Lord of the Mysteries

Above the gray fog, the magnificent palace stood silently.

Klein drummed his fingers rhythmically on the edge of the long bronze table, concentrating on what he could do in the face of the threat of the Aurora Order and Mr. A.

While having a hard time figuring out the other party’s intentions, he instinctively came up with an idea.

Report Mr. A! Report illegal gatherings!

Klein could very easily learn of the location where Mr. A held the gathering through Miss Magician, and thus, he would be able to easily report it to the Nighthawks, the Mandated Punisher, or the Machinery Hivemind in secret.

An Oracle of the Aurora Order was bound to garner enough attention!

When that happens, Mr. A’s safety would probably be at risk, so he probably wouldn’t have the time or effort to track down the believers of The Fool.

The problem, however, was that this was bound to implicate a group of innocent Beyonders, and Klein suspected that this was the reason why Mr. A directly offered a reward for the believers of The Fool.

Perhaps he had long planned an escape. Once someone reports him, he would be able to confirm without a doubt that The Fool’s believers were among the previous gathering members.

As for who it was exactly, that wasn’t important. Mr. A and the lunatics of the Aurora Order were definitely capable of taking exhaustive measures!

And once these Beyonders fell into their hands, many of them would be unable to hide their secrets. The Aurora Order, or the Shepherd pathway which represented the True Creator, are the best at corrupting others.

When the ideology of a Beyonder was completely twisted and once they believed in the True Creator wholeheartedly, what else could be kept a secret?

It’s not like there’s no other way. It’s best not to report it… Klein leaned back in his chair, collected his thoughts, and reorganized the entire matter.

As he was thinking, he suddenly realized a problem.

There were no believers or adorers of The Fool in this world!

Even the Tarot Club only had a few members, and no one had divulged the relevant information.

In other words, the Aurora Order wouldn’t be able to find any relevant clues… There’s nothing to worry about… The only bad outcome is that The Fool is now targeted by the True Creator. Although being targeted by an evil god isn’t a pleasant feeling, it basically wouldn’t affect anything else… Klein nodded thoughtfully.

He had thought it through very clearly. The only flaw in this matter was that he had once used the title of The Fool, written in the language of ancient Hermes, as a password for an anonymous account. However, with the sacrificial and bestowal rituals having proven useful, the account had long been abandoned and had long since been forgotten.

Since the last month and a half, no one had been noticed by Klein for copying the password, so it was possible to deduce the actual situation.

As such, bank employees, who had been in contact with the password but apparently do not understand mysticism, wouldn’t be able to reveal it to anyone, and Beyonders would at most make requests in the Loen language, so even if they find the right person, it’s not possible to connect the content described in the Loen language with that of the ancient Hermes password.

If anyone had copied it down, I would be the first to know and would be able to respond effectively… Besides, even if someone finds the password, it would be difficult to trace it back to Sherlock Moriarty. I use a variety of means every time… Miss Justice is also sufficiently careful when saving money… While rapping the table, Klein relaxed and said with a chuckle, “You believe that The Fool has many adorers and believers and that this would result in many clues that cannot be hidden?

“Wrong, especially wrong! There’s only one believer and adorer of The Fool! And that’s me!”

When he said that, he couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s something that I should be proud of…”

I need to be a little careful for the time being. I shouldn’t go around using the banner of The Fool… Klein reminded himself and went back to answering Miss Magician’s prayers.

He adjusted his posture, and said in a low, gentle voice, “Don’t worry about it.”

…

Don’t worry about it… When Fors received the answer, she was surprised but also felt that it was only right.

In the eyes of Mr. Fool, the Aurora Order is nothing but a bunch of ants!

Fors once again recited his honorific name in a low voice, and she curiously asked, “Honorable Mr. Fool, which existence does the Aurora Order believe in?”

Then, she saw Mr. Fool sitting on a high back chair in the middle of the gray fog. He leisurely said, “The True Creator.”

The True Creator… Fors’s eyes widened as she instantly understood why Mr. A suddenly sought out the believers of The Fool.

With the help of the Tarot Club, that Sun youth in the City of Silver had successfully exposed the abnormality of the exploratory team and thwarted the True Creator’s ploy!

Behind this incident is a confrontation and struggle between Mr. Fool and the True Creator… Fors didn’t dare to ask any further, and she quickly recounted her meeting with the members of the Abraham family. She also mentioned Lawrence’s will, the strange notebook, and the Beyonder characteristic he had left behind.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, what should I do?” she asked for advice with uncertainty.

What should you do? Miss Magician really is lucky… Why haven’t I encountered such a good thing… Klein responded with a chuckle, “Follow the true desires in your heart.”

He wasn’t the least bit worried that Dorian Gray, from Pritz Harbor’s Fishermen Association, would harm Miss Magician, because he knew she had two more stones on her bracelet, allowing her to teleport through the spirit world twice.

