Lord of the Mysteries

Panda Novel

There was no reason for Klein to decline Cattleya’s request. He thought for two seconds and said, “700 pounds.

“Very fair.” Cattleya didn’t haggle.

Sequence 8 Beyonder characteristics typically cost 600 to 700 pounds, but there was often a premium if someone was in desperate need for it. After all, such items seldom appeared at Beyonder gatherings.

Klein didn’t immediately complete the transaction. He raised his suitcase and said without a change in expression, “I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”

He didn’t bring the Pugilist Beyonder characteristic with him, as most items of value had been thrown above the gray fog.

Cattleya wasn’t surprised by Gehrman Sparrow’s response. She nodded.

“That wouldn’t be an issue.”

She had encountered many similar cases. It usually meant that the Pugilist Beyonder characteristic was stored with items which wasn’t meant to be known by others. Therefore, it was impossible for Gehrman Sparrow to open his suitcase in front of her to complete the transaction on the spot.

A crazy adventurer definitely had his secrets!

Cattleya paused for a second before adding, “There won’t be any surveillance placed in your room.”

Whatever she could see had already been seen by her.

“It’s fine.” Klein curled the corners of his lips and coldly smiled.

His previous considerations was to place down items like Azik’s copper whistle and Will Auceptin’s paper crane before holding a ritual or going above the gray fog. It was to resist any spying in the sense of mysticism. Then, he could use the washroom as a way to avoid physical surveillance.

Of course, he wasn’t too worried that Admiral of Stars would go overboard. He didn’t believe that she was afraid of the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, but that Cattleya had no reason to do so. She definitely had milder and more concealed means of observing.

For example, getting the help of a Beyonder from the Spectator pathway… Klein took off his hat, bowed, and followed Poison Expert Frank Lee to return to his own room.

Seeing him walk off at an adequate speed, Cattleya turned into the captain’s cabin, picked up a heavy pair of glasses and wore it.

…

Backlund, at the Harvest Church south of the Bridge.

In the eyes of an ordinary person, Bishop Utravsky, whose height was that of a half-giant, put down the bible in his hand. He prayed once around the hall and smiled.

“The number of believers is increasing.”

“Is that so?” Emlyn White, who was in a brown priest robe, was wiping the candle racks as he said without even looking up.

He knew that the number of believers of Mother Earth had indeed increased significantly. It would’ve been a miracle in the past to have a handful of people be in attendance for praying on weekdays or in the daytime. Now, there was often close to ten.

Father Utravsky looked down at the busy vampire priest and chuckled.

“Anyone can tell if they aren’t blind.

“You have contributed greatly to this. If not for your concocting of the medicine and treating the plague, and your willingness and sincerity in teaching people about medicine, our faith wouldn’t have been that easily accepted by the residents of this borough.

Emlyn held a cloth and straightened his back. He tipped his chin slightly.

“I was only acting.”

What, what do you mean by “our faith?” Don’t lump me with you! Emlyn’s expression twisted before he said with a smile,

“Speaking of the blind, it reminds me of a joke. It’s said that the demand for blind people in Backlund far exceeds supply. This is because they are widely believed to be most suitable to be jurors.”

Father Utravsky ignored the joke and benevolently said, “Regardless of the goal, you have contributed greatly to the spread of the faith of Mother Earth.

“Besides, this also proves that you have a kind heart.”

Pui! I said so back then, but why didn’t you believe me? Emlyn looked up at the priest’s massive body before retracting his gaze in silence.

After busying himself at the cathedral, he changed into his normal clothes and wore a silk top hat that sheltered him from the sun. He then walked onto Rose Street.

He stealthily sized up his surroundings and didn’t notice any signs of monitoring.

The Red Glove named Leonard from before really hasn’t appeared again… I thought my act of exposing his secrets and buying Tinder would result in me being constantly investigated in secret… Emlyn White shook his head indiscernibly as he felt puzzled.

In the earliest stages, he had planned on taking in The Hanged Man’s theory to incur the investigations of the Red Gloves so as to disrupt the monitoring from the upper echelons of the Sanguine. He could then achieve a perfect equilibrium by using the Church of Mother Earth’s Blessed, Utravsky.

But things didn’t develop as he had expected. Leonard Mitchell had apparently left Backlund very quickly.

At the end of February, Emlyn had made a detour to 7 Pinster Street while he was out once, only to discover that it was uninhabited.

Without thinking about this matter any further, he walked to the end of the street, got onto a rental carriage and headed straight for the Odora villa.

He was left to a study on the first floor by an attendant where he saw many Sanguine who had recently come of age. Among them was a Sanguine who had already become a Baron.

