Lord of Mysteries:When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Celeris felt utterly bewildered as he found himself transported once again. He couldn't quite understand why he had arrived here. In his memory, he had been celebrating his one-year anniversary in the Honkai: Star Rail world by attempting to pry some gems from a wall built by the Amber Lord, using a peculiar psychological invisibility artifact. Suddenly, everything went dark, and he found himself on this bustling street.

Where am I? (in Patrick Star's voice)

He had a feeling that he might have arrived at a place far from the star system protected by the Amber Lord. Looking inward, he realized he had taken a significant step forward on the path of Exploration. Over the past year, he had been a nameless traveler, visited many places, and even ventured beyond the wall a few times, reaching areas untouched by the Trailblazing Star-God. However, he had never progressed this far on the path of Exploration until now.

Unlike in games, path walkers in reality aren't limited to a single path. Humans are complex beings with diverse and ever-changing perspectives on the world.

One can use Knowledge for Destruction like the "Extinction Scholar," or execute Hunt through Memory like the "Silent Hunter." Therefore, when referring to a path walker as a "walker of a certain path," it's not about which path they've embarked on, but rather how far they've progressed on that path or which path they choose to identify with.

This also explains why the "tavern" often lacks Abundance walkers.

At this moment, catching a whiff of the foul odor of garbage mixed with horse manure, Celeris couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. He lightly tapped his collar, and instantly, an invisible bubble formed around his head, purifying the air he breathed. He had to admit, although the Interstellar Peace Company's products were expensive, the inventions from their Erudition Society were incredibly useful.

Next, Celeris pulled out a palm-sized, cylindrical silver trash can with a flip lid from his pocket. Besides being a trash can, it had four muscular limbs, with its arms crossed over its chest, giving it a powerful appearance.

Suddenly, a white cloud appeared before him with a strange narration written on it:

[The vertical grooves encircling the silver body accentuated its slender figure, captivating observers like a graceful dancer. The gray-black spots and rust adorning its elegant form showcased its refined character. This was the composure and confidence of the old-school artists, a classical beauty incomprehensible to modern people.]

Ignoring the sudden appearance of this narration, Celeris recalled that three days ago, this thing had popped up with a [Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★] written on it. Since then, it had been appearing frequently, as if attached to him, to make its presence known.

It initially called itself Little Aha, but Celeris referred to it as Erha.

[As a gentle breeze stirred up a speck of dust on its surface, it fluttered like a startled swan, graceful as a swimming dragon. One couldn't help but sigh, 'This can should only exist in heaven, rarely encountered in the mortal realm.']

[If placed by the roadside, it would be a magnificent treasure chest, embodying the essence of exploration.]

Unfortunately, this wasn't the kind of promiscuous treasure chest that anyone could open. It was a portable space-folding luggage box developed by the Erudition Society, which he had named "Little Can Boy."

Of course, Celeris had customized its appearance. This avant-garde artistic form seemed to be understood by few, often causing Celeris to feel troubled.

[In other words, he's just going through a rebellious phase, trying to be unconventional to show off.]

Celeris shrugged, indifferent to the comment. After all, he did have one like-minded "comrade" – none other than the famous Galactic Baseball Bat Man.

He had developed a good relationship with the Galactic Baseball Bat Man on the Astral Express. Everyone called them General Big Can and Corporal Little Can.

With a light tap on the lid, Little Can Boy instinctively uncrossed its arms and opened its lid with one hand. Celeris reached in, his hand visually distorting as it approached the opening, appearing smaller the further it went in until it completely disappeared into the can. It was like an abstract scene viewed through a funhouse mirror.

As he walked aimlessly with the crowd, he pulled out a pair of deep blue sunglasses from Little Can Boy's body and put them on. The lenses weren't smooth but seemed to be composed of many small mirrors, each reflecting a different scene, as if time had been disassembled.

The world before him was divided into dozens of fragments. Both people and objects appeared broken and chaotic under this strange filter, yet interconnected.

Memories of people, memories of objects – the world reflected everything it had recorded, chaotic yet orderly.

This was the perspective of Memory.

Looking at a gentleman wearing a silk top hat beside him, some common knowledge was transmitted into Celeris's brain through these sunglasses produced by the Lumina Recollection.

This was Tingen City in Awwa County, northern Loen Kingdom. A year usually had 365 days, divided into twelve months of about 30 days each. Today was June 27th. The currency of this country was pence, soli, and pounds. The main beliefs of the Loen people were the Goddess of Night, Lord of Storms, and God of Steam and Machinery. The moon in this world was red. Emperor Roselle was the greatest politician, military strategist, writer, inventor, and adventurer in history...

As this common knowledge entered his mind, Celeris felt that he had seen these settings somewhere before, and the names of those gods seemed particularly familiar. When Emperor Roselle's name appeared in his mind, Celeris suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He realized the source of familiarity in these settings – they came from a novel he had read: "Lord of the Mysteries."

