Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

This feels like someone prepared a main material in advance, waiting for a Polymath to come along. No wonder Edwina's prophecy was about a "fated encounter." With everything arranged so clearly, of course, it's "fated." But who planned this elaborate scheme over a hundred years ago?

It couldn't have been that Daniel master Edwina mentioned—he perished centuries ago, the timeline doesn't match...

A hundred years ago, the most prominent figure was undoubtedly Roselle... Could it have been him? Did he "foresee" my arrival and invest in advance, hoping I'd help him rid himself of some kind of corruption once I grew strong enough?

The "Knowledge Emperor" was indeed skilled in prophecy... but could he have foreseen my transmigration?

Or perhaps this was initially Roselle's arrangement—or someone else's—made for another purpose, but it was repurposed by the "God of Knowledge" as my opportunity?

As these thoughts raced through Ebner's mind, he saw the lion curl its mouth into a wide "smile," nodding repeatedly as it said, "Yes, yes, you've guessed it all correctly. But it's all your guess—it has nothing to do with me."

Hearing this, "Vice Admiral Iceberg" Edwina felt a spark of inspiration and immediately asked, "Is it also part of the 'rules' that you can't actively reveal what restricts you, or who imposed the restrictions on you?"

Ebner, having had a similar thought, withdrew from his musings and turned his attention to the "Finks Lion."

However, the lion, now thoroughly soaked by the downpour, looked quite pitiful. Its once-pristine white fur clung wetly to its body, further emphasizing its oversized head.

The lion glanced at Ebner and Edwina, who were still shielded by their "water barrier." Muttering something under its breath, it plucked a few of its multicolored mane hairs with its paw. Suddenly, an inexplicable force surged, and the water barrier surrounding Ebner and Edwina extended outward, forming a large dome with a five-meter radius to shield against the intensifying rain.

Seizing the opportunity, the lion moved into the barrier's range but still maintained a distance of over five meters from Ebner.

After ensuring the humans wouldn't retract their abilities, the lion finally spoke, feigning a "simple-minded" tone: "With an extra brain, my Analysis ability became stronger, but controlling Imitation became far harder, with a high failure rate. So, over the past century, with nothing better to do, I've pre-prepared my mane into all sorts of 'charms' and hung them around my neck…"

"The charm I just used contains a mystic art I developed, adapted from the Marauder pathway. It allows me to 'steal' partial control of others' abilities."

Edwina's eyebrows twitched, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Those multicolored mane hairs… they're all charms?"

So, it's stealing, but not fully stealing? Why are all the mystic arts this lion develops so weird… Ebner inwardly complained. He wasn't too surprised, though—his constantly active "Pure White Eye" had long since revealed the true nature of the lion's multicolored mane.

This was also why he hadn't chosen to fight outright. After all… the lion had at least tens of thousands of charms in its mane. Such an overwhelming stockpile was absurd!

In a direct confrontation, even with Edwina's help, they might not be able to subdue it quickly and risk it fleeing to hide.

"Of course! You must understand how boring it is for a lion trapped in this valley, unable to leave and with its legs hardly functional," the Finks Lion muttered. It then cursed the one who imprisoned it before circling back to the topic at hand. "You're both right in your guesses… So, who's going to answer my 'hidden question' first?"

Ebner still couldn't determine whether this so-called "hidden question" was a trap. Edwina seemed equally cautious. After a moment of hesitation, Ebner asked again:

"Lion... er, Mr. Lion, am I correct in understanding that if I answer your hidden question, you'll be able to give me one of your brains and thereby fulfill the conditions to break the 'rules' binding you to this valley?"

"You're smart… but not entirely right. I still can't leave."

The lion appeared to have infinite patience, showing no irritation at the duo's lack of cooperation. Instead, it answered Ebner's question with a vague response.

Afterward, as if recalling something, it added, "You can call me 'Leon.' That's the name that guy gave me. Though later on, he kept calling me 'Three Lights.' I have no idea how that's related."

Alright, I'm certain now… This is definitely your doing, Huang · Roselle · Tao! Ebner's lips twitched slightly. However, since he had already suspected as much, he wasn't too surprised. Instead, he turned his thoughts toward deciphering the meaning behind Leon the lion's words.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked with a hint of realization, "Answering the 'hidden' question only breaks the restriction preventing you from removing or separating the extra brain, but leaving the valley requires additional conditions?"

"Exactly! It's so much easier talking to a Polymath. In the past, there were other Beyonders who recklessly entered the valley. Some attacked me on sight, while others couldn't grasp the meaning behind my words and were too timid to accept my questions...

"Of course, there were also a few brazen idiots who had the guts but empty heads. Forget 'hidden knowledge,' they couldn't even answer simple questions! As punishment, I had no choice but to 'erase' their memories of seeing me."

As Leon spoke, his fluffy face twisted into an obvious expression of disdain.

I never imagined that the academic elitism of the Reader pathway could manifest even in a lion... Did this guy attend Lenburg University or something?

Ebner internally ridiculed the situation for a moment before carefully analyzing every point the lion had deliberately revealed. His instincts told him that Leon wasn't lying.

He turned his head to glance at Edwina and noticed that the intellectually graceful yet valiant pirate admiral had already taken out her small mirror.

After about ten seconds, she put the mirror away and nodded lightly at Ebner. "Its words can be trusted."

And it might even be a potential ally for us in the near future… However, Edwina didn't say this part aloud. She intended to use the Polymath Communication Technique to share the insight with her companion later.

Seeing this, Ebner, confident in both his "backers" and personal strength to handle most unexpected situations, no longer hesitated. He addressed Leon, the lion, and said, "Alright, go ahead with your question."

Leon perked up at this, visibly energized. He plucked a strand of his mane to isolate Edwina's senses and then shifted his body into a state that intersected with the Spirit World in a strange and indescribable manner. Only then did he begin to speak:

"This question is the 'hidden' one that the person who trapped me here instructed me to ask.

"Only a Polymath Beyonder who answers this question correctly can take away my extra brain."

So that's how it is. This must be a 'rule' that Roselle created using the authority of the Black Emperor pathway, right? It can only be revealed during the 'questioning' phase? Hmm, maybe he hadn't become the Black Emperor yet and used something like a Sealed Artifact to achieve this.

No wonder the lion had to develop a mystic art to detect Polymaths.

"Are you ready?" The Finks Lion now revealed its true form as one of its kind. It emanated an aura full of mystery and disarray, existing in a peculiar state between the Spirit World and reality.

Knowing that the Finks couldn't maintain this form for long, Ebner nodded solemnly and said, "I'm ready. Ask your question."

"I shall now ask the 'hidden' knowledge question…" The Finks Lion began solemnly.

Ebner focused his attention, listening carefully for the question that followed.

"What weapon did the warrior named 'Cloud Dragon' use to capture the legendary 'City of Peace'?"

Hearing the question, Ebner's eyes immediately lost focus. He almost raised a hand to cover his forehead and gazed upward, internally complaining:

Roselle, could you have come up with a more ridiculous question?!

"Although… in a certain sense, this is indeed 'hidden knowledge,' and it fits the rules of a Finks…"

(End of Chapter)