Lord of the Mysteries

Fors flipped through the calendar on her desk and used a pen to mark the date of the upcoming full moon.

She had decided that, as soon as she heard that horrible, illusory raving, she would chant the name of The Fool and pass the painful minutes above the gray fog.

Life is truly filled with things to look forward to… She closed the novel in her hands, ready to turn off the iron grille gas lamp that was set into the wall.

At that moment, a flash appeared in front of Fors’s eyes. She saw the boundless gray fog and a lofty figure that resided in a majestic ancient palace, as well as a man who was praying devoutly.

When the voice reached her ears, she almost jumped, feeling both alarmed and joyful.

The Trickmaster formula that I’ve been arduously searching for all these years has been found just like that?

I participated in so many different Beyonder gatherings and failed to find any clues to the Trickmaster formula; yet, it has been found just like that?

And not even a week has passed since I made the request!

Th-this is the Tarot Club… As expected, it’s not something ordinary Beyonder gatherings can compare with! Fors sighed with emotion, and endured her excitement and joy as she cautiously responded, “Mr. Fool, is that formula authentic?”

“Yes.” The Fool, who was sitting on the high back chair and looking down, replied calmly.

Fors suddenly clenched her fist and secretly pumped it by her waist twice. Almost without any hesitation, she asked, “That was Mr. World, right?

“Please tell him that I will find what he needs as soon as possible.”

When the gray fog dissipated and everything was over, Fors remained stunned for two seconds. She couldn’t suppress her excitement as she stood up to pace back and forth in her room.

The Sun’s domain, items that are good at purification and exorcism… I encountered them only twice in the past. But they were bought by others. They might not be willing to offer them again… Yes, back at Mr. A’s gathering, Xio had hired a devotee of the Eternal Blazing Sun to perform a purification and exorcism ritual. He’s at least Sequence 7, and he should have the relevant items. Or perhaps, he grasps key clues to them… I just wonder how much it’ll cost. Although Mr. World promises to pay the difference, I might not be able to come up with the amount needed for the initial payment… Fors’s thoughts gradually shifted to her financial situation.

She now had 370 pounds in cash, mainly earned from what Viscount Glaint had paid for the Apothecary formula. She also had 510 pounds in her bank account, which added up to nearly 900 pounds.

As for something similar, it can go as high as 2,000 pounds, while the cheapest might cost from 500 to 600 pounds; yet, it might not necessarily be the kind of item that Mr. World needs… What if I run into a suitable item but don’t have enough money? Get a loan from the bank, or a loan from an usury with a higher interest rate? As long as all goes well, then when Mr. World pays the difference, my debt will easily be repaid… Maybe I could borrow from Miss Audrey for a few days. She usually never cares about money, so she will definitely not collect any interest… Fors quickly came up with a solution.

Just then, Xio, who had gone to somewhere secluded at night to practice her combat skills, returned to their rented two bedroom apartment. Seeing that the lights were still on in her room, she knocked on the door and asked, “Are you pulling an all-nighter to write the beginning of your new book?

“Eh, Fors, you seem really happy. Did the publisher increase your rates?”

“No, no, no.” Fors was slightly taken aback before she forced a smile. “I just received a piece of information that’s suspected to be a clue to the Trickmaster potion formula.”

“Really? Your waiting has finally paid off!” Xio totally didn’t notice Fors’s hidden oddity.

Seeing her good friend so happy for her, Fors couldn’t help but sigh to herself.

I’m already a member of a secret organization. From that moment forth, I’ve taken on a fate that requires me to constantly hide and lie to my friends…

Is this the price—one out of many—to be paid?

…

Saturday morning. Klein once again visited Inventor Leppard at St. George Borough’s Sird Street.

Since the bicycle had yet to be patented, he only paid the last twenty pounds and exhorted Leppard not to rush to talk about subsequent investments and partnerships until he had the patent.

With regards to this, Leppard was very agreeable. He had been tricked twice before for the same reason—before getting a patent, once the potential investors who he had made contact with had fully understood his product, he was kicked aside to watch as the potential investor bribed the patent office and acquired the patent first.

After leaving Leppard’s place, Klein arrived at Isengard Stanton’s place in Hillston Borough at the appointed time. It was a dark and gloomy house.

Today was the day that the rewards for the serial murder were going to be disbursed!

Walking through the living room and into the activity room, Klein saw the two detectives he was more familiar with, Kaslana and Stuart, and sat down next to the latter.

“Sherlock, how much do you think we’ll get this time? It should be no less than protecting Adol. Of course, I didn’t do much, so what I can receive will be limited. Emperor Roselle once said, ‘the more plowing and weeding, the better the crop.'” Stuart clenched his fist and held it to his bearded chin.

Klein guessed with interest.

