Lord of the Mysteries

Inside the bathroom in 15 Minsk Street.

Klein took out a paper figurine from a concealed pocket, shook it, and transformed it into a body double.

He made the body double sit on the toilet with a newspaper in hand as a way to deceive others. Then, he hid himself in the shadows, took four steps counterclockwise, and went above the gray fog.

These series of actions were even more magical than magic!

Inside the majestic ancient palace, Klein sat at the very end of the long bronze table, conjuring Jason Beria’s handkerchief in front of him.

It was only a projection, but it could also be used for divination as long as the handkerchief didn’t leave his body in the real world. The earliest instance was back when he used the projection of the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem in Tingen City as a divination object. At that time, he still didn’t know how to summon himself, and he was unable to bring items with spirituality above the gray fog.

Of course, there was still a big difference between using a projection and using the actual object for divination; therefore, Klein often tried his best to use the actual object. But right now, with him being protected by official Beyonders, it wasn’t that convenient to carry out a ritual.

If anyone were to find him lighting candles in the day while on the toilet, he would be in deep trouble.

If I can really manage to obtain Jason Beria’s location via divination, I can always take the risk by summoning myself and bringing the handkerchief up here if the revelation isn’t clear enough… With a mumble, Klein produced a goatskin and a fountain pen. He wrote the divination sentence: “Jason Beria’s current location.”

Normally speaking, relying on a handkerchief that the target used only during a certain ritual made it impossible to divine the whereabouts of the target since the connection wasn’t strong enough, and there was too much interference. For example, it was very easy to end up provoking the Abyss Grand Duke which the ritual was directed at.

But for Klein, interferences could be eliminated. The so-called Abyss Grand Duke was at most a High-Sequence Devil, and not the incarnation of the Dark Side of the Universe. Above the fog, the mysterious space had already handled deities like the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator. Even a slightly weaker one was at the level of an angel, Mr. Door, and up to this point in time, he hadn’t suffered any serious mishaps.

As for the problem of the connection not being strong enough, Klein, who could only be enhanced to a certain degree by the gray fog, was helpless as well. He could only give it a try and try his luck. Perhaps it would only be after he became a High-Sequence Beyonder Saint in this domain that he could have the corresponding confidence.  ( AllNovel )

In theory, it’s possible. After all, when holding a ritual, one’s body, heart, and mind were unified the most. It was also the easiest to communicate with the outside world… Klein, who was now barely considered an expert in mysticism, muttered. He held the handkerchief and the goatskin with the divination statement written on it, and he leaned back into his chair.

He quickly entered a state of Cogitation and constantly chanted, “Jason Beria’s current location.”

After chanting it seven times, Klein fell into a deep sleep and entered the dream world.

Within the gray world, countless images flashed and intersected with each other in a rather dispersed manner.

Soon, the scene became clear and filled Klein’s “vision,” which made him feel as if he had entered a dream.

In the dream, the lights were dim and the desk was dark red. A figure was standing in front of the oriel window, looking out at the garden.

There was a glass shed in the garden, with roses blooming inside, bright red in the December cold.

The figure of a man was projected on the window. He was of medium height, with curly brown hair and cold brown eyes. He looked to be in his thirties.

This… Am I not divining Jason Beria’s location? Who is this? He feels a little familiar… Klein was puzzled, he but didn’t think further about it. He let his spirituality remain in a dispersed state, as if he were roaming some mysterious world.

Just as he raised the question, the man turned and walked to a corner of the room, where there were two large leather suitcases.

The man squatted down and opened one of the suitcases. Inside was a neat stack of bills, with gold bars placed on top of them.

The notes that were exposed were all in ten-pound denominations, while the gold bars shone with an enchanting luster.

The man pulled something out of a hidden pocket of his suitcase, shook it, and opened it.

It was a slightly pale piece of human skin!

A complete piece of human skin!

The man quickly stripped off his clothes and put on the human skin. In just ten seconds, he had become Jason Beria with tall cheekbones, blue eyes with a tint of gray, and neatly combed hair!

At this point, the scene suddenly shattered, and Klein opened his eyes.

It’s no wonder that Jason was willing to take a risk. So it turns out that in the past ten years, he has always been wearing a human skin and has never shown his true face… As expected of a calm and crazy Devil… Klein couldn’t help but sigh.

Jason had left his portrait in the house, and it didn’t garner any suspicion from Isengard and the others, because his neighbors had seen him and knew what he looked like. Even without the portrait, with the powers of the Beyonders of the official organizations, it would’ve been easy to reconstruct his likeness, and the result would’ve been even better than a photograph; therefore, there was no reason for Jason not to have the drive to destroy something like it. This was something very logical.

