealed the Bone Dragon back into its card, before coming to the empty plot where a building once stood. After a careful inspection to confirm there were no dangers, he finally picked up the metal plaque.

On it, a single word was written in ancient Hermes, no, more accurately, it was a name:

"Alistair Tudor"