“The split might go as high as a few hundred pounds, and even the lowest wouldn’t be less than 10 pounds.”

And I’m the one that will get the higher end of the split… If Isengard Stanton’s words were as credible as he had described… Klein added in his stirred heart.

At that moment, a white-shirted, brown-vested Isengard, with white hair at his temples and a thinly contoured face, entered the activity room while carrying his signature pipe. As the fireplace burned, he sat down in a reclining chair and said with a smile, “Ladies and gentlemen.

“I just got back from the Backlund police station. They acknowledged our contribution, and they think we’ve been instrumental in cracking the case.

“Although we didn’t participate in the subsequent capture, we can still obtain half the bounty.

“In other words, we’ll split a thousand pounds in cash!

“This is considered quite a handsome bounty, even in Backlund. A single detective has to have zero expenses—not eating or drinking, and even resorting to sleeping on the streets—for four or five years to amass this amount.”

The atmosphere in the living room immediately became relaxed. Everyone was filled with anticipation about the reward they would receive.

Even Klein was no exception as he guessed the amount Isengard would give him.

It should be at least a hundred pounds, right? he whispered silently.

Isengard took a puff on his pipe, narrowed his eyes, and said in a satisfied tone, “Everyone, thank you for your trust in me. I will now do the splitting.

“The biggest contributor this time was Detective Sherlock Moriarty. The ideas and train of thoughts that he provided us had allowed us to find more clues and put us on the right track. He’s a genuine expert at deduction!

“Ma’am Kaslana can bear testament to this. I still have a few letters from Detective Moriarty, and anyone in doubt can take a look.”

That’s very fair… He actually didn’t list himself as the biggest contributor… Klein turned to the great detective, Isengard Stanton, and viewed him in a different light.

It’s no wonder that he has such authority in the detective circle!

Seeing that there were no objections, Isengard nodded and said, “I declare that Detective Sherlock Moriarty will be awarded 300 pounds!”

Immediately, the detectives in the activity room broke out into whispers.

From time to time they looked up at Klein, as if they finally recognized this brilliant detective whom Mr. Stanton had praised as an expert at deduction.

What a generous man, a just man… Klein grinned and ultimately didn’t act modestly.

In second place were Isengard himself and Kaslana, who each received 160 pounds, while the rest of the detectives split the remaining 380 pounds depending on their respective contributions. Even the lowest received 15 pounds, equivalent to three or four weeks of their usual earnings. This was the benefit of handling a major case with a high bounty.

Stuart, who had received forty pounds, was very pleased because he felt that he had only done two days of observation. Furthermore, the subject he observed ended up not being the final confirmed suspect.

Of course, he also had to pay a portion of the forty pounds—all informants and helpers involved in the matter had to be paid.

After distributing the bounty, Stuart suddenly remembered something. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said to Klein, “Sherlock, I’ve recently accepted a missing person assignment that pays a lot. Try using your resources and help me pay attention to it. If the person is found, I won’t forget your share.”

“Sure, no problem,” Klein replied indifferently.

Stuart handed over the piece of paper and said, “It’s this man. He’s been missing for nearly two weeks.

“As he’s involved in some improper conduct or might even border on committing a crime, the client doesn’t wish for us to seek the police’s help.”

Klein nodded slightly and unfolded the paper. He saw a black-and-white photo that was made through lithography.

It was a man with hair that was combed back in a slanted fashion, and there was a certain elegance in his propriety.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight-years-old. He had a handsome appearance, but there was an undisguised air of arrogance between his eyes. His nose was high, and his lips were thin.

“Right, his name is…” Stuart recalled and said, “Emlyn White.”

Emlyn White… Klein suddenly turned his head to look at Stuart.

“Ah!”

Isn’t that the name of the vampire who’s imprisoned in the basement by Father Utravsky?

…

In Duke Negan’s mansion, Audrey, who had been invited to a tea party, was listening to her mother and Duchess Della chatting about nobility matters with a slightly bored expression on her face.

Her eyes swept across the three-layered rack, the uniquely-styled muffins, cake, and other delicious tidbits. She felt that she had been indulging herself recently, so she lightly picked up her cup and sipped the black tea.

After a while, she got up apologetically and, accompanied by the maid, went to the bathroom.

As soon as she came out, she met a tall, middle-aged woman with slender eyebrows and a graceful appearance.

It was Duchess Della’s younger sister, the wife of a hereditary viscount, Lady Norma.

After exchanging the formalities, Norma looked at Audrey and said with a chuckle, “I heard that our beautiful young lady is very interested in mysticism?”

She mentioned mysticism. Could it be that someone from the Psychology Alchemists is here to test me? Audrey instantly entered her state as a Telepathist. A little embarrassed, she lowered her head and replied, “Yes.”