Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

When his vision returned to normal, Ebner found himself, as expected, in the Ancient Hall Above the Gray Fog. Across the long bronze table sat Xio .

"What happened?" Ebner asked calmly.

As he spoke, he glanced around. Although he couldn't see Mr. Fool, he was certain that He was present.

"I need your help with something…" Xio skipped any pleasantries and quickly recounted the entire story of Liv's youngest daughter, Daisy, being kidnapped. At the end, she said with clear concern, "At this point, we must rescue Daisy before the other party realizes those three men have fallen into our hands… Otherwise, they'll likely kill her…

"But I don't know how to bypass the mental tampering placed on them to extract information…"

So that's the situation… If I directly tell her that Daisy is in the dungeon of Kapin's estate, won't that seem far too prophetic? Ebner thought sarcastically to himself before continuing his internal analysis:

Freya and Daisy, the two pitiable sisters from the original story, have somehow become entangled with Aitris… and because of that, they've ended up at my home, pulling Xio and Hazel into this mess.

However, Xio's concerns are valid. While there are indeed members of MI9 involved in human trafficking, they are only a small faction. The majority are actually unaware. After all, such operations need to be kept hidden from the Church, and the more people who know, the more likely it is to leak.

If someone like Xio—a proper MI9 agent unaware of this dirty business—gets involved, the easiest way to maintain secrecy would be to silence her.

And silencing an official Beyonder subordinate of a princess is far harder than simply silencing the traffickers and their victims.

Kapin's death would not be mourned, but Daisy and the other kidnapped girls are likely in far more danger than in the original events.

But since I'm not at the scene and can't use Analysis, breaking through the mental tampering on those men will be extremely difficult.

Teaching Xio to set up a Teleportation Altar is also unrealistic. First, it's far too complex, and she wouldn't be able to learn it in a short time. Second, the materials required are not easily obtained. In short, it's not feasible in the short term.

So… this matter must rely on Mr. Fool.

After deliberating briefly, Ebner deliberately paused before saying to Xio,

"I don't have a great solution… I suggest you pray to Mr. Fool for help."

Xio was momentarily disappointed but brightened up at the suggestion. She immediately turned her gaze toward the empty seat at the head of the table, clasped her hands together, and began to pray devoutly.

Meanwhile, Klein, hidden nearby, sighed internally and muttered in his thoughts:

Why am I not surprised by Tower's suggestion? Is it because he always knows how to make the most of Mr. Fool?

However, after listening to Xio recount Liv and Freya's plight, Klein felt a deep sense of anger towards such despicable acts of kidnapping. From his heart, he wanted to intervene.

Thus, after Miss Judgement finished her prayer, Klein revealed himself. He appeared at the head of the bronze table, lightly tapping its edge with his fingers. With a faint smile, he addressed the two Tarot members:

"You know, I am someone who values equivalent exchange… So, what do you plan to offer in return for my help?"

Seeing Mr. Fool suddenly appear and hearing His question, Xio quickly and respectfully replied, "I will try to collect ten pages of Roselle's Diary and present them to you at future Tarot meetings…"

In fact, she already had three pages of the diary from a friend she met while purchasing the steam engine. They were originally meant for Fors, as a way to ease her guilt over keeping secrets from her friend.

Miss Judgement seems quite confident… Has she found a new source for Roselle's Diary? That's excellent news!

Unexpectedly pleased by this potential gain, Klein nodded and said, "Agreed."

Before Xio could express any praise, Klein's expression grew serious, and he gave a clear instruction:

"Offer me the lost girl's belongings as a sacrifice.

"Have those who need to speak recite my name.

"And ensure that they do not leak this to anyone afterward."

Xio hesitated briefly before nodding solemnly. "Your will is my command, Mr. Fool."

The leader of the three captured men radiated an aura of corruption and evil. Xio had no qualms about killing him afterward.

Satisfied, Klein nodded. "Good. Let's stop here for now. I will inform you when there's progress."

When it came to true villains, Klein had no hesitation in acting decisively.