Follow the true desires in my heart? Fors lowered her head in thought.

“I understand. Thank you, Mr. Fool.”

She decided to buy a steam locomotive ticket tomorrow. Using this mode of transportation, it would take a little over an hour to get from Backlund to Pritz Harbor, or maybe less.

After reporting everything, Fors requested to hold a sacrificial and bestowal ritual. After receiving a positive response, she exchanged 600 pounds in cash for the Sheriff Beyonder characteristic.

Holding up the fist-shaped object comprised of black iron, dark red, and silver colors, as well as its beautiful spiritual radiance, Fors felt joy and admiration.

Xio had long gathered the supplementary ingredients, so she would soon be promoted to Sequence 8… And I don’t know when I’ll become a Trickmaster… I hope Mr. Hanged Man and the others can help me find the appropriate Beyonder ingredients as soon as possible…

Xio had been subconsciously acting as an Arbiter, so she didn’t have to worry about her digestion of the Sequence 9 potion, but once she becomes a Sheriff, what should she do? Should I ask permission from Mr. Fool to teach her the “acting method”… or should I simply suggest that she sneak into the police force?

…

At the end of the long, mottled table, Klein looked at the thick stack of cash in front of him and carefully counted it several times.

Through this method, I would have 1,230 pounds. I would still be short of 300 pounds to obtain a single Sequence 6 Beyonder ingredient. Of course, 1,500 pounds is the minimum price, and the actual transaction price is usually much higher than this…

Where else can I get money these days?

As soon as the bicycle patent is granted, shall I sell a portion of the shares?

Yes, I almost forgot how special the Tarot Club is. The Werewolf Beyonder characteristic cannot be sold in Backlund for now, so as to avoid being discovered by High-Sequence Beyonders from the Rose School of Thought. But I can always sell it elsewhere! I’ll let The World entrust Mr. Hanged Man to sell it at the Sonia Sea at the next gathering. I’ll offer a corresponding amount of the commission as his reward.

After subtracting the costs, the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic should give me at least 1000 pounds. It will be more than enough for a single Sequence 6 Beyonder ingredient.

Klein quickly came up with a plan and decided upon it.

He found it a little regrettable that Miss Xio didn’t seem to have much money. After she became a Sheriff, even if she could quickly digest the potion, it would still take her a long time to buy the Interrogator’s Beyonder characteristic. And if the Abraham family were to take interest in Miss Magician, his subsequent Astrologer potion formula would no longer be marketable.

What a pity… Klein sighed and returned to the real world.

…

Wednesday morning.

Klein didn’t suffer from insomnia due to being targeted by the True Creator and the Aurora Order’s pursuit. He slept till daybreak and happily went out to buy a Desi pie for breakfast.

There was no doubt that Desi pie required sweet iced tea to match it.

As he enjoyed the food and flipped through the newspapers, he discovered the advertisement for the Ernst Firm and learned that there would be a Beyonder gathering convened by Eye of Wisdom tomorrow night.

This time, I’ll be able to request to purchase the relevant Beyonder ingredients… But there’s a high chance that it wouldn’t be available. Even if there’s something, it will be supplementary ingredients like the hair of a Deep-sea Naga… Klein seriously considered the channels in which he could find the ingredients.

He spread out his left hand and counted with his fingers.

From the Tarot Club, there are the outlets of Little Sun, Mr. Hanged Man, Miss Justice, and the rest. Beyond that, I have Eye of Wisdom’s gathering; Miss Bodyguard and Maric, but I shouldn’t contact them if possible for the time being. Also, hmm… Yes, I have Vampire Emlyn White. Didn’t he mention that he would write to ask some powerful Sanguines? That’s what social connections can bring about!

Coming to this thought, Klein immediately decided to go to the Harvest Church to wait for Emlyn White.

Although it was impossible for the Aurora Order to track him down, it still gave him a sense of urgency, making him want to gather the Beyonder ingredients as soon as possible. One he digested his potion, he would quickly advance to Sequence 6.

Ten in the morning, South of the Bridge, Rose Street.

In his double-breasted frock coat, Klein took off his half top hat and strolled into the rather small Harvest Church.

At first glance, he saw the giant-like Father Utravsky and Emlyn White who was dressed in brown priest robes.

The latter was wiping the candle lamps with a numb look on his face, as though he would rather be dead.

What a coincidence… Wait, don’t tell me he’s here for the entire day? He only returns home at night? Klein casually found a seat and sat down. There were less than five devotees in the entire cathedral.

Emlyn White also saw him and put down the rag. He walked over and sat beside him.

The vampire’s expression suddenly became lively. He raised his chin and said with a chuckle, “You came here suddenly because you have something you need my help with, right?”