I’m not the only one? he thought before closing the door. He then said to the owner, Cosmi Odora, “My lord, Was I not called here because of a summoning from Lord Nibbs?”

He had said “my lord” rather indifferently as though he was calling him by name. This was because he was also a Sanguine Baron; the difference was that he hadn’t publicized it.

Cosmi was a very refined middle-aged gentleman. He smiled and said, “All of you are outstanding young Sanguine. My grandfather has entrusted all of you with some tests.”

Another Sanguine Baron, Rus Báthory, who was lucky to receive an inheritance, asked, “What tests are they?”

Cosmi drank a mouthful of dark red blood which was concocted with grape wine as he scanned the area.

“Perhaps you might not know, but the Snake of Fate from the Life School of Thought has disappeared for quite some time.”

As Emlyn White and the other Sanguine looked puzzled, Cosmi continued, “But I believe all of you should know that the Life School of Thought is a coalition which was barely formed thanks to their belief in fate. They allied under the massive pressure placed by the seven orthodox Churches in the beginning of the Fifth Epoch and are formed by Beyonders who think of themselves as absolutely rational and aloof, those that worship the Primordial Moon, and those that seek the essence of life and spirituality.

“Due to the existence of the Snake of Fate, there hadn’t been many serious problems internally. Their worship of the Primordial Moon was ultimately restricted to a fixed symbolic meaning. Furthermore, the process of formula exchange was melded with a master-apprentice heritage system.

“Unfortunately, heh, with the disappearance of the Snake of Fate, this process has been disrupted. The Primordial Moon’s believers rapidly turned passionate, producing a fracture in the faction that represents fate. An intense conflict ensued as a result.

“This matter was used by the Rose School of Thought. It dealt quite a sizable amount of damage to them.”

Emlyn White, Rus Báthory, and other Sanguine remained perplexed. After sharing the background information, Cosmi dived into the details.

“Worshipers of the Primordial Moon are our eternal enemies. They have always been hunting us, concocting us into potions to achieve strength!

“Now, we will not let go of such an opportunity.

“Here’s a list of Primordial Moon worshipers and their situations. Whoever finds them and kills them will be the victor of this test. My grandfather, as well as various important figures would reward you generously.

“If you complete a portion of the list, we will determine this by numbers.

“Of course, these people were selected, and all of you are capable of dealing with them. The rest will be tracked down by the important figures.”

Upon hearing the first few sentences, Emlyn White had no intention of participating, despite having hatred for those “artificial” vampires. He found the matter troublesome, laborious, and tiresome. He’d rather stay at home in silence to chat with his dolls.

By the time he realized that it was a competition, as well as sensing the gazes of Rus Báthory and the other Sanguine which were cast on him, Emlyn suddenly straightened his back and tipped his chin.

“No problem.”

His red eyes slowly swept across the other creatures in the room.

…

On the Future, inside a spacious room with an attached bathroom.

Klein stood in front of the window, looking out into the undulating blue ocean. In a good mood, he breathed in the cold winds that came from the north.

The flagship of the Admiral of Stars had already separated from the other ships in the fleet as it began to cruise alone.

After an unknown period of time, two whaling ships appeared ahead. Once they noticed the flag containing the stars and eye flying from the Future, they immediately responded nervously.

They quickly adjusted their positions, aiming their starboards over, their cannons ready to shoot at any moment.

At the same time, spears and harpoons, which were shot using explosives, were directed in the same direction. The blond and large fishermen from the Gargas Archipelago held tridents and guns as they braced for an attack, either by standing or crouching.

Klein also noticed that there were a number of women with figures similar to the Hulk. It was obvious at a glance that they were heavy and good at fighting.

The Future didn’t mind their “welcome.” It continued cruising past them, heading deeper into the whaling route.

After cruising for a while, Klein saw more pirate ships ahead. They were clustered around the sea route’s periphery, their motives unknown.

The Future came close without standing on ceremony. Immediately, the pirate ships reacted like startled birds as they quickly retreated.

Sensing the Future slowing down, Klein left his room in puzzlement.

Just as he approached the captain’s cabin, he discovered Cattleya walking out. This woman wore a thick pair of glasses on her nose bridge, hiding her mysterious purple eyes.

She glanced at Klein and said succinctly, “Someone discovered a ruin which is said to be from the Fourth Epoch at the bottom of the sea in the waters around here.

“We plan on taking a look while on the way.”

Bottom of the sea? Ruin from the Fourth Epoch? Klein instantly recalled the rumor he had heard from the Lærdal Bar.

So this piece of news has already spread? I was wondering why I got to learn it so easily… he said inwardly in enlightenment.