...

Back in the carriage, Xio quickly arranged an altar using the materials she always carried. She placed Daisy's vocabulary notebook, which she had received from Freya, onto the altar and sacrificed it to Mr. Fool.

Afterward, she controlled the power of Mental Piercing to wake the man with the red birthmark. While he was still dazed by the ability, Xio exuded her authority and commanded him to recite a string of Ancient Hermes words.

The man, who didn't understand Ancient Hermes, instinctively repeated the words. His mind was still clouded from the pain of Mental Piercing, and he vaguely sensed himself entering a fog-filled space.

Moments later, he saw a paper figure that looked identical to him fly towards him and merge with his body. After that, he remembered nothing.

At the same time, Klein, seated in the Ancient Hall Above the Gray Fog, held the Black Emperor card in his hand. He extended his spirituality to touch the overlapping shadows of the man and the paper figure.

This was an application of Covenant Mysticism. A weak human gradually synchronized with a higher being, feeling corresponding knowledge and receiving profound spiritual insights. In this process, Klein played the role of the Great Being.

In this synchronized state, the exchange was reciprocal. Humans could gain knowledge from higher beings, and higher beings could bypass spiritual restrictions and extract desired information.

After a brief but intense exchange, Klein ended the Covenant and realized his fists were clenched tightly.

Kapin… Deputy Director of the Backlund Metropolitan Police Department… A Member of Parliament… What a filthy conspiracy!

But why would a human trafficker's house have at least four Beyonders? The strongest one, Horace, might even be Sequence 5… I don't know his pathway, but it seems similar to the Black Emperor…

Law, order, authority… An Adjudicator? If I recall, Tower classified this pathway under the Order Domain.

Based on what I saw, the restrictions only apply to the underground section of Kapin's estate, not the entire building. After all, sealing the entire house during the day would raise too many questions.

But even so, this is likely beyond Miss Judgement's abilities… And Tower isn't in Backlund… If anything goes wrong, Miss Judgement could be in grave danger… Should I intervene?

Klein wrestled with his emotions but ultimately made up his mind. He was willing to help Daisy—the bright young girl who had dared to dream of escaping poverty.

He performed a divination: "Saving Daisy is a dangerous endeavor."

The yellow crystal pendant spun clockwise with great speed and amplitude, confirming the danger.

But it wasn't hopeless. There was a chance—a slim but real chance.

Leaning back in his chair, Klein smirked self-deprecatingly:

"Aren't you looking for an opportunity to perform proactively?

"This is it!

"As a magician, you still have to challenge yourself to do something difficult, otherwise you should be called a master of tricks instead of a magician.

"To accomplish something that seems impossible, even if the result is false, this is the image of a magician in my mind. As for whether it is one of the rules, it remains to be confirmed..."

After making up his mind, Klein once again touched the crimson stars of the Tower and Judgment with his spiritual power, and thought to himself,

"But I still need Miss Judgment's cooperation in this matter. It would be best if she could remove me to avoid suspicion from those who conduct subsequent investigations...

"Well, as the Fool, I can't be too proactive… I have to exaggerate the difficulties and let Judgment and the Tower come to me for help… Maybe I can even use this to get some knowledge out of the Tower…"

...

At the same time, Ebner, who was in the basement workshop of the Fragrant Manor, was thinking in his mind,

"Although Xio is already Sequence 7 and has a powerful Sealed Artifact, she will definitely not be able to deal with those Beyonders in the Kapin family… and with her sense of justice, I'm afraid she won't give up easily on rescuing Daisy…

"So, this matter has returned to its original trajectory, and it has to be solved by the thief 'Black Emperor'!

"I am sure that Klein will never stand idly by after learning the whole story... So, we have to give him a way out...

"Hey, maybe Klein thinks the same thing… I have to be prepared to be fleeced…"

Thinking of this, Ebner just sighed, and thick gray fog appeared in front of him again, and then he came to the ancient hall above the gray fog.

(End of chapter)