Who would’ve thought that he would’ve left a hoax in somewhere that looked to be most natural! If searches are made according to the portrait, even if the Nighthawks have Sealed Artifact 1-42, it wouldn’t be that easy to lock onto the target… Moreover, in both times, he had used his own abilities to conceal his face. Who would’ve thought that his face, which had been tightly covered and concealed, was actually fake! Klein realized how cunning Jason was.

He rubbed his temples and began to recall the scenes he saw in the dream divination.

A house with a glass greenhouse. That’s a pretty obvious feature. There aren’t many similar buildings in Backlund! But the question is, how do I report it? The moment I tell the Machinery Hivemind, Jason would definitely sense the danger and start to disguise himself and move away…

Directly find the Nighthawk with Sealed Artifact 1-42? What if I encounter someone familiar? I don’t want to turn into ashes and be scattered into the Tussock River… Besides, I can’t rush to report it. I just started gathering information, so how is it possible to receive any information from my various channels so quickly…

That fellow is really carrying a large sum of cash and jewelry, a whole suitcase worth of bills… The total value may exceed 50,000 pounds…

Thoughts raced through Klein’s mind and it took him a moment to calm down. He decided to wait another two days, then use the appropriate means to inform the Nighthawks in charge of this matter with the revelation he received.

With the divination coming to an end, he returned to the real world, removed his double, and sat on the toilet himself.

…

In the afternoon, Klein threw a coin when he was about to leave.

The revelation he received was that it wasn’t beneficial for him to head out.

“There will be danger if I head out?” Klein didn’t hesitate to return to his living room and sit down.

After about twenty minutes, he heard the doorbell ring and saw that it was Isengard Stanton who had come to visit him.

“Mr. Stanton, any progress?” Klein asked rather delightfully.

Isengard pointed to the back of the hall.

“Let’s talk inside.”

“Alright.” Klein made way by stepping aside.

After sitting on two sofas which faced each other, Isengard held his hunter’s hat and took a deep breath.

“The Desire Apostle has appeared again.”

Seeing Klein maintaining his silence, he nodded in satisfaction and continued, “The families of two detectives refused protection, believing that they wouldn’t be implicated, so they remained outside. Today, at lunchtime, they were found dead in their respective offices. One was so horrified that he died from fright. The other was too excited that he expanded the last of his energy.

“They were too stubborn, as expected of believers of the Tyrant, But as a result, the Mandated Punishers have formally involved themselves. It’s said that the few Churches and the military’s High-Sequence Beyonders have cast their gaze over, and they’ve placed the matter of the Desire Apostle as one of the most important events in recent times.”

“Are you hoping that I wouldn’t reveal your identity as a believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?” Klein asked, seemingly enlightened.

“It’s easy to talk between detectives.” Isengard smiled and nodded.

“No problem.” Klein made the promise first, then said, “I have some information channels that are convenient to expose. If I get valuable information from them later, I hope you can help me inform the Nighthawks and keep it confidential.”

As for why it’s the Nighthawks instead of the Machinery Hivemind, he believed that he didn’t need to be too clear about it. With the intelligence of a great detective like Stanton, he could easily figure it out.

Isengard first agreed to Klein’s request, then said in puzzlement, “By telling me, it’s the same as letting Jason notice it ahead of time.”

“Let’s hope we can think of ways of avoiding that… Also, please help me think about other possibilities. That ring of yours should be able to mimic several Beyonder powers,” Klein calmly replied.

“Alright.” Isengard didn’t say anything further.

He pondered for a few seconds and took out his pipe to take a whiff.

“The Desire Apostle’s actions today have verified one of my guesses. Heh heh, it’s also the question you thought of previously.”

“His main purpose isn’t revenge?” Klein understood what Isengard was implying.

Isengard leaned forward and solemnly said, “Since Jason has already been through the Coldblooded stage, it means that he’s definitely coldblooded. It’s impossible that he would go this far for that Devil.

“Sherlock, look. Up until now, all of the official Beyonders in Backlund have been mobilized, and even the High-Sequence Beyonders have shifted their attention to this matter. At this point, if Jason wants to deal with someone else—the true target—wouldn’t it be much easier?”

Klein thought over it for a moment and replied heavily, “That makes sense!”

…

After a short exchange, Isengard went on to find Kaslana. After Klein tossed the coin, he went out as planned, heading for the Quelaag Club.

Neither of them had yet revealed their suspicions to the official Beyonders, fearing that it would end up directing harm at Jason, making him detect it and abandon his series of actions.

As soon as he entered the Quelaag Club, Klein met the surgeon, Aaron in the lobby.

“Long time no see,” he smiled and greeted him.

“I’ve been really busy recently,” Aaron replied in a friendly manner, but he maintained his cold expression out of habit. “Besides, my wife recently got pregnant, and I’m going to be a father again.”

“Congratulations. When did this happen?” Klein asked casually.

Aaron thought for a while and said, “It was just confirmed. She should be pregnant for more than a month.”

“More than a month?” Klein was startled, and then he looked into his eyes.