Hm? Why are my hands wet? Is it raining?

No, it's not water, it's sweat.

I see, so I'm already drenched in sweat.

Ah, this suffocating feeling, like being constricted by a python.

He even suspected that Aha might be messing with him.

[Yay! This is exactly what I wanted to see! That Outer God will surely knock Celeris to the ground and capture him to become a Beyonder!]

Unlike most novels, if one were to transmigrate into a fictional world with knowledge of the plot, they could usually gain many advantages through their foreknowledge. However, this novel was somewhat different, or rather, some of its settings were quite unfriendly to transmigrators because here, knowledge was poisonous.

It was like a garbage can containing rotten eggs – even the self-proclaimed King of Trash Cans, the Galactic Baseball Bat Man, would know not to rummage through it.

P.S.: The early chapters contain more memes, with the main storyline aligning with the original novel from Chapter 10 onwards. Those who don't enjoy the initial whimsical content can skip to Chapter 10 and beyond.

Regarding some settings for Erha: I understand that Erha might be a sore point for some readers, feeling like there's something in their head that can read minds, giving a sense of being monitored, which can be unpleasant. Let me explain: Erha is not a system, nor is it a disguise for Aha, Chaos, or anything like that. There's no conspiracy theory here. It's a memetic life form created unconsciously through the combined powers of the Abundance, Memory, and Propagation paths, based on Celeris's wish to "have someone to share memes and discuss the plot with." It incorporates Celeris's own memories. You can think of it as Celeris creating a second personality for himself and then materializing it. Both in terms of memories and essence, Erha is based on Celeris himself and is a part of him. If you view them as a case of split personality, might that make it easier to accept?

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meme references in the chapter and their explanations:

"Where am I? (in Patrick Star's voice)"

This references SpongeBob SquarePants, where Patrick Star, SpongeBob's best friend, often says silly or confused things. The phrasing mimics how Patrick would dramatically ask this question in his signature voice."Attempting to pry some gems from a wall built by the Amber Lord, using a peculiar psychological invisibility artifact."

This is a reference to Honkai: Star Rail, specifically to the Amber Lord, an in-universe deity representing Preservation. The "psychological invisibility artifact" is likely a joke about players trying to bypass game mechanics to obtain resources."This also explains why the 'tavern' often lacks Joy walkers."

This is a subtle joke referencing RPG games where taverns are typically full of adventurers discussing quests, but rarely embodying the "Joy" Path—a path associated with hedonism and carefree fun."Little Aha" and "Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★"

"Aha" is a reference to Aha, the Aeon of Elation in Honkai: Star Rail, known for being unpredictable and chaotic. "Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★" is internet meme slang used for playful or mischievous characters."Galactic Baseball Bat Man"

This is likely a reference to Honkai: Star Rail's character Gallagher, who wields a bat and has a chaotic, carefree personality. The name is exaggerated to sound like a superhero, playing into meme culture."General Big Can and Corporal Little Can"

A humorous exaggeration referring to Celeris and his portable trash can. The ranking system mocks how military hierarchies are often overblown in fiction and real life."Hm? Why are my hands wet? Is it raining? No, it's not water, it's sweat. I see, so I'm already drenched in sweat."

This is a reference to the "sweating profusely" reaction meme, often associated with extreme realization or fear in anime and manga."Ah, this suffocating feeling, like being constricted by a python."

A reference to a common manga trope where a character realizes they're in grave danger and describes an overwhelming sense of pressure, often depicted with heavy shading and dramatic inner monologue."That Outer God will surely knock Celeris to the ground and capture him to become a Beyonder!"

This plays on the Lord of the Mysteries setting, where Outer Gods and Beyonders (people who consume mystical potions to gain supernatural abilities) are central elements. It also mirrors how transmigrators in fanfiction often get caught by powerful beings."Knowledge is poisonous."

A reference to Lord of the Mysteries, where knowing too much about supernatural entities can drive a person insane or get them noticed by dangerous forces—unlike typical isekai stories where foreknowledge is an advantage."It was like a garbage can containing rotten eggs – even the self-proclaimed King of Trash Cans, the Galactic Baseball Bat Man, would know not to rummage through it."A humorous way of saying that diving too deep into forbidden knowledge is a bad idea, using exaggerated metaphor and referencing the previously mentioned trash can theme."P.S.: The early chapters contain more memes…"This is a meta joke acknowledging that the first part of the story is filled with memes and humor, while later chapters become more serious. Many web novels with meme-heavy openings include similar disclaimers."Regarding some settings for Erha…"This is a play on common fan theories where readers suspect that a character (like Aha or Chaos) is secretly controlling the protagonist. The explanation humorously defuses such speculation by calling it a "memetic life form," poking fun at the way fan theories sometimes overcomplicate things.