Lord of Mysteries: The New Black Emperor

Chapter 102: The Indefinable Mist

Before Hobert, the curtain displayed the middle-aged man once again.

This time, the man appeared to be in his thirties, younger than in the previous two instances.

He smiled and said, "A 'Barbarian' isn't a savage; you need to think carefully about what truly constitutes 'barbarism.'"

The screen turned back to gray fog, and it seemed that the "Baron of Corruption" had grasped how to play the role of a Barbarian from those words.

Additionally, it seemed there were distinctions between elites and non-elites within the Tamara family. For example, the "Baron of Corruption" had learned about the role-playing method early on, whereas Upton's father, who left the family when Upton was already a teenager, was still unaware of it.

Hobert asked again, "What about the Tamara family's influence in Backlund?"

The screen flickered, showing the entrance of a factory. The view briefly focused on the factory's name: Nikola Shipyard.

The scene shifted to a luxurious office where a greasy-haired middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair was smoking a cigar. He smiled and said, "Yes, I've received orders to assist you.

"And following instructions, I will provide two assistants."

Next to the desk, a woman dressed as a secretary stepped forward — it was the Astrologer. Another assistant was the Sheriff.

"My assistant will take you to the hotel. It's absolutely safe for us there," said the middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair, still puffing on his cigar.

The scene changed once again, with the "Baron of Corruption" arriving at a hotel named Tuma.

The screen turned back into gray fog.

On the Iron Throne, Hobert rubbed his chin. So, Nikola Shipyard and Tuma Hotel were both properties of the Tamara family.

After a series of questions, the spiritual body of the "Baron of Corruption" had become faint. Hobert stopped communing with him, and the Baron's spirituality instantly vanished.

Hobert then turned to the still somewhat solid spiritual body of the Judge and started a spirit channeling: "Where is the Tamara family's gathering place?"

The screen flickered, showing a picturesque valley. There were snowy peaks, and halfway up the mountains stood a grand hall. The valley was a vibrant paradise, with villas and residences scattered throughout.

But just as these details came into view, the screen abruptly turned into rolling gray fog.

This fog was different from the usual fog during spirit mediumship gaps. It was alive, twisting and writhing.

It seemed that those who lived in or had visited the family's gathering place were either passively or actively affected by something. Even through a spirit channeling, the exact location of the gathering place couldn't be revealed.

Hobert posed another question: "The potion formulas for Sequence 8 and above of the Arbiter pathway."

The rolling fog cleared, and the screen once again displayed a scene. An elderly man with graying hair handed over a sheet of paper: "This is the potion formula for Sheriff. The materials are on that table over there. You can brew the potion yourself."

The view shifted downwards, and the potion formula came into focus: Sheriff.

Main ingredients: A pair of Fear Demon Worm eyes, the right paw of a Silver White War Bear.

Auxiliary ingredients: 10 milliliters of Black Mandrake flower juice, 12 milliliters of Bellgrass juice, 8 grams of Dragon Blood Grass powder, 80 milliliters of pure water.

As with the previous channelings, the graying old man appeared multiple times. He didn't seem to have aged at all, and from his behavior, it was evident that he had high hopes for the Judge.

The formulas for Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 appeared one after another.

Sequence 7: Interrogator.

Main ingredients: Horn of a Streaked Black Snake, Dust of a Lake Spirit.

...

Sequence 6: Judge.

...

After obtaining these three potion formulas, the spirit of the Judge became faint. Hobert stopped communicating with him and immediately began communicating with the nearly dissipated spirituality of the Astrologer: "The potion formulas for Trickmaster and Astrologer."

Since the Astrologer's spirituality was almost gone, the screen showed only blurry images, neither visible nor audible. The only thing that could be discerned was the potion formula for Trickmaster held in the Astrologer's hand.

Main ingredients: The stomach of a Soul Eater, 20 milliliters of Deep Sea Spearfish blood.

Auxiliary ingredients: 5 milliliters of oil from the Hornbeam tree, 10 grams of Catkin Grass powder, one blooming Red Poppy flower, 80 milliliters of pure water.

...

Sequence 7: Astrologer.

Main ingredients: Meteor Crystal, Blood Crystal of a Lavos Squid.

...

Just as the two potion formulas came into focus, the spirituality of the Astrologer completely dissipated.

"Hoo~"

Hobert let out a long sigh. Aside from the spoils he had collected earlier, these potion formulas were another great reward.

At this point, he had acquired coherent formulas for three pathways. With this knowledge, he now had the capital to form his own Beyonder organization.

Finally, Hobert used the Power of Disorder to briefly disrupt the order on the street, cutting off all possibilities of divination.

Leaving the Nation of Disorder, Hobert dragged the body of the "Baron of Corruption" back to the living room. Upton had already set up the altar according to his father's notes and placed the body of the "Barbarian" in front of it.

Hobert glanced at the altar. The symbol in the center consisted of curved vertical and horizontal lines with a few dots.

He hadn't seen it before, but it seemed oddly familiar.

Shaking his head, Hobert was about to move the next body when his spirituality sensed a strong feeling of unease.

He turned around, and the source of the unease was the symbol on the altar!

Upton, clearly inexperienced with or unfamiliar with ritual magic, was busy figuring out how to set up a wall of spirituality.

Pointing to the symbol, Hobert asked, "Where did that symbol come from?"

"My father's notes," Upton answered honestly.

"What's His honorific name?"

Upton picked up the notes. "The Mist..."

"Don't say it aloud!" Hobert shouted. "Write it down and hand it to me."

Realizing something, Upton fearfully followed Hobert's instructions, writing it down and folding the paper before handing it over.

Taking the paper, Hobert said, "I think I understand why this symbol feels familiar."

He continued, "Now, you have two choices. First, you can continue with the ritual after I leave. Second, I can offer you a safer entity to pray to. Your choice."

Upton, realizing the issue with his chosen entity, almost immediately replied, "I'll choose the entity you suggest."

In this matter, he trusted Hobert. After all, Hobert had brought so much help, indicating his Beyonder background.

Hobert smiled. "Then you'll need to become a follower of Him."

"No problem."

Hobert replaced the central symbol on the altar with the one representing the Creator, and then he revealed the Creator's honorable name to Upton.

Hobert pretended to go deal with the bodies but actually went to the bedroom. Using the original altar, he offered the folded paper to himself.

Returning to the Nation of Disorder, Hobert grabbed the paper and opened it. On it were written:

"The Mist of the deep cosmos;

The master of extreme cold;

The symbol of chaos and distortion."

From these descriptions, Hobert deduced that this must be the honorific name of the Indefinable Mist.

It wasn't his own spirituality that felt familiar but the Nation of Disorder, which had a close connection to him.